Plays ranked from 1-5*
4* Cal -5.5 -105: Everything was in Tennessee’s favor in last season’s meeting: playing at home in front of 105,000+, the added motivation coming off a dismal 5-6 season in ’05 that had the player’s playing not only for pride, but also coach Fulmer’s job, and catching Cal QB Nate Longshore in his first game back after missing almost the entire ’05 season with an ankle injury.
The Vols jumped out early, and the crowd was in the game from start to finish as UT cruised to a 35-0 lead, eventually going on to win 35-18 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.
A year later, things will be different with the game moving to Memorial Stadium, where the Bears were 7-0 last season, beating opponents by an average of 18.5 pts/game.
With their top 3 receivers – Meachem, Swain, Smith – gone, Ainge will have a difficult time exploiting Cal’s suspect secondary, the one discernible weakness on this Cal team. Making matters worse, UT’s ground game also doesn’t figure to be particularly strong with Coker’s suspension.
On the other side of the ball, Cal’s offense will be able to move the ball all night, both through the air and on the ground. The Vols don’t have anyone (nor does any other team in the country) who can stay in front of DeSean Jackson, and double-teaming Jackson will be a double-edged sword, as that will free up Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins, two of the more underrated wideouts in the Pac-10, in man-to-man coverage.
Payback’s a bitch. Cal wins this game by 2 TD’s.
2* BC -5.5 -110: The loss of Tom O’Brien will no doubt hurt the Eagles’ program over the long haul, but I don’t think his departure will have a negative effect on BC’s success this season. New head coach, Jeff Jagodzinski will open up the offense, better utilizing QB Matt Ryan’s abilities, as opposed to O’Brien’s conservative offensive mentality that held back the offense in year’s past.
Both teams return most key players from last season, but I think it’s unrealistic for Wake to have the same success when virtually every bounce went their way a year ago. WFU was 5-0 last season in games decided by 7 pts. or less. They trailed perennial cellar-dweller Duke for 58+ min. at home before escaping with a last-minute TD and a 1 pt. victory. In last season’s meeting with the Eagles, WFU was outgained 430-280, yet managed to hold on for a 7 pt. victory in large part because of 3 costly BC turnovers, 2 of which were Ryan interceptions in the endzone.
Just as the Demon Decans are a team that will likely slide a bit this season, I think BC is a team that will be significantly better in ’07. Jagodzinski inherits an offense loaded with talent and experience, led by Ryan, one of the top 5 OB’s in the country and a likely first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, and an experienced backfield tandem in Whitworth and Callender.
Bottom line, the uncertainty surrounding Jagodzinski is keeping BC from being the 8 pt. fav. they should be. However, I’m not at all concerned with how he will fare this season, as I think his playbook is a perfect fit for Ryan and the rest of the Eagles’ offense. I think BC’s offensive firepower, combined with a solid defense returning 9 starters from a year ago, as well as the atmosphere with the defending ACC champ in town for the home-opener, will be enough for the Eagles to win this game by double digits.
2* Arizona +5.5 +100: I think this is the year Mike Stoops’ team makes a significant leap, with the offense catching up to an already stellar defense. New offensive coordinator, Sonny Dykes, will open up the offense, which is loaded with talent around QB Willie Tuitama, who should greatly benefit from the coaching changes and new offensive scheme.
BYU is a team in transition, and while they still figure to be a competitive and strong team in conference play, they lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, particularly offensively, where virtually all of the skill position players are gone. QB Max Hall hasn’t taken a snap in college, and hasn’t played in a game since his high school days 4 years ago. Without much experience around him, and facing AU’s athletic defense, I expect the Cougars to struggle to put up points.
I think the Wildcats have a great shot of winning outright, but I’ll gladly take the 5.5 pt. cushion as added insurance in what figures to be a close, low-scoring affair.
Looking at a couple other games, and will likely add a few plays in the coming days.
Good luck everyone.
4* Cal -5.5 -105: Everything was in Tennessee’s favor in last season’s meeting: playing at home in front of 105,000+, the added motivation coming off a dismal 5-6 season in ’05 that had the player’s playing not only for pride, but also coach Fulmer’s job, and catching Cal QB Nate Longshore in his first game back after missing almost the entire ’05 season with an ankle injury.
The Vols jumped out early, and the crowd was in the game from start to finish as UT cruised to a 35-0 lead, eventually going on to win 35-18 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.
A year later, things will be different with the game moving to Memorial Stadium, where the Bears were 7-0 last season, beating opponents by an average of 18.5 pts/game.
With their top 3 receivers – Meachem, Swain, Smith – gone, Ainge will have a difficult time exploiting Cal’s suspect secondary, the one discernible weakness on this Cal team. Making matters worse, UT’s ground game also doesn’t figure to be particularly strong with Coker’s suspension.
On the other side of the ball, Cal’s offense will be able to move the ball all night, both through the air and on the ground. The Vols don’t have anyone (nor does any other team in the country) who can stay in front of DeSean Jackson, and double-teaming Jackson will be a double-edged sword, as that will free up Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins, two of the more underrated wideouts in the Pac-10, in man-to-man coverage.
Payback’s a bitch. Cal wins this game by 2 TD’s.
2* BC -5.5 -110: The loss of Tom O’Brien will no doubt hurt the Eagles’ program over the long haul, but I don’t think his departure will have a negative effect on BC’s success this season. New head coach, Jeff Jagodzinski will open up the offense, better utilizing QB Matt Ryan’s abilities, as opposed to O’Brien’s conservative offensive mentality that held back the offense in year’s past.
Both teams return most key players from last season, but I think it’s unrealistic for Wake to have the same success when virtually every bounce went their way a year ago. WFU was 5-0 last season in games decided by 7 pts. or less. They trailed perennial cellar-dweller Duke for 58+ min. at home before escaping with a last-minute TD and a 1 pt. victory. In last season’s meeting with the Eagles, WFU was outgained 430-280, yet managed to hold on for a 7 pt. victory in large part because of 3 costly BC turnovers, 2 of which were Ryan interceptions in the endzone.
Just as the Demon Decans are a team that will likely slide a bit this season, I think BC is a team that will be significantly better in ’07. Jagodzinski inherits an offense loaded with talent and experience, led by Ryan, one of the top 5 OB’s in the country and a likely first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, and an experienced backfield tandem in Whitworth and Callender.
Bottom line, the uncertainty surrounding Jagodzinski is keeping BC from being the 8 pt. fav. they should be. However, I’m not at all concerned with how he will fare this season, as I think his playbook is a perfect fit for Ryan and the rest of the Eagles’ offense. I think BC’s offensive firepower, combined with a solid defense returning 9 starters from a year ago, as well as the atmosphere with the defending ACC champ in town for the home-opener, will be enough for the Eagles to win this game by double digits.
2* Arizona +5.5 +100: I think this is the year Mike Stoops’ team makes a significant leap, with the offense catching up to an already stellar defense. New offensive coordinator, Sonny Dykes, will open up the offense, which is loaded with talent around QB Willie Tuitama, who should greatly benefit from the coaching changes and new offensive scheme.
BYU is a team in transition, and while they still figure to be a competitive and strong team in conference play, they lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, particularly offensively, where virtually all of the skill position players are gone. QB Max Hall hasn’t taken a snap in college, and hasn’t played in a game since his high school days 4 years ago. Without much experience around him, and facing AU’s athletic defense, I expect the Cougars to struggle to put up points.
I think the Wildcats have a great shot of winning outright, but I’ll gladly take the 5.5 pt. cushion as added insurance in what figures to be a close, low-scoring affair.
Looking at a couple other games, and will likely add a few plays in the coming days.
Good luck everyone.
