2012 College Football: Week 1 Handicapper Report

Jeff Grant · 08-27-12, 10:41 AM

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
-Own a 22-22 all-time mark in season openers (17-7 at home)
-Boasts an 8-5 record on Thursday games
-The Rebels are 2-10 all-time against Big Ten opponents
-Head coach Bobby Hauck owns a 1-0 record against Minnesota’s Jerry Kill, facing each other in the 2006 NCAA FCS playoffs
-Nick Sherry will become the school’s eight different opening-day starting quarterback in nine years
-Open the season with four straight home games for only the second time in school history

UCF Knights
-The Knights are 21-12 in season openers, winning their last six, last opened on the road in 2007 (25-23 win over NC State)
-UCF is 0-3 all-time when playing at Akron (2-5 overall in series)
-Averaged 406.8 yards per game last year, second-most in eight years under George O’Leary
-Defense allowed 303.3 ypg, fewest since 1990
-Of the team’s seven losses last year, six came by seven points (159-128 margin in those seven games)
-One of just three schools in 2011 to rank in the top 10 in the country in total, scoring and pass efficiency defense (Alabama, LSU)

Eastern Michigan
-EMU and Ball State will be one of just four games around the nation to feature conference foes squaring off during the season’s opening week
-For the first time in 14 seasons, the program will play its entire schedule within the Great Lakes Region
-Last victory in the series was in 2010, mounted biggest comeback victory in school history
-QB Alex Gillet is the third-most experienced QB in the MAC (Keith at Kent State, Dysert at Miami OH)
-Gillett passed for 196 and ran for 126 yards in last year’s meeting

Ball State Cardinals
-The Cardinals are 20-15 in their last 35 MAC games
-Ranked tied for 10th in red-zone efficiency last year (44 of 49)
-QB Keith Wenning ranks eighth in school history with 4,159 passing yards (22 starts)
-Five offensive linemen with a combined 109 career starts

Jeff Grant · 08-27-12, 02:41 PM

South Carolina Gamecocks
-Won 12 consecutive season-opening games
-In 26 games in which they’ve opened on the road, they are 8-18, but have won their last three since 2004
-Steve Spurrier is 21-1 SU all-time in season openers, only loss in 1989 while at Duke
-Opening with a conference game for the seventh time since joining the SEC, going 3-3 in the previous six (3-1 on the road)
-Won eight straight and nine of their last 10 against SEC Eastern Division opponents
-Gone 5-0 in season openers under Steve Spurrier
-Spurrier is 17-2 all-time against Vanderbilt (5-2 at USC)

Vanderbilt Commodores
-Own a 3-13 all-time record when opening the season against an SEC team
-Last won SEC openers in consecutive seasons from 1956-58
-Returns 18 starters, which is tied for the second-highest total in the SEC
-In the modern era, the Commodores are 3-3 on Thursday nights
-Scored 9.8 more points and average 40.7 more yards per game than the 2010 squad a year ago
-Defensively, allowed 9.6 fewer points and 96.5 fewer yards per game
-Scored 323 points last year, most since 1948
-Four of their losses cam by less than a touchdown

Read more about this SEC opener at Vanderbilt Stadium

Jeff Grant · 08-27-12, 04:20 PM

Washington State Cougars
-Own a 1-2 series record against BYU
-Head coach Mike Leach has never faced BYU, but graduated from the university in 1983
-The Cougars are 20-27-3 all-time in season openers on the road
-Leach is 9-1 in season openers in his career, winning seven straight
-Won eight straight games against non-conference opponents in the Mountain Time Zone
-Since 2001, the Cougars are 24-8 against unranked non-conference opponents

BYU Cougars
-Won five straight season openers, including the last three over BCS teams
-Looking to improve to 3-1 when playing a Pac-12 opponent in the season opener under Mendenhall
-The last 11 senior quarterbacks for the program have gone 117-23-2 since 1977
-The Cougars are 69-116-6 all-time against Pac-12 opponents
-Rank 13th nationally with 33 home wins since 2006
-Ranked No. 1 in the nation in third-down conversions after Riley Nelson was named starting QB

Read more about this exciting matchup on college football's opening night

Jeff Grant · 08-27-12, 05:09 PM

Kent State Golden Flashes
-50 players from the last team to go bowling in program history will be on hand (1972)
-In conference play, finished first in the MAC in total defense (319.1 ypg)
-Senior Spencer Keith is the starting QB, throwing for eight TDs and no interceptions over the final five games last year
-Won their last 10 games against FCS teams, with each coming at home

Utah Utes
-Own a 34-0 all-time record against Big Sky Conference teams, earned a 27-10 victory over Montana State in last year’s season opener
-One of just three teams in the country to win six bowl games in the last seven years (Florida, TCU)
-Utah hasn’t faced Northern Colorado since 1937
-Return 18 starters, 55 lettermen
-RB John White is coming off the best season ever by a program RB (1,519) and is the top returning rusher in the Pac-12 (116.8 ypg)
-Replacing a pair of all-conference players at offensive tackle, but have a four-year starter at center (second in that role)

Arizona State Sun Devils
-The Sun Devils have won 12 of their last 13 season openers, including eight straight
-New head coach Todd Graham is 4-2 in season openers
-In five of the last six years, Graham’s teams have ranked 39th or better nationally in fewest penalty yards per game
-RB Cameron Marshall led the Pac-12 with 18 rushing TDs last year
-Open up with a new QB for the fourth time in the last four years

13 FBS teams that return no QB with a start for the 2012 season
Akron
Arizona State
Boise State
East Carolina
Hawaii
LSU
Memphis
Michigan State
Northern Illinois
Oklahoma State
Southern Miss
Stanford
Texas A&M

Jeff Grant · 08-28-12, 09:02 AM

Southern Miss Golden Eagles
-Finished nationally ranked to end the season last year for the first time since 1999
-Captured a school-record 18 consecutive winning seasons
-Ellis Johnson has become the program’s 19th head coach, served the previous four seasons as South Carolina’s defensive coordinator
-The Golden Eagles are 3-5 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference
-Replacing four-year starter Austin Davis under center, but have six receivers returning that caught at least 10 passes, while the offensive line has four starters returning (76 starts)

Nebraska Cornhuskers
-Longest season-opening win streak in the country (26), winning each of those games by at least 10 points
-Lost the most recent meeting in this series in 2004, which marked the school’s first non-conference home loss in 13 seasons
-Outscored Southern Miss by a narrow 37-34 margin in two home matchups
-Possess the top returning QB-RB rushing combos, with Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez combining for 2,231 yards
-Martinez is set to become just the third QB in school history to start the season opener in three straight seasons
-Martinez is 8-0 in the month of September the last two years, with the offense averaging 41.3 points

Jeff Grant · 08-28-12, 04:42 PM

North Carolina State Wolfpack
-Haven’t opened up a season at a neutral site since 1992
-Opening up against an SEC opponent for the third time in the last five years
-On the depth chart for the season opener, 11 spots on offense and defense are penciled in with names of seniors who have starting experience
-Only three QBs in ACC history have thrown more TDs in a season than Mike Glennon
-Glennon completed 66 percent of his passes, threw 11 TDs and just three interceptions over the final four games last year
-Opponents completed just 57.5 percent of their passes last year
-Led the nation with 27 interceptions last season
-All five offensive linemen have started a game in their careers (112 starts)

Tennessee Volunteers
-In the last 28 seasons, Tennessee is 23-3-2 in season openers, with 13 of those games coming against teams currently in BCS conferences (8-3-2)
-Gone 2-0-1 in opening games at neutral sites
-The Volunteers are 5-0-1 in August all-time
-Looking to snap a six-game losing streak in Atlanta and the Georgia Dome dating to 2001
-Offensive line returns 106 career starts, had just three in Dooley’s first season
-QB Tyler Bray leads all active SEC players with six career 300-yard passing games

The 2012 college football season kicks off on Thursday night

Jeff Grant · 08-28-12, 05:23 PM

North Texas Mean Green
-Return nine starters on offense, five on defense
-Opens season on the road for the 11th straight year
-Went from 71st in the nation to 15th in the nation in turnover margin, 12th-best turnaround in the nation
-Started the season facing a team ranked in the top 10 five times since 2002
-In four previous meetings against LSU, scored a combined points
-Only 11 seniors, eighth-youngest team in the nation

LSU Tigers
-Gone 27-0 under Les Miles in non-conference regular-season games
-Won 10 straight season-opening games at Tiger Stadium
-Owns the nation’s longest home winning streak at 17 games
-Outscored the Mean Green by a 198-13 margin in four meetings
-Won 12 of 13 games by double-figures in 2011
-Own a 21-game win streak in September

Five schools that return the fewest rushing yards in the country
FAU (101)
Idaho (184)
Iowa (202)
UTEP (258)
Syracuse (311)
North Texas (338)

Youngest teams in terms of seniors
Indiana (8)
Rice
Colorado
Wisconsin (9)
Marshall
Alabama
Louisville (10)
North Texas (11)
Clemson
TCU
FAU
MTSU

Jeff Grant · 08-29-12, 04:56 PM

SBR Videos that are currently available:

<a href="http://www.sbrforum.com/video/college-football-picks-south-carolina-gamecocks-vs-vanderbilt-commodores-preview-line-analysis-v-11284/" target="_blank">

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Boise State Broncos vs. Michigan State Spartans

Tennessee Volunteers vs. NC State Wolfpack

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

San Diego State Aztecs vs. Washington Huskies

Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Ball State Cardinals

Marshall Thundering Herd vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Auburn Tigers vs. Clemson Tigers

Jeff Grant · 08-30-12, 02:13 PM

7 Season-Opening Win Streaks You Need to Know

The Ohio State Buckeyes share the nation's fifth-longest season-opening win streak of 12 games with the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas Longhorns as they prepare to meet a Mid-American Conference opponent on Saturday.

It's almost a certainty that the Buckeyes come away with a victory in this spot due to being favored by 24.5 points (courtesy of SBR Forum), while they've gone 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last eight games in that situation.

First-year head coach Urban Meyer's 10-0 mark in lid lifters also helps the cause, which will also send the Buckeyes to their 34th consecutive home-opening victory.

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier knows how totake care of business on Thursdays, but the program itself has won 12 consecutive season openers.
With running back Marcus Lattimore ready to go against the Vanderbilt Commodores, I suspect that the Gamecocks will improve to a perfect 5-0 in August since 1996.

The Texas Longhorns have gone 13-1 in season openers under the direction of current head coach Mack Brown, which includes a current 12-game win streak in that situation.

Brown will open the 2012 campaign using a two-quarterback system in Austin—something that doesn't have me running to the betting windows to back the Longhorns as 31.5-point home favoritesagainst the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday.

A straight-up victory shouldn't be a problem, considering the program has won all 42 games when favored by 21.5 or more points since 1996.

Heisman Trophy favorite Matt Barkley is all smiles heading into the 2012 opener, considering the USC Trojans are overwhelming 42-point home favorites against the Hawaii Rainbows.

The Men of Troy have won their last 14 games to open up a new campaign, including a 19-17 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers as 24-point favorites a year ago.

Barkley will move the Trojans to 8-0 all-time in this series, especially since they've outscored the Rainbows by a 346-103 margin in seven previous meetings.

Wisconsin Badgers running back Montee Ball has been dealing with some off-the-field issues, but that shouldn't stop this Big Ten Conference juggernaut from winning their 15th-straight season opener.

Ball may call it a day at halftime against the Northern Iowa Panthers, as the Badgers have won 32 straight regular-season non-conference games.

The schedule gets a little tougher for Wisconsin in Week 2, traveling to Corvallis and taking on the Oregon State Beavers.

The Florida Gators have fallen off a bit over the last couple years, but they've still managed to keep the Southeastern Conference's longest season-opening win streak intact.

Second-year head coach Will Muschamp will likely guide the program to its 23rd consecutive victory to open up a new campaign, which includes a 41-3 win over the Florida Atlantic Owls in his Gainesville' debut on September 3 of last year.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have started off in the win column in their last 26 seasons, while sports bettors have profited from their 13-4-1 ATS run in their last 18 contests in that situation.

Fans inside Memorial Stadium are expecting a potential blowout on Saturday considering they've outscored opponents by a 185-44 margin in four openers under head coach Bo Pelini.

Las Vegas agrees, establishing the Huskers as 20-point home favorites against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Jeff Grant · 08-31-12, 09:49 AM

Boise State Broncos
-Chris Petersen is the winningest active coach in college football in terms of winning percentage (73-6, .924)
-Won its season opener in each of Petersen’s six years
-Gone 78-8 all-time when ranked in the top 25
-Played just one team from the Big Ten, 28-24 loss to Wisconsin in 1997
-Won six consecutive games against BCS teams, eight of nine
-Gone 23-2 when it has 10-or-more days between games, including season openers
-The Broncos are 33-3 in non-Saturday games during the regular season
-Fewest returning starters in the country (six)

Michigan State Spartans
-The Spartans are 7-2 against current members of the MWC
-Gone 2-5-1 in season openers against ranked opponents
-Dantonio is 6-2 in season openers in his eight-year career
-Won 13 consecutive home openers, 15 of 16
-Dantonio is 14-1 against non-conference opponents at Spartan Stadium
-Michigan State is 23-33 in its last 56 games against ranked teams
-In their first collegiate start, Spartans signal-callers are 12-6 in their last 18 opportunities
-Posted first consecutive perfect home seasons since 1955-56

Jeff Grant · 08-31-12, 10:33 AM

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
-Ran for seven touchdowns against Navy last year, most in a single game since 1992
-Punted a total of five times in the last seven games against Navy
-Third time the program will play internationally, winning both games against Miami (40-15, 1979) and Navy (54-27, 1996)
-Won 45 of the last 48 meetings
-Won 20 of their last 25 season openers
-Everett Golson will be the 21st signal caller to make his debut since 1985, with Notre Dame going 14-6 in those games
-Each of the last five times a Brian Kelly coached team has opened a game with a first-time QB, they’ve won
-Outscored opponents by a 91-16 margin in the third quarter last year

Navy Midshipmen
-Split its four season openers under head coach Ken Niumatalolo
-Five of Navy’s seven losses last year were by a combined total of 11 points
-Ranked first in fewest penalties (2.3) and penalty yards per game (20.0)
-Outscored by a 59-10 margin in the first quarter in their seven losses
-Since 2003, own an 18-24 record against BCS teams, which is the most wins by a non-BCS school in that situation

Clemson Tigers
-Clemson trails the all-time series, 12-34-2, but snapped a 14-game losing streak last year
-Won 21 of its last 27 season openers, losing three of its last 10, with each of those coming against top 25 teams
-Owns a 2-5 all-time record inside the Georgia Dome (0-2 vs. Auburn)
-Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables is with the program
-One of three schools nationally with a returning 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher (USC, Fresno State)

Auburn Tigers
-Starts with two non-home games for the first time since 1984
-Owns a 121-76-8 all-time record against ACC teams
-The Tigers are 5-3 all-time in games at the Georgia Dome
-Won seven of their last eight openers away from home
-Will have 30 players with at least one game of starting experience

Learn more about one of Saturday's biggest college football games