Here's what is on my mind for CFB Week 2 and the opening of the NFL Season.
- Michigan State vs Oregon: How good is Michigan State D over the past two years? In 2013 they were 3-1 vs top 25 teams and allowed only 17 pts per game. In 2012 they were nearly as good by only giving up 19 points per game. Oregon since losing Chip Kelly has lost some production offensively. In 2012 Oregon averaged 43 points per game when playing top 25 teams. That averaged moved to 36 points per game in 2013. If Michigan State can grind it out, they'll stay in the game. If Oregon separates at any point they'll be tough to catch.
- USC vs Stanford: The Cardinal are SEC easy to figure out how they win and what they do. They run the football, run the football, than run the football some more. In their three losses last season they ran for 515 yards but turned the ball over a total of six times. In order to beat USC today, Stanford must hold onto the football and rush for over 150 yards.
- The College Football Playoff: This weekend won't eliminate anyone. More than likely. History tells us so. Since 2006, four National Champions have lost at least one game during the regular season. 2006 Florida, 2007 LSU, 2008 Florida, and 2011 Alabama all completed the task. The bigger deal here is that losing a game will not eliminate most highly ranked teams from the playoffs.
- 49ers at Cowboys: 27 points per game normally leads you to reaching the playoffs. Some teams HAVE to score in order to help out a poor defense. The Cowboys are in this boat, but they're actually better (10-0) when they slow the game down. That's their record when the team gives the ball to RB DeMarco Murray over 20 times per game.
- Colts at Broncos: Andrew Luck, is the ultimate bus driver right now. Just four games where he's thrown 3 TDs or more over 2 years. But 14-3 when he throws more TDs than touchdowns in a game.