LOOKING AHEAD TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL: BIG GAMES IN WEEK ONE

BIG COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES: WEEK ONE

With the college football season fast approaching, in the coming weeks I’ll be focusing on the sport in a number of ways. Starting out, it will be to shine the spotlight on the handful of top games for each week. My criteria for a Big Game are not necessarily rankings of the teams or even that the match-up will result in a close score. I’m more interested in highlighting those games that have some factor to create interest or entertainment value. You’ll have to wait until game week for any predictions.

Washington @ Rutgers: Washington is one of the best teams in the country, a conference champion and playoff semifinalist in 2016. Rutgers is one of the worst teams in the country, losers of their last nine games to close out last season, including four by shutout and two others where they scored only seven points. It’s not like the season started out all that well, either for Rutgers, traveling to Washington to open their schedule with a 48 – 13 drubbing by the Huskies. So why, you ask, is this game on the list, and the first one at that? West Coast teams don’t traditionally travel east all that well. The Friday night 8:00 pm EDT start will benefit the Huskies, but I’m still interested if the combination of the time zone difference combined with some overconfidence will affect their effort. Rutgers returns eight starters off a really bad defense, but part of that is the fact that their offense was rarely on the field. Improvement in one could benefit the other unit.

Alabama vs. Florida State, Atlanta, GA:  Many prognosticators have these two teams making the playoffs. I can see ‘Bama getting there even with a loss in this game, but the ‘Noles have a killer schedule and it will be tough for them to recover from a defeat and still run the table. If the experts are to be believed, Florida State has a plethora of young talent coming into Tallahassee, and Alabama, well, uh, hmm…okay, they’re Alabama. There are a number of commentators, myself included, who believe that despite recent SEC successes, the ACC was a better league in 2016. Not that Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban cares about that kind of thing, but the last second loss to Clemson out of the ACC in the national championship game could serve as a little bit of extra motivation.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech, Landover, MD: If you’re looking for darkhorses on the national scene in 2017, this game features a couple of candidates. This is the renewal of a long-standing rivalry, with the teams meeting 51 times dating from 1912, and annually from 1973 – 2005, when Va. Tech joined the ACC.  Last season, the Hokies gave eventual national champion Clemson all they could handle in the ACC Championship  Game, then exploded for 35 straight points in the second half of the Belk Bowl to beat Arkansas. West Virginia went 10-2, with defeats at Oklahoma State and at home to Oklahoma before a disappointing loss to Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Mountaineers get Florida transfer Will Grier eligible at quarterback, but an inexperienced defense could be a problem.  After quarterback Jerod Evans left early for the NFL, Tech was left without any experienced signal callers. Who will emerge as the starter is still undetermined.

Michigan vs. Florida, Arlington, TX: After a 31 – 10 loss at Arkansas last season, the Gators had fallen to 4 – 2 in the SEC and head coach Jim McEwain’s seat in Gainesville was starting to get a little warm. But a big upset at LSU gave Florida the SEC East title and despite a drubbing from Alabama in the SEC championship  game, the Gators throttled Iowa 30 -3 in the Outback Bowl and things are a bit more optimistic starting 2017. They will still need to gain more consistency on offense if they want to contend for an SEC crown and playoff spot. After faltering at the end of last season, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines are expected to take a step back and for that reason, this game will generate a lot of interest nationally. Michigan only returns one starter from last year’s stellar defensive unit, but I’m certain Harbaugh will have some extra motivation to beat an SEC team.

BYU vs. LSU, Houston, TX: This is a so-called neutral site contest, but with Baton Rouge (the home of LSU) about four hours from NRG Stadium, it will seem more like a Tiger home game. LSU will be a heavy favorite, but BYU’s four losses in 2016 were at Utah, home against UCLA, to West Va. in Landover, Md. and at Boise State by a total of eight points. Head coach Ed Orgeron can’t let his LSU team take the Cougars lightly if they want to make some noise nationally in his first full year at the helm.

South Carolina @ NC State: These are two teams that went 6 – 6 in the regular season a year ago and haven’t been particularly relevant in their respective leagues in a while. So what is my fascination with just another early season inter-conference game between middling opponents? Both have a lot of experience coming back (South Carolina has seventeen returning starters, NC State sixteen) and my feeling is that at least one of them, if not both, will find a way to score a major upset at some point in the season. The Wolfpack was within a field goal of knocking off both Clemson and Florida State last season. South Carolina avoids the big boys in the SEC West, taking on Arkansas and Texas A&M instead of Alabama, Auburn or LSU. This could be a key non-conference win for one of them as the season plays out.

Texas A&M @ UCLA: The Aggies began a 6 – 0 start last season with a big overtime win over the Bruins, a team that was highly touted in preseason. But UCLA lost QB Josh Rosen for the season and won only four games while A&M went on their traditional late season swoon. This year, both programs are expecting better things but for that to happen, it will have to start with a win in the Rose Bowl. For UCLA, Rosen needs to return from injury and play like the Heisman Trophy candidate he was a year ago. For Texas A&M, they need to shore up a defense that despite having top overall NFL pick Myles Garrett, was among the worst in the nation. Both of these coaches need to show some improvement to keep their jobs, which is what makes this a compelling opening weekend interregional battle.

Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA: Last year, Tennessee won their first five games, raising expectations to an unrealistic level, given the talent on defense. Then they did the unthinkable in losing to Vanderbilt to end the regular season. Georgia Tech righted the ship to win six of their last seven and return fifteen starters as they look to challenge for the ACC Coastal Division title. This is another SEC – ACC match-up with a lot on the line, especially for Volunteer head coach Butch Jones. Even though he scratched out nine wins, that loss to Vandy had to hurt in Knoxville. The Yellow Jackets will be playing about four miles from their campus, so it’s hardly a neutral site. However, Tennessee travels well and could have more fans in attendance than Georgia Tech. It won’t be the Battle at Bristol, but the Vols will still be looking to take out a Tech from the ACC for the second consecutive year.

Hear my recent interview with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, where we discussed his agency, concussions, franchise relocation and philanthropy at http://thechtonsports.com/cold-hard-truth-sports-radio-show-1242017/

Also listen to our conversation with author and sports journalist Mike Carey, as we discussed his latest book "Bad News" about Marvin Barnes and reminisced about Mike's coverage of the Boston Celtics during their glory years with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/golongmedia/2017/02/08/the-cold-hard-truth-on-sports-radio-show

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com and listen to me Friday's at 8:40 am EDT/ 7:40 am CDT on Lou in the Morning, streaming live on www.WPFLradio.com, 105.1 FM. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.

TUESDAY MUSINGS: WHINING AT THE US OPEN, DURANT TASTES A TITLE, FOOTBALL ON THE HORIZON

US Open Whiners, Not Winners: One hundred and fifty-six golfers, mostly so-called professionals will tee off Thursday morning at Erin Hills in Wisconsin for the 117th U.S. Open Golf Championship. They'll be gunning for a $2.1 million winners check, be pampered with courtesy cars, brand new practice golf balls, entourages of coaches and caddies, etc. etc. etc. But many of them have taken time out of their busy schedule to criticize the USGA on everything from the course setup to rules changes to  the color of head man Mike Davis' golf hat. Okay, maybe not the hat, but pretty much a wide array of topics. They even question what the USGA is doing with the $320 million the organization has in an investment fund. Don't get me wrong, the entity that rules the game in the United States needs to be held accountable for their actions, but it seems a bit extreme coming from a group that gets paid an insane amount of money for playing a game that most of spend a lot of our income in which to participate. The FedEx points winner takes home $10 million, and that's in addition to the over $1 million for winning the tournament and the $5 million plus that they are bound to have won during the season. I agree that the handling of the Dustin Johnson penalty at last year's tournament at Oakmont was atrocious. I've been critical of their decision to go with Fox as their broadcast partner. But last time I checked, deep rough, punitive sand traps and fast greens are part of the game. If you think you're the best, then shut up and prove it on the golf course. Whining and complaining is weak and unprofessional. The course conditions and setup apply to all 156 players. Unfair is an incorrect and ignorant categorization. Unfair is when something isn't applied consistently to all competitors. I don't see anyone with a weedeater lowering the rough for one player or creating an additional obstacle for another. So what if they can't break par? At the end of the day, it's totally irrelevant. The point is to get it around for four days in the least number of strokes. There aren't any bonuses for lower scores. For me, I'm very intrigued by how the potentially longest course in U.S. Open history will hold up to what is a truly great and compelling field. And I can't wait for the whine fest after Thursday's opening round.

Warriors' Kevin Durant Gets a Ring: We'll never know, but without Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors may very well have been watching Lebron James lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to another NBA championship. But when the former Oklahoma City Thunder star took his talents to the Bay Area, it set the stage for his first and probably not last title. The Warriors won the series in what will look like a dominant 4 - 1 edge, but if the Cavs don't tank in the final three minutes of Game 3, the result could have been very different. Even the outcome of Game 5 was in question until Durant took over in the fourth quarter. The question at this point is how long Golden State can sustain this run. Recent history would indicate that it won't be for very long, if only because it's difficult to keep three or four elite players together for four years or more. The Warriors have Klay Thompson on the block first, and he can be a key player for any franchise. That leaves Steph Curry and Draymond Green, then Durant for them to try to keep. Will Thompson give up max money to stay? Will the others? With the increased salary cap at the expense of ESPN, players can still make an unbelievable amount of money if they're willing to subordinate their egos in order to accumulate titles. I can't answer for the importance of the symbolism of the money versus the actual value for each individual player. But I can give my opinion on what could happen for the better part of a decade if the current Warriors collectively decide to stay where they are, and it doesn't bode well for Lebron James, unless he decides to to what Durant did, and join the party in Oakland.

Is It Football Season Yet? Not quite, but with the NBA and to a lesser extent, the NHL season's behind us, we can at least see it from here. Sure, we have the NBA draft, a couple of golf majors, tennis' Wimbledon and plenty of dog days major league games to fill our time, but most of the sports conversation will be around the upcoming college and professional football seasons. Can Clemson repeat with a new quarterback? Will Alabama be back for another run? Does Bob Stoops' surprising retirement derail Oklahoma's title chances? Is the fourth College Football Playoff committee going to be similar to last season or add more guess work for coaches and administrators? No, of course, probably, absolutely. Now I'll take them one at a time, starting with Clemson. It's hard enough to contend in consecutive seasons with the same team without having to incorporate a new player at a key position. Clemson will be good, but they have a tougher schedule in 2017, having to play at Virginia Tech and contend with Florida State and Louisville in the Atlantic Division. Alabama simply reloads and I'm sure the way Deshaun Watson shredded the Tide defense for the second year in a row won't sit well with head coach Nick Saban. The most stunning news of the college offseason was the retirement of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. He was replaced by 33 year old offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, another surprise. The Sooners have a national title contending team, but the change at the top could have an impact, especially with a week two visit to Ohio State looming. I'm wondering if this is an Urban Meyer type move and we'll see Stoops emerge in a new locale in a year or two, but that's a question within an answer. Finally, with Frank Beamer and Jeff Bower, both former coaches, replacing Condoleeza Rice and Barry Alvarez on the committee, there can't help but be a change in how the committee acts. It will be interesting to see how having more of coaching perspective will affect the rankings and eventual makeup of the playoffs themselves.

Hear my recent interview with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, where we discussed his agency, concussions, franchise relocation and philanthropy at http://thechtonsports.com/cold-hard-truth-sports-radio-show-1242017/

Also listen to our conversation with author and sports journalist Mike Carey, as we discussed his latest book "Bad News" about Marvin Barnes and reminisced about Mike's coverage of the Boston Celtics during their glory years with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/golongmedia/2017/02/08/the-cold-hard-truth-on-sports-radio-show

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com and listen to me Friday's at 8:40 am EDT/ 7:40 am CDT on Lou in the Morning, streaming live on www.WPFLradio.com, 105.1 FM. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.