College football 2013 running discussion thread

Sorry if someone started one earlier. (I couldn't find one on the first five pages.)

Season kicks off Thursday night. A place to make predictions, discuss just about anything. Please keep it civil.

 

I wanted to get this in before kickoff.

Look out for Clemson. Tajh Boyd is my darkhorse Heisman candidate and the Tigers could win the ACC and possibly play for the national championship. They open at home against Georgia on Saturday in a battle of top 10 teams. Later on they play Florida State at home and finish on the road at South Carolina. Those games should be plenty tough, but not impossible to win. So 11-1 or 12-0 is within sight if they stay healthy, get a few breaks, etc.

 

This weekend is a referendum on the SEC, isn't it? Bama should win. OSU has an edge on Moo State (which was overrated last year). I like LSU over TCU. I think people are foolish to overlook LSU. Think the old ball coach takes care of business.

Vandy-Ole Miss is sort of an important game nobody will notice

 

Man, where's the lines?

 

Odds:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/odds/las-vegas/

 

I think Clemson will beat Georgia and run through the ACC regular season, but fall out of the national championship game after losing at South Carolina.


Stanford beats Oregon at home and plays the SEC champ for the national title.

 

Unless Ohio State runs the table in the Big 10.

 

Assuming the hypothetical that both Stanford and Ohio State go undefeated (which is the only way this discussion comes up), I don't see OSU holding off Stanford. I can't find anything that would rank as a signature win for the Buckeyes.

 

Just a gut feeling that Ohio State goes down somewhere. Games at Wisconsin and Michigan are always tough. Maybe Nebraska takes them out in the Big Ten title game.

 

That's a matter of opinion and regional bias though. Both teams are at the mercy of their opponents' performances. If Notre Dame or Oregon go in the tank, there isn't really a potential signature win on the schedule for Stanford. Same is true for Ohio State with Wisky and Michigan.

But they do have one common opponent - Cal - so there's that.

 

Hmmmm ... I suppose. I doubt that both Oregon and Notre Dame are going to fall that far, but maybe.

But Wisconsin and Michigan are going to need to do much better than expected to matter. If they play to expectations, beating them won't do much of anything for Ohio State's profile.

 

But would any of these teams win on the smurf turf? [/crossthread]