Sports Picks (August 22-31)

This is the first in a weekly installment where Herald Times sports editor Jeremy Speer will mention the top games in both the local high school level and with college and NFL football.

High School:

Monday (Aug. 25): Cadillac at Gaylord (Boys Soccer) • Gaylord Intermediate School • 7 p.m.

The Blue Devils have started the season hot, coming back from a three-win season with back-to-back victories. They’ll open the Big North Conference season at home with a big battle against traditional rival Cadillac. This usually is a barometer game for the Devils. If they can get past Cadillac, they could be on the way to a good season. If not, wins will be tough to come by in conference play.

Wednesday (Aug. 27): Alpena at Gaylord (Volleyball) • Gaylord High School • 7:30 p.m.

The Gaylord volleyball team has been very busy this summer and is looking to improve from what was a difficult 2007. Coach Chris Martin is bursting with enthusiasm and he has a team of hard-working players to match. Alpena usually is a good team to see where the Devils stack up.

Friday (Aug. 29): Onaway at St. Mary (Football) • Gaylord Intermediate School • 7 p.m.

It was a strange 2007 as the Snowbirds didn’t make the playoffs for some time. Big changes happened in the offseason, with Bob Cherwinski taking over the head coaching role previously occupied by Rod Bragg. This will be St. Mary’s first test in the climb back to the top of the Ski Valley Conference

College:

Saturday (Aug. 30) Utah at Michigan • 3:30 p.m. • ABC

Everything you know about Michigan football will be flipped upside down when the Rich Rodriguez era offcially begins with a home game against better-than-you-think Utah. The spread option has been implemented and this will give fans the first chance to see how rocky of a ride this season will be. Michigan’s defense is as good as it’s been in a couple years, and they’ll be challenged by the dynamic spread offense of the Utes.

Saturday (Aug. 30) Michigan State at California • 8 p.m. • ABC

The Michigan doubleheader continues into the evening where the Spartans have a very difficult road battle with Cal. This should be an excellent game — MSU is better than a lot of people are giving them credit for and Cal is in good position for a bounceback year after struggling with high expectations in 2007. If the Spartans can take this game, it would send a message to the rest of the Big Ten, something that hasn’t been done much in East Lansing for some time.

Pro:

Thursday (Aug. 28) Lions at Bills • 6:30 p.m. • Channel 3

It may be the preseason, but the Lions are looking pretty darn good. This will be their final tuneup before the regular season starts the next week at Atlanta. If you can’t wait for real NFL action, check out Calvin Johnson making defenders look silly.

Jeremy Speer is the sports editor at the Gaylord Herald Times. He writes a blog at www.heraldtimes.com.

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