Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing the upcoming weekend's Big East and Top-25 match-ups. All rankings are from the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. I don't pick winners (that's too easy), I pick against the spread.  All picks are for entertainment purposes only.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you another autumn of glorious gridiron action.  It's the sport of kings.  Better than diamond rings.  Football!

 

Thursday, August 22
7:30 PM EST

Comcast / Fox Sports Net

  Colorado State 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-2.5 Wahoo State 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
Sonny Lubick may not have the NFL experience, but he's got better.  He's got a history of winning ball games.  Here we are in week zero, and this is almost a must win for CSU.  Their first four games are @ UVA, Colorado, @UCLA, and then home against CUSA favorite Louiseville.  Ouch.  That's unsafe at any speed.  But this should be a pretty good Rams team, and if they can manage some wins early, they could be in the hunt for a big bowl at the end.

Virginia...well...who knows?  Optimism still abounds in the early stages of Le r�gne de Groh.  They've got paper talent, but it's woefully young.  So young, in fact, that much of it is still at Fork Union!  This could be a loooooooooooong year in Hooville.  Picked 8th in the ACC media poll, a winning record would be a real accomplishment for this squad.  Too bad they're going to have to wait until September to get started...
 

Pick: CSU (outright!)
Friday, August 23
8:00 PM EST

ESPN

  Fresno State 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-7 Wisconsin (#23) 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
Wisconsin, they've got the guns to score some points.  Especially on the ground.  Solid RBs make up for lack of depth at WR, especially after one of the finer WRs in the nation (Lee Evans) blew out a knee in their spring game.  This is a good year for the Badgers to be strong on the ground.  To say they've got questions on defense is putting it nicely.  It isn't everyone who can manage to get absolutely rolled by Indiana, but Wisconsin managed it last year.  On the plus side, there's nowhere to go but up!

Fresno State had their day in the sun, and now they're back to being just another ho-hum WAC team.  Much of what was a very good offense is gone now, and that will take some time to replace.  Pat Hill is a good coach tho, and he'll have his Bulldogs contending in the WAC again ... just don't expect any noise on a national scale.

Oh, and Wisconsin has a score to settle...
 

Pick: Whisky
Saturday, August 24
8:30 PM EST  
-22.5 Florida State (#4) 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
  Iowa State 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
Oh good.  Just what the nation needs.  A motivated Seminoles team.  Iowa State would be wise to place a few land mines in the corn fields and just hope for the best.
 
Pick: F$U
7:45 PM EST

ESPN

  Arizona State 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-21.5 Nebraska (#8) 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
Speaking of motivated powerhouses, when's the last time anyone saw Nebraska tank at the end of a season like that?  I'd offer up my preview, but I think we all know it by heart.  Run run run, pass somewhat effectively when necessary, and smother the opponent on defense.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

Arizona State is still struggling for an identity under 2nd year coach Dirk Koetter.  There are a ton of question marks on both sides of the ball, and it will be a struggle even for a bowl game this year.
 

Pick: UNL
2:30 PM EST

ABC

  Texas Tech 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-6.5 Ohio State (#12) 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
Texas Tech.  Now there's a legitimate sleeper pick.  They won 7 games last year and are returning 20 starters.  If they can simply play at a consistent level in 2002, they're going to make some Big XII powers very nervous.  They play a tough schedule, with Oklahoma, Colorado and aTm all on the road (not to mention this game!) so a Big XII title is probably out of the question ... probably...

Ohio State is loaded.  Everywhere.  Well everywhere except QB.  Still if they can get past Texas Tech it will be the middle of October before they face another serious threat.  That's plenty of time to establish someone under center, and the Bucks could shoot at an MNC if things break right for them.
 

Pick: tOSU
4:30 PM EST  
  New Mexico 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-12.5 N.C. State (#25) 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
The Pack is my ACC darkhorse this year.  They've got a terrific and now experienced QB in Philip Rivers, and some real talent on defense to keep them in games.  Games at UNC and at Clemson will be the difference makers.  If they can take advantage of an early soft schedule to sort out some running game issues, 10 wins is not out of the question.

New Mexico should be a good case study for the differences between the ACC and the Mountain West.  They're remarkably similar to UVA this year, with some good young talent at way too many key positions.  They lack depth and they lack experience.  They play a WAC schedule though, and .500 is a reasonable expectation.
 

Pick: NCSU
Sunday, August 25
2:30 PM EST

ESPN+

  Arkansas State 0-0 (Away: 0-0)
-37 Virginia Tech (#16) 0-0 (Home: 0-0)
To quote CollegeFootballNews.Com: "ASU was extremely close to a winless season last year and this year's team doesn't look all that much better right now".  That sums it up nicely.  They'll be lucky to win a I-A game at all this year.

Some folks seem to be down on this as an opening game ... and I'll admit it's somewhat of a stinker.  But you know what?  It think that's perfect!

See, next weekend we host LSU.  It's going to be ... quite simply ... HUGE.  That means the tailgate has to count.  We need to walk into that stadium and collectively be just a hair's breadth away from mob hysteria.  There will be no time for working out the kinks with the tailgate grill.  No place for "So how's the new baby?" or "Did you hear that so-and-so got married?".  No chance to make a bookstore run to pick up something inadvertently left at home.  No sir.  Not for me.  I've got work to do.

So that's what this game is for.  Don't worry about ASU.  Find yourself a nice spot to park in for this year, and say "hi" to those tailgate buddies it's been so long since you last saw in person.  Stop by the Tech Bookstore to buy a new Gobble Shaker or pick up a few new T-shirts.  Play a relaxing game of beer pong.  Listen to Bill and Mike's pregame show.  Get to the stadium early, walk around the South End Zone concourse if they'll let you, and see what there is to see.  Figure out the best way to smuggle your preferred libation to your seats.  Help the cheerleaders get their timing down with the "Let's Go!" ... "Hok-ies!" chant alternating from one side of the stands to the other.  Pull out your handy new roster and figure out who's who in this year's lineup.  Support our Hokies, but don't hurt yourself.  Reacclimate yourself to another fall of Hokie football in leisurely fashion, and have fun.

Just remember that next week ... next week is for real...
 

Pick: Hokies!
Last Season: 143-150-2

TV Game of the Week: Ohio State vs. Texas Tech

Upset Special: Colorado State over France