The College football season is set to begin in September and although the Northeast isn’t known for it’s football prowess there are a number of local teams that have many fans anxious about the upcoming season. There are few teams here locally that have caught the attention of College football fans including the already widely popular Syracuse Orangemen, the newly crowned Cinderella team the Rutgers Scarlett Knights and the Bronx’s own Fordham Rams.

The Rams who are a division I-AA team are beginning their season September 1 with a game against a team of the same name, the Rams of the University of Rhode Island. The Fordham Rams had a disappointing season last year finishing with a 3-9 record. If the Fordham Rams hope to come out this season with a bang and position themselves as a contender in the Atlantic 10 Conference they’re going to have to re-strategize their plays and make some improvements both offensively and defensively.

The Rams are already equipped with key players like senior Ben Dato and freshman Runningback Xavier Martin. The Syracuse Orangemen are set to begin their season by playing Washington on August 31. The game will be televised live on ESPN and the Orangemen are looking for their first win since their last win against Illinois back in September 16. The Orangemen faired poorly last season finishing off with a 4-8 record. This was heart breaking for Syracuse fans considering that Syracuse has an outstanding Athletics Department. Syracuse and Fordham both share the same struggle unlike their New Jersey counterpart the Scarlett Knights.

The Scarlett Knights are set to kick off their season against Buffalo on August 30. The game will be televised live on MSG and the Scarlett Knights are hoping to keep the momentum going from their phenomenal 2006 season. The Scarlett Knights led by coach Greg Schiano is already generating a lot of media buzz this season and although the BCS Standings aren’t schedule to be released until October of this year many polls have Rutgers in their top 20 in the nation. Rutgers finished the 2006 season with an impressive 11-2 record including a Texas Bowl win against Kansas State. If Rutgers can keep the strong hold from last year who knows what this season has in store, possibly a nationally televised bowl game? Whatever the case my bets are with the Knights as much as I love the Bronx and the Rams I’m going to have to trade in my Maroon for some Scarlett Red.