Excitement and upsets highlighted college football’s first weekend of 2010, as two neutral-site, down-to-the-wire games featuring Atlantic Coast Conference teams and upsets by Utah and FCS Jacksonville State highlighted the first weekend of games. A see-saw battle between then-No. 5 (Coaches Poll) Boise State and then-No. 6 Virginia Tech and a contest between then-No. 16 LSU and then-No. 18 North Carolina decided on the last play of the game proved to be the most exciting games of the weekend. Then-No. 24 Utah edged then-No. 15 Pittsburgh in overtime, and Football Championship Division (FCS) Jacksonville State outlasted Mississippi in double overtime.
The Boise State-Virginia Tech game featured four lead changes in the second half before the Broncos prevailed, 33-30. Hokie running back Ryan Williams scored three touchdowns, but the Broncos extended their winning streak to 15 games, tied with No. 1 Alabama for the longest active streak in Division I FBS.
Despite trailing at halftime, 30-10, the Tar Heels scored 14 points in the second half behind T.J. Yates’ career-best 412 yards passing and shutout LSU’s offense, but the Tigers escaped with a 30-24 victory in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.
Brian Belchen’s interception on the first play of overtime led to a game-winning field goal, as Utah upset Pittsburgh, 27-24. Finally, Jacksonville State stunned Mississippi, which received votes in the preseason USA Today/Coaches’ Poll, with a successful two-point conversion in the second overtime, claiming a 49-48 victory in Oxford.
Other notable games from the opening weekend were the coaching debuts of Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Notre Dame’s Chip Kelly, and Virginia’s Mike London, all of whom earned their first wins at their current institutions, then-No. 11 Oregon’s 72-0 win over New Mexico, and then-No. 7 TCU’s 30-21 win against No. 22 Oregon State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
This weekend’s slate of games could turn out to be the most pivotal of the 2010 season, with three games between perennial powers, including a rematch of the 2001 Orange Bowl National Championship, and three more featuring recent Orange Bowl participants. The biggest games showcase recent BCS National Championship Game match-ups in No. 12 Miami at No. 2 Ohio State (3:40, ESPN) and No. 18 Florida State at No. 10 Oklahoma (3:30, ABC) in that aforementioned Orange Bowl rematch. Later, No. 14 Penn State visits defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama (7:00, ESPN).
Recent Orange Bowl participants Georgia Tech (2010) and Kansas (2008) will face off in Lawrence (12:00), while 2010 Orange Bowl champion and ninth-ranked Iowa travels to Ames to play arch-rival Iowa State (3:30, ABC). The first ACC game of the season will pit Duke against Wake Forest (12:00, ESPN3.com).
Weekend Watch List
Saturday, September 11 Time TV Notes
Duke at Wake Forest 12:00 p.m. ESPN3.com Game begins ACC’s road to Discover OB
#17 Georgia Tech at Kansas 12:00 p.m. Matches 2010 (GT) and 2008 (KU) OB teams
#19 Georgia at #25 South Carolina 3:30 p.m. ESPN 2/ESPN3.com Match-up of SEC East division contenders
South Florida at #6 Florida 12:21 p.m. ESPN3.com Battle of in-state foes
Michigan at Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. NBC Classic rivalry between rebuilding programs
#18 Florida State at #10 Oklahoma 3:30 p.m. ABC Rematch of 2001 Orange Bowl (NCG)
#9 Iowa at Iowa State 3:30 p.m. ABC Bitter rivalry featuring 2010 OB champ Iowa
#12 Miami at #2 Ohio State 3:40 p.m. ESPN/ESPN3.com Rematch of 2003 NCG
#14 Penn State at #1 Alabama 7:00 p.m. ESPN/ESPN3.com Big game between perennial national powers
Stanford at UCLA 10:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN3.com Game kicks off Pac-10’s race to the Rose Bowl
2011 BCS Bowl “Expert” Predictions
| Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com |
Andrea Adelson
ESPN.com |
CBSSports.com | CollegeFootballNews.com | |
| Discover
Orange Bowl (Jan. 3, 2011) |
Virginia Tech
vs. Texas |
Miami
vs. Florida |
Virginia Tech
vs. Oklahoma |
Virginia Tech
vs. Georgia |
| Tostitos
BCS NCG (Jan. 10, 2011) |
Alabama
vs. Ohio State |
Ohio State
vs. Boise State |
Alabama
vs. Ohio State |
Ohio State
vs. Boise State |
| Rose Bowl
(Jan. 1, 2011) |
Boise State
vs. Oregon |
TCU
vs. Oregon |
Oregon
vs. Boise State |
Oregon
vs. Wisconsin |
| Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1, 2011) |
Nebraska
vs. Pittsburgh |
Nebraska
vs. Pittsburgh |
Texas
vs. Pittsburgh |
Texas
vs. West Virginia |
| Allstate
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 4, 2011) |
Notre Dame
vs. Florida |
Alabama
vs. Iowa |
Florida
vs. Iowa |
Alabama
vs. Nebraska |
Also of note…
The Orange Bowl Committee, ESPN, and Discover Financial Services recently announced Discover’s title sponsorship of the Discover Orange Bowl, an agreement spanning four years and five games through 2014, and will include the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game. The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl, to be played on January 3 at Sun Life Stadium, will pair the Atlantic Coast Conference champion against a BCS At-Large qualifying team unless the ACC champion qualifies for the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game.
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About the Orange Bowl Committee
The Orange Bowl Committee is a not-for-profit, 343-member, primarily-volunteer organization. It is a self-sustaining, independent organization that supports and produces activities and events that enhance the image, economy and culture of South Florida. The Orange Bowl Festival features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Discover Orange Bowl on January 3, 2011. Other OBC core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships and Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta Series. For more information on the 2010-11 Orange Bowl Festival and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to www.orangebowl.org.