Week 0

Iowa State vs Kansas State - College football season, Week Zero, is upon us, and what better place to begin the arduous campaign than on the Emerald Isle, Ireland! I’m kidding, right? Since when is Dublin a hot spot for American football? More on this later. As the designation, Week Zero, implies, this isn’t the main course, but is an appetizer designed to wet the whistles of fervent fans throughout the Pigskin World.  Wetting whistles is something Dublin is good at.The Dark Time, between the NCAA Championship and Week Zero, is finally at an end and the curtain goes up! Hallelujah! Iowa State brings some proven talent to this affair. Last season the Cyclones went 11-3, and one of their victories was over K-State, but they were blown out by Arizona State, thus missing a big bowl payoff. They did beat Miami in the Pop-Tart Bowl. Coming back for the Cyclones is their signal-caller and Big-12 Honorable Mention quarterback, Rocco Becht, but the supporting staff of skilled players is unproven. The O-line returns four starters, quite an asset while waiting for the new talent to blend in. Defensively, a rash of injuries, mainly among the linebackers, became a problem last year, but with nearly everyone coming back hale and hearty, ISU should have experienced depth. The potential is there, Iowa State fans hope it won’t be lost by lack of commitment. A Big-12 title is not out of the question. Kansas State enters this season with sky-high expectations. They began last season with sky-high expectations, too, this time around, the Wildcats are hoping for better results. Losing three of their last four games puts a damper on the whole season. QB Avery Johnson, with a full year’s experience under his belt, can be expected to eliminate some of his past mistakes. The Cats are a “run first, pass later” and will always be so under HC Chris Klieman, but with Johnson’s maturity and skill sets, Klieman may open up the passing game more. But the big question mark for K-State is their Offensive line. Between transfers in and only one returning starter, how quickly this group melds could determine the Wildcats’ season. Their D-line needs some holes plugged in an otherwise formidable defense, but the way that Klieman and his staff rotate players in and out of games, there is a lot of game experience returning. Back to Dublin;- back in the day, when Russian and American troops occasionally interacted, there was a saying; - don’t drink vodka with the Russians. Well, don’t drink ANYTHING with the Irish. They say that alcohol was invented to keep the Irish from ruling the world. Take heed, college football players, they’ve been in the pubs - and there are many, many -much longer than you. Scoring drinking points may prove popular in the pubs, but they won’t win this game. K-State is picked to win, but only because Iowa State stumbles when the spotlight is on the Cyclones.

Short Smokes

Idaho State will try like the devil to beat UNLV but its very doubtful they will

Kansas is a double digit favorite to take down Fresno State but don’t underestimate the Bulldogs, this game could be closer than they think, with FSU getting the win.

Sam Houson can be tough at times but they’re a bit outmatched by Western Kentucky

Stanford is not the favorite pick against Hawai’i but the Warriors aren’t a heavy favorite either.