College football season is upon us and for those dedicated fans who partake in weekly pick 'em competitions, the first weekend is as crucial as they come. Fortunately, the guru is here to share his predictions on the opening week, along with some short commentary to explain his thinking. Enjoy.
Missouri (-12.0) vs Illinois Missouri
Colorado (-11.5) at Colorado State Colorado
Kansas State (-1.5) vs UCLA Kansas State
Michigan (-2.5) vs Connecticut Connecticut
Texas (-30.5) at Rice Texas
Kentucky (-3.5) at Louisville Louisville
Notre Dame (-11.0) vs Purdue Notre Dame
Virginia (Off) vs Richmond Richmond
Syracuse (-8.5) at Akron Syracuse
Mississippi State (-21.0) vs Memphis Mississippi State
BYU (-2.5) vs Washington Washington
Northwestern (-4.5) at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt
TCU (-13.5) vs Oregon State TCU
LSU (-6.5) at North Carolina LSU
Fresno State (-2.5) vs Cincinnati Cincinnati
Wisconsin (-20.5) at UNLV Wisconsin
Tulsa (-7.5) at East Carolina Tulsa
Texas Tech (-13.5) vs SMU Texas Tech
Navy (-6.0) at Maryland Navy
Boise State (-2.0) at Virginia Tech Boise State
Illinois prepares to play its first game in the post- Juice-Williams-era against Missouri. The Fighting Illini enter the game minus two starters in what was already a shaky secondary, not a problem you want to have against Missouri...Colorado attempts to avenge last year's opening week upset against in-state rival Colorado State. Look for the Buffs to pressure true freshman QB Pete Thomas from the first snap...Playing without four starters on the offensive line, look for UCLA to have trouble getting settled offensively against Kansas State. It doesn't help that the Bruins are traveling half way across the country to play in a different time zone...Self-proclaimed experts are writing off UCONN's chances because of their inability to handle the pressure of playing in the recently expanded Big House, but those clowns fail to note that the Huskies won on the road in South Bend last year and that their five losses in 2009 came by a total of fifteen points...While Texas won't score at the same rate they have over the past few seasons, look for the Longhorns defense to shut down Rice. Garret Gilbert should be able to accumulate 35 points against the young Owls...Look for Louisville to upset Kentucky in the Governor Cup. The Cardinals will have an entirely different look on both sides of the ball this season under new head coach Charlie Strong, formerly employed as the defensive coordinator at Florida...Have faith in the hurry-up offense of new Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. If the Irish can execute the new system, overcoming an 11 point spread should not be too difficult...Don't sleep on Richmond in their upcoming game against Virginia. The Spiders, FCS National Champions in 2008, won't be an easy win for the Cavaliers...After holding Akron's offense to 50 yards in the second half last season, Syracuse should have no trouble overcoming an 8.5 point spread against the Zips...After going 2-10 in 2009 while playing in Conference USA, Memphis will struggle on the road against SEC foe Mississippi State...BYU will be a tough test for Heisman candidate Jake Locker and Washington, but the guru foresees the Huskies winning in Provo, which would be their first road win since 2007...Northwestern may be without QB Mike Kafka, but the Wildcats should be able to outscore Vanderbilt by five points...Playing in Cowboys Stadium will be one heck of a debut for Oregon State QB Ryan Katz, who will make his first collegiate start against sixth-ranked TCU. On the other side of the ball, QB Andy Dalton needs one more victory to become the winningest signal caller in Horned Frog history. Fourteen extra points will be tough for the Frogs to muster, but take a gamble on them covering the spread...Distracted by a recent investigation and without at least one dozen players, UNC will be at a serious disadvantage against LSU this weekend...The Cincinnati Bearcats are without coach Brian Kelly and QB Tony Pike, but Zach Collaros proved himself as a passer last season. Fresno State will be missing Ryan Mathews, the nation's leading rusher in 2009. In what will likely become a shootout, give the edge to the Bearcats...Assuming the Badgers can avoid the temptations of Sin City, #12 Wisconsin should be able to dispatch UNLV with ease...Expect the high-octane Golden Hurricane offense to pounce on the Pirates of East Carolina. Tulsa covers the spread without difficulty...While Texas Tech may not have the obscene passing statistics from 2008, they are still Texas Tech and SMU is still SMU. Enough said...Maryland will certainly improve on a disastrous 2009, but they will struggle to stop the triple-option attack of Navy's Ricky Dobbs...Virginia Tech will be a tough opponent for Boise State, but we all know how the Broncos perform in big games. With 20 returning starters, the men of the blue turf will be too much for the ACC-favorite Hokies.
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