October 7, 2010
I’m always looking ahead on the college football schedule and so far this season we’ve had “Monster Saturday,” “Spectacular Saturday,” “Matchup Saturday,” and whatever else the media has labeled the weekends. But this weekend, I look at it and wonder what ESPN is going to call it. This weekend is matchup heaven to me. I watch between 12-18 games every week and most of them are ridiculous games that no one should bother watching, but this week there’s at least 20 matchups that I don’t want to miss a minute of, and the best part about it is I won’t have to be pissed off watching Texas lose since this is their bye week.
My Rankings
Week 5 Thoughts
I’m still not sure if I’m going home this weekend or not, but if I do what a disadvantage that will be. College football is in full luxury in my dorm with two laptops on espn3.com, and I can get four games on both plus the two TV’s we have. I can technically get 10 games at once, and if I use another web browser I can double it to 8 games on one computer, so the possibilities are endless. I hate watching the games on a small screen though. But at home, I don’t have access to espn3.com because Bay Broadband is stupid and I only have one TV and what I would always do is chill and flip the channel on every commercial to the next game, unless of course Texas is playing. No other games matter when Texas is playing.
But anyway with so many games that I want to touch on this week, I’m going to be very brief and to the point so I can cover more of them instead of going deep into some of them because I can’t wait to see all of these matchups.
And looking ahead on the schedule, how about what Alabama gets to deal with for the rest of the year? I can’t remember ever seeing anything like this. EVERY team they play from here on out to the end of the season will be coming off of its bye week. Which means every team has two weeks to prepare for Alabama which means that Alabama will not go undefeated. Who thought they would anyway? Certainly not me, because I had them losing to Arkansas and Auburn back in August, but obviously Arkansas couldn’t finish that game and blew it at the end and Auburn is a way’s away, but now I’m going with the South Carolina Gamecocks to beat Alabama this weekend as one of my upset picks. South Carolina’s coming off the loss to Auburn and a bye week so they’re refocused and that rush defense is better than last year when Mark Ingram ran all over them. If they slow down Ingram and Trent Richardson, they win because Greg McElroy struggles when he has to win the game, and in the 20-6 win over Carolina last year McElroy passed for less than 100 yards and threw two picks.
For the record, I am 261-44 with my picks so far this year with last week being my absolute worse at 40-12. If things don't go right, I could have a similar result this week.
Anyway, last Thursday we had the great Big 12 Conference shootout between Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The Cowboys won 38-35 after I predicted a 42-35 win. They blew it for me, they should have had that touchdown instead of the field goal to win it. But in the first half, I was very impressed with the improved A&M defense and they held Oklahoma State to one touchdown, but then the Pokes made some great halftime adjustments and dominated the third quarter.
So this Thursday night on PrimeTime we have another Big 12 matchup. This one will be a slugfest instead of a shootout. Nebraska at Kansas State.
Nebraska at Kansas State
-Nebraska was once thought as the overwhelming favorite to win the Big 12 North, but Kansas State and Missouri have emerged as possible contenders.
-Nebraska and Kansas State are both undefeated. This is a chance for K-State to prove its legitimacy while Nebraska goes on the road in a tough stadium, but is coming off a bye week and a loss here would devastate them.
-This could serve a trap game for Nebraska with Texas on their minds next week.
-Kansas State struggled to stop the run against last week against Central Florida and needed a Carson Coffman TD run in the final minute to avoid a huge upset. Nebraska loves to run the ball and have incorporated a lot of zone-read option with new QB Taylor Martinez.
-Daniel Thomas is the Big 12’s leading rusher and needs a better showing than he did against UCF to give Kansas State any chance of winning.
Daniel Thomas.
-Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez struggled in what was a sloppy 17-0 win over South Dakota State, an FCS opponent.
-Nebraska is a 95% favorite.
-Players to watch: Nebraska DT Jared Crick, CB Prince Amukamara; Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas
Prediction: Nebraska 31, Kansas State 17
Result: NEB 48, KSU 13
We’ve also got a pair of games on Friday night with Connecticut at Rutgers and Oklahoma State at Louisiana. OKST will blowout Lafayette, 56-3, while UConn and Rutgers should be a good one to watch
UConn at Rutgers 7:30
-Rutgers is coming off a bad 17-14 loss to Tulane where QB Tom Savage got hurt in the first quarter. Without Savage, Rutgers gets blown out in this game even though Savage hasn’t had a great sophomore campaign yet after playing great as a true freshman last year
-These are two of the Big East’s best defensive teams. Rutgers run defense vs. UConn’s Jordan Todman.
-This is a huge chance for Rutgers to rebound in a weak Big East conference, while for UConn it’s their chance to get a leg up and close the gap with West Virginia.
Players to watch: UConn RB Jordan Todman, LB Scott Lutrus; Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu, C Howard Barbieri
Prediction: UConn 27, Rutgers 15
Saturday:
Indiana at Ohio State
-Indiana’s offense was almost enough to beat Michigan if not for Denard Robinson’s constant heroics. Michigan’s defense is nothing compared to Ohio State’s though
-Denard Robinson went against Indiana with an injured knee and now Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor will go in with an injured knee.
-Indiana struggled to contain Robinson, they must contain Pryor and force him to throw the ball.
-Indiana has a lot of firepower on offense. Enough to put Ohio State on Upset Alert, but not enough to win.
Players to watch: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor; Indiana WR Tandon Doss
Prediction: Ohio State 41, Indiana 17
Boston College at NC State
-NC State just got walloped by Virginia Tech after flying high for the first four weeks.
-Boston College is coming off of back-to-back losses to VT and Notre Dame
-NC State could not stop the run against Tech, and now they go up against BC’s Montel Harris.
-BC started true freshman QB Chase Rettig last week and threw a TD pass before leaving with an ankle injury in the 2nd quarter. Third string QB Mike Marscovetra replaced him instead of incumbent starter Dave Shinskie
-NC State QB Russell Wilson has emerged as maybe the ACC’s best throwing for 300+ yards in every game but one, but had three costly interceptions last week after being very efficient
-NC State running game is back with true freshman Mustafa Greene.
-Boston College could drop to 0-2 in conference play after being labeled by ESPN as the darkhorse.
-NC State must win to keep pace with Florida State in the Atlantic Division.
Players to watch: NC State RB Mustafa Greene, Boston College LB Mark Herzlich
Prediction: NC State 31, Boston College 13
Baylor vs. Texas Tech
-This is going to be a great Big 12 Shootout. Baylor is coming off the big 55-7 win over Kansa while Texas Tech was shocked 52-38 by Iowa State. The key was Iowa State jumping ahead early. That’s what Baylor has to do. Texas Tech fell behind 14-0 to Texas and lost and 24-0 to Iowa State and lost, but won when scoring first.
-Baylor could jump out of being the bottom-feeder in the Big 12 South and go to the top at 2-0 while Texas Tech would become the bottom-feeder at 0-3 in conference.
-can’t wait to see what Robert Griffin does. He should be in the thick of the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year race.
Players to watch: Baylor QB Robert Griffin, P Dustin Epperson; Texas Tech WR Lyle Leong, LB Brian Duncan
Prediction: Baylor 41, Texas Tech 35
Tennessee at Georgia
-Tennessee comes off the having 13-men on the field debacle at LSU in a game they should have won in the final seconds if not for the “illegal participation” penalty.
-Georgia comes off a big loss to Colorado, a very surprising one, despite the return of WR AJ Green.
-Both are winless within the conference and Georgia could collapse to 0-4 and put head coach Mark Richt’s job in deeper jeopardy.
-Georgia’s offensive line that was a weakness when Matthew Stafford was there is now a strength going against the Tennessee Ben Martin and Chris Walker pass rush and blitz schemes.
-I see it hard to see Georgia lose at home to drop to 0-4, but I really want to say that Tennessee wins this game and leaves Georgia down.
Players to watch: Georgia WR AJ Green, Tennessee TE Luke Stocker, FS Janzen Jackson
Prediction: Tennessee 24, Georgia 21
Alabama at South Carolina 3:30
-As I mentioned before, I’ve never seen anything like this where all of Alabama’s remaining opponents will be coming off of a bye week, including Georgia State. So I think Alabama has to lose at least one of those games. I believed Auburn will be that game, and I had also chosen Arkansas to upset Alabama and now I like South Carolina.
-Two great running games and potentially explosive passing games face-off.
-South Carolina’s defense is much more improved than last year’s that Mark Ingram ran all over in a 20-6 win.
-Greg McElroy through two interceptions in this game last year and I love SC’s secondary with Stephon Gilmore, Chris Culliver, DeVonte Hoffman, Damario Jeffery, and Akeem Auguste
-South Carolina WR Tori Gurley did not play in this game last year and WR Alshon Jeffery had a big game as a true freshman. SC QB Stephen Garcia was forced into throwing the ball 46 times, but now the Gamecocks have a good run game with true freshman Marcus Lattimore looking to rebound from the Auburn game.
-South Carolina needs to get pressure through a very good Alabama offensive line
-South Carolina needs to be ready for the different blitz packages and be able to identify who’s coming in to take up a block and who’s going to be freed up. Much easier said than done.
Players to watch: Alabama LB Dont’a Hightower, CB Dre Kirkpatrick; South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, CB Stephon Gilmore, WR Alshon Jeffery
Prediction: South Carolina 26, Alabama 23
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
-Arkansas was off after facing Alabama so they had time to shift into preparing for A&M’s spread attack
-A&M QB Jerrod Johnson has thrown 7 interceptions in his last two games. Costly interceptions cost them the game against Oklahoma State, also had a late fumble lost.
-Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett is also coming off of throwing costly interceptions
-Texas A&M offense vs. Arkansas defense, although the A&M defense is very much improved in the new 3-4, dominated Oklahoma State in the first half, but fell apart in the second half.
-3-4 defenses are uncommon in the Big 12, but Arkansas faces it in the SEC
-Not enough speed in the A&M secondary to matchup with Arkansas receivers
Players to watch: Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, WR Greg Childs; Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson, WR Uzoma Nwachuku, LB Von Miller
Prediction: Arkansas 34, Texas A&M 20
Michigan State at Michigan
-Michigan's Denard Robinson has been the most dynamic player in the nation so far rushing and throwing for over 200 yards again last week for 494 yards of total offense including his game-winning run in the final minute against Indiana. expect much of the same against Michigan State
-Key to Michigan State's defense is to penetrate the Michigan offensive line and create pressure on Robinson. He doesn't throw well with players in his face and needs to be forced to run before he wants to
-This is sitll a Michigan defense that Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins will try to take advantage of its holes
Players to watch: Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins, RB Le’Veon Bell, WR Mark Dell, LB Greg Jones; Michigan QB Denard Robinson, WR Roy Roundtree, LG Stephen Schilling, LB Obi Ezeh
Prediction: Michigan 38, Michigan State 31
UCLA at California
-A week after upsetting the Texas Longhorns, UCLA got taken to the brinks by lowly Washington State before finally putting them away in the second quarter.
-UCLA QB Kevin Prince was out after a knee injury he suffered against Texas. Richard Brehaut took over, but Prince is probable for this week. If Prince doesn't play, Cal wins.
-UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin is thriving under the new pistol offense, rushing for over 200 yards again
-Cal had an off-week after back-to-back losses to Nevada and Arizona after cracking the Top 25. Cal collapsed late in the Arizona game defensively
-UCLA's defense is very, very underrated.
-Cal allowed 316 rushing yards to Nevada's pistol offense and now face another pistol team
Players to watch: Cal RB Shane Vereen, DE Cameron Jordan; UCLA DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, LB Akeem Ayers, FS Rahim Moore
Prediction: UCLA 30, Cal 21
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
-Pitt is still waiting on Dion Lewis to be healthy and get back on track, but in the meantime Ray Graham has become the star backup running for 277 yards last week against Florida International with a touchdown to give Pitt the lead and then two in the fourth quarter to put FIU away.
-Injuries on Pittsburgh's defense continue to hurt them
-Dayne Crist and Notre Dame are finally getting a grasp of the Brian Kelly offense..not good news for opposing teams
Players to watch: Pitt WR Jonathan Baldwin, DE Jabaal Sheard; Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd, LB Manti Te’o
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Pittsburgh 28
Clemson at North Carolina
-Clemson struggled against a very fast athletic Miami defense last week. Now they get a faster more athletic defense against North Carolina
-Clemson may be Florida State's only challenger in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, but would be hurt by this loss
-North Carolina still looking for consistency on offense but QB TJ Yates is the most improved player in the country
-Clemson defense has some stars to match the hype of the depleted UNC defense.
-UNC safety Da'Norris Searcy returned an interception for a touchdown last week in his return from suspension.
-UNC S Deunta Williams, CB Kendric Burney, CB Charles Brown, DE Robert Quinn, DT Marvin Austin, RB Ryan Houston and WR Greg Little remain on suspension.
Players to watch: Clemson QB Kyle Parker, DE Da’Quan Bowers, DT Jarvis Jenkins, S DeAndre McDaniel; North Carolina LB Bruce Carter, LB Quan Sturdivant, S Da’Norris Searcy
Prediction: North Carolina 28, Clemson 24
Oregon State at Arizona
-Arizona played a very sloppy game against Cal last time out and were lucky to win thanks to big plays from Juron Criner.
-Arizona has shut down good runningbacks Jewel Hampton, Adam Robinson and Shane Vereen. Now they must do the same to Jacquizz Rodgers
-Arizona must avoid this upset at home to keep pace with Oregon for the Rose Bowl
-Oregon State's defense came up big forcing three turnovers, but sacked Steven Threet and forced an interception on Arizona State's last possession of the game.
Players to watch: Oregon State DT Stephen Paea, Arizona QB Nick Foles, WR Juron Criner, CB Trevin Wade
Prediction: Arizona 30, Oregon State 17
San Diego State at BYU
-One team is rising (San Diego State) and the other is very down this year (BYU)
-San Diego State played Missouri tough a couple weeks ago
Players to watch: San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley, DE Ernie Lawson; BYU QB Jake Heaps, CB Brian Logan
Prediction: San Diego State 31, BYU 20
Utah at Iowa State
-Iowa beat Texas tech in a shootout last week
-Utah is back in the Top 10 but I think they're overrated. This will be a tough game for the Utes on the road but they will pull it out.
Players to watch: Utah RB Eddie Wide; Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson
Prediction: Utah 30, Iowa State 23
LSU at Florida
-Florida failed to score a touchdown against Alabama last week for the first time in a long time. I look at the Florida offense and don't think they have what it takes to score against the better SEC defenses, LSU being one of them.
-LSU must, absolutely must, get good quarterback play from Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee to win this game on the road.
-Two of the nation's best cornerbacks go at it in this game.
-Florida is in a down year, I think this game will be a clear indication of that.
Players to watch: LSU CB Patrick Peterson; Florida CB Janoris Jenkins
Prediction: LSU 24, Florida 20
East Carolina at Southern Miss
-Well folks, the Conference-USA is WIDE OPEN. East Carolina is the two-time defending champ. Houston has been the favorite but are now depleted by injuries and suspensions. This leaves the conference open for Southern Miss to take advantage of a golden opportunity, no pun intended. If the Golden Eagles don't capitalize, SMU and Central Florida can take the conference too
-East Carolina has a new Air-Raid but it has struggled against better defenses.
-ECU defense is nothing like it used to be. More points allowed than points scored right now and gave up 40 points or more three times. ECU won't have an answer for SMISS WR DeAndre Brown who finally will have an outstanding game.
Players to watch: ECU QB Dominique Davis, TE Justin Jones; Southern Miss QB Austin Davis, WR DeAndre Brown
Prediction: Southern Miss 34, East Carolina 30
Florida State at Miami
-This could be a preview of the ACC Title Game. As of right now, Clemson is FSU's top challenger and Virginia Tech is Miami's.
-Both these teams are led by good quarterbacks in Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris. Ponder is very smart and has been very good with the ball, while Miami struggles when Harris continues to make mistakes and throw interceptions. FSU pass defense was torched by Florida State but has recovered as of late, but way too many weapons in the Miami passing game, but only if Harris doesn't turn the ball over.
Players to watch: Florida State QB Christian Ponder, CB Greg Reid; Miami QB Jacory Harris, WR Travis Benjamin, WR Leonard Hankerson, WR Aldarius Johnson, LT Orlando Franklin, DE Allen Bailey, CB Brandon Harris, S Ray-Ray Armstrong
Prediction: Miami 31, Florida State 21
USC at Stanford
-USC suffered another loss to Washington in the final seconds last week and what bothered me the most when ESPN zoomed in on the USC sideline and USC all looked like they didn't care. Just because they've been banned from postseason play doesn't mean you shouldn't care whether you win or lose.
-Stanford proved to be too slow for Oregon on defense and Andrew Luck threw a late costly interception
-Stanford won this matchup 55-21 in The Coliseum last year led by Toby Gerhart while Andrew Luck wasn't asked to do much. Now this is Luck's offense.
-Stanford is averaging 44.6 points per game this year, but USC has an explosive offense of its own with a powerful running to go with it. Allen Bradford has regained the starting TB job and ran for 233 yards last week and leads the nation with 9.8 yards per carry.
-Stanford has a solid defense that just missed assignments and wasn't fast enough for Oregon. USC defense still has too many holes.
-Both of these teams are trying to rebound
Players to watch: USC QB Matt Barkley, FB Stanley Havili, DT Jurrell Casey; Stanford QB Andrew Luck, FB/LB Owen Marecic, WR Chris Owusu, RB Stepfan Taylor
Prediction: Stanford 33, USC 24
Due to time restraints. I am done. I have way too much school work I should be doing...
Mississippi State at Houston
-Remember no Case Keenum or Cotton Turner so Houston is playing with third string QB freshman Terrance Broadway. Houston won this game with Keenum last year.
-Also, Houston WR James Cleveland is suspended for this game for violating team rules
Players to watch: Miss St WR Chad Bumphis, Houston LB Marcus McGraw
Prediction: Mississippi State 28, Houston 13
Tulsa at SMU
-SMU QB Kyle Padron made his first career start against Tulsa last year and threw for 354 yards.
-should be another shootout if not for the vast defensive improvements of SMU
Players to watch: Tulsa QB GJ Kinne, WR Damaris Johnson, RB Charles Clay; SMU QB Kyle Padron, WR Aldrick Robinson
Prediction: SMU 44, Tulsa 24
Arizona State at Washington
Players to watch: Arizona State QB Steven Threet, LB Vontaze Burfict; Washington QB Jake Locker, CB Quinton Richardson
Prediction: Arizona State 24, Washington 23
AND FINALLY THE GAME OF THE YEAR (JK)
New Mexico State at New Mexico...Someone has to win.
I'll go with New Mexico.
My Top 25 Predictions
Actual Result in ( )
1. Alabama vs. South Carolina
SCAR 26, ALA 23
2. Ohio State vs. Indiana
OSU 41, IND 17
3. Boise State vs. Toledo
BOISE 56, TOL 9
4. Oregon at Washington State
ORE 48, WSU 13
5. TCU vs. Wyoming
TCU 45, Wyoming 10
6. Nebraska at Kansas State
NEB 31, KSU 17 (Nebraska, 48-13)
7. Oklahoma
8. Auburn at Kentucky
AUB 45, UK 24
9. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
ARK 34, TAMU 20
10. LSU at Florida
LSU 24, FLA 20
11. Utah at Iowa State
UTAH 30, ISU 23
12. Arizona vs. Oregon State
ARI 34, ORST 20
13. Iowa
14. South Carolina vs. Alabama
SCAR 26, ALA 23
15. Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
WIS 38, MIN 21
16. Miami vs. Florida State
MIA 31, FSU 21
17. Florida at LSU
LSU 24, FLA 20
18. Stanford vs. USC
STAN 33, USC 24
19. Michigan State at Michigan
MICH 38, MSU 31
20. Missouri vs. Colorado
MIZZ 30, COL 10
21. Michigan vs. Michigan State
MICH 38, MSU 31
22. Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana
OKST 49, LAL 10
23. USC at Stanford
STAN 33, USC 24
24. Nevada vs. San Jose State (Colin Kaepernick)
NEV 55, SJS 6
25. TEXAS
UPSET PICKS
South Carolina over Alabama
LSU over Florida
Michigan over Michigan State
Baylor over Texas Tech
Tennessee over Georgia
Notre Dame over Pittsburgh
Southern Miss over East Carolina
Clemson over North Carolina
San Diego State over BYU
UPSET ALERT
* = oh so close to picking
Nebraska against Kansas State
Connecticut against Rutgers
Ohio State against Indiana
Penn State against Illinois
Temple against Northern Illinois
Arkansas against Texas A&M
Florida against LSU
Army against Tulane
Utah against Iowa State*
Arizona against Oregon State
Miami against Florida State*
Stanford against USC
I’m always looking ahead on the college football schedule and so far this season we’ve had “Monster Saturday,” “Spectacular Saturday,” “Matchup Saturday,” and whatever else the media has labeled the weekends. But this weekend, I look at it and wonder what ESPN is going to call it. This weekend is matchup heaven to me. I watch between 12-18 games every week and most of them are ridiculous games that no one should bother watching, but this week there’s at least 20 matchups that I don’t want to miss a minute of, and the best part about it is I won’t have to be pissed off watching Texas lose since this is their bye week.
My Rankings
Week 5 Thoughts
I’m still not sure if I’m going home this weekend or not, but if I do what a disadvantage that will be. College football is in full luxury in my dorm with two laptops on espn3.com, and I can get four games on both plus the two TV’s we have. I can technically get 10 games at once, and if I use another web browser I can double it to 8 games on one computer, so the possibilities are endless. I hate watching the games on a small screen though. But at home, I don’t have access to espn3.com because Bay Broadband is stupid and I only have one TV and what I would always do is chill and flip the channel on every commercial to the next game, unless of course Texas is playing. No other games matter when Texas is playing.
But anyway with so many games that I want to touch on this week, I’m going to be very brief and to the point so I can cover more of them instead of going deep into some of them because I can’t wait to see all of these matchups.
And looking ahead on the schedule, how about what Alabama gets to deal with for the rest of the year? I can’t remember ever seeing anything like this. EVERY team they play from here on out to the end of the season will be coming off of its bye week. Which means every team has two weeks to prepare for Alabama which means that Alabama will not go undefeated. Who thought they would anyway? Certainly not me, because I had them losing to Arkansas and Auburn back in August, but obviously Arkansas couldn’t finish that game and blew it at the end and Auburn is a way’s away, but now I’m going with the South Carolina Gamecocks to beat Alabama this weekend as one of my upset picks. South Carolina’s coming off the loss to Auburn and a bye week so they’re refocused and that rush defense is better than last year when Mark Ingram ran all over them. If they slow down Ingram and Trent Richardson, they win because Greg McElroy struggles when he has to win the game, and in the 20-6 win over Carolina last year McElroy passed for less than 100 yards and threw two picks.
For the record, I am 261-44 with my picks so far this year with last week being my absolute worse at 40-12. If things don't go right, I could have a similar result this week.
Anyway, last Thursday we had the great Big 12 Conference shootout between Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The Cowboys won 38-35 after I predicted a 42-35 win. They blew it for me, they should have had that touchdown instead of the field goal to win it. But in the first half, I was very impressed with the improved A&M defense and they held Oklahoma State to one touchdown, but then the Pokes made some great halftime adjustments and dominated the third quarter.
So this Thursday night on PrimeTime we have another Big 12 matchup. This one will be a slugfest instead of a shootout. Nebraska at Kansas State.
Nebraska at Kansas State
-Nebraska was once thought as the overwhelming favorite to win the Big 12 North, but Kansas State and Missouri have emerged as possible contenders.
-Nebraska and Kansas State are both undefeated. This is a chance for K-State to prove its legitimacy while Nebraska goes on the road in a tough stadium, but is coming off a bye week and a loss here would devastate them.
-This could serve a trap game for Nebraska with Texas on their minds next week.
-Kansas State struggled to stop the run against last week against Central Florida and needed a Carson Coffman TD run in the final minute to avoid a huge upset. Nebraska loves to run the ball and have incorporated a lot of zone-read option with new QB Taylor Martinez.
-Daniel Thomas is the Big 12’s leading rusher and needs a better showing than he did against UCF to give Kansas State any chance of winning.
Daniel Thomas.
-Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez struggled in what was a sloppy 17-0 win over South Dakota State, an FCS opponent.
-Nebraska is a 95% favorite.
-Players to watch: Nebraska DT Jared Crick, CB Prince Amukamara; Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas
Prediction: Nebraska 31, Kansas State 17
Result: NEB 48, KSU 13
We’ve also got a pair of games on Friday night with Connecticut at Rutgers and Oklahoma State at Louisiana. OKST will blowout Lafayette, 56-3, while UConn and Rutgers should be a good one to watch
UConn at Rutgers 7:30
-Rutgers is coming off a bad 17-14 loss to Tulane where QB Tom Savage got hurt in the first quarter. Without Savage, Rutgers gets blown out in this game even though Savage hasn’t had a great sophomore campaign yet after playing great as a true freshman last year
-These are two of the Big East’s best defensive teams. Rutgers run defense vs. UConn’s Jordan Todman.
-This is a huge chance for Rutgers to rebound in a weak Big East conference, while for UConn it’s their chance to get a leg up and close the gap with West Virginia.
Players to watch: UConn RB Jordan Todman, LB Scott Lutrus; Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu, C Howard Barbieri
Prediction: UConn 27, Rutgers 15
Saturday:
Indiana at Ohio State
-Indiana’s offense was almost enough to beat Michigan if not for Denard Robinson’s constant heroics. Michigan’s defense is nothing compared to Ohio State’s though
-Denard Robinson went against Indiana with an injured knee and now Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor will go in with an injured knee.
-Indiana struggled to contain Robinson, they must contain Pryor and force him to throw the ball.
-Indiana has a lot of firepower on offense. Enough to put Ohio State on Upset Alert, but not enough to win.
Players to watch: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor; Indiana WR Tandon Doss
Prediction: Ohio State 41, Indiana 17
Boston College at NC State
-NC State just got walloped by Virginia Tech after flying high for the first four weeks.
-Boston College is coming off of back-to-back losses to VT and Notre Dame
-NC State could not stop the run against Tech, and now they go up against BC’s Montel Harris.
-BC started true freshman QB Chase Rettig last week and threw a TD pass before leaving with an ankle injury in the 2nd quarter. Third string QB Mike Marscovetra replaced him instead of incumbent starter Dave Shinskie
-NC State QB Russell Wilson has emerged as maybe the ACC’s best throwing for 300+ yards in every game but one, but had three costly interceptions last week after being very efficient
-NC State running game is back with true freshman Mustafa Greene.
-Boston College could drop to 0-2 in conference play after being labeled by ESPN as the darkhorse.
-NC State must win to keep pace with Florida State in the Atlantic Division.
Players to watch: NC State RB Mustafa Greene, Boston College LB Mark Herzlich
Prediction: NC State 31, Boston College 13
Baylor vs. Texas Tech
-This is going to be a great Big 12 Shootout. Baylor is coming off the big 55-7 win over Kansa while Texas Tech was shocked 52-38 by Iowa State. The key was Iowa State jumping ahead early. That’s what Baylor has to do. Texas Tech fell behind 14-0 to Texas and lost and 24-0 to Iowa State and lost, but won when scoring first.
-Baylor could jump out of being the bottom-feeder in the Big 12 South and go to the top at 2-0 while Texas Tech would become the bottom-feeder at 0-3 in conference.
-can’t wait to see what Robert Griffin does. He should be in the thick of the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year race.
Players to watch: Baylor QB Robert Griffin, P Dustin Epperson; Texas Tech WR Lyle Leong, LB Brian Duncan
Prediction: Baylor 41, Texas Tech 35
Tennessee at Georgia
-Tennessee comes off the having 13-men on the field debacle at LSU in a game they should have won in the final seconds if not for the “illegal participation” penalty.
-Georgia comes off a big loss to Colorado, a very surprising one, despite the return of WR AJ Green.
-Both are winless within the conference and Georgia could collapse to 0-4 and put head coach Mark Richt’s job in deeper jeopardy.
-Georgia’s offensive line that was a weakness when Matthew Stafford was there is now a strength going against the Tennessee Ben Martin and Chris Walker pass rush and blitz schemes.
-I see it hard to see Georgia lose at home to drop to 0-4, but I really want to say that Tennessee wins this game and leaves Georgia down.
Players to watch: Georgia WR AJ Green, Tennessee TE Luke Stocker, FS Janzen Jackson
Prediction: Tennessee 24, Georgia 21
Alabama at South Carolina 3:30
-As I mentioned before, I’ve never seen anything like this where all of Alabama’s remaining opponents will be coming off of a bye week, including Georgia State. So I think Alabama has to lose at least one of those games. I believed Auburn will be that game, and I had also chosen Arkansas to upset Alabama and now I like South Carolina.
-Two great running games and potentially explosive passing games face-off.
-South Carolina’s defense is much more improved than last year’s that Mark Ingram ran all over in a 20-6 win.
-Greg McElroy through two interceptions in this game last year and I love SC’s secondary with Stephon Gilmore, Chris Culliver, DeVonte Hoffman, Damario Jeffery, and Akeem Auguste
-South Carolina WR Tori Gurley did not play in this game last year and WR Alshon Jeffery had a big game as a true freshman. SC QB Stephen Garcia was forced into throwing the ball 46 times, but now the Gamecocks have a good run game with true freshman Marcus Lattimore looking to rebound from the Auburn game.
-South Carolina needs to get pressure through a very good Alabama offensive line
-South Carolina needs to be ready for the different blitz packages and be able to identify who’s coming in to take up a block and who’s going to be freed up. Much easier said than done.
Players to watch: Alabama LB Dont’a Hightower, CB Dre Kirkpatrick; South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, CB Stephon Gilmore, WR Alshon Jeffery
Prediction: South Carolina 26, Alabama 23
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
-Arkansas was off after facing Alabama so they had time to shift into preparing for A&M’s spread attack
-A&M QB Jerrod Johnson has thrown 7 interceptions in his last two games. Costly interceptions cost them the game against Oklahoma State, also had a late fumble lost.
-Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett is also coming off of throwing costly interceptions
-Texas A&M offense vs. Arkansas defense, although the A&M defense is very much improved in the new 3-4, dominated Oklahoma State in the first half, but fell apart in the second half.
-3-4 defenses are uncommon in the Big 12, but Arkansas faces it in the SEC
-Not enough speed in the A&M secondary to matchup with Arkansas receivers
Players to watch: Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, WR Greg Childs; Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson, WR Uzoma Nwachuku, LB Von Miller
Prediction: Arkansas 34, Texas A&M 20
Michigan State at Michigan
-Michigan's Denard Robinson has been the most dynamic player in the nation so far rushing and throwing for over 200 yards again last week for 494 yards of total offense including his game-winning run in the final minute against Indiana. expect much of the same against Michigan State
-Key to Michigan State's defense is to penetrate the Michigan offensive line and create pressure on Robinson. He doesn't throw well with players in his face and needs to be forced to run before he wants to
-This is sitll a Michigan defense that Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins will try to take advantage of its holes
Players to watch: Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins, RB Le’Veon Bell, WR Mark Dell, LB Greg Jones; Michigan QB Denard Robinson, WR Roy Roundtree, LG Stephen Schilling, LB Obi Ezeh
Prediction: Michigan 38, Michigan State 31
UCLA at California
-A week after upsetting the Texas Longhorns, UCLA got taken to the brinks by lowly Washington State before finally putting them away in the second quarter.
-UCLA QB Kevin Prince was out after a knee injury he suffered against Texas. Richard Brehaut took over, but Prince is probable for this week. If Prince doesn't play, Cal wins.
-UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin is thriving under the new pistol offense, rushing for over 200 yards again
-Cal had an off-week after back-to-back losses to Nevada and Arizona after cracking the Top 25. Cal collapsed late in the Arizona game defensively
-UCLA's defense is very, very underrated.
-Cal allowed 316 rushing yards to Nevada's pistol offense and now face another pistol team
Players to watch: Cal RB Shane Vereen, DE Cameron Jordan; UCLA DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, LB Akeem Ayers, FS Rahim Moore
Prediction: UCLA 30, Cal 21
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
-Pitt is still waiting on Dion Lewis to be healthy and get back on track, but in the meantime Ray Graham has become the star backup running for 277 yards last week against Florida International with a touchdown to give Pitt the lead and then two in the fourth quarter to put FIU away.
-Injuries on Pittsburgh's defense continue to hurt them
-Dayne Crist and Notre Dame are finally getting a grasp of the Brian Kelly offense..not good news for opposing teams
Players to watch: Pitt WR Jonathan Baldwin, DE Jabaal Sheard; Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd, LB Manti Te’o
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Pittsburgh 28
Clemson at North Carolina
-Clemson struggled against a very fast athletic Miami defense last week. Now they get a faster more athletic defense against North Carolina
-Clemson may be Florida State's only challenger in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, but would be hurt by this loss
-North Carolina still looking for consistency on offense but QB TJ Yates is the most improved player in the country
-Clemson defense has some stars to match the hype of the depleted UNC defense.
-UNC safety Da'Norris Searcy returned an interception for a touchdown last week in his return from suspension.
-UNC S Deunta Williams, CB Kendric Burney, CB Charles Brown, DE Robert Quinn, DT Marvin Austin, RB Ryan Houston and WR Greg Little remain on suspension.
Players to watch: Clemson QB Kyle Parker, DE Da’Quan Bowers, DT Jarvis Jenkins, S DeAndre McDaniel; North Carolina LB Bruce Carter, LB Quan Sturdivant, S Da’Norris Searcy
Prediction: North Carolina 28, Clemson 24
Oregon State at Arizona
-Arizona played a very sloppy game against Cal last time out and were lucky to win thanks to big plays from Juron Criner.
-Arizona has shut down good runningbacks Jewel Hampton, Adam Robinson and Shane Vereen. Now they must do the same to Jacquizz Rodgers
-Arizona must avoid this upset at home to keep pace with Oregon for the Rose Bowl
-Oregon State's defense came up big forcing three turnovers, but sacked Steven Threet and forced an interception on Arizona State's last possession of the game.
Players to watch: Oregon State DT Stephen Paea, Arizona QB Nick Foles, WR Juron Criner, CB Trevin Wade
Prediction: Arizona 30, Oregon State 17
San Diego State at BYU
-One team is rising (San Diego State) and the other is very down this year (BYU)
-San Diego State played Missouri tough a couple weeks ago
Players to watch: San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley, DE Ernie Lawson; BYU QB Jake Heaps, CB Brian Logan
Prediction: San Diego State 31, BYU 20
Utah at Iowa State
-Iowa beat Texas tech in a shootout last week
-Utah is back in the Top 10 but I think they're overrated. This will be a tough game for the Utes on the road but they will pull it out.
Players to watch: Utah RB Eddie Wide; Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson
Prediction: Utah 30, Iowa State 23
LSU at Florida
-Florida failed to score a touchdown against Alabama last week for the first time in a long time. I look at the Florida offense and don't think they have what it takes to score against the better SEC defenses, LSU being one of them.
-LSU must, absolutely must, get good quarterback play from Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee to win this game on the road.
-Two of the nation's best cornerbacks go at it in this game.
-Florida is in a down year, I think this game will be a clear indication of that.
Players to watch: LSU CB Patrick Peterson; Florida CB Janoris Jenkins
Prediction: LSU 24, Florida 20
East Carolina at Southern Miss
-Well folks, the Conference-USA is WIDE OPEN. East Carolina is the two-time defending champ. Houston has been the favorite but are now depleted by injuries and suspensions. This leaves the conference open for Southern Miss to take advantage of a golden opportunity, no pun intended. If the Golden Eagles don't capitalize, SMU and Central Florida can take the conference too
-East Carolina has a new Air-Raid but it has struggled against better defenses.
-ECU defense is nothing like it used to be. More points allowed than points scored right now and gave up 40 points or more three times. ECU won't have an answer for SMISS WR DeAndre Brown who finally will have an outstanding game.
Players to watch: ECU QB Dominique Davis, TE Justin Jones; Southern Miss QB Austin Davis, WR DeAndre Brown
Prediction: Southern Miss 34, East Carolina 30
Florida State at Miami
-This could be a preview of the ACC Title Game. As of right now, Clemson is FSU's top challenger and Virginia Tech is Miami's.
-Both these teams are led by good quarterbacks in Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris. Ponder is very smart and has been very good with the ball, while Miami struggles when Harris continues to make mistakes and throw interceptions. FSU pass defense was torched by Florida State but has recovered as of late, but way too many weapons in the Miami passing game, but only if Harris doesn't turn the ball over.
Players to watch: Florida State QB Christian Ponder, CB Greg Reid; Miami QB Jacory Harris, WR Travis Benjamin, WR Leonard Hankerson, WR Aldarius Johnson, LT Orlando Franklin, DE Allen Bailey, CB Brandon Harris, S Ray-Ray Armstrong
Prediction: Miami 31, Florida State 21
USC at Stanford
-USC suffered another loss to Washington in the final seconds last week and what bothered me the most when ESPN zoomed in on the USC sideline and USC all looked like they didn't care. Just because they've been banned from postseason play doesn't mean you shouldn't care whether you win or lose.
-Stanford proved to be too slow for Oregon on defense and Andrew Luck threw a late costly interception
-Stanford won this matchup 55-21 in The Coliseum last year led by Toby Gerhart while Andrew Luck wasn't asked to do much. Now this is Luck's offense.
-Stanford is averaging 44.6 points per game this year, but USC has an explosive offense of its own with a powerful running to go with it. Allen Bradford has regained the starting TB job and ran for 233 yards last week and leads the nation with 9.8 yards per carry.
-Stanford has a solid defense that just missed assignments and wasn't fast enough for Oregon. USC defense still has too many holes.
-Both of these teams are trying to rebound
Players to watch: USC QB Matt Barkley, FB Stanley Havili, DT Jurrell Casey; Stanford QB Andrew Luck, FB/LB Owen Marecic, WR Chris Owusu, RB Stepfan Taylor
Prediction: Stanford 33, USC 24
Due to time restraints. I am done. I have way too much school work I should be doing...
Mississippi State at Houston
-Remember no Case Keenum or Cotton Turner so Houston is playing with third string QB freshman Terrance Broadway. Houston won this game with Keenum last year.
-Also, Houston WR James Cleveland is suspended for this game for violating team rules
Players to watch: Miss St WR Chad Bumphis, Houston LB Marcus McGraw
Prediction: Mississippi State 28, Houston 13
Tulsa at SMU
-SMU QB Kyle Padron made his first career start against Tulsa last year and threw for 354 yards.
-should be another shootout if not for the vast defensive improvements of SMU
Players to watch: Tulsa QB GJ Kinne, WR Damaris Johnson, RB Charles Clay; SMU QB Kyle Padron, WR Aldrick Robinson
Prediction: SMU 44, Tulsa 24
Arizona State at Washington
Players to watch: Arizona State QB Steven Threet, LB Vontaze Burfict; Washington QB Jake Locker, CB Quinton Richardson
Prediction: Arizona State 24, Washington 23
AND FINALLY THE GAME OF THE YEAR (JK)
New Mexico State at New Mexico...Someone has to win.
I'll go with New Mexico.
My Top 25 Predictions
Actual Result in ( )
1. Alabama vs. South Carolina
SCAR 26, ALA 23
2. Ohio State vs. Indiana
OSU 41, IND 17
3. Boise State vs. Toledo
BOISE 56, TOL 9
4. Oregon at Washington State
ORE 48, WSU 13
5. TCU vs. Wyoming
TCU 45, Wyoming 10
6. Nebraska at Kansas State
NEB 31, KSU 17 (Nebraska, 48-13)
7. Oklahoma
8. Auburn at Kentucky
AUB 45, UK 24
9. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
ARK 34, TAMU 20
10. LSU at Florida
LSU 24, FLA 20
11. Utah at Iowa State
UTAH 30, ISU 23
12. Arizona vs. Oregon State
ARI 34, ORST 20
13. Iowa
14. South Carolina vs. Alabama
SCAR 26, ALA 23
15. Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
WIS 38, MIN 21
16. Miami vs. Florida State
MIA 31, FSU 21
17. Florida at LSU
LSU 24, FLA 20
18. Stanford vs. USC
STAN 33, USC 24
19. Michigan State at Michigan
MICH 38, MSU 31
20. Missouri vs. Colorado
MIZZ 30, COL 10
21. Michigan vs. Michigan State
MICH 38, MSU 31
22. Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana
OKST 49, LAL 10
23. USC at Stanford
STAN 33, USC 24
24. Nevada vs. San Jose State (Colin Kaepernick)
NEV 55, SJS 6
25. TEXAS
UPSET PICKS
South Carolina over Alabama
LSU over Florida
Michigan over Michigan State
Baylor over Texas Tech
Tennessee over Georgia
Notre Dame over Pittsburgh
Southern Miss over East Carolina
Clemson over North Carolina
San Diego State over BYU
UPSET ALERT
* = oh so close to picking
Nebraska against Kansas State
Connecticut against Rutgers
Ohio State against Indiana
Penn State against Illinois
Temple against Northern Illinois
Arkansas against Texas A&M
Florida against LSU
Army against Tulane
Utah against Iowa State*
Arizona against Oregon State
Miami against Florida State*
Stanford against USC
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