Aaron Murray is hoping to lead Georgia to victory against Clemson. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week One of The Lowe Down.
It’s been an eventful offseason to say the least. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has acted more like an out-of-control movie star rather than a Heisman Trophy winner with his off-field antics and alleged pay-to-sign autograph fiasco, which ultimately led to a little tap on the wrist (a whopping half-game suspension) by the NCAA.
The NCAA also made a bold rule change by implanting an automatic ejection and 15-yard personal foul penalty for players who target defenseless players.
Although the cause for ejection will be replayed in the booth, this change could play a major role in the success or failure of a team’s championship hopes considering that if an aforementioned play happens in the second half of a game, the player will have to sit out the first half of the next game as well. Now think about that for a minute. And let’s use the Georgia/Clemson game as an example. Say one of Georgia’s key defensive players nails a Clemson receiver late in the fourth quarter and draws a personal foul — and is ejected. He would then half to sit out the first half against South Carolina, which could be huge for a team like the Bulldogs, who are expected to compete for a national title.
I’m all for rule changes in order to protect players, but this type of penalty seems a little harsh. And who’s to say that that lone referee in the box won’t be for the team the penalty is going in favor of? Regardless, this new rule could be a disaster when all is said and done.
Alright, time for my picks for the national title game and winner. And yes, the SEC will make the big dance again … and win it again. I’ll go with Alabama and Oregon playing for the title. Unless you are oblivious to seeing good football, the Crimson Tide will be too tough to stop once again in the SEC. And that will lead them into a matchup with the explosive Ducks for the rights to the crystal football. But in the end, Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide will be too much for a speedy Oregon team loaded with good players. In the meantime, let’s check out the games for college football’s opening week. As always, good luck to your team. To the games we go…
Thursday, August 29th
North Carolina at No. 6 South Carolina 5:00 p.m. CT
Larry Fedora’s high-powered, up-temp offense, led by quarterback Brynn Renner, could give South Carolina’s defense some problems. But Heisman candidate Jadeveon Clowney will make a big defensive play and the Gamecocks will pull out a tough one.
The Lowe Down: North Carolina 20, South Carolina 27
Utah State at Utah 7:00 p.m. CT
Don’t sleep on the Aggies. Quarterback Chuckie Keeton is a fabulous talent, and Utah State’s defense was one of the best statistical units in America a season ago. Utah is always tough at home, but Kyle Whittingham’s team will be tested to its limits against a team with something to prove.
The Lowe Down: Utah State 23, Utah 20
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt 8:15 p.m. CT
This is what I like to term the classic “springboard game.” Whichever team wins it, it should carry momentum into Week Two. Lose it, and a downward spiral may be in store. Last year the Rebels lost a heartbreaker by point at home to the Commodores, but without the school’s all-time leading rusher Zac Stacy and quarterback Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt won’t be quite the same team in 2013. The Rebels have one of the toughest schedules in America (after first two games play at Texas, at Alabama, at Auburn, Texas A&M and LSU all in-a-row) to open the season, so this is a must-win game for Hugh Freeze’s team.
The Lowe Down: Ole Miss 31, Vanderbilt 20
No. 24 USC at Hawaii 10:00 CT
Hawaii head coach Norm Chow and USC head coach Lane Kiffin were a part of one of the most successful runs in Trojans’ history when the two coached with Pete Carroll in Southern California. But they’ll be adversaries when USC invades Rainbow Warrior land. Chow thinks he has a keeper in junior college transfer Taylor Graham at QB. Graham, the son of former NFL signal-caller Kent, will need to have a big day if Hawaii has any hope of pulling the upset. USC’s defense has holes, so that may be possible. Eh … not.
The Lowe Down: USC 42, Hawaii 27
Friday, August 30th
Texas Tech 38
SMU 27
Saturday, Aug. 31st
No. 1 Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta, GA.) 4:30 p.m. CT
Regardless of how much Virginia Tech thinks they can hang with the Crimson Tide, this looks like a really difficult matchup for the Hokies. Frank Beamer’s team returns just three starters to an offense that struggled a year ago (25.1 ppg), and will start a freshman left tackle (Jonathan McLaughlin) against an Alabama defense that preys on inexperienced players. VT will also be without All-ACC corner Antone Exum, which doesn’t bode well go against a Crimson Tide passing attack that features dynamic receiver Amari Cooper and Heisman candidate AJ McCarron at quarterback. In short, expect Alabama’s ridiculous run of dominating season-opening performances to continue.
The Lowe Down: Alabama 45, Virginia Tech 14
Washington State at Auburn 6:00 p.m. CT
I had a chance to sit down with Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn back in the spring and I asked him if he would ever consider changing his offensive philosophy. He looked at me and simply said, “No.” So for those who think his offense won’t work in the SEC over an extended period of time, he’ll live and die by it. With that being said, Auburn’s O will feature a new quarterback, Nick Marshall, a dynamic dual-threat runner, and a slew of experienced — and talented — players who basically sat in idle last season due to the Tigers ineptness under coordinator Scot Loeffler. This year, look for a complete rejuvenation on that side of the ball under the direction of Malzahn and coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Mike Leach will bring his Air Raid offense into Jordan-Hare Stadium and it should test a restructured Auburn defense that has suffered its share of injuries in fall camp. But if the Tigers can get a good pass rush and stay in the face of Cougars’ QB Conner Halliday, it could be a long night for Wazzu.
The Lowe Down: Washington State 21, Auburn 45
No. 5 Georgia at No. 8 Clemson 7:00 p.m. CT
This is a great matchup because both teams feature dynamic offenses, led by outstanding quarterbacks, along with rebuilding defenses. So what will that equate too? Points. Georgia’s Aaron Murray is arguably the SEC’s top passer and Clemson’s Tajh Boyd is the ACC’s top passer, so whichever player can will his team to victory will do wonders for his team’s championship hopes. Although the Bulldogs lost key players like Jarvis Jones, Jon Jenkins and Alec Ogletree on defense, they seem to have a little more talent on that side of the ball than the Tigers do. Edge, Georgia. But barely.
The Lowe Down: Georgia 37, Clemson 34
No. 20 TCU vs. No. 12 LSU (Arlington, TX.) 8:00 p.m. CT
Although LSU lost a lot of really good players on defense, it returns enough talent on that side of the ball to remain one of the elite teams in the SEC. With that being said, the Tigers may need to rely on their offense more early in the season to give their new-look defense time to gel. TCU will be a formidable opponent for Les Miles’ club, but LSU’s offense is a powerful and explosive bunch and that will be the difference in this tightly contested matchup.
The Lowe Down: LSU 17, TCU 14
Nevada at No. 21 UCLA 9:00 p.m. CT
The Bruins better look out for the Wolfpack in this one. Nevada features one of the country’s most exciting players in quarterback Cody Fajardo and it always seems to play Pac-12 teams tough. The Achilles heel for the Wolf Pack however is its defense, which ranked 99th in nationally a year ago. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, a star in his own right, should be licking his chops to avenge a bowl beat-down by Baylor and square off against that porous Nevada D. In the end though, this should be a pretty good game.
The Lowe Down: Nevada 24, UCLA 35
No. 19 Boise State at Washington 9:00 p.m. CT
These two hooked up in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl at the end of last year and Boise State edged the Huskies 28-26, so this will be a chance for Steve Sarkisian’s team to exact some revenge. Washington’s senior quarterback Keith Price is really good when he’s on his game, but he can be really bad when he forces throws into coverage. Boise State lost a lot of talent on defense so Price and his offensive mates should have enough success to pull out a win.
The Lowe Down: Boise State 20, Washington 27
In other Saturday games:
Toledo 14
No. 10 Florida 38
Rice 23
No. 7 Texas A&M 45
Mississippi State 16
No. 13 Oklahoma State 35
Texas State 23
Southern Miss 27
La-Monroe 27
No. 16 Oklahoma 42
No. 22 Northwestern 31
Cal 20
Sunday, Sept. 1st
Ohio at No. 9 Louisville 2:30 p.m. CT
Louisville will take center stage on Sunday so expect a big-time performance from the Cardinals on national television. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is the real deal and Louisville’s defense has a ton of team speed. That speed will be difficult for MAC power Ohio to contain.
The Lowe Down: Ohio 14, Louisville 38
Colorado 17
Colorado State 24
Monday, September 2nd
No. 11 FSU 27
Pitt 7
