I am back for another year of predicting Big Ten games. Each Friday I’ll have a brief summary of what I think the key points are in the games, along with my predictions. Last year I had a good record getting 80% of the games right, so let’s see if I can continue the trend this season.

Youngstown State at Ohio State - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Penguins face a tough task playing against the Buckeyes’ in Columbus. Ohio State has not lost to a team in Ohio since the 1920s, and I have no doubt in my mind that will extend another year. As I said before on the blog, I believe Ohio State is the best team in the Big Ten and they will blow Youngstown State out of the water. What I am most looking forward to is seeing some highlights of Terrell Pryor. Ohio State 60-6

Coastal Carolina at Penn State - Big Ten Network 12pm - Penn State made a lot of news this offseason, off the field, now it is time for them to make it on the field. Paterno named Daryll Clark the starter, but we will also see Pat Devlin play in this game with the first team. I am interested in seeing how the defense looks without linebacker Sean Lee and with the defensive line getting thinner and thinner by the moment. The most interesting storyline is the starting quarterback for Coastal Carolina is the brother of former Penn State quarterback Wally Richardson. Penn State 57-7

Maine at Iowa - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Hawkeyes need at least a winning season if they want to save their coach Kirk Ferentz’s job for another year. No one in Iowa City knows what really to expect of this team; it can go anywhere from 3 wins up to 8 wins. Iowa had a lot of off the field issues which they had to deal with and no one knows what to expect each time Jake Christensen steps on the field. If this team struggles against Maine, buckle up Hawkeye fans, but I don’t think they will. Iowa 31-10

Akron at Wisconsin - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Badgers are notorious for making cupcake games hard, look back at last year against UNLV and two years earlier against Bowling Green. Wisconsin is loaded on offense with running back PJ Hill and one of the best tight ends in the country Travis Beckum. It’ll be on quarterback Allan Evridge’s shoulder as to how far this team really does go. Akron is probably the worst team in the MAC East, so the Badgers should dispose of them quite early. Wisconsin 47-13

Western Kentucky at Indiana - Big Ten Network 12pm - This is the second year for the Hilltoppers playing in a FBS conference, the Sun Belt. They were 7-5 last year, but still played a lot of FCS opponents. The Hoosiers made a bowl game for the first time in a long time, but lost their star wide receiver James Hardy to the NFL. Kellen Lewis is back starting at quarterback, even after all of the off the field issues in the spring. Indiana will not be as good as in 2007, but they are good enough to beat Western Kentucky. Although, it might be a bit of a struggle. Indiana 27-17

Syracuse at Northwestern - ESPN2 12pm - This is going to be an interesting game because it will set the tone for each of these teams for the rest of the year. The Orange desperately need to win this one to cool off Greg Robinson’s hot seat, while Northwestern wants to climb back up into the Bowl picture after missing it last season. CJ Bacher is back at quarterback and Tyrell Sutton hopes to regain his freshman year for as a senior. The Orange have to rely a lot on Andrew Robinson and with his favorite target Mike Williams gone for the year, it is going to be tough. I like the Wildcats in this one. Northwestern 28-20

Utah at Michigan - ABC 3:30pm - This is one of our games of the week. We’ve heard it all about Michigan and now this is going to be a down year because of their offense, but with most of their defense returning, they could carry the team until the offense clicks. Utah is one of the best teams in the WAC led by their quarterback Brian Johnson who has been a bit injury prone. Running back Darrell Mack is the star of the Utes offense. Between Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet, Michigan has to find a quarterback and keep an eye on true freshman Sam McGuffie. I predict he make a highlight reel play in his first game in the Big House. Michigan avenges their loss to ASU last year and their defense wins the game for them in a low scoring game. Michigan 17-13

Northern Illinois at Minnesota - Big Ten Network 7pm - Between these two teams they had a total of 3 wins last season. The Huskies are breaking in a new coach Jerry Kill, while in Gopherland it is the second year for Tim Brewster. The Gophers have some nice talent in their system, but it is real young. Adam Weber is the quarterback for Minnesota who can do damage with his arm and his legs as he led the team in both rushing and passing last year. His favorite target is Eric Decker. I think this game will be close for awhile, but over all the Gophers have too much talent for the Huskies. Minnesota 24-16

Michigan State at California - ABC 8pm - These last two games are huge for the overall view of the Big Ten. The Spartans are one team that I think can surprise the ranks of the Big Ten. I like Brian Hoyer at quarterback and I also think Javon Ringer can pick up where he left off last year running the ball. The psyche for both the Bears and the Spartans are very fragile, the can fall from grace in the drop of a hate. The Bears named Kevin Riley, but lost their talent at both wide receiver and running back. Cal will be able to tame the Spartans with their tough corners but I think Sparty grinds away a victory on the ground. Michigan State 31-27

Illinois at Missouri - ESPN 8:30pm - The Missouri Tigers have national title dreams, while Illinois is hoping to repeat from last season and go back to a BCS Bowl game. The Tigers are stacked offensively with Chase Daniel at quarterback and Jeremy Maclin at wide receiver. Maclin is going to cause fits in the Illini secondary. Juice Williams will be the quarterback for the Illini, but Ron Zook is hoping not only does Juice protect the ball better, but his completion percentage rises above the 50% mark. Arrelious Benn will be the main guy for the Juice to throw to, and could be a factor in the return game. Remember last year, Eddie McGee replaced Juice Williams and almost led the Illini in a comeback victory which just fell short on 4th down. This year, it will not be the same. Missouri will step on the gas from the start and Illinois will be left in the dust. Missouri 40-21

If you haven’t listened to the ITB Predictions Podcast to hear myself, along with some of the best and brightest bloggers on all of the internet make predictions on the 2008 season then stop reading right now. At the end of the season, I will be sure to reference this thread to laugh at, mock, and praise everyone with their correct or incorrect picks. Click on more to see a full list of all of the predictions.

Read more… »

Each week we’ll have about 5-9 games for you to pick straight up. To participate, just join our pool. It’s free to play, and FunOfficePools.com is spam-free as well. The pool is open now to join, and first picks are due by August 28th - so sign up now. The pool will run the whole regular season, concluding on December 6th with, among other games, the conference championship games.

We’ll be giving away some prizes periodically as well as a grand prize to the overall winner.

Pool Type: College Football Pick em.
Pool Name: In The Bleachers Operation Pick Em
Password: bleachers
Selection Name: [Insert Your Name]

Thursday, August 28th
Vanderbilt at Miami-Ohio 7:30 pm ESPNU
Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech 7:30 pm ESPN360
Charleston Southern at Miami-Fla. 7:30 pm ESPN360
NC State at South Carolina 8 pm ESPN
Wake Forest at Baylor 8 pm Fox Sport Net
South Dakota State at Iowa State 8 pm FCS Central
Oregon State at Stanford 9 pm ESPN2

Friday, August 29th
Temple at Army 7 pm ESPN Classic
SMU at Rice 8 pm ESPN

Saturday, August 30th
East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech 12 pm ESPN
Syracuse at Northwestern 12 pm ESPN2
Maine at Iowa 12 pm Big 10 Network
Western Kentucky at Indiana 12 pm Big 10 Network
Youngstown State at Ohio State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Coastal Carolina at Penn State 12 pm Big 10 Network
Akron at Wisconsin 12 pm Big 10 Network
Hawaii at Florida 12:30 pm ESPN360
Ohio at Wyoming 2 pm Mountain West Sports
USC at Virginia 3:30 pm ABC (ESPN2)
Utah at Michigan 3:30 pm ABC
Oklahoma State at Washington State 3:30 pm Fox Sport Net
Towson at Navy 3:30 pm CBS-CSN
Delaware at Maryland 3:45 pm ESPNU
Appalachian State at LSU 5 pm ESPN
Northern Iowa at BYU 6 pm Mountain West Sports
TCU at New Mexico 6 pm Versus
Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech 6:45 pm ESPN2
Northern Illinois at Minnesota 7 pm Big 10 Network
Boston College vs. Kent State 7:30 pm ESPNU
Alabama vs. Clemson 8 pm ABC
Michigan State at California 8 pm ABC
Illinois vs. Missouri 8:30 pm ESPN
Washington at Oregon 10 pm Fox Sport Net

Sunday, August 31st
Hampton vs. Jackson State 2 pm ESPN2
Kentucky at Louisville 3:30 pm ESPN
Colorado vs. Colorado State 7:30 pm Fox Sport Net

Monday, September 1st
Fresno State at Rutgers 4:30 pm ESPN
Tennessee at UCLA 8 pm ESPN

Do you like bloggers and fans making predictions? If so, this is the show for you as it is jammed packed with over 2 hours of people making predictions. Each guest picked the Conference Winners of the ACC (Coastal & Atlantic), SEC (East & West), Big Ten, Big East, Pac Ten, Big 12 (North & South), Heisman Champion, BCS Championship game and winner, how many wins Notre Dame will have this year, and finally, they all made one BOLD prediction for the 2008 season.

On the show were Justin Hokanson from the Bleacher Report and Gridiron Guru, Sean Keeley from Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, Jon Johnston from Corn Nation, Joel Hollingsworth from Rocky Top Talk, Michael Felder Jr from Bleacher Report, Peter Bean from Burnt Orange Nation & EDSBS Live, John Radcliff from Mountainlair, Spencer Hall from EDSBS, EDSBS Live, and the Sporting News, Big Head from MIZZOURAH, and Adam Nettina from College Football News and ITB. I will post all of their predictions on the blog before the weekend.

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.

It is time to lay it all out on the line. Everyone has had seven months to pore over magazines, internet sites, and blogs, so tonight on In The Bleachers Live is the night we make our bold predictions on what is going to happen in the 2008 College Football Season.

On tonight’s show each guest will pick the Conference Winners of the ACC (Coastal & Atlantic), SEC (East & West), Big Ten, Big East, Pac Ten, Big 12 (North & South), Heisman Champion, BCS Championship game and winner. I will tally all of these predictions and post them on the blog. At the end of the season we’ll find out who has the clearest crystal ball.

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:

Guest List
9:10pm EST - Big Head from MIZZOURAH
9:20pm EST - Justin Hokanson from the Bleacher Report and Gridiron Guru
9:30pm EST - Sean Keeley from Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
9:40pm EST - Jon Johnston from Corn Nation
9:50pm EST - Joel Hollingsworth from Rocky Top Talk
10:00pm EST - Michael Felder Jr from Bleacher Report
10:10pm EST - Peter Bean from Burnt Orange Nation & EDSBS Live
10:20pm EST - John Radcliff from Mountainlair
10:30pm EST - Spencer Hall from EDSBS, EDSBS Live, and the Sporting News
10:40pm EST - Adam Nettina from College Football News and ITB

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

Also if you haven’t signed up for the pick em you still have time. To participate, just join our game . It’s completely free to play, and FunOfficePools.com is spam-free as well. The pool is open now to join, and first picks are due by August 28th - so sign up now. The pool will run the whole regular season, concluding on December 6th with, among other games, the conference championship games. I will be handing out prizes to the winners.

If you’ve already signed up, click here to go to the FunOfficePools main page and log in.

Pool Type: College Football Pick em.
Pool Name: In The Bleachers Operation Pick Em
Password: bleachers
Selection Name: [Insert Your Name]

We’re but a few days away from the opening kickoff of the 2008 season, and with it an opportunity to put the “shoulds” and “coulds” of the preseason behind us to find out just how week one of the season will shake down. Here’s some last minute predictions for the non-BCS conferences.

10. Both Wyoming and New Mexico State will Go Bowling- Far from the hype of the BYU’s and Fresno State’s of the world, the Wyoming Cowboys and New Mexico State Aggies both stand at a crossroad. Each program saw relative success early in the tenures of their respective head coaches, but after disappointments and an inability to follow up that success, both Joe Glenn and Hal Mumme find themselves on hot seats. Fortunately for each, I think both these teams make it to a bowl game in 2008, playing each other in the New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico State will take advantage of a power vacuum in the middle of the WAC to get there, while Wyoming will finally get consistent enough quarterback play to get over the hump in the MWC.

9. Ryan Mathews Will Lead the WAC in rushing- Don’t get me wrong; I’m as big of a Luke Lippincott or Ian Johnson fan as you will find, and happen to think both will have tremendous senior seasons. But anyone who saw true freshmen Ryan Mathews dominate conference play last year will tell you he’s something special. With a veteran offensive line returning in front of him, he’ll topple his 2007 numbers and become the offense’s most potent weapon in 2008. 

8. San Diego State Will Lose to Cal Poly- What happens when you take one of the better FCS teams and let them play one of the worst FBS teams? Actually, most of the time the FBS team will still win, but with the Aztecs already having one of the worst run defenses in the FBS and having to replace three offensive lineman, their star quarterback, and top two pass catchers from a year ago their prospects do not look good at all in the opening matchup.

 

7. Tulsa Will Break Scoring Record Against North Texas- What happens when you give the reigns of two non-BCS conference offenses to former record setting high school coaches? What happens when an offense which averaged over 40 ppg in a new system a year goes up against a defense which allowed over 40 ppg last season? You get a recipe for sixty minutes of fast break action, that’s what you get.

6. Buffalo will Win the MAC East- With every MAC East team getting at least one first place vote in the MAC Media Poll at the conference’s media day last month, the consensus is that the Eastern half of the conference is up for grabs. Buffalo has just as good of a shot as anyone else, and with Turner Gill getting a veteran Drew Willy back at quarterback the Bulls will find themselves in the MAC championship game by season’s end.

5. Navy Will Keep the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy- I have no idea why some people think that just because Paul Johnson is gone that Navy will suddenly regress as preeminent among Service Academy teams. Sure, that Troy Calhoun fellow had a decent year out in Colorado Spring last year, but after losing almost all his offensive production to graduation this spring (and what was left of it to injury this summer) the Falcons will be in major rebuilding mode. The same can be said for Army, which likely will have significant “ground express” issues on offense as they move to an option based offense (basically, they will fumble a lot) in Stan Brock’s second year. No, Navy may not be as good this year as they were last year or the year before, but they won’t have to be to make it back to the White House lawn next spring.

4. Florida Atlantic WON’T Win the Sun Belt- The conference is better than most people (myself grudgingly included) give it credit for, and like the MAC I think we’re seeing it even out from top to bottom, with too many teams gunning for the supposed “top team.” I think FAU finds its way into a bowl now that the Sun Belt has secured multiple tie-ins, but a dog-eat-dog conference slate will leave the conference with an unlikely winner. Just don’t ask me who exactly it will be.

3. Max Hall Will Be a Heisman Finalist- I think I’ve said all I could possible say on this subject.

2. Boise State will win the WAC- No disrespect to Fresno State but the Bulldogs have suffered too many past letdowns in conference for me to be downing the Kool-Aid this early. I actually think Pat Hill’s club gets past the likes of Rutgers, UCLA, and Wisconsin; but just like in 2004 when they crushed Washington and Kansas State to come out of the gates they’ll proceed to drop a game against a mid-level WAC team somewhere in the middle of the season, and will eventually fall to a Boise State team which makes it’s pay off of winning conference championships.

1. BYU will go to a BCS Bowl Game…And Win- I’ve said it before in much more detail, but just in case you’ve been turning a deaf ear to me I’ll go over the abridged version one more time. BYU’s offense will be nothing short of prolific now that Max Hall and company have had an entire offseason to gel, while the defense, despite major personnel losses, will be serviceable under Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s tutelage and scheme. Once more, they’re playing a schedule that supports getting to a BCS bowl game, and with Mendenhall’s ability to keep his team humble he won’t likely have them looking past potentially dangerous conference matchups with Utah and TCU.

Aside from covering college football for In The Bleachers, Adam Nettina covers college MAC East and Independent football for CollegeFootballNews.com

5. Georgia Bulldogs - Yes both the AP and Coaches believe that the Bulldogs are the best team in the country right now, but I beg to differ. They do have plenty of talent on their offense led by maybe the best pro prospect quarterback in the country, Matthew Stafford. Last year Stafford had a good year throwing for 2500 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore, and the emergence of running back Knowshon Moreno helped take a bit of the pressure off. Moreno rushed for 1300 yards and 14 touchdowns. Caleb King is a true freshman should provide depth behind Moreno. The offensive line took a bit of a hit when Trinton Sturdivant injured his knee and was declared out for the season. He protected Stafford’s blind side, so we’ll have to see if Georgia found an answer at left tackle.

On defense, the Bulldogs have the most talented defensive line in the country. Rodrick Battle, Jeff Ownes, and Geno Atkins anchor a line that gave up just over 100 yards per game on the ground. The secondary returns three starters from a ground that only gave up 213 yards per game through the air. Georgia’s schedule is brutal. They have a stretch where they play at South Carolina, at Arizona State, then home against Alabama and Tennessee. Then later in the year they play at LSU, home against Florida, and two weeks later at Auburn. If this team makes it through the year with only one loss, they better be playing for a BCS title.

4. Florida Gators - The Gators would be ranked much higher, but they have taken some hits on the injury front during fall camp. Tight end Cornelius Ingram, strong safety Dorain Munroe, and 3 other Gators tore their ACLs and will miss the season. Percy Harvin is banged up still with the heel injury. But they do have Superman, Tim Tebow, which no other team can claim. Tebow, last year’s Heisman winner, is looking to build off a season where he threw and ran for over 20 touchdowns. Keeping him healthy should be Florida’s #1 priority. USC transfer Emmanuel Moody should start at running back and hopefully take some of the running load off of Tebow. Also Gator fans are really excited for Chris Rainey, the fastest Gator on the team, to touch the ball and use his speed in the open field.

On defense, the Gators do have some experience back in the secondary and that was a bit of a concern last season as they gave up 260 yards per game through the air. Like every SEC team, the Gators have a tough schedule. Their OOC games are home against Hawaii and Miami, and finishing the season against Florida State. The good part for the Gators is that they do not have tough stretches in their schedule like Georgia does. Their toughest one might be early on when they play Miami, at Tennessee, and the home against Ole Miss. If Tebow can stay healthy and the defense can tighten up, the Gators might be playing for their second title in three years.

3. Southern California Trojans - Year in and year out the Trojans have the talent to compete for a national title, and this year is no different. In 2007, their defense only gave up 16 points per game which was good for 2nd best in the country. Also, USC only gave up 84 yards on the ground and 190 yard through the air, and the unfortunate part for their opponents is that the core of their defense is back. Fili Moala, Brian Cushing, and Rey Maualuga are the key players back on defense that returns 7 starters from last season.

It is weird to say this but the Trojans’ weakness might be their offense. They still have questions on the offensive line and their receivers, although full of talent, are mainly unproven. Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton both have starting experience, but were not focal points of the offense. Questions are still surrounding quarterback Mark Sanchez and his ability to win the big games, even more now since he got injured and missed most of fall camp. Running backs Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight should be playmakers for the offense. Besides games against Arizona State and Oregon, USC should have a realitively easy time in the Pac Ten. The game on September 13, when Ohio State comes to the Coliseum, will tell which of those two teams will be playing for the title in January.

2. Oklahoma Sooners - For the second year in a row the Sooners had a poor showing in the Fiesta Bowl, but with the talent they have returning, they should at least get back there for a third season. On both the offense and the defense, their lines are one of the best you will find in all of the country. Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford should have plenty of time to throw and hopefully avoid that sophomore jinx that has plagued a few quarterbacks. DeMarco Murray will become the go to guy at running back while Juaquin Iglesias and Maneul Johnson are the top returning receivers.

If you are looking for a weakness with the Sooners, it might be at linebacker where Ryan Reynolds is the only returning starter. However, junior college transfer Mike Balogun has been drawing rave reviews and might put defensive coordinator Brent Venables in a tough situation because Balogun plays the same position as Reynolds, so does Venables play one of them out of position. The game circled for the Sooners is always the Red River Shootout with Texas. This year it is no different, but they might add November 22nd also to avenge last year’s loss to Texas Tech. If all goes well, they should be playing Missouri in the Big 12 championship game, for a chance to play in the BCS title game.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes - Go ahead and laugh, shake your head, call me an idiot, but this is Tressel’s best team out of his past two that went to the BCS title game. Their return 9 starters on offense and 8 on defense. Including Heisman Candidate Chris Wells and Mr Linebacker James Laurinaitis. Their receivers are quality with the Brian’s, Hartline and Robiskie, and tight end Rory Nicol. Their defense is stacked and as I said returns many starters from a team that gave up 12 points per game, 82 yards on the ground, 150 yards passing, and only 233 total yards per game. In three of those categories they were ranked #1 and the other they were #3.

The Buckeyes’ have two things working against them, one is that the media and most college football fans do not want them back in the title game. So unless they run the table, they will not be playing for a BCS title for the third year in a row. Secondly, I am not sure if Todd Boeckman is the man to carry this team to a title. He must be steady and mistake free, I know he will not win a game for you, but he certainly can lose one. One game will make or break their season, September 13 at Southern Cal. If they lose their, the best they will do is the Rose Bowl. A win against USC, leaves them with their toughest game at Wisconsin on October 4th.

[ITB Preseason 6-10]
[ITB Preseason 11-15]
[ITB Preseason 16-20]
[ITB Preseason 21-25]

10. Texas Longhorns - This year the Longhorns will find out if Colt McCoy just had a sophomore slump, or if he really has regressed in his development. Texas has no lack of talent on offense or defense, but it does have some holes to fill from departures. Their offensive line returns 4 of 5 and Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley are back to catch balls for McCoy.

A lot of Texas’ success lies directly on McCoy’s back. He has to protect the ball a bit better than last year and not try to carry the entire load of the team. The weak point in the Longhorns’ defense is their secondary. Fans are excited for new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and they’ll get to see his revamped secondary at work when they play pass happy teams like UTEP, Rice, and Arkansas early on. Those are all games they should win, so it should get the young secondary some much needed practice before the tough slate of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Missouri hit in a row.

9. Clemson Tigers - I don’t think there is much doubt, that on paper, the Clemson Tigers are the best team in the ACC. They have two solid running backs, James Davis and CJ Spiller, two returning wide receivers, Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham, and the best quarterback in the ACC Cullen Harper. If the Tigers can get some blocking from their guys up front, this could be one of the most dangerous offenses in the country.

On defense they return 7 starters, with their entire secondary returning. Up front Ricky Sapp, Dorell Scott, and Rashaad Jackson anchor a defensive line and don’t forget about true freshman Da’Quan Bowers who has been turning heads at fall practice. We will see what the Tigers are made up of early when they play Alabama in Atlanta. After that, they really do not have a tough game until the end of September, early October with Maryland and Wake Forest. Wins there and there could be smooth sailing to the ACC Title game.

8. Auburn Tigers - This is a team that I think should be getting a lot more hype, but since Georgia, Florida, and LSU are media darlings, Auburn is flying a bit under the radar. They implemented the spread offense back in the bowl game with offensive coordinator Tony Franklin being the brains of it. Kodi Burns and Chris Todd will be fighting for the quarterback job with Brad Lester back as running back. Their line returns all five starters.

New defensive coordinator, Paul Rhodes, has experience defending spread offensive from his days at Pittsburgh, but now he has more talented players to run his schemes. Rhodes has a good core of 8 returning starters to build off of. The only place they are a little inexperienced is the defensive line. The Tigers schedule starts out slow, but the game against LSU on September 20th could go a long way in deciding who represents the SEC West in the title game. A game to keep an eye on is October 23rd at Morgantown. The Tigers hope that Paul Rhodes’ defense can shut down the WVU spread like he did with Pitt last season.

7. West Virginia Mountaineers - New coach Bill Stewart will have the same general philosophy as the old coach who I will not name. Pat White returns for his senior season, but it will be Noel Devine that lines up behind him, not Steve Slaton like in years past. The Mountaineers have 4 returning starters on the offensive line which should help make holes for their speedy backs.

On defense there are quite a few holes to fill as they only return 4 starters, but two of those starters, Mortty Ivy and Reed Williams were among the top tacklers for the Mountaineers last season. The Mountaineers are riding the high of another BCS bowl win. They hope to erase the heartache of the Pitt loss and start a new chapter under Bill Stewart. They have two tough non-conference games at Colorado and back home against Auburn. If they get past those I know they will be looking forward to revenge at Pittsburgh November 28th. The following week could be for the Big East title as they host South Florida.

6. Missouri Tigers - If you have been keeping track, this is the 3rd team named the Tigers in the rankings 6-10. The Missouri Tigers are led by Heisman Candidate Chase Daniel. Daniel mastered an offense that scored 39.9 points per game, threw for 314 ypg, and overall had 490 yards per game. They were ranked in the top ten in each category. Returning at wide out is the speedy Jeremy Maclin who had over 1000 yards receiving. Their offensive line is nothing to blink at either as tough Ryan Madison and Kurtis Gregory return to anchor it.

The Tigers’ defense wasn’t bad at all last year either, but if I were to nit pick, they do need to improve a bit on the pass defense. That shouldn’t be hard with 4 returning starters in the secondary and I guess the passing stats can be a little misleading since most teams were playing from behind against Missouri. The Tigers open up against Illinois, a team they should be able to handle. But keep an eye out in October when they play both Texas and Colorado. They end up the year in Kansas City against Kansas. If all goes well for Missouri fans they will be back in Kansas City the following week for the Big 12 title game.

[ITB Preseason 11-15]
[ITB Preseason 16-20]
[ITB Preseason 21-25]

Announcing the In The Bleachers Operation Pick’em Game

We are excited to announce a new feature here at In The Bleachers! In conjunction with FunOfficePools, we will be running a college football office pool. Let’s find out who is really the best prognosticator of the pigskin. Each week we’ll have about 8 games for you to pick - we’ll be picking the winners only - no spreads. We’ll be picking games that include the best matchups each week. Last year’s winner Lorena, will be looking to defend her title again.

The prizes I have so far are Ivan Maisel new book “The Maisel Report: College Football’s Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions” and also the USA Today is sending me three books called The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia. I am in talks with a few other sponsors to get some more prizes.

To participate, just join our game . It’s completely free to play, and FunOfficePools.com is spam-free as well. The pool is open now to join, and first picks are due by August 28th - so sign up now. The pool will run the whole regular season, concluding on December 6th with, among other games, the conference championship games.

If you’ve already signed up, click here to go to the FunOfficePools main page and log in.

Pool Type: College Football Pick em.
Pool Name: In The Bleachers Operation Pick Em
Password: bleachers
Selection Name: [Insert Your Name]