Week One Recap

Yeah, I know there are two games left, but I'll be drinking heavily during one, and paying no attention to the other, so....

I can only assume that people who claim to like pro football simply don't watch college football.  We've already had five games better than anything the NFL will offer all year. 

I know with all the streaming services and conference networks and whatnot, broadcasting talent must be at a premium, but Jesus.  I'm pretty sure the play by play guy on the Pitt game was watching an entirely different game (perhaps in his head), and may or may not have been doing Social Studies homework during halftime. The guy doing the App State / UNC game must surely have been watching his first game of gridiron football.  Either that, or he's just incredibly bad at math. Or both. Randy Cross twice wondered out loud if Navy should "go for the FG here," down 7 with 1:00 left in the game (and, not that it should matter, without its normal kicker). 

Whatever Wyoming wore yesterday, they should wear forever.  They have, to be kind, a challenging color scheme, but they looked pretty good yesterday.  They also became the first underdog to cash a ML play for me in OT since the Eisenhower Administration.  

I'm usually not much for hyphenated, half-ass, regional programs, but UTSA seems to be an exception.  That place was rocking, they got about 30,000 of their own folks to show up, and were fun to watch.  Uniforms are goofy, but life is imperfect. 

Nobody hates replay more than me, but even I can't recall seeing them screw up a play where a guy caught a ball twice for a TD, and wasn't awarded either.  Poor Illinois.  That said, I thought, on balance, the replays I saw over the weekend were seemingly called correctly, and there weren't tons of them.  Let's hope that trend continues.  Another trend I hope to see continue is the sanity with appeared to be applied to "targeting" calls.  Didn't see one I disagreed with either way.  The lack of pass interference calls was also a nice change.  

Navy is incredibly terrible. Mids are lucky they play Temple, because I'm not sure there's another win on the schedule. 

The average margin of victory in BC home games since 1987 is now a negative number.  Physicists are unclear as to how this is possible.  BC also hold the Guinness record for "most games during which the score was 9-7 at some point."

Southern U had 16 penalties for 136 yards last night, and won by 86.  There's a message there somewhere. 

Lost in the shuffle last night was the battle of a Team With a Coach I Can't Believe is Still There against a Team With a Coach Who Isn't Going to Be There Much Longer, in which Syracuse looked surprisingly good.     

 Feel like Alabama might be sneaky good this year. 

And yours truly had Navy smh, but they should be able to beat Temple.

GLuck this season 

@MaineRoad

I learned yesterday that the (sort of) famous PA guy at ECU ("arrrrrrgh!) is the father of the present QB.  They were twice denied a cinderella ending yesterday by the Pirates kicker.

Vandy moved to 2-0 (no, really), but was actually outgained by the Former Fighting Christians, and were kind of holding on for dear life by the end.  Not sure they win another.

Maybe Oregon State should play in half a stadium more often.  Impressive Beavering last night in Corvallis. 

San Diego State remains winless all-time at Snapdragon Stadium. 

I feel like Bethune Cookman leads Miami 3-0 every year, before losing by 55 or so. 

I saw that the line moved about 10 points toward Texas State at Nevada yesterday.  Smart people really had that one wired. 

The Navy / Delaware total also jumped about 8 points in the hours leading up to the game in Annapolis - a game which could easily have ended scoreless.  Nice work. 

@Biscuiteater1

Navy is just so dependent on having "one of those QB's, who kind of makes it all go," and they don't seem to have one, at least not yet.  I feel like I've seen this movie before, and Navy has improved dramatically in-season, but that was really bad yesterday. 

This isnt your fathers washington is what I learned yesterday

@shakey12381

 Talk to me.  Too late for me.  

Stanford, which averaged 87 yards/game on the ground last year, got 87 and a touchdown on its first play from scrimmage against Colgate.  The Tree then muffed each of its first two punt receptions of the year, the second gifting the Red Raiders a TD.  No problems from there, though, down on The Farm. 

USF is still using souvenir schedule cups from its 2019 season.  That program really seems to be a certified dumpster fire after a handful of years of serious relevance.  

great thread.

Good write up!   

For some reason as I was reading your commentary I was reminded of how easy it is for me to hate Brian Kelly, even as a lifelong Irish fan.  Hating him alone made me bet on FSU plus the points.

I give him 4 years there.  Then he may take an NFL coaching job for the Browns, or Texans.  Then he will be on Dancing with the Stars.  Then he will die of rubella.  Or something similar.

Also, I still think the dumbest rule in football is not being able to advance a muffed punt.

Hi

My Brother From Another Mother.  

JD 

SKIP 

LHH 

Sold Week 1 in the books. 

I feel like whoever put Alabama/Texas at 12:00/11:00 was not breastfed enough as a child.

UVa and Illinois may forget which team is which several times on Saturday, as it will look like an inter-squad scrimmage. 

If you wonder why people in Louisiana drink so much, the Tigers and Saints probably have the two most famous missed extra points of my lifetime.  

Any of my pals in the 808 want to opine as to how long Hawaii continues to slug it out in FBS?  That program needs a $100M overhaul, maybe more.  Sad, because, like most degenerate gamblers, I always had a soft spot for the Rainbows. 

@MaineRoad

 Im very close to locking in UVA +4.5.. Illinois cant pass but UVA cant stop the run... 

Oddly, UVa was one of the few games I didn't see any of.  I lean to the over in that one, but feel like every game at Memorial Stadium is like 12-10 in the 4th.  Also need to check on weather.  Feel like both teams should get to 20 without much trouble.  Need, what, 56? Prolly.  

Liking Old Dominion and South Alabama, as I zero in on those marquee match-ups.  Played Wake at 7.5, but that number is long, long gone now.  

Lets just say this isnt the the slowest paced big time depend on defense team as in previous years and I mean the Washington Huskies not the Uconn huskies

@shakey12381

 One of my favorite road trips ever.  Always had a soft spot for UDub. You weren't the only one to mention the apparent change in philosophy in Seattle.  Let's hope totals makers are slow to catch on.  

 The UW/Kent game went over 59 early in 4th, then we got to see why Dylan Morris isn't the starting qb this season.....

 Huskies defense won't be great but should still be good vs. the pass.

@THEMUGG

 Feels like a long time since you, me and Jimmy palled-around out there, doesn't it?  Probably because it was.    Good luck with your M's.  

@MaineRoad

 10 years ago to the day! I remember you were in town to see the UW/LSU game () ........Sept. 8th, 2012

 Fun time.......hope life is treating you well, sir.

Man, good memory. I recall we met at some bar up by the University, and the very first college game of the year was on the tube. NC State and somebody? Maybe South Carolina?  You got me hooked on Rainier tall-boys.  I lived on them when I was stationed at the Eegewater for a month of arbitrations. That was the life. Arbitration by day; Belltown at night. Those were good days. 

On a scale of Rossie O'Donnell to Margot Robbie, how excited are you for the start of the NFL season?

I feel like I'm probably somewhere in the Sarah Jessica Parker range - "could, but would rather not."

A few Week 2 picks:

Army +120 - it might be metaphysically impossible to be in a worse situational spot than UTSA is here.  They're the better team, but I'm not sure that matters Saturday.  

New Mexico +17 - Lobos win over Maine is better than it looks.  Caveat: Boise has beaten me 426 times in a row when fading. 

South Alabama +5 - there isn't a living soul on USA, and I used to live in Mobile 

Memphis / Navy under 50 - unless Delaware = the 85 Bears, the Mids are really going to struggle to move the ball this year.

Pitt +6.5 - I saw some lost UT fans wandering around the highway this morning; perhaps that's a metaphor.

UTEP - 16 - best 0-2 team in the country. 

I like all of those....but may just have Army and Pitt in my UDMLP....

That Navy/Memphis under looks solid, especially considering the line has dropped to Navy +5....Dont think anyone actually wants to bet on Navy, but a bet on the under is almost the same thing....

Didnt see much of Boise, but theres ZERO chance I am laying 3+ scores with them considering the total is 44....Kinda hoping all week it would nudge to 17.5 and force my hand.....

You would think UTEP would show up and actually play well and pound someone because they can....still pondering....may add them to a teaser at -9 or 9.5 though..........

MR