Things I noticed Part II

I noticed a few more things as I prepare to follow the college football season.

--- Virginia Tech's schedule is laughably easy. Last year, we knew the Hokies were not a great team. Despite this, they went 10-2 and eventually beat FSU in the ACC Title game. Now, imagine if they did not play Boise in the opening week and lose, and as a result, did not lay an egg against James Madison the next week. It is not implausible then to think that VT's team last year could have been undefeated. That hypothetical I just proposed is a reality this year.

In the opposite division, they play Clemson, BC, and Wake, and avoid FSU NC State and MD. Of those three teams, they travel to Wake, and host Clemson and BC. They host UNC, and they host Miami. Its not unreasonable to say that their most difficult games will be @ Georgia Tech and @ East Carolina. Despite not having the talent that other top 10 teams such as Georgia, South carolina, LSU, Oklahoma State, or Texas AM have, VT will be favored in every game they play this year.

---- Mississippi State figures to be one of the more intriguing teams this year.....again. Last year they were a surprise team, and finished 9-4, with their 4 losses against Auburn, @ LSU, @ Alabama, and against Arkansas (the worst gambling loss of the year for me). All in all though, their 4 losses were against teams that combined for 8 losses, and of course the eventual national champion. The only problem was....that all four of those teams play in Mississippi State's division.

This year, MSU's schedule features 5 swing games. They host LSU, Alabama, and South Carolina. They travel to UGA and Arkansas. They dont have the most favorable draw from the east as they play the top two teams and travel to Kentucky. However, their schedule appears to be easier than it was last year. On top of all that, they return 16 starters from their 9-4 Gator Bowl Championship team. Its hard to predict their fortunes, as they overachieved greatly last year. They could easily go 0-5 in those swing games, and finish 7-5. They could also go 2-3, or 3-2, and find themselves in the Capital One or Cotton Bowl. Their strength last year was their defense, but they lose 5 starters, most notably Chris White, who finished 4th in the SEC in TFL last year. The September 15, Thursday night game vs LSU in Starkville should kick ass, and be an early indicator to how the Bulldogs will perform in 2011.