Bought My Third College Football Magazine Today. Now, I Know EVERYTHING!

I have been reading college football for several days now, and I am willing to make my first upset prediction already.  August 30 in Nashville, Vanderbilt upsets #10 ranked South Carolina.

I base this on several things.  The SEC is not as tough as they think they are (Utah 31, Alabama 17 IN New Orleans a few years ago.  In the same year Wyoming beat Tennessee AT Tennessee) as long as Vanderbilt and Kentucky still play football.

South Carolina is like Missouri and Iowa.  They are always, always, always, always, repeat ad infinitem, OVERRATED to start the season.  Every time the east coast sports writers have one of these schools ranked in the top 10 to start the year, and pick them to contend for a national title?  They step on their dicks in the second week of September and get beat by Troy State (Yeah, I know.  They dropped the, "State" years ago.  I'm using it to prove a point and make it sound even worse than it is).

And third, Vanderbilt won two games in 2010 and fired their coach. They won six games last year under a new coach and went to a Bowl Game.  They are improving and could go to a Bowl Game two years in a row for the first time in school history.

The other thing that might happen?  BYU could be out of the running for a Bowl Game by the first week in November.  Looking at their schedule, they could have a win over only Weber State, by the time they get to November.  And if you run the table in November against powerhouse schools Idaho, San Josie State, and New Mexico State?  That's probably not going to get you into a BCS Bowl Game.

But hey, Athlon picked Jimmer's new wife as their favorite cheerleader this year.  So ya got THAT going for ya Cougar fans!

The projections for Bowls at this time of the year are pure, unadulterated bullshit. But every mag I've got puts the Utes in A Bowl game.  They pick different ones, but still.  Bowling is Bowling.

One mag puts us in the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State.  This is the WORST case scenario for a couple of reasons.  First, they OWN us.  We can't beat Boise State.  Second?  I've been to Las Vegas five times in two years!  I like the town, but enough is enough!

I'll go back for Jimmy Buffett or to see Lisa Landry do comedy, but I'm tired of Sam Boyd Stadium.

The other Bowl is the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco the week after Christmas.  I'm OK with that.  Deb will ALWAYS consent to go to San Francisco.  And we've been to this game before, and they do a great job with it.

Best case scenario of course, would be to upset USC here in SLC in October, run the table and get to a Rose Bowl.  No, I have not bet the portfolio on that happening.  But you have have to have a dream at the start of college football's season every year.  You have to think your team has a shot.  You've got believe, at least until the first loss, that you can win them all.  You have to imagine the improbable.  Even if, in your heart of hearts, you know it's not possible.

Like a BYU fan imagining that their school will ever be invited into a conference.  Especially a BCS conference.  Never going to happen, but hold on to that dream, Cougar fans.