College Football Student Lounge

GTPlanet, in an effort to talk about games beforehand as opposed to letting me report on them, I decided to open this thread to discuss certain college football issues as well as preview upcoming games. This is all in an effort to try to preview games and have a place to talk about upcoming games as well as college football news. You in? So allow me to start by putting my pre-week report first. Look down at the post after this intro to see the pre-week and news reports.

Okay. So let's do this.

WEEK 3's UPCOMING GAMES:

* #?? Tennessee at #3 Florida
Two SEC rivals will go at it in Gainesville. Both teams are undefeated at this point. But one will fall. Which one will fall? If I had to choose, I'd probably choose Tennessee in this one. That's not to say that Florida is unfavored in this one. Florida is still a solid team and not to mention one of the "Big Three" in Florida (Florida, Florida State, and Miami). If Tennessee can hold together, this should be a sweet victory for the Volunteers. (Prediction: Tennessee; 21-17)

* Florida State at Boston College
The Eagles have their toughest test ahead. BC will host the Florida State Seminoles in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The ex-Big East Boston College are #17 in the nation with a lot on the line. FSU is going to be a tall order to the Eagles. (Predictions: [A] Florida State by two touchdowns and a field goal; 38-21... or Boston College in a fourth-quarter comeback; 27-24)

* Mississippi State at Tulane (Louisiana Tech as Tulane's home field)
I know Tulane's nickname is the Green Wave, but there's been waves of sadness and maybe even frustration as Hurricane Katrina vastly affected Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The only thing I fear about Tulane is, I know that Mississippi State isn't really an SEC superpower, my only concern is if the Green Wave can beat the Bulldogs even under extreme odds. Remember, LSU knocked off Arizona State in a miraculous 4th Quarter comeback, then had good defense on the other side of the ball as they led. This one is a toss-up for me. (Prediction: Mississippi State; 35-14)

* Michigan State at Notre Dame
Notre Dame is on a roll. The Fighting Irish put up some good fights in two road game wins. They blown out Pittsburgh on the road, and then took the wind out of Michigan's sails. The Spartans of Michigan State will likely head into South Bend and get it on against them. If you notice, I've made three consectutive

* #12 Purdue at Arizona
Big Ten meets Pac-10. Purdue may not be at superpower status, but the Boilermakers are still a team not to overlook. Four words- are you kidding me? You know what? I'm going to push on this one. I think Arizona pulls a fast one, but that's all they'll get against the Boilermakers. (Prediction: Purdue; 42-6)

* Miami at Clemson
The Clemson Tigers are on a roll. They knock off Texas A&M and Maryland. Can the Tigers put more salt onto Miami's wounds from the loss at FSU? To me, I don't really see Miami lose game after game, much less not finishing at 0.500. So I think Miami gets a big win and climb up higher into the Top 25. It will be tough in "Death Valley." (Prediction: Miami (FL); 24-17)

* Pittsburgh at Nebraska
Pittsburgh is falling apart with Dave W. I don't think the Panthers will make it a close game like last year's game. Last year at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh had a chance to upset Nebraska, but that didn't happen. The Cornhuskers will lovingly crush Pittsburgh in Lincoln. If Pitt doesn't get it together, they may REALLY be out of contention in the Big East considering newcomers Louisville and Cincinatti. (Prediction: Nebraska 42-7)

* Arkansas at USC Trojans
Arkansas on the road in Los Angeles... The Razorbacks lost to one of the most depressing SEC teams- Vanderbilt. You know what? You're going to see some animal cruelty on the football field when these two meet. The Trojans will likely turn the Razorbacks into bacon. (Predictions: [A] USC Trojans; 42-10 USC Trojans; 56-0)

* Oklahoma at UCLA
Will the UCLA Bruins edge out the Sooners of Oklahoma? Keep in mind that UCLA plays in the stadium where the National Championship game will be played- the BEAUTIFUL Rose Bowl. The only undrafted talent in the Sooners' camp is Mr. Adrian Peterson. To use motorsports jargon, I think Oklahoma is running on fumes. And if they don't get that pit stop to get themselves back into contention, they may not make it to Pasadena for the national title game, or Houston to play in the Big XII Championship game.


WEEK 3 NEWS:
* Independent school Temple will join the Mid-American Conference next year.
* Drew Tate (Iowa) will play despite injury against Northern Iowa.



Simple, yes? This thread is the thread I'd like to use to discuss upcoming games, college football news, and all that.

If you are in the Texas or Louisiana area, you may know about the threat of Hurricane Rita which may end up head-on with Houston, if not Galveston first. So, if it turns out that I'm greatly affected by Hurricane Rita, my results from this weekend's games may not be posted until a later date. But of course, if I am able to take down as many scores as I can, I'll be sure to give you the scores, maybe a story or two, then look forward to next weekend's games. It's about 11 or 12 weeks of regular season college football, and this is Week 4.

Anyhow, that's my little announcement ahead of time. This thread is normally for discussion of upcoming games and college football news, so feel free to preview upcoming games here. But, you have been warned.

I am opening this discussion to talk more about the Big Ten, then maybe some other topics about other conferences. You can choose whichever topic you wish to discuss. Just be sure to specify which question you want to discuss. Okay, here are the topics to start a discussion:

(Topic 1) Michigan is 2-2, but Iowa are 2-2 as well. My question to you is, which 2-2 one of these two will have a better finish in the Big Ten? in overall rankings?

(Topic 2) More Big Ten talk. You got Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Which of these four Big Ten teams are more likely to run the table the rest of the way?

(Topic 3) Will Texas finally have a shot at the National Championship? If so, what do they have going for the Austin unit? If not, what does Texas lack compared to the rest of the nation's talent?

(Topic 4) What football team is on the rise and may have a chance to make a Bowl Game? Last year, Utah really lit it up, and Connecticut finally played their first Bowl Game by blowing out Toledo 39-10. Anyhow, are there any lesser teams on the rise?

Now that I'm done here, reply on if you want to start a little discussion.

If you happen to find this thread, it would be nice for you all to talk about the Texas/Oklahoma game, or the Ohio State/Penn State game.

Believe it or not, I think the more interesting game would be the Buckeyes/Nittany Lions game. Simply because Penn State is on such a roll and have a big task ahead. Penn State is looking good right now. Question is, are they good enough to knock off Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State?

As far as the Texas/Oklahoma game goes, critics are going to be all over Texas if they cannot knock off Oklahoma after being beaten by Oklahoma 5 straight times. The games's going to be in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. If Oklahoma beats Texas for the sixth time, the team may regain a little of the swagger lost by being beaten by TCU and UCLA.

If you happen to find this thread and want to talk about these upcoming games, you can.