Stand Back, There's a Hurricane Coming

Thanks to Cowboy Cane and Mike for sending us the Tulsa poster schedule. Nothing extraordinary here. Pretty basic stuff. We do like the use of type on Blue Is Back. The list: Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Miami, Memphis, Arizona, North Carolina State, Oregon, Wyoming, Nevada, Kentucky, Clemson, Fresno State, Rice, Alabama, Oklahoma, Toledo, Vanderbilt-Tennessee, Washington State-Washington, Brigham Young-West Virginia-Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Louisiana State, UCLA, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Auburn, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida State, Florida, Iowa State and USC. Keep those poster schedules coming! The address: dawizofodds (at) aol.com.

Columnists' Corner

John Rohde, Oklahoman: OK, what exactly was T. Boone Pickens doing in a men's bathroom at the stadium that bears his name, wiping up excess water around the sinks. (registration).

Ray Ratto, San Francisco Chronicle: The comprehensive, tavern-style beatdown California absorbed at Tennessee could do permanent damage to the team's psyche.

Jerry Brewer, Seattle Times: People pay $900,000 for this view, overlooking Lake Washington and the Cascades loitering from a distance. But only 52,256 made it to Husky Stadium, the least-attended home opener in a quarter century.

Jim Moore, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: On game, one loss and a quarterback controversy for Washington State.

Ron Bellany, Eugene Register-Guard: Oregon was supposed to be a year away, but after rolling Stanford, one has to wonder if the time is now for the Ducks.

Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press: Michigan State nearly chocked on a cupcake, clipping Idaho, 27-17. It was unimpressive, and even worse, uninspiring.

Joe Posnanski, Kansas City Star: Kansas State somehow edged I-AA Illinois State in a game that featured one of the worst coaching decisions this writer has ever witnessed (registration).

Reporters' Notebooks

Nancy Armour, Associated Press: Michigan is regarded to have the best uniform design and Oregon the worst.

Eric Petersen, Ames Tribune: Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg is putting pressure on Iowa State to improve its facilities.

Chad Hartley, Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada's passing game had its moments, but the Wolfpack didn't have enough firepower to overtake Fresno State.

Mick McGrane, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State quarterback Kevin O'Connell suffered ligament damage in the thumb of his throwing hand in the loss to Texas El Paso and could miss the rest of the season.

Jim Kleinpeter, Times-Picayune: Expect to see more day games at Louisiana State if TV has its way.

Ryan Wood, Lawrence Journal-World: If Kansas is hit with major NCAA sanctions, it has an out in its new contract with coach Mark Mangino.

Arizona Republic: Breaking down what went right and what went wrong for Arizona State in its victory over Northern Arizona.

Joseph Person, Columbia State: South Carolina's offensive line needs to improve drastically if the Gamecocks are to have a chance against Georgia.

Tim Prister, Indianapolis Star: Notre Dame does not plan to launch a Heisman campaign for quarterback Brady Quinn.

Crystal Ball

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: The 'Book is back, wiping the suntan oil off the crystal ball, harvesting a new collection of tea leaves and flipping coins whenever necessary.

Betting Fool, San Francisco Chronicle: Just because your newspaper covers California doesn't mean you have to pick the Golden Bears to beat Tennessee.

The Wildcat, New York Post: A new entry this season, boasting a record of 55.4% since 1997. The 'Cat says take Utah against UCLA (registration).

Dan Hinxman, Reno Gazette Journal: Live from Reno and back for season No. 2 is the Great Handicappers Challenge.

Detroit Free Press: What the experts at the Freep say about Michigan, Michigan State, the Big Ten and the BCS title game.

For the latest lines, check with our friends at Doc's Sports. Thanks to Hester Graphics for the 3-D image.

Game of the Week

It's our first installment of game of the week and it's a beauty: California at Tennessee. If you are attending the game, there's no need to check the forecast because we have you covered. Our weatherman and onetime Baylor scout team quarterback, the incomparable Mark Mathis, is here with his exclusive forecast. He even has a prediction on the outcome:
"I can't believe it, the game of the week! Cal at Tennessee. Lee Corso is predicting that Cal will win the national title even after losing in Knoxville. I do know this — Corso needs to quit sipping on the Johnny Walker Black before making predictions like that! My job is the weather and I can guarantee you that my predictions will be far more accurate than Corso. Look for partly cloudy skies in Knoxville on Saturday. You might see a lightning strike near the stadium and possibly a few sprinkles and a temperature at kickoff of 74 degrees. But the only real lightning you will see will be the Vols lighting it up north to south and sending Cal back home with a 28-7 loss! Remember my job is the only job that pays to be 100% wrong!"

Jay Heater, Contra Costa Times: The veteran Cal beat reporter is blogging it, answering all questions Cal.

Jake Curtis, San Francisco Chronicle: There is one good reason the Bears might win the national championship: Somebody has to.

Ryan Callahan, Tennessean: Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer has plenty of concerns entering the game, but injuries won't be among them.

Loser With Socks: The blog gets an exclusive interview with Volunteer offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe.

Thanks to Hester Graphics for the 3-D image.

A Poster Schedule Worthy of a Title Run

Notre Dame, with its rich tradition, has a lot to work with. Bringing it all together in a poster schedule is not easy, but the Fighting Irish have pulled it off in stunning fashion. This ranks in the top five of the poster schedules we have displayed thus far. Thanks to Pat for this, who spotted the poster on N.D. Nation. Keep them coming! The address: dawizofodds (at) aol.com. The list: Texas Tech, Miami, Memphis, Arizona, North Carolina State, Oregon, Wyoming, Nevada, Kentucky, Clemson, Fresno State, Rice, Alabama, Oklahoma, Toledo, Vanderbilt-Tennessee, Washington State-Washington, Brigham Young-West Virginia-Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Louisiana State, UCLA, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Auburn, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida State, Florida, Iowa State and USC.

Opening Shots

Sean Keeler, Des Moines Register: Iowa State has plenty of warts, but it also has a 45-43 victory over Toledo in three overtimes.

Todd Kelly, Arizona Republic: Arizona State defeated Northern Arizona, 35-14, but entering the fourth quarter tied with the Lumberjacks — a substandard opponent — is cause for concern.

Mick McGrane, San Diego Union-Tribune: This appeared to be more than a Miner setback for new coach Chuck Long and San Diego State, 34-27 losers to Texas El Paso.

John Canzano, Oregonian: Oregon State's 56-17 victory over I-AA Eastern Washington was a cozy little eclectic back-alley whipping that proved little. Up next: at Boise State.

Jim Souhan, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Meet Alex Daniels. His name didn't appear on the first- or second-team depth chart, but he ran for 155 yards in Minnesota's 44-0 crunching of Kent State.

Jim Moore, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Everything was going well in the lovely Alabama town of Auburn, where Washington State will open the season against the Tigers, until emails flooded his inbox.

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune: The only thing missing from Northwestern's 21-3 victory over Miami of Ohio was Randy Walker, the man who brought the teams together.

Ron Morris, Columbia State: Was South Carolina's defense that good, or was Mississippi State's offense that bad?

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: Boise State 45, Division I-AA Sacramento State zip. The scrimmage is over, now it's time for the season to start.

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald: Boston College committed several transgressions, but escaped with a 31-24 victory over Central Michigan.

Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News: Temple gets few shots at winning. That is why a 9-3 loss to Buffalo hurts.

Jeff Flanagan, Kansas City Star: Kansas State coach Ron Prince has canceled all newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and no print publications are allowed at the football complex (registration).