College Football Picks Week 1

Welcome back kids, the greatest sport in all the land, college football, returns to us tomorrow. If you know me at all you know I love college football to a fairly unhealthy degree. I've got a few ideas of how this season will go down...will I be right? clearly no, but it is always fun to take some shots. So here are some random college football thoughts:

• Notre Dame will win at least 9 games. I will have a full post on this next week, but bank on it.
• Michigan will finish .500 at best. Wishful thinking, somewhat, but when you lose that much of your team (I think only 10 starters returning) and try and put in a new system, which is fairly niche w/o the right personnel...you are f'd.
• Texas finishes under 10 wins for the 1st time in God knows how long. They could still get there, if they do it will be a 9 win regular season and a bowl win, but I think the team is too young this year and still dont trust Colt McCoy to A) stay healthy and B) get the job done. In the interest of full disclosure, I also think they will be top 5 next year, possibly challenging for the title with a better schedule and great experience, just not this year.
• Tebow doesn't repeat for Heisman. There are too many talented players out there this year, and I feel like the voters will be less likely to award a repeat this year, my early pick now is Beanie Wells with Knowshon Moreno right behind.
• Auburn wins the SEC. They are going to lemur the league so bad this year it's not even funny.
  
• The National Title game will be OSU vs OU. I really think OSU makes a ridiculous 3rd straight trip, luckily for them, not against an SEC team this time around. OU's D is stacked, their OLine will be arguably the best in the land, and a lot of talent around Sam Bradford who led the country in Pass Efficiency last year. If he can avoid the soph slump...yikes. OSU's main test comes week 3 in everyones preseason pick for game of the year against USC. Since 1/2 of the Trojans are dealing with jock itch (literally) and injuries to Sanchez and Joe Mcknight I think they are going to start the year slow while Beanie Wells will run amok. I expect UGA and Auburn to be in the hunt but for the SEC to kill everyone off.
  

In a throw back to my good old days on the radio I'm gonna pick 5 games against the spread each week. My goal is to end the season above 65%. Knowing me, I wont come close, but it will be fun. One of the games will be ND every week they play cause I'm a homer. The other 4 will be the best/most interesting games IMO. I may pick more than 5 if there is a stacked week, just cause I can. I'm going to get my lines based off of centsports.com's lines. I think I told you all about this before, but it's a site where they give you $.10 to start betting for free, if you lose it, they reload, if you win, you keep going. Get above $20, cash out cash money. That's right kids, free money. If interested: http://www.centsports.com/?opcode=95841. If not, here we go, feel free to play along in the comments, I'll keep track of people that play along as well. Ill be keeping track of W-L and against the spread as I plan on calling out both, just for kicks. Picking more than usual for this week since I gotta pick the Thursday game and why not, football's back:

NCST @ S. Carolina (-12.5):
Pick: S. Carolina cover. I told ya they could go...yah click clack. The Ol Ball Coach is gonna have his boys ready to go and we all know Spurrier loves putting up points.

SMU @ Rice (-3.5):
Pick: SMU to win. What the hell...pony up! June Jones is coming out in his first game with the very dangerous Justin Willis at QB. Yes, Rice has one of the best WRs in the year in Jarrett Dillard but I wanna see the reclamation project get off on a good note. Slightly homer pick but like the billboard says, June's not just a month, it's an era. hahaha

Hawaii @ Florida (-36):
Pick: Hawaii to cover. I think the game will be a beatdown, but the line intrigues me. Hawaii has to move on after losing Jones and Colt Brennan while Florida tries to bounce back from last year behind Tebow. With several guys, especially Percy Harvin, a lil banged up, I expect Urban to stay a lil conservative in this game and the final to end up about a 28 pt win.

Utah @ Michigan (-3.5):
Pick: Utah to WIN. That's right I said it. Seriously, 10 starters total returning, your entire O production gone, and as of 3 days away still no idea who the starting QB is? Utah meanwhile is one of the best teams in the Mountain West. Upset me.

Alabama @ Clemson (-4.5):
Pick: Clemson cover. Davis and Spiller are too ridiculously good to contain. I expect them to put up #s like McFadden and Felix Jones last year. The overlord Nick Saban will be able to do nothing to shut it down

Michigan St. @ California (-4.5):
Pick: MSU to WIN. I think MSU could end up being the 3rd best team in the Big Tenleven behind OSU and Wisco and I dont really see Cal doing much this year.

Illinois @ Missouri (-9):
Pick: Missouri to cover...handily. I'm sorry, Missouri is gonna be nasty this year. Yes the Zookster still has Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn (turncoat) but no Mendenhall, Williams still good for 2-3 picks a game, and we haven't even gotten to the absurdity that will be the Tiger O this year. Kansas was a flash in the pan last year but expect Mizzou to be up there all year.

So there it is kids, thoughts, predicions, hopes, fears? Play along in the comments, it's much more fun that way.