Spring
Preview
2009
The 20 Big Questions ... No.
20 (Part 5)
By
Pete Fiutak
2009 Spring Questions - Top
50
Non-Conference Games (No. 1 to 10)
2009 Spring Questions -
Top 50
Non-Conference Games (No. 11 to 20)
2009 Spring Questions -
Top 50
Non-Conference Games (No. 21 to 30)
2009 Spring Questions -
Top 50
Non-Conference Games (No. 31 to 40)
2009 Spring Questions -
Top 50
Non-Conference Games (No. 41 to 50)
2008 Spring Questions - Top 40
Non-Conference Games
With spring ball underway, it's time to start diving into the 2009
season ... no, it's not way too early. Here are the 20 Big Questions to
start off the offseason, beginning with the top non-conference games.
20. 50 non-conference games to get really, really excited about (No. 41
to 50) ...
Along with the always great conference rivalry games, there are more
than enough good non-conference games to get fired up about. If these
don't give you a few special feelings, you're reading the wrong
publication.
50. Louisiana Tech at Auburn, Sept. 5
The first game of the Gene Chizik era isn’t
exactly going to be a walk in the park. Louisiana Tech is loaded with a
strong defense, what will be an improved offense, and dreams of coming
up with a second straight season-opening upset of an SEC team (the
Bulldogs beat Mississippi State to kick off 2008).
49. Missouri at Nevada, Sept. 26
69-17.
Missouri got 405 yards and four touchdown
passes from Chase Daniel, with Jeremy Maclin getting three of the
scores, in last year’s embarrassing rout in Columbia. Daniel and Maclin
are gone as Missouri has some major rebuilding and retuning to do, and
it could be ripe for the picking with the Big 12 opener against Nebraska
coming the week after. Nevada will finish with the season with one of
the top five offenses in America. It’ll already have faced Notre Dame
and Colorado State, but this will be a game in its own house against a
big name. This is where QB Colin Kaepernick and the Wolf Pack ground
game have to shine.
48. Fresno
State at Illinois, Nov. 21
By this point in the season, Fresno State will have
already have played Wisconsin and Cincinnati in tough non-conference
road trips, and it’ll have the bulk of the WAC season behind it. This
game could turn out to be a make or break point for head coach Pat Hill,
depending how the conference campaign is going. Illinois came up with an
unfocused mega-clunker of a loss to Western Michigan last November, and
with the team’s Big Ten season over at this point, and with a trip to
Cincinnati to close things out, focus on Senior Day will be the key.
47.
LSU at Washington, Sept. 5
The Pac 10 gets the SEC in its house as the
Tigers make the trip up to Seattle for the season-opener. LSU will be
the heavy favorite, but if there’s ever going to be an upset, it would
come in the season opener before anyone has had a chance to tune up
(think UCLA’s win over Tennessee). If nothing else, the Huskies will see
exactly where they stand to kickoff the Steve Sarkisian era.
46. Kansas State at UCLA, Sept.
19
It’s Kansas State
with Bill Snyder back at the helm with a chance to show early on just
how much things have changed. After starting out with a tune-up against
UMass and taking a tougher-than-it-appears trip to UL Lafayette, the
Wildcats head west to face a UCLA team that could be on desperation
alert after coming back from a road trip to Tennessee and with the Pac
10 opener at Stanford two weeks later.
45. Colorado vs. Colorado State,
Sept. 5
This might be
the most entertaining under-the-radar rivalry in college football. Every
game is an interesting battle, including last year’s 38-17 Colorado win
that saw back-to-back kickoff returns for scores. The previous six
meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less, and this year’s game
should be another tight battle. A loss for Colorado would instantly turn
the flames up on the Dan Hawkins hot seat, while Colorado State can make
a huge early statement for the Mountain West and in year two of the
Steve Fairchild era with a win.
44. Rutgers at Maryland, Sept.
26
In the on-going fan
debate about the place in the overall pecking order for the Big East and
ACC, games like this matter. Maryland can’t take Middle Tennessee
lightly after losing last year’s matchup, but realistically, there
shouldn’t be too much of a problem after starting off the year at
California. This is the Terps’ final game before the ACC season kicks
off against Clemson, and it needs to be a win over a rebuilding and
retooling Scarlet Knight team. Rutgers will have time to tune-up with
Howard and FIU on the early slate.
43. Fresno State at Wisconsin,
Sept. 12
When the
Badgers came away from Fresno with a hard-fought, entertaining 13-10 win
last year, it was supposed to be the spark for a big season. The big
road test was supposed to prove the team had the mettle to handle the
hostile, fired up environment, and then the wheels flew off the
bandwagon with a four-game losing streak. After the way last year ended,
with an ugly 42-13 loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl, Bret
Bielema needs this win. Fresno State always likes to take on the big
programs, and this would be a nice victory with trips to Cincinnati and
Illinois still to deal with.
42. Navy at Ohio State, Sept. 5
Ohio State was dangerously close to losing
early season games against Ohio and Troy last year, needing to pull away
late to put those two games away. The Buckeyes don’t always come roaring
out of the gate, and with USC coming to town the week after, there’s a
good chance they won’t be fully focused to kick off the rebuilding
season. Navy’s offense is just dangerous enough to make things very,
very interesting with so many new starting faces on the OSU D.
41. Pitt at NC State, Sept. 26
Doesn’t this seem like it should be the Meineke
Car Care Bowl? Pitt can’t seem to get over the hump and become a major
player under Dave Wannstedt, and while a win over NC State wouldn’t
exactly fire up the college football world, it would be a nice victory
for the team and the Big East. On the flip side, NC State will have
already played South Carolina before getting two layups against Murray
State and Gardner-Webb. After having a hard time getting off to a good
start in the two years under Tom O’Brien, and
then having to scramble
over the second half of the year, a win here could mean things have
changed.