Week 1: KICKOFF DAY!!!

By Kyle Magin

Tonight, college football begins. LET US CELEBRATE:

I don't know about you, but this week has been agonizing. Kickoff seemed to get farther away each day. As I write this on Wednesday, I'm counting down the hours until the SEC gets things started in Nashville when the Ol' Ball Coach takes his South Carolina squad to play an improving Vandy squad. Then, we get what I think is a rising power in BYU welcoming Coach Mike Leach and his boys from the Palouse into Provo. HOLY CRAP. Let's get to it!

South Carolina -6.5 @ Vanderbilt

The game that gets it all started pits a potential national contender in the Gamecocks against a Commodores team that is vastly improved from its doormat status under second year head coach James Franklin. Vandy played tough defense and steady offense last season, only trailing SEC teams by -28.5 yards per game and losing four games by single-digits. This year the offense returns QB Jordan Rodgers, who has a solid o-line and receivers to work with and a talented group of backs, led by Zac Stacy, just 631 yards shy of becoming VU's all time leading rusher. SC returns the mega-talented running back Marcus Lattimore and an OK supporting cast of QB Connor Shaw and an experienced O-line. The difference in this one will be SC's defense, which with DE Jadeveon Clowney puts one of the best defensive front sevens in the nation on the field. Last year they yielded an AVERAGE of 268 yards per game. They held 4 opponents (including Vandy) to less than 200 yards of total offense.

Washington State @ BYU -12

I've been rubbing my hands together all week in anticipation of this one. BYU is a very solidly built team—great linebacking corps (seriously) and a solid QB in super-super senior Riley Nelson. WSU was totally shit last year—4–8—but brought in former Texas Tech head man Mike Leach to right the ship. I believe thoroughly in this Wazzou offense—senior QB Jeff Tuel, who in his last full season (2010) tossed 18 TDs to 12 INTs. Under Leach, he'll improve dramatically and naturally put up bigger numbers by virtue of the offense coach runs. That may not be enough against BYU, who sports an excellent passing game AND a solid defense. WSU, while playing one of the best WRs in the country in Marquess Wilson, returns a terrible defense and is inexperienced up front—not the position you want to be in vs. the Mormon Cougars. BYU, though, is just above .500 in the last ten years as a home favorite—something to keep in mind.

Nevada @ Cal -11

Nevada unloaded on Cal in Reno the last time the two played in 2010—52-31—notching just one of two wins all time for the Wolf Pack in the teams' 25 contests. With this year's game in Berkeley it'll be interesting to see if Nevada can cool the Bears' hot hand—QB Zach Maynard—who improved on accuracy considerably last year, completing passes at a 66 percent clip. With a solid running game and WR Keenan Allen—Maynard's half-brother—back this season, Jeff Tedford could again have a deadly dangerous offense. Pack QB Cody Fajardo—69 percent on completions—can more than keep up with his talented group of receivers and very strong offensive line, but the Nevada defense is porous, especially at linebacker. That's bad news for a club who gave up an average of 412 yards per game on the road last season against mostly inferior WAC competition. Cal's defense is mostly more experienced and gave up just 207 yards per game at home last season. To top it off, Cal is 32-18 as a home favorite in the last 10 years.


(Side note on today's video: How f---ing great is Yub Nub? Why did that get pulled from the remastered versions? Up yours, Lucas.)