Choke Wednesday: Miracle in Baton Rouge

Regardless of where you're playing LSU, you have to feel pretty good about your chances when it comes down to Les Miles clock management coupled with Jordan Jefferson's presence on the field in the final seconds. Down 4 and after a 2nd and goal attempt failed from the 2 yard line, the Tigers struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage as the clock ran under 20 seconds. Confusion set in as both teams had players sprinting on and off the field while the clock continued to run. The ball was finally snapped with three seconds to go, but it flew right passed Jefferson and was recovered by Tennessee at the 18 yard line. Ball. Game. The Volunteers had just taken down previously unbeaten LSU in Death Valley. Exxxxxcccccccceeeeeeept, the Vols seemingly forgot you can't have 13 players on the field when the ball is snapped, even in Louisiana. So as Tennessee players celebrated and some insanely hot reporter chased Derek Dooley down the field (FIND HER!), the ref announced the illegal participation penalty and players scrambled to find tossed helmets and missing ear pads. This time the Vols weren't so lucky as Stevan Ridley plowed his way into the end zone for the 16-14 victory. Congratulations, Tennessee, your inability to count vastly outweighed Miles-Jefferson clock mismanagement and landed you in the Choke Wednesday spotlight.

(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)

Wager Wednesday: Over/Unders

It's been WAY too long since we headed out west together for our weekly gambling column, but considering there hasn't been a college football game in like five months I figured you'd understand. Still, if the Apple Store is going to bump our rating up for "simulated gambling" the least we can do is give you some...simulated gambling. The official 2012 over/unders won't come out until mid-June, but with a lot of offshore books taking early action let's look at the best and worst chances in each BCS conference.

ACC

Best Bet to Go Over: Florida State (9.5). I know, I know...every year is supposed to be the year the Seminoles or the Hurricanes "are back." Every year they fail to meet expectations. I'm only picking them because they've only released over/under totals for like three ACC teams, they get Clemson and Florida at home, and their defense is going to be disgusting. Plus, they'll have all those Big 12 suitors to impress.

Best Bet to Go Under: Virginia Tech (9.5). We can pretty much pencil Virginia Tech in for eight or nine wins every season right? We sure as hell can't give them ten.

Big East

Best Bet to Go Over: Awkward silence.

Best Bet to Go Under: More silence. There aren't any Big East over/unders out yet...presumably because Las Vegas forgot the Big East exists. I guess if they let you bet on the league having 2.5 years left the under would be the smart bet, but that's about it.


Big Ten

Best Bet to Go Over: Wisconsin (8.5). The Badgers QB "plug and play" worked with Russell Wilson, so I'm counting on it working with Danny O'Brien too. Montee Ball has to be worth eight wins by himself, and a freakishly easy out of conference schedule bumps the Badgers up to nine by early November.

Best Bet to Go Under: Ohio State (8.5). The Buckeyes went 6-7 and got slapped with NCAA sanctions, now they're suddenly a nine win team because Urban Meyer's gonna stroll the sidelines in a sweet Nike windbreaker? I don't think so. Thanks for the free money.

Big 12

Best Bet to Go Over: Oklahoma (9.5). The Sooners will improve on last year's injury-raddled disappointment with Landry Jones and a solid defense, and they've pretty much proven they're good for 10 wins a year. Baylor and Oklahoma State falling back to earth won't hurt either.

Best Bet to Go Under: West Virginia (8.5). I watched a LOT of West Virginia football last year, and other than their second half explosion in the Orange Bowl I didn't see anything that leads me to believe they'll be a .500 team in the Big 12. I need to see the Mountaineers prove they can maintain the level of play needed to win in a tougher conference, and considering they couldn't even stay focused enough to maintain that level in the Big East I don't have high hopes for this campaign.

Pac 12

Best Bet to Go Over: Oregon (9.5). Oregon could lose their entire offense every year and I'd still pick them to win 10 games. De'Anthony Thomas shines as a super sophomore and the Ducks race to at least 11 wins (a watered down out of conference schedule doesn't hurt).

Best Bet to Go Under: USC (9.5). The Trojans were 10-2 last year and are a legitimate BCS title contender this season, but they're just starting to feel the effects of the scholarships they lost. Let's see how well the play with a bullseye and pressure on them again before we hand them the Pac 12.

SEC

Best Bet to Go Over: Florida (7.5). I'm not making any BCS plans for the Gators, but they have to get to at least eight wins right? The SEC East still sucks right? Two consecutive seasons of 7-6 or worse and Will Muschamp is out of a job.

Best Bet to Go Under: LSU (10.5). Everybody in Baton Rouge calm the hell down. I'm not saying the Tigers won't win the SEC West or have a shot at a national title, I'm just saying it's really hard to win 11 or 12 games so you probably want your money on the other side of 10.5...you know, considering your projected starting QB goes to Notre Dame now.

Mortal Lock of the Week

Notre Dame (8.5), Under: Speaking of Notre Dame...who the hell is picking the Irish to win nine games or more next year? Is this line a joke? The Irish have the toughest schedule in FBS this season. They have USC, Oklahoma, Stanford, Miami, Michigan, BYU and Michigan State on the slate this year. Assuming they go undefeated against the five weaker teams on their schedule (never a given with the Irish), they need to go 4-3 against those opponents to finish with nine wins. I can see them beating BYU and....that's about it. Get your money down before Tommy Rees beats up another cop and they move this thing down to six.

We'll be back with more weekly Wager Wednesday posts when the season kicks off. Until then we'll try to help you get your fix with some futures as they slowly roll out over the summer.

Tuesday Tip Drill

Jimmy's Question

ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach released this list of the ten most hated college football coaches of all time last week. Any big surprises for you? Who'd be your #1 and why? How long until Todd Graham and Randy Edsall make this list?

Brendan's Answer

There are plenty of hatable guys on that list, but at least nine of them deserved to be head coaches, that's why the clear #1 has to be Lane Kiffin. There are lots of reasons to be disgusted by Kiffin's antics. His baseless braggadocio when he took over at Tennessee. His guarantees to beat Florida and Georgia. Turning Urban Meyer in for recruiting violations on the phone at a press conference, being wrong about it, and inadvertently committing a recruiting violation in the process. His impossibly hot wife. Criticizing every other coach in the SEC, telling South Carolina players they'd pump gas for a living, bolting from Knoxville in the middle of the night like Mayflower trucks packing up Baltimore Colts equipment. There are no limits on the "Lane Kiffin is a Pompous Asshole Index," but my main beef with Lane is that he has no business being there in the first place. He got a job as an assistant because his daddy was Monte Kiffin, did absolutely nothing, and somehow became an NFL head coach. When he predictably failed and went 5-15 in Oakland he got fired...and promptly became the head coach at Tennessee, where he talked more shit than Eminem on a Ja Rule diss track and went 7-6. What'd that 7-6 record get him? The head coaching job at USC of course. How does this make any sense? The guy falls ass backwards into jobs he has no qualifications for, FAILS, and gets better ones! This country was founded as an alternative to the inbreeding nepotism that ruled Europe for centuries. That ignorant preferential treatment is the only reason Kiffin ever got a job in the first place. So it's pretty clear to me...if you like Lane Kiffin, you hate America. USA! USA! USA!

As for your second question...Edsall and Graham need to hold a job down long enough for people to actually hate them. I wouldn't count on that happening for either any time soon.

Brendan's Question

Let's just stick with the top ten theme this week. CBS' Bruce Feldman just ranked the ten hardest FBS schedules for 2012. Which team do you think is most likely to survive the stretch and reach a BCS game? Which team's season is dead before it starts?

Jimmy's Answer


Your second question is easier so let's start with that. Looking at that list there's a few that stick out as goners, but Ole Miss might as well cancel their season before it begins. The Rebels haven't won an SEC game since October 2, 2010. Based on their schedule I see that trend continuing through 2012. Go ahead and throw Kansas in the #2 spot right behind Ole Miss. Charlie Weis should win three games in September, but after that he'll be lucky to win one or two more as the Big 12 looks to be solid again this year. As for your first question, there's no way any of those teams escape unscathed. There are some good ones on that list, but not one of them could be considered a preseason title contender. South Carolina will be better than last year, but so will the rest of the SEC East. Even if they win the East they'll still be ranked lower than at least two teams in the West AND they'll end up losing the SEC Championship, thus knocking them out of BCS contention. On that note, I'd say Michigan is most likely to reach a BCS game. Brady Hoke certainly raised the bar in 2011, and with a senior QB and several Big Ten teams going through either a transition or a rebuilding season, the Wolverines will likely finish with only two losses and a Big Ten Championship.

(Photo: ESPN)

There's Nothing Happening in College Football...So Here's Some Cheerleaders

There's tumbleweeds out there people...let's just look at girls. The Tip Drill is coming later.

Highlight Monday: The U.S. Military

"Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored."

-Daniel Webster

We'll be back tomorrow...

Under Review: Phil Steele's Preseason All-American Offense

If you're even a semi-serious college football follower you're undoubtedly familiar with the work of Phil Steele, but for the rest of you readers that have lives and significant others he's a college football writer who's built an empire on predictions, rankings and an incredibly overzealous use of exclamation points. This week, Phil released his 2012 Preseason All-American teams! Let's take a look at his offensive predictions and see what he thinks!! Next week we'll come back and take a look at the defense!!! What do you think?!?!?! Let's do it!!!!!!!!

QB: Matt Barkley, USC

Putting Barkley here is the obvious choice for the same reasons putting Andrew Luck here was the obvious choice in 2011. How'd that work out? Barkley is entering the season as this year's "the Heisman is his unless he screws it up" front runner, which history hasn't been kind to. When the voters spend an entire season expecting a QB who spurned the draft for another year to turn water to wine they start getting pissed when he's making them Cabernet instead of Merlot. Barkley's expectations are so high he needs to go undefeated and post a 130-something QB rating to meet them. Even then you'll see the voters talk themselves into Landry Jones, Tyler Wilson, or another RG3 who comes out of nowhere (Gino Smith?) just because they're sick of hearing about Barkley.

My Pick: Jones

RB: Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
RB: Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Two more safe picks, assuming Lattimore returns on schedule from knee surgery. Ball will be expected to carry more of the load (if that's possible) in Madison with Russell Wilson gone, but with the Badgers line in front of him he should have no trouble replicating his success, but not his numbers, from 2011. Lattimore is a great talent and has a great career ahead of him, but if I'm picking a second RB coming off major knee surgery I'm going with Pitt's Ray GraHAM.

My Pick: Ball, Graham

WR: Robert Woods, USC
WR: Sammy Watkins, Clemson
WR: Marquess Wilson, Washington State

Woods and Barkley are going to be a historic tandem in LA, and Wilson will benefit from Mike Leach's offense more than anyone, but I don't see Watkins replicating his freshman success with defenses keying on him. He should still have a great season, but he's a prime candidate for a sophomore slump. Look for a big season from Kenny Stills at Oklahoma (finally the #1 target) or Tavon Austin at WVU to round out the Top 3.

My Picks: Woods, Stills, Cobi Hamilton (Arkansas)

TE: Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

Notre Dame hasn't done much well the last few years, but they've produced some great tight ends. Eifert is no exception. The best TEs make a name for themselves in the red zone, so if the Irish are going to overcome their turnover problems on the doorstep it will be because Eifert has a monster season and loads up on red zone TDs.

My Pick: Eifert

C: Barrett Jones, Alabama
OG: Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
OG: Chance Warmack, Alabama
OT: DJ Fluker, Alabama
OT: Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin

I'm not even going to pretend I know enough about the offensive line positions to accurately predict these. OWUA as always. I will say this: Phil Steele is out of his mind if he thinks 60% of Alabama's offensive line is going to be first team All-Americans. The Tide backs would have to rack up roughly 4,000 yards on the ground to attract the kind of attention required to place three lineman on the first team, so look for writers to defer to the center and give Jones the most love. Wagner is a surefire pick if he stays healthy because I'm pretty sure it's against the Code of Federal Relations not to have a Wisconsin lineman on the All-America team. USC's Khaled Holmes, Texas A&M's Jake Matthews, and Wisconsin's Travis Frederick should all get love if they stay healthy.

My Picks: Five fat guys that are really smart

(Photo: OGdraft.com)

Friday Conference Shuffle

After a five-month hiatus we're finally so knee deep in ridiculous conference gerrymandering and superconference scheming that we're resurrecting the Friday Conference Shuffle! Sure, maybe some of you conference commissioners or Big 12 fans are excited to read this, but if you're like me, Jimmy, and the other 98% of college football fans in America your reaction to the latest round of realignment talks was probably closer to this:

Don't worry everybody...we'll get you through this. Let's take a look at the movers and shakers (mostly movers) making news in college football for all the wrong reasons...

Outkick the Coverage: With Florida State packing their bags and spending some time at their mother's house in Big 12 country to see if they can make things work with the ACC, Virginia Tech fans are tired of playing the waiting game. Here's some reasons Hokies fans have SEC fever.

OTC Part 2: ...but don't tell ACC commissioner John Swofford. He did a radio interview in Nashville this week and "strongly rejected" the idea that Florida State, Clemson and Miami are talking to the Big 12, even though every person remotely involved knows their all blatantly talking to the Big 12. Swofford said he's be "surprised" to learn all three were considering leaving the ACC. I conducted my own interview with Swofford, and he told me he'd be surprised if the sun rose in the east tomorrow, if LeBron James choked in this year's NBA Playoffs, and if The Dark Knight Rises made any money at the box office this summer.

ESPN: Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick insisted the Irish are committed to remaining in the Big East for their Olympic sports...

CBS Sports: ...even though his basketball coach said they have "contingency plans" to leave the Big East...

CBS: ...and Texas' AD admitted the Big 12 is coming at the Irish with a low cut shirt and an "I've had one too many and you look cute" arm rub. Stay tuned.

CBS Part 3: Speaking of the Big East...Brett McMurphy has a great (short) piece on why the conference's life literally hangs in the balance with their new TV deal this fall.

Eye on CFB: Finally, for all you soccer fans who feel the need to work relegation into every discussion about sports, the Sun Belt has confirmed it won't add Idaho or New Mexico State when the WAC crumbles. Unless the Vandals or Aggies can stick it out as independents they're both likely headed to the FCS as early as 2013.

That's it for this week. For the love of all that is holy I hope we don't need to do this again in seven days. Or ever.


(Photo: Onlinecasinoadvice.com aka my homepage)

Scratch Dallas Off the SEC-Big 12 Bowl Location List

If Jerry Jones wants Cowboys Stadium to seriously be considered as the host site for the new SEC-Big 12 bowl game he might want to have this video stricken from the internet. Nothing says "come to Dallas" like watching an unmanned golf cart plow through a group of coaches and reporters during the post game of a Texas Class 5A Division II high school state championship game. As a side note, why in the world did that one coach steer the cart away from a bystander but then go with the old tuck and roll move instead of stopping the cart??? And clearly the guy chasing the cart from the end zone has never played a day of football in his life. Horrible pursuit angle. In other news, a new format has been announced for the Dr. Pepper Challenge starting in 2015 and will debut at the new SEC-Big 12 bowl in Dallas...

Penn State Weekly Update

With the weeks before Jerry Sandusky's trial turning into days things are heating up in Happy Valley again. Here's your Penn State update:

CBS: Mike McQueary's shower rape date change could lead to the related charges against Sandusky being dismissed, since the 10 year statute of limitations (from the new date) would be up. Ummm...how the hell is there a statute of limitations on raping kids? And how is it HALF as long as the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania for breaking a sealed contract?

ESPN: Not content to ride out the allegations until the statute of limitations is up, Sandusky petitioned the judge to throw out the child abuse charges again last week, claiming "they're too vague to defend." This was Sandusky's 2nd attempt to have some of the 52 charges he faces dropped. His earlier attempt was dismissed.

CNN: Well that didn't take long...two days after Sandusky claimed the charges were too vague, the state attorney general's office filed more detailed, "graphic" charges (thought they didn't add to/subtract from any of the original 52).

AP: Sandusky tried to delay the start of the trial...but the judge isn't buying that either.

Williamsport Sun-Gazette: The Bill O'Brien "coaching caravan" wrapped up last week after making 18 stops in the northeast. O'Brien and other coaches crisscrossed the region to reassure Nittany Lions fans that all will be well in Happy Valley, answering questions regarding everything from the offense he'll run to his decision to allow players to grow facial hair. He even had to justify (and disgard) his plans to change the practice field configuration. Sounds like a fun job.

Bleacher Report: BR analyzed O'Brien's job so far, rating all his major decisions and actions regarding staff assembly, recruiting, media relations, building traditions and picking a QB. If you're a Penn State fan it's a must read. At least you'll have a reason to focus on football again.

AP: Getting fired after coaching somewhere for 61 years sucks. Getting to keep your $13.4 million pension doesn't.

Deadspin/Esquire: How much did Joe Pa actually know, and when?

EDSBS: Finally, now that we're all pouring dirt on the Big East's grave, Every Day Should Be Saturday looks back at the moment the conference sealed its fate: the day the Big East rejected Penn State.


(Photo: MSNBC)

Yup, There Are Realignment Value Rankings Now

I guess it was only a matter of time...

Now that we've endured nearly a year of conference realignment nonsense the guys over at SB Nation have finally found a way to quantify it, saying, "If we're going to follow conference realignment as a sport, we might as well come up with a scoring system."

College Football Editor Jason Kirk and his staff developed a a scoring matrix combining revenue, football success, athletics success, academics, football attendance and marketing to determine the relative value of every FBS school. You can view the full rankings and the scoring system here if you want to see where your team ended up and guess where every team from #1 Texas to #129 Louisiana-Monroe will be when the realignment dust settles.

Just for the sake of starting arguments, here's the Top 10:

(Photo: NYSE)

Choke Wednesday: Backyard Brawl 2007

RichRod. Pat White. Steve Slaton. In a season defined by upsets, the Mountaineers found themselves sitting in the #2 spot with one game to go. All they had to do was win and they were on their way to New Orleans to face Ohio State. At home, in front of a raucous crowd on a cold November night, West Virginia faced Pitt in the 100th Backyard Brawl. Instead of packing their bags and heading off to Bourbon Street, WVU ran into a brick wall in the form of the Panther defense. QB Pat White was 5 for 10 for 50 yards with 41 on the ground. RB Steve Slaton had a total of twenty yards rushing and receiving combined. Trailing 13-7 in the final minutes, they had one last shot to take the lead, but Pat White's pass on 4th down sailed out of the back of the end zone along with the hopes and dreams of every fan in the stadium. Congrats, West Virgina, allowing a 4-7 hated rival knock you out of the national championship picture  in the last game of the season has landed you in the Choke Wednesday spotlight.

(Photo: Damian Strohmeyer, SI)

Tuesday Tip Drill

Brendan's Question

Outkick the Coverage's Clay Travis was analyzing the current mess that is realignment and playoff talks and introduced a solution so simple I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it: why not appoint a commissioner for college football? Travis wisely derides FBS football as a "national sport with a regional power structure," and points to the self-serving, decentralized conference leadership as one of the biggest issues impeding progress. What do you think? Would this work? Is it remotely feasible? Would you apply for the job?

Jimmy's Answer


I'm going to answer you last question first: hell yes. Sure, I'd have to put up with some of the egotistical and laughable personalities of our esteemed conference commissioners, but my first order of business would also be to issue a unilateral agreement delineating their shrunken boundaries of influence. Justice served. There's no hiding the current need for a formidable central figure in college football. The NCAA's credibility is about as popular as reinstating prohibition, and the conference commissioners are nothing more than a bunch of squabbling, money hungry men that'd stab each other in the back in a second to keep their conferences alive. I must say I like the idea, and if it could be instated I have no doubt it would work. I guess one concern I have is that the professional sports have organized labor unions to challenge the commissioners when necessary. How would this be addressed in the college arena? I guess it would probably fall back on the schools themselves much like it does now in regards to dealing with the NCAA. Regardless, college football is in dire need of some stability, and a CFB commissioner could provide just that more so than four conference commissioners only looking out for their own conferences.

Jimmy's Question


With the recent talk of FSU bailing the ACC for the Big 12 and now the possibility of a Big 12-SEC Champions Bowl, we're looking at some major moves among the conferences in the coming months. Once the dominoes begin to fall, what's the likelihood of Notre Dame giving up it's independent status? The Big Ten has long been thought to be the final destination for the Irish, but with the recent resurgence of the Big 12 it looks as if the Great Plains could make a cozy new home for Notre Dame. Will Jack Swarbrick finally give in?

Brendan's Answer

I always assumed Notre Dame would eventually end up in the Big Ten because it works geographically, works academically, and allows them to effortlessly keep Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue on the schedule, but I think that's getting less likely. Realignment has made everything
so unstable that the Irish are in no hurry to throw themselves in the mix, so I think they'll stay independent as long as they have a TV contract and can hide behind the "we want to play Stanford, USC and the service academies" defense that has gotten them this far. Notre Dame still faces a serious decision with their "olympic sports" because the Big East is collapsing on itself like a dying star, so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them move soon. I think the Irish will probably move their other sports to the Big 12 in the next 2-3 years, and agree to schedule 3 or 4 Big 12 football opponents each year to get in on some revenue sharing and bowl tie-ins.

Disclaimer: If the four-team playoff doesn't have automatic bids for the Irish like the BCS did then all bets are off. If Notre Dame needs to be in a conference to have a shot at a national title then Swarbrick has to explore the Big 12 and Big Ten immediately.

(Photo: Beyond the Bets)

Apparently Boise, Idaho Doesn't Get ESPN

Apparently oblivious to everything that has happened in college football in the last 10 days, Boise State announced this weekend that they will continue with their 2013 football only move from the Mountain West to the Big East. Rumors swirled last Friday that the Broncos, understandably unsure about the Big East's football future, were pushing for a last-minute plan to extend their term in the MWC before reporting to the Big East meetings on Sunday. Those rumors were apparently unfounded.

Hey Boise...what's your game here? I mean, I know it's Idaho, but you guys do have cable TV and newspapers right? Have you been paying attention to college football AT ALL this month? What the hell could you possibly be thinking? You have the most desired non-BCS program in college football and the entire system is crumbling in your favor. What could you possibly gain by going to the Big East next year? Yes...the same Big East that's reading its own obituary on every college football website in America.

AQ status? Yeah, that'll be cool for a year, but every BCS replacement discussion has made it abundantly clear that the "AQ" conferences are going away in 2014. I hope one trip to the Orange Bowl is worth it.

A better shot at a national title? Good luck finishing in the Top 4 when strength of schedule counts again and you're beating up on UCF and Rutgers.

Money and notoriety? I think you'll have a lot more of both coming your way when the Mayan 16-team superconference prophecies come true in two years and the Pac 12 rolls out a welcome mat for you that makes the Miami Heat Welcome Party look subtle.

Get with the program guys. Your little non-AQ buddy TCU was after all the same stuff two years ago when they got sucked in by the Big East's siren call, but they were smart enough to get the hell out of there before they ever painted the conference logo on their basketball court. A $5 million preemptive exit fee is chump change compared to the amount of revenue you'll set yourself up for by staying on the market for another year or two. If you care about the future of your program, your chances at a championship, or your ability to print money for the next decade, you'll follow TCU's lead while you can.


(Photo: Big East Coast Bias)

Ex-WVU Coach Bill Stewart Dead at 58

Some sad news out of Morgantown tonight, where West Virginia athletic department officials confirmed that former Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart passed away today at 58. Stewart collapsed unexpectedly at a golfing event after he suffered what doctors belief was a heart attack.

Bill Stewart coached college football for more than 30 years after finishing his playing career at Fairmont State in 1974. He spent time on the sidelines at Salem, Marshall, North Carolina, William & Mary, Navy, Arizona State and Air Force. He served as the head coach at VMI from 1994 to 1996 before departing for multiple jobs in the CFL. Stewart is best known for his tenure at West Virginia from 2000 to 2010, which began as the school's QB coach. Following Rich Rodriguez' departure for Michigan, Stewart coached the Mountaineers to a 48-28 Fiesta Bowl victory over #3 Oklahoma, and was handed the head coaching job. He went 28-12 in three seasons at the helm in Morgantown, sharing the 2010 Big East title with Connecticut.

Here's Stewart before the Fiesta Bowl performance that earned him his last coach job:

Looking Ahead: September's Five Most Intriguing Games

Look, I know we haven't even hit Memorial Day yet, but I can't help but get excited when I think about what's kicking off in 101 days. In an effort to get your gears turning as well, I've assembled a list of what I believe to be September's five most intriguing games. Of course, you're entitled to disagree, and I urge you to let us know in the comments section if you feel there's a game or two that I overlooked.

Boise State at Michigan State - Friday, August 31
Life without Kellen Moore begins with a sudden jolt as the Broncos must travel to East Lansing for their first game of the 2012 season. We've seen Boise State reload time and again, but will they be prepared to face a Michigan State team that Mark Dantonio has turned into a perennial Big Ten title contender? The Spartans will be breaking in a new QB as well as Kirk Cousins has graduated and will be featuring a crop of young receivers. The Broncos have made some statements in recent years with early September victories over Oregon, Virginia Tech and Georgia. Will Sparty be able to hold them off?

Michigan vs. Alabama - Saturday, September 1
The Tide are a shoe-in for preseason Top 5, and many early projections have Michigan in the Top 10. Alabama lost quite a bit of talent to the draft, but Nick Saban is loaded and ready to produce yet another contender in 2012. Michigan blew right through everyone's expectations in Brady Hoke's first year in 2011, going 11-2 and winning the Sugar Bowl. The Wolverines are what I consider to be the Big Ten's only shot at a BCS title game appearance this year. Every September Denard Robinson is at the top of the Heisman list, only to fall as the season goes forward. An early win over the defending national champions could go a long way for both Michigan and Robinson's hopes. And if Alabama wins? Business as usual.

Alabama at Arkansas - Saturday, September 15
I know this game would have easily been the top game of September had Bobby Petrino not gone joyriding with his mistress last month, but Arkansas' misguided hiring of John L. Smith has already knocked this one down a few pegs. Regardless, the Razorbacks are still loaded with talent and have a game changer of a QB in Tyler Wilson. Alabama will likely be 2-0 coming into this one (sorry Michigan fans) and looking to make a statement in their first SEC West challenge. If I was you, I'd go ahead and book a spa day for your spouse on the 15th. You won't want to miss this one.