The game of the week is…….Notre Dame at Georgia Tech. Yeah, there is a Georgia Tech bias here. The invitation is open to you the fan to change that. Until that time, let’s talk about those Jackets. Actually, this game is definitely one of the top games this week and may be of the most interest. Nationally, Tech serves as a pain in the side for powerhouse teams. Outside of Atlanta, the only people picking the Jackets are those trying to make the cool pick. The interest here lies with the Fighting Irish. Is this a legit national title contender? We will definitely know that by the end of September and could know as soon as Saturday.

There is a lot to talk about as both teams kick off promising 2006 seasons, but we really only need to talk about two postions. Quarterback and Wide Receiver. One team features a junior QB who is a leading Heisman candidate and future top five draft pick. The other team features a senior quarterback with great athleticism and….well, he is athletic.

Brady Quinn will get tested early against Tenuta’s blitzing crazy defense. It would be easy to predict that Quinn will struggle a bit. Don’t forget what Utah did to Georgia Tech last year. This defense can be outmatched and Charlie Weiss may be the mastermind to do that.

Reggie Ball will look to repeat 2005’s opener. A great game Saturday night will shut critics up for a bit. We do tend to be a little over critical of college players. We are easy to forget that we are talking about kids here. Come Saturday night, Reggie Ball will only be 21 years old. I would hate to think how things would be if I were judged for things I did at 21. All should be forgotten if Ball turns in the solid senior season that many think he has in him.

The talk for this game will no doubt be Calvin Johnson and Jeff Samardzija. Why not join in? Two big and tall receivers. Both very athletic. Both will be taken in the first round of next year’s draft. Calvin Johnson is a rare athlete who is the best receiver in the country. He will be taken very early in the draft. Samardzija turns plenty of heads himself. Calvin Johnson will win out head to head on draft boards, but he may not be the better receiver in 2006 statistically. Heck, Johnson may not even be a top 20. He will catch most everything thrown his way and wow fans, but he just doesn’t play in an explosive offense like Samardzija.

Regardless of stats, both wide receivers are going to be headaches for these two defenses. Georgia Tech’s biggest concern entering the season was returning only one starter in the secondary. Thought they have been pleased with how the secondary has looked through the spring and summer, they will still be challenged to find a way to stop the 6’5 Samardzija.

Likewise, Notre Dame has to be worried about how to stop the 6’4 Calvin Johnson. They return most starters on defense, but that isn’t much to get excited about. Notre Dame scored enough points to outplay the weakness of their defense. They have to hope experience is on their side this year.

So, there is a pretty good game going on in Knoxville this weekend and another in Miami, hurricane willing. Don’t worry about it though. Go ahead and tivo those games and get out and have some fun. Save your football watching for Saturday night.