Football Future-see 2015: Opening Week!

It’s that time of year once again…college football starts very soon. Last season saw the introduction of the College Football Playoff, which was captured by the Ohio State Buckeyes. Incidentally, the Buckeyes made history to end one season and to start the next. They became the first team in history to be elected #1 unanimously in the AP Poll.

By now you know how this works. I predict the winner of the game, and I throw in a final score, just for fun. Last season was quite possibly the worst I’ve ever had, finishing 72-61 on the year, a correct percentage of .541. I’ll pick at least five games every week. Opening week, Championship Week, and Bowl Season typically get more. There are a couple weeks this season that will see more than five games picked.

For the rankings, I’ll use the AP Top 25 Poll until the first College Football Playoff Selection Committee (CFPSC) poll comes out in late October. So let’s kick off the eighth edition of The Right Wing’s Football Future-see!

RECORD

Week One	9-1
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
OVERALL	9-1	.900

The Games:

North Carolina vs South Carolina (Thursday, 6:00pm, ESPN)

A neutral site game between the rising Tar Heels and the sinking Gamecocks...South Carolina will likely take a few steps back this year. But it’s still Steve Spurrier at the helm, so the Gamecocks are a dangerous team. I think at season’s end North Carolina will be the better team, but I think South Carolina sneaks in a late game touchdown to secure the victory here. Gamecocks win.

Final Score: South Carolina 28, North Carolina 24
CORRECT: South Carolina won 17-13

Michigan at Utah (Thursday, 8:30pm, FoxSports1)

Michigan will begin the long haul back to relevance. Hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach was a good first step. Now the Wolverines must travel to Utah for a Big Ten – PAC-12 match-up. Utah is a good team, and they’ll be looking to prove it in a high-profile contest. Neither team is ranked, and Michigan might not be ranked for a long time. I think this is a close fight, but homefield advantage favors the Utes. Utah wins.

Final Score: Utah 26, Michigan 23
CORRECT: Utah won 24-17

2 TCU at Minnesota (Thursday, 9:00pm, ESPN)

TCU defeated Minnesota by 23 last season, but Minnesota came on strong to end the year. Even though they lost narrowly to Ohio State and Wisconsin, they defeated Nebraska, all of whom were ranked. The Gophers are considered a team on the rise, and a potential threat to the Horned Frogs. I don’t see it. TCU QB Trevone Boykin is a Heisman contender from the word Go, and will prove it against Minnesota. I think TCU wins this game by nearly 40.

Final Score: TCU 48, Minnesota 10
CORRECT: TCU won 23-17

Washington at 23 Boise State (Friday, 10:15pm, ESPN)

Boise State begins this season in a strikingly similar spot to where they began a few years ago, bringing back a ton of starters and poised to be a factor all season long. But their old head coach is now in Washington, which makes this game potentially interesting. Washington hasn’t been a huge factor in a long time, but their sudden familiarity with the players the Broncos have means the Huskies should be able to hang very close with Boise State. An upset is not out of the question, though I’m not leaning that way. Boise State will win, but it’ll be close.

Final Score: Boise State 31, Washington 27
CORRECT: Boise State won 16-13

Louisiana-Monroe at 9 Georgia (Saturday, Noon, SEC Network)

Georgia is breaking in a new QB once again, but that probably won’t matter all that much. That’s not to say anything bad about Louisiana-Monroe, but Georgia is simply in another weight class, talent-wise. The Dawgs will probably have their starters out by shortly after halftime. That’s how these games tend to go. RB Nick Chubb should get the lion’s share of carries, but it’s going to be likely light work overall. Remember, though, that ULM gave up over 200 yards to teams with lesser running backs than Georgia. Georgia may rush for over 300 against the Warhawks. Dawgs roll.

Final Score: Georgia 55, ULM 10
CORRECT: Georgia won 51-14 (game called with 9:54 to go in 4th due to weather)

21 Stanford at Northwestern (Saturday, Noon, ESPN)

Stanford versus Northwestern might be one of the most intellectual match-ups of opening week (unless Vanderbilt decides to schedule Harvard), but it may be boring as well. Stanford is the better team. Northwestern can pull an upset on almost anyone. I look for Stanford to win, but I just have a feeling this game won’t be too exciting.

Final Score: Stanford 24, Northwestern 14
INCORRECT: Northwestern won 16-6

Louisville at 6 Auburn (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS)

I’m just not buying the hype yet. Auburn is being touted as a title contender. Auburn, who after October 4 last year lost to every ranked team they played. Don’t get me wrong, I think Auburn will beat Louisville…but I’m just not buying Auburn as a championship contender yet. There’s too much roster turnover and too much competition in their own division. Louisville still has Bobby Petrino and Todd Grantham, so they’ll be fairly well coached. But not enough to take down Auburn.

Final Score: Auburn 30, Louisville 24
CORRECT: Auburn won 31-24

Texas at 11 Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:30pm, NBC)

Texas hasn’t been relevant to the national scene for quite some time. And personally I think that hurts college football. The game is better when the Longhorns are better. Similarly, the game is better when Notre Dame is better. That said, Notre Dame is suffering from Auburn syndrome in my book. I’m not buying the hype yet. I would love to say that Texas goes into South Bend and lays an upset on the Irish, but I’m not sure it happens. Texas is just too far away at the moment. Irish win close.

Final Score: Notre Dame 23, Texas 18
CORRECT: Notre Dame won 38-3

20 Wisconsin at 3 Alabama (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC)

Until someone proves otherwise, Alabama is still the team to beat in the SEC. Wisconsin is a Big Ten powerhouse who will be in the discussion for a New Years Six bowl by season’s end. But the Badgers will not have enough firepower to bring down Alabama. The Crimson Tide is one of those programs that never seems to have to rebuild, but instead reloads from year to year. The QB situation at Bama is confusing, but it will be well sorted by Saturday night. Tide pulls away in the second half.

Final Score: Alabama 34, Wisconsin 20
CORRECT: Alabama won 35-17

1 Ohio State at Virginia Tech (Monday, 8:00pm, ESPN)

Las season Virginia Tech handed Ohio State a shocking loss in Ohio. This season the battle takes place in Blacksburg, but it won’t matter. Ohio State has a ton of momentum from last season that will carry them on a big wave to start. The Hokies will hang tough for the first half, but the Buckeyes will begin to pull away after halftime. Buckeyes win.

Final Score: Ohio State 35, Virginia Tech 17
CORRECT: Ohio State won 42-24