CigarSmokinFootball

Week 2 Preview

(18) Mississippi State vs Kansas State – The SEC will be taking the fight into Big 12 that only has ten teams territory. Both teams have had their warm up games, only they choose different paths. MSU choose to bench their superstar quarterback Nick Fitzpatrick but they still destroyed Stephen F Austin by 50 something points. K-State took on South Dakota State and the darn Coyotes almost pulled the upset, the Wildcats had to score twice in the fourth quarter to eek out the win. Now the Bulldogs come into town, with their star QB returning to action and a defense that is not intimidated by the K-State offense. Maybe, just maybe, Head Coach Bill Synder was playing “rope-a-dope” against SDSU so that he would lure MSU into a false sense of security and WHAM! spring his trap. I’m not saying that is the case, but it’s the only explanation that makes sense. Based on the evidence we have before us Mississippi State, is going to walk all over K-State. In the SEC it just means more.

Liberty vs Army – For the past two years Army has had a slip-up in the first half of the season. It appears this year they decided to go ahead and do that for the first game. Now that Duke’s out of the way, they can enter this game knowing they’ll beat the Flames. Go Army!

UCLA vs (7) Oklahoma – When the ’18 schedules were released, this game, on paper, made everyone do that air-sucking-in-gasp sound. This looked like a great game. Coach Chip Kelly leading the Bruins against the Sooners without Baker Mayfield, heck yeah! This was going to be a game. After this past week…let’s just say this game has lost some of its luster. The Sooners will have no problem playing the Southern California team in Norman, because the Bruins don’t seem to understand the Kelly type offense, or defense, for that matter.

(3) Georgia vs South Carolina – This contest is intriguing. Georgia lost a lot of personal on defense and they are rebuilding. Actually UGA lost people on offense too, but not as many. Basically, this is a rebuilding year, but how well they rebuilt has yet to be determined. South Carolina started a bunch of young’ns last year and those young whipper-snappers made a good showing of themselves. The bar has now been set higher. With a year of experience under their belts, they might just be able to reach that new standard. This is the first real test for each team. The Dawgs appear to be the favorite, but don’t be surprised when the Gamecocks pull an upset on their homefield. Not calling for the upset, but it still might happen.

(2) Clemson vs Texas A&M – Most people don’t think this is going to be much of a match up. The Tigers, of South Carolina, are projected to come into College Station, have some BBQ, win the game, and travel on back home with full bellies and a road victory. But here’s the thing, Aggies, and Aggie fans, don’t march to the beat of everyone else’s drum. They have their own beat, thank you very much, and they refuse to follow the rest of society. Basically, these guys don’t know they’re supposed to lose. They have a new coach (who’s coached against Clemson every year for about the last eight years), a new culture, and they always think they can win. I’m not sure when the last time Clemson played at College Station, but it can be intimidating with over 100,000 screaming Aggies, chanting things they’ve never heard, and doing things they’ve never seen. This is not going to be a walk in the park. Now, CSF is not calling for the upset here, either, Clemson is the pick, but do y’all have any idea what the Aggies’ egos will be if they do win? Don’t be surprised if this game causes A&M fans, including The Daughter, to have their hearts skip a beat, or, maybe, pause toward the end. In the SEC, it just means more.

(10) Penn State vs Pittsburgh– Prime time upset alert right here. The Nittany Lions, who darn near lost to a 1-AA school, have to travel to Pittsburgh, who now believes they can compete with anyone. If one needs a lesson in history, see the Pitt vs Miami game from last year. These Panthers are a new breed of cat, and it all starts with defense. Pitt likes to hit. PSU loves to have white-outs for their big games, and it does seem to help, but none of that is going to help this week. They are going into enemy territory, they’re hurting, and they’ve shown they are vulnerable. Pitt smells blood it the water, and they are hungry. UPSET!! PITT WINS! Which will put them into the top 25 and ahead of Texas…wait, UT is still in the top 25? How is that even possible?

(15) USC vs (13) Stanford- If I know that the Trojans are going to win, and you know that the Men of Troy are going win, is it really an upset just because Stanford is ranked higher? At the start of the season I was a believer in Stanford and Washington, they have both tarnished that belief. Now, I’m on the USC bandwagon. Ok, the Freshman QB Daniels did not start off well against UNLV, but he got it all together by the second half and it showed. Stanford, tripped, wobbled, staggered, and stumbled into a win against San Diego State. I’m supposed to say something about the Cardinal having RB Bryce Love and that he’ll make the difference, but he can’t run that well if the O-line isn’t blocking, and they weren’t blocking against the Aztecs. USC wins, they’ll be the best team in the PAC-12, and everything will be back the way it’s been for the past 30 something years. Well, maybe, except for that period when the Ducks ruled, but Duck Rule didn’t last very long.

(11) Michigan State vs Arizona State – This might be one of those games that proves everyone’s thinking has been wrong. Most people in the sports business thought it was a bad idea for ASU to hire old Herm Edwards. However, the Sun Devils sure looked like a much improved team Saturday, and Michigan State had to dig deeper than they wanted to beat Utah State, in East Lansing. Now Sparty travels to the desert, the Spartans are the favorites, they just had a little stumble last Saturday, everything will be fine. But, what if the unthinkable happens and ASU wins? I’m only asking cause there is a very real possibility that this happens. Strange things happen in the desert, it messes with peoples’ minds and they see unusual things….how else does one explain the mascot of a Sun Devil? Is this game going to cause everyone to reconsider their initial thoughts on the Edwards era? For the record CSF likes Edwards.

Short Smokes

New Mexico vs (4) Wisconsin – The Badgers continue to schedule cupcake out of conference games.

Western Michigan vs (14) Michigan – Not a big game, the Wolverines win, Harbaugh’s mouth will start up again, and Michigan fans will think they’re relevant again.
Arizona vs Houston – The Wildcats are the underdog. Let that sink in.

(1) Alabama vs Arkansas State – At least the Tide’s cupcake teams are proven winners in their division. Yes, it’s a weak argument, but it’s a good one. Roll Tide. In the SEC, it just means more.

Duke vs Northwestern – Going with the east coast smarties, they beat Army, so they have to be good. Oh, Northwestern beat Purdue, in West Lafayette? No matter.

Rutgers vs (5) Ohio State – The Buckeyes will not have a problem in this game…such a shocker. Wow.

Colorado vs. Nebraska – this could end up being a really fun game to watch. Going with the Buffs.

Memphis vs Navy – The Tigers have shown they don’t handle the triple option very well. They’ll win, but it won’t be a shutout.

Iowa State vs Iowa – The Hawkeyes better bring their A-game cause ISU got an extra week of practice.

East Tennessee State vs Tennessee – Can the Pirates beat the Vols? No…wait, can they? No…can they? It just means more in the REST of the SEC.

Virginia vs Indiana – The Cavilers bring the heat and leave with a victory.

Arkansas vs Colorado State – The Rams are having a rough start, that’s going to continue against the Hogs.

Kentucky vs Florida – The Gators love letting the Wildcats get close, then snatching victory away. That’ll continue this year, too. It just means more to both teams.

Fresno State vs Minnesota – These aren’t the Bulldogs of Pat Hill, and they are the Gophers of PJ Fleck, so Minnehaha gets the win.

North Alabama vs Alabama A&M – The Lions will be playing in Huntsville, Alabama, which is literally an hour away from Florence, so being on the away field will not matter. Lions will walk all over A&M. ROAR LIONS!!!