Only College Football Sports is proud to present this week's Top 25 Preview. Each Thursday throughout the season, Only College Football will bring you a new Top 25 preview featuring shorts on the upcoming games, team match-ups, and the prediction of our Top 25 Analyst Elijah Caswell.
#1 Miami VS Florida A&M Miami’s first game of the season should be a walk in the park. The 'Canes have faced the Division 1AA Rattlers five times in their history and have won all but the initial meeting. (The last Rattler victory was in 1979.)If the Canes have any Achilles heel this year it is their offensive line. QB Ken Dorsey was sacked only four times last season, as the 'Canes had a mammoth OL that any coach would sell his soul for. But with OTs Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez and G Martin Bibla off to the NFL, Miami’s biggest concern will be the play of their rebuilt O-line.
The 'Canes secondary lost four starters, including Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year Ed Reed, and if the replacements are not quick learners, opposing quarterbacks could give the Miami secondary a workout.
That said, I cannot foresee FAMU doing much at all to exploit the 'Canes vulnerabilities and this game should be a big Miami victory. Prediction: Miami 52 Florida A&M 10
#1 Oklahoma AT Tulsa Oklahoma, through some act of God, is now tied with Miami for first place in the AP poll. This with neither team yet to take the field.
Despite losing the nations best defensive back in Roy Williams, the Sooners still have a powerful defense. Andre Woolfolk will fill the void left by Williams, and sophomore Tommie Harris will also make key contributions. Keith Burns, Head Coach of the Hurricanes has his work cut out for him as he tries to figure out how to get through the Sooner D. But Burns pulls double duty as he is also the defensive coordinator. He has reported that he is very pleased with the defense in the preseason scrimmages, but this week they're likely to have a bit more than they can handle. Prediction: Oklahoma 42 Tulsa 17
#3 Texas VS North Texas Chris Simms is once again the man in Austin, and he looks to take the 'Horns to the promised land. Simms has the raw ability, but for Texas to ascend to the National Championship, Simms needs to take his game to the next level. (Simms has 11 picks and 0 TDs in three starts -- all losses -- against Top 10 teams.) Though North Texas is hardly a Top 10 team, the MeanGreen are one of the strongest teams in the fledgling SBC and should provide at least one good half of ball. Texas is favored by close to 40 in this one but I think UNT makes it a bit more of a ball game. Prediction: Texas 38 North Texas 17
#4 Tennessee VS Wyoming Tennessee will be playing without the help of receiver Kelley Washington (64/1,010 5TDs ly) but it is unlikely to make much of a difference. The Vols have made progress with their defensive front, but I doubt this weeks game will provide much of a test. Of all the games this week, this looks to be the most lopsided. (Wyoming? More like, Whyshowup.) The Cowboys do have a good kicker, but unfortunately I think the only action he'll see is the opening kick off. Prediction: Tennessee 45 Wyoming 0
#5 Florida State VS Virginia Last week, both FSU and Virginia had their fate decided on the last play of the game. Both teams do not want to allow the situation to occur again. Though Florida St is nearly unstoppable at Doak against the ACC, I think this game may be a lot closer than the consensus opinion. FSU is possibly the most over rated team in the top 25 at present and if UVA can shore up the turnovers that plagued them last week I think this game will be a battle. Prediction: Florida State 33 Virginia 30
#6 Florida VS UAB Despite the fact that All-SEC safety Todd Johnson may not play this week, Florida is still a very solid team. With a quarterback like Rex Grossman, Florida has the talent and leadership to walk right through UAB. The Blazer defense must keep Grossman in check. I don’t think they can. Prediction: Florida 48 UAB 14
#7 Colorado VS Colorado State I would argue that Colorado has the best nucleus of running backs in College Football. They have three guys that could start for any school in the nation. Chris Brown (946RY, 16 TDs, including a 198-yard, 6 TD performance against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game), shifty Bobby Purify (916 RY, 5.8 YPC) and the dynamic Marcus Houston (finally 100 percent after groin and hip flexor injuries derailed his first two years at CU). Colorado State counters with a strong back of their own who put up big numbers during the Rams season opener. Cecil Sapp carried 25 times for 179 yards and 2 TDs. He averaged 8 yards a carry, and hopes to do the same against rival Colorado. The Rams want revenge for the embarrassing 41-14 finish last year. Too bad they won’t get it. Prediction: Colorado 35 Colorado State 24
# 8 Georgia VS Clemson Georgia is inexperienced on D (DL and Safety) this year, but has a group of talented youngsters. Clemson is fast, well-coached, and should give UGA all they can handle. Clemson has a good running game and the Tiger O-line will create holes big enough to expose the ‘Dawg secondary. This is the key to the game and why Clemson pulls the upset. Prediction: Georgia 17 Clemson 23
#9 Nebraska VS Troy State New quarterback, same Nebraska. Jammal Lord proved he could run during his first start at quarterback for Nebraska (17/119). Though he did struggle with the option, and he wasn’t always sharp with his passes, neither of these will matter against the Trojans. Troy State played a competitive first half last year, but with Nebraska already having a game under their belt this could be ugly. Prediction: Nebraska 49 Troy State 6
#11 Washington AT #13 Michigan. GAME OF THE WEEK This is the “Must See” game of the week. It features two top 25 programs, and a UM team looking for revenge for an embarrassing break down last year at Husky stadium. Washington needs a strong performance by quarterback Cody Pickett and a major defensive effort to shut down the UM ground game. If they can keep the Wolverines under 200 on the ground I think they steal one in the BigHouse. Prediction: Washington 35 Michigan 32
#12 Washington State VS Nevada Washington State begins its quest for its first Pac-10 championship in 41 years, and the Cougars are excited to start their season. The Cougars return 28 players that started at least one game last season and the experience should help them notch their first victory. Not to discount the ‘Pack here, but one RB (Chance Kretschmer) and his rushing skill is not enough to win big games. Prediction: Washington State 28 Nevada 10
#14 LSU AT #16 Virginia Tech Even with the loss of last years stars, receiver Josh Reed and quarterback Rohan Davey, the Tigers should challenge for the SEC crown. They start the season with a huge test against Virginia Tech. LaBrandon Toefield (992RY, 19TDs) appears healthy after tearing his ACL in the SEC championship game. He teams with multipurpose threat Domanick Davis (528 yards), and if Virginia Tech is going to win this game, they MUST stop this duo. Hokies running back Lee Suggs, the nation's leading scorer two years ago, made a successful return after missing nearly all of last year with a torn ligament in his left knee. Suggs will be a big part of the Hokie game plan, and he must have a fantastic game if the Hokies want to remain undefeated. (LSU won’t allow the Hokies to take a 56-0 lead at half time.) The game will be good, but LSU is the better team. Prediction: LSU 35 Virginia Tech 31
#15 Oregon VS Mississippi St Oregon has a lethal weapon at running back -- Onterrio Smith. Last season Smith broke Ahmad Rashad’s 30-year-old school record with a 285-yard rushing performance against Washington State. He led the PAC-10 in yards per carry and became the first Oregon sophomore to rush for more than 1,000 yards. And he did it as a backup! Provided he can stay out of trouble he will carry the Ducks this year. Mississippi St is coming off of a disappointing year and both the O & D needed retooling. The Bulldog DL is a tough experienced group, but they won’t win the game against the Ducks. Prediction: Oregon 27 Miss St 10
#17 Louisville VS Kentucky Louisville is coming off a great year and the expectations are high. The Cardinals, are led by quarterback Dave Ragone, a Heisman candidate who looks to propel his team past a rival Wildcat team. Kentucky has been a perennial pushover in CFB and this year looks to be no different. They have the proverbial “Snowball’s chance” due to the fact that Louisville has a load of replacements to make on the O and they looked rough in Spring Scrimmages, but I don’t think that makes much of a difference and I see Ragone walking right through the Wildcat D. Prediction: Louisville 31 Kentucky 3
#18 Michigan State VS Eastern Michigan Michigan has a pair of stars that are going to turn the Eastern Michigan defense inside out. QB Jeff Smoker, and WR Charles Rogers could make this as brutal as the Tennessee game. Prediction: Michigan State 34 Eastern Michigan 7
#19 Marshall VS Appalachian St Super quarterback Byron Leftwich is one of the most talented players in college football. He has a cannon for an arm, he reads defenses well, and he makes great decisions. Combine that with the fact he can scramble when necessary and he’s huge (6’7” 230) this all spells trouble for Appalachian State. Not to ignore the fact the App.St. is the only team to win more than once at Marshall Stadium, or to ignore that they are the #2 1AA team. I just don’t think they have the tools to stop the Herd O. Prediction: Marshall 41 Appalachian St 14
#20 USC VS Auburn With the loss of cornerback Kevin Arbet the Trojans are left vulnerable in their secondary. Daniel Cobb will get the nod at QB for the Tigers (he came off the bench to lead the Tigers over an upset of Florida last season) and has the talent and leadership to drop USC at home. Prediction: USC 10 Auburn 14
#21 Maryland VS Notre Dame Maryland is coming off a big year and if they want to make an early statement, Notre Dame is the perfect place to make it. Unfortunately RB Bruce Perry has a torn groin muscle and will be out for several weeks. The Terps won’t be able to compensate for his loss and though new Irish Coach Ty Willingham will not be able to run the “West-Coast” O as effectively as he would like, he’ll still roll by the “Perry-less” Terps. Prediction: Maryland 24 Notre Dame 33
#22 South Carolina VS New Mexico State South Carolina is coached by one of the greatest minds of college football, and Lou Holtz will have his team prepared. Though the ‘Cocks are a relatively young bunch this season, they will breeze by the Aggies. Prediction: South Carolina 24 New Mexico State 10
#23 Texas A&M VS Louisiana The Aggies are ranked a little lower then they would like (likely due to their anemic offense) and they need a big game against the ‘Cajuns to start the season out right. The A&M D will have no problems containing the Cajun attack, but they will need to muster something more effective than last year’s pathetic offense (11th in the Big 12). Prediction: Texas A&M 28 La Lafayette 9
#24 Penn State VS Central Florida Penn State certainly has the capability of having a strong team. The offense is solid, and if the Lions can get good play out of their linebackers, their defense will be a force to be reckoned with. Sophomore QB Zack Mills, is mobile, talented, and will cause all sorts of problems for Central Florida. The MAC has played Giant Killers to the Big Ten but the Knights fall short this time. Prediction: Penn State 21 Central Florida 10
#25 N.C State VS East Tenn. St. NC State grabbed its first win last week, and seems to have what it takes to add a second win to their standings. If quarterback Philip Rivers remains hot his offense will light up East Tenn. St. The Wolf Pack has a potent and will put up big numbers here. Prediction: NC State 45 East Tenn. St 13
