Headlines Week 1 2018

1. The most highly anticipated and important game of the week was certainly the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game which pitted 2 top 10 teams, the Washington Huskies and Auburn Tigers, against each other.  The game took place in the dazzling new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, giving Auburn a decided advantage in fan attendance because Auburn University is located in the nearby state of Alabama.  It appeared like this had some effect on the game as Auburn jumped out to an early 12-3 lead.  Washington caught up in the 2nd quarter when Huskies quarterback Jake Browning found his groove and his receivers made a couple of fantastic catches.  But inability to score touchdowns in the red zone in the 2nd half doomed Washington when Auburn scored a late touchdown.  This is yet another example of how the PAC 12, the conference that Washington is a part of, usually fails to win a big game on the national stage.

2.  In Charlotte, North Carolina, West Virginia soundly defeated a capable Tennessee squad, 40-14 behind the 5 touchdown passes thrown by West Virginia quarterback Will Grier.  This came as welcome news to me because it bolstered my theory that West Virginia will challenge Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championship this year.

3.  Are the Knights of the University of Central Florida the best team in Florida? When my fellow college football expert George Winston asked who I thought the best team in Florida was, I quickly responded, "The UCF Knights!"  He responded with a chuckle, which is understandable with teams like Miami, Florida, and Florida State who generally are more talented and play far tougher schedules.  However, after games late in the weekend in which Miami was soundly defeated by LSU and Florida State was embarrassed at home by Virginia Tech, I might be onto something.  UCF certainly played well in their 56-17 shellacking of UConn after a long trip up to Connecticut.   This just goes to show that the Knights are no flash in the pan.