College Football Pick 'Em! Week Four

I'll be quick this week with my picks. Lots of tough games and I'm really not certain on many of these. Here it goes:

#1 Florida vs. Kentucky: Florida

#2 Texas vs. UTEP: Texas

#3 Alabama vs. Arkansas: Alabama

#4 Ole Miss vs. South Carolina: Played Thursday.

#5 Penn State vs. Iowa: Penn State

#6 California vs. Oregon: California

#7 LSU vs. Mississippi State: LSU

#8 Boise State vs. Bowling Green: Boise State

#9 Miami (FL) vs. #11 Virginia Tech: Miami (FL)

#10 Oklahoma vs. Idle

#12 USC vs. Washington State: USC

#13 Ohio State vs. Illinois: Ohio State

#14 Cincinnati vs. Fresno State: Cincinnati

#15 TCU vs. Clemson: TCU

#16 Oklahoma State vs. Grambling State: Oklahoma State

#17 Houston vs. Texas Tech: Houston

#18 Florida State vs. South Florida: Florida State

#19 BYU vs. Colorado State: BYU

#20 Kansas vs. Southern Miss.: Kansas

#21 Georgia vs. Arizona State: Georgia

#22 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech

#23 Michigan vs. Indiana: Michigan

#24 Washington vs. Stanford: Stanford

#25 Nebraska vs. LA-Lafayette: Nebraska

A Bucket List

I saw someone post a list of random crazy things to do and it reminded me of this list I saw on ESPN a few years ago. I saved the list and I consider it my bucket list of sporting events that I'd love to attend before I die. They are in no particular order and the ones in red are the ones I've already attended.

1. Summer Olympics

2. World Cup (every four years in a different country).

3. Winter Olympics

4. The World Series

5. NCAA Basketball subregional

6. Spring training

7. NFL conference championship

8. The Masters

9. Wimbledon

10. Tour de France

11. Premier League Soccer game.

12. Rose Bowl

13. NBA Finals

14. College World Series

15. Red Sox-Yankees game

16. Baseball Hall of Fame induction (July, Cooperstown, N.Y.)

17. Michigan-Ohio State football game

18. The F.A. Cup (fall-spring, England)

19. Duke-North Carolina basketball game

20. The Stanley Cup playoffs

21. British Open (July, Great Britain)

22. Cubs game in Wrigley bleachers

23. A football game at Notre Dame

24. ACC basketball tournament

25. A soccer game at Maracana Stadium (various dates, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

27. Tailgating in the SEC

28. U.S. Open golf tournament

29. A game at Rucker Park (anytime, Harlem).

30. U.S. Open tennis (late August, New York)

31. Bayou Classic (November, New Orleans).

32. Kentucky Derby (May, Churchill Downs, Ky.).

33. The Indy 500 (Memorial Day weekend, Indianapolis).

34. The All-Africa Amputee Football Tournament (Sierra Leone). The first tournament featured African war victims, six one-legged players and a single one-armed goalkeeper to a side. If you need any more information than that to pique your interest, you might as well hand in your human race membership card.

35. MLB Opening Day (April, various cities).

36. Boston Marathon (April, Boston).

37. Frozen Four (April, various cities).

38. Auburn-Alabama football game (November, Tuscaloosa or Auburn, Ala.).

40. Town ball in Minnesota (summer, towns throughout Minnesota). Town ball (baseball played by amateurs for their local town teams) is the last pure sport in America. You know the diamond in "Field of Dreams"? There are at least a dozen such fields in Minnesota where the local teams play a couple of nights a week each summer.

41. The Iditarod (February, Anchorage to Nome, Alaska). Think it's tough playing football in Green Bay in December? Try this 1,150-mile race, held each year to commemorate a dogsled run to bring diphtheria medicine to a snowbound village. Temperatures have plunged to 130 degrees below zero (with the wind chill) and the dogs frequently need coats and booties. Before it's done, you'll need the diphtheria medicine.

43. Baseball All-Star Game (July, rotating cities).

44. Il Palio horse race (July and August, Siena, Italy). Picture what the Kentucky Derby would look like if it were held at Mardi Gras during the Renaissance and you get a small idea of what this race is like. Just be sure to bring sunscreen and plenty of liquids.

45. Play Pebble Beach (year-round, Pebble Beach, Calif.).

46. Daytona 500 (February, Daytona, Fla.).

47. Running of the Bulls (July, Pamplona, Spain).

48. Triple Crown Surfing (November-December North Shore, Oahu). Incredible athletes braving 25-foot waves, sun and sand, gorgeous, tanned people in swimsuits, vans selling shrimp lunches … geez, why isn't this event higher on the list?

49. Lady Vols game (winter, Knoxville, Tenn.).

52. Indiana high school basketball tournament (March, Indiana).

53. Golden Gloves tournament (regional).

54. Green Bay Packers game in the snow (December, Green Bay).

56. All Blacks rugby game (various dates, New Zealand).

57. World Figure Skating Championships (annual, around the world).

58. Dubai World Cup (late March in Dubai). The world's richest horse race ($6 million top prize and total purse of more than $20 million in a place where gambling is illegal) is a big draw, as are the well-lubricated ex-pats competing for the best-dressed prize.

60. National Veterans Wheelchair Games (summer, Milwaukee). Tired of athletes who are insulted by $30 million contracts? Then get inspired by these veterans still competing despite their paralyzing wounds.

61. Maui Invitational (November, Maui, Hawaii).

62. Midnight Madness (October, all over the country).

63. A Big 5 Game at the Palestra (winter, Philadelphia). The site of the first Final Four, this 80-year-old gym is the Wrigley Field of college hoops.

70. Prefontaine Classic (June, Eugene, Ore.). Held in American track's version of Fenway Park, the Pre is a delicious honor to the legendary runner and Eugene much deserves its distinction as Track Town, USA.

71. The USTA boys tennis championship (August, Kalamazoo, Mich.).

74. Field of Dreams Ghost Sundays (select days in summer, Dyersville, Iowa). If they hold it, you should come, because the only thing missing from these games at the "Field of Dreams" site is Kevin Costner's hair.

76. Beach volleyball (summer, various cities).

77. Swimming championships in Australia (various dates, Australia).

78. The Dakar Rally (January, southern Europe and North Africa). You know those ridiculous SUV commercials that show people driving their vehicles under ridiculous scenarios? Well, those vehicles actually make sense in this race over thousands of miles under the harshest desert conditions.

79. Rickwood Classic (summer, Birmingham, Ala.). Birmingham proved that if you save it, they will come as well. When the minor league Barons moved out, the city carefully preserved the historic field where Willie Mays got his start in the Negro Leagues. The Barons play once a year here in the annual Rickwood Classic, and if you squint, you can practically see Mays running down a fly ball.

81. Henley Regatta (July, Oxfordshire, England). You want history? They've been holding this crew race since 1839, when Queen Victoria had been on the throne less than two years and readers were eagerly awaiting the next chapter in Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist."

85. A Raiders game in the Black Hole (fall, Oakland, Calif.).

86. Iowa-Iowa State wrestling match (winter, Iowa).

87. The Ironman (June, Hawaii).

88. "Monday Night Football" (September-December, various NFL cities).

89. Women's College World Series (June, Oklahoma City).

91. Little League game (spring, early summer, everywhere).

92. A Permian High School football game (fall, Odessa, Texas).

93. Pakistan-India cricket (occasional meetings).

94. Hot dog eating championship (July 4, Coney Island).

99. The Baja 500 (June, Baja Peninsula).

100. A Harlem Globetrotters game (many dates, many cities).

101. Driving the Ring (daily, western Germany). There is no speed limit on Germany's autobahn and there is nothing quite like doing 100 mph only to have a family in a station wagon honking at you to pull over and let them pass. But if the autobahn isn't fast enough for you, try out the 14-mile, 170-turn Nurburgring. The former Grand Prix course was closed to Formula One racing for decades before returning this year (too dangerous) but it's open to the public to drive at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. Just promise one thing: That you won't attempt this until you've accomplished the previous 100.

College Football Pick 'Em! Week Three

Another weekend in college football, and a few teams are starting to play a conference game. I held my own with my picks last week with a record of 20-2 (missed Notre Dame, and all but said Houston would beat OK. State but didn't call it outright), so we'll see if I can keep it rolling this weekend. I don't think I'll be watching any of these games on Saturday, but I'll go ahead and make my predictions!

#1 Florida vs. Tennessee: I almost feel bad for the Vols. I think Florida is the better team in every aspect of the game and this probably won't even be respectable. It reminds me of one of the classic quotes from Tommy Boy when Michelle says, "your mothers will cry when they see what I've done to you!"

#2 Texas vs. Texas Tech: This appears to be the first big stage for Colt McCoy to show himself as the leading Heisman Trophy candidate this season. I think McCoy and the Longhorns will put up big numbers and win comfortably.

#3 USC @ Washington: At one point in the past week, I heard someone ask if Matt Barkley might win the Heisman! Are you kidding me? Let's have that conversation in 2011. This week, USC will go without Barkley at quarterback and they're playing against the former USC offensive and defensive coordinators. I think the Trojans will win, but it could be close.

#4 Alabama vs. North Texas: It's only week three, but the Tide appear to be banged up on the offensive side of the ball. Mark Ingram and Julio Jones are both struggling with injuries, but it shouldn't matter against North Texas. Alabama wins behind their powerful defense.

#5 Penn State vs. Temple: The Nittany Lions appear to have one of the most laughable non-conference schedules in college football. They'll kill Temple and prove nothing in victory.

#6 Ole Miss vs. SE Louisiana: Unfortunately, Ole' Miss' non-conference schedule is even more pathetic than Penn State's! The Rebels win this game and just pray no one gets hurt.

#7 BYU vs. Florida State: To me, this might be the most intriguing game of the weekend. Two weeks ago, a Florida State receiver dropped a game winning touchdown pass against Miami and now everyone is talking about how Miami is back and the Noles are falling apart. I don't know which team feels more pressure going into this game in Provo, UT. For FSU, they need a good win against a quality opponent and they need to build some momentum as they head into conference play. For BYU, the Cougars need to impress voters in these non-conference games if they hope to run the table and possibly contend for the national championship. Both teams have talent, but I'm going to take BYU because of coaching and the home-field/altitude advantage.

#8 California @ Minnesota: Everyone should jump on the Jahvid Best bandwagon while there is still room! Best and the Bears will roll into Minnesota and take care of business with a victory.

#9 LSU vs. LA-Lafayette: This game makes me laugh because I think the LA-Lafayette players are probably big LSU football fans. I bet they'll pull for the Tigers in every other game this season and they'd probably like to take pictures of the stadium as they're coming onto the field. Sadly, I doubt LSU will show any mercy.

#10 Boise State @ Fresno State: It could be a good game tonight but I think Boise State will continue their march to the BCS with a win.

#11 Ohio State @ Toledo: Now that we've seen the Browns and Bengals play, it appears Ohio State and the Cincinnati Bearcats are the two best football teams in the state. Ohio State played tough against USC last Saturday and I think they'll get back to their winning ways against Toledo.

#12 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa: For anyone who doesn't follow football closely, you might look at this game and think it's a pushover for Oklahoma. Nope! Tulsa has one of the best offenses in the country and they've won 21 games over the past two seasons. However, even without Sam Bradford, I'm still a believer of the Oklahoma defense and I think they'll lead the Sooners to a victory.

#13 Virginia Tech vs. #19 Nebraska: Nebraska was able to put up some points against Florida Altantic and Arkansas State, but I don't think it'll be so easy in Lane Stadium. I think Tyrod Taylor will make some big plays and the defense will feed off the energy of the crowd and the Hokies will get a good win at home.

#14 Georgia Tech @ #20 Miami (FL): Played Thursday night. The Miami defense made the Georgia Tech offense look absolutely terrible.

#15 TCU vs. Texas State: I don't know anything about Texas State, but I know they're not winning this game.

#16 Oklahoma State vs. Rice: How 'bout them Cowboys! I felt like they wouldn't show up against Houston and they didn't let me down! I think they'll get things turned around this week and beat Rice now that all the hype has worn off. Oh, and Dez Bryant is still overrated.

#17 Cincinnati @ Oregon State: A really interesting game in Corvallis this weekend. I'll take Cincinnati because I think they're too strong offensively for the Beavers, but it will be a hostile environment and Oregon State is a good football team.

#18 Utah @ Oregon: Utah will have their hands full in this one as Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the country. But, I think Oregon is a team in turmoil and Utah has too much talent for the Ducks to get the upset.

#22 Kansas vs. Duke: Last week, we had UConn vs. UNC. Now, we get Duke vs. Kansas! If only these were basketball games! The Jayhawks will win this, but Duke is a team headed in the right direction under David Cutcliffe.

#23 Georgia @ Arkansas: As I look at the Georgia schedule, the Tennessee Tech game is the only one I can look at as a certain victory for the Dawgs. The Georgia defense just doesn't appear to be very good, and it's tough to win games in the SEC without a good defensive unit. I'll take Georgia because there's something about the way Mark Richt gets his guys focused in road games, but I'm not optimistic about the Dawgs.

#24 North Carolina vs. East Carolina: North Carolina needs to find some offense to go along with the stout defense Butch Davis has put together. The Heels will win this game and maybe develop some offensive rhythm.

#25 Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan: If I were a Michigan fan, I'd be worried about a let-down after the big win over Notre Dame. Fortunately, the Wolverines could have a let-down and they'll still beat Eastern Michigan.

Career Day

While I try and keep this blog focused on general topics like sports and food, I wanted to take a chance to give an update on my own life. After the fourth of July, my wife and I decided to relocate to the West Palm Beach area and stay in my grandparents' condo on the beach and look for work in this area. We didn't really have any expectations, but we figured we'd be able to get part-time work and enjoy the opportunity to live at the beach for a couple months.

Now, we are beginning to see God's purpose and plan for bringing us to this area and we're excited about what he's doing in our lives. When we moved to West Palm Beach, we knew it would be difficult leaving our wonderful church in Orlando but we were trusting in God to provide us a new church home. We were fortunate to meet some wonderful people at First Baptist Orlando and we were nervous about being able to meet other young couples in an area that's known for older people who live here seasonally. However, we've gotten to know some awesome Godly couples over the past few weeks and it's been a great encouragement to know we're building relationships with quality people. And, not only has God provided us a church in Christ Fellowship, he's used the church to provide me employment for the next year!

Christ Fellowship is a church in the West Palm Beach area with over 20,000 attenders at four regional campuses and an online campus. In a church this massive, they are fortunate to have many resources and talented people, but there is also a great responsibility to make sure attenders aren't overwhelmed by such a mega-church atmosphere. One of the keys to being able to shrink down a church this big is by placing a heavy emphasis on small/community groups for enabling people to build personal relationships and experience spiritual growth together. In a way that only God could bring everything together, I have been blessed with an incredible opportunity to spend the next year working in the LifeGroups ministry at Christ Fellowship and I will get to experience what it's like to lead community group ministry at a large church. I'm excited to see how God is going to use me to be a support to this ministry and I'm even more excited to see how God uses this experience to reveal more of himself to me. Nicole and I are looking forward to the next year and we are ready to see what God has for us at Christ Fellowship and the Palm Beach area!

College Football Pick 'Em! Week Two

I held my own in the first week of picks with a record of 16-2 (missed the OU/BYU game & UGA/OK. State game). Here are my picks for this week's Top 25 games!

#1 Florida vs. Troy: I love the fact that Troy isn't afraid to schedule games against the best teams in the country every year. Sadly, that doesn't change the fact that Florida is going to kill them.

#2 Texas vs. Wyoming: Interesting game for the Longhorns. They'll be travelling to Wyoming and it will probably be a crazy atmosphere. Still, I like Texas to win comfortably.

#3 USC vs. #8 Ohio State: Everyone seems to be making this out to be a battle of the QB's, and I would like Ohio State if that were the case. As for everyone else on the field, I think USC is stronger and I like them to get a big win in the Horseshoe.

#4 Alabama vs. Florida-International: The Tide will roll and I'll continue to be jealous of their style of play.

#5 Oklahoma State vs. Houston: I think this is a game that might be closer than people think. Oklahoma State is coming off a big win against Georgia and they could overlook the Cougars. Houston has the ability to put a ton of points on the scoreboard, but I don't have enough guts to call an upset. I'll still take the Cowboys.

#6 Ole Miss - Idle

#7 Penn State vs. Syracuse: Greg Paulus looked pretty good against the Minnesota defense last week, but I don't think he'll look so good this week. Penn State always has a great pass rush and they have much more speed than Minnesota. This game could get ugly for the Orange.

#9 Brigham Young vs. Tulane: Brigham Young pulled off the huge upset last week against Oklahoma. Now, can they march toward a perfect season and the BCS? I don't expect Tulane to get in their way.

#10 California vs. Eastern Washington: I'm going to continue to talk about him because no one else really is: Jahvid Best will deserve to be considered for the Heisman! California will win big and Best will put up more good numbers against E. Washington.

#11 LSU vs. Vanderbilt: I wouldn't be surprised if this game is close. Vanderbilt is known for playing with discipline and I don't know if LSU has found a killer instinct yet. I think LSU wins because they have more playmakers, but Vandy will put up a fight.

#12 Boise State vs. Miami (OH): I'd be more excited about this game if it was the other Miami team. Boise State wins big.

#13 Oklahoma vs. Idaho State: Even without Sam Bradford, the Sooners should win this game by no less than three touchdowns.

#14 Virginia Tech vs. Marshall: Virginia Tech might have been the most impressive team that lost last week. Their defense will be very strong, but they need Tyrod Taylor to step up. The Hokies will beat Marshall comfortably.

#15 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson: Ga. Tech defeated Clemson on Thursday night. And what a game it was!

#16 TCU vs. Virginia: This is an ugly beginning to the season for UVA. An opening loss to William & Mary and I expect them to lose to TCU. The Horned Frogs are nasty!

#17 Utah vs. San Jose State: San Jose State hung with Southern Cal. for about a quarter last week. I expect the same thing this week before Utah pulls away.

#18 Notre Dame vs. Michigan: I look at this game and have no idea who's going to win. I think Notre Dame has more talent, so I'll pick the Irish (with no confidence whatsoever)

#19 North Carolina vs. UConn: This matchup makes me wish it was basketball season. I like the Heels to get a good win on the road in Connecticut.

#20 Miami (FL) - Idle

#21 Georgia vs. South Carolina: I'm starting to think Logan Gray might be the starting quarterback for Georgia by the end of the season. Joe Cox struggled with the flu last week and now he's talking about an injured shoulder - bad news! I think the Dawgs will win this one only because their offense is not quite as bad as South Carolina's.

#22 Nebraska vs. Arkansas State: I'll take Nebraska by 40.

#23 Cincinnati vs. SE Missouri State: I wonder if the Bearcats will get tougher competition in this game than they did last week against Rutgers. Either way, they win by a ton.

#24 Kansas vs. UTEP: The Jayhawks have a cast of characters on offense who must all be getting their P.H.D's because they've been there FOREVER. Kansas wins this one.

#25 Missouri vs. Bowling Green: Missouri looked AWESOME last week against Illinois but they need to avoid a letdown in this game. I think they'll be focused and take care of business against Bowling Green.

College Football Pick 'Em!

I'm probably going to regret this, but I'm going to go through all the college football games featuring Top 25 teams and predict the winner. This week should be relatively easy because most teams schedule push-overs for their opener, but I'll try and keep this going throughout the year. Here we go!

#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern: Florida wins huge in this game and it's a pathetic scheduling move by Urban Meyer and Co.

#2 Texas vs. Louisiana Monroe: Colt McCoy begins his heisman campaign in a Longhorns rout.

#3 Oklahoma vs. # 20 Brigham Young: I give Bob Stoops credit for scheduling non-conference games like this. Oklahoma proves they're nasty on defense this year and they'll shut down the BYU offense.

#4 USC vs. San Jose State: USC will roll in this one, but their biggest key is avoiding any injuries before heading to Ohio State next week.

#5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech: The primetime game of the weekend in the Georgia Dome. I like Alabama to win a low-scoring defensive battle. If I don't pick Alabama, I'm worried Terrence Cody would eat me.

#6 Ohio State vs. Navy: Interesting scheduling decision for Ohio State. The Buckeyes will win this one, but it could have lingering effects against USC.

#8 Mississippi vs. Memphis: Ole' Miss and Memphis always seem to play each other close, but it's time for Ole' Miss to live up to the hype. I like Ole' Miss to win big.

#9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia: Part of me is really worried about this game, but I like the Dawgs to pull off the upset in Stillwater. I think Georgia will be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and keep the explosive Cowboys' offense off the field.

#10 Penn State vs. Akron: Penn State should win comfortably.

#11 LSU vs. Washington: LSU should be more consistent this year with Jordan Jefferson at quarterback. The Huskies might hang around for a half, but LSU will have too much talent and depth.

#12 California vs. Maryland: California is looking for payback in this game and I expect them to get it. Jahvid Best could be a dark-horse heisman candidate for the Bears.

#14 Boise State vs. #16 Oregon: Played Thursday night.

#15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State: If Georgia Tech doesn't win, there should be an investigation.

#18 Florida State vs. Miami (FL): I'll take the 'Canes in the upset! Miami has a ton of talent and Florida State always seems to be dealing with distractions.

#19 Utah vs. Utah State: Played Thursday night.

#21 North Carolina vs. Citadel: UNC gets off to a good start in a season where I think they have a shot at winning the ACC.

#22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa: Iowa wins, and no one cares.

#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada: Round one of Murderer's Row for the Irish! I think they'llsqueak by Nevada.

#24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic: Should be an interesting year for Nebraska. They have some talent and the Big 12 North is wide open. They'll beat Florida Atlantic.

#25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado: The only question this game is how quickly Kansas will get to 50 points.

A Fresh Season

I haven't eaten at many new restaurants lately. My wife and I have tried to be really good about saving money and cooking at home and it's been fun, but it's been tough not getting to try new restaurants. And when we have gone out to eat, the past few times have been to places we know and like, so there's not too much exploration there. So when I get a chance to try somewhere new, I really get excited and hopeful about it; and the most recent location delivered! I had heard many good things about Seasons 52 and I'd seen locations all over the country, but I finally had lunch there this past week.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Seasons 52, it's a contemporary (slightly) upscale restaurant that focuses on using seasonal ingredients to create healthy meals. The menu changes seasonally and they also have different weekly specials, which explains why the name is Seasons 52. They try to create entrees that are nutritious and balanced and less than 475 calories while bringing out the best flavor of the fresh seasonal ingredients. I'd looked at the menu before and it always seemed like a good place to try, so I was definitely excited when someone offered to take me there for lunch. Of course, when you get an upscale restaurant that uses fresh ingredients, it can tend to get rather expensive; but the lunch menu appeared to be very reasonable. Most entree items seemed to be in the $8-$15 range and they offered plenty of variety and unique combinations.

Always the food adventurist, I decided to go out on a limb and try something new, a buffalo burger. The Oak-Fired Western Buffalo Burger was topped with guacamole, spicy chili sour cream, and roasted red pepper salsa on a whole wheat bun with a side salad. It was delicious! Since I'd never ordered buffalo, I went with the waiter's recommendation of having it cooked to medium, which was good because it is a very lean cut of meat. I really liked the flavor of the meat with the combination of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa and the whole wheat bun brought it all together (and provided some good nutrition). The salad was fresh and had some sunflower kernels tossed in, which I really enjoyed. It wasn't a huge burger, but the fiber from the bun and the salad helps to make it a more filling dish than it appears to be. Not to mention, the presentation on the plate was very contemporary and cool looking.

Now, if the meal had been finished with the buffalo and salad, I

wouldn't have been disappointed, but we weren't done! After the entrees, the waiter brought out a beautiful dessert platter with a variety of mini-indulgences (small desserts in big shot glasses) we could choose from. I was torn between the Rocky Road or the Pecan Pie with Vanilla Mousse, but I eventually decided to go with the chocolate. The chocolate was creamy, the cake in the bottom of the glass was moist, and as one of the people I was with said, "This is just enough." Mini-desserts are a great option for getting the taste of something sweet without feeling the gluttony of ordering a massive dessert at a crazy price.

So what's my review of Seasons 52? I give it 52 thumbs up! The location was great (we had a table overlooking the InterCoastal Waterway), the service was EXCELLENT, the food was tasty and healthy, and the lunch prices were reasonable. It is a step up from the Applebee's and Chili's of the world and it appears to be a restaurant with a very unique and cool approach in designing their menu. While it may not be a restaurant for everyone, it's certainly a place I'd enjoy going back to.

The Big Three

The college football season is finally upon us! The anticipation of finding out where College Gameday will set up camp, the hope of watching the performance that defines a Heisman Trophy campaign, the upset of the year, the breakout team no one expected to be great, it's all here! Now, I'll confess I'm not one of the total diehards who lives for the beginning of college football. I AM a passionate college football fan and I try to keep up with what's going on around the country, but this isn't my favorite sport. Come talk to me in October for the beginning of college basketball or March for the beginning of the NCAA Tournament and I'll tell you all about why basketball is my favorite sport, but it doesn't mean I don't get excited about some college football!

Today, I want to look at three college football games I'm interested in this weekend. Two of these games are receiving a great deal of national attention and they feature possible Heisman trophy candidates and BCS bowl contenders. However, one game features two unranked teams who have no big stars, no big name coaches, and no expectations for making a BCS game in January. The games I'm most intrigued by are: Oregon vs. Boise State, Georgia vs. Oklahoma State, Minnesota vs. Syracuse. Let's take a look at the match-ups.

No. 16 Oregon vs. No. 14 Boise State

Boise, ID, Thursday, 10:15 PM Eastern (ESPN)

It's rare that we get to see a team play it's biggest game of the season in their opening game, but that's the case for Boise State. The Broncos are a popular pick to go undefeated and serve as the BCS-buster this season, but they face a tough task in their first game against the Oregon Ducks. I wonder if Boise State will feel any pressure playing in front of their home crowd at night in such a big game, or if they'll be able to feed off the crowd energy and enthusiasm. In redshirt sophomore quarterback, Kellen Moore, Boise State has a leader who has already played in big games and shown he can lead his team to victory, so we'll see how the rest of his teammates perform. And doesn't it seem like Oregon is a program that never really gets the respect they deserve going into a season? People rarely talk about the Ducks, but they consistently contend for Pac-10 titles and finish in the top 10-20 in the rankings every year. Mike Bellotti built a solid program in Eugene, but now we'll see if Chip Kelly, the new Oregon head coach, can continue that success. Also, I'll tune in to this game just to see what uniforms Oregon breaks out to start the season.

No. 13 Georgia vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State

Stillwater, OK, Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern (ABC)

Whenever you get a game with Oklahoma State, there's the potential for a shoot-out. The Cowboys feature a three-headed monster on the offensive side of the ball in Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Dez Bryant; and coach Mike Gundy has shown plenty of offensive creativity in being able to put points on the board. After all, HE'S A MAN! HE'S 40! However, the Cowboys will be going up a Georgia defensive unit that is expected to be much improved from last season. The Bulldogs feature one of the premiere tandems of defensive tackles in the country in Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens, and Rennie Curran is being talked about as one of the best linebackers in college football. Will the Cowboys offensive line be able to protect Zac Robinson and give him time to find Dez Bryant? Or will the Bulldogs defensive line control the line of scrimmage and create blitzing opportunities for the linebackers and safeties? Another thing I'm interested to see in this game is whether or not Dez Bryant is really worth all the hype. He has great overall statistics, but he had a tendency to disappear in the big games for the Cowboys last season. In their four games against Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, & Texas Tech, Bryant never had 100 yards receiving and didn't record a touchdown in three of the four games. If Bryant is going to truly emerge as a Heisman Trophy candidate, he'll need to shine in the games where everyone is watching.

Minnesota vs. Syracuse

Syracuse, NY, Saturday, 12:00 PM Eastern (ESPN2)

I don't think I've ever been interested in a Minnesota football game in my life and they aren't really the reason I'm interested in this game. The Gophers were a feel-good story last year until they fell apart down the stretch and lost six straight games, but the program appears to be headed in the right direction; but does anyone outside the state of Minnesota actually care? Now, I'm not sure people around the country cared about Syracuse football (I know I didn't) until a couple weeks ago when they named Greg Paulus their starting quarterback. For those who don't know, Paulus spent the last four years playing basketball for Duke and he has been away from football since his senior year in high school. After graduating from Duke this past spring, Paulus pursued the possibility of joining a football program (Syracuse, because it's his hometown) and seeing if he could contribute as a quarterback for a season. I thought it would a good story and Greg might get to play in a couple games, but he's been named the starter and the team captain! The work ethic and commitment Paulus has displayed has been remarkable and I really hope he has a great season for the Orange. Unfortunately, he had trouble dealing with injuries in his four year career at Duke and he probably will not have a great deal of talent around him in Syracuse, so it could be a bumpy road for the little guy with the lion's heart.