TicketStumbler’s Posterous

I am pretty sure the entire country is madly in love with football.  My question is, who gets more love: College or the NFL?  If you asked me in High School, my answer would have been hands down NFL.  Ask me in College, my opinion would have leaned towards College.  Ask me today and I would say the College Game gets more love across the country then the NFL.  The places where College is king are in the South and on the West Coast.  LA might not have an NFL team but they have great college teams to route for.  If you live in Mississippi or Alabama you can route for different schools, but who is your NFL team Atlanta?  New Orleans?  Fortunately for me I grew up in a great NFL city and went to a great College football school.  Hopefully, you are in the same situation.  If not…well don't worry because I am covering them both so enjoy!

Apparently the ACC, Big 12, and SEC have released tickets for their Championship Games.  If you don't care who plays then now might be the time to check them out!  The ACC and Big 12 have some reasonable prices, but the SEC not so much.

1. Tennessee at UCLA - Mon. Sep. 1st at 8:00 PM (All times EST) - My obvious game of the week posted in my Week 1 Preview!  Rocky Top heads to the Rose Bowl on Labor Day.  Last year the Volunteers lost at Cal in a barn burner.  Look for a great game and great fun in the California sun.  If you live in LA skip the beach for the day and enjoy the clash of Orange and Blue!
2. Miami at Florida - Sat. Sep. 6th at 8:00 PM - In case you didn't know the last time Florida beat Miami was in 1985.  My guess is payback is a blank for Miami.  Should be a great atmosphere in Florida.  If you want to see a game in Gainsville but don't want a steep price I would recommend the Ole Miss and Citadel games.  Probably blowouts but if you are a Florida fan it would be a good time.
3. Ohio St. at USC - Sat. Sep. 13th 8:00 PM  - 1990 was the last time these teams faced each other.  Both programs have been excellent over the past decade and also hated pretty regularly outside of Ohio and LA.  Week 3 is packed with great games including Arkansas at Texas and Michigan at Notre Dame which I will cover in my Week 3 picks.
4. Georgia at Arizona St. - Sat. Sep. 20th 8:13 PM - Ok so there are some big inner Conference games opening up in Week 4, but I have to go with the first meeting of the Bulldogs and Sun Devils.  If you can get away for the week/weekend Tempe is a great place to visit.
5. Virginia Tech at Nebraska - Sat. Sep. 27th TBA - So this is the 2nd meeting of the Hokies and the Huskers.  Last time Va Tech lost 41 to 21 in the Orange Bowl.  I am actually thinking that Nebraska will roll at home here.  The Hokies might not enjoy heading into Big 12 country, especially against Big Red.
6. Navy at Air Force- Sat. Oct. 4th 4:00 PM - I don't think this one will on the TV radar so if you are going to be in Colorado why not check out the real American Heroes.  Both of these teams will be playing hard as usual and should put on a great game.  I like the Navy in this one but I am a little partial.
7. LSU at Florida - Sat. Oct. 11 TBA - Ok so this is my 1A game and the red river shootout is 1B.  So to be the champs you need to beat the champs.  Well at least once, because we could see these two teams rematch in the SEC Championship game.  I think the Shootout in Dallas will be a lot of fun.  Although there aren't any tickets available yet for the Texas vs. Oklahoma game.
8. Penn State vs. Michigan - Sat. Oct. 18th 4:30 PM - JoePa and Penn State's record vs. Michigan is 3-10.  If this is Joe's last season hopefully he can get a win at home against Michigan for the first time since 1996.  I was at the 2005 game to witness Penn State's only loss on the last play of the game.  One of the best/worst games I have ever been a part of.  Happy Valley will be rocking and will be a fun day from sunrise to sunset.  And I will be there!
9. Auburn at West Virginia - Thu. Oct. 23th 8:00 PM - Another first time meeting!  So for any Auburn fans in the DC or Pittsburgh areas, Morgantown is withing driving distance and will be a lot of fun.  There are no excuses, well except for burning couches.  Even though this is a Thursday night game find a nice bed and breakfast to take the Mrs/Miss and enjoy Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia!
10. Clemson at Boston College - Sat. Nov. 1st TBA - Clemson looks to beat BC for the first time since BC joined the ACC.  If you are a New Englander you have to love it when the Southern schools come up North to play in November.
11. California at USC - Sat. Nov. 8th TBA - Of all the weeks in the college football season, this is the worst.  I think there are a handful of entertaining games, but nothing that should affect the BCS at the end of the night.  I like Cal heading into USC for once and am calling an upset on August 1st.
12. Texas at Kansas - Sat Nov. 15th TBA - Contrary to Week 11, Week 12 has a lot of interesting games.  My pick is the Longhorns heading into Jayhawk country.  Kansas surprised everyone last year and having a big opponent on home turf makes a difference.  I hope the fans in Lawrence give the Horns some hell.
13. Michigan at Ohio St. - Sat. Nov. 22 TBA - Ok, so these are my Least two favorite teams.  If you make it to the game and wear Michigan gear, I want to hear how it went.  I have been to the "Horseshoe" in Penn State gear a few times and it was not pleasant.  I also call it the "Horseshoe" since they filled in the opening that gave the stadium its name.  I think they should rename it Sweater Vest Stadium.
14. Miss. St. at Ole Miss - Fri. Nov. 28 12:30 - Plenty of games this week that will be covered later, but my pick is the Egg Bowl!  The game is on the Friday after Thanksgiving so if you are back home or away for the weekend get down to the Grove for this is a Southern Treat.  Odds are these teams won't be in contention for the SEC Championship game but there is always a good game when state bragging rights are on the line.  Also Notre Dame at USC for those of you on the West Coast or Irish fans.
15. Army/Navy - Sat. Dec. 6th 12:00 PM - The 109th meeting of Army and Navy.  The game will be in Philadelphia so plenty of seats at the Linc.  I would say going to this game once in my life is a goal of mine based on the History alone.  Make sure you bring something warm because it will be cold.

I would love to hear your comments about the games so feel free to post below!

Thanks to http://football.stassen.com/records/ for Historical Matchups.

• Cowboys at Steelers- Sunday Dec. 7th 4:15 PM FOX -  If you haven't figured it out both fan bases hate each other.  Teams that played against each other during 3 Superbowls and have a combined 10 Superbowl Championships very rarely play against each other.  There are only a handful of games that could be the "Game of the Year."  This one is on the top of my list.
• Patriots at Chargers - Sunday Oct 12th 8:15 PM NBC - AFC Championship Preview?  You never know but this one should be fun.  Both teams have a good chance at being undefeated at this point so the hype will be up.  The play should match the hype.  If you are in sunny San Diego remember the game starts at 5:15 PM pacific time so you can celebrate at the bar later.
• Chargers at Steelers- Sunday Nov. 16th 4:15 PM CBS - Ok so the AFC is packed with good teams and interesting match-ups.  I feel that this is the most unpredictable game of the season.  Both teams have great defenses and great offenses.  Thank goodness the game is before the High School Championships.  So the field won't be a mess like it was after Thanksgiving last year.
• Colts at Steelers - Sunday Nov. 9th 4:15 PM CBS - Vanderjagt probably kept the Colts from winning back to back Superbowls.  If Manning wants 2 in 3 years he better not take Pittsburgh lightly.  The Steelers have a brutal schedule although a lot of the tough games are at home.  Hopefully a few Colts fans can brave the trip through Ohio to see this game.
• Colts at Chargers - Sunday Nov. 23rd 8:15 PM NBC - If you don't like the color blue you should probably not watch this game.  This is a big season for Philip Rivers and winning this game is a must.  No excuses here big night game at home, just played in Pittsburgh, a big home win here gives you the confidence in the playoffs.  I also think the Colts will be ready to play after torching Houston.  In other words - Big Game.
• 49ers at Cowboys - Sunday Nov. 23rd 1:00 PM FOX - Ok so I am nostalgic for the 90's.  But in the 00's I am big on Mike Martz offenses.  I think the Cowboys will win this game, but there should be a lot of scoring on the way.  I would love to see TO score and then celebrate on the Star at mid-field.  If this does not happen, TO missed out on a great opportunity.
• Bears at Colts - Sunday Sep. 7th 8:15 PM NBC- Lucas Oil Stadium opens its lid, I mean doors for the first regular season game.  This is also a rematch from the Superbowl 2 years ago.  Should be fun if you are a Colts fan, because the Bears are a mess.  Everyone in Indianapolis should thank Rex for playing in the Opener and Superbowl.
• Patriots at Colts- Sunday Nov 2nd8:15 PM NBC - The Pats come into The Oil Can with at most 2 losses, more likely Zero.  We have at least 6 could be previews of AFC championship games this season.  The fact that most of these teams and match-ups I am picking will be seen in the playoffs is amazing.  I am calling a Colt win here and now, new building means new results against Brady and Co.
• Steelers at Eagles - Sunday Sep. 21st 4:15 PM CBS - The once every 4 years cross-state rivalry heats up in week 3.  That means Westbrook and McNabb should be healthy and the crowd will be nasty.  The good news for the Steelers is the weather should be nice.
• Steelers at Patriots - Sunday Nov. 30th4:15 PM CBS - If you haven't noticed there is a lot of Colts/Chargers/Pats/Steelers games here.  Well thanks to the strength of schedule the Pats and the Chargers drew the Steelers/Colts, the Steelers and the Colts drew the Pats/Chargers.  Last time I checked the Jaguars and Titans made the playoffs last year too.  The Jags have the Bills/Broncos and the Titans have the Chiefs/Jets as their strength games.  If the Jaguars don't make the playoffs this year somebody isn't doing their job down in Jacksonville.  Oh, the Steelers/Pats game will be excellent, it always is.
• Redskins at Cowboys /Cowboys at Redskins - Sunday Sep. 28th 4:15 FOX - Sunday Nov. 16th 8:15 PM NBC - Readers choice!  First let me be clear, every NFC East team can make the playoffs.  All 4 organizations always compete, and after Dan Snyder learned his "you can't buy a championship" lesson, they all draft well.  When I cover the conference in more detail later we can get into the details.  I love rivalry games and this one is one of the best.  If you can make it to one of these games let me know how much fun you had!
• Cowboys at Giants - Sunday Nov. 2nd 4:15 PM FOX - The NFC Favorites visit the Superbowl Champs.  I think Dallas will want to avenge their playoff loss twice this season.  But then again they beat the Giants twice last year and still lost in the playoffs.  Well here is round one of two (or three).
• Cowboys at Packers/Colts at Packers- Sunday Sep. 21st 8:15 PM NBC/ Sunday Oct. 19th 4:15 PM CBS - Ok another choice for you.  So my main question is: are the games with or without Brett Favre?  I am a little sick of the whole thing myself.  But are the games as good without him?  Last year against Dallas he went out hurt and ARoge wasn't terrible in relief.  Well I guess the game was over at that point.  Anyway, if you are in Wisconsin you probably want to see one of these games and I don't blame you!
• Saints at Bucs- Sunday Nov. 30th 1:00 PM Fox - I guarantee this game has playoff/division implications.  I like the Saints in a rebound year and the Bucs are building things back up after making the playoffs last year.  If you have never been to Raymond James Stadium, take a trip with your friends/family to Tampa for Thanksgiving.  The stadium has a touch of Disney World and watching the guns in the pirate ship go off is actually pretty cool.