First Saturday of Football: Part 1

A look at our setup.

Good morning! It is finally Saturday and college football is officially back! Today, we here at Smith Bros will be celebrating with an "all day meet, greet, and eating on the ground"; an all day tailgate if you will. As you can see from the setup, we are ready! We have a lot of action today, so we hope to break it up into two parts with posts throughout the day. Let's get started with three things that you should keep your eye on today.

1. Oklahoma Plays at Houston...Sorta

While it may not be a true home game for the Cougars, they will face off at noon against the Sooners at NRG Stadium in Houston. Most polls have Houston ranked very high while Oklahoma is considered a strong contender or the National Championship. Both teams realize that they have to win the first game if they hope to go undefeated; a goal that could easily be attained by either team. For Houston, they will need all they can get out of last year's AAC MVP Greg Ward Jr. The senior quarterback joined Deshaun Watson as the only quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for another 1,000. For Oklahoma, senior Baker Mayfield must step up and lead his team. Houston has an experienced defensive front that will give Oklahoma fits all afternoon. The team who has the ball last in this high scoring affair will likely be the victor.

Oklahoma 41, Houston 35

2. Can LSU Hit the Ground Running?

LSU returns 18 starters from a team that went 9-3 a year ago. The key piece is Leonard Fournette. Fournette is one of two players who stand out when mentioning Heisman candidates. Last season, he accumulated 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns. Even more impressive, the Tigers saw their season opener get cancelled. With all these starters returning, expectations in Baton Rouge are through the roof, like always. Their opponent in the Wisconsin Badgers, only return nine starters from a team that went 10-3. With only one senior expected to start in their front seven (Linebacker Vince Biegel), the young Badgers might get more than they have bargained for. 

LSU 31, Wisconsin 10

3. How Well Will Kirby Smart Replace Mark Richt?

The Kirby Smart Era at Georgia will begin with a tough task as his Bulldogs take on North Carolina today in Atlanta. Georgia will welcome back running back Nick Chubb who returns from missing the most of last season with a knee injury. Lining up with him in the backfield will be his replacement from last year, junior Sony Michel. Smart named senior Greyson Lambert his starter this week just ahead of incoming freshman Jacob Eason. The Bulldogs ranked near the bottom of the nation in passing offense last year. That is a category they must improve on this year.

Last year, North Carolina seemingly came out of nowhere. After dropping their opener to South Carolina, they would end up winning their next eleven games before falling to Clemson in the ACC Championship. The Heels return the bulk of their offensive production, and expect a lot out of this team in the upcoming season. Don't be surprised if they challenge Clemson and Florida State for the conference crown.

North Carolina 24, Georgia 20

Other Games:

Navy over Fordham

Purdue over Eastern Kentucky

Ohio State over Bowling Green

Western Michigan over Northwestern

Michigan over Hawaii

Boise over Louisiana-Lafayette

Mississippi State over South Alabama

West Virginia over Missouri

Maryland over Howard

Virginia Tech over Liberty

Pittsburgh over Villanova

Air Force over Abilene Christian

Washington over Rutgers

Texas A&M over UCLA

LSU over Wisconsin

Virginia over Richmond

Penn State over Kent State

Iowa overMiami (OH)

Ohio over Texas State

Illinois over Murray State

Oklahoma State over SE Louisiana

Arkansas over Louisiana Tech

Oregon over UC Davis

-Dug

@chansm1th

Looking Past the NBA Lottery

Last night, the NBA Draft Lottery took place will Philadelphia gaining control of the first overall pick. Now, we turn our eyes towards the NBA Draft. Underclassman now have one week to return to school should they not wish to enter the Draft. Be on the lookout for a few of these players to come back, but there shouldn't be any surprises when it comes to that. 

Having the number one pick is good for Philly, but now they have a big decision to make. There are really only two players who are seriously being considered for the pick: LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram. Whichever way the organization goes, they are going to have a solid player. 

Ben Simmons

Freshman

Louisiana State University

6'10"  240 lbs

19 years old

Ben Simmons was undoubtedly the best college player this past season. He is long and very athletic. At 6'10", Simmons is a versitile post player who can square up nicely from mid-range. He also handles the ball like a top-notch point guard. The few times that I saw him on TV, and in person, he would dazzle you with his ball handling ability. Multiple scouts are comparing him, often, to both Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Anytime your name is thrown in with those two, you are very highly thought of. 

The only real issue with Simmons could be his attitude. He decided to skip the NBA Combine, which isn't common for players who will be highly selected. But one thing that stands out was in his lone year at LSU. Simmons apparently did not wish to play in the post season if the Tigers did not make the NCAA Tournament. This was a decision that drew a lot of backlash from the media. While the Tigers did not make the tournament, they were invited to the NIT. They declined. Just imagine if Ben Simmons had any other coach besides Johnny Jones!

Simmons has a lot of potential. He's an oversized point guard who can post you up, or posterized you. The attitude issues are flaws that can be easily fixed. Don't expect teams to overlook him based on that alone. If he isn't picked first, he would be a great fit in LA.

-Dug

@chansm1th