The College Football Chronicles 8.20.08: 2008 Predictions, Part Two

Posted by Blake Lovell on 08.20.2008

In part two of the three part 2008 season preview, we discuss Fresno State's BCS bowl chances, as well as who the most overrated and underrated teams are heading into the regular season. And who will be this year's Hawaii (Hint: it's not Hawaii)? Find out inside!

Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting preview edition of the College Football Chronicles, right here on 411mania! In part two of this three part preview series, we'll dive into the chances of teams in smaller conferences, as well as take a look at the teams that have the potential to be overrated, as well as underrated. But there's no time to waste, let's jump right in!

6. Fresno State's early season schedule will prevent them from reaching a BCS bowl game.

Ahh, the schedule theory is in effect once again. Because if it wasn't, Fresno State could be a serious contender to run the table, and reach a BCS game. Pat Hill has the Bulldogs coming off a 9-4 season, and most of the bulk on returns, while there will have to be some replacements made in key spots on defense. Quarterback Tom Brandstater, who has been praised for his smarts in running the offense, as well as his throwing ability, returns to lead the Fresno St. offense once again. He'll have a big target in tight end Bear Pascoe (definitely makes the top ten list of best names in college football), and also has some speedy receivers on the outside to throw to. The defense lost key players from last season, but should still have enough depth to be able to control opposing offenses.

And this is where there schedule comes into play. The Bulldogs open up at Rutgers, who will likely prove to a more formidable opponent than most people seem to think. Let's say Fresno wins that one. The second game of the season comes 12 days later at home against Wisconsin (who we will talk about shortly). Despite my thoughts on Wisconsin, this is still going to be a very tough challenge for the Bulldogs. Fresno St. then travels to Toledo before traveling to UCLA on September 27 for a showdown with the Bruins. Needless to say, these first four games are going to be crucial to how things will turn out for Hill's squad in the 2008 season. But when you play in the WAC, it's hard to get into a BCS game unless you're undefeated come December. I don't completely agree with that, but it's just the facts of the system. I can't see Fresno State sweeping these first four games, as either Wisconsin or UCLA should be able pick up a victory against the Bulldogs.

7. BYU will be this year's Hawaii.

If Fresno State isn't gonna do it, somebody's gotta do it, right? And the team that will do it will be the Brigham Young University Cougars. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall (yet another great college football first name) returns a stacked offensive lineup, as quarterback Max Hall and all his favorite targets are ready for another big season in Provo. Running back Harvey Unga is back, and opposing defenses better watch out for this guy, because he seems to be in for another huge season running as well as catching the football. The offensive line is back too, so there are really no holes anywhere on the offensive side of the football for this team.

Now, the defense is another story. Last year's secondary is gone, which is always a concern heading into a season. This seems to be the only real question mark for the Cougars heading into the 2008 season. Can guys step in and pick up where last year's safeties and cornerbacks left off? We'll have to see how that turns out, but this shouldn't be a significant problem for the Cougars, as they have an offense that can pretty much outscore opponents even if the defense is having a rough day. Without question, the offense will be key in BYU's chances of going undefeated and appearing in a BCS bowl game, but the defense is going to have to be efficient enough to take a little slack off Hall and the rest of the offensive unit.

BYU's schedule sets up somewhat nicely for a Hawaii-like run, although there are three road challenges and one home test that could make things interesting for the Cougars. They travel to Washington on September 6, TCU on October 16, and Utah on November 22 to close out the regular season. Despite BYU being in the Mountain West Conference, they should still be the favorites in all three of these games, and should still find a way to win these games. The home challenge comes on September 13 against a UCLA team that still seems to have question marks on offense. With the game being in Provo, BYU gets the nod here. And what does all of this add up to be? A memorable season for the Cougars, and an appearance in a BCS bowl game. Steve Young will be proud.

8. Wisconsin will prove to be overrated.

I'm not buying into the Wisconsin hype this season. Year in and year out, Wisconsin is a solid football team, there is no doubting that. Depending on which poll you look at it, they seem to be around the top 15 in pretty much all of them. But this year, that seems a little high to me. Yes, they've got a Heisman-caliber running back in P.J. Hill, and a solid offensive line to protect whichever quarterback gets the start. They've got an All-American tight end in Travis Beckum, and solid wide receivers. I know what you're asking. "So what's wrong with this team?" The answer lies in the secondary.

Wisconsin's secondary is going to be a little shaky, although far from bad. They will be decent enough for the Badgers to have a good season, but a great season? That is the question. It doesn't help playing in a league of really, really good quarterbacks. Ohio State (Todd Boeckman), Illinois (Juice Williams), Purdue (Curtis Painter), and Indiana (Kellen Lewis) are all on the schedule for the Badgers, which means the secondary is going to be getting some work. If the secondary is unable to prevent large passing attacks from opposing teams, it could mean several losses for Wisconsin.

The Badgers having two easy games to start the season (Akron and Marshall), and two easy games to finish the season (Minnesota and Cal Poly-huh?), but the eight games in between will be no cake walk. Road games at Fresno State and Michigan will be tough, as well as home games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois. I'm not saying Wisconsin will finish 6-6, but they aren't going to even come close to challenging Ohio State for the Big Ten title.

9. Wake Forest will prove to be underrated.

Wake Forest is a team that has gotten better over the last couple of years, and not many people have seemed to notice. Head coach Jim Grobe has another very talented squad returning for the 2008 season, and this could be a team that challenges Clemson for the ACC crown. Yes, Clemson has one of its most talented teams in recent memory this season. But Clemson somehow, someway, usually finds a way to lose games they shouldn't, which means the Demon Deacons have a great opportunity to take advantage and win the Atlantic Division. Wake also gets Clemson in Winston-Salem on October 9, and chances are that game will decide who wins the ACC regular season title.

To have a great team, you very seldom look anywhere else but the quarterback position. Wake Forest has a star quarterback in junior Riley Skinner, and with him leading the offensive attack, the Demon Deacons will go nowhere but up. His ability to read defenses and make the smart throw is one of the reasons why Wake could possibly sneak up into the national picture, if they can knock off Clemson in early October. And with pretty much the entire defense returning, there won't be any drop-off in that area from last season.

And when you look at their schedule as a whole, Clemson is really the only game that stands out as a tough challenge for this team. Of course, at Florida State (Sept. 20) is never easy, but Wake Forest simply has superior talent at this point in time. At Miami will be the only other road test for this team. So, if you look at it from an underdog and favorite standpoint, Wake could be the favorite in every game they play this year with he exception of the Clemson game. I like this team's chances to surprise the nation, and win the ACC.

10. The Big East will be much tougher than people expect it to be.

If you're a West Virginia fan, I wouldn't be preparing to hoist the Big East trophy just yet. Why? Because this is a conference that is going to be filled with solid quality teams this season. While West Virginia and South Florida will be the heavy favorites to win the conference heading into the season, there are enough good teams this season to mess up this plan. Besides Syracuse (who will be better, although that's not saying a whole lot), everyone else can contend with these two teams on any given night, and that may just make the race at the top very interesting heading into the last couple weeks of the season.

Connecticut should once again be a good team, and could give West Virginia a battle in Storrs on November 1. A team that should really skyrocket up the Big East rankings this year will be Pitt, as coach Dave Wannstedt has a team that could really challenge these two top teams, although their schedule is a little difficult with some tough road games on the 2008 slate. Rutgers will be decent as well, but their three toughest Big East tests will all be on the road at West Virginia, at South Florida, and at Pittsburgh. Cincinnati and Louisville will likely be a tad better than people may expect heading into the season, and while they won't compete for the Big East crown, they could surely knock off one of these teams in the right situation.

All in all, it wouldn't surprise me if the winner of the Big East had one or possibly two losses in the conference. I can't see West Virginia running the table, unless of course opposing teams can't figure out a way to stop sensational running back Noel Devine. The Mountaineers defense could be their eventual downfall, in terms of trying to compete for a national title. South Florida seems to have the more favorable road to win the conference title. We'll see how things shake out, as these two teams meet to close out the regular season on December 6.

THE EXTRA POINT
I doubt that this was the kind of start new UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel was looking for. The Bruins lost their starting quarterback, Ben Olson, for at least two months after he broke his foot in practice last week. And I'm sure this wasn't the kind of start new offensive coordinator Norm Chow was looking for either. They must now prepare someone else to take over the quarterback spot for the time-being, until Olson can return. The Bruins open up at home against Tennessee, and really had a legitimate shot at taking down the Volunteers, which would have sent the Neuhesiel era heading in the right direction from the very beginning. But without an experienced guy leading the offensive system, Tennessee may find this task of beating the Bruins to be a little bit easier than originally expected.

That's all for this second preview edition of the College Football Chronicles. Next week, we'll cover quite a bit, as predictions are over, and it's now time to get you ready for the start of the regular season. Be sure to tune in next week for the conclusion of the preview series, as we inch closer and closer to the beginning of 2008 college football!