College Football Week One – Doubleheader Thursday night on ESPN
And I Wonder, Still I Wonder,
Who’ll Stop the Tide?

Back in early 1970, CCR wondered, “Who’ll stop the rain?”  But in the late summer of 2013, I’m wondering, “Who’ll stop the Tide?”

Alabama is the unanimous favorite to win the SEC West.  The Tide is the unanimous favorite to win the SEC.  And to add insult to injury, Alabama is the unanimous favorite to win the national championship.  That would be Alabama’s third national title in a row – fourth in the last five years. 

Long as I remember, The Tide been comin’ down.

Hold onto your hats college football fans.  The 2013 season is about to begin.  And from all appearances, it will be everyone else chasing Alabama.  Whether or not anyone catches the Tide remains to be seen.  But as much as everyone favors Alabama, the odds don’t favor the Tide.

Being ranked No. 1 at preseason is not a good omen.  Teams ranked No. 1 in August rarely win the national championship.  It’s only happened 17 times in 77 years and only nine times in the last 56 years.  The last time a team ranked No. 1 at preseason won the national championship was nine years ago in 2004.  That was USC and, ultimately, the Trojans had to vacate their title.

 So that’s why I say, “Hold onto your hats college football fans.”  It ain’t over till it’s over. 

Still, I wonder.

But I don’t have to wonder much longer.  The drama begins Thursday evening when the curtains rise in Columbia, South Carolina – The Tar Heels at the Gamecocks, starring Jadeveon Clowney in a four-quarter play.  The action continues immediately afterwards in the second performance of the doubleheader night – Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. 

If those two performances don’t satisfy your appetite, then hang around a little longer Thursday night for Rutgers at Fresno State, starring Derek Carr.  The critics have been raving about Carr. 

The drama festival continues Friday night, when Johnny Manziel and the rest of the country get to watch his former offensive coordinator perform in a new role.  Kliff Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M last year, coaches his alma mater – Texas Tech – in an encounter against SMU in Dallas.  Can Mustang coach June Jones and former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert upstage Kingsbury and the Red Raiders?

Saturday, take your pick from more than 40 features.  There’s something for everybody, but five features highlight the day.  The first of the five headliners begins in the afternoon with Mississippi State versus Oklahoma State from Reliant Stadium in Houston.  Next up, Virginia Tech takes on national champion Alabama from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  And I wonder…..still I wonder.

That night, Aaron Murray and Todd Gurley lead Georgia against Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins at the Death Valley Theater.  The action continues with LSU meeting TCU from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  In the final marquee feature of Saturday, Boise State tangles with Washington in the refurbished Husky Theater in Seattle.

Sunday, the Labor Day weekend drama festival continues from Kentucky, where Tyler Tettleton leads his Ohio Bobcats against Teddy Bridgewater and the Louisville Cardinals.  Monday night, the five-day festival comes to a close.  In the finale, Florida State, with its promising new quarterback Jameis Winston, plays Pitt at the Heinz Theater in Pittsburgh.

For football lovers, the Labor Day weekend action is hard to beat.  But before you watch it, you need to be familiar with the seven new rules in place for 2013: 

1. Targeting fouls: Players will automatically be thrown out of the game for targeting and initiating contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, elbow or shoulder.  This has been a personal foul since 2008.  Now it will include automatic ejection, plus a 15-yard penalty.  The ejection can be overturned by a review play.  However, if the ejection is overturned, the penalty still will be marked off.  If a player is ejected in the second half or in an overtime, he also remains suspended for the first half of the next game.

2. Offensive blocking below the waist: This rule establishes a zone for the offense that extends seven yards on either side of the snapper toward each sideline and goes five yards into the defensive secondary and into the other direction all the way to the offensive team’s end line.  Within this zone, an offensive back who is stationary inside the tackle box and an offensive lineman inside the seven-yard zone may legally block below the waist until the ball has left the zone.  Everyone else on the offensive team may legally block below the waist only if the block is clearly to the front of the opponent.  This only-from-the-front rule also holds true for everyone on the offensive team once the ball has left the zone.  In addition, no one on the offense is allowed to block below the waist if the block is directed toward his own end line.

3. Expansion of the 10-second runoff:  If a player is injured within a last minute of a half, and this is the only reason for stopping the clock, the opponent may choose to have 10 seconds subtracted from the game clock.  The injured player’s team can preserve the 10 seconds by using a timeout.

4. A player may remain in the game via a timeout after his helmet comes off:  The rule requiring a player to leave the game for one down if his helmet comes off has been modified to allow a player to remain in the game if his team is granted a charged timeout to adjust the helmet. 

5. Minimum time to spike the ball: Teams will need a minimum of three seconds from a referee’s signal to “spike” the ball to allow for another play at the end of a half.  Teams must still execute the spike but they will have a reasonable opportunity for another play.  If the clock shows one or two seconds, a team will only have enough time to run a play without first spiking the ball.

6. Changing jersey numbers during a game:  If a team wants to use a player at different positions during a game, and the player needs to change jersey numbers, the player must report to the referee who will in turn announce the change.  In addition, two players who play the same position at different times in the game may not wear the same number during the game. 

7. Uniform numerals must contrast with the color of the jersey: The color of the jersey number itself must be clearly and obviously in contrast with the jersey, regardless of any border around the number.    

Now that you are familiar with the new rules, let’s take a look at each of the 10 FBS conferences and the Independents.  Who is favored, who’s a contender, who’s a dark horse and who can forget it in 2013.  

SEC East:  Georgia is the general favorite to win the East Division of the SEC.  But South Carolina and Florida are serious contenders.  Vanderbilt is the dark horse.  Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky can forget it.

SEC West:  Over in the West Division, Alabama is the hands down favorite.  Texas A&M and LSU are serious contenders.  Ole Miss is the dark horse.  Miss State, Auburn and Arkansas are the peasants.

SEC Champ:  Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC championship.

Big 12 Champ:  Oklahoma State, Texas and Oklahoma are the favorites to win the Big 12.  TCU is a serious contender.  Baylor and Kansas State are the dark horses.  Texas Tech, West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas are the peons.

Big Ten Leaders:  Ohio State is the solid favorite to win the Leaders Division of the Big Ten.  Wisconsin is a contender.  Penn State is the dark horse.  Indiana, Purdue and Illinois are the runts.

Big Ten Legends:  In the Legends Division, Michigan and Nebraska are the favorites.  Michigan State is a contender.  Northwestern is the dark horse.  Iowa and Minnesota can write it off.

Big Ten Champ:  Ohio State is the choice to win the Big Ten championship.

Pac-12 North:  In the North Division of the Pac-12, Oregon and Stanford are dead even favorites.  Oregon State is a contender.  Washington is the dark horse.  California and Washington State are garbage.

Pac-12 South:  UCLA is the favorite to win the South division of the Pac-12.  USC and Arizona State are contenders.  Arizona is the dark horse.  Utah and Colorado are sniffin’ glue. 

Pac-12 Champ:  Oregon and Stanford are equally favored to win the Pac-12 championship.

ACC Atlantic:  Clemson is the favorite to win the Atlantic Division of the ACC.  Florida State is a serious contender.  N.C. State and Maryland are dark horses.  Wake Forest, Syracuse and Boston College are on Ambien.

ACC Coastal:  In the Coastal Division, Miami is the favorite.  Virginia Tech is a contender.  North Carolina and Georgia Tech are dark horses.  Pitt, Virginia and Duke are out of it.

ACC Champ:  Clemson is the favorite to win the ACC championship.

MWC Mountain:  Boise State is the overwhelming favorite to win the Mountain Division of the MWC.  Utah State is a contender.  Air Force is the dark horse.  Wyoming, Colorado State and New Mexico are the gophers. 

MWC West:  In the West Division, Fresno State is the unanimous favorite.  San Diego State and San Jose State are contenders.  Nevada is the dark horse.  UNLV and Hawaii are the tadpoles.

MWC Champ:  Boise State is the favorite to win the MWC championship.

AAC Champ:  In the newly named American Athletic Conference (AAC), Louisville is the unanimous favorite to win it all.  Cincinnati and UCF are contenders.  Rutgers is the dark horse.  Houston, Connecticut, SMU, South Florida, Memphis and Temple are the piss ants.

MAC East:  Bowling Green and Ohio are equally favored to win the East Division of the MAC.  Buffalo and Kent State are contenders.  Miami is the dark horse.  Akron and Massachusetts are the cellar dwellers.

MAC West:  Over in the West Division, Northern Illinois is a heavy favorite.  Toledo and Ball State are contenders.  Western Michigan and Central Michigan are dark horses.  Eastern Michigan is the rug rat.

MAC Champ:  Northern Illinois is favored to win the MAC championship.

C-USA East:  In the East Division of C-USA, East Carolina is the favorite.  Marshall is a contender.  Middle Tennessee is a dark horse.  Southern Miss, UAB, Florida Atlantic and Florida International are out of it.

C-USA West:  Tulsa is the solid favorite to win the West Division of C-USA.  Rice is a contender.  Louisiana Tech is a dark horse.  UTEP, North Texas, Tulane and UTSA are the dwarfs.

C-USA Champ:  Tulsa is favored to win the C-USA championship.

Sun Belt Champ:  Louisiana-Lafayette is favored to win it all in the Sun Belt Conference.  Louisiana-Monroe, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State are all contenders.  Troy is a dark horse.  Texas State, South Alabama and Georgia State are just pea-pickin’s.

Independents:  Notre Dame is the class of the Independents.  BYU is a contender.  Navy is a dark horse.  Army, New Mexico State and Idaho are pawns.

And while we are on the conferences, the AAC (American Athletic Conference) is the new, or renamed, Big East Conference. 

There are two new terms to get familiar with – the Big Five and the Little Five.  No, they are not new conferences.  But they are a collection of conferences.  The Big Five refers collectively to the FBS schools of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.  The Little Five refers to the FBS schools of the AAC, C-USA, MAC, MWC and Sun Belt.

You can sort of think of the Big Five as what we have known as the BCS conferences, except there are only five and not six conferences in the group.  The AAC (formerly Big East), a BCS conference, is not part of the Big Five.  2013 is the last year for the BCS.  Next year we move into the four-team playoff formula, which will be controlled by, but not restricted to, the Big Five conferences.

There also has been recent speculation about the Big Five breaking away from the FBS and forming its own division – even more radical speculation of breaking away from the NCAA.  But the latter won’t happen.  However, change is coming.  Stay tuned!         

The Big 12 will have eight officials on the field this fall.  The game is becoming so fast that many believe an additional official is needed to catch everything that happens on the field.  Others think the eighth official will result in more flags.

The youngest coach in the FBS this fall is Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck.  Fleck, 32, will turn 33 on the 29th of November.  Exactly one-year older than Fleck is Toledo coach Matt Campbell, who will turn 34, also on the 29th of November.  Kliff Kingsbury, the new coach at Texas Tech, is the third youngest coach.  He just turned 34 earlier this month. 

Speaking of coaches, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen must be feeling the pressure in Morgantown.  Driving to work one morning last week, Holgorsen was cited for hazardous driving.  Must have been thinking about his defense.     

And speaking of coaches, I was thinking about new Western Kentucky coach Bobby Petrino.  WKU opens against Kentucky Saturday and I’m wondering if the Hilltoppers will take the field riding motorcycles and bouncing volleyballs? 

Nebraska did some work on Memorial Stadium during the off-season.  Seating in the Huskers’ stadium has been increased from about 86,000 to 92,000.  Washington, which played in the Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field last year, will be back in their refurbished Husky Stadium this fall.  Kansas State’s stadium – Bill Snyder Family Stadium – also was renovated during the off-season. 

FBS increased by one this year.  Georgia State became the 125th FBS team, moving up from the FCS level.  The Panthers will compete in the Sun Belt Conference.  There are a number of schools playing football for the first time this year.  Four of them are in the southeast – Charlotte, Florida Tech, Mercer and Stetson.  Actually, Mercer and Stetson are resuming their football programs.  

Charlotte begins play as an FCS school.  But the North Carolina team will move up to FBS next season.  Mercer and Stetson will compete at the FCS level – both in the Pioneer Conference.  Mercer, located in Macon, Georgia, dropped its football program 70 years ago.  The Bears will join the Southern Conference next year.  Stetson too is reinstating its football program.  The Hatters, located in Deland, Florida, played football from 1901 to 1955.  The school dropped the program in 1956.

Florida Tech, located in Melbourne, Florida, will compete as a Division II school, playing in the Gulf South Conference.       

That’s about everything you need to know to get you into the 2013 college football season.  Everything that is, except: Who’ll stop the Tide?

Still I wonder……

Touchdown Tom
August 26, 2013
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P. S.

My friend, and football counterpart, Rockledge Gator lost his father two weeks ago.  I have been meaning to write something, but wanted to wait until it was an appropriate time to do so.  That time has come.

Not long after Rockledge texted me with the news of his father’s passing, I called my next door neighbor, Betty “The Duchess of Indialantic” Pappas, and asked her to save the obituary for me when it appeared in the newspaper. 

A couple days later, I walked over to Betty’s house to get the newspaper.  She had quarter-folded that section of the paper to the obituary, which also contained a picture of Rockledge’s father.  As Betty handed me the paper she said, “He was a good looking man.”

Betty’s comment made me think of the first time I met Rockledge’s father.  It was at the wedding of Rockledge’s older son Ryan in 1996.  At the reception, following the wedding, I told Rockledge that his father looked younger than him.  Rockledge laughed and told me that I had to tell that to his dad.  A short time later, I shared my comment with Rockledge’s father.  He too chuckled.  He got a kick out of it.       

Peace, my friend.  Your father was not only a good looking man, but more importantly, he was a good man.


Quotes of the Week

“It’s become quite trendy today for all of the Johnny Manziel apologists and the reform-minded revolutionaries and even the righteously converted college football coaches to stand on their soap boxes and tell us how today’s college athletes should be paid to play” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“It’s going to take some time, but Tennessee is going to come back.  We always come back,” former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.

“Our next 10 coaching searches, we’ll never have another resume like this one.  I just felt like this was a moment in time for us,” Western Kentucky athletic director Todd Stewart, on why he hired the controversial Bobby Petrino.

“What was Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp doing when he blindly defended Johnny Manziel?  Well, never mind about that.  I know what he was doing.  He was blindly defending the biggest cash cow on campus,” CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel.

“Manziel can’t be guilty, because one of the reporters who broke the story (ESPN’s Darren Rovell) is an idiot,” Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp.

“Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp is an idiot,” CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel.

“Academics and winning mesh perfectly at Stanford,” CBSSports.com columnist Dennis Dodd.

“College football is the biggest game in the United States, in terms of overall impact.  The NFL is enormously successful, but it is only 32 franchises.  College football is everywhere in terms of the passions it invokes,” Jeffrey Benedict, co-author of the book “The System: The Glory and the Scandal of Big-Time College Football.”

“I fear for college football.  It’s a runaway train,” Armen Keteyian, co-author of the book “The System: The Glory and the Scandal of Big-Time College Football.”

“College football is a coach’s sport, and I suspect this is one reason it inspires its most intense loyalty in the Deep South.  The South, like certain post-Soviet republics, has long had an inclination for the autocrat, the personality cult, the Big Daddy.  Huey Long, George Wallace, Leander Perez, the white-suited planter baron, the omnipotent small-town sheriff.  Bear Bryant, of course,” Campbell Robertson, New York Times national correspondent.

“A.J. McCarron’s national profile may be lower than his girlfriend’s, but his play approaches a cold-eyed precision: last year he was college football’s most efficient passer, a quintessential Saban statistic,” Campbell Robertson, New York Times national correspondent.


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
Opening Weekend’s 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Georgia at Clemson – (SEC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Mark Richt or somebody in the Georgia athletic department must really love the State of South Carolina – Clemson this week and the Gamecocks next week.  My, my – that’s a mouthful.  Richt could choke on Tiger and Chicken.  Something tells me the Tiger meat may go down easier.  It’s well-marinated, tender and covered with a little Dabo sauce.  Uga’s licking his chops, thinking about Tiger ribs – Georgia 32, Clemson 24.         

RUNNER UP:  2. Virginia Tech vs. Alabama – (ACC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 5:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Georgia Dome, Atlanta) – Frank Beamer has an easy out in this one.  After the Tide beats the Hokies, all Beamer has to say is, “The devil made me do it.”  Several matchups this weekend between the ACC and the SEC.  Looks like the ACC takes it on the chin again.  Beamer has sympathy for the devil – Alabama 31, Virginia Tech 15.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. TCU vs. LSU – (Big 12 vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas) – Wonder how many tricks Les Miles has up his sleeve this season.  Think he can pull a Frog out of a hat?  Meanwhile, Gary Patterson may have a few tricks of his own – Plunk your magic twanger Froggy.  This is shaping up to be a defensive struggle.  The offenses may need a few tricks and some magic.  Mike doesn’t fear the Frog – LSU 17, TCU 13.      

4. North Carolina at South Carolina – (ACC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 6 p.m. ET, Thursday) – Steve Spurrier gets his two most hated foes all in the first two weeks of the season – North Carolina this week and Georgia next.  When Spurrier was the coach at Duke, he learned to hate the Tar Heels.  He learned to hate Georgia while he was playing football for Florida.  Actually, when Spurrier coached at Florida, FSU probably replaced North Carolina as his second most hated foe.  But that’s a different story, at a different place and at a different time.  This is South Carolina and this is now.  Spurrier doesn’t need to fire up his Gamecocks.  South Carolinians hate North Carolinians and vice versa.  By the way, which one is The Carolina?  Well, we know which one James Taylor had in his mind.  But whose moon was Gene Austin singing about in his No. 1 hit in 1928 – the North’s or the South’s?  Clowney moons the Smurfs – South Carolina 28, North Carolina 14.         

5. Boise State at Washington – (MWC vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The battle for the Northwest.  Boise State from the Little Five takes on Washington of the Big Five.  At the end of the game, it’s the team from Idaho that will be doing the high five – Boise State 29, Washington 26.   

6. Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi State – (Big 12 vs. SEC) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Reliant Stadium, Houston) – Okie State is one of the favorites to win the Big 12.  Miss State is one of the favorites to finish at the bottom of the SEC West.  Sounds like the Bulldogs have a lot to prove in this encounter.  They’ll be out to slobber all over the Cowboys.  But the Cowboys are sittin’ high in the saddle.  Head ‘em up, move ‘em out – Oklahoma State 27, Miss State 19.

7. Ole Miss at Vanderbilt – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 9:15 p.m. ET, Thursday) – Ole Miss, the dark horse of the SEC West takes on Vanderbilt, the dark horse of the SEC East.  This has the makings of a good one.  Both teams are up-and-comers.  Hugh Freeze ignited a spark in the Rebels last year.  James Franklin has the Commodores on the rise.  Vandy sets sail, as the Rebels yell – Vanderbilt 27, Ole Miss 24.     

8. Florida State at Pitt – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 8 p.m. ET, Monday) – Somebody has to initiate Pitt into the ACC.  That honor falls upon the Seminoles.  Problem is, the Noles have to conduct the initiation at Pitt.  One forecaster I read thinks the Panthers have a chance of pulling off the upset.  You can forget that.  He must have been suffering from hallucinations.  I’m not sure Jimbo Fisher would be allowed back in Tallahassee if FSU lost to Pitt.  Noles dance around the fire pit – Florida State 33, Pitt 14.      

9. Rutgers at Fresno State – (AAC vs. MWC) (TV: ESPNU, 10:30 p.m. ET, Thursday) – Tough opener for both schools, but tougher for Rutgers.  Those guys have to travel 3,000 miles.  Plus, those guys have to face Bulldog quarterback Derek Carr.  A bad night for the Knights – Fresno State 33, Rutgers 28.  

10. Toledo at Florida – (MAC vs. SEC) (TV: SEC Network, 12:20 p.m. ET, Saturday) – If you are going to open your season against a team from the MAC, then by golly do it against Eastern Michigan or Akron – somebody like that.  Don’t open against Toledo.  The Rockets can be dangerous.  They can cause problems.  They can cause an opposing coach to pull out his hair.  I’d hate to see a bald Will Muschamp.  Seriously, Toledo could be nasty.  And it’s a scary thought when Florida is saying that Jeff Driskel may be the best running back the Gators have.  Albert may have bitten off more than he can chew.  Fortunately, the Rockets fail to ignite – Florida 30, Toledo 22.      

11. Ohio at Louisville – (MAC vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Sunday) – Louisville is favored to win the AAC.  Ohio is one of the favorites in the MAC.  Like I said with Florida, if you are going to open with a MAC team, make sure its Eastern Michigan, Akron or Buffalo – some team like that.  Not one of the favorites.  Ohio is capable of giving the Cardinals nightmares.  But Teddy Bridgewater gives the Bobcats nightmares – Louisville 37, Ohio 19.

12. BYU at Virginia – (Ind. vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – This is a make-or-break season for Mike London at Virginia.  A winning record and he hangs around for another year or so.  A losing record and he’s no longer a Charlottesville resident.  London’s bridge isn’t falling down (not yet at least) – Virginia 22, BYU 20.    

13. Northwestern at California – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPN2, 10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – This is supposed to be a great year for Northwestern.  Conversely, it’s supposed to be a terrible year for Cal.  The Wildcats make Sonny Dykes look like Sonny’s Barbecue: smoked and pulled – Northwestern 30, California 19. 

14. Nevada at UCLA – (MWC vs. Pac-12) (TV: Pac-12 Network, 10 p.m. ET, Saturday) – This could be the year of the Bruin.  Jim Mora did great things for the Westwood Bears last year.  They should be better this season.  But they can’t take Nevada lightly.  The Wolf Pack has a funky offense – the pistol.  But, fortunately for the Bruins, the Wolf Pack has no defense.  Bruins make the Wolf Pack drop their pistols – UCLA 40, Nevada 20.

15. Utah State at Utah – (MWC vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET, Thursday) – Utah State has a new coach – Matt Wells – and an exciting quarterback – Chuckie Keeton.  This might be Kyle Whittingham’s last year coaching Utah if the Utes don’t beat the Aggies.  The Aggies won last year, but the Utes take this one, barely – Utah 28, Utah State 26.


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

16. Texas Tech at SMU – (Big 12 vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN, 8 p.m. ET, Friday) – A new coach at Texas Tech.  Kliff Kingsbury, who was Johnny Manziel’s offensive coordinator at Texas A&M last year, is now at the helm of the Red Raiders.  Meanwhile, June Jones is still trying to establish a program at SMU.  The Red Raiders put a kink in Jones’ establishment – Texas Tech 35, SMU 24.    


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

William & Mary at West Virginia – (Colonial vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox Sports 1, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – What was that movie about the two couples and all of their affairs?  That’s what this game reminds me of – Bill & Mary & Wes & Virginia.  Let’s hope Dana “Hal Mumme” Holgorsen has been having an affair with his defense during the off-season.  Last year, Holgrosen not only didn’t know what defense meant, he didn’t even know how to spell or pronounce defense.  We believe he has learned how to pronounce and spell the word.  We’re not yet convinced he knows what it means.  Time will tell.  Wes & Virginia throw Bill & Mary out of bed – West Virginia 34, William & Mary 10.
 
Wyoming at Nebraska – (MWC vs. Big Ten) (TV: Big Ten Network, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Cowboys will come riding into Lincoln on their horses and they will go walking out on their feet, wagging their spurs behind them.  What Wyoming needs is Liz Cheney on their offensive line and the Cowboys might have a chance.  Meanwhile, Bo Pelini just wants to see Shawn Eichorst’s thumb facing upward.  Taylor Martinez, Ameer Abdullah and the rest of the Husker gang have a field day.  Herbie does a high five and Pelini still gets a thumb’s up from Eichorst – Nebraska 42, Wyoming 15. 

North Carolina Central at Duke – (MEAC vs. ACC) (TV: None, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday) – You’ve seen the picture of the person at the swimming pool and they aren’t sure how warm the water is.  So they stick their toes in and test the temperature.  Then they stick a little bit more of their foot in.  Well, that’s the Dookies and their opener.  The Dookies aren’t real sure they want to play football this year so they are testing the waters with someone like North Carolina Central.  If NCC isn’t too bad, then the Dookies might play someone a little tougher next week.  Well, NCC isn’t that bad – Duke 45, North Carolina Central 12.

New Mexico State at Texas – (Ind. vs. Big 12) (TV: Longhorn Network, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Longhorn fans have been a little tough on Mack Brown in recent seasons.  So Brown is going to get a little tough on New Mexico State.  Sic ‘em Bevo – Texas 47, New Mexico State 12.

Purdue at Cincinnati – (Big Ten vs. AAC) (TV: ESPNU, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Two teams – each with new coaches.  But the similarity stops there.  Butch Jones didn’t leave the cabinet bare at Cincinnati.  Tommy Tuberville found it well-stocked.  However poor Darrell Hazell is in a different boat at Purdue.  Danny Hope didn’t leave a scrap for Hazell.  Tuberville adds to his stock, while Hazell restocks.  Bearcats have plenty to eat – Cincinnati 26, Purdue 17.   

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Florida Atlantic visits Miami (TV: ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET, Friday) ….  UCF hosts Akron (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Thursday) ….  South Florida entertains McNeese State (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) ….  Florida International travels to Maryland (TV: Fox Sports Network, 12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Florida A&M tangles with Mississippi Valley State in Orlando (TV: ESPN, 11:45 p.m. ET, Sunday) ….  Bethune-Cookman plays at Tennessee State (TV: None, 8 p.m. ET, Sunday) ….  Jacksonville U. is on the road at Delaware (TV: None, 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday) ….  Stetson resumes football at home against Warner (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).  


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . The Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, will commence following the 1914 season.  The bowl will pit a MAC team against a Sun Belt team….  South Carolina and Texas A&M will open the 2014 season against each other on Thursday night, August 28 in Columbia….  The annual rivalry game between Louisville and Kentucky will move to the final week of the regular season, beginning in 2014. 

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but as the Labor Day weekend approached and college football fans were stoked for the start of another great season, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1943 was “In The Blue Of The Evening” by Tommy Dorsey

…65 years ago this week in 1948 was “You Call Everybody Darlin’” by Al Trace

…60 years ago this week in 1953 was “No Other Love” by Perry Como

…55 years ago this week in 1958 was “Little Star” by The Elegants and “Bird Dog” by The Everly Brothers

…50 years ago this week in 1963 was “Fingertips Part 2” by Little Stevie Wonder

…45 years ago this week in 1968 was “People Got To Be Free” by The Rascals

…40 years ago this week in 1973 was “Brother Louie” by The Stories

…35 years ago this week in 1978 was “Grease” by Frankie Valli

…30 years ago this week in 1983 was “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

…25 years ago this week in 1988 was “Monkey” by George Michael

…20 years ago this week in 1993 was “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by UB40

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were four passings of note last week – Elmore Leonard, Marian McPartland, Dean Meminger and Julie Harris.

Elmore Leonard, the crime novelist, whose characters, dialogue and prose style in novels like “Get Shorty,” “Freaky Deaky” and “Glitz” established him as a modern master of American genre writing, died last week in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.  He was 87.  Leonard, who started out writing westerns, had his first story published in Argosy magazine in 1951.  Sixty years later he was turning out a book a year.  Some of his earlier western novels became movies – “Hombre” starring Paul Newman in 1967, and “3:10 to Yuma,” twice, starring Glenn Ford in 1957 and Russell Crowe in 2007.  Elmore John Leonard Jr. was born in New Orleans on October 11, 1925.  His father moved the family to Detroit in 1934.  Following a two-year stretch in the Navy (1943-1945), Leonard graduated from the University of Detroit in 1950.   

Marian McPartland, an Englishwoman who became a fixture of the American jazz scene as a pianist and, later in life, hosted an internationally syndicated and immensely popular jazz music public radio show, died last week in Port Washington, New York.  She was 95.  Her radio show, produced by South Carolina’s public radio network, made its debut on NPR in 1978.  Margaret Marian Turner was born on March 20, 1918, in Windsor, England.  On a USO tour in 1944, she met the American jazz cornetist Jimmy McPartland in Belgium.  They married in 1946 and the two moved to Chicago later that year. 

Dean Meminger, a speedy guard who played for the New York Knicks 1973 NBA championship team, died last week in New York City.  He was 65.  Meminger played college basketball for Marquette where he led the Eagles to the 1970 NIT championship.  A native of Walterboro, South Carolina, Meminger’s family moved to New York City when he was in the seventh grade.  He went on to become an All-American at Marquette and was named the MVP of the 1970 NIT. 

Julie Harris, one of the most decorated performers in the history of Broadway, died Saturday in Chatham, Massachusetts.  She was 87.  Harris had a lengthy resume as an actress with dozens of movie and television credits, including the 1955 film “East of Eden” with James Dean, and for eight years in the 1980s on the prime time soap opera “Knots Landing.”  On Broadway, she earned 10 Tony nominations and won five times.  Julie Ann Harris was born on December 2, 1925 in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.  Some of her other movies included “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1962), “The Haunting” (1963), “Harper” (1965), “Reflections in a Golden Eye” (1967), “The Bell Jar” (1979), “Gorillas in the Mist” (1984) and “House Sitter” (1992).  On television, she made appearances on “Family Ties,” “The Love Boat,” “Columbo,” “The Name of the Game,” “Tarzan,” “Medical Center,” “Rawhide,” “Laredo,” “Daniel Boone,” “The Big Valley,” “Bonanza” and “The Virginian.”