Pete
Fiutak
Q:
Make your call ... Predict the season.
A:
Winner of the Heisman – Graham Harrell, Texas Tech - I'll go on the
limb and make the call. Tech will win the Big 12 South with Harrell
averaging close to 500 yards per game.
Runners-up
...
2.
Tim Tebow, Florida
3.
Pat White, West Virginia
4.
Chris Wells, Ohio State
5.
Chase Daniel, Missouri
Pick the Champion
…
ACC –
Clemson. The winner of the Atlantic will win the ACC title. Don't sleep
on a Boston College team that'll be a brick wall on defense, while Wake
Forest is good enough to make it two championships in three years.
Big East
– West Virginia, but it's not going to be a slam dunk.
Watch out for a loaded Pitt team, while Cincinnati and South Florida are
good enough to pull off the title.
Big Ten
– Ohio State. October 4th at Wisconsin. The winner gets
the Big Ten title, but also watch out for OSU's date at Michigan State.
Big 12
– Missouri. Oklahoma is the best team in the Big 12, but
Texas Tech is going to rise up and be the class of the South ... for at
least one year. Mizzou will be in the hunt for the national title until
the end.
C-USA
– Tulsa. Losing QB Paul Smith won't help, and the O will be a little
worse, but the D will be better.
MAC –
Miami University. Easily the most interesting conference race from top
to bottom, roughly 10 teams have an honest shot at the championship. The
loaded RedHawk D will get the job done in the MAC title game over the
loaded Western Michigan D.
Mountain West
– Utah. The Utes will finally get over the BYU hump,
while TCU will be in the race until the end.
Pac-10
– USC. Why fight it? Another year, another title. There's
no one in the Pac 10 close to USC's caliber.
SEC –
Florida ... to be more exact, the Florida vs. Georgia winner. Watch out
for Tennessee, especially if the Vols beat the Gators in Knoxville on
Sept. 20.
Sun Belt
– Florida Atlantic. It'll all come down to the battle
with Troy. The winner goes to New Orleans.
WAC –
Fresno State. The Bulldogs will make some early noise but will fall
short of their BCS dreams. They'll have to settle for being the WAC
champions despite losing to Boise State in the regular season finale.
BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose –
USC vs. Wisconsin
Sugar
– Georgia vs. Texas Tech
Fiesta
–
Missouri vs. Pitt
Orange
–
Clemson vs. West Virginia
BCS
Championship
– Ohio State vs. Florida
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
Make your call ... Predict the season.
A:
Winner of the Heisman – Chris Wells, Ohio State – After Wells leads
the Buckeyes to a win over USC in the game of the year, he’ll be front
and center in the race for the Heisman. Of course, it won’t hurt that
Ohio State will spend the rest of the season chugging toward a third
straight appearance in the national title game.
Runners-up
...
2.
Tim Tebow, Florida
3.
Chase Daniel, Missouri
4.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
5.
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Pick the Champion
…
ACC –
Wake Forest. I love Clemson’s talent. I hate the Tigers’ track record
when expectations increase. They travel to Winston-Salem on Oct. 9, when
the favorite’s role in the ACC will change hands. Keep an eye on the
Deacon D, which is going to be nasty.
Big East
– West Virginia. No matter who’s on the sidelines, as
long as Pat White is behind center, the ‘eers are the class of the Big
East. The veteran line will dominate opponents, allowing the skill
position players to flourish like they have for the past few years.
Big Ten
– Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a sizzling 22-2 in Big Ten
play over the last three years, and the gap may be getting wider. With
Michigan in transition and no heavyweight challenger on the horizon,
Ohio State will cruise to a fourth straight BCS bowl game.
Big 12
– Oklahoma. The Sooners are back to having the upper hand
on Texas, which means they’ll be back in the Big 12 title game for the
sixth time in the last seven years. Waiting there will be Missouri,
which has beaten OU just once in the last quarter century.
C-USA
– Southern Miss. The Eagles have the league’s best offensive player (Damion
Fletcher), best defensive player (Gerald McRath), best recruit (DeAndre
Brown), and a new coach (Larry Fedora) bringing a fresh energy. If the
spread offense clicks in a hurry, Southern Miss is capable of winning a
wide-open league.
MAC –
Central Michigan. How good is QB Dan LeFevour? Good enough to overcome a
leaky defense and carry the Chippewas to their third MAC championship
in-a-row. He’s a force of nature with a future in the NFL.
Mountain West
– BYU. The Cougars aren’t without their flaws on defense,
but underrated head coach Bronco Mendenhall has a knack for addressing
issues on that side of the ball. In the meantime, QB Max Hall and the
rest of the offense will carve up the Mountain West en route to a third
straight league championship…and possibly more.
Pac-10
– USC. After winning six Pac-10 titles in-a-row, the
Trojans are poised to win one for the ring finger…on the other hand.
There are concerns about the offensive execution, but the defense is
going to be downright nasty. Plus, the league’s three top
contenders—Arizona State, Oregon, and Cal—must all play in the Coliseum.
SEC –
LSU. Yes, I heard the news about Ryan Perrilloux’s dismissal from the
program. No, the sky isn’t falling over Baton Rouge. The Tigers have won
with average quarterback play before, and all of the critics have made
for some great bulletin board material. If Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee
don’t implode, there’s enough talent everywhere else for LSU to repeat.
Sun Belt
– Florida Atlantic. By the Sun Belt’s standards, Howard
Schnellenberger is on the verge of building a juggernaut in Boca. He’s
got 20 starters back from last year’s league championship team,
including a future NFL quarterback in Rusty Smith.
WAC –
Boise State. Although this is not a vintage Bronco team and Fresno State
has more talent, Boise will find a way to win another WAC crown. The
Broncos have owned the Bulldogs and the decisive Nov. 28 game between
the two schools takes place on the blue turf. By that time, Boise will
be more settled at quarterback and better equipped to slow down Fresno’s
vaunted ground game.
BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose –
USC vs. Wisconsin
Sugar
– LSU vs. BYU
Fiesta
–
Missouri vs. Georgia
Orange
– Wake
Forest vs. West Virginia
BCS
Championship
– Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
Make
your call ... Predict the season.
A: Winner of the Heisman – Pat White, West Virginia
Runners-up ...
2. Tim Tebow, Florida
3. Chase Daniel, Missouri
4. Chris Wells, Ohio State
5. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
PICK THE CHAMPION
ACC – Clemson. Because Virginia Tech has become a bit too dysfunctional,
and will not be able to gain the material benefits of that precious
mineral known as Ore.
Big East – West Virginia. This league was a one-trick pony last year,
and that pony still resides in Morgantown.
Big Ten – Ohio State. Because no one else is good enough, Rashard
Mendenhall is a Pittsburgh Steeler, and Michigan's a mess.
Big 12 – Oklahoma. People bash Bob Stoops for losing January bowl games,
but the Sooner coach has stood on his head to keep cranking out league
titles: four in the past six seasons, three in the past four. No sense
in doubting Stoops at this point. (Side note: Bashing Stoops and Jim
Tressel for losing January bowl games, to the extent that you focus on
that deficiency while downplaying the steady stream of conference crowns
produced by both coaches, is an act of clinical insanity.)
C-USA – Central Florida. Because Paul Smith is no longer Tulsa's
quarterback.
MAC – Central Michigan. The Chippewas have Dan LeFevour, and everyone
else doesn't.
Mountain West – BYU. One Mendenhall left Illinois; the other Mendenhall
is sticking around in the Wasatch Mountains to build back the Lavell
Edwards magic.
Pac-10 – Now come on. Do we even have to bother with this one? Arizona
State, Oregon and Cal all travel to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
UCLA once again has a battered and bruised quarterback, an annual rite
of Autumn. Next.....
SEC – Georgia. The Dawgs will miss Trinton Sturdivant enough that
they'll lose out in the national title sweepstakes, but Florida's racked
up even more injuries than the Dawgs.
Sun Belt – Florida Atlantic. Mr. Schnellenberger's boys get Troy at
home.
WAC – Boise State. Hawaii doesn't have its Colt-powered attack or its
June-inspired genius. Fresno State has to travel to the smurf turf in
late November.
BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose – USC v. Florida
Sugar – Georgia v. Wisconsin
Fiesta – Missouri v. BYU
Orange – West Virginia v. Clemson
BCS Championship – Ohio State v. Oklahoma
Steve Silverman
Q:
Make your call ... Predict the season.
A:
Winner of the Heisman –
Beanie Wells, Ohio State
Runners-up ...
2. Tim Tebow, Florida
3. Chase Daniel, Missouri
4. Pat White, West Virginia
5. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
Pick the Champion …
ACC - Clemson
Big East – West Virginia -- Best of the Worst; Pat White is unstoppable
Big Ten – Ohio State -- This is getting
repetitive. Watch out for Wisconsin
Big 12 – Oklahoma -- Based on a major step
up by the defense.
C-USA – Tulsa -- The No. 1 offense will go for 50 or more five times
this year.
MAC – Central Michigan -- Could LeFevour throw himself into Heisman
mix? Answer will come at Georgia on Sept. 6.
Mountain West – Utah -- Glamour pick of BYU just won't get it done and
Utes take advantage.
Pac-10 – USC -- Would love to
say Arizona State or Oregon, but Trojans still on top.
SEC – Georgia -- Mark Richt's team is ready to roll and should be as
good as advertised.
Sun Belt – Florida Atlantic -- Slight edge over solid Troy.
WAC – Boise State -- Never bet against the Broncos.
BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose – USC vs. OSU
Sugar – Clemson vs.
Florida
Fiesta – Texas Tech vs. Wisconsin
Orange – West Virginia vs. Arizona State
BCS Championship – Oklahoma vs. Georgia
Michael Bradley
Q:
Make your call ... Predict the season.
A:
Winner of the Heisman
– Beanie Wells, OSU
Runners-up ...
2. Chase Daniel, Missouri
3. Tim Tebow, Florida
4. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
5. Todd Reesing, Kansas
PICK THE CHAMPION AND WHY
ACC – .Virginia Tech; The Hokies’ defense and special teams are
excellent, and the offense finally catches up.
Big East –. West Virginia; In a world of mediocrity, the Mountaineers
have too much Pat White to be stopped.
Big Ten – Ohio State; It used to be that Michigan had the conference’s
best talent. That’s not the case anymore. The Buckeyes are loaded.
Big 12 –. Oklahoma; What else is new? The Sooners have plenty of
firepower and speed on defense. The question is whether they can win in
January.
C-USA – East Carolina; The Pirates have the best speed in the league,
and coach Skip Holtz is on the verge of a big-time job.
MAC – Central Michigan; Dan LeFevour is one of the nation’s top
weapons, and CMU should be more consistent this year.
Mountain West – Brigham Young; The Cougars won’t be perfect, but
that offense and Bronco Mendenhall’s defensive coaching skill will be
too much for the neighborhood.
Pac-10 – USC; You can try to make a case for someone else, but
nobody has the speed, talent and defense the Trojans have.
SEC – Florida; Georgia may be the chic early choice, but the
Gators will be more focused than last year’s edition and that’s bad news
for the SEC.
Sun Belt – Florida
Atlantic; The Owls are on a collision course with the…Just kidding.
Howard Schnellenberger’s offense is too much for the competition.
WAC – Fresno
State; After a brief hiatus, the Bulldogs are back behind a balanced
offense and great coaching.
BCS Bowl Matchups
Rose – USC vs. Wisconsin
Sugar – Florida vs. West Virginia
Fiesta – Clemson vs. LSU
Orange – Virginia Tech vs. Missouri
BCS Championship – Oklahoma vs. Ohio State