THE GAMES EVERY FANTASY PLAYER SHOULD WATCH – September 2009

August 23rd, 2009 by Daniel Freer

ColinKaepernick As we near the start of the 2009 season, every mag and every rag will be listing their “must see” games for 2009.

Since we at Fantasy College Blitz are a fantasy college football site…we do have our “must see” games….although our “must see” are for those who want to see stats piled up, and, scores galore.

So, for our first edition of “The Games Every Fantasy Player Should Watch”, we are going to look at some of the September matchups….games that will most likely feature the college players you have drafted (or will draft)

Hey, even for one afternoon in September, Colin Kaepernick (photo, thanks IconSMI) and his Wolf Pack from Reno just might turn NBC into the “Nevada Broadcasting Company”.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5

NEVADA at NOTRE DAME: The Fighting Irish will be favored in this game. However, expect to see a lot of offense from both sides. With QB Jimmy Clausen, WRs Michael Floyd and Golden Tate, the Domers should move the ball easily on the Wolf Pack defense….while Colin Kaepernick and his Pistol-wielding Wolf Pack are quite balanced, and boast four backfield players who have rushed for over 1000 yards in a season, at least once in their careers. Nevada’s “Pistol” offense will be a treat for those to see….as the Wolf Pack do not get many major terrestrial-network games (on NBC).

ILLINOIS vs MISSOURI (at St Louis): Since they resumed this series a couple of seasons ago, this has been one of the most entertaining matchups of the college football season. Illini QB Juice Williams has big play threats like WRs Arrelious Benn and Jeff Cumberland around him….while highly-touted prep QB Blaine Gabbert gets his shot at running Mizzou’s highly-productive offense.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN at ARIZONA: This intersectional matchup could see more heat than Tuscon might be used to. CMU QB Dan LeFevour hopes to fire up his Chips offense on an unsuspecting Wildcat defense. ‘Zona will have its share of offensive firepower, and, will have Matt Scott taking over the QB duties….a big signee for Arizona a few years ago. UofA also has a top RB in Nic Grigsby and TE Rob Gronkowski.

BYU vs OKLAHOMA (at Arlington, TX): A somewhat “neutral-field” game…being so close to Norman, Oklahoma (and with many OU alums in the Dallas-Fort Worth area). However, BYU has the offense to move the ball on the Sooners, with QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga leading the way. Oh, and the Sooners counter with Heisman winner QB Sam Bradford, and, an offense that set all kinds of NCAA records last season. Game will be played at the new and bad-ass Cowboys Stadium.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 12

HOUSTON at OKLAHOMA STATE: Last season these two slugged it out in a 56-37 offense-fest, and this season should see similar results. Houston brings in arguably the top fantasy QB in Case Keenum, and a bevy of other prodctive players. The Cowboys, of course, have a top QB in Zac Robinson, a top RB in Kendall Hunter, and all-planet WR Dez Bryant. Cowboy and Big XII fans also will get a barometer of how well OSU will be able to handle the potent offenses they will see later in conference matchups.

KANSAS at UTEP: Defense…what defense? This game is a guaranteed shoot-out, with KU QB Todd Reesing throwing at will on UTEPs defense, trevor-vittatoe especially when Reesing has WRs like Dez Briscoe and Kerry Meier. The Miners can keep up with the Jayhawks with QB Trevor Vittatoe (photo, thanks Scout.com) and bookend WRs Kris Adams and Jeff Moturi. UTEP in recent years has managed to attract home games with BCS-level schools, and nearly pulled off an upset of Texas Tech a few years ago.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19

TEXAS TECH at TEXAS: Oh, you know the ‘Horns have this one marked on the calendar, after losing last year in Lubbock on a Tech miracle TD catch with seconds remaining in the game. Texas QB Colt McCoy is one of the best in the nation, and is a threat both passing and running. The Red Raiders will have Taylor Potts manning the wide-open Tech offense, which will throw early and often….even UTs good defense will struggle with the Tech passing game.

TULSA at OKLAHOMA: Sure, the Sooners will win by a large margin (in 2007 they won 62-21 at Tulsa), but, the Golden Hurricane will get their share of yards and points. Two seasons ago, in the 41 point loss, then-Tulsa QB Paul Smith threw for nearly 400 yards. G.J. Kinne looks to be the starter at QB for Tulsa, and has skills you do not see at schools in Conference USA. A good game for those who have Sooner RBs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray on their fantasy rosters.

HAWAII at UNLV: Hawaii QB Greg Alexander may not be as well-known as his predecessor Colt Brennan was, but he is a good QB who can get his share of yards and passing TDs…and the matchup between him and UNLV QB Omar Clayton will be quite entertaining. I see this game as a potential shoot-out, and, a very offense-dominated game….deserving more mainstream media attention.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26

TEXAS TECH at HOUSTON: No one will be busier on this day than the guy running the Jumbotron at UHs Robertson Stadium. This could be the game that Cougar QB Case Keenum earns some serious Heisman cred. And, I feel the Cougars match up better against Texas Tech than they do against Oklahoma State, because the Coogs will have a more productive backfield than the Red Raiders, with UH RB Bryce Beall being a threat on both ground and air. What can Bryce do for Houston…

MISSOURI at NEVADA (Sep 25): We like fun inter-sectional games, and this one in Reno will definitely be fun. By this time, Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert should have the offense down pat, and will need to be ready as the Wolf Pack will be hard to contain when they have the ball. Also, a night game in Reno, even in late September, can get a little chilly…and with the elevation of Reno…the Wolf Pack have a decided advantage. Look for Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick to have a huge game on the Tigers.

SOUTHERN MISS at KANSAS: Seems the running theme here is Big 4884321_Southern_Miss_v_Cincinnati XII vs CUSA (of course, the two conferences with the best offenses). And, another potential barn-burner in the works here, especially if USM WR DeAndre Brown is near 100%….he is the best athlete in college football not on a BCS-level roster. Of course, KU has Reesing and his Receivers, but the Golden Eagles have offensive stars of their own in RB Damion Fletcher (photo, thanks IconSMI) and QB Austin Davis. Also, USM head coach Larry Fedora is quite familiar with Big XII teams, as he served as Oklahoma State offensive coordinator before taking the job at Southern Miss.