College Football Week 1 Finale

The first weekend of the 2010 college football season will close with a much-anticipated Labor Day matchup.  Boise State will travel over 2,000 miles across the country, and Virginia Tech will travel under 300 miles to “neutral” site FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins.  Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the country (Boise #3, VA Tech #10), and this game will have potential National Championship implications for both teams.  If Boise State loses, their National Title hopes will be completely shred.  If Virginia Tech loses, it would very likely end their championship hopes as well, but the Hokies have a more difficult schedule with which to justify a 1 loss season.  However, at this point, it is very likely that a loss for either team will end National Championship hopes.  This game is and will be one of the most hyped and most anticipated games all season.  Which team will be able to take a early step forward over the rest of the field with a marquee win in week 1?

MY PREDICTION:  Virginia Tech will establish itself early as a National Championship contender with a emphatic win tonight.  I see a 10-14 point win tonight for the Hokies.  Virginia Tech has arguably the best offense it has ever had under long-tenured head coach Frank Beamer.  The offense is led by Senior Tyrod Taylor, one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football, and a potential Heisman candidate.  Last season, Taylor threw for 2311 yards and ran for 370 yards.  He had 18 touchdowns last season (13 throwing, 5 rushing).  Taylor is complemented in the backfield by Sophomore Ryan Williams, a back that ran for 1655 yards last season and 21 touchdowns.  He took the ACC by storm last season as a freshman, and was unstoppable at many points last season.  Williams would be considered a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy as well if not for teammate Darren Evans, with whom Williams shares the backfield.  Darren Evans is a Junior back that was hurt for all of the 2009 season, which allowed Ryan Williams to break out.  The season before, however, Evans ran for 1265 yards and 11 touchdowns, and was one of the most dominant running backs in college football.  This combination of a 2 running back system headed by two Heisman caliber players and a quarterback that is arguably the most dynamic in college football will make the Virginia Tech offense a juggernaut this season, a big part of the reason I picked Virginia Tech to go undefeated and reach the BCS National Championship Game.

The Virginia Tech defense is strong as well.  While the team needs to replace some big names on defense, Virginia Tech is a program that consistently produces strong defenses, even with the inevitable loss of some key defensive pieces each year.  Bud Foster is one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, and has been for a long time.  Finally, Virginia Tech always excels in special teams (Beamer Ball), and I expect that to be no different this year.  With the Hokies, offense is always the question, and with the offense being the strong point this year for Virginia Tech, I see Virginia Tech winning tonight fairly handily over Boise State, putting the team in position to take the momentum through ACC play and into the BCS National Championship Game with an undefeated record.

For Boise State, I think this game will bring the team and the attention it has been given back to Earth.  Boise State is a good team, no doubt about it, but is not the 3rd best team in the country.  Last year, the team went undefeated and was led by Kellen Moore.  Think about it, though.  The Broncos played one quality team during the regular season, which was Oregon.  It was an impressive win, but it was Oregon’s first game under Chip Kelly, and the team really did not find its groove until a few weeks into the season, at which point the team played very impressive football.  Would Boise have won the game if it was played in say, Week 6?  There is no way to know, but the point is that the win should be taken with a grain of salt.  The other big win for the year was the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against TCU.  The Broncos beat the Horned Frogs 17-10, but in very unimpressive fashion.  At some points the game was tough to watch.  Neither team could get any consistent offense or rhythm, and the Broncos were salvaged by a poor performance in the big game by TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw 3 interceptions, 2 of which could be considered unforced.  It isn’t Boise’s fault that the BCS didn’t pair the team with a BCS school (I personally thought that was a weasel move by the BCS to avoid controversy) but I still need to so Boise win more big games over big opponents before I consider the team a legitimate National Championship contender each year. The good thing is that Boise has given itself an opportunity to do so this season, as the team will play Virginia Tech tonight and Oregon State in 2 weeks.  In addition, Boise State joined the Mountain West, which in the future years will give the team more credibility in terms of schedule strength.

However, until Boise State proves me wrong, I think the team has work to do before it is a true championship contender.  The team is simply not big enough, fast enough, or athletic enough to hang with what I believe is the 2nd best team in the country.  I predict that Virginia Tech will win tonight 31-17.