Thursday, August 29, 2024

I Tell Ya' Herbie

      Last season, we used the old seventies toy, Super Toe, as the face of "Herbie".

Well, since then I've found an actual Super Toe at an antique market in Dayton Ohio (Picture as I found him in Dayton), so starting next week, I'll have a picture of Super Toe today, although I still need some of those block bottomed footballs!

I tell ya' Herbie:

                           The first week of the season doesn't feature many great matchups but it will have two inter-conference games that are quite underrated as rivalries that could set the tone for the season for the winners.

I've always loved inter-conference rivalries and more of these types of games should be played.

I tell ya' Herbie:

                          Georgia vs Clemson may not have the cache' that it may have had a few seasons ago with Clemson's mild decline but it still matches the favorites of the SEC and a top contender in the ACC, especially with Florida State's surprising loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland.

The two schools are separated by only seventy miles and have played sixty-five times but this will be only the fourth time in the last twenty-one years and in the new era of playoff football where one loss won't kill your season, perhaps Georgia vs Clemson can once again become an annual rivalry.

I tell ya' Herbie:

                           The other renewed rivalry will see Penn State travel to Morgantown as an eight-point favorite over West Virginia and the Mountaineers.

Last season's 38-15 Penn State win in State College was the first game in a sixty-game series since 1992.

Penn State usually beats everyone not named Ohio State or Michigan on their schedule but they seldom under James Franklin defeat teams that they aren't far superior to.

West Virginia improved to 9-4 last season, Morgantown is a tough place to visit, and if Penn State isn't ready to play, I think West Virginia is capable of pulling an upset.

I tell ya' Herbie:

                           Boise State is the team that many are picking as the potential Group of Five representative in the playoff but the Broncos have a very tough game at Oregon early in the season that receives the attention as a Bronco-buster.

However, Boise starts the season with three games that aren't easy, the first of which is this Saturday against Sun Belt member Georgia Southern in Statesboro Ga.

The Eagles are also capable of an upset at home against a team traveling across the country, so Boise needs to take care of business before their Oregon and Washington State matchups.

I tell ya' Herbie:

                           One team that I am interested in watching is Nebraska with Matt Ruhle in his second year and starting true freshman Dylan Raiola at quarterback, the Cornhuskers should be a team worth watching- for good or bad.

Ruhle and Raiola could show signs of progress in Lincoln for even more improvement in 2015 or they could also struggle, bringing the fanbase to early concern, and Raiola, who committed to seemingly half the nation in his high school years, to start looking around for a landing spot elsewhere.

I could see it playing out either way, which is why it's so interesting to keep an eye on.

I tell ya' Herbie:

                           Of all the games in the first month of the season, the one I am looking forward to most (outside of the teams I support) is September 28th with Liberty traveling to Appalachian State.

The favorites to win the CUSA and Sun Belt conferences, the winner could have a huge leg up on the automatic playoff berth.

Liberty plays another weak schedule without an opponent that the Flames would not be favored, while Appalachian State travels to Clemson before this game, a win here, and a run of the table (with a Sun Belt title game win) could put a one-loss Mountaineer team into the tournament even with a loss to Clemson.

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