One to watch from every conference across the land

By Bart Doan  |   Saturday, July 25, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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One to watch from every Conference Across the Land

I don’t know about you, but I can taste the first kickoff. I can feel the excitement of a low level opening weekend game being on my television simply because it’s college football time again. Right now, everyone’s team is unbeaten, which is good. Especially for the fans of the teams that won’t be saying that after that crucial first weekend. There will be disappointments as always, but there will be surprises. And here are a few to watch out for from each conference as we’re 1 month away.

Big 10

Iowa: Tell me if you’ve been sucked into thinking the Hawkeyes are making that next step to national prominence before now? Kirk Ferentz has been like the weather man…underachieving and still getting a raise for it. Normally, this is a cliché pick to stay away from, but this year Iowa could sneak out something as amazing as a conference title. With Penn State and Ohio State dealing with major personnel losses across the board, and if they can sneak out one of those games on the road, they might be packing up the pickup trucks in Iowa City and heading out west in January.

Big East

Cincinnati: The Bearcats suffer from having to deal with tough losses on the defensive side of the ball, but can anyone really doubt “college football’s best coach you’ve never heard of,” Brian Kelly? Here’s a guy that took a 5th string quarterback and guided Cincinnati to a conference crown and first ever BCS Bowl berth last year. How Cincinnati has been fortunate enough to keep the money from bigger budgeted athletic departments away from their coach is beyond me.

Big 12

Kansas State: Bill Snyder helped orchestrate the greatest program turnaround in the history of college football in the 1990s. Kansas State was another dimension of awful before his arrival. Is there much doubt that he can at least somewhat do it again? To most preseason magazines, there is. There are a great many areas of unsettlement on the roster, and all positions seem to have question marks…especially at quarterback…but beating UCLA early on could really propel a team no one is thinking of to at least 8-9 wins.

Pac 10

Stanford: As per usual for Pac 10 teams, the schedule is daunting. Two road games open up the season, but the Cardinal should be seasoned under Jim Harbaugh enough to finally get back over the bowl hump. QB Andrew Luck looked impressive in the spring game, and the roster is chock full of players ready to run Harbaugh’s system. A few bad out of conference losses last year kept the Cardinal home. Don’t expect it to happen this year. Expect at least 7 wins, a few of them upsetting for their opponents.

SEC

LSU: It’s ridiculous to think about LSU as a surprise type of team, but somewhere along the line with Nick Saban chewing up headlines and Ole Miss garnering so much attention, it seems the Tigers have lost a little bit of publicity that they’ve earned. It’s doubtful that it bothers them. Jordan Jefferson really came into his own so well that people were questioning Les Miles’ decision to keep him from the QB spot for so long. And Charles Scott is back, of course. So when Florida and LSU tussle in Death Valley in October, it might not be the only time the two teams meet in 2009.

ACC

North Carolina: Like Iowa, fans keep waiting for that “oh, they HAVE arrived” moment with the Tar Heels. A hideously easy non conference schedule awaits this team, so confidence can be had early and often. Davis returns way too much talent on defense, as in 10 starters, led by the punishing Marvin Austin.

Mid Majors

San Diego State: There are those that think winning at SDSU is impossible. Well, don’t tell Brady Hoke, who actually has established quite a staff over on the west coast considering the underachievement of the program. Al Borges and Rocky Long will surely be positive additions. Players seem excited about the new 3-3-5 defense, and if you’re looking for a shocking surprise, check out the Aztecs.
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About Bart Doan

Bart has been with Realfootball365.com for about six months and thoroughly enjoys writing for the site. He has been featured for his writings on college football in The Sporting News, The Indianapolis Star, Sports Illustrated, and on CBS Sportsline.com. When he's not drowning himself in the...
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