Colorado didn’t know that Bryant Moniz is as good of a runner as he is a passer. I knew that. I mentioned it in my WAC prediction. *chalks up point*

• USF over #16 Notre Dame

Kelly has done good things in his short time at Notre Dame, but maybe #16 is a little high after going 8-5 last season. When they were on, they looked really good, taking out a one loss team in Utah and rolling past Miami in their bowl game. But consecutive losses to Navy and Tulsa show that there are still kinks to work out. USF is all about speed. If the stars align, then Notre Dame’s BCS hopes might get crushed in week 1.

• Colorado over Hawaii

You have to think with Hawaii returning Bryant Moniz that they are the heavy favorites to win the WAC, but something tells me this Colorado team on the rise will be looking to make a statement in Week 1. It makes sense, considering they are one of the new additions to the Pac-12. Hawaii always puts on a showing in Week 1, giving USC all they could handle a year ago. But will it be enough to take out a feisty Colorado?

• Tulsa over #1 Oklahoma

Needless to say, this is QUITE the longshot. I’m giving Tulsa the benefit of the doubt though. Offense, Offense, Offense. Last year, Tulsa was in the Top 10 most scoring team and in the top 15 on passing yards AND rushing yards. Oklahoma is a pretty stacked team, but this might be a game they overlook. Coming in ranked #1, they must know that you can’t expect to win games, but rather earn wins by getting it done on the field. This will be a good early test for the Sooners.

• Eastern Washington over Washington

I’ve talked about this match-up before. That can be found here.

Upset #1: Arkansas over Alabama

Arkansas is very underestimated; even being ranked #17. They finished the season ranked ninth in Points For (36). Mallet is back for his final year and he has some talented receivers to throw to. It almost seems like fate on how it’s put on the schedule: At Arkansas the week before Florida. It’s happened before where teams start to look ahead and fall short in the weeks before it. Their key to victory: score points. 

Upset #2: Washington over Nebraska 

I am simply not convinced that Nebraska is as good this year as they finished last year. Their statistics are just terrible. And Washington has something they don’t have: a charismatic QB, and Suh isn’t there to toss him around. Their key to victory: Establish the passing game. 

Upset #3: Utah over Pittsburgh; Utah over TCU

That’s right. I think Utah is extremely talented. They finished last year with losing only to TCU an BYU in the conference. But this year, I think they do have a good chance to take down both of these top ranked schools. Keys to victory(ies): let the defense control the pace of the game; stop Pitt’s rushing attack; stop TCU’s passing game. 

Upset #4: Colorado over Georgia 

This wouldn’t be a high caliber upset compared to the others, but Georgia should still be a big favorite in this game. However, Georgia has a lot of questions to answer. They have been on a decline since being ranked #1 only a few seasons ago, and though Colorado has been having some rough years, they have potential. Their key to victory: stopping WR: A.J. Green. 

It’s been reported that Nebraska could become a member of the Big Ten as early as Friday (6/11/10). This will only be the beginning of several massive shifts in the college sports world. ESPN has been reporting that if Nebraska makes this move, then the Pac-10 could add up to six Big Twelve teams, making the first “mega conference” (it was just reported at 11:30 am that Colorado has become a member of the Pac-10). 

Such changes would cause the Big Ten to add several more schools to their conference as well, such as Rutgers, Notre Dame, and possibly Missouri. This would cause another chain reaction and the SEC will try to steal some of the bigger names in the ACC; perhaps Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Miami (FL). 

Part of me is intrigued about what the outcome of these “mega conferences” would be. If you think about it, this would have more powerhouses going head to head during the regular season which would attract a ton of viewers.

On the other hand, I think two key issues come up in this: 1) I think it will be that much harder to determine who should be ranked where because all the top teams will keep defeating each other, thus taking each other out  of the race for a championship. 2) I do not like all these top schools being together due to the impact it will have on the smaller schools. What will happen to Washington State if they have to go through not only USC, but Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech along with it? For these smaller schools, that already have a low chance of success, it will be more difficult than ever to recruit and compete in a mega conference. 

Overall, I do enjoy the current layout of the conferences, with the exception that Boise State should be in the Mountain West. I think all these changes will bring confusion to the entire league. At this point, however, it looks inevitable, so I guess we will have to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.