Georgiators, Wolverines and Hawkeyes should all handle their own business in week 1 | Martin Samuel Read more
What to do about Georgia? Georgia wasn’t as good as it appeared last season, and that’s a recurring theme in this division. Auburn is an experienced team, and it will not hit as many snags along the way as it did to start the past two years. Its best option is to step up and take a lead that might be insurmountable as long as it’s capable of finishing it.
Ohio State is going to win and the only reason to count it out is if it seems a team it didn’t expect to overcome eventually does. After falling at Penn State last season, Georgia should have a similar problem against a tired Nittany Lions team that’s desperate to find some wins early in the season.
Georgia 27, Penn State 14
Michigan should roll over Iowa in the ‘Big House’. Photograph: David Banks/Icon Sportswire
Any way you look at it, Michigan’s best bet is to lose in the season opener. The entire Wolverines team did not play well on paper last season and that hardly changed in August. The offensive line needs time to gel, Shea Patterson needs a little time to get comfortable on a bad team, and the running game needs to get the ball to the right people consistently. If the freshmen running backs get the job done, it should be able to bounce back in the Big House to beat a team it spent months hearing all about.
Michigan 35, Iowa 10
Big Ten Network + Alabama v Louisville
The television networks – Big Ten Network + Alabama against Louisville – are taking an interesting approach to the first week of college football. The Crimson Tide should be much better than people expected, especially after losing to Georgia in the national championship game. Louisville should simply not be this bad, but this game has become a standard opener since the only teams that take a beating is an opponent’s quarterback.
Alabama 31, Louisville 3
USC would seem to be in an even tougher spot against Texas A&M than most pundits think. The inexperienced quarterback, Kellen Mond, in the Aggies are a good one but look how the higher seeds had to go to them in every game they played last season. A&M should have a chance to get up, but it is still many, many times farther away from winning than the Trojans are from losing.
USC 19, Texas A&M 17