Have An Opinion On The Biggest College Football Games Of The Weekend? Have Your Thoughts Printed Here At Aaron Torres Sports!
I’ve got a big announcement here at Aaron Torres Sports!
Ok, it's not really that big of a deal. But I did want to get this out there.
Obviously by now, you all know that we are mere hours away from the start of the college football season. Not months. Not days. Hours.
Of course that also means that we are also now mere hours away from my first College Football Weekend Preview column of the season as well. That might not mean much to you, but it sure does to me. Understand, there isn’t anything I enjoy writing more than my college football weekend previews.
To me what those columns have evolved into is so much more than just a weekend preview. Really, they’re a fun way to take all the knowledge that I’ve built up over the course of a week, and use every article I’ve read, injury report I’ve scanned, and TV report I’ve viewed, to try and make sense of that knowledge. To try and figure out what it all means, and how it effects the outcomes on Saturday.
At the same time, one of the other reasons that I love doing the column so much is because nothing I write brings out better response from all of you. The e-mails and comments I receive after posting the college football weekend column on Friday, are some of the most interesting, well-thought and intelligent that I get at any point in the year. As I’ve said many times in this space, I learn way more from all you ladies and gentlemen than you do from me. And really, it’s not even close.
Which is why this year, I want to get all of YOU involved, with something that I’m calling “The Fan’s Take.”
Here’s how it works:
Every Monday, I’ll go ahead and post the 10 games that I plan on previewing in the following Friday’s college football pick ‘em column, along with the corresponding point spreads. From there, if you have any strong opinions on any- or all- of the games, you’re encouraged to send in a paragraph or two to me, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , and I’ll do my best to print them alongside my article. Be sure to include your name, hometown and any relevant links (website/blog) too, so I can add them with your thoughts. I can’t promise that I will print every single response, but will try to get in as many as I can. Submissions will be allowed until Friday morning at 6am EST.
A few additional thoughts:
1. I’m not going to limit things at a paragraph or two, but if possible, please try to keep the responses nice and crisp.
Chances are much better your work will be printed if you send 150 words, rather than 1,000.
2. Have fun with this! Anyone who reads my work knows that for the most part, that’s exactly what I try to do on this site. No one takes themselves less seriously than I do, and I hope it shows up in my writing. Yes I present my arguments with facts and relevant statistics, but I also try to do it in a way that makes it fun to read my articles. I’m hoping that you’ll all try to do the same.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is this: I’d much rather have you write something like this: “Boise is going to beat Georgia, not only because they’re 5-1 in neutral site games since 2007, but also because there’s more turmoil in Athens right now than there is on the set of Jersey Shore. I don’t know if Georgia can overcome it.” That’s much more fun/interesting/exciting than just something like, “Boise State is going to win because Kellen Moore threw 36 touchdown passes last year. He’s great.” Anyone can memerize statistics. A good writer takes those stats and puts them into some kind of context.
Be unique. Be different. Be fun.
3. Please, I beg of you, don’t send me anything that is offensive in any way, and please no swearing. If you send me something controversial or offensive, I will not print it. Zero questions asked. I am the only judge and jury on this one, and my opinion is final.
4. The more games you choose to write in about, the more likely it is that your thoughts get published. Again, I will try to post as many as I can, and I’m guessing chances are pretty good that early on, when there aren’t as many responses, I’ll be posting all of them.
At the same time, think logically about this. The bigger the game, the more people will be weighing in. Therefore, to get published, your best move might be to pick a smaller game. Just a suggestion.
5. Remember, all picks are against the spread, not straight up. South Carolina is a 20 point favorite in Week 1 for a reason; because they’re way better than East Carolina. But are they 20 points better? That’s what you need to figure out.
Now obviously, there will be exceptions to certain games, and times when a spread just isn’t available. For example, right, it’s pretty hard to find a line on Miami-Maryland. If no line is provided, just pick the game straight up.
6. I can't promise you anything for participating, other than a (not so huge) forum for your thoughts to be heard. However, I'll see if I can figure out a way to reward those who are most active by the end of the season.
7. Again, just have fun!
Honestly, I have no idea if, or how this work, but again, I figured it’s worth a try. So many of you have such strong and intelligent opinions, and I just really want you all to be able to have a place to share them.
So with that said, the 10 games I’ll be writing about this week have been selected below. As always, the home team is in bold (with a few exceptions you’ll see), and for the time being, the point spreads are provided by VegasInsider.com.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask either by e-mail, Twitter etc. Otherwise, get writing!
TCU (-6.5) at BAYLOR, Friday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
BOSTON COLLEGE (-3) vs. Northwestern, Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ESPNU
HOUSTON (-3) vs. UCLA, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Fox Sports
NOTRE DAME (-10) vs. South Florida, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. NBC
BYU (-3) at OLE MISS, Saturday, 4:45 p.m. ESPN
South Carolina (-20 ½) vs. East Carolina (in Charlotte), Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ESPN3.com
CAL (-10) vs. Fresno State, Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
Boise State (-3) vs. Georgia (in Atlanta), Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Oregon (-1) vs. LSU (in Arlington), Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
MARYLAND (PK) vs. Miami, Monday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
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