The Realm of Football: Part Two

And the Lord Jameis hath said: "Thou shall plow thine's woman right in her nether reigons." 

Ah, yes...Who would have thought a mere string of words could bring down the playoff hopes and dreams of an entire university? Unbelievably so, the sentence so aptly translated by David Tenenbaum (Twitter: @DTenenbaum) nearly did just that. If it wasn't for the heroics of trusty Squire Maguire and Clemson being Clemson, the mighty Seminoles would find themselves eliminated from playoff contention before the arrival of October. Instead, we will now more than likely be forced to see the realm's least liked player playing for it all in January, leaving us to forever curse the name "Dabo" for not doing the deed. Beyond the shenanigans of Lord Jameis (probably more apt to call him Jameis the Jester), there were plenty of other intriguing happenings in the realm, leaving us with a quite a bit to decipher and discuss. Here are just a few of the things on our feeble minds after four weeks of football.

1. The tide is rising in Mississippi, not Alabama.

Dak The Destroyer eviscerated The Mad Hatter's defense.

Before Paul Finebaum callers start harassing us, Alabama did some really impressive things this week against Florida. We all knew that Amari Cooper isn't from this planet, instead hailing from the some other land in our galaxy that gave birth to Julio Jones. Additionally, Blake Sims looked like a damn good quarterback, making us eat our words for ever doubting a Nick Saban QB (Greg McElroy excluded). That being said, this is what the realm is supposed to expect of Alabama: they have the best recruiting haul year in and year out, have phenomenal facilities, and the Dark Lord of Defense running their ship. Contrast that with the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. No one expects anything from these units. Since the earliest days of the realm, these programs have been seen as the Hodors of college football…and now the Hodors just might be contenders for the championship. Though there are still a ton of conference tilts left to be played, both have shown themselves to be capable of going toe to toe with Alabama and Auburn. Nkemdiche's unit in Oxford looked nasty against Boise, laying hard hit after hard hit against the Broncos in the season opener. Combine that with a Bo Wallace that merely distributes and avoids the big mistakes (pray to the CFB Gods for this), and Rebels fans have many reasons to believe they could be playing for it all in Atlanta in December. However, the more impressive team from The Magnolia State is unquestionably Mississippi State. Dan Mullen's group, led by the fearsome DAK THE DESTROYER went into Death Valley, at night, and whipped the Mad Hatter and his crew into submission. Most ardent followers of the game have known about Dak for some time, making the defense's performance the most unbelievable of the night. The Bulldogs went into Baton Rouge, and didn't concede a touchdown to LSU's offense (which has two very good RBs in Hilliard and Fournette) until the fourth quarter. These Mississippi teams are for real, citizens of the realm. Do we dare say that the Egg Bowl will decide the winner of the SEC West? Hard as that may be to fathom, this could be the year that winter indeed comes. 

2. The PAC 12 has challenged the SEC to a trial by combat to decide the best conference race of the season.

Making the winning catch while apparently taking a shot to the jewels? LEGENDARY.

We're not backtracking from what we said about the SEC West a few weeks ago in the first edition of The Realm of Football. Furthermore, the SEC East looks to be wide open given the unpredictability of Spurrier's squad, and the fact that Mark Richt and Gary Pinkel are still in control of Georgia and Mizzou. Yet despite how great these races should be, if this past weekend was any indication, the PAC 12 race will give the SEC all it can handle. The final hours of Saturday night were full of west coast mayhem, as there were two fantastic contests finishing within minutes of each other. First, Pullman began to look like Lubbock, as the Ducks were able to hold off Mike Leach's pesky offense despite giving up seven sacks. Only minutes later, the Cardiac Cats from Tucson completed an unbelievable comeback that included 36 fourth quarter points, and the Hill Mary. Much like the SEC, this conference has shown us that even the bottom feeders can give the top dogs a run, which should lead to an incredible race. Just think about it: USC looked promising after beating Stanford, then fell to lowly BC; UCLA was a popular playoff pick, but has looked unimpressive, and Hundley's status is up in the air; ASU has lost Taylor Kelly for a few weeks, so who knows what the Sun Devils will look like; Utah just went to Ann Arbor and beat the snot out of Michigan in the Big House; Stanford is still a pretty good squad that should get close to 10 wins. There are a ton of unknowns right now in the PAC 12 outside of a certain dude up in Eugene, and it will be fun to watch those questions get answered over the coming weeks.

3. Speaking of that dude in Eugene…

ALL HAIL THE ONE TRUE KING, KING MARIOTA. We can't hide our Marcus Mariota bromance here at Rushing The Field. Even if Lord Jameis wasn't engaging in hijinks, he'd still be second best to the man at the helm of the dystopian duck cyborg blood machine. Despite his offensive line not showing up last week in Pullman, Mariota still went 21-25 for 329 yards and 5 TDs, which also included a key 28 yard scamper on 4th and 10 late in the third quarter when the game was tied. And his yearly stats, you ask? A mere 71 of 96 for 1135 yards and 13 TDs, plus three more scores and 214 yards on the ground. If he can continue at this pace over the next 8 games, he'll finish with over 3,000 yards passing, close to 1,000 on the ground, and roughly 48 combined TDs. Let's hope the Ducks' O-Line can shape up and keep the king upright, as we might be witnessing one of the greatest individual seasons ever. 

4. Marcus is The King, but Optimus Perine may be the baddest man in the land.

CFB's Greg Oden…Someone check this guy's birth certificate!

As West Virginia learned this past week, Samaje Perine is not to be messed with, and is not easy to bring down. College football's version of Greg Oden had his coming out party this weekend, and what a scene it was. 34 carries, 242 yards, 4 TDs. I can't even begin to tell you how many of those yards were after first contact, as the 5'11" true freshman made countless WVU defenders regret taking the field Saturday night. He may not be as dynamic as a certain former Sooner currently in trouble with the law, but he's a bowling ball of a bruiser that is going to wear down Big XII teams left and right in the weeks to come. Either way, the RB by committee experiment at Oklahoma has ended, as Optimus Perine has taken the reigns.

5. Charlie Strong inherited a sacked and smoldering House Longhorn. 

At least they gave Charlie a sweet cowboy hat. 

You know it's bad when you see Twitter debates among respected sports writers and CFB analysts about whether Mack left the program in better shape than Mackovic. Yes, John Freaking Mackovic. Mackovic certainly didn't win a national championship, and the program certainly wasn't the behemoth in terms of national attention it is now thanks to Grandaddy Mack, but when you look at the talent on this squad, you start to wonder what in the world Mack was doing in his last four years on The Forty. If you check NFL DraftScout, you'll find that only six Longhorns are projected to be drafted this season, and while it's still early and much better than last year's donut in the draft, none are projected higher than the 3rd round. It must be said that this website somehow has not included DT Malcom Brown in its rankings, and the one shining star of the Longhorns could be a first or second round pick after this season should he come out. Still, when you're the University of Texas, and you have only one guy who MIGHT be a first round draft pick, someone wasn't doing their job in both recruiting and developing talent. Keep in mind, Mackovic won three conference championships in his last four seasons on The Forty, and left Mack Brown some serious talent in Ricky Williams, Casey Hampton, Shaun Rogers, Leonard Davis, Mike Williams, and Quentin Jammer. There is nothing anywhere close to that on this year's roster. Barring the NCAA allowing Vince Young to suit up again for the Horns, it's going to take a few years for Charlie to get this program back to where it was from 2004-2009 in terms of talent. Let's just hope the burnt orange fanatics can keep that in mind while Charlie rebuilds the house.

Anyone see some Mack and DeLoss in here?

That's all for this week in The Realm of Football! We hope you are enjoying our sub-optimal blogging, and please feel free to share it with other citizens of the realm.

The Four To Score: Week Four

A Tale of Two Bloggers 

"This is how I kick some Richt……"

We're roughly a fifth of the way through the season, and already the cream is rising to the top. Last week proved to be very rough for Chad West, CPA, as he dug himself a hole that he may not be able to get out of. Granted, that's what he deserves for taking Mark Richt against our beloved Steve Spurrier. Once again, the Head Ball Coach proved he completely owns Richt's poor soul, and has buried it somewhere so deep in SEC land that Captain Jack Sparrow wouldn't be able to find it. Thankfully there  is another blogger on this site, who has able to carry Chad's dead weight up a hill in two feet of snow. Hackenberg and Co. could have made it a 5-0 week for the site's blogger above .500, but something tells me he'll settle for a 4-0-1 mark any day of the week. Beyond the triumphs and tragedies of last week, we can't tell you how excited we are that Week Four has finally arrived. Conference races are set to begin, bringing smaller lines and better matchups into play. That also means SEC teams will begin playing each other on a weekly basis, meaning Paul Finebaum's callers will only get more animated and make his show can't-miss radio/television. Before Chad kicks the stool out from beneath his feet, lets get into this week's picks. 

First Down: Florida +14.5 @ Alabama, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

"I'm telling you Nick, college football NEEDS us."

Florida can't hide from its record ATS in recent years…It's been horrible. Since Muschamp arrived in Gainesville, the Gators are a very underwhelming 15-22-1 against the number. That being said, I think there's a lot to like about Florida in this spot. Many will look at least week's game and see it as an embarrassing close win over Kentucky, but I think the Wildcats are a lot better than people give them credit for, and surviving that close of a battle should help a team who struggled to win games last season. Matchup wise, you have to like this Florida defense that returns 7 starters against Alabama's duo of unproven QBs. Coker and Sims have yet to play a real defense, and you can bank on Muschamp getting his defensive unit in the best positions possible. Muschamp probably won't be able to pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa, but this game should be a low-scoring, ugly affair leading to a Florida cover. Give me Coach Boom, two touchdowns, and the hook.

Nebraska - 7.5 vs. Miami, 8:00 PM EST (Chad)
From any point from the mid 80's to when these teams met for the 2001 National Championship, the public would be drooling over this matchup. Boy, awful coaches sure can wreck a program (Hi Bill Callahan! And you too, Al Golden). Nebraska looked BAD against McNeese State a few weeks ago, and if not for some late game heroics from Ameer Abdullah they would've suffered a humiliating loss. But, they survived to beat the doors off of Fresno State last week, the same Fresno State team USC beat less soundly to somehow become a playoff front runner (Bahahaha). Arkansas State ran the ball on Miami last week, after Louisville did the same in Week 1. Bo Pelini won't over think this one. He'll let Miami true freshman QB Brad Kaaya make mistakes, and absolutely pound Ameer Abdullah and Imani Cross all day. Only an awful choke job by Nebraska could screw this one up. No way that happens with this man at the helm, right?

Pictured provided without commentary.

Second Down: Mississippi State +9.5 @ LSU, 7:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Dak The Destroyer

As tough as it is to play a night game in Death Valley, I'm not sold on the LSU Tigers this year. They struggled mightily against Wisconsin, as the Badgers were able to pound the rock against the Tigers (39 attempts for 268 yards, 6.9 ypc). Much like Alabama, I'm also not sold on LSU at the QB position, as Anthony Jennings has been unimpressive (9-21 against Wisconsin, only a 52% completion rate on the season). Conversely, I'm a big fan of Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott, and think that Dan Mullen's offense should be able to put up some points against the Tigers. The Bulldogs defense did look shaky against UAB, but if they can get some stops here and there, Mullen will have a shot at a signature upset win. Expect the Bulldogs to stack the box and force Jennings to beat them with his arm, which should lead to a very close game. (Wait as long as you can if you're playing this game, and hopefully some +10's will show up on the board).

Ask Texas about facing Taysom--the bionic knee'd Alpha Mormon.

BYU -14 vs. Virginia, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

Despite what the scoreboard said two weeks ago, UVA's win against Richmond left something to be desired. The Spiders gained nearly 100 more yards than the Cavaliers, and if not for 3 costly Richmond turnovers it would have been a very different game (obviously). All told, Virginia has been abysmal on offense all season, barely eclipsing 300 yards a game. BYU got into a dog fight with a pretty bad Houston squad last Friday, but pulled off a win thanks to a 16 point first quarter lead and Taysom Hill's ability to move the chains. Honestly, the Cougars got bored and a last second Houston Hail Mary to end the half made for a deceivingly close margin at half time. BYU's defense has been stout all year. Though the Cougars haven't played anything that resembles a competent offense, the hapless Cavialers are more akin to UConn than they are Oregon, and won't be able to move the ball in any meaningful way. UVA settles for a couple field goals and maybe a score, while BYU and Mormon Tebow move the chains all day in a comfortable win.

Third Down: Oklahoma -7.5 @ West Virginia, 7:30 PM EST (Garrett)

I loved watching the Mountaineers get a cover (and outright win) for me last week, and it seems everyone in the country is in love with Holgo's boys now too. The line for this one opened up around -12.5, but has plummeted over the week down to Oklahoma -7.5. While West Virginia is much better than we expected them to be at the beginning of the season, I just can't see this game being decided by less than double digits. Clint Trickett has looked impressive, and crazy things can happen in Morgantown, but it appears that Good Old Bobby Stoops has his early 2000's swagger back. The Sooners defense has been as good as advertised, and Trevor Knight looked like he was playing Alabama all over again last weekend (20-33, 308 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT). You also can't overlook how WVU performed against Bama's rushing attack (288 yds), as the Sooners bring a damn good running game to the table. Oklahoma experienced a scare in Morgantown two years ago, eliminating the chance of Bobby's crew overlooking this game on the schedule. Though I will be praying for this to get down to a flat -7, the Sooners should win comfortably, as the defense finds a way to slow down Holgo Magic. (There's no slowing down Switzer drinking Sooner Magic, though.)

Here at Rushing the Field, we are completely shocked Iowa sucks...

Pitt -6 vs. Iowa 11:00 PM EST (Chad)
The public perception of these teams couldn't get further apart. Iowa is a part of the floundering B1G, and has had a massive part of the whole country souring on the conference.  Unconvincing victories against Northern Iowa and Ball State were followed up by a loss to in-state rival Iowa State. The perception is right--Iowa sucks, and Kirk Ferentz has been stealing money for the better part of a decade. Pitt is only two weeks off of beating Boston College, who downed the mighty Men of Troy last week. Pitt is running the ball at will and if James Conner stays healthy he'll probably lead the ACC in rushing. As I noted a few weeks ago, the Panthers are becoming a team that matches the personality of their coach, famed ground and pound guru Paul Chryst. Pitt continues their march towards eventually becoming overrated and covers.

Fourth Down: New Mexico -3 @ New Mexico State, 8:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Ah yes, the Rio Grande Rivalry. Much like green chile and methamphetamine, this rivalry is held dearly in the hearts of New Mexicans. The games are often closely contested, with animosity abound throughout the stadiums, as members of the state cheer on their respective storied programs. Sadly, I'm speaking about the basketball version of this rivalry. Yes, it's football season, which means we have to endure another one of these meaningless affairs, as the two programs of New Mexico wander aimlessly through the land of college football's favelas. Yes, my friends….Games like these are the reason point spreads were invented. For some reason, the Lobos of Walter White-ville are only favored by a field goal. If you remember earlier this season, UNM was favored by 8 against UTEP at home, meaning the Lobos would be roughly 4-5 points better than the Miners on a neutral field in Vegas' eyes. New Mexico State was a 10.5 point underdog in El Paso last week, making the Aggies about 5.5 to 7 points worse than the Miners on a neutral field. From a line-making perspective, this line doesn't make much sense to me, as the Lobos should be a minimum of a 9 point favorite on a neutral field based on the previous games involving the three border area teams (even with some adjustment from preseason ratings). New Mexico State hasn't beaten anyone noteworthy. They also couldn't stop the run against UTEP last week (Aggies gave up 334 yards), and that's just what the Lobos will do with their option attack. New Mexico gets the W and the cover in The City of Crosses this weekend.

Georgia Tech +8 @ Virginia Tech, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)
The triple option is an absolute pain in the ass to prepare for. If you don't have a bye week to prepare for this attack, you just might be in for a long day. Georgia Tech is infamously helmed by triple option virtuoso Paul Johnson, and his Yellow Jackets have lost 6 of the last 7 they've played against Virginia Tech. However, none of those loses have been by double digits, and four of those loses have been by 7 points or less. Some of the shine has come off of Frank Beamer's squad after an upset loss to East Carolina last week, and I think it's become clear the Hokies aren't exactly world beaters. Virginia Tech has been great against the run thus far, but this isn't just any running team. This is 60 runs right at you,with your defensive lineman and linebackers getting cut, trapped and countered for 4 quarters. It's no fun to defend, especially without a comfortable lead.  Virginia Tech isn't good enough to get out to a big lead, and will have to defend this cloud of dust all game. Virginia Tech probably wins, but it's not by more than a score. 

Extra Point: Florida vs. Alabama UNDER 51.5, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

If these guys could win games by scoring zero points, they would. 

As I stated earlier, this game should be UGLY. The Dark Lords of Defense shall square off, with the Apprentice looking to get a signature win over the Master. There will be hard hits, plenty of Verne Lundquist "OH MY GOODNESS" calls, and a pretty good chance of seeing Angry Muschamp on camera multiple times. Just be thankful you aren't playing in this game, as the players on Sunday will probably look something like Chad did last Sunday. This one should stay well under the total, with the first team to 20 winning the contest.

Washington State vs. Oregon OVER 75, 10:30 PM EST (Chad)

ALL the points. Okay, some real analysis, I guess. 75 is a ton of points, but these two teams are no stranger to pushing games over this point total. Over the past two seasons, Washington State has been involved in 7 games that went over 75 points (including last year's tilt with Oregon). Oregon has only played in two, partly because they speak a language foreign to Mike Leach--Defense. Oregon is gonna score plenty in this one, and while Wazzu may struggle, neither one of these teams are gonna pull of the gas.

Garrett's Record: 10-4-1 (71.4%)

Chad's Record: 5-9-1 (35.7%)

Overall Record: 15-13-1 (53.6%)

The Realm of Football: Part One

"They are we thought they were!"....Or maybe not? 

The first two weeks are in the books, and The Realm of Football still stands similar to how it did before the season started...for the most part. Certainly there were some scares, as Mike Gundy had Jameis Winston looking at Oklahoma State like they were a group of Publix security guards. Yet some things are going according to plan, as Marcus Mariota looks like the one true king that can unify The Realm, despite the arrival of the potential usurper known as "Kenny Trill." However, there has been one major turning point in the evolving story, told last weekend across varying states in the north. House Delany was pillaged, sacked, and burned to the ground, as Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan were all publicly beheaded in their primetime matchups. Fear not though, members of House Delany. Given recent showings, House Bowlsby is looking equally weak, especially after the Mormons had their way with the house's first-born child, refusing to even offer her a nice meal before completely ruining her. Indeed, The Realm of Football can be a savage place. Let's review some of the happenings from the first two weeks, and look ahead at what may happen in the months to come.  

1. Be hesitant with the "anointing oils", as they will often light your ass on fire and make you look like an idiot.  

So often in the early weeks, overreactions are made without taking a step back and remembering where we are in the course of a football season. Crowns are placed on the heads of some, and others call for houses to be burned to the ground in Evan Williams fueled rage. One week it's: "Oh my God, this offense is the greater than listening to angry Will Muschamp." The next: "The only thing worse than that defense is taking heroin. Actually, taking heroin would probably be better than having to watch that defense again." 

Two prime examples of this phenomena are the Charlie Strong Players Not Yet Kicked Off The Team and the Arizona Wildcats. Both fan bases were jacked up on Mountain Dew after the first weekend of football, as the Texas defense held North Texas to 94 yards of total offense, and The Fighting Rich Rods put up nine billion yards of offense against UNLV with a new quarterback and no Ka'Deem Carey. Fast forward to Week 2, and the Wildcats are fighting for their lives to escape San Antonio (yes, there is D-1 football in San Antonio) with a win, followed by the Burnt Orange Sea parting for Mormon Tebow to galavant into the end zone repeatedly. 

Mormon Tebow > Dylan Haynes 

The simple fact is that it is still way too early in the season to make calls on how most of these teams will look at season's end, and that there is still a ton of football to play. Plenty of time is left for teams to develop and grow into a better version than what they currently are, and plenty of time remains for the wheels to come off the bus. Lets wait a few more weeks before deciding whether to break out the twenty-one year scotch, or down grain alcohol without a mixer.

2. Regarding Marcus Mariota...forget what was said above. All Hail King Mariota. 

Through two weeks: 31-48 for 585 yds, 6 TDs; 15 rushes for 85 yards and 1 TD. 

Get yo hands off The King

670 yards of total offense, 7 TDs, no INTs....And a double-digit win over a Top 10 team. Ladies and gentlemen, the best player in the country is officially your Heisman frontrunner. 

3. Kenny Trill is just another cog in the Kevin Sumlin Offense WonderMachine

"You see, Kenny, I push this button, and voila, 500 yards of offense."

Don't get me wrong, I think Kenny Hill is a fantastic player. As good as he is though, that performance against South Carolina validated my belief that there isn't a better coach than Sumlin when it comes to developing quarterbacks. Just think about the players Sumlin has molded in recent years: Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, Johnny Manziel, and now Kenny Hill. Lots of insane numbers, and two of those big shiny trophies called "Heismans" comprise the notches on Sumlin's belt. Of course it's still early in the season, and the South Carolina defensive performance was the prequel to Texas' 3rd Quarter play, but you can't ignore the way Hill put up the numbers he did. He was throwing the ball all over the field with confidence, and marching down the field on damn near every drive. 

Hill will struggle at some point, as nearly all freshmen do. Yet based on Sumlin's past development of quarterbacks, the state of Texas will be his to rule over so long as he remains in College Station. If you're a high school quarterback or wide receiver in Texas with dreams of playing on Sunday, how could you not choose to play for the best offensive coach in the best conference in The Realm of Football?

4. Speaking of the best conference in the realm...   

The race for the SEC West will be the best in the country, and it won't even be close. Outside of maybe Arkansas, every team in this division is capable of beating anyone on any given night. While this division has generally been ruled by LSU and Alabama (with the occasional War Eagle sighting), the parity this year is incredible. 

Alabama is stacked with talent like always, but the quarterback debate still hasn't been settled, which could certainly lead to problems when the Tide begin conference play. 

Auburn and Texas A&M can score with anyone, but will either team be confident in getting a stop when it matters? 

LSU has a pair of incredible running backs, but the team looked shaky against Wisconsin. 

Ole Miss has a stout defense and great WRs, but Bo Wallace is the ultimate case of Jekyl & Hyde.

Mississipi State can't be slept on, as they hung tough in just about every big game last year, and now have Dak Prescott solidified and playing well at QB. 

Throw in the possibility of the Woo Pig RBs going off to cause an upset here or there, and you have a division race that could be filled with carnage every week. Leave your predictions about this division at the door, sit back, and enjoy the show.

5. B1G has already lost its head. House Bowlsby looks to be next on the chopping block.

The only reason the Big XII still has its head above water is because Oklahoma and Baylor have kept it afloat. There was hope for the conference after Week 1, given the inspiring performances of middle-tier Oklahoma State and West Virginia against national powerhouses. Then Week 2 happened, and House Bowlsby soiled itself. Beyond the drubbing in Austin, Kansas State needed a massive comeback late in the game to beat Iowa State, who had lost to North Dakota State the week before. (Memo to all Big XII teams: Do not play NDSU. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us, and we look like idiots.) 

Despite two W's, Tech has fallen flat on its....You get the picture. 

Last but not least, Texas Tech has proven itself to be the most undisciplined team in football. In defeating mega dominant powerhouses UTEP (they probably should have lost to the Miners) and Central Arkansas by a combined whopping 11 points, the Red Raiders racked up 25 penalties for 204 yards. Having fun and wearing "Beyonce is Bae" shirts is great and all, but this isn't a squad that can win against the better teams on its schedule while being that undisciplined. They certainly can't let it happen this week, considering their defense (108th nationally in run defense) is going up against arguably the best stable of running backs in the country. Don't be surprised if Woo Pig runs wild this weekend in Lubbock. 

6. Puddles the Duck is the greatest mascot to have ever graced the realm. 

If Marcus Mariota is the king, then Puddles is surely The Hand who pulls the strings in this realm. Should you have any doubts about it, this video will put you in your place. Unlike Kim Jong-Un, may Puddles actually live 1,000 years. (For further reading on this national treasure, read Spencer Hall's fantastic piece from earlier this week.)

That's all for this week in The Realm of Football. Be sure to follow the blog, and if you appreciate what we're producing here, share it with your friends!  

  

The Four To Score: Week 1

Praise Baby Jesus, CFB Is Back!

The time has finally come, and the excitement in the air is palpable.  Football is back for another season of unbelievable plays, drama, and mayhem.  With this new year of football comes my first attempt at blogging through an entire season.  I'll do my best to get as many posts up here as I can while also taking care of that God-forsaken thing known as "law school", but you can count on me posting one weekly CFB blog each week: The Four To Score, which will provide my four college football picks ATS every week, with an "Extra Point" selection as well.  Hopefully you find this weekly piece both informative and entertaining, and should my picks fail you, feel free to give me all the grief that you deem appropriate in the comments section. Without further adieu, here are the picks for this week.

1st Down: Ole Miss -3 at Vanderbilt

Yes, you read that correctly.  I'm taking the road chalk on the opening night of the college football season.  Those of you who followed last season closely are probably exclaiming "Hey Jackwagon, Vandy covered at home last year against Clowney and South Carolina, so surely they'll get the cover or outright win here."  However, this is a new year, and there is a lot to love about the Ole Miss Rebels, especially the fact that they return 19 starters. QB Bo Wallace is back with four upper-classmen lineman to lead the way up front, and the electrifying WR Donte Moncrief out wide.  On the other side of the ball, the Rebels return last year's leading tackler in LB Denzel Nkemdiche, and they have added his younger brother DE Robert Nkemdiche, the highest-rated recruit in the country last year.  This defensive unit returns 10 starters, and should improve upon last year's 27.6 points allowed per game.  Additionally, Ole Miss was much better than their 7-6 record last year, as they nearly beat both LSU and Texas A&M while also going 9-3 ATS.  Vandy does return 13 starters, but they have a new starting quarterback, and have to replace the school's all-time leading rusher Zac Stacy.  I expect Ole Miss to come out very hungry in this one, especially when you consider how they lost to Vandy last year. Go against the grain, and lay the points in this one.

2nd Down: Washington -3.5 vs. Boise State

I'm usually a big backer of Chris Petersen and the Broncos, but I love the Huskies in this rematch of last year's Las Vegas Bowl for a number of reasons.  First, Boise barely beat the Huskies last year with a late field goal in the fourth quarter on a neutral field.  This year though, the game will be played in the newly-renovated Husky Stadium, giving Washington a big home-field advantage in addition to the revenge factor that is in play. Additionally, Washington is the more experienced team here, as they have twice as many returning starters as the Broncos.  Among those returning for the Huskies are third-year starting QB Keith Price, and all-world TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who should be the first TE taken in next year's draft if he declares.  Washington disappointed last season, and this mature lineup is eager to show it is much better than last year's record indicates.  Also, don't forget that Sarkisian gets his team to play well in big games, as shown in their upset of Stanford last year, and against USC in previous years.  An experienced, well-coached team returning to its home stadium, with the revenge factor in play is an automatic play to me with the short line posted on the board.

3rd Down: TCU +4.5 vs. LSU

If there was ever a time to pick against a top-tier SEC team in a big non-conference game, this would be it.  LSU will bring plenty of fans to JerryWorld for this one, but I expect there to be a giant turnout of TCU fans and locals to cheer on the home underdog.  Beyond the great atmosphere this game will produce, I think TCU has the advantage in a few key areas.  First and foremost: COACHING.  Gary Patterson is known for knocking off ranked opponents, as they have won 9 of their last 13 against ranked teams.  Moreover, he is not the Mad Hatter, who at times looks like he has no idea about what he is doing during the crucial points of a game.  On top of the big coaching advantage, TCU should have the advantage under center, with Casey Pachall returning to the team after being suspended for much of last year.  For those of you who may have forgotten about Pachall, he is the #1 FBS QB in Pass Efficiency among active players.  Finally, TCU's defense is loaded, bringing back nine starters from a team that was the second best defense in the Big XII last season, while LSU lost nearly everyone on that side of the ball.  The Horned Frogs defense could be bolstered by the potential return of the suspended DE Devonte Fields, as it was announced that he will dress for the game, though Patterson was vague about whether he would play.  Either way, this game should be a tight one all the way down to the wire, and thus the value is on the better-coached home dog.

4th Down: Oklahoma State -12.5 vs. Mississippi State

Like the TCU vs. LSU game, this one will also be played on a "neutral" field at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.  Unlike the TCU vs. LSU matchup, I don't see this one being close at all.  Though Mississippi State brings back 12 starters, they were horrible last year against ranked teams.  In four games against ranked opponents, they lost all of them by double digits, and lost three of them by 20 or more points.  The defense was awful against quality opponents, giving up over 34 points in each of those contests, and over 350 yards in each game, including 693 against Texas A&M.  Additionally, they lost every game in which they were an underdog, both straight up and ATS.  Meanwhile, the #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys bring back 15 starters, including 8 from an offense that put up 45.7 points a game last year.  Though they lost Joseph Randle to the NFL, Oklahoma State has produced six consecutive 1,000 yard RBs, so there shouldn't be much worrying about a drop-off in rushing production.  When you look at the numbers from last season, the Cowboys were fantastic as favorites, going 7-3 when laying points, and 7-0 as a favorite at home or on a neutral field.  Simply put, this Cowboys offense should run all over the Bulldogs in what will essentially be a home game for Oklahoma State.

Extra Point: Texas OVER 9.5 Wins
Since the season has not started yet, props for win totals are still available.  Go ahead and call me a homer for this pick, but there is a lot to like about the Longhorns this season. Nineteen returning starters, an easy Big XII schedule, and one of the best OL and RB unit duos in the country should bode well for the Longhorns this year.  Though he has received heavy criticism in the past few years, Mack has achieved ten wins in the regular season seven times since 2001.  While I don't think Texas can go undefeated, I do think a ten wins is easily attainable for this squad given it's schedule, and is one of my favorite Season Win Total Props on the board.

That's all for this week.  Hope you enjoyed the read, and are ready for a great season here at Rushing The Field!