Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Breathe easy. Collect yourself. Don't overdo things.
Yes, college football season is back. Do your stretching exercises for your fingers and wrist for the excessive time clicking back on your remote control. Make sure you have plenty of cold drinks and snacks nearby. Don't forget to turn off your cell phone if you're watching your team play on DVR.
If there's one good thing about the upcoming week of games, it's that we, as fans, get to ease into things slowly. Sure, every Pac-12 team is playing this week, but we shouldn't see many surprises in many of the games. With that in mind, here's a primer in what is must-see TV, and what makes a good time to do something useful. Heaven knows there are plenty of weekends left in which you'll be anything but useful.
Game of the Week (5 stars):
Oregon vs. LSU at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas. One Texas columnist labeled this ticket as being bigger than January's Super Bowl. This corner had no idea the NCAA had so many people on staff, or that the jurisdiction of Louisiana law enforcement extended into Texas.
For about three-and-a-half hours, all the outside distractions will be put aside, even if some of them will have a direct impact on the game. LSU is minus multi-year starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson and top wideout Russell Shepherd; the former for a scrape with the law that has left him suspended indefinitely, the latter by the suspicious eye of the NCAA for extra benefits. On the Duck sideline, cornerback and return man extraordinaire Cliff Harris is serving a team-imposed one-game suspension. Call this MIA matchup a wash.
The national implications are obvious: Win, and establish yourself as a frontrunner in the national title picture. Lose, and help is required.
These games could suck you in if you're not careful ... or they could just suck (3 stars):
Fresno State vs. California at Candlestick Park, San Francisco. One of four BCS vs. non-BCS games, Fresno coach Pat Hill continues his lifelong mantra of "anywhere, anytime," by going up against a Bears defense that was flat-out filthy last year, raking first in the Pac-10 in total and pass defense, while finishing third in scoring defense and nearly single-handedly pulling off an upset of No. 1 Oregon.
Unless Zach Maynard is the answer at QB, and head coach Jeff Tedford casts his magic on the offense — he's taking over as offensive coordinator — Cal will have difficulty scoring points. Fortunately, the Bears are going up against a stop unit that lost some key figures to graduation and, quite frankly, was below average statistically (59th in total defense, 83rd in scoring defense) last year.
Colorado at Hawaii. Not an easy opener for new Buffs coach Jon Embree, even though CU handled Hawaii last year in Boulder. This game is on the islands, where Hawaii is a much different team. The Rainbows have a huge edge at quarterback with Bryant Moniz, who threw for 5,000-plus yards last year, and who should get off to a good start against a secondary with all kinds of questions.
UCLA at Houston. Houston's season went downhill in last year's game at the Rose Bowl when it not only lost Heisman candidate Case Keenum, but its second-string QB as well and had to finish up with a true freshman. Keenum is back after getting a rare sixth year of eligibility and the Cougars could flirt with a BCS bowl bid, like it did in 2009. While strong on defense, UCLA doesn't have anything close to the firepower needed to score points with Houston. A competitive loss should take some heat off coach Rick Neuheisel.
Minnesota at USC. Don't sleep on the Gophers under first-year coach Jerry Kill, who not only has one of the best names in the sport, but has won big at virtually every school he has coached, as well as engineering noticeable improvement in his first year. This game was a lot closer than many thought heading in (a 32-21 USC win), and Kill's M.O. — run the ball, pressure the QB and control field position — will result in Minnesota hanging in there for a better part of the first half.
Warrants a courtesy score-check on your smart phone, but nothing more (2 stars):
Eastern Washington at Washington: Say this for the Huskies: When it came to scheduling the first FCS team in program history, they made sure they got the best. But even though EWU is the defending FCS champs, don't go expecting an Appy State-like result. Washington has more than enough in Keith Price to offset the loss of Jake Locker to the NFL and the likely loss of RB Chris Polk for the opener (due to arthoscopic knee surgery).
Only if you're an alum, fan or parent of a player (1 star):
UC Davis at Arizona State (Thursday), Northern Arizona at Arizona, Montana State at Utah, Idaho State at Washington State, San Jose State at Stanford, Sacramento State at Oregon State. Anything but the following recipe for the Pac-12 teams involved should be cause for some concern: Establish dominance early, enter halftime with a multiple-TD lead, enter third quarter with game in hand and empty the bench in the fourth quarter.
Winners: Oregon, Oregon State, USC, California, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, Utah.
Losers: UCLA, Colorado.
Patrick Sheltra is the sports editor of the Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News and the author of "100 Things Utes Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die." (September 2011 release) Read more of his thoughts on Utah sports at scriptutah.blogspot.com
