College football through the eyes of school newspapers and students alike, throughout the country– and my response

As with any opening weekend, the start of a new college football offers promise to anyone who wants to believe. Like the Cubs (without the whole $300 million dollar off season part) a lot of college football programs can point to there slate of 12 games this year and say, we can do this. But I hate to break your bubbles folks. A lot of that is a whole lot of you know what. So lets separate fact from fiction. Dilusional from disrespectful. This is what college newspapers around the country are saying about their teams, and this is my rebuttal.

The Reflector: Mississippi State
“What dream world is Crooms living in. His deal is done in Starkville.
He may not last the seaon. Get a damn defense at least. And you do not
have the personal to throw the dam and the lot.” – some guy named Raider Nation.

Mr. Raider, or is it Mr. Nation? we’re with you on this one all the way. Croom was a nice story being the first black head coach in the SEC, but he seems to be working on borrowed time right now. Mississippi State used to be good. Remember those days? Nah, me neither.

Daily Illini: University of Illinois
“It may not be the most challenging game of the season, with Wisconsin and Michigan looming in the background of the schedule, but the Missouri game will be far and away the most challenging non-conference game that the Illini will play this year.” – Daniel Johnson

Mr. Johnson, if Missouri is the most challenging non-conference game on your schedule then you guys should be in good shape. With Zook’s masterful recruiting you guys are supposed to be on the rise right? No, well, I guess losing to the Tigers isn’t the best way of showing improvement. Maybe that recruitment class will suddenly become veterans overnight. If not, well you guys are used to losing anyways.

Kaleo: The Voice: University of Hawaii
“One of UH’s toughest opponents this season will be their less-than-stellar schedule. Game one for Hawai‘i features the Bears of Northern Colorado University, a Division I-AA opponent that has many critics already writing off an easy win for the Warriors – The Sports Network predicted a 55-point victory for UH. The Bears are one of two Division I-AA opponents UH will face this season and are coming off a 1-10 performance in 2006. While most audiences are well aware of the university’s efforts and the team’s desire to play a more demanding schedule, some critics will still need convincing. Nonetheless, the schedule is one thing the Warriors cannot control.” -Rebecca Gallegos

Interesting. Gallegos hits the nail right on the head for Hawaii, which will be nothing more then a fun little side show until they start playing some real teams. If Hawaii wants to be more then just a cool WAC team, they’re going to have to overcome their far location from other schools and take their act on the road. The fact that Hawaii, a top 25 team, has two I-AA opponents on their schedule makes it even easier to take them less seriously then before. Of course, as Michigan showed, don’t take those cupcakes likely. They might turn around to bite you in the butt.

The Miami Hurricane: University of Miami (FL)
“There you have it; ten wins before the bowl. Are these predictions optimistic? Perhaps. But with such a strong defense, any game could be a winner. Miami will win at least one of its marquee matchups (Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida State, Virginia Tech), and maybe two. If things turn out the right way, it could be a very happy winter in Coral Gables…for a change.” – Matthew Bunch

I think this is a little delusional. Miami should have a bounceback year after winning just 7 games last season, but after a very unconvincing bowl win over Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl, what’s there to convince me that the Canes improved that much this off-season? The coaching change is good for Miami. Coker was a sitting duck for a few years out there in Miami, and a change needed to be made. Enter Randy Shannon, a hard nosed, no nonsense coach who should bring back some swagger to “The U”. That said, Miami still has an unstable QB situation and a major dropoff in talent at the WR, TE, and RB position then in year’s past. Great defense, but until Kirby Freeman proves he is the real deal, Miami won’t win 10 games this year.

Central Florida Future: University of Central Florida
“I’ll probably get a ticket,” Myers said, “but if I don’t, life goes on.”- UCF student in regards to ow he’ll react if he doesn’t get a seat for UCF’s stadium opening game versus Texas.

See this is the problem with some schools. Football is a big deal at so many colleges in the country. Schools like USC, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Auburn worship their players like they’re gods among men. But at UCF, where a football tradition is a long ways away, it just isn’t a huge deal. Sports in general isn’t big there, where there wasn’t enough support for a track team, so they got rid of it, leaving them with just 6 men’s teams. That just isn’t going to cut it, not with close to 40,000 students.

Daily Trojan- University of Southern California
“There are a lot of questions surrounding tomorrow’s game against Idaho, such as “will USC cover the spread?” and “who do you think will win the coin toss?”
The turning point in tomorrow’s contest will likely be when the Vandals get off the team bus. Quite frankly, the coin toss may be Idaho’s best chance at beating USC.” -Grant Tunkel

Haha, very true. Which leads me to the question: how crappy must it be to face USC for your first game as a head coach? What kind of pregame speech do you give? Well, the spread is 46 guys, so lets go out there and lost by only 40! Rah, rah. And what is a Vandal? Yeah, that’s what I want to know.

My Favorate College Football Books
A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football’s Purest Rivalry John Feinstein, who wrote Next Man Up and A Good Walk Ruined, brings the emotions of the Army-Navy game into their purest forms.

ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game Detailed stats and history on every player, team, and conference to ever be part of the game.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania Alabama football at it’s best. You don’t get much more intense than Bama fans.

What do you think? Post your opinion in the comment section.

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