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Friday, September 5, 2008
The Fearless Friday Forecast
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Your Fearless Forecaster went 8-2 in the first week because he didn’t have the guts to pick Alabama, despite hearing reports that the Crimson Tide was beginning to figure things out. But who knew that Clemson would get smacked in the mouth and not fight back? Who knew that there was not a soul on the entire Clemson roster who could block Terrence “Mount” Cody, Alabama’s massive nose tackle?
Who knew that Tennessee would fly all the way out to the West Coast and get outplayed and out-coached so badly?
It’s kind of a thin week but there are a few tasty morsels worth your consideration this morning. So let’s get on with another award-winning edition of The Fearless Friday Forecast.
1. Central Michigan (1-0) at Georgia (1-0): Georgia will win the game but the Bulldogs have to decide if they want an easy afternoon or if they will have to work for four quarters to put the Chippewas away. CMU’s Dan LeFevour is one of the best quarterbacks who will play in Sanford Stadium this season. But a fast, aggressive defense can keep LeFevour under control as Clemson proved last season when the Tigers mashed Central Michigan 70-14. Despite the loss of DT Jeff Owens, Georgia still has a very fast and very aggressive defense. Georgia needs to put this team away early and start getting ready for next week’s trip to South Carolina. And here is my first early warning to my Georgia friends. If you’re feeling more confident about the Gamecocks because they lost to Vanderbilt last night, don’t. We’ll have more on that next week. Georgia 45, Central Michigan 17.
2. Georgia Tech (1-0) at Boston College (1-0): Georgia Tech plays its first road game under coach Paul Johnson and quarterback Josh Nesbitt gets his first start in a hostile stadium. I think the Boston College defense is a little too strong. The Eagles return eight starters from a defense that was second in the nation against the run last season, giving up 72.2 yards per game. BC’s Frank Spaziani is one of the better defensive coordinators in the country and will have a plan to make Nesbitt uncomfortable. But if Georgia Tech does not turn the ball over, it will be a four-quarter game and the Jackets will get a chance to steal it at the end. Boston College 21, Georgia Tech 17.
3. Miami (1-0) at Florida (1-0): This used to be one of the best rivalries in the South. Now the programs are in two decidedly different places. Florida gets WR Percy Harvin back this week giving the Gators yet another player who can take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Miami crushed Charleston Southern 52-7 in the opener and its players believe they are due for a breakout game under coach Randy Shannon. The Hurricanes are certainly due after bottoming at 5-7 last season. But it’s not happening on Saturday night at The Swamp. Miami will come out on fire and very motivated to play. Then the talent takes over. Florida 35, Miami 14.
4. Wake Forest (1-0) at Ole Miss (1-0): For my money this is the best game on the board on Saturday. Ole Miss got off to a pretty impressive start with a 41-24 win over Memphis. Wake Forest went on the road and beat Baylor 41-13 and looks like a team capable of winning the ACC. Quarterback Riley Skinner, who completed 72.4 percent of his passes last season, completed 27 of 36 passes with no interceptions against the Bears. When Skinner does not throw interceptions, Wake Forest is hard to beat. Ole Miss is very athletic and has a new burst of energy under coach Houston Nutt. This could be a good one. Wake Forest 24, Ole Miss 20.
5. Southern Miss (1-0) at Auburn (1-0): Auburn won its opener 34-0 over Louisiana-Monroe but coach Tommy Tuberville believes he needs better play from his quarterbacks. Kodi Burns got the start last week but will give way to JUCO transfer Chris Todd. Southern Miss, under new coach Larry Fedora, has installed the spread offense and will try to control the ball and shorten the game. The Eagles have a running back who can do that in sophomore Damion Fletcher, who had 222 yards rushing in last week’s 51-21 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Auburn wins this one because of defense. Auburn 28, Southern Miss 10.
6. Tulane (0-0) at Alabama (1-0): After last week’s 34-10 win over Clemson, Alabama fans are excited again and convinced the Crimson Tide will be a force in the SEC West. Coach Nick Saban is preaching that it is only one game of 12 and that everybody, fans and players included, needs to calm down. Good luck with that, coach. With games against Tulane today and Western Kentucky next week, Alabama has two weeks to get ready for its first SEC match-up at Arkansas on Sept. 20. Saban will ride his team pretty hard so that they don’t look sloppy against the overmatched Green Wave. Alabama 42, Tulane 10.
7. The Citadel (1-0) at Clemson (1-0): It’s been a long week at Clemson. Good thing for the Tigers and Tommy Bowden that they have four straight very winnable games at home (The Citadel, N.C. State, South Carolina State, Maryland). There is no way that Clemson is as bad as Alabama made the Tigers look last Saturday night at the Georgia Dome. There is just too much talent there. Clemson can come back and win the ACC championship. That journey begins today as the Tigers take their frustrations out on the Bulldogs. Clemson 48, The Citadel 7.
8. Western Carolina (1-0) at Florida State (0-0): The decision to start red-shirt sophomore Christian Ponder at quarterback over senior Drew Weatherford speaks volumes about where the Florida State program is headed. It shows that offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, the head coach in waiting behind Bobby Bowden, is exerting his influence in Tallahassee. Weatherford has started 33 games and would have been the safe choice. After two straight 7-6 seasons, it’s time for Florida State to quit making the safe choice. This game, and next week’s game against Chattanooga, is about getting ready for Wake Forest’s visit on Sept. 20. Florida State 45, Western Carolina 10.
9. Stanford (1-0) at Arizona State (1-0): We’re going to follow Arizona State as they run up to the Sept. 20 game with Georgia. The Sun Devils rolled over Northern Arizona 30-13 last week as Rudy Carpenter threw for 388 yards. Stanford, which opened last week with a 36-28 Pac-10 win over Oregon State, has one of the league’s better running backs in Toby Gerhart, who ran for a career-high 147 yards against the Beavers. The Sun Devils have too much firepower. Arizona State 35, Stanford 21.
10. West Virginia (1-0) at East Carolina (1-0): East Carolina is coming off one of its biggest wins in years in last week’s 27-22 victory over Virginia Tech. If the Pirates can knock off West Virginia then the team of Skip Holtz will thrust itself into the picture for a BCS at-large bid. West Virginia was impressive last week when Pat White threw for five touchdowns in a 48-21 win over Villanova. This game has a chance to be close but in the end the difference will be White. Now let’s just hope that Hurricane Hanna cooperates and allows the game to be played in Greenville, N.C., which is located in the eastern part of the state. West Virginia 31, East Carolina 24.
