Trent's Touchdown - Week 1

Due to the Olympics, my whole sports attention was focused on Beijing. I completely forgot that other sports existed (hence why I haven’t said one word about the Red Sox or soccer). So, I was caught off-guard when my father mentioned the Clemson game for this coming Saturday. I had forgotten that college football was right around the corner.

For those of you who know me, this means one thing, the first edition of Trent’s Touchdown. I’ll run down the top six weekly match-ups and throw in an extra point at the end. Anyway, enough with the babbling, on to the Touchdown (all game are Saturday unless otherwise noted).

1) Alabama (24) vs. Clemson (9) (in Atlanta) (8:00 on ABC) – Ever since Clemson got their clock cleaned by Auburn in the Peach Bowl; I’ve been looking forward to this game. We all know how good Clemson will be on both sides of the ball, but their offensive line is suspect. In order to win, they need to open holes for James Davis and give Harper time to throw. I don’t exactly trust their linebacking core either. Alabama had a disappointing year in terms of record, but they kept every game close and had a great recruiting class. There running game is solid if John Parker Wilson is having accuracy problems. They’ll give Clemson a test, but the Tigers should win.

2) Missouri (6) at Illinois (20) (in St. Louis) (8:30 on ESPN) – What a change 12 months makes. Last year, no one really cared for either of these teams, now; they’re both in the top 25. Missouri is lead by QB Chase Daniel, who will be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. The no huddle, spread offense of Missouri should cause Illinois fits. However, Illinois will counter with Juice Williams, who either finally made the leap last year or just flashed in the pan. Williams is trying to develop himself into a pocket passer, which should be fun to watch. I have $5 that says he’s running around before the end of the First Quarter.

3) Appalachian State at LSU (7) (5:00 on ESPN) – Oh come on, I had to mention it. LSU will utterly thrash them, but after what happened in Ann Arbor, this game needed to make the list.

4) USC (3) at Virginia (3:30 on ABC) – Of all the things that have made me start to turn against USC, I do love there non-conference schedule this year. They travel to Virginia and then get home games against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Once again, USC implants yet another All-American into the QB spot, giving Mark Sanchez his due (I like Mitch Mustain). Though there offense will be a question mark until we actually see something, there defense will be top notch. While Virginia got by last year on guile and experience, they won’t have the same luck this year as they only have 10 starters returning. Look for USC to walk on this one.

5) Hawaii at Florida (5) (12:30 on ESPN Gameplan) – This game comes a season too late for Hawaii. After being ridiculed for a marshmallow schedule last year, Hawaii finally reins in a real opponent, yet without Colt Brennan or June Jones. Florida on the other hand has the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and one of the best offenses in the country. While there defense is questionable, Hawaii should give them some good practice, which they will need before taking on the SEC.

6) Tennessee (18) at UCLA (8:00 on ESPN) – Once again, I’ll give props to Tennessee for opening against a real opponent. How Tennessee won the SEC East last year is still a mystery to me, but don’t expect a repeat. With Erik Ainge gone, Tennessee hands the reins over to Jonathan Crompton, who will try and get the ball to Arian Foster and just stand aside. Normally, I would give UCLA a chance, but since they really don’t have a QB (apologies to Kevin Craft), I really don’t expect much from them.

Extra Point:

7) The extra point will be the same lament I have every year at this time. It’s tough picking good games at the beginning of the year since most colleges pick teams like St. Mary’s Nunnery as opponents. While this does have its problems (look at Hawaii last year), most teams face no ill effects from this. While we all want the Appalachian State/Michigan replay, that only happens once in a lifetime. So, major props to USC going out and taking on all comers. If they win it all, no one can complain about their schedule. Well, someone will complain, but we just won’t listen to them.