Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

I've tried to write this about four times, but have been interrupted each and every time, so my apologies if this is a little scatterbrain.

I watched a good bit of the LSU game last night and wasn't THAT impressed. Everyone is pencling in the Tigers to face USC for the title, but they're going to have to do a lot more. Maybe it was knocking off some of the rust, but the first half was not pretty, considering they had like 4 INTs. An unproven offense must step up and control games as much as that fantastic defense.

Moving on...

The fact that it's opening weekend makes up for a rather weak slate of games.

Maybe it's not THAT weak, maybe I'm just looking ahead to Sept. 8.

The game of the weekend is undoubtedly Cal vs. Tennessee. Tales of revenge or domination could be told for ages after this weekend. With a defense that has to be improved, a matured Nate Longshore and an electric DeSean Jackson, Cal is a 6-point favorite. However, I think Tennessee's defense is better than the unit last year that shut down Marshawn Lynch. Vols QB Erik Ainge has a broken pinky on his throwing hand, but reports are he's releasing the ball just fine. I like Tennessee to upset. I know, West Coast hater. But I do think Tennessee is going to surprise some people this season.

But Notre Dame-Georgia Tech is a must-watch as well for several reasons.

1. Life without Brady. Now that Quinn is in Cleveland, the long-standing post left behind has been nothing short of dramatic this summer. Charlie Weis won't tell anyone who is going to start on Saturday. Will it be the vaunted freshman Jimmy Claussen? If so, is he NFL ready or whatever the recruiting gurus penciled him in as? Will Notre Dame test the waters with a two-quarterback system? All important questions.

2. Life without Calvin. The best player in college football last year carried his team to an ACC championship game berth at wide receiver. If only the aforementioned name was his quarterback in college (Brady, not Jimmy), oh what could have been. Johnson could have actually focused on the finer points of his position instead of bailing out Reggie Ball time and time again and Brady could have actually been a Top 10 pick instead of being a No. 22 pick and whining for Top 10 money.

3. The Notre Dame defense. If the Irish made it to a BCS game without a defense, imagine what the results would have been. Safety Tom Zbikowski came back and is a strong beacon of light for that defense that needs more production with uncertainty on offense.

4. Darius Walker and Jeff Smzarjdia. In addition to losing a four-year starter at quarterback, the Irish come back without their leading receiver and rusher.

5. Taylor Bennett. Everyone is saying he can only be better than Ball. If he is and Tashard Choice puts up numbers like he did last season, the GT offense will be just fine without Johnson.

6. Joe Anoai. What will commentators talk about when he's not on the field? Last year he was good for at least two dozen mentions on plays he wasn't involved in last season.
   

If Notre Dame can leave Atlanta with an impressive win, it will be a great tone setter for the season.

Also on the slate is Virginia Tech-East Carolina. The Pirates will be without their starting quarterback, who has been suspended for the game. It was lopsided enough beforehand, so the only real reason to pay attention to this game will be the 20 minutes prior to kickoff. GameDay will be there, ECU is bringing a $100,000 check for the Memorial Fund, the two teams are entering the field together, the athletic director took out an ad in the school paper asking that fans not boo anymore and I'll be there covering it for Newsday. Tech should cover the 27.5, but I wouldn't touch this game - too much emotion, who knows what'll happen.

What I really can't wait to see is Monday night's Florida State-Clemson game. My flight home will allow me to see the first quarter. Then I have to hop on a two-hour train ride that puts me home around 11. I'm not checking the score, but going straight to the TiVo to watch the rest. We will be discussing this on Tuesday. I think we're going to see the same Florida State that beat up UCLA in the bowl game last year.

I'm curious to see the matchup between Florida State's offense against Clemson's defense. The Tigers won't blow your toupee off with their defense, but are strong enough to slow down a pretty good attack. Florida State had its share of offensive woes this year, but brought in Jimbo Fisher and he's been thrown right into the fire. I've talked about it a few times this offseason, but I'll say it again: Florida State will be able to run the ball this year, which will take pressure off the quarterbacks (I guess that's Drew Weatherford right now).

On the flip, Clemson can run the ball with CJ Spiller and James Davis, but you know what you're getting with Mickey Andrews' Tallahassee unit. This is a wash.

Otherwise, I like a lot of road teams to cover this weekend. Here's a look at some of the games I like:

From Blacksburg…adios.