“C’mon Mike, what day is it?”
Indecipherable grumble.
“Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, tell me what day it is?”
Whispered mumble.
“That’s right, IT’S HUUUUUUUUUUUMMMPPPP DAAAAAAYYYYY!!!”
And that means the weekly college football picks are back on the table.
Last week went 4-2. Clemson was technically a miss, though not really one in spirit.
The call was never going to go toward a better team coached by an insufferable guy who is doing his damndest to jabberwock his school toward independence. And, as always, the Cards got the nod.
SMU, Notre Dame, UK and IU all came through.
This week has fewer cupcakes, even if a few lesser games are sprinkled in with the real headliners.
CoachSpeak of the Week: “If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education.” -- Murray Warmath
Central Florida at Pittsburgh is the first stop. Pitt’s 59-14 win over Miami, (Oh) from the MAC, was the kind of result that turns heads.
Pat Narduzzi is built around defense, but when the offense shows up too, the Panthers can look dangerous. ACC dark-horse dangerous.
Mason Heintschel gives them even more to like. UCF, meanwhile, dropped a 70burger on Bethune-Cookman.
Yawn. Scott Frost’s second run with the Knights has been more than a little underwhelming.
Pitt.
Oklahoma at Michigan brings a bigger stage. Brent Venables has been at Oklahoma for half a decade now, and the expectation game is still hanging over him.
The Sooners made the CFP last year, even with QB star John Mateer injured, and they skunked UTEP in their opener. Michigan’s opener needs no retelling.
Until they were gifted a win, the Wolverines and their $12 million Ellison Family QB were underwhelming. Kyle Whittingham, you’re not in Utah anymore.
Still, Go Blue are favorites in the Big House of Clocks. Not this time.
Synchronicity prevails. Hail Oklahoma Sooners, the Victors.
Memphis State at Boise State feels like a big one, plain and simple. The winner is in the proverbial driver’s seat for the G6 spot in the CFP.
Boise State’s narrow loss at Autzen helps more than it hurts. Memphis State held serve at Vegas.
The blue turf remains an eyesore, but the Broncos deserve respect. As for the Tigers, feh.
They’re a Fed Ex school, I’m a UPS guy. I’ll take my Idaho spuds waffle cut.
Boise State.
Ohio State at Texas is the kind of game that will have everybody glued to the screen. Matthew McConaughey strutting around the sideline in a Burnt Orange Stetson is almost too much to bear, but TV producers are going to make us watch it anyway.
Mr. DeMille, Arch Manning - the most beleaguered future but slow rising star ever - is ready for his close up.
The Eyes of Texas, and everyone else in the pigskin universe, will be tuned in. Sark smiles.
Hook ‘Em. Texas.
Howard at Indiana doesn’t figure to be much of a contest. Hoosier the Bison meet the Howard Bisons, and there won’t be any cordiality. Crimson Cignetti’s stampede.
Alabama at Kentucky should tell us a little more about Will Stein’s Wildcats. Kentucky looked noticeably sturdier than it has in recent years in its opener, though that came against a DII school nicknamed the Penguins.
Funky. Cue the Rufus Thomas.
Alabama looks like a simulacrum of the Saban-era machine, but that hot shot RSrookie QB Keelon Russell appears to be the real deal. So does Cats’ TP RB CJ Baxter.
Stein has told the BBN to come early and be loud. Kentucky makes it interesting, but still comes up short.
Crimson Tide.
Villanova at Louisville closes the slate. The Wildcats blew a ten-point lead by giving up 13 in the last :55 of regulation and lost their opener, 38-35 to William & Mary.
That same day, a court order made sixth year QB Pat McQuaide eligible, and his pick in that final minute helped swing the game. Villanova did bounce back with a 17-16 win over Bucknell last weekend, but this trip is about the money for the school’s coffers.
They’ll be declawed. U of L in a breeze.
In Other News...
Former Louisville RB Just Reminded Cardinals Fans What They Lost
Duke Watson did not take long to make his presence felt for UCF, turning the Knights' second play against Bethune-Cookman into a 64-yard touchdown run. The former Louisville back finished with 110 yards on seven carries, a sharp reminder of the burst and big-play ability Cardinals fans saw before he moved on.
UCFs ground game was rolling all afternoon, with Taevion Swint also back in the mix after a meniscus tear and helping add balance to the attack. Swint ran for 48 yards on four carries and found the end zone on a 27-yard burst, as the Knights piled up 360 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in a performance that only underscored how dangerous that backfield can be when it is healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Gets The Kind Of Week 2 Fans Will Love
Louisvilles Week 2 setting looks tailor-made for fans who want an early-season chance to settle in and see how much the Cardinals can build on their opening stretch. The slate around them is packed with heavyweight matchups and plenty of intrigue across college football, but Louisville itself gets a home date that should draw attention as the season starts to sort itself out.
Villanova arrives with some baggage from an uneven start, having followed a Week 1 setback with a narrow win over Bucknell, and the subplot around its quarterback situation has already added another layer to the opener. For Louisville, it is the kind of early test that can still tell a lot about where a team stands, even before the deeper conference races begin to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Ranking Debate
After Week 1, Louisville found itself in the middle of an early-season rankings argument after Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt took aim at the AP Top 25. Klatt said the poll did not do enough to reflect what actually happened on the field, arguing that voters were leaning too heavily on preseason expectations instead of reshuffling teams more aggressively once games began.
His criticism reached beyond one ballot, with Ole Miss, LSU and Miami all part of his case that the AP has been too conservative in its first pass of the season. For Louisville, the point of contention is less about one spot in the rankings and more about whether a close result against a highly regarded opponent should carry more weight when the numbers are set for the next week. [Read more 🡒]