Jonathan Lee    AccuScore Analyst
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Welcome to the Friday Tailgate, a new weekly feature that will highlight the names, games, and storylines to watch heading into the college football weekend.

GAMES TO WATCH:

(8) West Virginia at East Carolina
AccuScore Projection

Pat White looks to lead
WVU past ECU.

The Bill Stewart era in Morgantown got off to a good start in week one. The offense put up nearly 50 points, and the defense created two turnovers. The opponent however was just Villanova and neither Brian Westbrook nor Howie Long was suited up for the Wildcats. Quarterback Pat White was expected to throw more this season, and he did just that hooking up with Alric Arnett and Jock Sanders for two scores each and another to tight end Will Johnson.

East Carolina, coming off a huge upset win over Virginia Tech, will present a much stiffer test. The Pirates used defense and special teams, essentially its own version of Beamer Ball, to beat the Hokies at home. They will once again have the advantage of playing in Greenville which should keep them more comfortable and composed against a fast and talented Mountaineer squad. West Virginia is a solid seven point favorite in AccuScore simulations winning 70 percent of the time. The thing to watch will be the Mountaineer offense. While it piled up yardage last week on the ground it never punched it into the end zone. With rain expected on Saturday it will be interesting to see if Stewart keeps calling for White to lead an aerial attack.

Ole Miss at (20) Wake Forest
AccuScore Projection

QB Riley Skinner leads the Deacons

The ACC already proved last weekend that is the worst of six BCS conferences this season. With Clemson getting shellacked by Alabama and Virginia Tech being upset (by a special teams play no less) by East Carolina, there is no way for the conference to recover this season. Those two squads were the favorites in each division. Now the only credible team left is Wake Forest. Jim Grobe is too good of a coach to let an implosion happen at his small Tobacco Road school, and now he must hold up the banner for the entire ACC. A loss in this game would put the league solidly behind the Mountain West in terms of quality this season.

Wake Forest is a solid favorite this week winning nearly 75 percent of simulations by more than a touchdown on average. It is the one solidly predictable team in the ACC because of the solid talent and steady coaching staff. Quarterback Riley Skinner should have a good game with 220 yards passing and at least one score. Josh Adams might be one of the most underrated running backs in the nation, but the Demon Deacons and their fans know just how good he really is. Adams is projected for 85 yards rushing and better than five yards per carry. The player to watch for Ole Miss is Dexter McCluster who will play all over the field. He had 125 total yards on 10 touches last week and one touchdown. He is a threat to score whenever he has the ball.

MORE PROOF THE POLLS ARE BROKEN
Clemson. Virginia Tech. Tennessee. Pittsburgh. All four are traditional powers, and will either be ranked or receive strong consideration in preseason polls until the end of time. All four were ranked and all four were embarrassed in week one. Michigan wasn’t ranked, but you can include them in this group as well after a terrible first half led to the second straight opening loss in Ann Arbor. Rutgers, Virginia, Hawaii, Washington, and Texas A&M all received votes in the two major polls. They all played even worse than the big boys in week one, why did they deserve any kind of recognition in the preseason? USC and Georgia both demolished inferior opponents, but the two have already flip-flopped at the top of the rankings. Is a win over Virginia really that much more impressive than one over Georgia Southern? This season I’m not so sure. Although I guess the ranking is already completely arbitrary so it’s fitting either way.

The Trojans are the new number one
despite Georgia winning its game by 24 points.

Sure, you can say the polls don’t matter; everything is supposedly settled on the field. But it isn’t. The most influential component of the BCS is the polls, and while the polls might be a necessary evil without a true playoff system that doesn’t mean they should be this stupid. Just wait to release the rankings until a few weeks into the season, perhaps until at least October. The Harris Interactive poll, the third ranking used by the BCS, isn’t relased in the preseason. The first version came out last year on September 23. Most of the top schools had already played four games by then, giving voters a far better chance of actually creating a pecking order. The AP and coaches need to take a cue and do away with early season polls.

TROY-LSU GAME POSTPONED
The damage from Hurricane Gustav has caused Troy’s visit to Baton Rouge to be postponed until November 15. The most famous postponement of a game due to a hurricane might be back in the 1998 season. UCLA was supposed to take on a rebuilding Miami squad in September, but instead had to reschedule until December. The Bruins came into that game riding a 20-game winning streak and poised to reach the first ever BCS contest. Instead, the Hurricanes led by Edgerrin James won 49-45 ending UCLA’s title hopes.

LSU is a very good team, but a similar situation probably won’t be happening again in 2008 but it could indirectly affect the race for a BCS bowl game. Instead of having a bye in the middle of November, the Tigers will now play eight consecutive weeks to finish off the season. The lack of an off-weekend could affect their play in the final games of the year including a potential SEC title game.

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