In The Bleachers Live is back tonight after a week off. I will have three, with a possibility of a fourth guest along with our regular Jeff Brancolini and his Bologna Chopshop, to preview the SEC. I haven’t got word as to what the topic for the Chopshop will be this week, but if you’ve heard them before, you know it is always an interesting piece.

Joining me at 9:20pm EST will be Justin Hokanson. Justin is the Auburn Community leader over at the Bleacher Report. He and I will discuss the Tigers and their new spread offense. We will also touch on, who are the real contenders in the SEC West, and do they stand a chance against the East in the SEC Title game.

My next guest, joining me around 9:35 EST will be Joel Hollingsworth from the popular blog Rocky Top Talk. Joel started the College Football Blogger Awards and is a crack wiz when it comes to talking about Tennessee Football. We’ll discuss the Vols’ chances to unseat Georgia and Florida in the SEC East.

At 9:50pm EST, Spencer Hall from the ever so popular blog EDSBS, podcast EDSBS LIVE, and now the Sporting News will be joining me. My first beef with Mr. Hall is to find out what the heck I have to do to get on his blogroll and the blogpoll! Plus I’m sure he’ll tell us about all of the superpowers Tim Tebow unlocked this offseason.

Finally, if time permits and if he got my email, Adam Nettina will join me to talk some SEC and to tell us about his trip to Navy’s media day.

Once again we will be using Talkshoe to do the live podcast. If you plan on being there, sign up for a username so I know who you are when you are in the chat room. It only takes a few seconds and it is free! The information for tonight’s live podcast is below:

In The Bleachers Live Podcast Link
When: 9:00 EST
Phone Number to Call In: (724) 444-7444
Talkcast ID: 81065

Yesterday the Big East held their Media Day in which the writers picked who they would finish atop the conference this year. It should come as no surprise that the West Virginia Mountaineers were picked to finish first by 22 of the 24 writers attending, with South Florida and Pittsburgh garnering the other two votes. The rest of the conference shook out as follows:


1. West Virginia (22) 189
2. USF (1) 149
3. Pittsburgh (1) 128
4. Rutgers 110
5. Cincinnati 98
6. Connecticut 97
7. Louisville 69
8. Syracuse 24


I think the real wildcard of the Big East is going to be Pittsburgh. The Panthers have the potential to contend for a conference crown, but in my mind their offensive line is still a bit of a question mark. Then you have USF, who lost their starting two cornerbacks, and it will be interesting to see if they can still play aggressive, blitzing defense losing those two guys.

You have to feel a bit bad for Syracuse, I know I did especially when I talked to Sean Keeley in the Big East Preview Podcast. The Orange are 45 points behind their next highest contender.

All in all I believe that the Media did put a bit of a shaft on Rutgers. I think this team has the potential to be very explosive offensively with wide receivers Underwood and Britt. And we know that on the defensive side of the ball Greg Schiano will have this team prepared.

To be honest, the ACC was in my opinion, the worst BCS conference in the country. This year they might overtake the Big East, but that’s as far up as they will go unless teams like Florida State and Miami come back to national prominence. Here is how the media predicts the 2008 season with first place votes in parentheses.


Atlantic Division
1. Clemson (59) 383
2. Wake Forest (5) 304
3. Florida State (1) 265
4. Boston College 154
5. Maryland 147
6. NC State 112



Coastal Division
1. Virginia Tech (58) 383
2. North Carolina (4) 288
3. Miami (1) 253
4. Georgia Tech (1) 195
5. Virginia (1) 161
6. Duke 85


ACC Championship Game Winner: Clemson (51 votes)

I can’t really argue with either choice for the Atlantic and Coast Division champions. If I am going to nit pick a little, I cant see Georgia Tech finishing 4th in the Coastal Division, I see them at 5th. Other than that, I agree with the media’s assessment.

Once again the Big Ten has to be different, it isn’t enough that they are the Big Ten, with Eleven teams, but when they do their media day predictions they are not spelled out like every other conference. That’s not even mentioning that I live in Pittsburgh and STILL don’t get the Big Ten Network.

Not as impressive as USC going for 7 straight conference titles, but the Ohio State Buckeyes are looking for their 4th straight Big Ten Title. Before Penn State fans get all fired up with me, technically the Buckeyes’ split with the Nittany Lions in 2005 due to wait for it…wacky Big Ten rules. Sorry to have to spell it out for Nittany Lions fans, but after the Outside the Lines segment on ESPN on Sunday, Penn State fans are a bit cranky.

Getting back to the Media predictions; once again the Buckeyes are picked to finish first in the conference. Wisconsin was picked at number 2, and Illinois at number 3, again firing up Penn State fans.

Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells was voted Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while teammate and linebacker James Laurinaitis was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Both the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks were huge surprises in 2007, and with 17 starters returning, the Tigers should contend for another Big 12 title. In the South, it looks as if Oklahoma will once again be the pick with Texas and Texas Tech right behind them. As I have said a few times before, if the Red Raiders can find a hint of defense, they can be dangerous. Here are the media’s predictions for the Big 12:


North
1. Missouri (51) 306
2. Kansas 234
3. Nebraska 183
4. Colorado 181
5. Kansas State 108
6. Iowa State 59

South
1. Oklahoma (49) 304
2. Texas (2) 230
3. Texas Tech 227
4. Oklahoma State 140
5. Texas A&M 118
6. Baylor 52


In the South, it is going to be an interesting battle between the Aggies, Cowboys, and Red Raiders for the middle portion of that Division. Even with a new coach, I will not count out the Aggies with a QB like Stephen McGee.

In the North, it isn’t a surprise that Missouri is #1, but I am a bit surprised that Colorado is not ranked over Nebraska. I think the Buffaloes are a team on the rise, while the Cornhuskers will improve, but not enough to finish in the top half of the North.

The USC Trojans enter this season looking for a school record 7th straight Pac 10 Title. Looking at the Pac 10 from top to bottom, it doesn’t look as tough as in previous years and once again the Trojans are picked by the media to win the conference title. Here are the rest of the standings.


1. Southern California (38) 389
2. Arizona State, 330
3. Oregon, 295
4. California (1), 274
5. UCLA, 204
6. Oregon State, 192
7. Arizona, 185
8. Washington, 139
9. Stanford, 76
10. Washington State, 61


Southern Cal at number one does not surprise me, but who gave the Bears a #1 vote? That’s a bit of a head scratcher in my opinion. I think the Arizona Wildcats with their explosive offense will be the surprise team of the conference, while UCLA will be in the bottom half. I think their #5 ranking was more of a reflection of the respect the media has for their new coach.

I usually post these up each season so that I can look back and see how good the main stream media does picking each conference. Since I was gone last week, a few BCS Conferences had their Media Days, so I will start with the best conference, the SEC. Here are the predictions from the media with first place votes in parentheses:


Eastern Division
1. Florida (45) 98
2. Georgia (23) 121
3. Tennessee (2) 222
4. South Carolina 266
5. Kentucky 356
6. Vanderbilt 407

Western Division
1. Auburn (48) 99
2. LSU (21) 120
3. Alabama 228
4. Mississippi State 299
5. Ole Miss (1) 338
6. Arkansas 386

SEC Champion - Florida (36), Georgia (18), Auburn (13), LSU (1), Tennessee (1), Ole Miss (1).


I was a bit surprised to see Florida picked over Georgia since all you hear about is how Georgia could be the #1 or #2 ranked team in most of the preseason polls. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have the reigning Heisman winner Tim Tebow and one of the most exciting players in the country with Percy Harvin on your team.

As far as the West, it is hard to argue with Auburn being the pick, but what is with Ole Miss getting a first place vote? Take away that man’s press pass.

There’s Ohio State and USC. Georgia traveling to the desert to take on Arizona State. And who can forget about the always competitive Red River Rivalry that has long crowned not only the Big XII champion, but given one team a shot at the National Championship?

It’s no secret that these are the kinds of games fans and analysts are already salivating over as we find ourselves a little more than a month away from the start of the 2008 college football season. Yet beyond the hoopla and buildup of these monumental out-of-conference contests and long-circled conference showdowns, the road to a national championship is forged through the weekly grind of conference games against seemingly lower competition. Known to many as “trap” or even “landmine” games, these are the contests that go under the radar every year, and are frequently overlooked as fans and media members make their preseason predictions. Yet perhaps now more than ever, as the twelfth game format transforms the landscape of scheduling, these games have the chance (some may even argue the propensity) to rock-the-boat of title hopefuls and throw the entire BCS race upside down.

We of course saw this on numerous occasions last season. From South Florida’s unlikely early season run being deflated against what many considered a down Rutgers team to West Virginia’s infamous collapse against a mediocre Pitt club in the Backyard Brawl, 2007 was filled with an any-given-Saturday conference mentality that seemed to reshuffle the Top 10 on a nightly basis. Even eventual National Champion LSU was not immune, losing to a pair of 8-5 teams in Arkansas and Kentucky which many people expected them to beat.

So what does 2008 hold in store? If you’re asking me I’d tell you likely more of that same, although perhaps not with the same frequency we saw in 2007. Nevertheless, here are seven under-the-radar games which could present unforeseen problems for this year’s national title contenders, and possibly affect the race to get to the BCS National Championship Game.

Florida at Miami (September 6^th)- It’s not that Randy Shannon is going to have Miami in the Top 15 this year. Frankly, I have serious reservations about the Hurricanes even achieving bowl eligibility this season. Yet for all the challenges Miami should face in 2008 (see: quarterback play) the Hurricanes supposedly remain not only one of the most talented teams in the country, but one of only a few teams with the defensive speed to be able to matchup with Urban Meyer’s scheme. If Shannon can get the Hurricanes to play to win (that is to say play some offense) and Miami can get even a little better offensive line and quarterback play, than this should be a much closer matchup than many people might have originally thought.

Georgia at Kentucky (November 8^th)- Your classic “sandwich game,” Georgia could very well find itself #1 in the nation if Mark Richt’s team can get past Florida in the preceding week. Yet with an SEC finale against what figures to be a title contending Auburn team on the 15^th the Bulldogs could be susceptible to looking past coach Rich Brooks’ Kentucky Wildcats, who may analysts feel could challenge Vanderbilt for last place in the SEC East this year. Kentucky’s offense will likely take a step back from 2007 with the loss of QB Andre Woodson, RB Rafeal Little, and pass catchers Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme, but with eight returning starters on a defense which held Georgia to a season low 99 passing yards last season the Wildcats have more than enough talent and confidence to give Matt Staford and company fits.

Ohio State at Michigan State (October 18^th)- Everyone wants to talk about Ohio State’s early season showdown with Southern California- and rightly so. Yet the expectation has been that if the Buckeyes can get past the Trojans on September 13^th than it’ll be smooth sailing for the scarlet and red until the season finale against Michigan. Personally, I think that notion is worth a “not so fast my friend.” If any Big 10 team has the capability to stun Ohio State it’ll be the Spartans, who will have the benefit of getting the Buckeyes coming into East Lansing a week before Ohio State’s Homecoming showdown with Penn State. Remember that Michigan State hung around with the Buckeyes last season, eventually falling 24-17 despite being an 18 point underdog on the road. With the bruising Javon Ringer back at running back and a full year under QB Brian Hoyer’s belt expect a more explosive Spartan offense with the ability to stick with Ohio State once again in 2008.

Southern California at Arizona (October 25^th)- A perennial contender when it comes to the National Title, Southern California has dominated the Pacific-10 conference under headman Pete Carrol, who is 76-14 through seven seasons at USC. Arizona meanwhile has struggled under Mike Soops, who has failed to get his team past the 6-6 hump in his four seasons in Tucson. Sounds like a sure-thing, right? Maybe, but USC has slipped up against mid to low level Pac-10 teams the past two seasons and Arizona looks to be much better offensively this year. The Trojans had to stage a second half comeback to overcome the Wildcats in a 20-13 win last season, but with 10 returning starters on offense and another year in Sonny Dykes’ system I think the Wildcats will have the ability to hang around late in the game this year. Keep in mind that Stoops’ 2006 team dashed Cal’s National Title hopes in 2006 with a late season win. Can lightning strike twice?

Texas Tech at Oklahoma (November 15^th)- Seldom is there a more important game for Oklahoma than the annual Red River Rivalry with the University of Texas, but looking into 2008 the late November matchup with Texas Tech may present the more important contest in the Sooners’ presumed run at a National Title. Not that Bob Stoops will have his team looking past the Red Raiders, who stunned then 3^rd ranked Oklahoma in Lubbock last year. Still, not everyone is buying into Texas Tech, which despite returning a loaded offense still has yet to breakthrough and capture a Big XII title until headman Mike Leach. Yet with three starters lost from a secondary that gave up 420 passing yards to Tech in last year’s game, I look for the Sooner defense to struggle even more so against Graham Harrell and company in 2008, possibly opening the door for a late season upset opportunity.   

Clemson at Duke (November 15^th)- Now that the initial shock has worn off from seeing “Duke” and a “National Championship” in the same post, let’s discuss this one. Some may scoff at the notion of Clemson as a realistic National Title contender, but then again who realistically thought Boston College would be in position to vie for the BCS Title before a late season collapse last year?  There isn’t much precedence for Duke to beat an ACC team (much less the most talented ACC team) but that fact alone gives the Blue Devils and new Head Coach David Cutcliffe the ability to sneak up on the Tigers, who will be coming off what could be an energy depleting road game at Florida State. Duke has better talent than most people around the country realize, and with seventeen returning starters more than enough experience to start wining games right away. If the team can catch on to Cutcliffe’s scheme and coaching style, the Blue Devils should be in a position to surprise at least one unlucky ACC team in 2008.

BYU at TCU (October 16^th)- I’d be lying if I said that hearing the national media types assess BYU’s schedule this year hasn’t caused me the occasional chuckle. Sure, matchups against Washington and UCLA are huge, but putting the Huskies or Bruins on a pedestal above the likes of TCU or Utah seems almost laughable. Texas Christian is coming off of a somewhat disappointing season, but the Horned Frogs return fifteen total starters from a team which finished the year strong last year. QB Andy Dalton should be better, and despite the loss of both starting defensive ends the Horned Frogs should be stout on defense as usual. Gary Patterson coached teams tend to play with a chip on their shoulder, and having been dethroned from the top of the conference the past two seasons they’ll be primed to pull out all the stops against the Cougars.  

Aside from covering college football for Inthebleachers.net, Adam Nettina works as the Mid-American Conference analysts for the brand-spankin’ new CollegeFootballNews.com blog team, and the host of the weekly college football themed Under Center Show. You can read his weekly column at CollegeFootballNews.com.

I will be taking a break from posting at In The Bleachers for about 6 or 7 days. I am headed to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to take in some sun and beach. Then later in the week I am headed to the Nation’s Capital to take in the sights and to tour the White House and Capitol Buildings.

In my absence Adam has promised to put up a post or two and maybe if Eric reads this he will do the same. Have a great week everyone!

Can USC make it a school record 7 straight Pacific Ten titles in a row in 2008? Find out the answer to that as well as the outlook for the rest of the teams in the conference in this week’s episode of the In The Bleachers Podcast.

Jeff Brancolini ranks the teams of the Pac 10 according to the POWER of their mascots. Also joining Brian on the show is Bleacher Report writer Lisa Horne who also writes for FoxSports.com. Lisa gives a good overview of USC’s strength’s and weaknesses, and also talks about which teams could challenge them this season.

Andy Botros from Gutty Little Bruins a UCLA blog is my second guest. Andy talks about the uphill battle 2008 will be for the Bruins team.

My final guest was Avinash Kunnath, a California Bears fan and blogger on the site Bears Necessity. Avi fills us in about the QB battle between Nate Longshore and Kevin Riley as well as who might replace Justin Forsett and DeSean Jackson.

To listen to the episode you can download it here, or subscribe as laid out below.

Remember, if you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedbuner but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for “In The Bleachers” on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Enjoy this week’s episode of In The Bleachers and if you have any questions or comments to the show please email them to inthebleachers AT gmail DOT com.