OT: Potential Upsets in Week 1?

Submitted by Maize_in_Spartyland on

BlueinTheFace already posted the Week 1's opponents for teams appearing on Michigan's schedule.  As is usually the case in week 1, schedules tend to be soft and don't allow for much in terms of upsets.  With that said Jacksonville State did knock off Mississippi last year.  Anyone have any thoughts on potential upsets  (or at least teams to keep an eye on)?  A couple potential upsets (or at least close games):

@ Baylor +6.5 TCU.  Griffin III is back for the Bears at QB, while TCU will be turning the keys of the offense over to Paschall.  If Baylor can improve last year's defense, the Bears can make some noise in the Big 12. 

James Madison OFF @ North Carolina.  I'm interested to see how UNC will come out game one, with NCAA violations looming and Butch Davis no longer as head coach.  JMU knocked off Virginia Tech last year, following VT's loss to Boise State.

UCLA +3.0 @ Houston.  This supposedly is "the year" for UCLA to make a statement.  Case Keenum is coming off major surgery.  UCLA beat Houston and Texas on back to back weeks last year; both Houston and Texas ended up as disappointments at 5-7.  

Tulsa +25.0 @ Oklahoma.  I'd be very surprised if Tulsa springs the upset, but Oklahoma has opened rather slowly the past few years. (31-24 over Utah St in 2010; 34 point favorite. 14-13 loss to BYU in 2009; 22 point favorite.)  Tulsa has a solid quarterback in G.J. Kinne; Tulsa would be capable of double digit wins if not for a non-conference schedule including Oklahoma State and Boise State.

Marshall +22.5 @ West Virginia.  West Virginia has won each game in the "Friends of Coal Bowl," but last year's game went to overtime.  Many are picking West Virginia to win the Big East and for Marshall to have a rebuilding year.  With West Virginia's coaching change, will Holgorsen be the first WVU coach to lose to their in-state "rival"?  Or will he be able to succeed where Stewart failed?

 

Thoughts?

 

Maize_in_Spartyland

August 30th, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^

Western is a tough opponent to open up with.  If they were in the MAC East, I would feel 100% confident in saying they would be in the MAC title game.  But being grouped in with Toledo, Central, and Northern Illinois is no cakewalk.  

Plenty of respect is due to Alex Carder.  He took his lumps last year and will be a quality QB.

Firstbase

August 31st, 2011 at 7:40 AM ^

...who knows next to nothing about the human psyche, I would say that your dream is simply latent fear that is the by-product of the past few years of nail-biting uncertainty the M program has gone through.

All will be well. (This I know, for The Knowledge told me so.)

 

Indiana Blue

August 30th, 2011 at 9:32 PM ^

Let the hype begin ... but nd could easily be looking a week ahead and USF has developed into a solid football team.
<br>This would be hilarious!
<br>Go Blue!

PurpleStuff

August 30th, 2011 at 9:41 PM ^

Darrell Scott was the top running back recruit in the country a few years back, went to Colorado, got a handful of carries and had an immediate falling out with Hawkins.  He's now eligible at USF and might be able to do some big things.  They also have a former 4-star RB recruit who transferred from Auburn.  Throw in a quarterback who can make plays with his feet and has gotten some game experience the last couple of years and they might legitimately be able to do some damage on the ground (opening up the big plays through the air). 

Would be pretty cool.

switch26

August 31st, 2011 at 8:19 AM ^

WVU had a top ranked D as well... you can say it is because they play in the Big East, but they still held LSU without an offensive touchdown.. not many teams can say that

ndjames86

August 31st, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^

Also Holgorsen is such an offensive minded guy and knows how to get a team to put up points quick. The Mike Leach system he uses is all about keeping your opponent off balance and I think they're in for a good year. Had some really solid years there, at Houston and Oklahoma State.

Tater

August 30th, 2011 at 11:25 PM ^

USF is too much of an unknown quantity.  There are too many mediocre Big East teams bunched together.  It almost looks like a ND schedule this year.  If they are good, they can win ten against it.  If they are average, they can lose seven.  I don't see them beating ND and I think their over/under of 8 wins is spot on.  

ndjames86

August 31st, 2011 at 10:43 AM ^

an ideal situation. I definitely think that Akron and YSU have really good shots at beating the spread. OSU always starts off pretty slow and with the uncertainly at QB, lack of depth at Oline and question marks for the guys filling in for the suspended players. I also see MSU as a big unknown. Can they actually repeat the success they had last year?

BPocern

August 30th, 2011 at 9:42 PM ^

at WMU, he helped with their Strength and Conditioning program this summer, he said Carder is a very tough QB, and they all seem fairly cocky/confident (whatever you call it) going into AA, but we'll see, I still don't see this game as being a problem, their O-line is weak and hopefully Martin will create havoc all day, and they'll fail to contain Denard.

Logan88

August 31st, 2011 at 7:39 AM ^

The sad thing is...that still would not put the game OVER the Total.

/s

 

The actual Total (often referred to as Over/Under) for the UM game was at 64.0 yesterday, btw. I think Vegas will be surprised by how much better UM's defense is this season. I think UM wins this game 34-17. In other words, take the UNDER.

AMazinBlue

August 30th, 2011 at 11:44 PM ^

If I could bet, I'd take Baylor over TCU and USF over ND.

For the season, if Boise gets past Georgia, look out, they don't play any major talent after that, they could go undefeated.

With Bauserman at QB and Ohio sitting Herron, Posey et al, Akron has a good shot. tsio always starts slow in the first game.

Houston has their QB back healthy, they will do some damage this year. Neuheisel's team at UCLA have underperformed every season.

Logan88

August 31st, 2011 at 7:43 AM ^

OSU would probably destroy Akron even with their 2nd team playing the entire game. I think a lot of people out there who are expecting/hoping OSU will tank this year are in for an unpleasant surprise. OSU will be no worse than 9-3 this season.

Dear Lord, I really hope that I am eating those words at the end of the season.

 

ijohnb

August 31st, 2011 at 9:21 AM ^

I think it could be an ugly unbalanced opener for the Badgers, a 37-20ish type victory with some turnover and inconsistent play, but due to how emphatic your prediction is, I must inquire as to what about either Wisconsin or UNLV could compel your prediction.

UNLV got ransacked by such powerhouses as Colorado State last year on their way to 2 victories I believe.

Just want to hear why you believe that UNLV could win that one.

ijohnb

August 31st, 2011 at 8:18 AM ^

but I think Miami YTM will come out all "us against the world" on Monday night and win big over Maryland, akin to Michigan's hulksmash of Western after the Freep report.

In other news, I could see Wisconsin being a little shaky for a while offensively and that being a close while not actually close opener against UNLV.

 

BigSmooth33

August 31st, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^

  1. Texas A&M loses to SMU
  2. Penn State beats Bama
  3. Sparty goes 8-4 at best
  4. Miami FL loses to Maryland Monday night
  5. South Carolina goes undefeated and wins National Championship