Pass or Fail-Week 1

Before I get into this week's Pass or Fail, I wanted to point out my newest endeavor: Lexycasting.

The idea behind Lexycasting is having someone reporting on a program with a 2-3 minute broadcast that can be contacted via your cell phone.

Each week, I will have a post up after reviewing the previous week's game early in the week, any mid-week news, a 2-minute drill prep post for Saturday's game, and then at least a post game post, if not some at half or during the game.

Want to know how to access it? It's simple. Just dial 1-888-622-2413 and just follow along to listen to the post.

Now, on to what this post is really about, and that's the first week in college football.

After one week, it should be quite obvious who gets the Epic Fail of the week, but what about the other fails and passes after a long weekend of college football?

Head of the Class: Notre Dame and Michigan create a match-up worth watching. I was very skeptical this past week about how Notre Dame and Michigan would perform after Rich Rodriguez's lawsuits and Charlie Weis' billboards, but both teams stepped it up and showed out. Notre Dame jumped on Nevada early and then pounded 21 points on the scoreboard in the 2nd quarter to cruise past the Wolfpack 35-0. Michigan did the same to Western Michigan, in what I had figured to be a close game, and disposed of the Broncos 31-7. Now, the two teams meet in Ann Arbor this week in what has become must see TV the way both teams performed in week one.

Pass: Daryll Clark goes off. If anyone was looking for a potential Heisman candidate at the QB position to take Sam Bradford's place, Daryll Clark made a great case against Akron on Saturday. Clark threw for 353 yards on 29 of 40 passing, all career highs, and connected for three touchdowns as the Nittany Lions rolled 31-7 over the Zips. Clark should not face a QB at his level all season, even Terrelle Pryor from Ohio State. The biggest issue for Penn State this year is playing for twelve consecutive weeks and having the final two off as other teams continue to play and improve their strength of schedule.

Fail: Navy blows it. Ohio State is one of those teams that can get caught looking ahead sometimes. Last season before playing USC, the Buckeyes struggled against Ohio before heading to the west coast to get walloped. This year, the Midshipmen brought their triple-option to Columbus and decided to wreck havoc on Scarlet and Gray. Navy had pulled within two points after a touchdown with 2:23 brought up the necessity to go for two. The Middies decided to pass on the play, and Ohio State LB Brian Rolle intercepted the attempt and ran it all the way back to give OSU two points and double the lead which they would hold on to. Navy was in shock after potentially having the chance to start the season off right, but couldn't make the plays when it counts.

Pass: Florida State and Miami turn back the clock. The question everyone was asking after this game was if both of these teams are finally back. The jury is still out on that, but the game between Miami and Florida State in Tallahassee Monday night was one for the ages. Not only did this game include questionable quarterbacks shining when it counted, but it also had one of the greatest endings in the series history. In usual fashion, FSU ended up on the losing end of an epic finish, but both teams showed great improvement, it seemed, from last year's debacle of an ACC season.

Fail: Those other 10 ACC teams face plant week one. Speaking of the ACC, FSU/Miami did a lot to save face for the conference after their Thursday and Saturday debuts. Thursday night, NC State managed to drop any ball worth a damn in their 7-3 loss to South Carolina. The weekend saw two losses to FCS teams (Virginia to William and Mary, Duke to Richmond), Wake lost to Baylor at home, and that was followed with two Saturday night losses on national television (Virginia Tech to Alabama, Maryland to Cal) in which both of the ACC teams looked overwhelmed for most of the game. Many analysts still believe that the Big East is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to BCS conference, but the ACC may deserve a look this season. The one saving grace may be the battle between Georgia Tech and North Carolina for the Coastal division title, and even that won't be enough to garner national attention and exposure.

Pass: Hello, my name is Joe Webb. If you don't know who Joe Webb is, it is about time you started to take notice. Webb is the starting QB for the UAB Blazers and will be the only reason why they may have a shot at a bowl this season. The Blazers have won only nine games over the past three seasons, but Webb may be the answer to their struggles. Here is what his first half against Rice looked like: scoring run of 15 yards, scoring run of 71 yards, touchdown pass of nine yards, touchdown pass of 22 yards. Webb finished the game with 194 rushing yards on 20 carries and 221 passing yards going 12 for 15. In other words, UAB had 516 total yards in the game, Webb accounted for 415 of them.

Fail: Lane Kiffin becomes the Mike Shula of UT football in one game. The Vols managed not only to beat Western Kentucky, but dismantled them and any dreams they had of enjoying their trip to Knoxville. Sure, Tennessee was going to win this game anyways, but for some reason, points 50-56 were aided by the arm of none other than starting QB Jonathan Crompton. The new starting QB for the Big Orange finished with five touchdown passes because he was still in the game with ten minutes left on the clock. Apparently the Village Idiot does not realize that another deer in headlights has done this before with bad results. You all remember Mike Shula's win over Florida in 2005 and Western Carolina in 2004 when the largest component of Alabama's offense went down for the season in those games. Now, I am not hoping this happens to Tennessee, nor do I expect them to get up by that much again this season, but it should be put in Kiffin's ear that bad things do happen to stupid people.

Epic Fail: This Blount actually does the hitting. Last Thursday morning, no one outside of Eugene, Oregon really knew who LaGarrette Blount was. Twenty-four hours later, his one-hit wonder on Byron Hout was seen on every episode of Sportscenter ten times an hour. Blount apparently didn't take too kindly to the words that Hout had told him after slapping his shoulder pads. Next thing you know, Boise State coach Chris Petersen is restraining Hout for the thoughts he expressed, but in fact ended up being the second bully who holds up the little freshman while the bigger guy knocks him out before both of them run off with his lunch money. Blount not only bounced away from the punch as if he just drilled a three to tie a NBA playoff game, he then proceeded to attack the fans in a manner that would have made Ron Artest proud. For his actions, Blount has been suspended for the season, and rightfully so.

Top 25, Heisman favorites, and links: Week 1

So week one is finally in the books, so I can post the first top 25 now that the week is over with.

There were some shockers, both good and bad, as well as a bad injury to my pre-season #1 team.

So now with the weekend over, where does everyone sit? Take a look for yourself.

ITNOT Top 25-Week 1

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Penn St.
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. USC
7. Oklahoma State
8. Oklahoma
9. BYU
10. Cal
11. LSU
12. Boise State
13. Mississippi
14. TCU
15. Virginia Tech
16. Georgia Tech
17. North Carolina
18. Cincinnati
19. Pittsburgh
20. Miami
21. Oregon State
22. Nebraska
23. Kansas
24. Florida State
25. Missouri

Heisman Trophy Favorites-Week 1

• Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
• Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
• Darrell Clark, QB, Penn St.
• Jahvid Best, RB, Cal
• Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech

Links

• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News reviews week one before today and has an interesting team in his #1 spot of his top ten.
• Stewart Mandel's new weekly Monday column, College Football Overtime, touches on BYU, Boise, and a lot of other tidbits from week one.
• Mark Schlabach goes into detail as to why Alabama was able to pull out their week one win against Virginia Tech in Atlanta.
• Its only week one, and ESPN already has their bowl projections out for all the world to see. Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman agree on some bowls, but differ on some BCS matchups.
• Here is the Gameday recap from this weekend, with links to each ESPN conference bloggers thoughts for what stood out to them.
• Ivan Maisel of ESPN has his three-point stance blog updated from this weekend touching on LSU, Iowa, and Liberty. You can expect to see something about Miami on Tuesday I'm sure.
• Cory McCartney of SI.com has a few tidbits as to why Alabama beat Virginia Tech from his point of view in the Dome.
• With Missouri not skipping a beat at the quarterback position, Stewart Mandel takes a look at other QBs across the country who had a great debut weekend.

Picks, Previews and Pronostications: Week 1

College Football has officially started back, and not without some opening night jaw splitting moments. (too soon? nah)

The South Carolina/NC State game did not go as I had planned, meaning that the Wolfpack wide receivers need to learn how to put two hands on the football.

Boise did pull out a win for me in the second game, and Oregon looks to be in for a long season. There are very few teams that I will probably pick for Oregon to beat this season.

If you didn't catch the 140 character predictions last night, here is what they were:

*South Carolina @ NC State

the Gamecocks D is still expected to be stout, but Russell Shepard is a beast compared to Stephen Garcia. Close gm: 21-20 Wolfpk

*Oregon @ Boise State

Masoli is a good QB, and the Ducks are gonna be good in the Pac-10, but I think the smurf turf holds strong this yr: 38-34 Boise

So after one night, I am 1-1 on the season, which isn't a bad start considering how hard those two games were to pick.

Now, with everyone else starting Saturday, it is time to get into the meat of the schedule.

Of course, each week, the 8 games selected by the Crimson White Sports Staff will be the eight major ones I select, but I will also try to cover the SEC and any other major games not picked by the staff. You would think as their sports blogger they would want my input, but sometimes logic just doesn't make sense.

Also, you will see my picks from the ESPN.com College Football Pick'em here as well. If you still want to get in on the group and not miss a week, head over the ESPN.com, and find your way to the Fantasy home page. From there, click on the College Pick'em logo, and enter into the competition by searching for the ITNOT Pick'em group and enter the group password: ITNOT. There you will be able to challenge not only me but other readers of the blog.

It would also be interesting if the sports staff would step up and join in as well, but once again, wishful thinking from that group.

So here we go with picks for Week 1.

Minnesota @ Syracuse

The Gophers will have to wait another week to open their outdoor paradise and will spend yet another game inside in the Carrier Dome. Doug Marrone will be making is head coaching debut on Saturday with Greg Paulus as his quarterback. As great of a story I think Paulus will be this season, I have to go with Adam Weber under center for Minne. Minnesota 24, Syracuse 17

Baylor @ Wake Forest

Baylor has been making some great strides the past few years, including climbing out of the basement last season in the ever steep hill that is the Big XII South. Robert Griffin may be the most underrated QB in the BCS, and Wake Forest is having to replace all but four defensive starters on their team. Art Briles returned 16 starters and gets the Demon Deacons at home this year in Waco. I like the Bears. Baylor 27, Wake Forest 24

Stanford @ Washington State

As if WAZU going 2-11 last season wasn't enough, they have to open this year against the team expected to make the biggest strides in the Pac-10 this season in Stanford. The Cardinal have a great recruiting class on the way, and Jim Harbaugh is the best coach they have had there in quite some time. The only way to go is up for the Cougars after getting beat by the Cardinal 58-0 last year. They will score this year, but not much, leaving Stanford to lead the Pac-1o for two weeks. Stanford 35, Washington State 7

*Maryland @ Cal

Cal was very highly touted last year going into College Park, and then had the fear of the turtle enacted upon them in an embarrassing 35-27 game that no where resembled the score. This year, the Terps have to fly to the Left Coast to take on the Bears in Berkeley. Cal still has the sour taste in their mouths and a Pac-1o title on their minds, so expect this one to get ugly early. Cal 38, Maryland 20

Navy @ Ohio State

Ohio State is focused on USC, but no amount of focus is going to deter them from the task at hand of Navy. The Midshipmen still run the triple option, which will definitely give Ohio State's defense fits, but Terrell Pryor is a one-man wrecking crew and won't let the Buckeyes have their national title hopes smashed before a clash with the Trojans. Ohio State, 24, Navy 10

San Jose State @ USC

Just like Ohio State, USC is looking forward to their matchup with the Buckeyes in Columbus next Saturday, but the beat up Trojans must take care of business at home first against the Spartans. Matt Barkley will become the first USC QB to start as a true freshman on Saturday, but his first loss will wait for him for at least one more week. USC 38, San Jose State 13

Missouri vs. Illinois in St. Louis

Last year's game faced Chase Daniel up against Juice Williams in a shootout that the Tigers ended up winning 52-42. This year, Juice is back, Daniel is not. In fact, neither are the Tigers top three receivers from last season. Missouri is facing a tough task with only nine returning starters going up against an Ilini team that is ready for revenge and for their first win against Mizzou in their last five chances. They get it. Illinois 28, Missouri 21

*Miami @ Florida State

In a game that used to be very hyped, no one is even bothering to take a notice of this game on Monday Night. Sure, ESPN will carry it, but the empty seats in the corners of Doak will tell the tale of how hard this rivalry has fallen. When it kicks off, Miami is no where to be found in the polls, and Florida State is #18 just because someone has to win that division. The Hurricanes return more players, but the talent gap is still visible between the two schools. Seminoles at home. Florida State 27, Miami 17

*BYU vs. Oklahoma in Dallas

The first college game in the Palace that Jerry Built will pit the Sooners and Cougars together. Max Hall vs. Sam Bradford will be the biggest competition to watch in this game, but Oklahoma still has plenty coming back on the opposite side of the ball around the reigning Heisman winner. The Sooners held Florida to 24 points in the National Title game last year, and BYU doesn't pose as much of a threat in what should be a very crimson clad crowd. Oklahoma 45, BYU 30

Western Michigan @ Michigan

Tate Forcier will be the starter amongst the three Michigan QBs who will play in Saturday's opener in the newly renovated Big House. Western Michigan brings in the better and more experience QB in the match-up as Tim Hiller leads the Broncos from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have struggled the past two seasons against non-BCS opponents, losing to Appalachian State in 2007 and Utah in 2008. Rich Rodriguez has had a tough couple of weeks, and there is a good chance that will carry on to the field. This could be a high scoring game as only eight defensive starters return between the two teams. Michigan has lost multiple OOC games the past two years. Might as well make it three. Western Michigan 31, Michigan 30

Nevada @ Notre Dame

The Golden Domers are still riding the high of the Hawaii Bowl mauling they handed out, and Jimmy Clausen's unfounded arrogance still reigns over South Bend. Nevada will give the Irish a run for their money, but the Wolfpack have never beaten a BCS team in a season opener in their last 13 tries. Make that 14 after Saturday. Notre Dame 38, Nevada 17

LSU @ Washington

After going winless in 2008, the Huskies decided they had seen enough of Tyrone Willingham and went to USC and raided the cabinet, picking out Steve Sarkisian to lead the team in Seattle this year. LSU is looking to rebound from their worst season since Nick Saban's first year in 2000. The Tigers are hungry to gain back their national respect, and a good place to start is on national television against a team with no confidence. LSU 48, Washington 10

Ole Miss @ Memphis

This may look like a road game on paper, but Oxford to Memphis is only about an hour drive, and for this Rebel team, you can be sure that some red will be scatter amongst the throngs of blue to be there for both teams. Ole Miss has made quick work of the Tigers recently, and with Jevan Snead taking snaps this year, it is going to be a long game for Memphis. Ole Miss 41, Memphis 7

Western Carolina @ Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is looking to go to back-to-back bowls for the first time in school history this season, and playing the Catamounts is going to lead to an easy victory for the 'Dores on Saturday at home. It is about time Vandy was the one doing the plowing instead of getting plowed. Vanderbilt 40, Western Carolina 10

Western Kentucky @ Tennessee

The Lane Kiffin era begins with the newest member of the FBS coming to town. Western Kentucky will bring their small contingent of fans to watch their first official game in Division I-A, leading to their first official loss. No amount of ineptitude on offense will slow down the Vols in this one. Tennessee 34, Western Kentucky 3

Charleston Southern @ Florida

Will they or won't they? That is the question surrounding Florida and their 73-point favorite line in the game against FCS cupcake Charleston Southern. Tim Tebow will probably see the bench before halftime as Urban Meyer will hand over the check himself after the game with a sly little smile and his pride that much more built up. Florida 63, Charleston Southern 7

Louisiana Tech @ Auburn

The Tigers begin the Gene Chizik era with a very losable game at home. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, coached by the former Georgia coaching great Vince Dooley's son, Derek, will have his team ready to go and attempt to improve on their 8-5 record from last season with 16 starters returning. Last year the Bulldogs got their first win against an SEC team when they beat Mississippi State. Chris Todd will do his best to make sure that Auburn isn't team #2. Sometimes your best isn't good enough. Louisiana Tech 21, Auburn 17

Miami, OH vs. Kentucky in Cincinnati

Kentucky is constantly picked last in the SEC East, but coach Rich Brooks always finds a way to improve his team. After three straight years in a bowl game, the Wildcats are looking for their fourth straight and a school record. Miami, OH no longer has Big Ben, so their one chance was about five years ago. Kentucky 31, Miami, OH 13

Missouri State @ Arkansas

Arkansas will begin year two under Bobby Petrino ready to do some damage with Michael Smith back and the addition of Ryan Mallet in the backfield. This game will be a walk in the park, even for the Hogs porous defense. At least three touchdowns for Mallett. Arakansas 42, Missouri State 14

Jackson State @ Mississippi State

Dan Mullen begins his head coaching career against Jackson State. The Bulldogs have had their largest ticket sales in school history this summer, and Mullen should have a rowdy crowd ready for the in-state opponent. Mississippi State 28, Jackson State 10

*Georgia @ Oklahoma State

One of two marquee games for the SEC this first week includes Georgia breaking in a new quarterback while Oklahoma State breaks in their stadium expansion. The Cowboys are looking to make some noise this year in the Big XII South with the lethal combination of QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez Bryant, and RB Kendall Hunter. Georgia has given up 30+ points 11 times in the past four seasons. Saturday will be the 12th time. Oklahoma State 35, Georgia 31


*Alabama vs. Virginia Tech in Atlanta

The Crimson Tide begin their season in Atlanta for the second straight year, but the coaching ability on the opposing sideline has greatly increased. Virginia Tech has as just a vaunted a defense as Alabama, and the established quarterback, but Alabama brings back nine defensive starters against a team without their best running back available. Special teams will play a role in this game, but Alabama might actually hold the edge in the category. With all of that said, the game won't be a blow out, but there will be a measured difference in ability between the Tide and the Hokies. Alabama 24, Virginia Tech 10

Links

• The Orlando Sentinel Sports Staff, all ten of them, let you know who they think has the edge this weekend. And yes, they all picked Florida.
• Chris Low of ESPN.com breaks down week one in the SEC.
• The CBS Sports "experts" make their picks for the first week of the season, even though none of these guys I would really trust.
• Tony Barnhart puts his faith in both major conference teams from the state of Georgia for this weekend.
• Stewart Mandel, quite possibly my favorite writer and go-to guy online, has his thoughts on the upcoming weekend.
• Charles Hollis of the Birmingham News lays out his picks and has one of the SEC teams in the state losing on Saturday.
• Cory McCartney of SI.com picks Alabama/VT as his game of the week in his thorough breakdown of the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game.

Who is Virginia Tech, anyway?

There has been plenty of time this off season to dissect and investigate anything and everything about the Hokies leading up to Saturday's kickoff in Atlanta.

They are lead by head coach Frank Beamer who will be kicking off his 23rd season in Blacksburg on September 5th.

Virginia Tech is coming off a 10-4 season which included an ACC title as well as Orange Bowl victory over Big East champ Cincinnati, 20-7.

On offense, the Hokies return nine starters, including junior Tyrod Taylor. Taylor is supposed to be much improved from the 99-173 quarterback he was a year ago, throwing for only 1,036 yards, and had a 1:3.5 touchdown to interception ratio.

The biggest question mark for Virginia Tech is definitely their passing game heading into the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Classic, but there is also the question of who will replace Darren Evans in the backfield for VT.

Evans, a 1200-yard rusher last season as a freshman, is out for the season with an ACL tear. The rest of their backfield has been beat up this pre-season as well, but it looks as if Ryan Williams, who was redshirted last season, is going to get the nod to start.

On Defense, the Hokies have the same vaunted reputation as the Crimson Tide. They return seven starters from their defense, but are replacing two of their linebackers in their 4-3 defense and must replace their top two tacklers from last season.

Their defensive line is definitely not an issue, as Jason Worilds returns after an eight sack, 10.5 tackles for loss season a year ago. You can bet to hear his name a lot and see his number six jersey chasing Greg McElroy this Saturday.

As for special teams, the Hokies pride themselves on "Beamer Ball," which means, as the man put it himself, "Anyone on the field at anytime can score for us." This reaches not only from their special teams, which struggled last season by giving up three punts for touchdowns, way about their standards, but to their defense, where every position on the field has scored at some point during Beamer's tenure.

Look for the Hokies to blitz hard on punts and kicks, as well as break some seams on their returns if Alabama gives them the slightest bit of room.

For the intangibles, the Hokies are a lowly 1-10 versus the Crimson Tide, but won the last meeting in 1998 at the Music City Bowl. Alabama played miserably in that 38-7 loss to the boys from Blacksburg that afternoon.

Not only is the head-to-head record in Alabama's favor, but so is the fact that Beamer is just 5-24 against Top 10 teams in his 23 years at Virginia Tech, as well as 9-12 at neutral sites.

The Hokies have also been talking a little smack so far. Williams has already called the Bama game his "break-out" game to the country, and OL Sergio Render has said he thinks center Beau Warren can handle Terrance Cody all by his lonesome.

Nonetheless, it will be an interesting game to watch come Saturday night in Atlanta.

Links

• Here is the ESPN GameDay Kickoff which is posted every Thursday by Chris Fowler. This week it highlights all things important in week one, meaning the five or so games that are actually worth watching.
• Sports Illustrated has their predictions for the entire season up and running with all their college football typing-heads giving their two cents for the season.

Does College Football Really Need an Exhibition Game?

A few weeks ago, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez spoke out in favor of college football adding an exhibition game to the schedule.

"If there was one rule to change in Division I college football, they would allow you to have a exhibition or preseason game against somebody else. We're the only level (without one.)"

Sure, most people would think this is because he hadn't, and still hasn't, picked a starter from one of his three quarterbacks he says will all play on Saturday against Western Michigan. Or it could be he just wants to work his team of sissies even more than he already does, but the idea seemed to have fallen on deaf ears until yesterday.

That is when Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer spoke up about adding an exhibition game to the college football schedule.

Beamer had the same sentiments as Rodriguez did, including wanting the chance to "get some of the things out of the way that come up in that first ball game."

While this seems like a good idea to begin with, the ability to start off in a game that doesn't count, there are a few problems with it.

First, how would a team feel if injuries happened in that exhibition game? It is bad enough Virginia Tech has lost start running back Darren Evans for the season in practice, but how would that go over if he tore his ACL in an exhibition game?

Teams already lose players in scrimmages. USC has averaged losing one starter per scrimmage so far this preseason without playing one real snap. Would creating an exhibition really make them feel any better when a player got hurt?

Speaking of USC, and this goes for many other teams across the Bowl Subdivision, they already have an "exhibition game" the first week of the season.

The Trojans open up their season with San Jose State, one of the better choices for week one cupcakes, before their big game in Columbus with Ohio State. The Buckeyes open the year with Navy.

In the SEC alone, teams are playing Jackson State, Western Carolina, Charleston Southern, and Memphis, just to name a few, in week one as a warm-up game for the better teams on the schedule.

Finally, should anyone really be surprised that Virginia Tech and Michigan are asking for exhibition games?

If there are any two teams in college football who just down right suck out of the gate, it's these two.

Remember 2007 for Michigan. Most people would consider Appalachian State an exhibition game, and Michigan lost to them at home. Last year, Michigan lost to Toledo at home to begin the year. Toledo is at least a Bowl Subdivision squad, but no where near the BCS.

As for Beamer's Boys, they are only 4-2 in their last five season openers, including last year's loss to East Carolina at home on ESPN.

In 2007, the had to rely on a fourth quarter punt block to take down the Pirates in Blacksburg. After that game, LSU put a boot up their "you know whats" in Baton Rouge on national prime time television.

So the question still remains, is an exhibition game really necessary? Well, Rodriguez did have one good thing to say in his rant on the subject.

"Imagine the crowd we'd have at the Big House if we had a spring game against somebody here."

A home-and-home scrimmage in the spring does not sound like a bad idea.

Nonetheless, I would still want to play Michigan.

College Football Pass or Fail: Offseason Recap

Day two of game week only means four more days until Alabama and Virginia Tech kick off in Atlanta, and only two more until South Carolina/NC State and Oregon/Boise State.

Of course, the path to these games takes all off-season to prepare for, and some things went better for some teams than others.

Sure, there will be some hits and misses here, but this is the gist of things from the off-season that will have the greatest impact in 2009.

Head of the Class: Heisman hype is here! Even though not one game has yet to kickoff, it is pretty safe to say the Heisman trophy of 2009 will go to one position, and one of three men who play it. Short of Best running for 1500 yards or Dez, Julio or AJ going for 1200 and 15 TDs, Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, or Colt McCoy will come away with the bronze this December. Never in the history of college football have two Heisman winners returned for a season, and surprisingly, neither of them have a legit leg up on the other two vying for the title. None the less, this season should be a real treat for college football fans watching these guys battle it out, and to see if anyone can actually challenge them for a spot in New York.

Pass: Minnesota moving outside this year. The Golden Gophers will now have a new home at the TCF Bank Stadium. The new digs include a horseshoe style stadium with two levels located just outside of town on Minneapolis plus a very soccer-esque look of colored seats with the school name spelled out in the seats. The weather may not be a factor for the first game against Air Force, but once Illinois comes calling November 7th, the snow and cold might sway the play of the Ilini in that game.

Fail: Credentials are out of control. After the incident with a blogger and Tim Tebow at SEC Media Days, I have to call into question who the SEC and other conferences allow to their Media Days and other events. Personally, I don't view an individual blogger as a member of the media. If the blogger is connected to a respected site or newspaper, sure, let them in. In other words, I have more credentials than the crack addict who asked Tebow if he has used his Heisman trophy as a seduction tool. With this precedent, don't be surprised if in three years the SEC is getting requests from people on Facebook with 1,000 friends or Twitter with 500 followers. The SEC needs a stricter policy before the circus that hits Hoover every July gets even more out of hand.

Pass: Everybody, say hello to Western Kentucky. Yes, yes, team number 120 becomes official this year as the Hilltoppers join the Sun Belt conference as a part of the Bowl Subdivision. After two years in a relative purgatory, Big Red and Co. have ascended into the realm of the big boys. Their initial prize, opening at Neyland Stadium.

Fail: Oh yea, that Kiffin guy may have finally shut up. Maybe. Speaking of Neyland, one man who made more headlines than his team did was Lane Kiffin. The Vols did a good job of recruiting under Kiffin in his first go-around, but the Village Idiot had plenty to say about his guys, his opponents and his opponents guys. Around Media Days, he had finally toned things down a bit, but the man still needs to learn one important lesson in life: even if you are nervous, you must breathe.

Pass: New Rules!!! As usual, the Rules Committee has decided that college football isn't restricted enough, so they came up with new rules once again. For the first time in almost four years, they didn't touch the clock, which is probably why this is a pass rather than a fail. The two major additions are as follows: First, teams are now allowed to play through the whistle on a play deemed an incomplete pass. What this means is that if the ruling on the field is overturned to a fumble, and the defense recovers, the defense will get the ball. Second, the road teams will now be allowed to wear dark colors as long as they do not clash with the home team's jerseys. In other words, don't be shocked if the Village Idiot goes into Gainesville on September 19th wearing orange.

Fail: Watch lists going off of school rather than skill. Before reading this, take a look at the Davey O'Brien Award watch list for the best quarterback in college football. Now, here is what I see wrong with this picture: Ryan Mallett and Aaron Corp have never started a college football game. EVER. Hell, Aaron Corp lost his starting job, yet still made this list. Josh Nesbitt of Georgia Tech had 123 ATTEMPTS last season, only completing 54 of them for a 44% completion rating, and he is on the list. Tyrod Taylor threw for 1036 yards last season and made this list. My problem with this list, as well as others done before the season, is how are guys who perform well suppose to make it into the running? What if Joe Cox or Greg McElroy light up defenses this year? What should they do about Crompton if he decides to finally play like a man? What about if Matt Barkley or Russell Shepard lead their team to the National Title game? Why even have a watch list to begin with? Each individual award is better off waiting for the season to play out a bit, just like the BCS, and then unveiling their semifinalists for all the world to see. But then again, this is college football, logic doesn't exist.

Epic Fail: Florida State vs. Miami, tickets STILL available. Only ten years ago, it was one of the most vicious, talked about rivalries in college football. Now, it can't even fill a stadium. Labor Day evening used to be known for this game, now its just there. With Randy Shannon struggling to right the Hurricanes ship, and Florida State making more news off the field than on, no one really cares about this game. In all actuality, Miami could start an 0-4 season at this game, and I wouldn't put it past them.

Links

• My weekly Tuesday favorite is no other than Pat Forde's "Forde Yard-Dash." It covers forty national topics in the span of the column for each week of the season. To kick things off, he looks as to why this season will be a special one in the minds of college football fans. Forde's twitter is @espn4d.
• Want to know the best games to watch for this season? Well, Mark Schlabach has taken time out of his day to lay out the schedule for every week of the season, and you can bet there are potential upsets every week of the season. His twitter is @Mark_Schlabach.
• One man who knows and loves college football is Tony Barnhart, columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has a blog that runs every day in the AJC, and today's is on coach Saban's new contract and how Alabama has him at a bargain. His twitter is @MrCFB.
• From the Sporting News' Matt Hayes, here is a look at why Atlanta has become the new college football hot spot for premiere games to begin the season and why the city may be pushing these marquee games year after year. The twitter for all things Sporting News is @sninsider.
• Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples began his new blog for the site on college football today called In the Trenches, and today he has already gotten a post up about his attempt to secure the records from coaches voting in the ESPN/USAToday poll. His twitter is @Andy_Staples.
• I know football is now only two days away, but anyone who knows me knows that basketball is as much of a draw as football. In other words, here is the preview of the SEC for this season from espn.com, with Alabama being mentioned only when Anthony Grant is mentioned as well.

Top 25, Heisman favorites, and links: Pre-season

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now officially game week.

And with game week comes the return of the daily grind of In the Nic of Time, starting with the weekly Monday edition with the Top 25, Heisman trophy favorites, and as many links as you have time for.

Something I want to get is the pulse of students on campus or readers of the blog, so if you want to have your say in the weekly Monday Top 25, just send me an email at jngulas@gmail.com and I will send you a reminder every Sunday morning.

Also, want to play college pick'em with me and some of the other readers? Join the ESPN.com College Pick'em group. It's easy. Just search for the group "ITNOT Pick'em" and put in the password ITNOT. Just like that, you are in.

Now, let's get to the substance of the blog.

ITNOT's pre-season Top 25

1. Oklahoma
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Penn. St.
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. Ohio State
8. Mississippi
9. Oklahoma St.
10. USC
11. Virginia Tech
12. Georgia
13. Cal
14. TCU
15. Boise St.
16. BYU
17. Illinois
18. Florida State
19. North Carolina
20. Georgia Tech
21. Iowa
22. Pittsburgh
23. Oregon State
24. Nebraska
25. Kansas

Heisman trophy favorites entering the season

• Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
• Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
• Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
• Jahvis Best, RB, Cal
• Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
• Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

Links

Once the season gets going, Monday will be the busiest day for links, but this first week, it might seem pretty even every day.

• One of the favorites of some football fans is the vaunted, and in my opinion, overrated, helmet schedule. So for those of you who want one for the SEC, here ya go.
• Since Ian Rapaport left for the Boston Herald, The Birmingham News has now hired Don Kausler, Jr. to replace him. His latest this morning is on Tide punter P.J. Fitzgerald's opinion that Alabama is ready for Beamer Ball. He also reported that Alabama will be in white once again for the Chick-fil-a Kickoff on Saturday. His twitter is @Tide_Source.
• Gentry Estes has been on the Bama Beat for a few years now, and has five questions heading into the final week of practice before Virginia Tech. His twitter is @BamaBeat.
• Stewart Mandel, one of my favorite links during the week, now has a Monday column called College Football Overtime to go along with his Wednesday mailbag. His twitter is @SIMandel.
• Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated has a blueprint on how to stop Tim Tebow, and who knows if anyone can follow it to perfection. His twitter is @andy_staples.
• Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com will be producing his Three-point Stance blog on a more regular basis this year, and his latest talks about Nick Saban's contract extension at Alabama. His twitter is @Ivan_Maisel.
• Chris Low is the official blogger for ESPN.com on the SEC, and he will have regular updates every day and always has lunchtime links that cover the conference. In his latest post, however, deals with his visit to Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks, who kickoff the college football season on Thursday. His twitter is @ESPN_SEC.
• SECsports.com has debuted a new website today with more stats and information than ever before. Their twitter is @SECSportsUpdate.
• One of the best places for any and all SEC information is the Orlando Sentinel, who have an article covering what would be 10 surprising upsets of this college football season. The sports editor is Tim Stephens, and his twitter is @twstephens.
• Finally, and this goes for any day, if you want to go to one place that has even more links here for the entire conference, hit up dandbradio.com, the official website of the Dunaway and Brown show in Birmingham. Their twitter is @dandbradio.

Of course, if you want to know when the next blog is available, you can follow me on twitter as well, @ng11787. Along with blog updates, I will have re-tweets of pertinent stories, break downs of my Wednesday radio show on 90.7 FM, the Capstone in Tuscaloosa, and any random musings you may find entertaining throughout the day.

Be sure to check back tomorrow as I will go through the first Pass or Fail of the College Football season, covering what happened during the off-season.

It has been a long eight months, but it will be good to get back into the swing of things this week.