It must be August because I’m starting to think a lot about football. How will my favorite teams do? How dumb will the bowls look in January and why don’t we have a playoff yet? Will I get to see any good games this season?
San Diego State– Let’s start local. Last year the Aztecs were horrid. After almost picking off Notre Dame in their second game things went downhill in a hurry. I watched a couple of games on TV and they looked fairly helpless. The off-season brought a change at head coach when Brady Hoke was brought over from Ball State. He helped turn the perception on them from BS-U to Ball State. I’m hoping they will at least be competitive in the 2009 season. I threatened to do this last year but their home dates didn’t work well with NYWC… but this year there’s only one game I’d miss so I did bite the bullet and bought a season ticket package. At something like $7 per ticket it ended up being about the same price as going to a high school game… so why not? Maybe I can convince Megan and Paul that football is worth watching in the process?
Notre Dame– I’ve got the Irish in my blood. Growing up just a stones throw from campus I’ve always had a thing for Notre Dame. Last season brought some hope back for 2009-2010. With nearly the entire team back and a very weak schedule, they should have a nice season. I think they will be 8-4 or 9-3. With their toughest road games being Michigan and Purdue, they really have a shot to do something memorable. The USC game gets interesting over the next 2 season as the Trojans begin to fall from dominence just as the Irish start to rise again. It’d be nice to string together 2-3 years of beating USC. I think they will lose to Purdue, USC, Washington State, and maybe Boston College. But I’ve been wrong before. As of right now I’m planning to see them take on the Cardinal of Stanford during Thanksgiving weekend. That’d be a great place to claim their BCS bid, wouldn’t it? But if they have a rough year and go 6-6, it’s the end of the Charlie Weis era for sure.
Michigan/Michigan State– I still have an affinity for the Michigan teams. Other than the weeks they play Notre Dame I’ll watch and cheer for them. I think Michigan State should have a nice year. I’d love to see them earn a Rose Bowl invitiation. They are very athletic and fun to watch. I think Michigan still has a long way to go. I have a feeling that if Michigan doesn’t get to 8 wins they will fire their coach and continue the downward spiral that Notre Dame started 15 years ago. If you want to see a friendly schedule, look at Michigan. The furthest they travel is to Iowa and they don’t even leave the state of Michigan until week six. The Wolverines have a tough schedule of opponents this year despite the friendly home stands, I just don’t think they can compete against Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Ohio State. I hope they do better than 7-5, but I don’t foresee it.
All-in-all, I’m not expecting any of my favorite teams to be contenders. The script is written for Tim Tebow’s Florida, Oklahoma, and USC. OK, let’s face it. I just hate USC. It would make my football season if Notre Dame can pull off a miracle and defeat them on October 17th.
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