Saturday Six-Pack for Week 1

The unbridled giddiness the start of a new season brings me is almost embarrassing. A grown man probably shouldn’t have this kid-on-Christmas feeling watching young adults play a game, but I do. I can’t help it, and every September I feel that joy only intensify. What can be better than immersing oneself in daylong football, with a cold beer and overly salty snack?

Some schools skipped the savory and went for the sweet, scheduling cupcakes in Week 1. The tune-up game, as Adam Sandler’s Paul Crewe called it in the otherwise forgettable Longest Yard remake.

And even that line is only memorable for referencing Appalachian State just months before the Mountaineers began a run of three consecutive national championships, and two years before The Upset. But I am digressing. The cupcake buffet may have been rolled out for some programs, but plenty are challenging themselves with stiff competition. Saturday’s Six-Pack is the elite matchups of the day, those games with the most at stake. Always a great complement to top notch football is top notch brew. So grab a cold one for these highlights.

UCLA at Houston

At no point last season, including its win at Texas, did UCLA play as well as in its rout of Houston. The Cougars were at a complete physical mismatch, the talented Bruin defense showing its potential in one of its rare opportunities to do so. The run-n-gun UH offense never got off the ground, and Case Keenum’s first half injury that extended throughout the campaign effectively ended the Cougars’ year.

Kevin Sumlin welcomes back a bumper crop of talent, including the medically redshirted Keenum, and the Bruins are on the road this time. UCLA was an awful road team in 2010, though the positive Rick Neuheisel’s bunch can glean is that its road win as in the Lone Star State.

Both teams have something to prove. Since it crept into national consciousness in early 2009, Houston has slipped. This Cougar team may be the most talented, but until it meets the hype, it will be just that. As for UCLA, the Bruins are teetering precariously on the edge of a complete overhaul. Unquestionably the talent is there on defense, but the offense’s ineffectiveness last year forced its counterpart into no-win situations.

Northwestern at Boston College

Dan Persa is among the nation’s very best quarterbacks. Boston College’s defense is among the nation’s very best. It’s a classic encounter of Irresistible Force Meets Immovable Object. Either team is capable of making a surprise run near the top of its conference, but setting the tone in this one is crucial.

Northwestern went from pretty good to really bad without Persa last season, so Luke Kuechly and company will try to neutralize the passing game early. Given the Eagles were tops against the rush last season, it’s doubtful Pat Fitzgerald’s crew will ever work off the ground much, anyway.

The play of Chase Rettig is an intriguing plot point. The sophomore stood out in spring competition, and if he can fulfill his promise would be the first upper echelon quarterback BC has had since Matt Ryan. Not coincidentally, the Matty Ice-led Eagles were the last to be among the ACC’s better squads.

USF at Notre Dame

Skip Holtz’s return to South Bend is the dominating headline of this non-conference showdown (though, aren’t they all for the Irish?). Lost is that USF is a fine opponent that finished 2010 on a decided upswing. The Bulls toppled both Miami and Clemson, using one of the nation’s most suffocating defenses to do so.

The Bulls managed eight wins despite some pretty rough play from quarterback BJ Daniels. The dually skilled QB regressed from a solid freshman campaign, learning a new scheme and taking on different responsibilities with the transition to Holtz’s staff.

“He’s had three offensive coordinators in three years. That’s hard on any quarterback,” Holtz said. “A year ago, everything about the offense was ‘what.’ Now it’s about ‘how.'”

Daniels should show improvement, but Notre Dame is a tough measuring stick against which to judge. Last year’s Irish were the best defensively in nearly two decades, a true departure from the Charlie Weis teams that boasted BCS-worthy offense and defenses that would struggle in the FCS.

This year’s ND team is highly touted. Of course, certain pundits are guaranteed to overrate the Irish. ND is Phil Steele’s Midwestern kyrptonite, a program that you can take to the bank will finish below his projection for it a la USC on the West. That said, if a coach can fully unlock Notre Dame’s potential, it’s Brian Kelly.

BYU at Ole Miss

The Cougars’ introduction to independence isn’t faint-hearted. BYU ventures deep into SEC territory, never an easy task for a Western program — just ask Fresno State, which was walloped in The Grove a season ago during a Rebel down year.

This Ole Miss should be much better than the version that finished in the West division basement, but BYU began to peak as last season ended after Bronco Mendenhall shook up the coaching staff.

Jake Heaps fits the mold of recent Cougar quarterbacks: great arm, two single syllable names. He showed glimpses as a freshman, but largely struggled. He can channel his inner John Beck or Max Hall against a Rebel defense that ranked a thoroughly unimpressive 113 against the pass.

Boise State vs. Georgia
In my column at NationalUnderClassmen.com, I wrote Saturday’s game in the Georgia Dome is the biggest a non-BCS conference team has ever played in the regular season. Perhaps I am allowing the venue to cloud my better judgment — after all, Tony Schiavone opened many a WCW event in the Dome proclaiming *THAT* was the “Greatest night in the history of our sport!” He was never accurate.

However, I believe my assessment is more rooted in reality. With its national prominence and preseason ranking, BSU is a bonafide BCS championship contender. Nothing would solidify that resume quite like beating an SEC opponent in its backyard. Kellen Moore’s Heisman aspirations will be put to the test against a stout Dawg defense — the same is true for Aaron Murray, who gets to prove (or disprove) the preseason buzz he generated.

LSU vs. Oregon

Maybe Darron Thomas was being overly dramatic when he said a loss to LSU would essentially end Oregon’s season. Then again… it has been two years since a team sporting a loss has played for the BCS Championship. Simply winning the Pac is no longer the goal. UO was so close to the national championship, yet that vaunted SEC physicality ultimately wore down the Ducks.

Did Auburn simply set forth the blueprint for others, or did it guide Oregon in how to avoid future heartbreak? This LSU team isn’t as strong as that AU bunch, but likewise Oregon is not the same juggernaut it was a year ago. Neither statement is meant as a slight. This are absolutely two of the nation’s best teams, and this is unequivocally the week’s premiere matchup. Heck, it’s the best matchup all season.

The tumult that plagued each program is a distant memory…OK, maybe not distant, but the game finally takes precedent. One team’s national championship aspiration gets a shot of adrenaline. The other’s goes on life support.

Brew of the Week: Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager

A pet peeve of mine that instinctively draws cringes like nails on a chalkboard is seasonal creep. Christmas decorations shouldn’t go up in October, and autumn beers shouldn’t be on grocery store shelves until after Labor Day. With that in mind, what I consider the last summer days deserve a great summer beer.

Sierra Nevada does not brew a bad, or even decent beer. Everything that comes with its label is a pleaser, and Summerfest is among its best. It’s a lager light enough to cool down on this hot weekend, but it packs a punch. Pair it with a cheese burger off the grill, send summer out in style and welcome in football equally.