NCAA College Football 2011: Week Five Australian TV Guide - UPDATED

More Big East action to kick off the weekend that starts in September and ends in October. All times Australian EST!

Friday 30th September

#16 South Florida vs. Pittsburgh (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Saturday 1st October

College Football Live (9.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
Utah State vs. BYU (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Sunday 2nd October

College GameDay - Madison, Wisconsin (12.01am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#14 Texas A&M vs. #18 Arkansas (3.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
Northwestern vs. #24 Illinois (3.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Michigan State vs. Ohio State (6.30aml ESPN/ESPN2-HD)
North Carolina State vs. #21 Georgia Tech (6.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
College Football Live (9.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
College Football Scoreboard (9.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#8 Nebraska vs. #7 Wisconsin (11.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
Notre Dame vs. Purdue (11.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#13 Clemson vs. #11 Virginia Tech (3.00pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD) Same Day Delay

NFL 2011: Week Three Review

Thoughts and observations from Week Three of the 2011 NFL Season:

Could not have been happier with my New York Giants and their effort against Philadelphia today. It was the first time these two teams had faced off since the Miracle - or disaster, depending on what colours you wear - at the Meadowlands last December where the Eagles scored 28 in the last 8:00 of play to win a game they should never even have been close in. So what to the Giants do today? Come out, the heavy underdog, and beat the Eagles 29-16. QB Eli Manning looked like the Super Bowl XLII MVP today, with a handy stat-line: 16-23, 254 yards and 4 TDs after missing on some of his early throws. It was a case of big-play momentum for the Giants. They had 5 plays of 25 yards or more. 3 of those went for touchdowns.

On the flip side, the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost star QB Michael Vick to a broken right hand, and then lost the football game. No disrespect to QB Mike Kafka, but the kid from Northwestern, who took his first career reps last week vs. Atlanta, doesn't scare people like Vick does. If Vick has a long time on the sidelines, the season might be drastically different to the one that the Eagles were hoping for.

Chicago had 13 yards rushing in a 27-17 loss to Green Bay. That equates to 1.1 yards on 12 rushes. No wonder the Bears aren't winning football games. When no one takes their run game seriously - and no one does, not even their own offensive play callers, clearly - it's easy to always play the pass and intercept QB Jay Cutler, which the Pack did 2 times today. The Bears are second-last in the league with 161 rushing yards in 3 games.

So, Tom Brady is human after all. The Patriots QB threw for 4 TDs, but also 4 INTs, a shocking number for a guy who backed up 500+ passing yards in Week One with 400+ passing yards in Week Two, as the Buffalo Bills - yeah, you read that right - beat the Patriots 34-31 on a last-second field goal. The 4 picks tied a career-worst for Brady, and the killer, perhaps, was Drayton Florence's 27-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:22 left. You just don't see Brady throw four picks very often.

Anyone who wants to jump on the Detroit Lions bandwagon, please feel free. But hurry, because spaces are filling up. Down 20-0 against division rivals Minnesota, it looked like the woeful Lions of old. Until QB Matt Stafford, not like the woeful Lions QBs of old, took charge and led Detroit back to a 26-23 OT win. In case you hadn't already figured it out, Stafford - 32-46, 378 yards, 2 TDs- is the real deal.

Carolina score their first win of the season, and the great irony of that 16-10 triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars is that rookie QB Cam Newton had rather a sub par day, going 18-34, 158 yards and one score. When they lose, he seems to dial up ridiculous numbers. But they have a winning effort and he seems almost mediocre. It might be a strange season in Carolina. 

Great scenes in Orchard Park, NY as the Buffalo Bills ended a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots that dated to 2003, on a last-second Rian Lindell's 28-yard field goal was good, and excited Bills fans - who haven't had much to cheer about for too many years - stormed the field in scenes reminiscent of an underdog college team beating the number one team in the land. This win shows the NFL that the Bills might be for real. Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Harvard QB, certainly is, again playing Houdini, leading his team back from a 21-0 deficit, for a late win. That's two weeks in a row. It must be hard on the hearts of all Bills fans.

Ben Roethlisberger looked particularly glad to be leaving Indianapolis with a win. There is no way to describe his protection on the offensive line other than this - diabolical. He earned his keep tonight. The big uglies up front did not. Three sacks and a world of hurt all night long. The Steelers survived rather than won the game tonight in Indianapolis. It was an inspired effort from Dwight Freeney and company. Pittsburgh should count themselves very lucky...and also buy Sean Suisham dinner.

About time someone in Indianapolis decided to give QB Curtis Painter a shot. No way were the Colts going anywhere with Kerry Collins under centre. And instant results, the former Purdue Boilermaker leading the Colts on an 80-yard drive to tie the football game late. At least, if nothing else, Painter had that Indy offense at least competitive.

Most Valuable Player: New England WR Wes Welker, who caught 16 balls for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. Oh, and he had a 19 yard run, too.Not a bad day at the office, despite the Patriots losing.

Least Valuable Player: Minnesota's defense. This team has had double-digit first half leads in three straight games and manage to choke and give it up. They're 0-3 and in deep trouble, stone motherless last in the NFC North.

NCAA College Football 2011: Week Four Review

Thoughts and observations from the fourth week of the 2011 NCAA College Football season:

Behind their established QB Zach Collaros, Cincinnati lit up Big East foe NC State last night, and looked very good in the process. The Butch Davis-coached Bearcats might be the best team in the Big East. More will be known after a weekend of games where Big East teams could either assert themselves on the national stage or fade into mediocrity. 

In the same game, NC State were horrible, simply horrible. I bet they wish they gave their old starting QB Russell Wilson - now playing lights-out for Wisconsin - some more time to decide on his baseball vs. football career path. QB Sean Glennon looked all at sea last night. Worrying times for the Pack. Some of his throws that were intercepted just should not have been made.

Still loving Urban Meyer's work as an ESPN analyst. There are few better on TV at breaking down a game and identifying defensive and offensive packages before they actually happen. I know ESPN are often pounded for some questionable decisions - continuing to have Texas Tech hater Craig James on the pay roll - but this was a smart call by the folks in Bristol, CT. They'll doubtless be hoping that Urban doesn't jet off to coach Ohio State at the end of the year.

Oklahoma State trailed 20-3 at Texas A&M but came back to win 30-29 in a fantastic game in College Station. Once more, it was QB Brandon Weeden who starred for the Cowboys, going 47-60 for 437 yards and two touchdowns, and was ably supported out of the backfield by RB Joseph Randle, who toted the rock 21 times for 82 yards. Oklahoma State might have played themselves into National Championship contention with their win today.

Despite more turnovers and three horrible quarters from QB Tommy Rees - apparently the best signal caller available in South Bend, a worrying thought - Notre Dame managed to outlast Pittsburgh 15-12 in a very uninspiring contest. When the Irish win, they really win ugly. Nothing I saw Saturday suggests that they're anywhere in the BCS ball park.

Alabama beat Arkansas behind good, smart football from QB AJ McCarron, who appears to be the undisputed starter under centre for the Crimson Tide. 15-20 for 200 yards even and 2 scores are good numbers for a guy who was splitting time at the beginning of the year. The Tide looked good against a nationally-ranked team. They have Florida next week and, of course, the greatly anticipated game against LSU on November 5. It could well be a #1 vs. #2 contest by then.

Houston QB Case Keenum had a typically big night as the Cougars routed Georgia State 56-0. Keenum, who sat late in favour of back-up Cotton Turner, was 29-34 for 412 yards and 2 TDs. Anytime the nation wants to take notice of this kid, please feel free. These are Heisman-like numbers, people! And he ratchets them up week after week!

LSU went into Morgantown, West Virginia and ran up 47 points on the Mountaineers, passing two consecutive road tests with flying colours. The only worrying thing? West Virginia QB Geno Smith threw for 424 yards (and two touchdowns) against what we all thought was a nearly-impenetrable LSU secondary. But the Mountaineers couldn't run the football, and that was what did them in. The Bayoux Bengals roll on.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel earned a reprieve on those in Westwood calling for his head, thanks partly to QB Richard Brehaut and partly to a horrible Oregon State team - who fall to 0-3 for the first time since 1996 - in Corvallis. The Bruins got a win, 27-19, to even out their season record at 2-2. The big problem for the Bruins? Oregon State are woeful this year, and their next opponents, Stanford, are far from it.

Oregon just told the nation that they're not done with. Every way you look at it, the Ducks smashed Arizona from pillar to post in a 56-31 victory that was closer on the scoreboard than it was on the field. RB LaMichael James was the hero. He ran the football 23 times for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's an average of 12.6 yards per rush - and that's just insane. Watch out Pac-12.

Rough day for those of us who're USC fans. Not only did the Trojans turn the football over four times, losing to Arizona State for the first time since 1999. The Sun Devils took a 43-22 decision in Tempe tonight, and, making matters worse, both Notre Dame and UCLA won their games today.

NCAA Football 2011: Week Four Australian TV Guide

It's the last weekend of September and we get our first good look at the Big East, plus a pretty exciting Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M tilt on Sunday morning early, #7 vs #8 in the nation. As ever, all times are Australian EST!

Friday 23rd September

College Football Live (9.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

NC State vs. Cincinnati (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Saturday 24th September

College Football Live (9.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

UCF vs. BYU (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College GameDay - Morgantown, WV (11.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Sunday 25th September

College GameDay - Morgantown, WV (12.01am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh (2.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#7 Oklahoma State vs. #8 Texas A&M (5.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#15 Florida vs. Kentucky (9.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#2 LSU vs. #16 West Virginia (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
#23 USC vs. Arizona State (12.15pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#10 Oregon vs. Arizona (1.30pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD) Joined in Progress
College Football Final (4.30pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

NFL 2011: Week Two Review

Thoughts and observations from Week Two of the 2011 National Football League season:

The Detroit Lions. That's really all that needs to be said. They move to 2-0 with a demolition job on Kansas City. QB Matt Stafford might be maturing into the star we all thought he could be when he game out of Georgia. He just needs to stay healthy today. It was a team effort, with the defense causing 2 fumbles that led to 2 scores. This is a team going places. For the record, Stafford was 23-39 for 294 yards, 4 TDs and one INT. Nice day out.

One of the great wins in Buffalo franchise history on Sunday. The Bills were down by 21-3 in the second quarter and outscored the Oakland Raiders 35-14 in the second half for an epic 38-35 win that was only confirmed ten minutes after the final whistle, when referee Mike Carey confirmed that the Bills had intercepted a last-gasp Hail Mary in the end zone. What drama! The Raiders find new and inventive ways to lose!

Rookie Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton threw for another 432 yards and 1 TD vs. Green Bay, The problem was that he also tossed 3 INTs. Turnovers kill, especially against an offense as prodigious and productive as the Packers one is. Even so, and despite me being a Newton hater, the kid has some skill and poise about him. He's just going to have to work on curbing back those turnovers.

It goes from bad to worse for the Indianapolis Colts. A week after being pounded by Houston, the Colts have fallen to Peyton Hillis and the Cleveland Browns 27-19. The way things are going, it will be a dreadfully long season for the Colts. It's amazing how much of a different team they are without Peyton Manning. In fact, the Colts are 0-2 for the first time since 1998, Manning’s rookie season. Memo, Colts Front Office: Curtis Painter needs to get a shot now. Kerry Collins should not be your guy!

The 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs are in all sorts of trouble. Not only have they been outscored by a combined 89-10 in their two losses, they are without TE Tony Moeaki, S Eric Berry and, perhaps, RB Jamaal Charles, who left yesterday's game with a knee injury - ACL, if the reports are correct. And Matt Cassel just looked horrible out there, too. Long season ahead for the Chiefs.

Classless work from Michael Vick. I don't care what the crowd is saying, doing stuff like pointing to the scoreboard, letting the Atlanta fans know that they were losing, is not cool. In a league where running up the score is frowned upon and many post-TD celebrations are flagged as unsportsmanlike conduct, Vick's actions are unwarranted. I daresay this will be a water-cooler discussion all week long. Oh, and by the way, Philly ended up losing.

Back to their old selves after Week One aberrations: New Orleans, who pounded Chicago, and Pittsburgh, who did something similar to Seattle. A crazy first week where Buffalo and Detroit won but the Steelers and Saints didn't seems to have righted itself.

Least Valuable Player for Week Two: Jacksonville QB Luke McCown, who was 6-19 for 59 yards , 4 INTs and an end zone sack that resulted in a safety. That's a QB Rating of 1.8, a whopping 133.9 less than what New England QB Tom Brady put up. No wonder rookie QB Blaine Gabbert came in. If McCown starts next week, the Jaguars franchise is a complete and utter joke.

It wasn't pretty, but the NY Giants got the win they needed at home on Monday night. There are still major injury concerns for Big Blue, especially headed to Philadelphia next Sunday, but 1-1 is better than 0-2. Thankfully, Eli Manning settled down after a nervous start, including an INT deep in  St Louis territory. Really, though, the Rams were their own worst enemies; all four Giant TDs resulted from St Louis mistakes. That's no way to win a football game.

NCAA Football 2011: Week Three Review

Thoughts and observations from Week Three of the 2011 season:

LSU play the best defense in the country. They are ridiculously deep across the front four, and their entire starting unit this year can probably play in the NFL. The question is, can their offense hold up their end of the bargain down the stretch? If so, maybe we are looking at the next BCS National Champion.

After a few early nervous moments in the Glass Bowl, Boise State survived their road test on Friday night, and looked reasonable against a Toledo unit who almost beat Ohio State in Columbus last Saturday - and probably would've beaten the Buckeyes had they not committed 14 penalties, many of them stupid ones.

Florida State might well win the ACC in December. They might be the most talented team in that conference, but on Saturday night it was dumb, stupid penalties that cost them a victory against Oklahoma. Jimbo Fisher and his coaches must be pulling their hair out. Dead ball personal fouls do not help a team win a football game, especially not against the best team in the country. A few promising offensive situations were stymied and ultimately wrecked because of lame-brain mistakes. That's part of why the 'Noles fell 23-13.

Finally, after nine turnovers in two games that had them 0-2, Notre Dame finally showed a bit of the talent that the Golden Domers allegedly had. They beat Michigan State 31-13 in South Bend, recording their first win of the year to somewhat level out their season. Even so, they committed three turnovers. QB Tommy Rees accounted for two of those. If they keep up turning over the football 3 or 4 times a game, they'll lose more than they'll win. The Irish record is 1-2, but without turnovers and defensive lapses - see last week's efforts at the death - they might've been 3-0.

Texas went into the Rose Bowl and spanked UCLA, returning the favour after the Bruins marched to Austin and beat the 'Horns there last year, 34-12. The Longhorns won 49-20, with Case McCoy and Jaxon Shipley leading the way. The bigger story coming out of this game might be UCLA at 1-2 heading into Pac-12 play, head coach Rick Neuheisel's increasingly hot seat in Westwood. The fans cannot be happy. Four Bruin turnovers doesn't help, either.

The weekly Case Keenum update. The darkhorse Heisman hopeful led Houston to a 35-34 victory (and to a 3-0 record) vs. Louisana Tech. His stat line: 24-38 for 346 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs for a QB Rating of 155.2.

The magical run of the defending National Champions, Auburn, ended today. And in grand fashion. The Clemson Tigers ran up 619 yards of offense on their way to a 38-24 victory in Death Valley, South Carolina. Their QB Tajh Boyd was a lazy 30-42 for 386 yards and 4 TDs. This might be the beginning of the downfall for Auburn's defense. It was absolutely shredded today.

Very quietly out west, USC are going about their business. They beat Syracuse 38-17 today, improving to 3-0 on the season. Once again, QB Matt Barkley was superb, going 26-39 for 322 yards and 5 scores. His star WR Robert Woods had 8 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. It seems like USC's defense is more stout than last year - really, it couldn't be much less stout than last year - and they might worry a few Pac-12 teams down the stretch. All they have to play for are wins. And Barkley is red-hot right now.

Speaking of red-hot Pac-12 outfits, Stanford did another demolition job - their second in as many years - of Nick Foles and the Arizona Wildcats. It was 37-10 in Tuscon tonight, with the Cardinal rolling up 567 yards of offense. QB Andrew Luck had a quiet day, just 2 touchdowns and 325 yards from 20 passes made. it was RB Stepfan Taylor who did the hard yards, running it 22 times for 153 yards. Stanford are good. Real good.

Swans Review - Semi Final vs. Hawthorn

HAWTHORN 3.5  10.5  12.6  19.8 (122)
SYDNEY 0.1  4.1  9.6  13.8 (86)

Goals - Hawthorn: L Franklin 4 P Puopolo 3 C Bateman 2 D Hale 2 C Rioli J Lewis L Hodge L Shiels M Bailey M Osborne M Suckling S Burgoyne. Sydney: A Goodes 3 R O’Keefe 3 C Bird G Rohan J McVeigh M Spangher S Mumford S Reid T Kennelly.

Umpires: Chris Donlon, Shaun Ryan, Mathew Nicholls.
Official Crowd: 55,198 at MCG.

The Swans lost, but in the first quarter - first half, really - it looked like the Hawks might run out by a hundred or more points. At least it wasn't that bad in the end. There was nothing worthwhile coming out of that first half, except for the occasional flash of brilliance from Adam Goodes in his three hundredth game. Early on, there were more passengers than drivers on the Swans' bus, and that was the problem; a complete contrast to a full team effort six days ago.

It's a shame that the Swans spotted Hawthorn such a big head start. And that was always the problem. A disastrous opening meant that they were playing catch-up football from almost the outset. It's hard to play from behind against a team as good as Hawthorn. The third quarter comeback showed heart, but it was tonight for the Swans as it had been for St Kilda last Saturday night: they used all their strength to claw somewhere close to the lead in the third, and could not sustain through the fourth. At least they came back and started having a crack. That's what matters. Capitulating in Goodes' three hundredth would've been a great shame.

To their credit, Hawthorn bounced back in the last frame, and showed their credentials. It will be an interesting preliminary final vs. Collingwood next week, and I certainly hope that the Hawks can beat the Pies. Anything's possible. I mean, seven nights ago, it didn't seen even remotely likely that Buddy Franklin would be playing tonight, but there he was, mostly-well held by Ted Richards, but still injecting himself into the game at times. Buddy is very much a barometer of the Hawks fortunes, and they are certainly better with him there.

So the 2011 season comes to an end, and the Swans appear to be fairly well placed heading into the future, with a core group of young players - Hannebery, Rohan, Reid, Spangher, Mumford, Smith, Parker, Johnson - to go along with the veteran leadership of Goodes, Bolton, Shaw and co. And with the continued ability of the Football Department to pluck fringe guys from other clubs - McGlynn, Kennedy, Mattner Richards - and turn them into dependable players in Sydney, along with a lot of common sense at draft time, you figure the Swans will be around and competitive, hovering somewhere around the top four, hopefully pressing for that September double chance.

There've been some frustrating moments this year, but it's hard to be unhappy with the season as a whole. This is a baby team, still, and they will get better. With experience comes consistency. The problem with some of the losses this year was that you knew they could play so much better than they were playing when recording those losses. One week we almost beat Collingwood and lay an absolute egg vs. Adelaide a week later. Same team, different story. Just like this week and last.

Sad to see Tadhg Kennelly finish up tonight. It's been a great ride for the guy from Ireland whom many thought had come to the club as part of a practical joke in 1999. Since then, he's become a fan favourite, a reliable backman and the springboard for so much attack from the back half of the field. We'll never forget his highlight reel goals - remember the pirouette vs. Brisbane at ANZ a few years back - or the jaunty jig on the premiership dais. Thanks for the memories, Tadhg!

Thanks for the season, Swans. Have a great summer, see you in 2012! Go Bloods!!

NCAA Football - Week Three Australian TV Guide

Already into the third week of the season, and some very interesting games coming up on ESPN or ESPN2, starting with another LSU sighting on Friday morning and a Boise State appearance twenty four hours later. And there's what promises to be a pretty good Arizona vs. Stanford game on Sunday afternoon. All times Australian EST!

Friday 16th September

College Football Live (9.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

#3 LSU vs. #25 Mississippi State (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Saturday 17th September

College Football Live (9.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#4 Boise State vs. Toledo (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College GameDay - Tallahassee, FL (11.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Sunday 18th September

College GameDay - Tallahassee, FL (12.01am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#21 Auburn vs. Clemson (2.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College Football Scoreboard (5.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#23 Texas vs. UCLA (5.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#17 Ohio State vs. Miami (9.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
#1 Oklahoma vs. #5 Florida State (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

#6 Stanford vs. Arizona (12.45pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

NFL 2011: Week One Review

Thoughts and observations after Week One of the 2011 NFL season:

Green Bay looked wonderful on offense, but gave up 34 points on the other side of the football. My feeling is that it was an blip on the Packer radar, just a product of the high-octane attack that Drew Brees leads for New Orleans. Clay Matthews and co were strangely porous, but that should change next week. And hey, let's face it, Brees is going to torch a lot of good teams this year, so that good Packers D won't be alone!

Indianapolis ran straight into a Houston buzz saw this Sunday, even without their star RB Arian Foster in the Texans backfield. Watch the media go wild this week with all manner of doom and gloom about the Colts' fortunes this season! Maybe it was just an early season aberration on both sides? They happen, you know?

The Detroit Lions are 1-0! No, that's not a mis-print. They looked pretty good, snuffing out a late Tampa Bay rally. QB Matt Stafford - destined to become a superstar, I think - had a good day, going 24-33 for 305 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. If the Lions can stay healthy, they'll be a threat for a Wild Card berth. Their problem? They play in the talent-laden NFC North.

Pittsburgh were run over by a very impressive Baltimore Ravens teams, to the tune of 35-7. This one was a massive departure from the close, low-scoring tussles we're used to when these teams get together. Joe Flacco had a solid day, 17-29 for 224 and 3 TDs and Ray Rice had 107 and a score on the ground. The story here, though, is Ben Roethlisberger's horrible day: 22-41 for 280 yards, 1 TD and a horrible 3 INTs. Either an early-season aberration like with the Colts or a changing of the AFC North guard?

Chicago beat Atlanta 30-12. I'm not so much surprised that the Bears won - this game could've gone either way - but the way in which they won was a shock. The dominated on both sides of the football, and Atlanta looked at sea for most of the time, especially on offense. Brian Urlacher had a huge game and looked like his old self once more. Good news for the Bears, bad news for anyone facing them!

FOX are labelling the Redskins vs. Giants contest America's Game of the Week? Oh really? What about New Orleans vs. Green Bay or Dallas vs. NY Jets? Seriously, the network who employs Joe Buck to call both football and baseball is not a good judge of anything!

Tony Romo isn't doing much to shed his 'Choker' tag. The Cowboys looked like world-beaters for 3 quarters on Sunday night. Then they fell apart horribly, fumbling the ball, giving up a blocked punt return for a TD and Romo's horrible throw that was intercepted by a gleeful and grateful Darelle Revis. Romo swears he was throwing for his receiver, but I wonder, based on the way he tossed the football right to Revis Island, whether a conspiracy is afoot. Just kidding. But I'm not kidding about the Cowboys. Another game where Romo misses a chance to stamp himself as a legitimate big-time performer in the NFL.

What more can be said about Tom Brady that hasn't already been said? The greatest sixth round draft pick in the history of the NFL did a number on the Miami Dolphins last night, 32-28 for a whopping 517 yards, 4 TDs - one of which was a 99-yard monster to Wes Welker - and a solitary INT. Amazing numbers on an amazing night that also saw a record-tying 63-yard field goal in Denver.

NBC announced that 25.8 million people watched the Sunday Night Football game between the Jets and Cowboys. That's the most ever for a SNF broadcast, up 2% from the corresponding game last year - Dallas vs. Washington. Ridiculous numbers!!

NCAA Football 2011: Week Two Review

Thoughts and observations from Week Two of the 2011 season:

Oklahoma State are a dangerous team. They rolled quickly to a 21-point lead vs. Arizona and never looked back in Stillwater on Thursday night. Granted, the Wildcats were without QB Nick Foles' favourite target - and statistically the best wide-out in the Pac-10 last year - WR Juron Criner, but this was still an impressive game. The QB-WR combination of Brandon Weeden to Justin Blackmon was ably assisted by a strong ground game and good defense. The 9th-ranked Cowboys might be a Big XII sleeper.

Friday night appears to be the night for great games. Baylor vs. TCU last week, #21 Missouri vs. Arizona State this week. The Sun Devils won in OT, surviving a furious Mizzou comeback in the last, and almost snatched the win, but K Grant Ressel's 48-yard field goal attempt was no good at the death. 

Louisville lost at home to Sun Belt champions Florida International. This was a loss they shouldn't have had. Another epically bad year for the Big East coming up?

Russell Wilson and Wisconsin keep rolling along, impressively beating Oregon State 35-0. They show such a balanced offense now, with Wilson handing off to their two-headed ground game monster, Montee Ball or James White, when he isn't working his own magic. Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez said recently that getting Russell Wilson was like winning the lottery. It seems like that win is going to pay off and keep paying off. Can't wait for Wisconsin vs. Nebraska in October!

Auburn survive another game, this time vs. Mississippi State. It must be horribly frustrating being a Tigers fan at the moment, with the roller-coaster way their season is progressing. Jury's still out on the defending National Champions for mine.

Every season, one thing that always seems to occur, no matter what else is happening, no matter where they are in the rankings, Michigan and Notre Dame play a spellbinding classic. This year was no different. In the first ever night game at Michigan Stadium - there were about 113,000 people in the Big House - the Wolverines and Irish made it memorable. Denard Robinson led a furious Michigan comeback for a 35-31 win. A wild last few minutes featured 3 TDs, some horrible defensive breakdowns on both sides, and large doses of Robinson brilliance. Is there anything he can't do?

BYU vs. Texas was a game of two halves. The Cougars controlled the first, the Longhorns the second. Thankfully for a somewhat nervous crowd in Austin, the Longhorns escaped with a 1-point win, thanks to the performances of QB Case McCoy and WR Jaxon Shipley, reminding the UT faithful of their older brothers.

Your weekly Case Keenum Update. Well, Case went about business as only Case can. 25-39 for 460 yards, 5 TDs and a QB Rating of 205.5 as the Houston Cougars rolled to a pretty easy 48-23 victory vs. North Texas. Keenum didn't even play much of the final frame. He destroyed them early, instead.

Iowa State defeated cross-state rivals Iowa 44-41 in 3OT, snapping a 3-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes. And they broke the trophy!

Georgia is off to its first 0-2 start since 1996, falling 45-42 to South Carolina in Athens, GA this afternoon. The pressure on Mark Richt has just been raised. The 'Dawgs just made too many mistakes and South Carolina capitalised on every single one. And, of course, they had Marcus Lattimore who had 27 rushes for 180 yards and a score on the day. Georgia just couldn't stop him! Nor could they stop big DT Melvin Ingram, who scored 2 TDs for the 'Cocks. What a big day out!!

Alabama seem to have solved their QB issues. At least, they didn't commit 4 INTs this week vs. Penn State like they did against Kent State in Week One. Trent Richardson is a beast. Nothing like having a solid running back to hand the ball off to when your team is suffering through quarterback blues. Really hard to split 'Bama and LSU as best team in the SEC.

Swans Review - Elimination Final vs. St Kilda (10 September, 2011)

SYDNEY 2.4  7.6  8.9  12.10 (82)
ST KILDA 1.3  3.4  7.7  8.9 (57)

GOALS - Sydney: R O’Keefe 4 A Goodes 2 B McGlynn 2 S Mumford 2 M Spangher S Reid. St Kilda: A Schneider 2 B Goddard 2 J Koschitzke N Dal Santo N Riewoldt S Milne.

Umpires: Michael Vozzo, Jacob Mollison, Ray Chamberlain.
Official Crowd: 39,205 at Etihad Stadium.

What a win! Everything we love about the Sydney Swans was on display tonight at Etihad Stadium. The rare vein of form that the Bloods have been in since the sole-searching week following the diabolical loss to Richmond at the MCG continues. What a long time ago that game feels like now. Our scalps since then? St Kilda in Sydney, Geelong in Geelong, Brisbane in Sydney and St Kilda again, this time at Etihad Stadium in an elimination final.

Honestly, I could not be happier with the performance, but for a shaky few moments in the third quarter where the Saints seemed to get back into the game. In some ways it was like the Preliminary Final of 2005, when the Swans clung to a measly lead at the last change and seemed poised to be overrun. It was a seven goal final quarter that night at the MCG, and while the Swans of 2011 didn't slam home that many six-pointers tonight, the result was the same.

I'd hoped that the Saints had spent all of their tickets getting back into the game in the third, and it appears that they had. Among other influential players in red, black and white, Nick Riewoldt had but one touch in the final quarter. He is, for want of a better descriptor, the Adam Goodes of the St Kilda Football Club. Imagine how well - or how unwell - the Swans would have travelled ifn Goodes had only had one touch. Thankfully, we didn't have to see what might've unfolded in that regard.

Goodes was sensational all night, and at times seemed to be toying with the Saints. He was the catalyst for so much, with other cool heads like McVeigh, Shaw, Kennelley, Richards, McGlynn and O'Keefe doing wonderful jobs, as has been the case so often over the last month. Richards was sensational on Riewoldt, keeping the Saints skipper frustrated and to one goal. Ditto, Nick Smith, who kept the dangerous Stephen Milne to a low-impact game. Milne can torch teams with his in-and-under work, but Smith didn't give him an inch.

The list of star performers goes on and on: Spanger, Reid, White, Kennedy and Hannebery were all sensational. Mumford, as always, a tower of strength with a motor to match his heart and his height. Luke Parker came on in the fourth and added the necessary run. Jude Bolton did what he always does: throws himself in with complete disregard for his body. His attack at the football inspires the young midfield around him. No wonder the Swans are so glad he'll be back for - at least - another year!

And so to Hawthorn - a homecoming for Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn - and a team somewhat in disarray. On Friday night, the Swans will face definitely a Jarryd Roughead-less Hawks and perhaps a Buddy Franklin-less Hawks, too. Despite that, the Hawks are a good team. It will be a tough contest. I wouldn't count the Swans out, not based on tonight's performance, and despite a woeful MCG record. Sydney have a young team that's building nicely to something special in the very near future. What a ride it promises to be.

What a win tonight. Go Bloods! See you Friday!!

NCAA Football 2011: Week Two Preview

Georgia vs. #12 South Carolina

After a week of musical chairs and mystery at the quarterback position, South Carolina got on track late and had a blow-out 56-37 win vs. East Carolina last week after veteran Stephen Garcia replaced highly-touted phenom Connor Shaw under centre. The 'Cocks should never have allowed ECU to score that many. The slow start - the Pirates were up 17-0 before Garcia ran 32 yards for South Carolina's first score - and Shaw's general ineffectiveness almost cost the Gamecocks an embarrassing loss. This week, they jump straight into SEC play, taking on a Georgia Bulldogs team who have troubles of their own.

The 'Dawgs were undoubtedly flattered by the final score of their opening weekend game vs. Boise State. The Broncos won 35-21, but it wasn't anywhere near as close as that. Boise's QB Kellen Moore ripped them apart with precision, and Garcia will do exactly the same thing if Georgia can't get their defense rolling, using an arsenal of weapons not dissimilar to what Moore had at his disposal last week. Then there's the running game, spearheaded by Marcus Lattimore, to add another wrinkle.

Head Coach Mark Richt was booed last week, and it might get worse for the Bulldogs before sixty minutes are done on Saturday. If the Gamecocks can kick-start their passing attack to complement the dangerous RB Lattimore, it could be a long day for the Bulldogs. And perhaps the beginning of the end for Richt in Athens.

Winner: South Carolina

Michigan vs. Notre Dame

The first ever night game at Michigan's Big House is one of the games of the season. A classic rivalry at the best of times, this year's edition is going to be even better. Notre Dame come in after a horrible loss to South Florida, in which they turned the ball over 5 times and went through two quarterbacks - from Dayne Crist to Tommy Rees - and saw Brian Kelly nearly self-combust on the sideline, ranting and raving like a madman...on national TV.

While the Irish struggled in South Bend, Michigan went up 34-10 on Western Michigan before the game was called for weather. What we did see was an impressive glimpse of what start QB Denard Robinson can do in Brady Hoke's pro-style offense. The defense, however, was Michigan's biggest problem through the Rich Rodriguez era in Ann Arbor. It's the defense that needs to come up big vs. Notre Dame. If they can flip field position and give Robinson and RB Michael Shaw, perhaps the most impressive offensive star for the Wolverines, Michigan might make it a third straight victory vs. one of their most hated rivals.

Brian Kelly needs a win for Notre Dame, who came into the first week ranked and with expectations set as high as a BCS bowl appearance. It all came crashing down against South Florida. You can't turn the football over five times and expect to win games. The crazy thing is, they lost to a USF team that isn't exactly chock-full of talent. Notre Dame shot themselves in the foot too many times. How they rebound from the clunker in South Bend says a lot about their season.

Winner: Michigan

#8 Wisconsin vs. Oregon State

Wisconsin opened the season in grand style, with QB Russell Wilson and RB tandem James White and Montee Ball rolling easily over UNLV. Oregon State, on the other hand, became the first FBS team to lose to an FCS team (Division II) going down by a point in OT vs. Sacramento State. Talk about an ugly loss. At home! This was beyond ugly for the Beavers.

Benched QB Ryan Katz comes back for the Beavers as they head into Madison, WI and very likely into the buzz saw that is the Badger offense. Talk about a no-win situation for Oregon State's coach, Mike Riley. You plan to stop the run, they throw. You shape to stop the pass and they run. Wilson, of course, is a dual-threat quarterback who is going to put up huge numbers this year...and might just be a dark horse threat for the Heisman Trophy. At least, based on his first week. It should be similarly spectacular this week, too.

Winner: Wisconsin

Utah vs. USC

The first ever Pac-12 game features a conference newcomer and a school who dominated for so many years. If there's one thing we learned about USC last week it's that QB Matt Barkley and WR Robert Woods are a potent combination. Barkley completed a school record 34 passes, 17 of which went to the sophomore Woods, totalling 177 yards and 3 TDs. It was a dominating performance in a strangely low-scoring game.

USC finally eked out a 19-17 victory. Their offense has never been a problem. It's the defense that got burned repeatedly last year. They held the Gophers to 17 points, but the real test comes against a much more potent offense in Utah. USC get RB Marc Tyler back after a one-game suspension.

The Utes struggled to win vs. Montana State, but they will surely be up for this game, their first chance to show that they belong in the Pac-12. If they can move the football on USC's defense - not a hard thing to do a year ago - their own defense should be able to slow down the Trojan attack, as Minnesota did, shutting out USC in the second half last week. But if Woods and Barkley hook up too many times, Utah may start out it's Pac-12 life 0-1.

Winner: USC

Arizona vs. #9 Oklahoma State

This shapes up as being a fantastic game, with two quarterbacks who aren't afraid to sling the rock around the field.

The Pokes have picked up where they left off in 2010, with QB Brandon Weeden putting up ridiculous numbers - a school record for 4,277 passing yards in his first year as a starter - and his favourite target, WR Justin Blackmon torching Louisiana-Lafayette for a FBS-high 666 yards during a 61-34 demolition. Weeden threw for 388 and 2 TDs. Blackmon notched up 144 receiving.

Louisiana-Lafayette managed only 2 FGs against the starting Oklahoma State defense, which will likely worry Arizona coach Mike Stoops. Even so, their QB Nick Foles is no slouch, either. He led Arizona to a 44-10 victory vs. Northern Arizona, throwing for an FBS-best 412 yards and 5 TDs, tied for the most anywhere in the country. 151 of those yards went to WR Juron Crier His passer rating was 202.6. Insanely good, no matter which way you look at it!

Interestingly, Weeden was picked off three times, and this week will be facing a much stronger defensive unit against the Wildcats. If he can control his turnovers, and rely on his defense to put the clamps on Foles and Crier, it should be a narrow win for Oklahoma, against a Wildcat team who have historically found it tough to win on the road vs. ranked opponents.

Winner: Oklahoma State

NCAA Football - Week Two Australian TV Guide

ESPN and ESPN2 continue their blanket coverage of NCAA Football this week. All times Australian EST!

All three hours of College GameDay (originating from Ann Arbor, MI for the Michigan vs. Notre Dame prime-time contest) are on ESPN2/ESPN2-HD beginning Saturday at 11.00pm. The first hour - exclusively on ESPNU in the States - is hosted by Erin Andrews. The final two hours leading into game action are hosted by Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso with Erin Andrews contributing.

Friday September 9th

Arizona vs. #9 Oklahoma State (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Saturday September 10th

Florida International vs. Louisville (9.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College Football Scoreboard (Midday; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

#21 Missouri vs. Arizona State (12.30pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College GameDay - Ann Arbor, MI (11.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Sunday September 11th

College GameDay - Ann Arbor, MI (12.01am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Oregon State vs. #8 Wisconsin (2.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
College Football Countdown (5.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
#3 Alabama vs. #23 Penn State (5.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)#12 South Carolina vs. Georgia (8.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD) Joined in Progress

BYU vs. #24 Texas (9.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Notre Dame vs. Michigan (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

College Football Scoreboard (Midday; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
College Football Final (2.00pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

NCAA Football 2011: Week One Review

Random thoughts and observations on the first weekend of NCAA Football for 2011:

Wisconsin are going to figure prominently in the Big Ten chase.Russell Wilson is going to get on the same page - really get on the same page - as his receivers and the Badgers are going to do what they've always done: ram the football down the throats of opposition. Montee Ball and James White are the best one-two running back combination in the Big Ten. It must be nice to be Coach Bret Bielema and have those guys in your backfield. That run game opens up Wilson for play action, something he didn't have at NC State, and it's going to make him that much more dangerous. Oh, and he can run.

Thursday night blues. The best game of Thursday night was Syracuse vs. Wake Forest, an OT home victory for the Orange. The bad news? It wasn't on TV anywhere. Instead, we saw either blowouts or snoozers. Something not right here!!

Kentucky might be in some trouble. Correction, they will be in trouble if their play last night vs. Western Kentucky is anything to go by. The Wildcats won 14-3 at LP Field in Nashville, but they had only 75 yards of total offense to three quarter time. Against a Sun Belt team who went 2-10 last year! When they get to SEC play, Kentucky are going to be mauled and humiliated. One hopes that this was just a case of early season jitters. If not, long season coming up for UK.

Baylor showed amazing heart. They had a lead vs. #14 Texas Christian, lost that lead, came back on a game-winning drive and then, on a night when offense had been the big story, it was the defense who picked off sophomore QB Casey Pachall late, to notch the biggest victory Baylor's had in many years. Their QB Robert Griffin III was sensational all night.

Auburn scored two late TDs to avoid defeat by the WAC's Utah State. Struggling to beat the Aggies may become a problem when the defending National Champions get into SEC play. It should never have been that close. We might not see War Eagle back in the Top 25 lists this season.

Same old same old for the Houston offense with QB Case Keenum back in control. Good win vs. UCLA during which Keenum was 30/40 for 309 yards and one TD, for a QB Rating of 148.1. Nice numbers for his first game back since tearing his right ACL early in a loss to UCLA last September. Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel is in trouble.

Notre Dame turned the football over far too many times, more times than the 16th-ranked team in the nation should. It lost them a game that they should really have won by double-digits.

Former Florida coach Urban Meyer makes a brilliant TV analyst. The question is, will he even be at ESPN next year?

QB Joe Bauserman looked good under centre for Ohio State. So did his new favourite target Jake Stoneburner. Highly-touted freshman Braxton Miller looked reasonable, mopping up after OSU went up 28-0. Still, Bauserman should be the starter this year.

The Pac-12 had a shaky start to it's life. USC squeaked past Minnesota, Oregon State got beaten by FCS opponent Sacramento State, Oregon lost to LSU and UCLA lost to Houston. Not a good day for Commissioner Larry Scott.

Even though USC barely won - 19-17 vs. Minnesota at the Coliseum - to begin their second season under Lane Kiffin, QB Matt Barkley had a record 34 completions and WR Robert Woods, a definite superstar in the making, notched 17 catches for 177 yards and 3 TDs. Just insane numbers!

Boise State's offense was good. Their defense was also playing lights-out. They hassled and hounded Georgia's Aaron Murray all night long. The Broncos are probably favourites in the Mountain West after TCU's loss at Baylor yesterday.

After their loss to LSU today, the Oregon Ducks are long shots at best to make it to the National Championship Game. But becoming inaugural Pac-12 champions and spending new year's in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl is a nice consolation. Chip Kelly just needs to hope that LSU didn't provide a solid road map for slowing down the high-tempo offense that Oregon runs.

LSU's defense is bad fast, they are mean and they're going to go a long way in the SEC if they play like they did tonight. They did a wonderful job of blowing up pretty much everything that Oregon tried at Cowboys Stadium. Nothing like seven months to pick apart that Darron Thomas-led offense.

Swans Review - Brisbane (03 September, 2011)

SYDNEY: 3.3, 11.7, 14.9, 18.11 (119) def. BRISBANE: 4.3, 6.6, 9.9, 9.13 (67)

GOALS: SYDNEY: Bolton 4, Goodes 4, Spangher 3, Rohan 3, Parker 2, Malceski, Hannebery BRISBANE: McGrath 3, Karnezis 2, Redden, Hawksley, Cornelius, Rich

BEST: SYDNEY: Goodes, Richards, Kennedy, Rohan, Shaw, Hannebery, O'Keefe BRISBANE: McGrath, Drummond, Rich, Leuenberger,

UMPIRES: Margetts, Chamberlain, Meredith
CROWD: 27,721 at SCG

The Swans seem to enjoy twilight football. This afternoon and this evening at the SCG, they looked in ominous form heading into an elimination final match-up with St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne - thanks very much for nothing, Carlton Blues - with a crushing fifty-two point win in what turned out to be Tadhg Kennelley's final game in Sydney. It was a good send-off for the popular Irishman. 

After a few nervous and jittery moments early, the Swans machine clicked into gear, a run of seven goals in the second quarter giving the red-and-whites a match-winning lead. Though the Lions threatened at times, the Swans were never really headed after that, and there always seemed to be an answer from the home team, especially whenever the likes of Adam Goodes, Matt Spangher and Gary Rohan were near the ball. Like last week, there weren't any freeloaders. Every player on the field had an impact, including another inspirational and busy effort from returning Captain Fantastic Jarrad McVeigh, leading to the blow-out win that a crowd of more than 27,000 thoroughly enjoyed.

As per usual, Goodes had the Sherrin on a string, seemingly everywhere across the field, always with a deft touch and a useful possession. Jude Bolton enjoyed a goal-filled game, booting four. Spangher, the West Coast recruit threw a spangher in the works, enjoying easily his best game as a Swan, booting 3, the same number of goals that Rohan, the red-headed blur, notched up, including a beauty from a tight angle as he fell down across the boundary line; surely a contender for Mark of the Year. Rohan is already good. The scary thing is that he's only going to get better with age and experience. We might've seen the emergence of the next Swans superstar.

The night's only sour moment was the injury to Ryan O'Keefe, who left the ground late with a shoulder injury after a heavy contact with former Swan Amon Buchanan. The midfield looked very good, and Rhyce Shaw continued to provide wonderful run from the back end, setting up many offensive forays. Once more, Ted Richards proved to be a rock along the last line of defense. This has been something of a break-out season for the key defender, who is now the "go to" guy for the Swans, following Craig Bolton's retirement. Teddy's lived up to the top billing, has claimed some big scalps this year, and may get another chance to cross swords with St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt next week.

So the Swans head south to face St Kilda in what is usually a tough and tight contest against a former assistant coach (Ross Lyon) and two former premiership favourites (Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster). If the last meeting between these two teams, two weeks ago at ANZ Stadium, is anything to go by, we're in for a ripping contest.

After an up-and-down season with some brilliant wins and some frustrating losses - especially losses that should never have happened - it's nice to think about playing finals football again. I only hope that Ryan O'Keefe will be a part of Saturday night's team to face the Saints.

Go Swans!!

Swans Preview - Brisbane (3 September, 2011)

Swans vs. Brisbane

Saturday 03 September

SCG; 4.10pm

And so we come to the final game of the regular season, a week after the Swans played the best and most perfect four quarters since the 2005 Grand Final. Talk about a shot in the arm for the Swans this week. It's been wall-to-wall media coverage. The only bad thing is that now they won't be the dark horses heading into the finals. There'll be no sneaking into September action this year. On the flip side, the red-and-whites have shown the football world that they'll be a force to be reckoned with, if they recreate the disciplined and committed effort they showed last week in Geelong.

A Brisbane Lions outfit who won't play finals this year come to town this afternoon for their season finale, looking to be the spoiler for the Swans, who need to record a win and hope that Carlton can beat St Kilda (7.10pm) and so gift Sydney a home elimination final against the Saints next Saturday night - Sydney venue still TBD. The Lions have looked reasonable in the last few weeks, running Collingwood and West Coast close, so they should not be taken lightly.

The waiting and hoping, scoreboard watching is what kills me. We'll enjoy the game this afternoon, then go home and be glued to the television, hoping that Chris Judd can keep the Sherrin on a string and give Carlton the win against St. Kilda that'll give the Swans a home elimination final. Never thought I'd say this...but c'mon Blues!

Big week of news for the club off the back of the Geelong win. Excellent for all fans to see Jarrad McVeigh come back into the side. That he turned up and told John Longmire that he wanted to play this week and help his team prepare for a finals assault says a lot about the character of the man. Of course, the grieving process has only just begun for McVeigh and his wife in the wake of the tragic death of their newborn daughter Luella, but being around the support structure of the club is definitely going to help. Having McVeigh working in the engine room is definitely going to help the Swans, too.

Sad news: favourite Irish son Tadhg Kennelley is retiring. To be honest, I saw this coming a few months ago, and wondered when he'd make an announcement. His form, sadly, hasn't been quite the same this season as in previous ones, the dash off of halfback not as sprightly as it had been. The statistics don't lie: his marks, kicks and handballs are all down, and, of course, he's been in and out of the first grade side in the last few weeks. Better to retire now, basically on his own terms, than be forced to end his career in reserve grade. We'll always love Tadhg for his tireless work down back, for occasional highlight reel goals and for that amazing jig on the platform after receiving his 2005 Premiership Medal. We'll miss you, Tadhg!!

So the game is on, twilight style at the SCG, and the Swans need to first win - I think they can, and should by a healthy margin - and hope that the Blues do us a favour and beat St Kilda at Etihad. Personally, I believe we can beat St Kilda either here or in Melbourne, but it would be nice to have the home crowd advantage with us, rather than with the opposition.

Fearless Prediction: Swans by 32

Go Bloods!

NCAA Football - Week One Australian TV Guide - UPDATED

Updated Thursday 9.52pm: Louisiana-Monroe vs. #6 Florida State (Sunday; 5.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Here we go, the opening week of the season, and plenty of good games - and some less-appealing ones) scheduled for broadcast in Australia. It seems that the addition of ESPN2/ESPN2-HD has resulted in a jackpot for NCAA football fans in this country!

Interestingly this season, it appears that ESPN will be broadcasting the entire three hours of College GameDay. Last year, ESPN in America added a third hour - which is actually the first hour, from 9.00am - on ESPNU, to complement the two hours hosted by Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso, that have been a staple for so many years.

The brand-new hour, hosted by the lovely Erin Andrews, begins at 11.00pm on Saturday nights here in Australia, with the Chris, Kirk, Desmond and Lee portion from Midnight for two hours into the first game of the day.

Also, ESPN Goal Line premieres in Australia Sunday at 5.30am on ESPN2/ESPN2-HD. It's a show that cuts from game to game, showing red zone possessions from games all across the ESPN family of networks. In America, it runs on a special Pay Per View channel, with the occasional hour-long preview, sandwiched in between live game action, as it is here, between Akron vs. Ohio State and Old Miss vs. BYU.

Away we go with games and times!! All kick-off times are listed in Australian EST. Enjoy!

Friday 2nd September

Murray State vs. Louisville (8.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

College Football Live (9.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

UNLV vs. #11 Wisconsin (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky (11.15am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Saturday 3rd September

#14 TCU vs. Baylor (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
College GameDay - Arlington, TX  (11.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Sunday 4th September

College GameDay - Arlington, TX (12.01am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Utah State vs. #23 Auburn (2.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
Akron vs. #18 Ohio State (2.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Louisiana-Monroe vs. #6 Florida State (5.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
ESPN Goal Line (5.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

BYU vs. Ole Miss (6.45am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

#5 Boise State vs. #19 Georgia (10.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

#4 LSU vs. #3 Oregon (10.07am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

College Football Scoreboard (2.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)

Colorado vs. Hawaii (3.00pm; ESPN/ESPN-HD) Same Day Delay

Monday 5th September

Marshall vs. #24 West Virginia (5.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Tuesday 6th September

College Football Live (9.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)

Miami-FL vs. Maryland (10.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)