Your College Football Thursday TV Guide
This will be a weekly Wednesday evening feature. We profile the most interesting matchups that will be on your televisions this weekend. This is the only week Thursday gets its own post due to the number of games (meaning more than the usual one.)We'll be seeing plenty of this from Steve Spurrier all season, but find out why Raleigh won't be so bad on the flip.
4.00 ESPN South Carolina v North Carolina State (-4.5) - South Carolina is great to make fun of. Steve Spurrier coaching an inept offense that has terrible quarterbacks throwing interceptions year after year while Spurrier looks on exasperated. They get off to a great start, get ranked in the top 20, we get to watch their sorry team on ESPN every Saturday and ask how the hell they manage to win. Then they finish up the year 1-5. It's just too much fun.
Their three QB nightmare produced 27 INTs last year, the most in college football. In 2009 its all on Stephen Garcia. As a highly touted recruit with a strong arm and a typical QB build, Garcia has the opportunity to win our Mike Teel Award for most improved horrible quarterback who is "a highly touted recruit with a strong arm and a typical QB build." But he's only a sophomore so like Teel, it may be until the second half of his senior season before he stops throwing the ball to the safety and starts putting up the numbers.
NC State's defense was mediocre last season, but most of them are returning. Unfortunately their best defensive player from 2008, Irving Wilson, was injured in the off-season and will not play. The weakness is definitely the secondary.
The only reason NC State is favored in this game is because of QB Russell Wilson. He is the anti-Stephen Garcia, as he only threw one interception last season and is working on a streak of 249 straight passes without an INT. The sophomore is also a threat to run.
South Carolina brings an SEC defense to the table. That's why we're taking them and the 4.5 points. They'll be able to put enough pressure on Wilson to disrupt his game. With no running threat to speak of for the Wolfpack outside of Wilson himself, the Gamecock defense game plan is very simple. If the Gamecocks don't win here, it will be an excruciatingly long season and you have to wonder when patience runs thin with Spurrier, because outside of Florida Atlantic and South Carolina St. only Kentucky and Vandy at home look like winnable games for the Gamecocks this season.
7.15 ESPN Oregon v Boise St. (-3) - Certainly Boise's toughest and only real test of the year. Luckily they have the game at home so they'll put that crazy home winning streak on the line. They just don't lose these statement games on the blue turf and that's why the oddsmakers have them as a favorite over a more talented Oregon team.
Ian Johnson is gone and three of Boise's top four receivers from last year are gone. Kellen Moore is a star, but he isn't a runner, and this is quite the matchup to break in your new offense. On the bright side, Oregon's pass defense ranked last in the Pac 10 last year (that means they were worse than the Washington schools, wow) and 111 in the nation. And that was with Jairus Byrd and Patrick Chung.
On the defensive side of the ball its the secondary where Boise St. shines. They return all their starters and this should put this game on the shoulders of Oregon's senior RB LeGarrette Blount.
We're trying to think of a Pac 10 QB this season who is better than Jeremiah Masoli. The fact that we can't isn't as much of a compliment of Masoli as it is the weakness (or inexperience) of this year's Pac 10 QB class. Oregon also has a problem at the wide out position with Masoli needing to find established targets. Only the tight end Ed Dickson returns.
If Oregon establishes Blount from the get go, which we think they will, they'll wear down Boise St. and keep Moore off the field. You only beat Boise St. if you beat them physically, and that has to be Chip Kelly's game plan.
Their three QB nightmare produced 27 INTs last year, the most in college football. In 2009 its all on Stephen Garcia. As a highly touted recruit with a strong arm and a typical QB build, Garcia has the opportunity to win our Mike Teel Award for most improved horrible quarterback who is "a highly touted recruit with a strong arm and a typical QB build." But he's only a sophomore so like Teel, it may be until the second half of his senior season before he stops throwing the ball to the safety and starts putting up the numbers.
NC State's defense was mediocre last season, but most of them are returning. Unfortunately their best defensive player from 2008, Irving Wilson, was injured in the off-season and will not play. The weakness is definitely the secondary.
The only reason NC State is favored in this game is because of QB Russell Wilson. He is the anti-Stephen Garcia, as he only threw one interception last season and is working on a streak of 249 straight passes without an INT. The sophomore is also a threat to run.
South Carolina brings an SEC defense to the table. That's why we're taking them and the 4.5 points. They'll be able to put enough pressure on Wilson to disrupt his game. With no running threat to speak of for the Wolfpack outside of Wilson himself, the Gamecock defense game plan is very simple. If the Gamecocks don't win here, it will be an excruciatingly long season and you have to wonder when patience runs thin with Spurrier, because outside of Florida Atlantic and South Carolina St. only Kentucky and Vandy at home look like winnable games for the Gamecocks this season.
7.15 ESPN Oregon v Boise St. (-3) - Certainly Boise's toughest and only real test of the year. Luckily they have the game at home so they'll put that crazy home winning streak on the line. They just don't lose these statement games on the blue turf and that's why the oddsmakers have them as a favorite over a more talented Oregon team.
Ian Johnson is gone and three of Boise's top four receivers from last year are gone. Kellen Moore is a star, but he isn't a runner, and this is quite the matchup to break in your new offense. On the bright side, Oregon's pass defense ranked last in the Pac 10 last year (that means they were worse than the Washington schools, wow) and 111 in the nation. And that was with Jairus Byrd and Patrick Chung.
On the defensive side of the ball its the secondary where Boise St. shines. They return all their starters and this should put this game on the shoulders of Oregon's senior RB LeGarrette Blount.
We're trying to think of a Pac 10 QB this season who is better than Jeremiah Masoli. The fact that we can't isn't as much of a compliment of Masoli as it is the weakness (or inexperience) of this year's Pac 10 QB class. Oregon also has a problem at the wide out position with Masoli needing to find established targets. Only the tight end Ed Dickson returns.
If Oregon establishes Blount from the get go, which we think they will, they'll wear down Boise St. and keep Moore off the field. You only beat Boise St. if you beat them physically, and that has to be Chip Kelly's game plan.
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Haha you guys certainly love Steve Spurrier around here, don't you? And another mention of Mike Teel? I need to get to the bottom of this.
I do think I agree with both choices here. South Carolina should beat NC State and you can't go against Boise at home against almost anyone.