2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 1 RECAP

Hello avid sports fans! We had a great kickoff to the 2011 NCAA season as we saw a few games come down to the wire, while some others were over before the full 60 minutes (and not especially in the sense of blowouts). I will take this time out to review the biggest headlines and tie it in to next week’s predictions coming soon.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS—COLLEGE STYLE

While most of us were anxiously awaiting high school football games, a classic game broke out in Waco between No. 14 TCU and Baylor. In one of the more evenly matched all-time historical college rivalries (the series is tied 50-50-7), both teams displayed early fireworks as the Horned Frogs led 23-21 with 12:32 left in the second quarter.

The Bears would then score 26 unanswered points thanks to three Robert Griffin III touchdowns to lead 47-23 after three quarters and possibly giving the 2011 Rose Bowl champions an early dent to their preseason aspirations.

However, TCU and quarterback Casey Pachall would not go away that easily, scoring 25 unanswered in the fourth to take a 48-47 lead with 4:27 remaining in the game and giving Baylor one last chance to win the game.

After two incompletions, Baylor moved down the field bit by bit before Aaron Jones’ 37-yard field goal made it 50-48 in Baylor’s advantage. On the Horned Frogs final drive, Pachall would carry them to the Baylor 40, but a costly interception to Mike Hicks sealed the game and gave Baylor its first win against a ranked opponent since 2004.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

A unique sight happened in college football this week as two games were called early due to inclement weather, while two others were affected as well.

Saturday, the Michigan/Western Michigan game was called in the third quarter with the Wolverines leading 34-10 at the 1:27 mark.

The following day, Marshall and West Virginia sat through two delays lasting nearly 4 ½ hours before calling the game seven hours after the opening kickoff. West Virginia won 34-13 extending its dominance of its in-state rivals.

Weather also delayed games in Iowa and Notre Dame during the weekend, but both games were completely finished.

SHOWDOWNS WITH A BOWL GAME FLAIR

Two neutral-site games really caught everyone’s attention Saturday as LSU and Oregon did battle in the Cowboys Classic, while Boise State traveled to Atlanta to play Georgia. Here are the three main stories from those games.

1. LSU, Boise looked dominant: Both teams actually faced a handicap in this game. LSU was without suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson and Boise basically played a de-facto road game despite the game being in Atlanta. It turned out that neither mattered, as both teams won by double-digits. The Tigers’ defense forced four Duck turnovers and Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore went 28-for-34 with 261 yards passing and three touchdowns.

     

     

     2.  Oregon has speed, but not SEC speed: We left off last season with Oregon losing to Auburn 22-19 in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. Nearly eight months later, the Ducks looked good early, but eventually could not contain LSU as the game wore on. Part of this was due to freshman De’Anthony Thomas losing two fumbles that led to Tiger scores, but the Ducks can play their way back into the title picture. Their game against a ranked team will be on Nov. 12 against Stanford.

     

     3. Georgia…well at least they had nice uniforms: In 2005, Georgia crushed Boise in Athens, 48-13, en route to the SEC title. Exactly six years after, the Bulldogs allowed 28 consecutive points at one point and lost 35-21. Even though Georgia could not make this game good, their uniforms did look well. There were mixed reactions to these, but I actually thought the break from tradition was cool. The silver base/red stripe made them look like centurions from the Roman Empire. You can draw your own conclusions, lol.

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS

I made these on my Twitter account and I will try to put these on my blog from here on out. I might even add a simulation from NCAA Football 12.

Oregon 35, LSU 32 (LSU won)
Boise St. 41, Georgia 34 (Boise won)
Miami 23, Maryland 21 (Maryland won)

WEEK: 1-2 .333
SEASON: 1-2 .333

Hope you had a great start to the college football season! Week 2 will have a good game in Happy Valley as Alabama and Penn State square off as the marquee game, while others follow.