It’s finally college football season and it’s time to pick the upcoming SEC games of the opening weekend.
Every Wednesday during the college football season, Josh Kirschner, Grace Olson and myself will pick every game on the SEC schedule. Following the picks, all three of us take an in-depth look at the Games of the Week, which feature the LSU-Oregon and Georgia-Boise State matchups this week.
Here are the week 1 picks:
Game of the Week I: Boise State vs. Georgia
Mike Reiter
No. 19 Georgia over No. 5 Boise State
Last time the two played they kicked off the 2005 season in Athens and the Bulldogs beat the Broncos 48-13. But since then, the Broncos have risen to national prominence, while the Bulldogs have faded away.
However, all of that will change during a three and a half hour period this Saturday when the two team matchup up in the Georgia Dome. This isn’t a neutral site game at all, and the Dome will be bleeding red and black like it does when the Falcons play on Sunday’s.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore is one of the best in college football, but Georgia’s defensive line will be able to swallow up the undersized Broncos’ offensive line and put pressure on Moore. With the two nose guards, Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins, combined weight of nearly 700 pounds, Moore won’t know what to do when the two of them chase after him like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
On the other side of the ball, Isaiah Crowell will silence the Georgia Dome, not because he won’t make plays, but because the moves that he will put on the Broncos’ defenders will make everyone’s jaws drop to the ground. Yes, he’s going to be that good. Not to mention Richard Samuel, a 6-foot-2 243 pound running back will plow over the defenders.
All in all, this is the SEC. This is the home of five straight national championships, and while Georgia has struggled the last couple years, the Bulldogs will put an end to the “Boise State deserves a chance in the BCS Championship Game” when Georgia defeats Boise State by a score of 31 to 20.
And the rest of the college football world will rejoice in this news.
Grace Olson
No. 5 Boise State over No. 19 Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs return to the Georgia Dome for the first time since 2006 to face the Boise State Broncos in a much-hyped Chick-fil-A Kickoff season opener. The Broncos are favored to win this matchup despite the fact that they have never defeated a team from the Southeastern Conference. On the other hand, the Broncos boast the nation’s highest winning percentage since 1997 at .819.
Both teams will enter this matchup with extremely competent quarterbacks; Georgia sophomore Aaron Murray and Boise State senior Kellen Moore lead their respected teams. Moore does not necessarily reside under the spotlight in most instances; however, he was one of the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy in 2010 and he led all quarterbacks last year in passing efficiency.
On the defensive side of the ball, Boise State returns four starting seniors to a unit that gave up 12.8 points last year. For the Bulldogs, this will be the second year of the 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. There are some uncertainties surrounding the Bulldogs’ offensive line and the battle between the Georgia offensive line and Boise State defensive line will be where this game is won.
Boise State will continue the pace that has led them to achieve greatness and consistency the last couple years under head coach Chris Peterson, and the Broncos will leave Atlanta with a win under their belt.
Josh Kirschner
No. 19 Georgia over No. 5 Boise State
No, you’re not watching a trippy, old school episode where the power rangers are battling a group of scrappy ghosts from the Land of the Potatoes, those are simply the Dawgs and the Broncs’ in their Halloween get-ups a couple months too early.
Whatever…On to the Game! This installment of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic features a perennial powerhouse of the last 5 years, and the University of Georgia Bulldawgs. Both teams return undersized, hyper talented quarterbacks, and nothing but question marks almost everywhere else across the Offensive board.
At the end of the day football is a battle in the trenches between two groups of abnormally large men who love tattoos and beards (At least in Any Given Sunday). And when it comes down to the tail of the tape, I’d put the line at UGA -2.5 Golden Corral Buffets. Forget what Vegas says, forget all the SEC haters, just drooling at the mouth with the thought of little ol’ Boise (See: Sisters of the Poor), providing Georgia, and the SEC’s ballooning ego with a somber surprise.
However, don’t get too excited Yankees (See: Non-SEC fans), I see smooth sailing for them Silver Britches, in a game that will be over by the 7:30 mark in the 3rd quarter.
Game of the Week II: Oregon vs. LSU
Mike Reiter
No. 4 LSU over No. 3 Oregon
The biggest thing the Tigers are missing for this game isn’t quarterback Jordan Jefferson, it is the loss of wide receiver Russell Shephard. He is a playmaker and it will be difficult for LSU to do without him.
On the other hand, Jefferson will be replaced by another senior Jarrett Lee, who threw for 573 yards and two touchdowns last year. Shephard’s suspension leaves Rueben Randle the lone target for Lee when the Tigers face the Ducks in Jerry World.
The last time Oregon played against an SEC defense, the Ducks offense only managed 19 points. And that was against an Auburn defense that wasn’t very good at all. This LSU defense is light years better, and LaMichael James and Darron Thomas will have their hands full.
Just like the game above, the SEC will reign supreme, and the best conference in the nation will sweep the nightcap that features the two best games of the opening weekend of college football. The Tigers will defeat the Ducks 24 to 17.
Grace Olson
No. 3 Oregon over No. 4 LSU
Both Oregon and LSU will step onto the field at Cowboys Stadium this coming Saturday with off-the-field issues lingering in the back of their minds.
The Tigers will have to make up for the losses of quarterback Jordan Jefferson, linebacker Josh Johns and wide receiver Russell Shephard. Backup quarterback Jarrett Lee was quickly named the new starter with the confidence of head coach Les Miles, but player troubles might drag down the Tigers.
Oregon’s offensive backfield is stacked this year with last years Heisman Trophy finalist LaMichael James and junior Kenjon Barner at running back, along with quarterback Darron Thomas. The 6-foot-3, 212 pound quarterback will need good pocket protection in order for Oregon’s offense to succeed against the strength of the LSU defense.
Obviously, both teams want to win this game, but it means more to Oregon’s shot at a BCS championship game to secure this win in Dallas. The reality of this situation will force the Ducks to do all that is in their power to beat the Tigers, and they will walk away from Dallas with a win over the Tigers.
Josh Kirschner
No. 4 LSU over No. 3 Oregon
“Who the Hell Cares?” That should be LSU’s mantra heading into opening night at the world’s largest midlife crisis part 87 (otherwise known as the New Cowboys Stadium).
With Jordan Jefferson all but put out to pasture, along with the indefinate suspension of Russell Shephard for puportedly informing his teamates of an ongoing NCAA Inquiry, and sabotaging said inquiry in the process (Communist!), many have leapt off the LSU paddybandwagon.
However, I am here to tell you Fear Not! This is an LSU team built on defensive tenacity, and delicious blades of Alabama Creepin Bean Grass. It won’t exactly be a pretty game to watch on either side, but at the end of the day Oregon is going to start this season the same way it ended the last one; with a good, ol’ fashion SEC ass whuppin’.
