Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com.

So I hope everyone has caught Michael Phelps fever, I know I have.  I am sure one day we will be telling our grandchildren about the Olympics Phelps has had and how impressive he has been.  Week 1 of the Olympics has been a lot of fun and week 2 should be just as good as the track and field events take place.

Keeping with the theme of the blog, here are the College Football Week 3 Top 10 Games to Watch!  All games are on September 13, 2008 and the times are Eastern Standard Time.

1. Ohio State at USC – 8:00 PM – The Buckeyes head to Cali to face the Trojans.  Obviously, this will be the major hyped game and should be the local for College Gameday.  I like the Trojans at home but think the game will be a close one as Ohio State will be prepared like they were for the Longhorns.  I assume LA’s finest will be in attendance so hopefully you can make it as well.
2. Georgia at South Carolina – 3:30 PM – The preseason number 1 Bulldogs head to the other S.C. and goes against a tough Gamecock team.  I like Georgia in this game although never count out Steve Spurrier, well unless he is coaching an NFL squad. (my bad, low blow).  If you are in SEC country this is probably your game of the week.
3. Arkansas at Texas – 3:30 PM – The Razorbacks head to Austin for an afternoon game.  I like the Longhorns in this game at home.  Arkansas will probably have a slightly down year with the loss of Darren McFadden.  Since Austin is always a great place to party I am sure this game will just add to the festivities.
4. Oregon at Purdue -3:30 PM – I am intrigued by this matchup.  The Ducks and Boilermakers face off for the first time since 1979.  I love to see east/west coast teams travel across the country, it is great for the fans, programs, and players.  The state of Indiana has a few nice matchups, I would take the more unique one though.
5. Penn State at Syracuse – 3:30 PM – An old time rivalry is reborn as the Nittany Lions head to Syracuse to face the Orange(men).  I like the Lions in this one with a large visiting crowd in attendance.  The Orange have been on hard times as off late, but having a big matchup on TV always helps a program.  Should be a nice Saturday and tailgating scene in Syracuse!
6. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech-3:30 PM – The ACC battle of the Tech schools.  The Yellow Jackets head to Blacksburg to try to upset the Hokies.  I think it will be a great day in western Virginia for Va Tech but should be a competitive game.  I am sure there will be some Yellow Jacket fans making the trip from Atlanta.
7. Auburn at Mississippi State – 7:00 PM – An under the radar matchup in the SEC.  Plenty of time to tailgate with the 7 PM start.  I am going to go with the upset here and think the Bulldogs will surprise the Tigers.
8. Oklahoma at Washington – 7:45 PM – So we had Oklahoma St. traveling to Seatle’s Qwest Field to face Washington St., now we have the Sooners facing the Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seatle.  The Sooners should roll in this west coast road trip.  But once again, if you are in the Pacific Northwest head into Seatle and watch another great game between the Big 12 and Pac 10.
9. Michigan at Notre Dame – 3:30 PM – Ok so here is where I decided to talk about Notre Dame and Michigan.  Every year we get to see these two historic programs face off.  Probably the most unpredictable match up as of late with Rich Rodriguez taking over the program.  Tickets are hard to come by at Notre Dame so getting a few early might be in your best interest.
10. Iowa State at Iowa -12:00 PM -  To start your afternoon in the Midwest we have an inner state rivalry game!  The Cyclones and the Hawkeyes have played each other since 1977, so I am sure Iowa State is used to the pink visiting locker room by now.  Should be a good game as the Hawkeyes look to get on a roll to enter the Big Ten season.

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com.

Ok, for those of you who are not swept up in Olympic Fever, and are heavily involved in the NFL Preseason, I am scouting week 2 for you in my NFL top 10 this week.  Also for those Fantasy Football players getting ready for drafts in the upcoming weeks you should check out my fantasy football section and always keep the scedule in mind.  So after the excitment of Week 1, half the league will be undefeated, and the other half looking for that first W.

1. Patriots @ Jets – 4:15 PM – So here is your chance to see the Superbowl Quarterback match-up everyone wanted to see last year.  Good news is we get to see it twice this season, how good will the games be though?  I assume the media will be all about “Spygate II” or something stupid.  I want to know why the media can’t come up with anything original to name a controversy?  Watergate happened over 30 years ago, our generation doesn’t care about the whole “gate” thing.  We like creativity and originality, so I am calling the new Jets/Pats series “The battle of Hall of Fame Quarterbacks – Records vs Rings!”  I am taking the Rings here in a nice ten point win 38 – 28.
2. Eagles @ Cowboys – 8:30 PM Monday Night – The Cowboys have their home opener on Monday night.  Basically the game will be determined on how the Eagles start the game.  If this game was mid-season I would expect the Cowboys to roll.  But, since it is early I think the Eagles will put up a good fight.  Still taking the Cowboys 27 – 24.
3. Steelers @ Browns – 8:15 PM – Ok so the Brownies get the Steelers in a big Sunday night matchup after hosting the Browns in the Opener.  Bad news Cleveland, because you will not like the outcome of this game either.  I think the Steelers have too many weapons for the Browns defense and the dog pound isn’t the same dog pound from the 80’s.  Please prove me wrong by showing your Cleveland Pride in a Steeler Win 28 – 20.
4. Colts @ Vikings – 1:00 PM – I don’t know why the Vikings aren’t absolutely ecstatic about Favre in NY.  I guess they really wanted him to hand off the ball 30-40 times a game.  Well, I like the Vikings this season, but still don’t think they can hang with the top of the AFC.  The Colts should put some points up and control the clock with a nice 24 – 17 win.
5. Saints @ Redskins – 1:00 PM – My high scoring game of the week.  If you are in our Nation’s Capital (like me) and have a chance to go to the game, you will enjoy a lot of offensive fireworks.  I think the Redskins will try to control the clock early, fall behind due to some impressive offensive scoring, then rally late to take the game at home on a field goal.  Play all your Saints/Redskins on your fantasy team too.  (Skins 38 – Saints 35.
6. Chargers @ Broncos – 4:15 PM – AFC West division bout here.  I think the Broncos want to try to take back control in thier division this season.  I don’t think they are quite ready with Cutler yet, and the Chargers have a much better offensive/defensive combo.  Chargers win a nice one on the road 31 – 24.
7. Bills @ Jaguars – 1:00 PM – The Bills are looking to turn some heads this season and get a wild card berth in a weak AFC East.  However, I don’t like them on the road in Florida earlyin the season.  The Jaguars are a great home team and will be taking it too the Bills on the ground and on defense.  This is the sit and watch your offense for 15 – 20 minutes while they drive down the field game for the Jaguars.  I like them in a 21 – 10 match with a little bit of a yawner in the 4th quarter.
8. Titans @ Bengals – 1:00 PM – I think this is an interesting matchup.  We have the Titans who snuck into the playoffs last year and a Bengal team looking to rebound after a poor season last year.  I am a believer in Palmer and Co. this season but I think this will be a close one.  24 – 21 Bengals coming back in the 4th quarter.
9. Giants @ Rams – 1:00 PM – Superbowl champs welcome to St. Louie.  Let’s face it the Rams were majorly depleated by injury last season.  When you lose Orlando Pace early in the season it is hard to turn things around.  I like the Rams as an entertaining team in an “up for grabs” division.  I do however like the champs a little more 28 – 24 in this one.
10. Packers @ Lions – 1:00 PM – Bargain Basement Special of the Week!  Ok so the Lions are very mediocre, the Packers are Favreless for the first time since the early 90’s.  Well news flash for Packer fans…You have a great TEAM.  You really don’t need Favre because you have a solid running game and great defense.  If you are in Michigan or Ohio make the dive up to the D and go watch your team!  I think there will be plenty of points in this one too!  Pack 42 – Lions 24.

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com.

The baseball season is winding down… or up depending on who you rout for.  Two stadiums in New York are in their last months and if you have never been to the stadiums, you have a month and a half to get your tickets.  I am going to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees and Royals on August 16th and am really excited.  It is my first game at Yankee Stadium so I can’t wait to get there and enjoy the game and the experience.  My family and friends are coming with me, thanks to my brother (he got the tickets).  And if we all don’t have “A dog and a beer” my dad will be very upset.  Apparently, if we don’t have a dog and a beer the game is not complete for my dad.  I don’t really remember that being part of the “going to a baseball game” equation when I was growing up.  My first sporting event ever was a Pirates baseball game, although I don’t remember it since I was a baby.  I am pretty sure I didn’t have a dog and a beer and odds are the Pirate Parrot ate my head and I cried.  My parents told me I made it on the Jumbo Tron that game, so if you remember seeing a cute baby on the big screen at a Pirate game, it was me.  So maybe I will get lucky and get on camera with my beer and dog at my first Yankee game…on second thought probably not.

The number of new stadiums that have been built over the past ten years is pretty amazing.  I have been to baseball games at Wrigley Field, Camden Yards, Nationals Park, RFK Stadium, Minute Maid Park, Rodgers Centre (The SkyDome in Toronto), and of course PNC Park and Three Rivers Stadium.  I really am glad there are all these new ball park designs because watching games at Three Rivers Stadium and RFK Stadium were pretty terrible.  So Yankee Stadium will be my ninth baseball venue and counting, and I will definitely be using Ticketstumber to search for tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway next year.  Eventually I would like to do an east coast baseball tour by train, going to game in Boston, New York, Philladelphia, Baltimore, and DC.  If anyone has tried this I would love to hear about it.  If not, I will be sure to post the dates for next season when the feat can be attempted.

I wanted to do a round the country look at MLB Stadiums and upcoming series that have playoff implications.  I know there are places that don’t sell out ever (that means you Florida Marlins) so I will try to concentrate on venues that bring a little more excitement.  So here is your North East Stadium guide for games in August/September.

• Yankee Stadium – The clock is ticking on seats and good prices on tickets.  Seats in the bleachers are typically cheaper, but that is a non-alchohol section.  Your best bet would be the mid-week series against the White Sox or the Sunday game against the Blue Jays.  Things are going to be really expensive for the Red Sox and Orioles(since it is the last series of the regular season).  Something to consider though, is if the Yankees make a push for the playoffs and clinch a spot before the Orioles series, prices for the friday/saturday game might go down.
• Fenway Park – Plenty of options to see games at Fenway right now.  The Sox are in the playoff/division mix and have the Blue Jays for 2 weekend sets, and the Orioles/Indians coming to town for mid week games.  With all the hoopla about Yankee Stadium in September I figure prices might be a little down for some of the Red Sox home games.  It isn’t like the games will be empty though, not with such a big following.
• Shea Stadium – The Mets are in the thick of a pennent race as well although there really seems to be a lot more tickets available.  Maybe it is because there isn’t as much history in the stadium or because the National League doesn’t have as much star power as the American League.  I would beg to differ on the latter point though.  I think the Cubs and Marlins series at the end of September will have major playoff implications so getting tickets now before the rush might be a good idea.
• Citizens Bank Park – The Phillies are leading the NL East right now and have a great stretch of home games from August 22nd to September 14th.  The Dodgers, Mets, Marlins, and Brewers will all be in town.  If Philadelphia is going to win the division winning those series is a must.  Luckily the also have games against the Brave and the Nationals, both clubs probably looking to play call ups at the end of the season.
• Nationals Park -  For the transplants in DC, like yours truely, the Nats are obviously NOT selling out, so now is a good chance to get good prices for your favorite out of town teams.  The Rockies, Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Padres, and Marlins are all coming into town.  And for those fantasy baseball players out there you might get to see some of the guys on your team as well.
• Camden Yards – And for those AL fans, the Orioles have the Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Athletics, Indians, Twins, Rays, and Blue Jays coming into town.  A bunch of my friends usually drive up to Baltimore to see there AL teams play.  It is only about an hour from DC so even a night game makes for a fun evening.