Usually I use this space as a way to take some tongue-in-cheek whacks at major programs who are scheduling light in the early going. Really, we all know that it makes good sense to have a couple of winnable games early on to get the kinks out, and preserve the best possible chance for an undefeated season. Of course, if your power rating goes down the toilet as well, it doesn’t exactly help. It’s a balancing act.

I still have some true cupcakes that I’m saving for next week, but there’s a couple this week that I need opinions on. I look at these games and they seem kind of weak, but not really push-overs. Give me your thoughts in the comment field. I know you won’t be shy.

Marshall @ Miami

Honestly, this doesn’t really seem like a stretch to me. Marshall hasn’t matched their glory years recently, but they haven’t fallen apart, either. However, they were dead last in C-USA in pass defense last year, and lost their starting RB to the NFL draft before this season. Still, considering that Miami had the guts to play at Oklahoma on Septh 8th, and bring in Texas A&M on the 20th, this is actually a pretty surprising scheduling move.

Best thing about Marshall: they have a WR named Darius Passmore. Love it. The only way it could be better is if he was a DB.

Houston @ Oregon

Houston has played in bowl games the past two seasons. Granted, they lost both of them by allowing 40-plus points to their opponents (including my egregiously bad alma mater, Kansas), so that’s not so much of a feat. Still, the Cougs are not a horrible team. They play a wide-open offense that can actually give a team some trouble. Their defense stinks, but still, considering that the Ducks play three ranked teams simply by virtue of being in the Pac-10, this is less than a cupcake. In addition, Oregon goes to Michigan and brings in Fresno State to round out the non-conference schedule. That sounds pretty ambitious to me.

Baylor @ TCU

Baylor is a terrible, terrible team. But still, they play in the Big 12, and TCU is in the Mountain West. That’s a closer matchup than you might think. I really wouldn’t find it odd to read that Baylor won this game. It probably won’t happen, but it could. Beyond that, TCU has possibly gotten too big for its britches by putting Texas and Stanford on the schedule this season.

This is the kind of gamble that could pay off with a nice bowl game reward, or cause the poor Horned Frogs to fall into a death spiral. Watch and see.

Troy @ Arkansas

I have given the Razorbacks a lot of shit for their non-conference schedule this year, and I definitely intend to continue to do so. They still have North Texas, Florida International, and Chattanooga coming to town, after all. That’s four, count ‘em, four patsies to round out the non-conference schedule.

But, all things considered, they did put a relatively tough game first on their schedule. Troy is Division One, and could actually make the Hogs look bad if they don’t take them seriously. I don’t think they’ll win by any stretch of the imagination, but the smart money would have put Chattanooga in the cat-bird seat in week one, instead of a legit D1 opponent.

However, this game achieves Reach of the Week status simply because Arkansas is dipping into the Sun Belt Conference not once, not twice, but three damn times this year.

The Sun Belt – it’s not just for breakfast any more.