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Heisman Watch: QB Andre' Woodson

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If you didn't know about Andre' Woodson and Kentucky before this season, now you know. Kentucky has gotten off to a blazing 5-0 start, including wins against Louisville and at Arkansas, showing that last year's success was not a fluke. Kentucky has always been overlooked in the toughest conference in college football, but that might all be about to change because of one man. Kentucky's prolific quarterback has garnered praise week in and week out, and this senior leader might just find himself in New York if he keeps up the success.

A look at the numbers: So far this season Woodson has completed 112 of 167 passes for 1309 yards. This is a completion percentage of 67.1 and yards/attempt average of close to 8. In the process, Woodson has notched 16 touchdowns while only giving up 1 pick, leading to a whopping passer rating of 163.3.

What to watch out for: Kentucky is approaching a rough stretch in their schedule; their next three games are at #11 South Carolina and then at home against #1 LSU and #9 Florida. This is arguably the toughest three game stretch that any college team will have to face, and these three teams will surely give Woodson the toughest defensive tests of the season. LSU and Florida would love to thoroughly end all of Woodson's Heisman consideration in one fell swoop.

KickSwish's take: Woodson has jumped out to the front of the Heisman race with amazing numbers and great leadership of a very good Kentucky team. But forget about his first 5 games, Woodson's fate will be decided in the next 3 games- can he keep up his impressive numbers against stronger foes, or will the tough SEC competition reveal him to be nothing but a cupcake quarterback? If Woodson can keep Kentucky close or even pull an upset against Florida or LSU, he can start packing his bags for New York.

Game of the Week

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The most highly touted matchup this weekend hands-down includes the Golden Bears of California and Oregon. This game is a rematch of last year's contest, in which the two squads faced off in what was supposed to be a wire-to-wire, last minute nail biter. Well it looked as though the game was going to live up to the hype until about 45 seconds in, when Brandon Hampton of the Bears intercepted Dennis Dixon's first pass, leading to a Golden Bear score. Cal went on to blow Oregon out and send them on a downward spiral from which they would never recover.

But this year's game is going to be different. Analysts all across the country have fallen in love with Dennis Dixon after a quick start which included a thumping of Michigan in the Big House. Cal is rated #6 in the country going into the game, their highest ranking since 2004, and Oregon gets to utilize the Autzen advantage in what is surely going to be a game for the ages...right? Well, not so fast. Despite the fact that these two teams are both undefeated, and though both are ranked above #15, I expect to see a sloppy contest between these two "powerhouses." Why? A few reasons....

First, though Tennessee and Michigan both may look like statement games on paper, neither team has been tested this season. Tennessee is clearly not what it was last year, as it showed by getting thrashed by SEC rival Florida. Meanwhile, Michigan's lost to Appalachian State preceding the Oregon game puts the Ducks' win in perspective. What I take from that is that Oregon can beat a Division I aa team, so congrats.

Second... defense. In four games this season Cal's defense has looked very weak, letting up big plays to weaker opponents, including two bombs to Colorado State in a game that turned out to be closer than expected. The Bears will be without 3 key starters on defense, and will have to rely on youth to fill some key holes. As for Oregon, the Ducks have put up solid numbers this season, but their defense has not proven much, letting up 31 and 21 to Stanford and Fresno St. respectively.

Third, how much has Dennis Dixon changed? Coaches cite an off-season of introspection and reflection, though I wonder if Dixon's rapid progression will prove illusory when faced with a real pass rush. The key to last year's win for the Bears was giving Dixon complex reads and bringing pressure, and despite the injuries to Cal's D, you better believe they will not stray from last year's game plan. We will see very early how much Dixon has actually improved; can Dixon forget about last year and stay calm under pressure, or will we see a repeat of last year's fold?

This game is too close to call. With two untested defenses and two offenses ready to prove themselves, look for a high scoring affair which is sure to be closer than last year.

The Fall of the Irish

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Before Saturday's game against Notre Dame, the preseason Heisman candidate of the Michigan Wolverines, Michael Hart, guaranteed a victory over the Irish. Charlie Weis agreed. Just one season after Notre Dame reached a BCS bowl and Charie Weis signed a 10 year extension, Notre Dame has started the season off 0-3, getting thrashed in their latest loss to Michigan. But instead of examining what is so bad about this Irish team (where would I even start) and the ways of Charlie Weis I am going to shift my focus to a man once connected to the Notre Dame program: Ty Willingham.

At the same time that Charlie Weis and Notre Dame were heading into halftime on Saturday with their 3rd loss all but official, Ty Willingham was a far cry from Notre Dame football, both in distance and in competitiveness. Unlike Weis, Willingham led his unranked and underrated team into the locker room with a 7-3 lead over #10 ranked Ohio State. This is the same team that just one weak ago upset the defending Fiesta Bowl Champion Boise State Broncos, and they did it on blue turf. Now before I get ahead of myself I will point out that Ohio State did go on to win the game, and they did so handily, but...who really cares? We are talking about a team who in recent years has made a home at the bottom of the Pac-10 rankings, and a team that many analysts predicted to finish last in the Pac-10 again this year. What should we make of Washington's quick start this season? Talent? No, Washington lost Isaiah Stanback, their quarterback and hands down most talented player from last year. Leadership? I doubt that considering Jake Locker, the man under center, is a red-shirt freshman who did not start a single game before this season. If you ask me what has inspired this Washington team, I say its the coach.

Just take a look at the impact that Willingham has had around the country. In his time at Stanford, Willingham made a powerhouse out of the Cardinal, competing for a Pac-10 title year in and year and out and going to the Rose Bowl in 2000. What has Stanford done since Willingham left? Aside from losing to UC Davis, a lot of nothing. And what about his time with the Irish? One could argue that Willingham underperformed at Notre Dame but I will assert that this is a misguided view. It is well known that despite having the best coaching out there, a team cannot win without talented players. Ty Willingham never got a chance to succeed at Notre Dame because he was not able to coach his own players. Willingham was booted out of town after 3 years with the school, despite winning 10 games in one those seasons. Thus, Ty never had the chance to coach a team made up solely of players that he recruited. And how have these players faired at Notre Dame? These very same players are the reason that Notre Dame went to two straight BCS bowl games, the Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowls respectively, during the first 2 years of Charlie Weis' term.

Does Charlie Weis deserve all the praise that he got for going to two straight BCS games in his first two years as head coach of Notre Dame? Did he deserve the fat contract that he signed at the end of last year, and all the money that he will surely be making? Or is there another reason why Notre Dame was so successful the past two seasons and now suddenly is the laughing stock of college football. Someone should give Ty Willingham a call, I think he might have an idea.

Top 5 Matchups to look out for on Week 1

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The college football season is quickly approaching (finally!), and here is a look at the top 5 matchups, in no particular order, to look out for come the first Saturday of the season.

1. #15 Tennessee vs. #12 California
Date: Sept.1
Time: 8pm EST
Channel: ABC
KickSwish Breakdown: This is a revenge game for California. Last year the Golden Bears went into Knoxville with national title aspirations and left with a question mark in regards to how good their team really was. This year Cal gets the Vols at home, and will seek vengeance for last year's embarrassment. Cal lost some key players both offensively and defensively, with the departure of Marshawn Lynch, Brendan Mebane, and Dameion Hughes. The Bears look strong offensively but will need key young players to step up on defense in order to be successful. Meanwhile, the Vol's return Erik Ainge but lose big time receiver Robert Meachem to the NFL. If Ainge can pick apart Cal's week secondary like he did last year, the Golden Bears will be in trouble.
Prediction: 38- 31 California

2. Wake Forest vs. Boston College
Date: Sept.1
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Channel: ABC
KickSwish Breakdown: This game may very well determine who wins the ACC. Wake's win last year vaulted them into first place in the division, a lead which they never which they never relinquished. Furthermore, the Deamon Decons return a numbers of players on both sides of the ball, but will surely be tested on the road by a BC team with hopes of a conference title of their own. Can BC win a much needed statement game early in the season, or is will Wake Forest start off right on their path to a second straight ACC title?
Prediction: 21-20 Wake Forest

3. Arizona vs. BYU
Date: Sept. 1
Time: 5:30 pm EST
Channel: none
KickSwish Breakdown: BYU will face off against an underrated Arizona team who looks to build off their late season momentum from last year. Coach Stoops might very well have coached the game of his young career last year in a thrilling upset against California, and the Wildcats return their promising quarterback, Willy Tuitama, as well as a strong defense. Meanwhile, BYU looks to continue their success of recent seasons and not only compete for a Mountain West title. With a weak schedule, Arizona is one of few teams that stands in the way of an undefeated season. However, the departure of prolific QB John Beck leaves the team's BCS dreams firmly on the shoulders of inexperienced slinger Max Hall.
Prediction: 24- 16 BYU

4. Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame
Date: Sept. 1
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Channel: NBC
KickSwish Breakdown: Notre Dame will have a lot of rebuilding to do this year with the loss of Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija while Georgia Tech had a key loss of their own with the departure of standout Calvin Johnson. The Yellow Jackets nearly pulled the upset of then #2 Notre Dame on their way to a 10 win season. Both teams will struggle offensively early, and we will see which team's young talents will step up under pressure.
Prediction: 27-17 Georgia Tech

5. #19 Florida State vs. Clemson
Date: Sept. 3
Time: 8 pm EST
Channel: ESPN
KickSwish Breakdown: This year's Bowden bowl will surely be an opening week thriller. Clemson is coming off a road win last year and will be poised for the early season upset. The matchup to watch in this one will be between Clemson's stout run game of C.J. Spiller and James Davis and Florida St. highly touted run defense.
Prediction: 23- 17 Clemson

Coming into the season, USC is once again the clear number #1. And why not? They are coming off a huge Rose Bowl victory over Michigan, they have Heisman candidate John David Booty behind center, and their defense could start for many NFL teams right now (Any takers...Oakland?).

So on the first day of practice, the energy around the field was electric. When alumni think of USC they think of the good old days with Ronnie Lott and Mike Garrett, and when recruits think USC they think dollar-dollar bills y'all. But one thing became blatantly clear after spending only a few hours watching these guys take drill after drill; despite the obvious talent on this team, they will have to work very hard to get back to the top.

You might say, but Gabe they are already #1 and there is no other team that comes close. You might say, every starter on their team was a 5-star in high school, how could they not dominate? But don't be so sure, because I will remind you of the Oregon state game last year; I will remind you of the UCLA game last year; and I will remind you that their two biggest weapons on offense, Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, will now only be seen making cameos on the sidelines with the likes of Nick Lache and Will Ferrell. And above all, I will remind you that this is college football; and what makes college football so beautiful is the very fact that for teams like USC every game is a national championship game and on each and every Saturday teams will be gunning for them. They got the players, they got the coaches, but will they be able forget what they did in high school and play hungry in 2007?