The Weekend Ahead

Happy hump day! Unfortunately for Colts fan today has turned into a pretty depressing day. We all knew the likelihood of Peyton Manning starting on Sunday against the Texans was about as equal as Texas A&M joining the SEC today. Now that the news is official, we must all get behind Kerry Collins. It's gonna be a long few weeks. Alas though, we have a full slate of great college games this weekend. However there is a bit of news to get to before we dive into the weekend ahead.

Texas A&M Has Joined the SEC (Again)

Texas A&M has announced that it will be leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC. The SEC has confirmed this as well. All was golden until Baylor decided to reverse its position and threaten legal action against A&M. So again we have unofficial word that the Aggies have joined the SEC. All expect this to be a road block and the Aggies will become the 13th member of the league by next summer. We need an even number to keep the conference aligned. Many names have been batted around. Here is a quick summation of those teams and my thoughts.

1. Florida State: Florida State would only strengthen our position as the best football conference in America. You also get a decent athletic program all around. However, the SEC already has a strong Florida presence. Do we really need to enter a market we already control?

2. Clemson: Same argument here. We already are in South Carolina.

3. Virginia/ Virginia Tech: These 2 schools make perfect sense to me. We need a team in the east to balance everything out without redrawing divisions. Both schools have good fan bases, and would stretch the SEC brand into the Washington, D.C. area.

4. Missouri: This would be another good get for the league. Geographically, you would have to redraw divisions more than likely. However, you add the St Louis and Kansas City markets.

5. West Virginia: This one is tough to wrap my head around. You don't really gain anything here. Maybe the Pittsburgh market? In terms of athletics though, you get a lot. WVU football is a semi name brand and can be competitive. WVU basketball has established itself as well, especially with Huggins.

Whatever happens will happen. However don't expect this to be the end of it. Conference expansion is here to stay, until we get super conferences. Enough talk about logistics. The following is the Weekend Ahead....

WEEK TWO

The first few weeks we will try and pick the "best" game of the week in terms of rankings followed by an intriguing match up. Once the conference seasons kick off we will delve into more match ups.

(3) Alabama @ (23) Penn State 3:30 ABC: Last year Alabama decimated Joe Pa in Tuscaloosa. It's another typical Big Ten/SEC showdown that involves the Big Ten limping away. Alabama is too damn good this year. I don't care how many pizzas Joe Pa delivers to the students camping out. Roll damn tide.

Notre Dame @ Michigan 8:00 ESPN: This game is basically blah. The only reason I bring it up is because this is the first time in HISTORY that a night game will be played at the Big House. I was shocked when I learned this. I guess I just assumed there were night games every now and then. I was wrong. As a college football fan, I am excited to see the third largest stadium in the world under the lights. In terms of the game, I think that Michigan has the edge playing at home. Besides, good luck doesn't seem to be on the side of Notre Dame as of late.

Come Friday we will break down the Kentucky match up on Saturday. Until then, throw one back for the Colts. Kerry Collins.....