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Arkansas State at Texas 7:00
PM
Why to watch:
Texas gets a tune-up against a
good-running Arkansas State team
before dealing with TCU. The
Longhorns have the overall
talent, as always, to be in the
mix for the national title, and
with a pillow-soft early slate,
outside of the date with the
Horned Frogs, there will be
plenty of time to get the kinks
worked out before the Big 12
season. But first, the Horns
have to stretch their legs
against an ASU team that should
be among the best at pounding
the ball in the Sun Belt.
There's enough talent on the ASU
defense to keep this from being
brutally ugly for a quarter or
two.
Why Arkansas State might win:
Don't laugh; ASU might have the
best safeties in this game.
Tyrell Johnson and Khayyam Burns
are All-Sun Belt caliber
playmakers, with Johnson
possibly the best defender in
the conference, while the
cornerbacks might grow into the
strength of the team. Yeah, it's
easy to look great when no one's
throwing the ball (NO ONE throws
in the Sun Belt), but these guys
really can play and they should
be just good enough to keep the
fantastic Longhorn receiving
corps from exploding.
Why Texas might win: ASU
has to run to win, and it's not
going to be able to run. The O
line is undergoing an overhaul,
and this Texas front seven,
especially up the middle, isn't
exactly going to be pushed
around. The ASU receiving corps
is strong, but the offense isn't
geared to get them the ball. If
things go as planned, expect a
lot of third and longs, and a
lot of big plays made by the
Texas secondary.
Who to watch: Over the
next month, Texas needs its
offensive line to go from decent
to dominant. By no means is this
a bad line, but it doesn't
appear to be the type of line
you'd expect at Texas. A steady
rotation has to emerge, and
depth needs to be developed.
This is a perfect game to do a
little of both. For ASU, Reggie
Arnold is the best of a good
running back corps that has to
be at least average to keep
Texas from winning by 50.
What will happen: Texas
will take about two drives to
heat up, and then it'll be able
to call its shot. Arkansas State
is a good Sun Belt team that
won't be able to move the ball
at all if the Longhorn defense
is trying.
CFN Prediction:
Texas
48 ... Arkansas State 6
... Line: Texas -39
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 1.5
Final Score:
North Texas at Oklahoma 7:00
PM
Why to watch:
The last time we saw Oklahoma,
Boise State was pulling out
every gimmick play ever invented
to pull off a miraculous David
win over Goliath in the Fiesta
Bowl. Now OU might be a bit of a
national afterthought
considering the loss to the
Broncos, the lack of a proven
starting quarterback, and the
loss of Adrian Peterson to the
Minnesota Vikings. Don't shed
any tears, this is one of the
best teams in America and it'll
look to prove it ... next week.
Miami comes to Norman in a fun
non-conference matchup, but
before we can all get on to
bigger and better things, OU has
to dispose of a North Texas team
with a new head coach, Texas
high school coaching legend Todd
Dodge, and a little more
attitude after a few disastrous
seasons.
Why North Texas might win:
OU could fall for all the trick
plays again. The only chance
North Texas has of keeping this
in the stratosphere is if OU
completely falls apart. The Mean
Green defense has good
experience and a nice
linebacking corps that should
keep the Sooners from running
wild in the first half. If new
Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford
is struggling, UNT will have to
take advantage of every
opportunity.
Why Oklahoma might win:
Set off the fireworks if North
Texas has more than 75 passing
yards before the fourth quarter.
Jamario Thomas and the running
game won't go anywhere thanks to
a rebuilding offensive line
that'll struggle in the Sun
Belt, much less against
Oklahoma, while the Sooner
secondary will erase the awful
UNT receiving corps. The UNT
defense doesn't have nearly
enough of a pass rush to make
Bradford sweat.
Who to watch: It's not
like Oklahoma has had Peyton
Manning, Tom Brady and Drew
Brees in the program over the
last several years. All the
Sooner quarterback has to do is
be efficient, make the throws
that are there, and relax behind
a fantastic offensive line.
Bradford was a scout team star
last year and should be more
than just a caretaker for the
offense, and in time, he could
grow into the face of the
program if he's allowed time to
work through his mistakes. OU
can beat North Texas without
throwing a pass, but it'll need
to bomb away a bit to see what
it has in its new starter.
What will happen: OU
might be playing North Texas,
but it'll be trying to beat
Boise State in the first half.
Expect a lot of pent up
frustration from that Fiesta
Bowl to come out against a
ridiculously overmatched Mean
Green team that won't get a
chance to see what its new
offense can really do until the
fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma
52 ... North Texas 7
... Line: Oklahoma -41
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 1.5
Final Score:
Central Michigan at Kansas 7:00
PM
Why to Watch: The
last time Kansas played a MAC
team, it got tagged in a
stunning double-overtime loss to
Toledo. Now the Jayhawks have an
even tougher task against the
defending MAC champion with
enough talent to not only
repeat, but to give KU a
nightmare of an opener. CMU new
head coach Butch Jones has a
loaded team with 14 starters
back including the league's best
group of skill players. If
Kansas can get by the opener,
and doesn't get tripped up again
by Toledo, it'll almost
certainly be 4-0 going into the
Big 12 opener at Kansas State.
CMU has to face Toledo next
week, while anything less than a
great performance this week will
be a big disappointment for the
MAC, as well as the Chippewas.
Why Central Michigan Might Win:
Is the KU pass defense going to
be any better? The Jayhawks
allowed way too many yards and
only gets a few starters back in
the back seven. CMU has the
receivers to test out 2006's
worst pass defense from the
start, while the speedy running
combination of Ontario Sneed and
Justin Hoskins should be
effective. Basically, QB Dan
LeFevour and the boys should
make this a shootout.
Why Kansas Might Win: Central
Michigan's defense wasn't
anything special last year, and
even though it'll be decent at
times throughout this year,
it'll bend and bend and bend
some more. If the KU offense can
click right away, which isn't a
given considering all the
turmoil in the depth chart up
until this week, it should be
able to put up points and yards
in bunches. Defensively, the
small, quick KU linebacking
corps should be able to generate
decent pressure into the CMU
backfield.
Who to Watch: Is the KU backfield
finally settled? The
much-publicized quarterback
battle between Todd Reesing and
Kerry Meier was won by Reesing,
but head coach Mark Mangino has
never been afraid to switch
around his quarterbacks if the
results aren't there. Meier has
all the skills, but has been
mistake-prone throughout his
career. Reesing isn't big, but
he can run and has a decent arm.
Also getting a starting nod will
be sophomore Jake Sharp as the
team's tailback. He's a
speedster who could potentially
crank out home runs, but the
power will come from Brandon
McAnderson, the starting
fullback who was also in the
hunt for the starting tailback
job.
What Will Happen: Don't expect
much in the way of defense.
Central Michigan will get just
enough from its veteran D,
especially up the middle with a
big game from the tackles, to
pull off the upset. Expect
plenty of fireworks, lots of
home runs, and momentum swing
after momentum swing. This might
be a case of the last team with
the ball getting the win.
CFN Prediction:
Central
Michigan 34 ... Kansas 31
... Line: Kansas -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you
to take his place on The Girls Next
Door, but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3
Final Score:
Montana State at Texas A&M 7:05
PM
Why to Watch: Montana
State is no pushover. The
Bobcats are coming off a good
year, losing to eventual
national champion Appalachian
State in the playoffs, but on a
national scale, they're known
more for being the team that
beat Colorado 19-10 in season
opener. This is a solid, ranked
team that'll need everything in
the bag to have any shot of
pulling off the shocker, but it
has a good run defense and a
potentially dangerous passing
offense. A&M needs to come out
roaring to kick off a light
first three weeks of the season
before traveling to Miami.
Anything less than a blowout
will get the Aggie nation
grumbling.
Why Montana State Might Win: The
Texas A&M pass defense will be
merely average early on, and MSU
will be more than happy to bomb
away. Jack Rolovich, a former
Hawaii Warrior, threw too many
picks after taking over late
last year after starter Cory
Carpenter went down. They can
both throw deep and they're both
good enough to come up with a
scoring drive or two if and when
A&M gets up. The Aggies won't be
able to relax even if they get
out to a big lead.
Why Texas A&M Might Win: The MSU
run defense might have been
great last year, but facing the
Aggie ground game is a
completely different story. The
O line appears to be the best
yet in the Dennis Franchione era
by far, and it'll take eight men
in the box to deal with the
running tandem of Mike Goodson
and Jorvorskie Lane. QB Stephen
McGee should be able to crank
out short to midrange passes to
his heart's content.
Who to Watch: Everything appears
to be in place for A&M to have a
big year, but there will be
several close games and
sophomore Matt Szymanski has to
produce. Layne Neumann was a
rock-solid kicker, while
Szymanski waited his turn
despite being a highly touted
recruit and missing several
attempts early on last year. The
coaching staff wants to see what
the kicking game can do and if
it can be relied on. There won't
pressure situation in this game
that Szymanski will have to deal
with later on in the year, so if
he misses, the panic sirens will
go off.
What Will Happen: The Aggie
ground game will keep the time
of possession in its favor in a
workmanlike, unspectacular win.
Montana State will come up with
a few big passes to get everyone
squirming, but A&M will always
respond.
CFN Prediction:
Texas A&M 27 ... Montana State
14
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you
to take his place on The Girls Next
Door, but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 1
Final Score:
Kansas
State at Auburn
7:45 PM ESPN
Why to Watch: When
we last saw Kansas State, it was
unable to do much of anything in
a lousy 37-10 Texas Bowl loss to
against Rutgers. QB Josh Freeman
couldn't throw, the defense
couldn't tackle, and the team
basically looked like it needed
to go back to the drawing bowl.
A good showing here would change
all of that. When we last saw
Auburn, it looked underwhelming
in a 17-14 Cotton Bowl win over
Nebraska. Sort of in the
national title hunt all season
long, but not really, the Tigers
couldn't seem to get their mojo
back after a midstretch against
a slew of overmatched teams.
While an impressive win over the
Wildcats wouldn't necessarily
mean it's time to start booking
tickets for New Orleans, it
would do a lot to ease concerns
about what the team might be
able to do, and a little
confidence would be nice before
a tough battle with South
Florida next week.
Why Kansas State Might Win: The
Wildcats have to take advantage
of an Auburn offensive line
that's still a work in progress.
While the Tigers won't be awful
up front, they lose four
starters and have to deal with a
defense that finished sixth in
the nation in sacks and 18th in
tackles for loss. The new
Wildcat 3-4 D should free up Ian
Campbell to wreak even more
havoc; Auburn QB Brandon Cox
could be under pressure all day
long.
Why Auburn Might Win: Is the
Kansas State offensive line
ready to be under attack from
Quentin Groves and the Tiger
defensive line? Yes, in theory,
but all the experience and all
the depth doesn't account for
much without the tackles to keep
Freeman upright for a full sixty
minutes. For Kansas State to
win, the skill players need room
to roam and can't be pressured
too much by the speedy Tiger D.
That won't happen. Expect plenty
of mistakes and just enough
turnovers to give Cox and the
offense short fields to work
with. On the other side of the
ball, the KSU defense can be
shoved around against the run.
Auburn's O line might not be
ready for prime time, but it
doesn't have to create much room
for the speedy backs to produce.
Who to Watch: All eyes will be on
the quarterbacks. Cox has to go
from caretaker to playmaker, and
he has to make his mediocre
receiving corps shine. That
could be a problem considering
the pass rush he'll likely face,
and the good KSU secondary that
could grow into the team's
strength. This is his team now.
For the Wildcats, the season,
and each game, will depend on
the play of Freeman. Can he be
the confident bomber who managed
to overcome adversity and beat
Texas, or will he be the lost
passer who completed just ten of
21 passes for 129 yards and two
interceptions against Rutgers
and was lousy in spring ball?
What Will Happen: Kansas State
will get its licks in on defense
and should force a few mistakes,
but the Auburn defense will make
the Wildcats look worse in an
ugly, mistake-filled game.
CFN Prediction:
Auburn 27 ...
Kansas
State 14
... Line: Auburn -13.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef wants you
to take his place on The Girls Next
Door, but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3
Final Score:
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Texas Tech at SMU
4:00 PM ESPN
Why to watch:
The game of the week in
Conference USA has the potential
to be an old-fashioned shootout
with major ramifications for the
Mustangs. Long-suffering SMU
has been building to this point,
where a post-season game is a
realistic goal for the first
time in almost a quarter
century, and beating a team like
Texas Tech is more than just a
hopeful possibility. The
Mustangs finally have a
franchise quarterback to rally
around in sophomore Justin
Willis and 16 returning starters
that are itching to make
history. An upset of Texas Tech
would be a post-death penalty
milestone, while providing a
springboard for the rest of the
season. The sky isn’t falling
in Lubbock, but for the first
time in the Mike Leach era, the
Red Raiders will be doing some
rebuilding. Oh, Tech will be
Tech in the passing game,
especially with QB Graham
Harrell back, but with so many
holes to plug on both sides of
the ball, a winning season is
not the lock it’s been the last
few years.
Why Texas Tech might win:
This is Texas Tech, so prolific
passing numbers are the norm
regardless of the personnel.
The Red Raiders are going to be
especially prolific through the
air against a Mustang defense
that has three gaping holes on
the defensive line and loads of
youth in the secondary. Without
any pressure, Harrell will pick
apart the SMU D for 400 yards,
turning receivers Danny Amendola
and Michael Crabtree into two of
the opening weekend’s
statistical stars.
Why SMU might win:
Heading into the season, the
biggest concern for Texas Tech
is a front seven that was gutted
by graduations and is
dangerously short on depth and
experience. Led by Ben Poynter
and Caleb Peveto, SMU has a
veteran line that’ll give Willis
time to do damage on underneath
routes and open holes for
bruising RB DeMyron Martin. The
Red Raiders are going to score,
but the Mustangs know they can
keep pace on offense as long as
all the parts are working.
Defensively, they have to hope
Harrell has one of his
bounce-pass games, like he had
at times last year when the
offense simply didn’t work.
With a slew of new receivers,
it’s possible.
Who to watch: Willis was
outstanding as a freshman
despite getting no help from the
running game. If Martin can
revert back to his 2005 form
when he rushed for 854 yards,
the Mustang offense will be
downright lethal. At 6-2 and
230 pounds, he’s healthy,
focused, and determined to
punish that suspect interior of
the Red Raider defense. For
Tech, top back Shannon Woods
finally appears to be out of the
doghouse having worked his way
back into the good graces of the
coaching staff. While he’s not
back as the full-time starter
quite yet, he’s no longer fourth
string like he was coming out of
spring ball. Sophomore Kobey
Lewis will get plenty of work.
What will happen: If
you’re SMU, now is the time to
catch a Texas Tech program
that’s clearly in transition
with new starters everywhere.
In November, the outcome would
be different, but in the opener,
the Mustangs will get some
late-game heroics from Willis
and a defining upset win to
start the 2007 season.
CFN Prediction:
SMU
37 … Texas Tech 35
... Line: Texas Tech -9.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3
Final Score:
Big
12 Week One Fearless Predictions
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