SEPTEMBER’S NOT COMING FAST ENOUGH

Via Every Day Should Be Saturday, here are three quick questions on the college football season:

1. What’s THE critical game of the season on the national scene? We’re looking for the one that will influence the most outcomes in a single span of sixty minutes. Please try to diversify your answers and think of something other than Ohio State-Texas, for example.

Not a problem, since I don’t think that Ohio State-Texas will wind up being a terribly critical game at all. My pick is Tennessee at LSU on Sept. 24th. LSU has a fairly clear path to the SEC West title, with only a rebuilding Auburn team as a potential roadblock. This game will give everyone an early glimpse of how good these two breathlessly hyped teams are, which means we’ll know if the SEC will offer a national title contender this year.

2.What’s the most critical matchup for your team? Again, we know we’ll hear OSU-Michigan from you
Wolverines, but we ask you to think in terms of multiple scenarios here.

It’s hip to say that the Iowa/Ohio State matchup is key, but if the Hawkeyes are going to have another ten-win season, they’ll have to get past Iowa State in Ames on September 10th. A year ago, I’d have been self-consciously ironic in writing that sentence, since the Cyclopaths didn’t scare anybody except the court administrators in Story County. But ISU got a lot better as the season went on, and you don’t have to be a Welch Avenue lunatic to think they’ve got a good shot at winning the Big Twelve North this season. (Of course, that’s a distinction sort of like being voted the best sommelier in Wyoming, but I digress.) Why is this game important? Because if Iowa doesn’t win, that trip to Columbus won’t loom quite so large.

3. What’s your wingnut upset prediction of year?
No hedging (or common sense) wanted here; we know everyone has a paint-chip eating, lunatic pick lurking somewhere in their brain. Go ahead and fess up on the record so you can gloat with pride later.

Colorado over Miami on September 24th. Am I the only person who’s noticed that Larry Coker hasn’t done so well without Butch Davis’ recruits? I know I’m going way out on a limb by predicting Colorado will win a game in September, but something tells me Miami’s run at the top will be short-lived this season.