Picking college football games is hard enough, but picking them against the spread? That’s just plain asking for trouble.
Nevertheless, OBNUG’s very own Nick Kroes feels he is up to the task. He’ll be picking games each and every week for our little website, starting this weekend…unfortunately. Good matchups were hard to find, spreads even harder, but Nick still managed to make a column out of it. Youngstown State would be wise to learn from his determination.
Feel free to let Nick know how you feel in the comments. His picks are after the jump.
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Capital One bestows highest mascot honor on BSU’s biggest plush fan.
Here is what we’ll be watching this weekend. Plan date night accordingly.
The Bengals are in for a world of hurt. But first, a look at who will be hurting.
Bloggers unite! OBNUG’s new poll celebrates expertise and sanity.
I pledge allegiance to the flag and to Marty Tadman. Read more about the greatest nation on Earth.
Fiesta Bowl winner. Proposal nailer. Ian has it all. But is he really as good of a back as he was two years ago?
The future of the Boise State program lies in his hands, which is exactly like Star Wars Episode IV
Boise State mascot Buster Bronco has been chosen as a finalist for the Capital One mascot competition. He’s pictured above with his new, less scary head (to the right of the Louisville cardinal and directly above whatever that thing is sitting in the corner), and he looks stoked!
Here’s a snippet from the official Boise State press release:
Capital One announces Buster Bronco makes seventh annual 2008 All-America Mascot team. Buster Bronco prepares to cheer, climb and cook its way to the pinnacle of mascot fame and fortune. Boise State athletics is very proud to have Buster in this competition. He will need all the support he can get from the Treasure Valley!
OK, a couple of things. First, is Buster Bronco an “it” or a “he”? We didn’t know that our beloved mascot’s gender was in question. Who’s the politically correct marketing genius using gender-neutral terms!? Parents, good luck explaining that one to your kids. Second, …cooking? What is that all about? Let’s hope this is not a gimmick for the next season of Top Chef.
Voting for the competition gets underway on September 8th. Let’s hope this goes better than the Wii mascot cover competition did.
Capital One Bowl homepage [Capital One Bowl]
We found this little nugget on Brian Murphy’s blog, which is an entirely different story unto itself.
OBNUG’s pick for preseason WAC defensive player of the year, San Jose State DE Jeff Schweiger, appears to be the second coming of Marty Tadman. Religious pun not intended.
Tadman, who was known for being outspoken about his faith and for being amazing, can never be replaced. But his testimony might get a run for its money. Schweiger’s story is eerily similar to the born-again tale of Tadman, albeit without the tattoo sleeves. Schweiger lived the hard life, found Jesus, and reprioritized his life. Now he only needs to become one of the best players in school history, win games single-handedly, and inspire a nation, and he’ll have almost matched Tadman. Actually, forget it. Tadman can never be matched.
Fast-forward to this summer, when a long-haired, carefree Schweiger ran circles around SJSU’s offensive linemen and regularly harassed the quarterbacks. Teammates often ask him how he can be so intense and spiritual at the same time. “I tell them I hit you as hard as I love you. If I hit you soft, you know I don’t care,” he said, laughing.
At least he’s got the witty quotes down pat.
We hope the best for Schweiger this year, partially because we want our prediction to come true and partially because he seems like a really decent guy. He may never approach the complete and total awesomeness of Tadman, but even being on the same blessed road puts him in better company than most.
Schweiger has put his faith back into football [Mercury News]
For the first game of the season, things have been strangely quiet around Bronco Nation. We guess a Division I-AA opponent will do that to you, but still we wish there were more to talk about. Better start making stuff up then, right? Links below.
Drisan James released by Raiders [Inside Bay Area via ISZ]
Boise Burn suddenly very interested.
Boise State C Thomas Byrd also a student of the game [Statesman]
Joining pretty much the rest of the team.
New Vandal uniforms look just like the old ones [Statesman]
A “golder” gold? It’s like the emperor’s new clothes all over again!
Obligatory Russell Hill reference [Press-Tribune]
Oh, did he used to play at Timberline?
Buster Bronco’s new face and more [Fight Fight BSU]
However, Idaho State game remains rather non-intriguing.
Phil Steele’s Week One predictions [Phil Steele]
Florida to not score 50 points against Hawaii. Phil Steele has lost it.
Percy Harvin to miss Florida’s Hawaii game [SI.com]
Tim Tebow to score extra touchdowns in his absence.
LaTech to get creamed by LSU next season [Shreveport Times]
Boise State still to play UC Davis.
Brian Murphy’s five Boise State game questions [Murph's Turf]
No. 6: Do I have to stay for the whole thing?
Idaho State-Boise State one of most lopsided matchups in Week One [Washington Times]
Don’t kill the messenger.
Not everyone got the Kellen Moore message [Blog Critics]
Students celebrate football’s return [Arbiter Online]
Graham Watson tries to make nice with non-BCS teams [ESPN.com]
When the Idaho State Bengals roll into town on Saturday, they will have victory on their minds — moral victory.
The thought of hanging with the Broncos for four quarters is little more than a pipe dream for the Bengals, which is why expectations have been lowered, standards have been dropped, and ISU will be happy to get out of Boise without losing by six touchdowns.
Losing by any less than six TDs would be a win in the Bengals’ book.
As game day draws nearer, it appears that Idaho State has resigned itself to merely trying to cover the spread, which as of today stood at 43 points. The ISU media has similarly tepid hopes. A 30-point loss might cause rioting in the streets of Pocatello. Better board up the Hardee’s!
It was announced last week that the Broncos will start a freshman at quarterback for the first time. This is excellent news for Idaho State. Not quite excellent enough for the Bengals to expect a win, but more than excellent enough to expect to cover the spread.
I am anticipating a 30-point win by Boise State. The final score will be something like 43-14.
The Bengal players must surely appreciate the vote of confidence.
Kellis Robinett Blog [Idaho State Journal]
College football season is here, which means we can at last start shirking responsibilities around the house, eating dinner in the living room, and going an entire day wearing sweat pants. Life is good again.
With so much football action over the next few days, we felt the need to create a viewer’s guide to sort it all out. Here are the games, shows, and foods we found most important.
Weekend snack of choice: Cheetos.
Nothing says unhealthy like an artificially-flavored orange cheese puff.
Thursday Night
NC State @ South Carolina. 6:00pm ESPN.
Oregon State @ Stanford. 7:00pm ESPN2
Get your first glimpse of football with an SEC matchup between the Wolfpack and Gamecocks. Then, about 30 minutes later after neither team has got a first down, switch over to ESPN2 for some much more exciting Pac-10 football. Bonus: Jim Harbaugh might make a guarantee!
Friday Night
SMU at Rice 6:00pm ESPN
New SMU head coach June Jones makes his debut for the Mustangs. Do you think the ESPN announcers will mention it?
Saturday
Bowling Green @ Pittsburgh 10:00am ESPNU
Boise State faces Bowling Green two weeks from now. Hope for mild ankle sprains that take three to four weeks for recovery.
Utah @ Michigan 1:30 ABC
Appalachian State vs. LSU 3:00pm ESPN
Can App State pull another upset? Can Michigan avoid one?
Mississippi State @ LaTech 4:45 ESPN2
Giant SEC defenders look forward to meeting Taylor Bennett.
Bronco Sports Extra 6:00pm KTVB, channel 7
Idaho State @ Boise State 7:00pm KTVB, channel 7
David Augusto has been waiting for this moment all summer.
Washington @ Oregon 8:30 FSN
An Oregon win would help Boise State’s strength of schedule. But it’s so hard to root for neon yellow!
In case of a blowout: The Unit reruns on CBS.
For our readers who don’t like football: Two Weeks Notice on AMC.
JT Ray and a cast of thousands discuss Bronco topics ranging from recruiting and Kellen Moore to season previews and Idaho State. Note: Idaho State discussion not guaranteed to matter all that much.
Click the link below to listen.
Bronco Nation podcast [BNN]
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