Grand Opening: College Football Starts, PlayOff Talk Begins

With little competition right before the baseball pennant races heat up and the middle weekend of U.S. Open tennis, college football opens with a long holiday weekend of games, concluding with No. 1 Ohio State trying to avenge its last loss at Virginia Tech on Labor Day night.

True, many of the matchups are of the hammer vs. nail variety, with Power Five teams facing low-level Group of Five foes. Or those FBS vs. FCS matchups, which produce about 10 blowouts for every upset (Villanova over UConn if you're looking for an FCS upset).

But there are plenty of enticing matchups in Week 1. And even in this playoff era where second chances are more plentiful, one loss can be one too many. Just ask TCU and Baylor.


We start the season by introducing a new feature to the picks, reaching into the Twitter bag to answer a few questions from readers and take requests on games to pick outside the Top 25:

Q: How bad is the Illinois job? — @BSargentOKC

A: My perception of Illinois is a program that should be more successful than it is. That if it can just get the right coach it should be able to match the type of success Iowa has had through the years. Hawkeyes fans may be tired of Kirk Ferentz, but if you offered Illinois fans 12 bowl games and four double-digit-win seasons in 14 years, I'd bet most would sign up.

The reality is during the 17 seasons Ferentz has been at Iowa, Illinois has had five winning seasons and won more than seven games three times — which strongly suggests there is more than just a coach problem in Champaign.

Q: What are the chances there will be four or more undefeated teams at season's end? — @Jamie_crane

A: An unbeaten team from one of the Power Five conferences not getting into the College Football Playoff would almost certainly create the greatest outcry and calls to expand it.

The good news for the selection committee is the odds are stacked against that happening. During the 12-year BCS era, only twice (2004 and '09) did more than four teams go into the bowls unbeaten, and never were the five teams from what we now consider the Power Five (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference).

Q: Sleeper team to make a push for the CFB playoff? — @SydneyCarton1

A: Defining a dark horse is the first step.

We'll make the line outside the AP preseason top 15 for this discussion and offer up Oklahoma. The Sooners are coming in with relatively low expectations after sinking to 8-5 last season. The combination of new quarterback Baker Mayfield and new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley should drastically improve the passing game. The running game with Samaje Perine is already strong. The pass defense needs to be better, but I have a hard time buying that the Sooners are simply no match for TCU and Baylor in the Big 12.

The picks:

THURSDAY

No. 2 TCU (minus 14 1/2) at Minnesota

Gophers could use some snow to slow down the Horned Frogs. Forecast calls for a low of 70 degrees. ... TCU 34-17.

FRIDAY

No. 5 Michigan State (minus 18) at Western Michigan

Broncos coach and Illinois native P.J. Fleck seems like a logical choice to become the next Illini coach, regardless of whether he can upset the Spartans. ... MICHIGAN STATE 38-14.

Washington (plus 12) at No. 23 Boise State

Chris Petersen returns to Idaho to find the team he left is better than the one he now coaches ... BOISE STATE 28-10.

SATURDAY

MARQUEE MATCHUPS

No. 3 Alabama (minus 10) vs. No. 20 Wisconsin at Arlington, Texas

Who plays quarterback for the Tide? Against the Badgers and their rebuilt lines, it might not matter ... Best bet, ALABAMA 31-13

No. 6 Auburn (minus 10 1/2) vs. Louisville at Atlanta

Tigers hope this will be one of two games for them this season in the Georgia Dome, home of the SEC championship ... AUBURN 33-20.

Texas (plus 10) at No. 11 Notre Dame

The Longhorns' depth chart is loaded with freshmen. That might bode well for the future, but not for this trip to South Bend, Indiana ... NOTRE DAME 28-14.

No. 15 Arizona State (plus 3) vs. Texas A&M at Houston

Pac-12 South vs. SEC West. The College Football Playoff selection committee should pay particular attention ... ARIZONA STATE 35-31.

VERNON BOWL

Eastern Washington (no line) at No. 7 Oregon

New Ducks QB Vernon Adams faces his old team in one of the oddest FBS-FCS matchups ever ... OREGON 45-21.

POWER FIVE CROSSOVERS

Virginia (plus 19 1/2) at No. 13 UCLA

Freshman QB Josh Rosen leads the Bruins ... UCLA 30-14.

No. 21 Stanford (minus 12) at Northwestern

Smart football ... STANFORD 24-20.

PLUCKY UNDERDOG

Bowling Green (plus 20 1/2) at No. 25 Tennessee at Nashville

The Falcons high-speed, Baylor-style spread will try to get the Vols into track meet ... TENNESSEE 45-24.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Michigan (plus 5 1/2) at Utah, Thursday night

The Harbaugh era has been a blast for Michigan fans so far. Now a dose of reality ... UTAH 23-14.

Penn State (minus 7) at Temple

Nittany Lions only road game until mid-October is in Philadelphia ... PENN STATE 23-14.

BYU (plus 7) at Nebraska

Upset special: We'll see how much Huskers fans love new coach Mike Riley after Taysom Hill and the Cougars come to town ... Upset special, BYU 31-24.

Georgia Southern (plus 19 1/2) at West Virginia

The Eagles looked like a trendy upset pick until QB Kevin Ellison was suspended ... WEST VIRGINIA 35-28.

MISMATCHES

Arkansas State (plus 27) at No. 8 Southern California ... USC 49-20.

Louisiana-Monroe (plus 35) at No. 9 Georgia ... GEORGIA 45-7.

Texas State (plus 29) at No. 10 Florida State .... FLORIDA STATE 48-17.

UTEP (plus 33) at No. 18 Arkansas ... ARKANSAS 52-10.

Akron (plus 31 1/2) at No. 19 Oklahoma ... OKLAHOMA 49-10.

MONDAY NIGHT MAIN EVENT

No. 1 Ohio State (minus 11) at Virginia Tech

So much intrigue about which quarterback starts for the Buckeyes, but the question is can the Hokies feisty defense provide some real drama for the defending national champions? ... OHIO STATE 27-17.
(source : http://www.wiscnews.com By RALPH D. RUSSO)

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Wayne Rooney Goes Joint Top of England Goalscoring Chart

England confirmed their place at Euro 2016 after a routine dismissal of San Marino - but captain Wayne Rooney must wait to eclipse Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time goals tally.

Rooney scored a record-equalling 49th goal with an early penalty but was surprisingly substituted by England manager Roy Hodgson with history beckoning and the San Marino defence out on its feet. He must now try again against Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday.

There was still plenty for England to celebrate, though, as they made it seven wins out of seven in qualifying to ensure they will be in France next summer.

England were never under threat and it was another damage limitation exercise for San Marino, especially after Cristian Brolli headed into his own net before half-time.

Ross Barkley nodded in his first England goal after the break and England romped clear with two goals from substitute Theo Walcott and Harry Kane's clever lofted finish.

Rooney made to wait

There was general astonishment - probably shared by Rooney himself - when he was substituted after 58 minutes needing just one goal to beat Charlton's record.

Rooney will surpass the former Manchester United player's mark eventually and perhaps it will be more fitting should he seal it against Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday rather than this quaint 6,600-capacity arena with many fans getting a free view from the hills that rise up at one end of the stadium.

It looked like the record was there for the taking when Rooney tucked away that early penalty but he had no further clear chances - although one would surely have come against a home defence that was exhausted in the last 25 minutes. 

 

How the fresh faces fared

England manager Roy Hodgson gave opportunities to players in the relatively sedate surroundings of San Marino and one man in particular took his chance with relish.

Swansea City's Jonjo Shelvey, making his first England appearance in almost three years, was positive in possession, happy to play a deeper role but also willing to get forward and show his range of passing. He capped his performance by making the fifth goal for substitute Kane.

He will have created a good impression with Hodgson through his discipline and work-rate and can feel he has worked his way back into the England fold.

Barkley also made his mark with a neatly-taken header from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross as well as a few trademark moments of quality.

It was a tougher night for Leicester City's Jamie Vardy, who struggled to get into the action and, for a short while in the second half, became embroiled in a running battle with San Marino defender Giovanni Bonini.

Everton's John Stones, at the centre of so much speculation recently as Chelsea were willing to pay in excess of £30m for his services, had little to do other than handle the unique pressure of ensuring San Marino did not score their first goal of the Euro 2016 qualifiers on his watch. 

Are England in shape for Euro 2016?

Well, they will definitely be there and, as the first team to qualify (hosts France apart) Hodgson has some time for experimentation in the final three qualifiers.

England will not travel to France among the favourites but there is some fine young talent in this squad in the shape of the likes of Barkley, Luke Shaw, Kane, Stones and, of course, Raheem Sterling, who was rested on Saturday.

Hodgson will hope they continue to develop rapidly over the next 12 months alongside established, experienced players such as Rooney.

This should mean England can travel with hope and optimism. But potential winners? That is a long stretch. 

What they said

England striker Wayne Rooney: "It's a proud moment to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record. My aim is to push on and try and help the team win on Tuesday and break the record.

"It would have been great if the record had happened tonight. Obviously the tradition of Wembley and to break the record at Wembley would be great."

England manager Roy Hodgson: "I am more than satisfied and we won it with a good margin.

"One or two who weren't in contention to play on Tuesday night have pushed their claims and Jonjo Shelvey deserves a mention."

'Hodgson will be delighted'

Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas on BBC Radio 5 live: "There have been some decent performances from England. Ross Barkley stepped it up in the second half, Nathaniel Clyne bombed up and down the right flank and Jonjo Shelvey has hardly given the ball away.

"England manager Roy Hodgson will be delighted with his team's discipline, energy and professionalism."

The stats you need to know

• England have now won their last six meetings against San Marino, netting 37 goals in the process (6-0, 7-1, 5-0, 8-0, 5-0, 6-0)
• A player from a London club has scored every time England have faced San Marino
• Wayne Rooney has now scored five goals against San Marino, more than he has against any other side in an England shirt

 

(Source:http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football)

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Joachim Loew Demands Tighter Performance From Germany Against Scotland After Downing Poland

Joachim Loew says Germany can improve further in Monday’s Euro 2016 qualifier away to Scotland after Mario Goetze’s goals sealed a 3-1 win over Poland to top their group.

Thomas Mueller gave the hosts an early lead in Frankfurt on Friday and Goetze scored twice as Germany avenged last year’s 2-0 away defeat in Warsaw to replace Poland at the top of group D

All four goals came from Bayern Munich players as Poland captain Robert Lewandowski pulled one back with a diving header as it finished 2-1 at the break.

Mueller and Goetze then combined for Germany’s third on 82 minutes to kill off hopes of a late Poland equaliser.

“We had one goal, to win the game, that was the most important thing,” said Germany head coach Loew after arguably his side’s best display since winning the 2014 World Cup.

 

“All in all, we can be very happy, the team were very focused over long stretches, but the chances Poland had came from our mistakes.

“It will be a different type of game against Scotland, much tighter and we have areas to improve.”

It was Poland’s first defeat in seven Euro 2016 qualifiers in an impressive display from the Germans after several below-par performances last season.

Scotland’s 1-0 defeat away by Georgia saw them drop to fourth in the table with Germany top on 16 points, Poland now second on 14 while Ireland go third with 12, one ahead of the Scots.

But Toni Kroos echoed Loew’s sentiments ahead of Germany’s next qualifier at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

“It was a deserved win, but on occasion we invited Poland to attack us, which we have to improve,” said the Real Madrid midfielder.

“All in all, it was a good win, but Scotland could be an unpleasant opponent to face [after their defeat] and we’ve been warned.” (Source:http://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer)

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