We went 5-3 overall and hit on the UPSET SPECIAL with LSU winning big over Miami. Florida State's offense must have been confused and traveled to Baton Rouge because they never showed up at Doak Campbell Stadium.We missed by a whisker on the Auburn-Washington game that lived up to our predictions of being a really close game. And, it was obvious after one quarter that Notre Dame football is back after they beat Michigan.
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| Just warming up |
This week's slate of games is relatively light compared to last weekend's rock 'em sock 'em opening round. Nevertheless there are several games that offer opportunities to Make Mo' Money™.
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| Gator Zack with his WWW pen |
Last week we invited subscribers of Woolard's Weekend Winners to send in selfies with their WWW swag. Our good buddy, Gator Zack, responded with his nifty official WWW ball point pen. He looks like a winner, and he writes like one, too. Zack qualifies for his WWW bonus points. And you can too if you send us some selfies...either with WWW gear or just having a great time getting blasted at your favorite tailgating venue.
WEST COAST WORD
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| West coast rep, Lair of the Bear |
The Chip Kelly era at UCLA didn’t start the way Westwood
envisioned with a 26-17 home loss at the hands of the Bearcats of the
University of Cincinnati. And, it’s not going to be easy to bounce back with a
“W” this weekend verses Oklahoma. True, Coach Kelly has never lost
consecutive games as a college head coach, but this year, UCLA is also
recognized as having one of the toughest schedules of any FBS football team.
Yes, this Saturday, the gutty little Bruins are on the road at venerable Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma for a brawl with the #6 Ranked Oklahoma Sooners backed by their 86,112 fans dressed in crimson and cream and the Sooner Schooner racing around Owen Field to endless choruses of “Boomer Sooner”!
The Sooners no longer have the services of last year’s Heisman Trophy Winner, Baker Mayfield, but they are considered to have one of the best offenses in college football. The Sooners love to run, and last week, one of the best running backs in the nation, Rodney Anderson totaled 100 yards and 2 TD’s on only 5 carries. Last year, UCLA’s defense ranked dead-last in the NCAA in rushing yards allowing 287.4 yards per game, and 122nd nationally in total defense. It may not be surprising that OU is currently a 30 point favorite.
However…. This is a different Bruin team. After coming to Westwood, one of Kelly’s first hires was Jerry Azzinaro as the Bruins’ defensive coordinator. The two have developed an extensive working relationship over the last two years as Azzinaro coached Kelly’s defensive line at Oregon from 2009-12, served as the assistant head coach/defensive line coach for Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles team from 2013-15, and then followed Kelly to San Francisco to coach the 49er’s defensive line in 2016. Throughout spring practice, the defense has made two necessary adjustments: switching back to a 3-4 scheme and a focus on tackling. A 3-4 scheme could adapt to UCLA’s players as it favors a more agile and fast-paced defensive talent, something the Bruins are filled with.
The defensive mantra in Westwood this past week has been “Fly to the Ball”! The Bruins will get three strong defensive players back for this game who were suspended for a violation of athletic department policies - Defensive Back Mo Osling and defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa (Try saying that fast a few times) and Moses Robinson-Carr. The other players to watch are Former 5-star standout Darnay Holmes at right corner He’s fearless, loves to hit and led the team with 3 interceptions last year. The best player on the defensive side of the ball is probably #15 Jaelan Phillips – 6’5”, 255 outside linebacker.
On offence… the Bruins have to start a true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Their starter against Cincinnati, Wilton Speight, a graduate transfer from Michigan, went down in the first half of that game. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a dual-threat quarterback from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas who was recruited to lead Kelly’s offense, but… Kelly was not planning on his first start to be on the road against Oklahoma. Another freshman player to watch is running back Kazmeir Allen — the California 100-meter high school sprint champion who set a national prep record with 72 touchdowns last fall! Kazmeir showed UCLA fans the future is now when he went 74 yards for a score early in the second half of their opener.
The Bruins tight end, #81 Caleb Wilson has been waiting three years to return to Norman. He once considered himself a proud Sooner. His father, Chris Wilson, was a two-time All-American linebacker for Oklahoma who later returned as defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator for five seasons while Caleb was in elementary and middle school.
So…. will the Bruins upset the Sooners? Probably not. It could very well be closer than the 30 point spread, especially if the Sooners are looking past UCLA to next week when they travel to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa and hope to avenge their only regular season loss of last year’s campaign, an embarrassing loss, at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. I love college football.
Yes, this Saturday, the gutty little Bruins are on the road at venerable Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma for a brawl with the #6 Ranked Oklahoma Sooners backed by their 86,112 fans dressed in crimson and cream and the Sooner Schooner racing around Owen Field to endless choruses of “Boomer Sooner”!
The Sooners no longer have the services of last year’s Heisman Trophy Winner, Baker Mayfield, but they are considered to have one of the best offenses in college football. The Sooners love to run, and last week, one of the best running backs in the nation, Rodney Anderson totaled 100 yards and 2 TD’s on only 5 carries. Last year, UCLA’s defense ranked dead-last in the NCAA in rushing yards allowing 287.4 yards per game, and 122nd nationally in total defense. It may not be surprising that OU is currently a 30 point favorite.
However…. This is a different Bruin team. After coming to Westwood, one of Kelly’s first hires was Jerry Azzinaro as the Bruins’ defensive coordinator. The two have developed an extensive working relationship over the last two years as Azzinaro coached Kelly’s defensive line at Oregon from 2009-12, served as the assistant head coach/defensive line coach for Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles team from 2013-15, and then followed Kelly to San Francisco to coach the 49er’s defensive line in 2016. Throughout spring practice, the defense has made two necessary adjustments: switching back to a 3-4 scheme and a focus on tackling. A 3-4 scheme could adapt to UCLA’s players as it favors a more agile and fast-paced defensive talent, something the Bruins are filled with.
The defensive mantra in Westwood this past week has been “Fly to the Ball”! The Bruins will get three strong defensive players back for this game who were suspended for a violation of athletic department policies - Defensive Back Mo Osling and defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa (Try saying that fast a few times) and Moses Robinson-Carr. The other players to watch are Former 5-star standout Darnay Holmes at right corner He’s fearless, loves to hit and led the team with 3 interceptions last year. The best player on the defensive side of the ball is probably #15 Jaelan Phillips – 6’5”, 255 outside linebacker.
On offence… the Bruins have to start a true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Their starter against Cincinnati, Wilton Speight, a graduate transfer from Michigan, went down in the first half of that game. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a dual-threat quarterback from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas who was recruited to lead Kelly’s offense, but… Kelly was not planning on his first start to be on the road against Oklahoma. Another freshman player to watch is running back Kazmeir Allen — the California 100-meter high school sprint champion who set a national prep record with 72 touchdowns last fall! Kazmeir showed UCLA fans the future is now when he went 74 yards for a score early in the second half of their opener.
The Bruins tight end, #81 Caleb Wilson has been waiting three years to return to Norman. He once considered himself a proud Sooner. His father, Chris Wilson, was a two-time All-American linebacker for Oklahoma who later returned as defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator for five seasons while Caleb was in elementary and middle school.
So…. will the Bruins upset the Sooners? Probably not. It could very well be closer than the 30 point spread, especially if the Sooners are looking past UCLA to next week when they travel to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa and hope to avenge their only regular season loss of last year’s campaign, an embarrassing loss, at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. I love college football.
THE GREAT EIGHT™ for WEEK TWO
#3 Georgia @ #24 South
Carolina…forget
last week’s easy routs of cupcakes…UGA over Austin Peay and SoCar over Coastal
Carolina. This will be a big test for both teams. The Gamecocks have moved to a
new up tempo spread offense that should be a big improvement over last season.
Jake Bentley will need to keep his offense moving if the Gamecocks have any
chance of pulling off a win. Dawg fans will be delighted with a deep stable of
strong running backs including D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield and Brian
Herrien. QB Jake Fromm will be throwing to the deepest receiving corps in the
SEC. This will
be a tight one in Columbia but the Bulldogs will be ringing the Chapel Bell
back in Athens. Dawgs win.
Duke @ Northwestern….these teams are not exactly
football powerhouses but are becoming foes on a regular basis. Since 2000 the
Wildcats are 7-2 against the Blue Devils. This is NU’s home opener following a
rare conference road win over Purdue. Look for Wildcat rb Jeremy Larkins to
have a strong day. He rushed for 143 yards last week and two touchdowns. But
the real news is Northwestern’s defense which logged five sacks and three huge
INTs. If they can contain Duke’s dual threat qb Daniel Jones, it will be fun
times at the Lake. Cats chew the Devils.
UCLA @ #6 Oklahoma…gone is Josh Rosen from new UCLA
head coach Chip Kelly’s team. He’s now having to play backup qb along with a
terrible offensive line that struggled against Cincinnati last week. Look for
Lincoln Riley to open up the Sooner playbook on offense along with an
aggressive Mike Stoops’ defense that will harass UCLA all afternoon long. The
30 point spread is too too tempting to pass up. In an UPSET SPECIAL take the Bruins and the
points.
#17 Southern Cal @ #10
Stanford…in the
most competitive series in the PAC 12, this is a rematch of the 2017 PAC 12
Championship game and, perhaps, a preview of the 2018 version. Bryce Love
returns for Stanford after rushing for 2100+ yards in 2017. Meanwhile the
Trojans will feature qb JT Daniels who lead USC to a 43-21 win over UNLV. The
threat of a Stanford passing game prevents USC from stuffing the box to stop Love,
who will be the difference maker Saturday. In a close game, take the Cardinal.
#15 Michigan State @
Arizona State…this
is one of the more intriguing matchups of Week Two. The Spartans return 19
starters from a 10 win team in 2017. The Sun Devils feature a high powered
offense, racking up over 500 yards last Saturday but that was against lowly
UTSA. We like Sparty to prevail.
Kentucky @ #25 Florida…the Gators have not lost to
Kentucky since 1986 and are sporting a 31 win streak. That’s pretty stout.
After a strong showing versus Charleston Southern, Gator Feleipe Frank looks
like a new quarterback under the direction of new head coach Dan Mullen. He
threw for 219 yards, 5 touchdowns and zero INT….in just the first half. But
look for Wildcat coach Mark Stoops to dial up the Kentucky run game that
features All-SEC Benny Snell and AJ Rose. No secret will be to keep moving the
chains and keel Florida off the field. Gators make it 32 in a row over the Cats.
Colorado @ Nebraska…the Huskers are extra hungry to
kickoff the season after their game with Akron was rained out…the first time
since 1943 that Nebraska cancelled a game. So…we’ll finally get a look at Scott
Frost to see if he can coach big boy football. An inexperienced Husker defense
will be challenged by the Buff’s qb Steven Montez, a strong run and throw
quarterback. Countering him will be qb Adrian Martinez. Predicting Nebraska has
always been a challenge for us but we think the Cornhuskers will pull out an
opening win. Take
the Bug Eaters.
#2 Clemson @ Texas
A&M…this is
Dabo versus Jimbo…two coaches that knocked heads for eight years as ACC rivals.
A road win for Clemson will look awfully good on the resume when it comes
measurement time for the CFP in December. It will be a test of Dabo’s two qb
rotation strategy. Meanwhile the Aggies are looking for a big signature win for
Dabo’s maiden season. But it won’t be easy. The Tigers have one of the best
defensive fronts in the country and they’ll be looking to disrupt the Aggie
offense and put pressure on qb Kellen Mond. Clemson wins in College Station.
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