Let’s take a look at

Illinois vs. No. 5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati is a dark horse candidate to make it to the BCS Championship game. They must beat Ron Zook’s Illinois Fighting Illini team by a sizable margin if they want to impress the voters. Cincinnati is playing at home so I think they’re going to win. They will need a lot of help though to make the Championship game. They will likely need Alabama, Florida and Texas to all lose a game.

No. 2 Alabama vs. Auburn
This game is one of the best rivalries in the Southeastern Conference, if not the entire country. It’s called the Iron Bowl and goes back decades. These two teams hate each other. Alabama got the best of Auburn last year and though they are favored again this year (by 10 points) I’m not so sure they game will get out of hand. Alabama has played a lot of close games and is susceptible to a loss on the road.

No. 8 Pittsburg vs. West Virginia
I’m not sure Pittsburg has a chance to make the National Championship game, but they certainly can get a big for a BCS game. I have a feeling this is going to be a great game though – one of those games where there are 15 highlights. Both teams play football the right way and both teams dispise each other. That’s the formula for great football.

So what games are you looking forward to on this Friday? There are a ton to choose from.

We’ll start off with college:
No. 25 WVU vs. No. 5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati is undefeated and one of the best teams in college football this year. They have a great quarterback and a speedy offense. However, I think they’ve benefited from an easy schedule. There’s no way they would be undefeated in a conference like the SEC or Big 12. I like West Virginia to come in and win this game by 3 points.

No. 16 Utah vs. No 4. TCU
This game is similar to the one above. You have a very good school playing against a Top 5 team. TCU has only played one ranked opponent so far this season. Utah probably won’t win, but I’m a fan of upsets so I’m picking them.

Now onto the NFL:
New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
This game has become the premier non-divisional rivalry game in the NFL. It seems like they are playing each other every season… and why not? The two best quarterbacks and the two winningest  teams in the last decade pitted against each other in a game that could have home-field advantage implications for the playoffs. I like the Colts to move to 9-0.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
This is a great NFC North rivalry game. Cincinnati has had Pittsburgh number in recent years. Both teams come into this game 6-2 and atop the AFC North. The winner will have sole possession of first place. Can the Steelers stop Palmer, Ochocinco, and Benson? I think they can. I like the Steelers to come out on top.

What games are you looking forward to this weekend? Post a comment and let me know.

A lot of “experts” think the LSU Tigers aren’t really worthy of the No. 9 ranking. They beat a bad Georgia team and lost to the only other ranked opponent they’ve faced – Florida. LSU will have a chance to prove themselves this weekend. If they can manage a win on the road against Alabama they will have everyone in the nation believing in them. This game will also likely determine who wins the SEC West and gets a shot at Florida in the SEC Championship Game.

Other big games this weekend I’m looking forward to include:

No. 16 OSU at No. 11 Penn State
Two of the most passionate and historic schools face off in a great Big Ten rivalry game.

Navy at No. 22 Notre Dame
Navy plays some tough football and can score points. Don’t be surprised if they go into South Bend and win this game.

Vanderbilt at No. 1 Florida
This game should be a blowout – I just love watching the No. 1 team play.

Are there any games this weekend you’re looking forward to?

The biggest game of the week is not a matchup between two Top 10 teams like last week’s USC vs. OSU game. This week we have a good ole SEC rivalry game: unranked Tennessee Volunteers vs. No.1 Florida Gators. Tennessee doesn’t have the firepower on offense or speed on defense that the Gators have, but Lane Kiffin has made a big deal of this game during the offseason so you know the Gators will be ready for it, just like they were ready for UGA in 2008. CBS picked this game up so the entire nation will get a chance to see what unfolds in The Swamp.

Another game I’m looking forward to is Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Texas. The Red Raiders don’t have Graham Harrell or Michael Crabtree anymore, and in fact, they aren’t even ranked heading into this game… but that doesn’t mean the Longhorns aren’t out for vengeance. You can guarantee they remember that last second touchdown that handed them defeat in 2008 and cost the Longhorns an opportunity to play in the national championship.

So let’s take a look at my predictions for some of the weekend’s games:

Tennessee 10 – Florida 56
Texas Tech 14 – Texas 49
Nebraska 31 – Virginia Tech 21
Ohio State 17 – Toledo 14
Florida State 20 – BYU 35

What are your predictions for this weekend’s big games? Post a comment below and let me know.

The biggest game of the weekend was without question the No. 3 USC Trojans vs. the No. 8 OSU Buckeyes. The Buckeyes were winning the game in the 4th quarter, but a late touchdown drive by Trojan QB Barkley sealed the Buckeyes fate. The Trojans moved to 2-0 with a score of 18-15 over the Buckeyes… and Ohio State once again proved they can’t win the big game.

Other exciting games from the weekend include the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. the Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. Both games were high scoring affairs and in both instances the home team was victorious. Georgia needed a win in the worst way. Starting the season off 0-2 would have devastated their fans. Michigan’s win over Notre Dame moved them into the Top 25… a place they haven’t sniffed in a long time.

Celebrate your team’s victory with an official score tee from Football Fanatics. Score tees are available for purchase seconds after select games every weekend. Visit the score tee page to see if your team is available.

Must see games for week 1 include:

No. 13 Georgia at No. 19 Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State surprised a lot of people in 2008. They have an up and coming head coach who is looking to make a name for himself and his program. Georgia lost Stafford and Moreno to the NFL, but still hope to contend for the SEC East.
Prediction: Georgia 31 – Oklahoma State 28

No. 20 Brigham Young at. No 3 Oklahoma
BYU is always one of those schools that will go undefeated or only have one loss and argue that they deserve a shot at a BCS game. Well, this is as close as they’re going to get. Oklahoma is a premier football team capabale of beating anyone.
Prediction: BYU 13 – Oklahoma 56

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech
This is the game I’m looking forward to the most. Two top 10 teams battling it out. A loss here will seriously hurt either team’s chance at making the BCS Championship game. Virginia Tech is the class of the ACC and Alabama wants to prove their 12-2 record last year wasn’t a fluke.
Prediction: Alabama 24 – Virginia Tech 34

Miami at No. 18 Florida State
This game might not be what it once was, but Miami vs. FSU is still one of the best rivalry games in college football. Every year they kick off the season against each other. Miami has a horrific quarterback situation and they have to travel into Doak Campbell Stadium.
Prediction: Miami 10 – FSU 24

Did you know Football Fanatics carries face-off tees for the best rivalry games of the week? For Week 1, we have tees for Miami vs. FSU, Alabama vs. Va Tech, and Georgia vs. Ok. State.

Check it out:

Michael W. – “I don’t know his name, I would pick the QB from University of Nebraska!!!!!”

Melissa W.H.N. - “TEBOW- He’s the best!! GO GATORS!!”

Louie U. – “Paulus……Orangemen”

Joshua D. – “Tyrod Tylor or Logan Thomas for Virginia Tech hokie hokie high VPI”

David L. – “Tommie Frazier! Oh, you said CURRENT qbs….hmm….Tebow then. I hate him but the man has skills.”

Amy R.L. – “Who could possibly hate Tebow?!!! Go Gators!”

Eric J.R. - “Sam Bradford. Because he is NOT Timmy Tebow!!!!”

Raymond S. - “Not a Gator fan but I’d go with Tebow. Did I just rhyme?”

Dustin C. – “McCoy all the way.”

Mark M. – “i would pick Jimmy Clausen, because he has the most pressure on him, and I think that he will pull thru, and gold and blue will go undefeated!”

Kenneth J.S. - “Sam Bradford of Oklahoma cool as they get.”

Alex W. – “McCoy. unmatched accuracy, excellent on his feet, handles pressure well. even without any standout receivers he has led the Longhorns to tremendous seasons.”

Raegan W. – “Tebow no brainer”

The response that sticks out the most to me so far is Jimmy Clausen. He’s a good quarterback and has the physical tools to be a great college QB, but at this point there are quite a few QBs I’d pick ahead of him. I was also surprised not to see anyone reply with Jevon Snead. Do you want to submit your answer? Post a comment here or become our fan on Facebook.

The response was overwhelmingly in favor of NFL football. @polo12player said “the NFL is the greatest sport of all time! The NEW America’s favorite pastime!” and @tcms12 said “NFL…College gets uninteresting as soon as one team starts blowing out the other…Not many blowouts in NFL.”

I am of the opinion that NFL football is a better television product. I can sit down and watch the Colts vs. Patriots play on a Sunday afternoon even though I have no rooting interest. This may or may not have to do with the Fantasy Football revolution. With college football, I tend to only watch games that are important to me: like Florida Gator games. There aren’t many Saturday afternoons that I will sit and watch a Oregon State vs. Arizona State game, but I am always willing to watch any NFL game… even the 0-16 Lions.

There were a few Twitter replies though that supported college football, but overall the consensus agreed that they prefer to watch NFL football on TV. Tomorrow, I might ask which do they prefer to watch live in a stadium? The results could be flipped.

Spring games are a great because it gives fans that little ounce of college football to hold them over until August. Spring games are fun for the whole family… you can relax in the stadium and watch a little football without having to worry about your blood pressure boiling after a bad call. Plus, it’s usually free to attend.

It’s not every day you get to see your favorite team playing against themselves. The Florida Gators have their annual spring game coming up on April 18. It’s called the Orange and Blue game and you know Football Fanatics is here to bring you specific Spring Game merchandise for the Gators and about two dozen other major college teams.

Gear up for your favorite school at Football Fanatics! Check out a small selection of spring game gear we have.