COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK ONE: THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTIONS

The college football season begins tonight with a handful of ranked teams in action. The team everyone will be watching is TCU, as they look to avenge last season’s College Football Playoff snub of the Big 12. The other story of the night is Michigan, led by first year coach Jim Harbaugh, as they travel to Utah to see if they can return the Wolverines back to national prominence. 

Alcorn State 20 @ (16) Georgia Tech 34:  The Yellow Jackets had better be wary of the Braves, last year’s  SWAC champions who went 10 -3 last season. They can put up big numbers on offense, but I’m not ready to predict an upset. Georgia Tech should have enough firepower to win the game.

(2) TCU 37 @ Minnesota  17: The Horned Frogs are favored not to just win tonight, but are expected to contend for a national championship.  Minnesota showed signs of perhaps getting to the next level last year, but this is a stern test for their defense. I look for Trevone Boykin to be impressive as he kicks off a Heisman Trophy campaign.

Texas San Antonio 10 @ (22) Arizona 44: I don’t see much chance for a close game. The Wildcats are strong on both sides of the ball and will contend in the Pac-12 South.

North Carolina 24 vs. South Carolina 27 (Charlotte, NC): This is projected as a close game, with UNC looking to continue a rebuilding process. I love the fact that these two teams are playing each other in a neutral site that although it’s in North Carolina, couldn’t be much closer to South Carolina. As much as I would like to see an ACC team put to one from the SEC, I think the Gamecocks will prevail.

Oklahoma State 30 @ Central Michigan 21: The Cowboys begin their tortuous non-conference schedule against the Chippewas before hosting FCS Central Arkansas and last year’s 4 – 8 Texas – San Antonio. Really? It would serve them right to get blindsided tonight. 

Michigan 23 @ Utah 28: Jim Harbaugh makes his debut as coach of his alma mater in a tough environment. We’ll get to see how much difference he can make, since he’s still at least a year away from getting the kind of players on campus that can make the Wolverines a contender. Utah returns nine starters on defense for a unit that played well at times last year, but at others were vulnerable to big plays.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords. The third installment, "Offsetting Penalties" is due out in the fall.