Rob Rochholz is a Fresno State (TheOtherFSU) alum and San Francisco Giants fan who works in graphic design and lives in San Francisco. He's a former sportswriter at The Fresno Bee, where he covered the WAC, Pac-10 and Big West conferences. A fan of snowboarding and reality TV, Rob correctly predicted in his August 2004 Outsports.com College Football Preview that USC would defeat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl some five months later. 

Richie Weldon has been following college football since 1995, his freshman year at Virginia Tech.  An avid Hokies fan, Richie tries not to let that influence his opinions on other teams (most of the time). Seattle is the place he calls home now, and almost every Saturday during the fall he gets together with other Hokies to watch the games.  Richie is a software developer

Micah Kushner is a Mass Communications student at the University of South Florida in Tampa.  A regular contributor to Outsports.com, this is Micah's first time providing his college football expertise.  He is a member of the Tampa Fusion, which participate in the Suncoast Softball League.  After graduation, he plans on pursuing a career in Sports Broadcasting. 

1.   Who will meet in the Rose Bowl for the national title and who will win it all?

Although I am picking USC to meet Texas in the Rose Bowl, my gut is telling me the Trojans may not go unbeaten during the regular season.  The schedule is full of potential pitfalls with some very tough road games, but after USC’s dismantling of Oklahoma a year ago, who can really go against picking them to reach the title game again?

 No other team in the country will be favored to win every game like the Trojans will this season.  Texas seems a plausible bet at this point to reach the Rose Bowl.  In a matchup between the Longhorns and Trojans, it looks like a USC three-peat to me. 

1.  Who will meet in the Rose Bowl for the national title and who will win it all?

And out comes the bias once again!  As always, this type of prediction is rather hard to make, especially with the all the unknown variables that come into the mix.  Injuries, probations, and academic issues can greatly affect how one team is able to live up to its potential.  Now, taking all those things out of the equation and going with my gut feeling, I think that a team from the SEC will meet a team from the ACC this season. 

USC, though a very good and tough team, is not going to three-peat.  No team has done this in the 156 years that college football has been played.  They will stumble somewhere during the season, and quite possibly up in Berkeley.  And it will be that one loss hanging over them come the end of the season that prevents the Trojans from making it to the Rose Bowl.  

Out of the ACC, I feel that Virginia Tech has the talent, the coaching ability, and schedule to go through the ACC unharmed and be one of the Rose Bowl teams.  From the SEC, my gut is telling me that either Georgia or Tennessee is going to win the game in Atlanta and be rewarded with a trip to Pasadena. I can’t answer the question of why I feel it’s going to be one of these teams, and nor can I pick between them.  So I called up my bookie in Vegas and had him bet on both teams for me! (Got some good odds on them too…whoo hooo!)

As for the topic of who will win the game, I’ll have to say that Virginia Tech is looking mighty good from where I’m seeing things.  Marcus Vick will be able to deliver the important throws and complete the plays to win the games.  The defense, though not as solid as last year’s, is still going to be just as tough; Bud Foster knows his stuff.  With Miami coming to visit in November and FSU not on the regular season schedule, and the only tough road games being at Virginia and at Maryland on a Thursday night (the Hokies very rarely lose on a Thursday night), there’s no reason the Hokies can’t take it all this season.  Except for the fact that Frank Beamer can’t seem to win the big game, and that trumps everything else.  I’ll have to go with the SEC team, which I’m starting to think just might be Tennessee.

1. Who will meet in the Rose Bowl for the national title and who will win it all?

This year’s Rose Bowl will feature USC and Texas.  Although Texas is a solid choice as the opponent, they appear to be a long shot in college football’s biggest game.  A three-peat is looming for USC. Crowning the Trojans now wouldn't be a bad idea.

2.      What are your wishes for this season? 

I hope another non-BCS team breaks into a BCS bowl game just like Utah did a year ago.  I’m so tired of seeing the big-name schools get all the glory when there are a handful of smaller schools out there that can compete with the big boys.  Utah thoroughly manhandled Pitt last season in the Fiesta Bowl so who’s to say a league like the WAC or Mountain West isn’t better than the Big East?

2.  What are your wishes for this season?

I want to have a season where no players are severely hurt [or worse].  I want to have a season where there are no scandals from either coaches or players.  I want to have a season where Lee Corso’s car gets his by lightning [again].  I want to have a season where each conference championship game comes down to last second heroics by the underdog team to win it all.  I want to have a season where there is no talk of “BCS manipulation”.  I want to have a season where each player has to be profiled on a website that includes the obligatory shirtless picture.

2.  What are your wishes for this season? 

I wish the Rose Bowl this season features the two best teams in the land.  But of course that is wishful thinking on my part.

3. Which game are you most looking forward to and why?

Purely for selfish reasons, the game I’m most looking forward to is the Nov. 19 game when Fresno State takes on USC in Los Angeles.  Most people are predicting a USC rout (and it could very well happen) but most also predicted a big Trojan win in 1992 when the teams met in their one and only previous meeting.  Fresno State pulled off a 24-7 win that day and dominated USC, prompting the firing of Coach Larry Smith after the game. 

3.  Which game are you most looking forward to and why?

This is one of those personal questions, so I get to answer it with the “bias dial” turned waaaaaaaay the heck up: The Nov. 5 game between Miami and Virginia Tech.  (Full Disclosure: I’m a VT grad and a huge Hokies fan.)  Last year, VT went down to Coral Gables and soundly beat Miami for the second time in a row and for the seventh time out of the past 10 tries.  Amazing!  And not only is that one of those “fun stats”, the games are ALWAYS good between these two teams.  And oh, yeah … I’ll be in the stands for this one!  

Without the bias dial turned up, I’d have to say the Oct. 8th game between Texas and Oklahoma is going to be my game of the year.  This is the game that’ll cost Mack Brown his job at Texas!  He’s gone 0-5 since 2000 and in Texas, that kind of losing streak is not a good thing.  Yup, I’ll be watching this game and the post-game report on FSN-South for sure!

3. Which game are you most looking forward to and why?

One early game in particular I'm stoked about is Miami vs. Florida State (Sept. 5). These two teams are competitive in-state rivals.  What a way to kick off a college football season.  Also of interest:  Oklahoma vs. Texas (Oct. 8).  This game more than likely will determine the Big XII champ.  And finally, Florida vs. South Carolina (Nov. 11).  Steve Spurrier faces his former team for the first time since departing for a brief stint with the Washington Redskins.  Do the Gamecocks have a shot to upset the Gators? You better believe Spurrier circled this game on his calendar when he accepted the post. 

4. Which coach needs to win now and who will be the first coach fired?

Missouri’s Gary Pinkel needs to win now!  Quite honestly, I’m surprised he’s even still coaching this year after the debacle of 2004.  The Tigers were a Top 25 team in the preseason a year ago and predicted by some to win the Big XII title.  But what transpired on the field was a nightmare (five straight losses, including an embarrassing home defeat to Kansas and a loss at Troy of the Sun Belt Conference).  Something tells me Pinkel may be gone midway through the 2005 season.

4.  Which coach needs to win now and who will be the first coach fired?

Al Groh (Virginia) is the coach who’s feeling the heat from the hot stove on his privates right now.  Since Groh left the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets in 2000, he’s over-promised and under-delivered for the Virginia faithful.  His team is in the stronger of the two ACC divisions (Costal), so it will be tough for Virginia to come in higher than third; Virginia Tech and Miami should come in 1 and 2.  Groh could even be closer to being fired is he doesn’t beat one of the big teams in the ACC this season (Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Boston College).

4. Which coach needs to win now and who will be the first coach fired?

While Alabama fans have tried to be patient with coach Mike Shula, they're still waiting for him to show tangible signs of real progress as he enters his third season.  But it’s Tommy Bowden (Clemson) who will be the first coach ousted.

5.   With the AP pulling its rankings from the BCS formula, how can the system ever be taken seriously? 

The BCS is a joke.  Things look even worse this time around with the addition of the new Harris poll.  When the list of Harris poll voters was released, it was a list of ridiculous names.  Roy Kramer, who played a big role in getting us into this BCS mess in the first place?  They’ve got to be kidding.  I guess you can look on the bright side … at least a Diebold computer system isn’t involved in the voting.  George Bush can’t become the national college football champion, can he?  On top of all this craziness, just look at the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll to find teams as pathetic as Duke getting Top 25 votes to see how embarrassing the BCS has become.  The only saving grace is that both major polls this year will require their voters to publicly list their Top 25s at the end of the season.  At least someone can be held accountable for this mess.

5.  With the AP pulling its rankings from the BCS formula, how can the system ever be taken seriously?

The BCS is a mess and is starting to fall apart at the seams.  If a playoff system is not going to be established, then perhaps dropping the BCS system and going back to the old-school Bowl Alliance system would be better.  Of course things would need to be changed if the Bowl Alliance system is used again: The mid-major conferences would need to gain entry into the bigger bowls or Congress might have to intervene.  Personally I don’t care how many sources or publications crown a national college football champion each season; there’s only one that matters: The final AP poll.

5. With the AP pulling its rankings from the BCS formula, how can the system ever be taken seriously?

The BCS will find some way to counteract its decision of pulling the AP poll from the BCS rankings.  The rankings will be fair based upon strength of schedule and wins.

6.     What are your predictions for this season’s biggest upsets?

Boise State will stun Georgia between the hedges in the Broncos’ biggest win in school history on Sept. 3.  OK, if that doesn’t happen, let’s go for this one: Washington (1-10 a year ago) will shock Cal on Sept.10 in Tyrone Willingham’s first big win as the Huskies new coach.  And if those two upsets don’t occur, let’s go for a couple of others: N.C. State over Virginia Tech (Sept. 3), Iowa State over Iowa (Sept. 10) and Alabama over Florida (Oct. 1).

6.  What are your predictions for this season's biggest upsets?

This game is only going to be the biggest upset since it’ll snap USC’s [insert sarcasm here] 10,487-game win streak.  I think the Trojans’ visit up to Berkeley on Nov. 12 could spell trouble for the men of Troy.  Cal played USC tough last year and lost by six on the road.  With this being a home game for the Golden Bears, USC might no longer prove to be invincible.

6. What are your predictions for this season's biggest upsets?

Boston College over Florida State, and Purdue over Iowa.

7.      Who are your top 3 non-BCS teams?

      --Boise State.  The Broncos have finished in the Top 15 of both major polls for three straight years.  That is unheard of when you talk about non-BCS schools.  What Boise State has lacked are the big non-conference wins though.  That could change this season, especially if Boise pulls the huge upset over Georgia.

      --Fresno State.  The Bulldogs might do better if they actually played only BCS powers rather than a full WAC slate.  Fresno State has beaten the likes of Virginia, UCLA, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Georgia Tech, Kansas State and Washington over the last four seasons alone, yet they still haven’t managed to beat Boise State during that time.

       --Bowling Green.  The Falcons narrowly are the pick here over last year’s non-BCS darling, Utah.  The return of QB Omar Jacobs is the main reason Bowling Green could be a factor in 2005.  I would not be shocked to see the Falcons beat Wisconsin in Madison on Sept. 3.

7.  Who are your top 3 non-BCS teams?

1. Louisville*
2. Boise State
3. Fresno State

*Since it looks like the Big East is on the outs with its BCS bid, I’m going to say, for argument’s sake, that Louisville is the best of all the non-BCS teams.  Under Bobby Petrino they have managed a record of 20-5. Not too shabby granted the level of teams the Cardinals played weren’t of seriously high caliber. Louisville has also beaten some good teams during the past four years including laying a goose egg on a tough North Carolina squad last season in Chapel Hill!  

After Louisville, Boise State comes in a very close second. Dan Hawkins seems to always have the right game plan set for whoever the opponent is going to be each and every week.  The Broncos always seem to be playing in the post season in some high-flying, scoreboard breaking bowl game, like last year’s Liberty Bowl against Louisville. If Boise State could make the jump and join a major conference like the PAC-10, I believe the Broncos would not only survive, but thrive in such a conference and become one of the premiere teams that others are reluctant to schedule for fear of losing!  

Fresno State year in and year out is a pretty solid team.  I believe that teams out west unwillingly add the Bulldogs to the schedule when they need just one more game and all the teams like Utah State or Wyoming have been taken.

7. Who are your top 3 non-BCS teams?

1. Fresno State
2. Utah
3. Bowling Green

8.   Which weekend this season will you be glued to the TV and why?

While I won’t exactly be glued to the TV, my TiVo will be working overtime on Saturday, Nov. 19.  That looks like the best weekend of the year with some great rivalries and intriguing matchups.  That’s the weekend for Auburn-Alabama, Cal-Stanford, Michigan-Ohio State, Virginia-Virginia Tech, and USC-Fresno State.

8.  Which weekend this season will you be glued to the TV and why?

This one’s pretty simple.  And it’s longer than just a weekend.  Sept. 1–5, there’s got to be close to 30 games being broadcast.  Texas A&M is traveling to Death Valley to face off against the Clemson Tigers.  Miami is going to notch another win against the Florida State Seminoles.  Virginia Tech is going to avenge their only ACC loss ever against N.C. State.  Northern Illinois is going to wreak havoc up in Ann Arbor against Michigan.  The list just goes on and on!  There are just so many games going on over these five days that my TiVo is going to be working over time!

8. Which weekend this season will you be glued to the TV and why?

Nothing beats week No. 1 in college football.  This is where some teams get off to great starts, while some disappoint and get upset.

9.   Who are the nation’s most underrated and overrated teams?

Underrated:  Oregon, Toledo, Utah, Auburn, Boston College.

Overrated:  Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Tennessee, California.

9.  Who are the nation's most underrated and overrated teams?

Overrated:  Texas.  Ahhhh… Texas.  Everything’s big in Texas.  Especially the lofty expectations for a Mack Brown-led team.  With the extremely early release of the Coaches Poll this season, I was able to take a gander at it before writing this article.  I was flabbergasted when I saw that Texas was ranked #2.  When will people learn?  Mack Brown is not going to beat Oklahoma.  Mack Brown is not going to win the Big XII title game.  Mack Brown is not going to win a national championship.  

Underrated:  Boise State.  I don’t think Boise State gets nearly enough credit or respect for the job it has done over the past five seasons.  How tough is it for Dan Hawkins to recruit the really good players to go to Idaho?  Face it, Boise is definitely not South Beach and it’s surely not South Bend.  With the quality of players that Boise State is able to work with and the records that the team has amassed over the past few seasons, I think, by far, this team is quite underrated.

9. Who are the nation's most underrated and overrated teams?

Underrated:  Notre Dame, Northwestern, Minnesota, Boston College, Iowa, Pittsburgh.

Overrated:  Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Auburn.

10.      With some conferences adopting instant replay, do you think it’s good or bad for the game?

Instant replay is great!  I can’t wait to see it implemented throughout the college game and it’s about time.  Sure it may make the games a little longer, but if your team has ever been on the losing end of a bad call (especially one that dictates the outcome of the game), you know how important instant replay is.  Let’s get the calls right once and for all.

10.  With some conferences adopting instant replay, do you think it's good or bad for the game?

Referees are not perfect.  In some instances a questionable call could greatly alter the outcome of a game.  Every season there are close games that are coming down to the wire where controversy always lives.  It might be the judgment of a player stepping out of bounds or even a phantom pass interference penalty.  In these cases, instant replay will positively affect the game.  The negative aspect of instant replay affects the length of the game.  While this might not be an issue for a TV audience, fans in the stands might start to get upset if the game gets drawn out another half hour or 45 minutes due to multiple instant replay reviews.

10.  With some conferences adopting instant replay, do you think it's good or bad for the game?

All is I can is, it's about time! Instant replay is going to be great for the game because of its accuracy. Many plays go without objection, but now teams will have a fair chance to take another look at plays that might determine the outcome of a game.  It has proved to work successfully in the NFL.  It should be no different in the college ranks.