2009 view week two subscription

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Catch Lance Zierlein from 6 to 10 am daily,alongside John Granato. Listen to John Harris on

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A View f om t e Sidelin e

Opening Weekend is HERE!! Part DeuxIn 1959, a group of groundbreaking gentlemen set out to create a rival football league. They were called “foolish”, perhaps even

bordering on “stupid”, but 50 years later, the AFL’s eight teams arethriving as members of the NFL. With the NFL opening this Thursday, it should never be lost on anyone how important the AFL was, is and always will be to the NFL. Time to get it on!

THEN NOW

Plenty of eyes will be

on Norman, OK, where Landry Jonesmakes his first startfor OU. But, thefocus for the nation will be on Columbus where #3 USC takeson #8 Ohio State. The Matt Barkley experiementcontinues onSaturday, while OSUQB Terrelle Pryor isthe grizzled vet.“Coogahs 2Nite”travels to Stillwaterto take on Oklahoma State and NotreDame goes to Ann Arbor. Notan all-timer sort of week,but solidnonetheless.

We did a colleg e podcast this wee k - click on link below

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A full NFL slate

begins this weekend,highlighted by theKickoff game Thursday night when Tennessee travels toPittsburgh. Of course, the last timethese two faced off,the Titans scored a big -time victory,capped off by thedesecration of the

Steelers’ Terrible Towel. The returnof Tom Brady to thePatriots will have thenation’s attention onMonday nightagainst the Bills. The Texans haveexpectations this year and take on a Jets team starting a

rookie QB. Chec k out our podcast on the Jets/ Texans matchupon page 3. Hope you enjoy NFLKickoff!

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Tennessee (0-0) vs. Pittsburgh (0-0)

Steelers - 20 vs. Titans - 16

September 10, 2009 - NBC 7:30 PM CST

t 2008 Ranking

137.4 ypg - 7th Run Offense 105.6 ypg - 23rd

176.2 ypg - 27th Pass Offense 206.3 ypg - 17th

23.4 ppg - 14th Scoring Offense 21.7 ppg - 20th

93.9 ypg - 6th Run Defense 80.3 ypg - 2nd

199.8 ypg - 9th Pass Defense 156.9 ypg - 1st

14.6 ppg - 2nd Scoring Defense 13.9 ppg - 1st

Even - 16th TO Margin + 3 - 12th

When the Titans have the ball... The Titans aren't a hard offense to figure out. They want to run the ball down your throat and then pass it just enough to keep you honest without having to lean on QB Collins to win any games. Chris Johnson gave the Titans a "homerun" dimension last year with his speed, but getting loose for big runs againstthe Steelers is nearly impossible. Collins certainly isn't mobile, but he gets rid of the ball fairly quickly so the chessmatch between Steelers DC Dick LeBeau and Titans OC MikeHeimerdinger will be an interesting one as some teams have hadsuccess against the Steelers by going 4 wide and spreading them out. Does Heimerdinger have the guts to try that with Collins and his

subpar WR corps?

When the Steelers have the ball... I look for them to test thedefensive front of the Titans to see how sturdy they are without AlbertHaynesworth. Last year, the Titans won 31-14 as they sacked BenRoethlisberger 5 times, had 4 takeaways and limited the Steelers tojust 71 yards rushing. The Titans have good speed up front on theirdefensive line and that can be a problem for the Steelers at times, but

without big Haynesworth in the middle, the Steelers might have somesuccess if they run it straight at the Titans. I look for the Steelers toutilize a controlled passing game while testing the Titans rush defense early; however, even without Haynesworth,this won't be easy for the Steelers offense unless they win the battle in the trenches.

Conclusion: What separates the Steelers from another defensive-minded team like the Ravens is that they find waysto get big plays from their offense and/or special teams when they are at home. If the Steelers can hit a couple of big plays, they will win because I expect LeBeau to load up the box against the run all game long in order to force Collinsto beat them and I don't think Collins will handle the pressure of the Steelers defense in Heinz Field.

Vegas Line: Steelers -6 / 35

2008 ATS Record12-4-0

2008 Over/Under8-8-0

Last 5 Games1/10 L, Baltimore 10-13

12/28 L, @ Indianapolis 0- 2312/21 W, Pittsburgh 31-1412/14 L, @ Houston 12-13

12/7 W, Cleveland 28- 9



Last 5 Games 2/1 W, Arizona 27- 23

1/18 W, Baltimore 23-141/11 W, San Diego 35- 2412/28 W, Cleveland 31-0

12/21 L, @ Tennessee 14- 31

Last Meeting: Tennessee - 31 vs. Pittsburgh - 14 (12/21/2008)

Fantasy ReportLendale White, Titans RB - Hard to givethe starting nod to Lendale Whiteagainst ferocious Steelers defense. SitWhite and find someone else.

Jeff Reed , Steelers K - The Steelerskicker was solid last year and he figuresto get more FG attempts than extrapoint tries tonight. Start Reed.



New York (0-0) vs. Houston (0-0)

Texans - 21 vs. Jets - 20

September 12, 2009 - CBS 7:30 PM CST

t 2008 Ranking

125.3 ypg - 9th Run Offense 115.4 ypg - 13th

206.4 ypg - 16th Pass Offense 266.7 ypg - 4th

25.3 ppg - 8th Scoring Offense 22.9 ppg - 17th

94.9 ypg - 7th Run Defense 122.6 ypg - 23rd

234.5 ypg - 29th Pass Defense 213.9 ypg - 17th

22.3 ppg - 18th Scoring Defense 24.6 ppg - 26th

-4 - 18th TO Margin -13 - 31st

When the Jets have the ball... The Jets averaged 125 ypg on the ground and that number is getting ready to go upthis season under new head coach Rex Ryan who will undoubtedly look for his offense to pound the rock. With rookie QB Mark Sanchez pulling the trigger, that is probably a smart move. The Jets have a solid RB in Thomas Jones but the guy who will terrify the Texans during meetings this week will be Leon Washington who is a terrible matchup for any of the Texans LBs. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Texans run more zone whenWashington is in the game. I'm just not sure the Jets are good enough to beat the Texans without Mark Sanchez

making some plays and that is tough to do in your first NFL game.

When the Texans have the ball... Texans fans have pretty muchmarked the Jets game down as a win, but that is a dangerous thing to do when you realize that the Jets new head coach, Rex Ryan, wasat the helm of the Ravens defense when they destroyed the Texanslast season. While the Jets don't have Haloti Ngata, they do havesome good talent and their 3-4 front is going to cause some issues for

Texans center Chris Meyers which might force the Texans intorunning outside much more. The Jets have a tough duo of insideLBs, but Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels have a chance to causematchup problems in the passing game. The Texans passing

game should excel but running it could be tough for the Texans.

Conclusion: I think Texans defensive coordinator, Frank Bush, can take more chances on defense since it is unlikely that the Jets will ask Mark Sanchez to beat the Texans with big plays down the field. If Bush can scheme a way toslow down the running game, the Texans will be in great shape because they should be able to get some points onthe board. If the Jets can control the running game on both sides, they've got a real shot here.

Vegas Line: Texans -5 / 43.5



Last 5 Games12/28 L, Miami 24- 2712/21 L, @ Seattle 3-1312/14 W, Buffalo 31- 27

12/7 L, @ San Francisco 14- 2411/30 L, Denver 17- 34



Last 5 Games12/28 W, Chicago 31- 24

12/21 L, @ Oakland 16 - 2712/14 W, Tennessee 13-12

12/7 W, @ Green Bay 24- 2112/1 W, Jacksonville 30-17

Last Meeting: New York - 26 vs. Houston - 11 (11/26/2006)

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JETS/TEXANS PODCAST- CLICK LINK AND HIT PLAY BUTTON

Fantasy Report Leon Washington, Jets RB - Washingtonisn't going to get a ton of carries, buthe'll get enough touches to make adifference so start him as a "flex". Owen Daniels, Texans TE - Daniels onlyhad three TD catches last year despitea ton of catches. Look for the Texansto look for him more in the redzone





September 13, 2009 FOX 12:00 PM CST This game is a matchup of what was versus what couldbe. The "what was" sideline will feature panthers ontheir helmets and a QB who is coming

off of one of the worst playoff gamesI've ever seen. The "what could be"sideline features a stable of playmakers wearing green all at thedisposal of one of the most successfulQBs in the NFL over the last decade.

The Panthers running game was justterrific last year and I don't see any signs of it slowing down - even if Jonathan Stewart isn't back to100%. However, in the NFL, you can control games

with your rushing attack, but occasionally you have to win them with a few big plays through the air. While

Jake Delhomme still has one of the most dangerousWRs in the game in Steve Smith , there has to bequestions in the locker room about Delhomme'sability to carry the team deep into the playoffs.

The Panthers should be able to runthe ball fairly effectively against theEagles in this one, but if the Eaglesput the Panthers in bad down anddistance situations, they have a chanceto force Delhomme into mistakes. On the other side of the ball, theCarolina Panthers have to make surethat they don't fall prey to the big play as the Eagles now have Brian

Westbrook , LeSean McCoy ,DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin who can all takeit the distance on any given play.

PHILADELPHIA (0-0)VS. CAROLINA (0-0) VEGAS SAYS: PHI -1.5 / 43.5

September 13, 2009NBC 7:30 PM CST Both teams looked at their schedules at the end of the

2008 season and saw several missedopportunities for wins that probably would have resulted in a playoff birth. The question on Sunday is whichteam will make the most of theiropportunities?

The Bears hired Rod Marinelli during the offseason to help with thedefensive line and restore the fire andpassion that has been missing fromthe Bears defense since former DCRon Rivera was let go. The Bears are

extremely deep up front and they feellike they have a chance to get afterteams on defense like they did a couple of years ago.

Packer fans are the most excited they've been about a Packers offensive unit since a QB named Favre had no

gray facial hair. Ryan Grant got off to a lousy start last

year but closed the season very strongly. Aaron Rodgers puttogether a stellar first season as a starter and he has more than enough

weapons to keep the Bears secondary occupied for most of the game.

This game has all the makings of turning into a shootout since thePackers are still learning the 3-4defense and since both teams haveQBs with big -play arms and big play

WRs.

I will be very interested to seeif Jay Cutler is able to limit the badmistakes he was making last year. If not, the Bears

won't win this one.

Fantasy ReportThe Eagles are a blank page insome regards. I'm not 100% surewho will be the big scorer fromthe WR corps this year so keep aclose eye on everyone so you cantell which way DonovanMcNabb might be leaning thisyear in terms of his favorite target.

PREDICTION: GREEN BAY - 28 VS. CHICAGO - 24

PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA - 24 VS. CAROLINA - 17

CHICAGO (0-0)VS. GREEN BAY (0-0) VEGAS SAYS: GB -3.5 / 46

Fantasy ReportDonald Driver has beenincredibly consistent and he willget his fair share of chances toadd up the fantasy points againstthe Bears secondary. The Packerswill have a very tough timematching up with Greg Olsen since they will have to be moreconcerned with Matt Forte andDevin Hester.



PREDICTIONS ON ALL NFL GAMES THIS WEEKENDDallas at Tampa Bay - Jon Gruden did a hell of a job coaching the Bucs over the last couple of years considering themarginal talent they have on their roster. Raheem Morris is now in charge, but the Bucs just fired their offensivecoordinator and their QB position is still a mess. The Cowboys don't have T.O to throw to anymore, but maybe they

will feel less pressured to throw it and more comfortable relying on the running game - Cowboys - 21 vs. Bucs - 14

Detroit at New Orleans - The Lions won't go winless this year, but they also won't be winning this one. The Saints

passing game is terrific, but they’ll unleash the running game early on against the Lions. With the Saints able to run itbetter this year and with the Lions still way behind where they need to be offensively, this one will turn into the laugherthan you are expecting - Lions - 17 vs. Saints - 38

Minnesota at Cleveland - The Vikings are the favorite here but this one is a tricky spot. Eric Mangini was the headcoach with the Jets last year so he is well aware of what Brett Favre's strengths and weaknesses are. Favre looked goodagainst the Texans in the preseason, but the Vikings would be ill-advised to put too much in his hands. I look for a rowdy opening day crowd in Cleveland and a surprisingly effective passing game leading the Browns to the upset - Vikings - 20 vs. Browns - 21 Denver at Cincinnati - The Bengals might suffer through some rust here as QB Carson Palmer is just coming backfrom his ankle injury that he suffered in the preseason. The Broncos have been terrible against the run over the lastfew years so we'll see if Cincy tries to take advantage of the Broncos rush defense and their new 3-4 defensivealignment. Don't look for much from the Broncos offense here - Broncos - 14 vs. Bengals - 24

KC at Baltimore - The Chiefs demoted offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, but I don't think that matters since ToddHaley is prepared to handle the offense. The bigger problem for the Chiefs is that they’re terrible and Baltimore is

good. The Ravens are going to give Haley a game that he’ll never forget. That’s not good. Chiefs - 3 vs. Ravens - 30

St. Louis at Seattle - It is hard to look at Seattle's performance last year and apply that to what the Seahawks arelikely to do this year. The Seahawks started the season with almost all of their WRs on the shelf and then MattHasselbeck got hurt for much of the year. I look for a revamped Seahawk team to make a statement against a Ramsclub that is still in really poor shape on both sides of the ball - Rams - 13 vs. Seahawks - 24

Jacksonville at Indianapolis - Speaking of injuries, the Jaguars running game never got going last year thanks todevastating injuries to their guards. Fred Taylor is gone, but Maurice Jones-Drew is the bowling ball that the Jags willuse to try and crush the Colts front. The problem for the Jaguars is that their defense showed signs of cracking last

year and that is a big problem against the Colts. I still think this one is close - Jaguars - 21 Colts - 24

Miami at Atlanta - The Dolphins were a terrific story last year and I do believe that their defense is legit, but let'slook at the facts. The Dolphins don't have a top flight QB or WR like the Falcons have. The Dolphins won 9 of their last 10 games and none of those wins came against a team with a winning record. Mike Smith has done a good jobof re-tooling the Falcons defense and it will show on Sunday - Dolphins - 14 Falcons - 20 Washington at NY Giants - The Giants running game is the straw that stirs the drink, but the drink just got stiffer with Albert Haynesworth in the middle for Washington. The Redskins passing problems are well documented, butClinton Portis is still effective and their defense is still a factor so this one could be an upset if they get unexpectedly solid play from QB Campbell. Never mind - Redskins - 17 vs. Giants - 21 San Francisco at Arizona - The 49ers won 4 of their last 5 games last year after they started to buy into the identity that Mike Singletary was setting for them as a team. Singletary has hinted that the Niners will try and run it 60% of the time, but that philosophy will be tested if the Cardinals get up on top of the Niners quickly. I honestly believe the

winner of this game ends up winning the division and the Niners have a shot - Niners - 21 vs. Cardinals - 23 Buffalo at New England - The Patriots survived without Tom Brady last year but things continue to change in New England with Bruschi, Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels all gone. The Bills will sit in their Cover 2and hope to get a good rush with four, but if they don't get after Brady somehow, they have no prayer here. Bills QB

Trent Edwards must have a prolific game in this one to have a chance - Bills - 16 vs. Patriots - 27

San Diego at Oakland - The Chargers turned into a pass-first team last year thanks to a subpar season fromLaDainian Tomlinson and a defense that lost its mojo. The Chargers are hoping that with Shawne Merriman backthey’ll do a better job of getting after the QB. I am interested to see if the Raiders can ram the ball down theChar ers throat with their runnin ame. If so, this one oes down to the wire - Char ers - 2 vs. Raiders - 20



FANTASY NEWS AND NOTES

1. As of Thursday afternoon, Saints RB Pierre Thomas appears to be a player who owners need to rest in week1. While Thomas started to practice with his teammates on Thursday morning, the Saints aren't going to take too

many chances with their top RB against a Lions team who they should

handle regardless of starting RB. Sit him out this week and wait for next week.

2. I know most owners have given up on the Cleveland Browns when itcomes to their fantasy football prospects, but I think Brady Quinn has a chance to show some real improvement from last season. If that happens,Braylon Edwards could easily jump back into the top 10 to 12 fantasy WRs. Quinn won't be anything other than a fantasy backup, but if heplays well, Edwards probably plays well.

3. If you have Seahawks RB Julius Jones, you might want to considerstarting him. Jones has had a great deal of success against the Ramsdefense in the past and I still don't expect Edgerrin James to come out in

game 1 and take away too many of Jones' carries.

NFL NEWS AND NOTES

1. I can't remember the last time I saw an offensive coordinator fired in the preseason just a week or so beforethe start of the season. Well, now I've seen it three times! The Bills, Bucs and Chiefs all got rid of theiroffensive coordinators which immediately sends up a couple of different red flags. What problems existed that

would lead a head coach to make this type of drastic change so early and will the switch of play -callers have an immediate negative impact on the teams' offenses?

The Bucs offense was going to be suspect with or without Jeff Jagodzinski as OC so look for them to struggle. The Bills are looking tosimplify the offense so that shouldn't hurt their prospects while the Chiefshave their head coach calling their plays so don't expect too much to be lostthere. If anything, I'm curious about whether the Chiefs are going to be a pass-happy offense or an offense that tries to run the ball.

2. Two years ago, the battle of Miami vs. Atlanta would have been one of the biggest snoozers all year, but after last season's miraculous turnaroundby both teams, this matchup is one to watch. The Falcons strike me as theteam who is more likely a legit contender once again in 2009, but you neverknow how a second year QB like Matt Ryan is going to respond. TheDolphins offense looks shaky with Chad Pennington under center, but

their defense looks like the real deal.

3. Tila Tequilia is making herself look like an idiot these days with herridiculous tweets about Shawne Merriman , the Chargers and what took place on the night that she claimsMerriman assaulted her. While she might be a reality television moron, that doesn't mean that there isn't any meritto her claims. While also I don't know what happened on the night she claims Merriman choked her, I do know that there was a tremendous amount of "turd factor" following Merriman around thanks to his misdeeds in college. I know that at least ten teams had him off their draft board and probably more if they did their homework on hisbackground.

The return of "Cadillac"Williams to the starting lineuphas been one of the best storiesof the preseason, but he has gonethrough two different kneesurgeries in the past so I'm veryhesitant climb aboard the Caddybandwagon. Still, I have to giveprops to Raheem Morris andthe offensive staff in Tampa forgoing with the guy who theythought was the best rather thanthe guy who just got paid the bigfree agent deal (DerrickWard).

Jonathan Stewart is back atpractice for Carolina and HC JohnFox makes it sound as thoughStewart will be a factor in therunning game despite just nowgetting back to practice. I wouldonly start Stewart if you'redesperate because the Panthershave to feel completelycomfortable with Stewart beforethey will trust him with too manycarries and I don't see thathappening yet.



September 10, 2009 ESPN 6:30 PM CST Last week, we had two sort of snoozers on Thursday night, but when these two teams take the field this

Thursday night, that should all change. Now, the gamemight take all of two hours, but it’ll be a fun two hours

that’s for sure. Although CJ Spillerleft last week’s winover MTSU withan apparent leg injury, theClemson medicalstaff has said hisinjury is not

considered to beserious. That’s great news for people who want to watchtwo of the top five running backs in the nation - Spillerand G Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer. Both backs scored the

first time they touched the ball last week - Dwyer on a long run and Spiller on a 96- yard kickoff return.

Stopping each back is the key for each respective team,but the method for doing so is a tad different. Clemsonmust play responsibility sound option defense against the

vaunted GT spread option. All GT needs is one non-responsible playerand Dwyer ishouse-ing it.

G Tech’s approachto stopping Spilleris similar. But, theonus is different - stay in your pursuitlanes, don’t penetrate and open seams in the defense andthen when he’s in the open field, tackle well. And, withsome help from FS Burnett, the Jackets will do that.

CLEMSON (1-0)VS. GEORGIA TECH (1-0) VEGAS SAYS: GT -5.5

September 12, 2009 ESPN2 6:00 PM CST In the opener, the South Carolina Gamecocks scored allof ten points against NC State. Yes, this is a SteveSpurrier coached team. Ten points should never beenough to beat another BCS team, but on that night, it

was enough to beat NC State 10-7. The problem is thedefense can’t carry this team throughout the grind of a

season in the SEC.Not to mentionagainst a Georgia team looking tomake amends aftera rough 24-10 losson the road

The key difference for Georgia this week, has to be

getting, and keeping, WR AJ Green involved in the game.He had all of four catches for 52 yards, most of the timematched up against All Big 12 CB Perrish Cox. TheGamecock corners are solid and good athletes but not in

the same realm as Cox. Consequently, UGA QB Joe Cox must exploit those Gamecock cornerbacks as much aspossible especially with Green.

On the flip side, Georgia must find a way to protect Cox

against a strong South Carolina pass rush, led by OLBEric Norwood. If Cox isn’t protected, UGA has no shotat all. NC State’s Russell Wilson had limited time tothrow much of thenight, but when hedid get time, hefound openreceivers.

Offensively, theGamecocks have a

gaggle of running backs, but it might be time to unleashtrue freshman Jarvis Giles for more than a handful of carries in this one. He showed plenty of burst and powerand could be the one guy who has the explosiveness toriddle the UGA D.

South Car. Players to WatchQB #5 Stephen GarciaRB #10 Brian MaddoxOLB #40 Eric NorwoodS #24 Darian Stewart

Georgia Players to WatchQB #14 Joe CoxLB #35 Rennie CurranS #3 Bryan EvansWR #8 AJ Green

G. Tech Players to WatchA Back #21 Jonathan DwyerQB #9 Josh NesbittFS #1 Morgan BurnettDE #91 Derrick Morgan

Clemson Players to WatchQB # Kyle ParkerRB #28 CJ SpillerDE #93 DaQuan BowersDE #7 Ricky Sapp

PREDICTION: GEORGIA - 20 VS. SOUTH CAROLINA - 13

Georgia is in a must win situation. Start the year 0-2 and there’s a good possibility that the Bulldogsfinish no better than 7-5 with the monster schedule they have. But, behind Cox throwing to Greendownfield and continued progress running the football, UGA should escape with a hard hitting win.

PREDICTION: GEORGIA TECH - 31 VS. CLEMSON - 21

Man, this one has me conflicted. I really like Clemson QB Kyle Parker’s ability to make plays andSpiller’s game breaking skills. But, in Atlanta, with the spread option getting cranked up yet again, Ijust don’t think Clemson’s ‘D’ has the discipline to handle it for a full four quarters. Go with GT!

SOUTH CAROLINA (1-0)VS. GEORGIA (0-1) VEGAS SAYS: UGA -7



“PUT THE FILM ON, BRO” - BYU ZONE BLITZ

Last week, the biggest surprise in the entire nation was the play of the BYU Cougars defense and the defensive gameplan constructed by defensive coordinator Jaime Hill. Here’s a look at the zone blitz that BYU utilized against OU.

IN THE FILM ROOM WITH JOHN HARRIS

The Sooners come out in four wides with a single back inthe backfield and it appears BYU is lined up accordingly.But notice the two linebackers in the circle. Are they truly

threats to the pass protection? The Sooners think so andline up RB Chris Brown to the right side to help block them

As soon as the ball is snapped, the Sooners have to know they’re in trouble. The two linebackers have dropped intocoverage to replace the void in the defense - out in the flat. At

the top of the screen, the Cougars are sending three rushersagainst only two OU linemen. Someone is coming free.

LT Trent Williams has engaged the DE who has loopedoutside, while left guard Brian Simmons has engaged thedefensive tackle to his side. But linebacker Coleby Clawson,

who originally lined up outside, darts inside and has run toQB. Look at the WRs in the pattern; the play is nowherenear developing. The right side of the line? Blocking air.

Clawson has drawn a bead on Bradford and is ready to makehim very uncomfortable before he throws. Look at Bradford’smechanics on this play - this tells you nearly everything. Hisfront foot, which should be pointed directly at his receiver, ispointed toward the sideline. He knows he can’t step into histhrow and it ends up being wide and outside.

Clawson puts the first hit of many on Bradford on this drive. Hill used a similar concept on the succeeding play which is theone that knocked Bradford out of the game. I don’t mean this as piling on, but Bradford had to read this a little better. Lookat the first diagram - there’s not a BYU defender anywhere near his two inside receivers. Either one of those WR is going tobe wide open or BYU is dropping defenders to that area. He should’ve accounted for that by shifting his RB to other side orhe should’ve thrown quick and hot to one of his receivers on that side.

1 2 3

Clawson



PREDICTIONS ON ALL D1A GAMES -TV GAMES IN RED

Friday September 11th

Colorado at Toledo 8 PM ESPN - Colorado got knocked off at home by hated rival CSU, to a point where CU hadto watch the green and gold faithful bum rush the field after the win. Toledo put some points up on the board against

Purdue. But, CU should come back for a narrow win. CU - 42 vs. Toledo - 34

Saturday September 12th

Central Michigan at Michigan State 11 am ESPN or ESPN2 - Sparty was fairly dominant over Montana Stateas expected, but CMU’s vaunted offense got shut down in Tucson against Arizona. The Spartans defense is just as goodas Arizona’s, so don’t expect much to change other than the time zone - Michigan State - 34 vs. CMU - 17

Duke at Army 11 am ESPN Classic - The Rich Ellerson era started off with a bang and a win over EasternMichigan, while the Duke season, well, didn’t start so well - a loss to Richmond. If Duke can’t go to Michie Stadiumand get a win, it’s going to be hard to get a win all season long. Desperation is on the side of the Blue Devils and QB

Thad Lewis - Duke - 23 vs. Army - 21

Eastern Michigan at Northwestern 11 am Big Ten Network - Northwestern hammered Towson with a strong running game, while EMU struggled with Army. After watching the goings-on in the Big Ten, I’m not totally convincedthat Northwestern can’t get in the mix for, at a minimum, third place. QB Mike Kafka runs for 100+ and leads theWildcats to a second straight win - Northwestern - 38 vs. EMU - 21

Fresno State at Wisconsin 11 am ESPN or ESPN2 - it was a shaky start to say the least for Wisconsin - hanging on for a 28-20 win over NIU at home. Fresno State is playing this weekend at 9 am, which is typically never good for

west coast teams. Wisconsin should continue to ride RB John Clay and new starting QB Chris Tolzien to a win overFSU - Wisconsin - 24 vs. Fresno State - 16

Iowa at Iowa State 11 am FSN - I didn’t think this one would be close before the season started, but after watching the Iowa offense sputter around against Northern Iowa, I’m not convinced that Iowa is that much better than PaulRhoads’ Cyclones. The difference will be Iowa’s defense, a unit that’ll hold Iowa State’s QB Austen Arnaud in check - Iowa - 23 vs. ISU - 10

North Carolina at Connecticut 11 am ESPNU - U Conn got a great win over Ohio on the road to start the season,but moving back to the Rent won’t be easy with a blazingly fast Tar Heel squad coming to town. The Tar Heels havefound a true running threat in Shaun Draughn and he should have 125+ yards to lead the Heels to a big win - UNC - 31 vs. U Conn - 17

Pittsburgh at Buffalo 11 am - Buffalo lost former QB Drew Willy to graduation and RB James Starks to a season-ending injury, but still went to El Paso and knocked off UTEP 23 -17. Pitt is the most talented team Buffalo has seen inquite some time and even at home, the Bulls will struggle with the Panthers - Pitt - 31 vs. Buffalo - 21

Stanford at Wake Forest 11 am Raycom/ESPN Gameplan - Of course, I love battles that include “smaht kids”,

and this one is just that. But, it’s also one of the most intriguing games of this week given last week’s results. Wake lostat home to Baylor and really struggled with Baylor’s offensive speed. Stanford doesn’t have that type of speed, but itdoes have QB Andrew Luck and a punishing running game led by Toby Gerhart. Given the fact that Baylor ran for197 yards against Wake Forest, expect Stanford to follow a similar script. But, QB Riley Skinner is bound to respond toone of the worst games in his career ( three picks last week ) - Wake Forest - 27 vs. Stanford - 21

Syracuse at Penn State 11 am Big Ten Network - The ‘Cuse is much improved over previous years and QB Greg Paulus is at least a solid option at that position. But, this is PSU, led by Daryll Clark and a dominant defense. Forgetit, Orange - Penn State - 44 vs. Syracuse - 13




Saturday September 12th ( CONT’D )

UCLA at Tennessee 3 PM ESPN - Payback’s a, well, you know. This time the Bruins fly east to Knoxville to take onthe new look Vols. The Lane Kiffin led new look Vols. RB Montario Hardesty will find the going a little tougher

against the vaunted UCLA front seven. But, Tennessee can set itself up for a solid season with a strong win over the visiting Bruins - Tennessee - 24 vs. UCLA - 14

Eastern Washington at Cal 4:30 PM Comcast/ESPN Gameplan - So, how good do you think RB Jahvid Bestreally is? Luckily, Eastern Washington won’t see Best for more than about a quarter and a half - Cal - 54 vs. EWU - 7

Air Force at Minnesota 6 PM Big Ten Network - This one could be fun. The opener in the new Minnesota Stadium could’ve been a bit dicey if the Gophers hadn’t pulled one out of the magician’s hat in the Carrier Dome last

week. Air Force ran all day on outmanned Nicholls State and will give the Minnesota defense all it can handle. In a mild upset - Air Force - 35 vs. Minnesota - 28

Bowling Green at Missouri - Boy, how good were both of these teams last week. BG QB Tyler Sheehan lit up anextremely athletic Troy defense, while Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert did the same to Illinois. Missouri is the better

team and Gabbert will second that notion with another great game in win number two - Missouri - 42 vs. BowlingGreen - 30

Florida International at Alabama - Do you think SEC Guy even knows what a Florida International even is?Whether he does or not, the Tide won’t have a problem at home for the first time this year - Alabama - 54 vs FIU - 10

Idaho State at Oklahoma - OU isn’t nearly as powerful as we all thought it was going to be. But, it won’t matter, atleast this week against an outmanned Idaho State squad - OU 63 vs. ISU - 7

South Florida at Western Kentucky 6:30 PM ESPN360 - The Hilltoppers are no match for Matt Grothe,George Selvie and the rest of the athletic Bulls - USF - 42 vs. WKU - 14

Vanderbilt at LSU 6 PM ESPNU - I really want to believe that Washington is much better than last year, but a 31-23 win over the Huskies doesn’t exactly have me feeling all warm and fuzzy about LSU. But, it was sort of a tricky spot against a healthy Washington team, with a couple of athletes, well prepared, up at night and in a place its neverplayed. Vanderbilt is breaking in a new quarterback but QB Larry Smith looked good before cramps took over. But,against an LSU ‘D’ that has something to prove back at home, he’ll struggle. The run game is much improved forVandy, but it won’t be enough to overcome LSU in Baton Rouge - LSU - 27 vs. Vanderbilt - 14

Kansas at UTEP 6:30 PM CBS CSTV - The Miners were horribly disappointing against Buffalo in a revenge gamein El Paso. And, if that’s any indication, UTEP will get UTEPPED on against a powerful Kansas offense - Kansas - 42 vs. UTEP - 21

Southeast Missouri State at Cincinnati - Consider me swayed. I didn’t think Cincinnati would have a strong year

with all of the holes the defense had to fill after 2008. But, if the game against Rutgers is any indication, the Bearcatscould be looking at another ten win season - Cincinnati - 56 vs. SEMO - 7

Western Illinois at Northern Illinois 6:30 PM ESPN360 - Northern Illinois had Wisconsin on the ropes in thefourth quarter but couldn’t deliver a knockout blow to win that one. It should dominate early and often against WIU - NIU - 42 vs. WIU - 17

New Hampshire at Ball State - Ball State lost to North Texas last week. At home. What makes me think that itcan beat a D1AA power? MiQuale Lewis? Okay, you convinced me - Ball State - 31 vs. UNH - 20





Oregon State at UNLV 7 PM CBS CSTV - The Rodgers brothers are back and that’s not good news for theRebels, a 38-3 winner over D1AA Sacramento State. Oregon State is no Sacto State - Oregon State - 38 vs. UNLV -

21

Central Florida at Southern Miss - UCF was trailing D1AA Samford in the fourth quarter, but pulled out a 28-24 win. USM rode the Damian Fletcher train to a smooth 52-0 whitewash of Alcorn State. I don’t think UCF can fully stop Fletcher - USM - 31 vs. UCF - 20

East Carolina at West Virginia - The Pirates delivered a butt- whipping to WVU in Greenville last season, but canthe same song play out in Morgantown? Don’t think so. WVU took a while to get loose against Liberty, but it wasdefinitely looking forward to the physical Pirates - WVU - 31 vs. ECU - 21

Hawaii at Washington State - Hawaii escaped against DII Central Arkansas although no one knew it had played,signed 12:05 am kickoff. Washington State has taken some steps and could get a win over a 2008 bowl team. Really?Yeah, why not - Washington State - 27 vs. Hawaii - 26

Jacksonville State at Florida State 5 PM ESPN360 - The Seminoles have a short week to prepare, so don’texpect them to blowout JSU. In the first half - FSU - 51 vs. JSU - 10

James Madison at Maryland - The Fridge’s Terps had better bounce back or it’s curtains for him and his staff. They’ll respond this week against JMU - Maryland - 35 vs. JMU - 14

Kansas State at Louisiana -Lafayette - This is the worst Kansas State team since Bill Snyder took over theWildcats the first time. ULL isn’t a world beater by any stretch of the imagination, but in a monumental upset - ULL- 24 vs. KSU - 20

Miami U at Boise State 7 PM ESPN360 - Boise State just has to settle in and take care of business from here onout. There won’t be one game in which it’ll be the underdog the rest of the way. But, taking it one at a time is thebiggest challenge for BSU. This week, the Broncos should be in good shape - Boise State - 35 vs. Miami - 7

Tulsa at New Mexico 7 PM Mtn. - Tulsa’s offensive machine is in good hands - Texas transfer G.J Kinne ( man,another one? ) has a strong handle on this one, especially against a New Mexico defense that was shredded by Texas

A&M in College Station last week. Tulsa WR Damaris Johnson is one of the most dynamic players in the nation andshould be a key figure in this one - Tulsa - 41 vs. New Mexico - 13

Purdue at Oregon 9:15 PM FSN - I would think that the Ducks are going to rally given the unfortunate events of last week, but the offense has to show that it’s got a pulse. Boise State didn’t run all over Oregon, even though therushing stats were positive for the Broncos. The defense gets another test facing Purdue RB Ralph Bolden, who had234 yards and two touchdowns last week against Toledo. UO isn’t Toledo and it’ll prove that to Purdue on Saturday night - Oregon - 35 vs. Purdue - 21

Utah at San Jose State 9:30 PM ESPNU - Utah QB Terrance Cain stepped right into the starting lineup forformer starter Brian Johnson and didn’t miss a beat. RB Matt Asiata ran for 156 yards against Utah State. Point is thatSJSU won’t have a whole lot of success stopping Utah, even at home - Utah - 35 vs. SJSU - 14

Kent State at Boston College 1 PM ESPN360 - Boston College has to hold up the integrity of the ACC. Goodluck, BC. Well, at least, it should do it this week - BC - 28 vs. Kent State - 13

Marshall at Virginia Tech 12:30 PM ESPN360 - The Hokies will bounce back against a tough minded Marshallsquad. Blacksburg isn’t a very forgiving place - Virginia Tech - 31 vs. Marshall - 14





Morgan State at Akron - Morgan State is no Penn State - Akron - 51 vs. Morgan State - 7

Murray State at North Carolina State - See above, just change “Morgan State” to “Murray State” and “Penn State”to “South Carolina” - NC State - 38 vs. Murray State - 3

Northern Arizona at Arizona - Maybe the Desert Swarm 2.0 is in vogue in Tucson yet again. The Wildcats held vaunted CMU to six points, which was a shock for a lot of people named John Harris. This should be a cakewalk - Arizona - 35 vs. NAU - 3

Ohio at North Texas - The Riley Dodge era started well at Ball State, a 13-1 team in 2008, and now the Mean Greenreturn home to face an Ohio team that lost to U Conn 23-16 last week. Ride the hot team in this one - North Texas - 24 vs. Ohio - 21

Prairie View A&M at New Mexico State - NMSU will get its first win of the season. Bank on it - NMSU - 63 vs.PVSU - 14

Rice at Texas Tech - The Owls gave up what seemed like 1,000 yards on the ground against UAB, but this is a young defense that’ll catch its stride later in the season. The good news is that Texas Tech head ball coach Mike Leach won’trun the ball more than 25 times in this game. But, even in throwing the ball all over the yard, the Red Raiders have thedistinct advantage. Expect QB Taylor Potts to have a 400 yard/4 TD night against the Andrew Sendejo-led secondary - Texas Tech - 49 vs. Rice - 31

SMU at UAB - Two words: Joe. Webb. SMU has no chance to win with Webb taking snaps under center for UAB.He ran for over 130 yards last week against Rice. He should equal that number against SMU this weekend - UAB - 41 vs. SMU - 24

Southern Utah at San Diego State - This is a lock. San Diego State wins! San Diego State wins! Not much moreto say about that - SDSU - 51 vs. SU - 13

Texas-Southern at Louisiana -Monroe - In some strange faraway place, I’m totally intrigued by what Johnnie Coleis doing at Texas-Southern, but ULM will roll big after losing at Texas last weekend - ULM - 54 vs. TSU - 14

Weber State at Colorado State - QB Grant Stucker was solid in his debut as starting QB for the Rams in a massive win over CU last Sunday night. Weber State stayed competitive against Wyoming, but CSU is no Wyoming. Bomb AssCookies for everyone! - CSU - 51 vs. Weber State - 14

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