We are only days away from football season people.

The 2008 NCAA college football season begins on August 28, Thursday, as the brand new college football year kicks off with a massive 14-game schedule. Yep, it has been a while since we had football and the NCAA is kicking it off with a bang.

There are three exciting games that you should not miss next week, beginning with the 23rd seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons visiting the Baylor Bears to mark the start of this year’s wars on the college gridiron.

Last season proved that the 2006 success the Wake Forest Demon Deacons put together was no fluke and that the program will continue to be a contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Sure, the success was not as substantial but still, with the Demon Deacons putting together a nine-win season, they were able to hang in there atop the Atlantic division race.

With a host of defensive players returning and a majority of the skill players on offense, head coach Jim Grobe will look to take the next big step this year. ‘’We’ve been in the position before where we’ve come into August without a very good feel about our starters,'’ coach Jim Grobe says. ‘’We’re in a pretty good situation now where we’re trying to develop our depth.'’

For the Baylor Bears, there is more excitement in Waco for football right now than there has been for a long, long time. New head coach Art Briles will bring his high octane offense to the Bears, but does he have somebody who can run it?

The system’s glory days was at Houston under quarterback Kevin Kolb. Returning starter Blake Szymanski is no Kolb and neither is Miami transfer Kirby Freeman but both guys should still be a solid choice to man the QB spot. Even without Kolb, this should still be a better team overall. There is excitement and hope with the new coaching staff and watching it put to the test against Wake Forest should be sweet.

Another exciting game college football fans should not miss is the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The good news for NC State is Jamelle Eugene is back after rushing for a team high 667 yards last season, but more importantly so are Andre Brown and Toney Baker after missing much of last season with injuries.

Add sophomore Curtis Underwood to that list and the Wolfpack suddenly have four quality runners. However, there are just so many holes to fill and none are more important than at quarterback. Sure, Daniel Evans took majority of the snaps last year and could be a solid starter for the Wolfpack down the stretch, but his 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season did not endear him to anybody.

As for the South Carolina Gamecocks, this season is supposed to be the year when everything comes together for coach Steve Spurrier. After a few years of getting his players into the program, coach Spurrier finally has some quality depth to work with. A couple upsets here and there is not good enough anymore and consistency will be the key if Spurrier is ever going to make the Gamecocks a winner in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The breakthrough season has not arrived yet but I have this gut feeling that 2008 might be their year.

The third featured game of this season opener will be the game between the Oregon State Beavers and the Stanford Cardinal. The Beavers have been able to overcome the doubters and slow starts the past two seasons to finish third in the Pac-10 each year and record 19 total victories.

Questions will be answered on the importance of Yvenson Bernard to Oregon State’s offense. The running back averaged over 110 yards per game during his senior season and reached the endzone a total of 14 times. Now that he has moved on, can the Beavers endure?

Redshirt freshman Ryan McCants has the potential to be better than Bernard but he still has to prove it. Senior Patrick Fuller only carried the ball ten times last year and it seems like it is already McCants’ time to shine anyway.

As for the Stanford Cardinal, they ended last season’s campaign with a resounding victory over California. Defense will STILL be the key for the Cardinal to reach a BCS bowl game. And with nine starters returning to the unit, that should not be a problem.

Linebacker Clinton Snyder is coming off a great year in which he tallied 96 tackles, eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. The junior is expected to become even more of a leader on the field now that he is an upperclassman. With Pat Maynor and Chike Amajoyi also back, the linebacker corps will be extremely strong.

Are you ready for this?

Who will win the 2009 BCS national championship? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

LSU Tigers 13.00

Ohio State Buckeyes 7.00

Oklahoma Sooners 7.00

USC Trojans 4.00

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more college football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

2008 NCAA College Football Season BCS