PK's Thursday College Football Predictions
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Don’t go putting any money on this, but here are my predictions for Thursday night’s college football games:
Utah at Oregon State
For the Utes to have a chance, they must defend the run. The Beavers simply don’t lose games when
Yvenson Bernard rushes for more than 100 yards .
Because he plays up in the northwest, Bernard hasn’t received the publicity he deserves. The 5-9, 202-pound senior, whom Oregon State managed to pry out of Bayton Beach, Fla., ran for only 20 yards as a sophomore and then exploded for 1,321 yards last season.
Kyle Whittingham’s defense has got to control Bernard and put the quarterback-of-the-quarter in third-and-long situations. Martail Burnett, Gabe Long and Kenape Eliapo along with the other members of the defensive line need to win the battle up front.
As Bernard goes, so go the Beavers.
For some crazy reason, OSU coach Mike Riley has decided to rotate quarterbacks Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevoa for the first half – each will play a quarter – and then determine a winner for the second half. No pressure, boys.
The Utes should be able to move the ball, thanks to quarterback Brian Johnson’s return after a year off. My pick as the Mountain West’s offensive MVP now has the knowledge and the skill to carry his team.
It would help if running back Matt Asiata was healthy, but Johnson’s good enough to carry the load. His running ability will open up room for whichever player is in the backfield.
I see this game as a toss-up, going down to the end.
Oregon State 27, Utah 23
UNLV at Utah State
The loser might not win a game this season. The winner might not win another game this season.
As strange as it sounds, the Rebels are the more desperate team. Consider that their other non-conference games are Wisconsin, Hawaii and Nevada.
Vegas’ program is a mess. While BYU beat the snot out of most Mountain West teams last season, at least the opponents put up a fight. The Rebels rolled over and played dead in Provo.
Redshirt freshman Travis Dixon will be the fourth different first-game starter in the last four years.
Leon Jackson III gets his second chance as USU’s starting quarterback. The good news is he has to be better than last season.
Can this game end at 3-0? No. USU 21, UNLV 17
Weber State at Boise State
We can hope for the Wildcats to pull off a stunner like the Broncos did in the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma last January. Not going to happen.
Ian Johnson’s bride, the former Chrissy Popadics, probably could have success running the ball against WSU. Senior quarterback Taylor Tharp should have a good night on the blue turf in his first start.
The Wildcats really only need to keep the score close for this game to be considered a success. If Alabama transfer Jimmy Barnes comes anything close to his reputation at quarterback, his team can have a respectable showing.
Boise State 45, WSU 20
Comments
Re: PK's Thursday College Football Predictions
So just why do fantasy football owners get so excited at this time of the year? Is it really necessary for us to spend a minimum of an hour per day - sometimes as many as three hours - searching the Net for info to help us with our drafts ... when we are supposed to be working? I don't want to get too deeply involved in hyperbole, but a fantasy football draft is the most important thing in the entire world. We really love the anticipation of the upcoming draft, the draft itself and just hanging out with our friends and reconnecting. In fact, we like fantasy drafts so much that many of us try to do it at least three times before the season starts.
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johnsmith
Addiction Recovery Utah
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johnsmith
Addiction Recovery Utah
Posted by johnsmith on July 24, 2008 at 6:33 AM
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