Unfortunately, I had an extremely busy week so I can only give the good games and not my normal rundown. I will say I was happy with the loss by Oklahoma last week as it helps out Clemson in their improbable run to the National Championship Game.
Keep an eye on the Clemson game, as they always have issues with Georgia Tech. I also think Michigan State keeps the pressure up. They aren't the same team that lost to Notre Dame earlier in the season.
Oh yeah, a big, fat middle finger to Bleacher Report. They keep screwing with my articles and never fix any of the errors they make. I would lace the rest of this with profanity, but I'm better than that. Oh wait, no I'm not. PISS OFF ASS CLOWNS! Anyway, on to the pseudo-Touchdown:
1) No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 8 Kansas State – 3:30 PM on ESPN
2) No. 11 Michigan State at No. 14 Nebraska – 12:00 on ESPN
3) No. 5 Clemson at Georgia Tech – 8:00 PM on ABC
4) No. 6 Stanford at USC – 8:00 PM on ABC
5) No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State – 8:00 PM on ESPN
6) No. 22 Georgia vs. Florida – 3:30 PM on CBS
Extra Point:
Lesson to all NFL and college quarterbacks. When you have only one play left, don't throw it out of bounds or to the underneath receiver and hope for another Music City Miracle. Throw it deep to the endzone and hope for the best. It worked for Michigan State.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 8 College Football Games to Watch
Here we are at Week 8 of the college football season. Of course, that means that the first BCS standings came out last weekend, but we can get into that later. We have a large slate of conference matchups to look into to, so on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State – 8:00 PM on ESPN
For all you Wisconsin fans out there, this game is the first time you can actually see if your team is any good. There is no better way to be tested than on the road, in conference, against a particularly nasty defense.
Wisconsin has been absolutely rolling this year, but you need to take their success with a grain of salt. They have played all but one game at home (neutral field against Northern Illinois) and the only quality opponent was an over-hyped Nebraska team that nearly lost at home to Ohio State.
The Badgers do have all the pieces needed that make a Championship team, but we just don’t know if they are actually that good. I’m a huge fan of Russell Wilson, but his numbers were never anywhere near this good when he was at North Carolina State.
Of course, part of his success has to be all the offensive weapons he has at his disposal. Nick Toon is one of the better receivers in the Big Ten and Montee Ball is the best running back in the conference. That will help out any quarterback, even Dayne Crist.
The Spartans, on the other hand, have had a few challenges this year, losing on the road to Notre Dame, but beating Ohio State in Columbus and defeating Michigan at home last week. What was most impressive was the fact that they made Denard Robinson look bad before knocking him out of the game.
The problem all year for Michigan State has been their offense. Kirk Cousins has been steady, but his success last year was due in part to the running game. The running game had been pretty bad for the Spartans before Edwin Baker blew up for 167 yards against Michigan. When the running game is clicking, Cousins can get comfortable and make the throws he needs.
Part of me wants to pick Wisconsin because of MSU’s offensive struggles and the Badgers stifling defense. However, that defense has not faced any real opponents. Michigan State narrowly edges out Wisconsin at home, probably in the last minute.
2) No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford – 8:00 PM on ABC
Wait a minute; Stanford is actually playing a meaningful game before the November 12th showdown against Oregon? The post-Jake Locker Huskies are surprising a lot of people.
This game is actually hard to judge because Stanford hasn’t faced any competition and Washington has only faced Nebraska on the road (and got beaten). You can say that Stanford has an amazing run defense, but I don’t see guys like Juwan Thompson of Duke or Keola Antolin from Arizona lighting the world on fire.
The Stanford run defense will have its hands full with Chris Polk, one of the best running backs in the Pac-12. He is averaging just over 120 yards a game and helps keep the pressure off of Keith Price. Price has been flying under the radar, but he can easily get into a rhythm and will pick apart a defense if given time.
Everyone knows about Andrew Luck, so it seems like a waste to go over all he has going for him. The one thing that needs to be of concern to the Huskie defense is that he doesn’t turn the ball over (6 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio). If Washington wants to win, they need turnovers. Look for the Cardinals to let Stepfan Taylor run the ball so Washington can’t just play the pass.
I actually think it’ll be closer than the point spread thinks it’ll be. Washington can hang around and frustrate Stanford for most of the game, but I think Luck is just too much to handle. Stanford wins, but people will start to take Washington seriously.
3) No. 20 Auburn at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 on CBS
This game just got a heck of a lot more interesting after three players for LSU got suspended for allegedly testing positive for synthetic pot. Off the subject, but what exactly is synthetic pot and how does it differ from the real thing?
So, LSU is now without superstar Tyrann Mathieu, leading rusher Spencer Ware, and reverse defensive back Tharold Simon. This might be a huge issue if this game was against Alabama, but this is Auburn we are talking about.
I’m not trying to diss Auburn, but quarterback Clint Moseley is getting his first collegiate start against LSU. Ask Jacoby Brissett of Florida and Matt Simms of Tennessee how the experience worked out for them. Of course, those changes were due to injury, not ineptitude of the previous starting quarterback.
Moseley does have one saving grace in running back Michael Dyer. Dyer is one of the better running backs in the SEC and did reasonably well against LSU last year. However, last year the key playmaker was Cam Newton.
Offensively, LSU is going to do what it always does, which is slowly and steadily move the ball. The whole LSU philosophy is to slowly break down the other teams will to compete. Expect Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson to grind it out, play a field position game, and not make any stupid mistakes.
I’m actually surprised that the point spread of 21 is not higher. Auburn is going to make dumb mistakes and they are going to turn the ball over. LSU will capitalize on these mistakes. I don’t think LSU will blow them out, but I don’t think it’ll be as close at the score will suggest.
4) No. 4 Oklahoma State at Missouri – 12:00 PM on FX
I promise that this is going to be the last time that I try and sing the praises of Missouri. But when you’re talking about a tough road game for a highly ranked team, I have to write about it.
Oklahoma State has shown no signs of slowing down all year. Even when Brandon Weeden looked human last week against Texas, the team still scored a bunch of points and gained a bunch of yards. With the passing game faltering, the running game and special teams were able to step up to score points.
We also can’t overlook the Cowboys defense. They aren’t great, but they were able to control the Texas offense enough to give Oklahoma State the victory. You don’t always have to be the best, just good enough.
Missouri has multiple ways to test a defense, but they thrive at running the ball, behind running back Henry Posey and quarterback James Franklin. Franklin is also pretty good throwing the ball too, even if he has been throwing to the other team recently (3 of his 4 interceptions have been in the last two games.
Oklahoma State is going to need Weeden to get back to form in order to win at Missouri. That said, I think he does get back on track. However, Missouri has been able to keep their three losses this season close, including a ten point loss to Oklahoma in Norman. Expect another close one, but the Cowboys pull it out in the end.
5) North Carolina at No. 7 Clemson – 12:00 PM on ESPN
After a close call on the road against Maryland, Clemson gets to go home and face a tough North Carolina team. The last thing UNC needed was for wide receiver Dwight Jones to open his yap and motivate the Tigers.
For those of you who don’t know, when Jones was asked about who the best receiver in the ACC was, he said himself. He then went on to explain that Clemson star receiver Sammy Watkins is just a speedster while Jones has more technique and experience. Way to get off on the right foot.
While I like Watkins, I think we should hold off on the C.J. Spiller comparisons until at least his sophomore year. If he’s still taking kick-off returns the distance and pretty much carrying his team to victory, then we start tossing Spiller’s name around.
Everyone has been talking about the explosive offense of Clemson lead by Tajh Boyd, but Byrn Renner is probably the best quarterback in the ACC. His completion percentage and passer rating are the highest in the conference and he hasn’t thrown an interception in October. It also helps he has one of the better wide receivers in the ACC (the previously mentioned Jones) to throw to.
Renner’s big problem is that he doesn’t get enough time to throw the ball. The offensive line is suspect on pass protection and could be the issue for the Tar Heels’. If Clemson is able to shut down running back Giovanni Bernard, it could be a long game from Renner.
As far as Clemson is concerned, they need to work on the defensive issues from last week’s debacle in Maryland. They should be okay since Renner isn’t a running quarterback like C.J. Brown last week. The Tigers should be fine offensively with Boyd, Watkins, Andre Ellington and Dwayne Allen at their skill positions.
Clemson will be challenged by North Carolina, but I fully expect the Tigers to beat them, so long as they don’t look ahead to the showdown with Georgia Tech next week.
6) USC at Notre Dame – 7:30 on NBC
Remember the 2005 USC/Notre Dame matchup that featured Matt Leinhart and Brady Quinn? It ended up being one of the best college football games I’ve ever seen.
This year, we get Matt Barkley and Tommy Rees battling it out to see who can throw this game away. While the smart money is on Rees, never underestimate Matt Barkley’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Extra Point:
The first BCS standings of the year have come out and you know what that means. We get tons of articles debating and dissecting the standings. I really don’t have too much of an issue with it for right now. Yes, I think Clemson is a little undervalued and Wisconsin and Boise State are a little overrated, but it’s still early.
Right now, I think we can all agree that whichever two teams of the top four go undefeated deserve to play in the National Championship. While I may be a huge Clemson fan, I accept that an undefeated LSU and an undefeated Oklahoma State deserve to play in the National Championship over an undefeated Clemson.
The same goes for Boise State, Wisconsin, and Stanford. While they may not play in the toughest conferences, their out of conferences schedules are laughable. I’m not going to give Wisconsin, with out of conference foes UNLV and South Dakota, a place over LSU, with out of conference games against Oregon and West Virginia.
However, the rankings actually mean very little right now. We know that at least two of the top 4 will have one loss. We also know that college football is a whacky sport and anything and everything is possible. I could see any team in the top ten emerge to play in the National Championship Game and I wouldn’t be surprised.
It’ll get really fun if there are a bunch of one loss teams at the end of the season and see how that plays out. Even though we all like to complain, most of the time the BCS gets the top two teams correct. As much as I would love a playoff, we would then get into arguments about the teams on outside looking in. Of course, it’s not college football without controversy.
1) No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State – 8:00 PM on ESPN
For all you Wisconsin fans out there, this game is the first time you can actually see if your team is any good. There is no better way to be tested than on the road, in conference, against a particularly nasty defense.
Wisconsin has been absolutely rolling this year, but you need to take their success with a grain of salt. They have played all but one game at home (neutral field against Northern Illinois) and the only quality opponent was an over-hyped Nebraska team that nearly lost at home to Ohio State.
The Badgers do have all the pieces needed that make a Championship team, but we just don’t know if they are actually that good. I’m a huge fan of Russell Wilson, but his numbers were never anywhere near this good when he was at North Carolina State.
Of course, part of his success has to be all the offensive weapons he has at his disposal. Nick Toon is one of the better receivers in the Big Ten and Montee Ball is the best running back in the conference. That will help out any quarterback, even Dayne Crist.
The Spartans, on the other hand, have had a few challenges this year, losing on the road to Notre Dame, but beating Ohio State in Columbus and defeating Michigan at home last week. What was most impressive was the fact that they made Denard Robinson look bad before knocking him out of the game.
The problem all year for Michigan State has been their offense. Kirk Cousins has been steady, but his success last year was due in part to the running game. The running game had been pretty bad for the Spartans before Edwin Baker blew up for 167 yards against Michigan. When the running game is clicking, Cousins can get comfortable and make the throws he needs.
Part of me wants to pick Wisconsin because of MSU’s offensive struggles and the Badgers stifling defense. However, that defense has not faced any real opponents. Michigan State narrowly edges out Wisconsin at home, probably in the last minute.
2) No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford – 8:00 PM on ABC
Wait a minute; Stanford is actually playing a meaningful game before the November 12th showdown against Oregon? The post-Jake Locker Huskies are surprising a lot of people.
This game is actually hard to judge because Stanford hasn’t faced any competition and Washington has only faced Nebraska on the road (and got beaten). You can say that Stanford has an amazing run defense, but I don’t see guys like Juwan Thompson of Duke or Keola Antolin from Arizona lighting the world on fire.
The Stanford run defense will have its hands full with Chris Polk, one of the best running backs in the Pac-12. He is averaging just over 120 yards a game and helps keep the pressure off of Keith Price. Price has been flying under the radar, but he can easily get into a rhythm and will pick apart a defense if given time.
Everyone knows about Andrew Luck, so it seems like a waste to go over all he has going for him. The one thing that needs to be of concern to the Huskie defense is that he doesn’t turn the ball over (6 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio). If Washington wants to win, they need turnovers. Look for the Cardinals to let Stepfan Taylor run the ball so Washington can’t just play the pass.
I actually think it’ll be closer than the point spread thinks it’ll be. Washington can hang around and frustrate Stanford for most of the game, but I think Luck is just too much to handle. Stanford wins, but people will start to take Washington seriously.
3) No. 20 Auburn at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 on CBS
This game just got a heck of a lot more interesting after three players for LSU got suspended for allegedly testing positive for synthetic pot. Off the subject, but what exactly is synthetic pot and how does it differ from the real thing?
So, LSU is now without superstar Tyrann Mathieu, leading rusher Spencer Ware, and reverse defensive back Tharold Simon. This might be a huge issue if this game was against Alabama, but this is Auburn we are talking about.
I’m not trying to diss Auburn, but quarterback Clint Moseley is getting his first collegiate start against LSU. Ask Jacoby Brissett of Florida and Matt Simms of Tennessee how the experience worked out for them. Of course, those changes were due to injury, not ineptitude of the previous starting quarterback.
Moseley does have one saving grace in running back Michael Dyer. Dyer is one of the better running backs in the SEC and did reasonably well against LSU last year. However, last year the key playmaker was Cam Newton.
Offensively, LSU is going to do what it always does, which is slowly and steadily move the ball. The whole LSU philosophy is to slowly break down the other teams will to compete. Expect Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson to grind it out, play a field position game, and not make any stupid mistakes.
I’m actually surprised that the point spread of 21 is not higher. Auburn is going to make dumb mistakes and they are going to turn the ball over. LSU will capitalize on these mistakes. I don’t think LSU will blow them out, but I don’t think it’ll be as close at the score will suggest.
4) No. 4 Oklahoma State at Missouri – 12:00 PM on FX
I promise that this is going to be the last time that I try and sing the praises of Missouri. But when you’re talking about a tough road game for a highly ranked team, I have to write about it.
Oklahoma State has shown no signs of slowing down all year. Even when Brandon Weeden looked human last week against Texas, the team still scored a bunch of points and gained a bunch of yards. With the passing game faltering, the running game and special teams were able to step up to score points.
We also can’t overlook the Cowboys defense. They aren’t great, but they were able to control the Texas offense enough to give Oklahoma State the victory. You don’t always have to be the best, just good enough.
Missouri has multiple ways to test a defense, but they thrive at running the ball, behind running back Henry Posey and quarterback James Franklin. Franklin is also pretty good throwing the ball too, even if he has been throwing to the other team recently (3 of his 4 interceptions have been in the last two games.
Oklahoma State is going to need Weeden to get back to form in order to win at Missouri. That said, I think he does get back on track. However, Missouri has been able to keep their three losses this season close, including a ten point loss to Oklahoma in Norman. Expect another close one, but the Cowboys pull it out in the end.
5) North Carolina at No. 7 Clemson – 12:00 PM on ESPN
After a close call on the road against Maryland, Clemson gets to go home and face a tough North Carolina team. The last thing UNC needed was for wide receiver Dwight Jones to open his yap and motivate the Tigers.
For those of you who don’t know, when Jones was asked about who the best receiver in the ACC was, he said himself. He then went on to explain that Clemson star receiver Sammy Watkins is just a speedster while Jones has more technique and experience. Way to get off on the right foot.
While I like Watkins, I think we should hold off on the C.J. Spiller comparisons until at least his sophomore year. If he’s still taking kick-off returns the distance and pretty much carrying his team to victory, then we start tossing Spiller’s name around.
Everyone has been talking about the explosive offense of Clemson lead by Tajh Boyd, but Byrn Renner is probably the best quarterback in the ACC. His completion percentage and passer rating are the highest in the conference and he hasn’t thrown an interception in October. It also helps he has one of the better wide receivers in the ACC (the previously mentioned Jones) to throw to.
Renner’s big problem is that he doesn’t get enough time to throw the ball. The offensive line is suspect on pass protection and could be the issue for the Tar Heels’. If Clemson is able to shut down running back Giovanni Bernard, it could be a long game from Renner.
As far as Clemson is concerned, they need to work on the defensive issues from last week’s debacle in Maryland. They should be okay since Renner isn’t a running quarterback like C.J. Brown last week. The Tigers should be fine offensively with Boyd, Watkins, Andre Ellington and Dwayne Allen at their skill positions.
Clemson will be challenged by North Carolina, but I fully expect the Tigers to beat them, so long as they don’t look ahead to the showdown with Georgia Tech next week.
6) USC at Notre Dame – 7:30 on NBC
Remember the 2005 USC/Notre Dame matchup that featured Matt Leinhart and Brady Quinn? It ended up being one of the best college football games I’ve ever seen.
This year, we get Matt Barkley and Tommy Rees battling it out to see who can throw this game away. While the smart money is on Rees, never underestimate Matt Barkley’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Extra Point:
The first BCS standings of the year have come out and you know what that means. We get tons of articles debating and dissecting the standings. I really don’t have too much of an issue with it for right now. Yes, I think Clemson is a little undervalued and Wisconsin and Boise State are a little overrated, but it’s still early.
Right now, I think we can all agree that whichever two teams of the top four go undefeated deserve to play in the National Championship. While I may be a huge Clemson fan, I accept that an undefeated LSU and an undefeated Oklahoma State deserve to play in the National Championship over an undefeated Clemson.
The same goes for Boise State, Wisconsin, and Stanford. While they may not play in the toughest conferences, their out of conferences schedules are laughable. I’m not going to give Wisconsin, with out of conference foes UNLV and South Dakota, a place over LSU, with out of conference games against Oregon and West Virginia.
However, the rankings actually mean very little right now. We know that at least two of the top 4 will have one loss. We also know that college football is a whacky sport and anything and everything is possible. I could see any team in the top ten emerge to play in the National Championship Game and I wouldn’t be surprised.
It’ll get really fun if there are a bunch of one loss teams at the end of the season and see how that plays out. Even though we all like to complain, most of the time the BCS gets the top two teams correct. As much as I would love a playoff, we would then get into arguments about the teams on outside looking in. Of course, it’s not college football without controversy.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 7 College Football Games to Watch
Welcome to Week 7. Now that I’ve finally gotten used to all the realignment talk and NCAA violations scuttlebutt I hear every day, I know have to be on the look-out for injury updates on players like LaMichael James and Tajh Boyd.
Not only that, but I was shocked by the announcement that Stephen Garcia got booted from South Carolina. Okay, not so much shocked as bewildered. We can talk about Garcia and his issues later. Now, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 11 Michigan at No. 23 Michigan State – 12:00 PM on ESPN
I remember last year’s match-up between Michigan State and Michigan fondly. Everyone was hyping Denard Robinson, then the Spartans smacked him down and everyone realized that he wasn’t that great. The same sort of thing is happening this year.
No doubt about the fact that Robinson is a dynamic player. I like to think of him as a horribly inaccurate version of Clemson’s Tajh Boyd. Thankfully, Michigan doesn’t count on Robinson to have to throw the ball very often. He has only thrown the ball more than 20 times twice this season and has three interceptions in both games. Not good numbers.
However, running the ball, Robinson is one of the best. He is in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing yards per game. He is allusive and speedy. The key to beating Michigan is containing Robinson and making him throw the ball. That is easier said than done.
Michigan State was able to contain Robinson last year and ended up winning. The Spartans defense is just as tough this year as they were last year. It also helps that they are very good at stopping the run. They should get Robinson to turn the ball over; it is just capitalizing on those mistakes that will be the issue.
The Spartans offense hasn’t been that great this year. After a monster year last year, Kirk Cousins hasn’t been that great. He’s been bitten by the interception bug in the last few games, including two in the nail-biter against Ohio State two weeks ago.
The running game for Michigan State has also been woeful. Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker are both better running backs than their numbers suggest. To put it in perspective, Denard Robinson has nearly two hundred more rushing yards on twelve less carries than Bell and Baker combined.
Michigan State is going to want to grind this one out while Michigan is going to want to run all over the field. I think the Michigan State defense is too good to let Robinson control this game. It’ll be close as always, but the Spartans pull it out at home.
2) No. 18 Arizona State at No. 9 Oregon – 10:15 PM on ESPN
Arizona State looks like they have found a way to stop LaMichael James. They let Cal injure his elbow. While there is still doubt on whether James will play, there is no doubt Oregon is still the favorite in this one.
After the loss to LSU to start the season, we haven’t been hearing too much about the Ducks. They have just been going along and steady dismantling teams. With their big playmaker sidelined, look for Kenjon Baker and De’Anthony Thomas to get the ball more. Also, Darron Thomas is going to have to keep doing what he always does, lead the offense and move the ball.
Arizona State has a good offense that relies on the arm of Brock Osweiler. While is touchdown to interception ratio is nearly 2 for 1, he may not have to worry about that. Oregon has been having troubles creating turnovers. He does throw his interceptions in bunches, with all six coming in only three of ASU’s games.
There are only two real ways to beat Oregon. The first is to play a physical, defensive game. This was the type seen by Auburn and LSU. The second is to let it dissolve into a shoot-out and hope for the defense to step up once. The shoot-out strategy hasn’t been successful in the past, but could work this year with the weakened Oregon defense.
Arizona State does not have the ability to play either one of those styles. I like ASU, I think they will be in the Pac 12 Championship Game, but they don’t have the ability this year to hang with either Oregon or Stanford.
The only saving grace for the Sun Devils is that fact that James is probably out. That said, Oregon still have a lot of playmakers on offense. Couple that with the fact that the game is in Oregon and this game is starting to look bad for ASU. I don’t think ASU will get blown away, since Oregon will still be getting used to no LaMichael James. I think the Ducks win by two touchdowns.
3) No. 20 Baylor at No. 21 Texas A&M – 12:00 PM on FX
How do you come back from back-to-back second half gag-jobs against ranked opponents? Barely hold off a third straight second half gag-job on the road, that’s how. Aggie fans had to be a little leery during last weeks Texas Tech/Texas A&M game.
If you like lots and lots of offense and don’t want to be bogged down with pesky things like defense, then this is the game for you.
Baylor has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Robert Griffin III. His completion percentage is over 80 percent, he has 19 passing touchdowns compared to 1 interception, and he is a very good running quarterback.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, is led by the underrated Ryan Tannehill, who has had some issues keeping the ball out of opponent’s hands. Tannehill also has the ability to take off and gain yards with his feet. While his team did choke away two leads, he did take both Oklahoma State and Arkansas to the brink.
The problem with this game is the defense. Texas A&M has a woeful defense, probably the worst in the country. They give up too many yards at the worst possible times. They nearly folded completely against Texas Tech last week. When you are facing a quarterback like Griffin and you want to win, you need to be perfect.
This game will dissolve into a shoot-out quickly. You can expect both teams to move up and down the field with relative ease. However, I have to think that Baylor can make more plays down the stretch to pull this out.
4) No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Texas – 3:30 PM on ABC
Wait, the Texas Longhorns have to face a high octane offensive team from the state of Oklahoma? Didn’t this happen last week?
Anyone who saw the drubbing of Texas last weeks knows the team needs a little help. A good old fashion shoot-out might be just want the doctor ordered. The Longhorns have a good offense, but they are young and are going to make dumb mistakes against quality defenses, as we saw in the Red River Shootout.
The Achilles Heel of Oklahoma State is the defense. It gets overlooked because the Cowboys pour on the points against opponents. The defense gives up, on average, close to 28 points a game. Against a team like Oklahoma, with offensive and defensive balance, this is going to be a huge issue.
Texas, along with a young offensive, has a young and inexperienced defense. A veteran quarterback like Brandon Weeden should be able to pick apart the defense; much like Landry Jones did last week. What Texas needs to do is try and stop the aerial assault, either through tight coverage or a pass rush.
You are going to see a lot of points scored in this game. Texas is going to need a lot of help from its defense if it expects to stay in this game. I think the Cowboys win by at least two touchdowns.
5) No. 19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest – 6:30 PM on ESPN3
Normally, I don’t like to write about or even think about Virginia Tech football. The main reason is they just play an ugly style of football. It’s effective, just not fun to watch. However, I’m here to pump the tires of the flavor of the week: Wake Forest.
Before we start anointing the Demon Deacons the next ACC Champion, let’s first remember that they lost to Syracuse and their victories have not been against quality opponents. Before Seminoles fans start screaming at me, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, FSU is a paper tiger.
Now, it’s not all bad for Wake Forest. They have one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Tanner Price. Price doesn’t turn the ball over and can sling it all over the field. He could use a bit more help from his running game, but Josh Harris has been improving every week.
As for Virginia Tech, before we start saying that Logan Thomas has arrived, remember his career day last week was against Miami. He is still the same quarterback who looked absolutely pathetic against a still improving Clemson defense and on the road against East Carolina.
Thomas is going to have to be the man in this game for the Hokies to win, considering the Demon Deacons are one of the better teams against the run. David Wilson will still get a lot of carries and a fair number of yards, but Virginia Tech cannot count on him to win the game for them.
For Thomas to truly silence the critics, he is going to have to have a good game against Wake Forest. He will pale in comparison to Price, but he cannot simply give up like he did against Clemson. Wake Forest is going to just attack that Hokie defense, continuing to pass all game long hoping something will stick.
Virginia Tech has yet to have a quality road test this year. This will be a close one, but I think Wake Forest can squeeze out a victory at home.
6) Ohio State at No. 16 Illinois – 3:30 PM on ABC
Talk about two teams on different paths. Illinois is undefeated and looking to make serious waves in the Big Ten. Ohio State can’t get out of its own way. The Illini are bowl eligible while the Buckeyes are going to struggle to break .500. Not a fun time to be an Ohio State fan, but finally a reason to cheer as an Illinois fan.
Extra Point:
Last week I wrote about the feel good story of Russell Wilson. Today, I’ll tell you the tale of Stephen Garcia and wasted talent.
It’s not very often that a top 25 team and odds on favorite to win their division boots their starting senior quarterback off the team, but that is exactly what South Carolina did this week. According to sources, Garcia tested positive for marijuana and alcohol. While Garcia is over the age limit for alcohol, he stated he would not to drink as part of an agreement he made with the school following his fifth suspension.
Yes, you read that correct, fifth suspension. He has violated numerous “team rules”, with an incident involving girls in his hotel room after curfew before a bowl game and an incident involving a life skills and leadership seminar. Those were just the recent problems, he had run-ins with the police during his freshman year for public drunkenness, keying a professor’s car, and pulling a fire alarm.
The main problem with Garcia was that it just seemed like he didn’t give a crap about anything. He was given numerous opportunities to succeed and didn’t follow through. Plus, his play was always very erratic. You never knew if you were going to get the guy who beat defending champion Alabama in 2010 or the guy who completed less than 40 percent of his passes and had two interceptions against Auburn in 2011.
It was a running gag for me to mention week after week how bad Garcia was, even calling for his benching before the Auburn game. However, I figured he would be with the team all season. I just figured he was pulling a Jevan Snead, where he just fell to pieces in his final season. Turns out he just couldn’t leave his troubled past behind.
So, Gamecock fans now get to root for Connor Shaw, who so far has been able to stay out of trouble. As for Garcia, he gets to wonder where it all went wrong while trying out for teams in the Arena Football League and the United Football League. After all, he’s going to need beer money.
Not only that, but I was shocked by the announcement that Stephen Garcia got booted from South Carolina. Okay, not so much shocked as bewildered. We can talk about Garcia and his issues later. Now, on to the Touchdown:
1) No. 11 Michigan at No. 23 Michigan State – 12:00 PM on ESPN
I remember last year’s match-up between Michigan State and Michigan fondly. Everyone was hyping Denard Robinson, then the Spartans smacked him down and everyone realized that he wasn’t that great. The same sort of thing is happening this year.
No doubt about the fact that Robinson is a dynamic player. I like to think of him as a horribly inaccurate version of Clemson’s Tajh Boyd. Thankfully, Michigan doesn’t count on Robinson to have to throw the ball very often. He has only thrown the ball more than 20 times twice this season and has three interceptions in both games. Not good numbers.
However, running the ball, Robinson is one of the best. He is in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing yards per game. He is allusive and speedy. The key to beating Michigan is containing Robinson and making him throw the ball. That is easier said than done.
Michigan State was able to contain Robinson last year and ended up winning. The Spartans defense is just as tough this year as they were last year. It also helps that they are very good at stopping the run. They should get Robinson to turn the ball over; it is just capitalizing on those mistakes that will be the issue.
The Spartans offense hasn’t been that great this year. After a monster year last year, Kirk Cousins hasn’t been that great. He’s been bitten by the interception bug in the last few games, including two in the nail-biter against Ohio State two weeks ago.
The running game for Michigan State has also been woeful. Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker are both better running backs than their numbers suggest. To put it in perspective, Denard Robinson has nearly two hundred more rushing yards on twelve less carries than Bell and Baker combined.
Michigan State is going to want to grind this one out while Michigan is going to want to run all over the field. I think the Michigan State defense is too good to let Robinson control this game. It’ll be close as always, but the Spartans pull it out at home.
2) No. 18 Arizona State at No. 9 Oregon – 10:15 PM on ESPN
Arizona State looks like they have found a way to stop LaMichael James. They let Cal injure his elbow. While there is still doubt on whether James will play, there is no doubt Oregon is still the favorite in this one.
After the loss to LSU to start the season, we haven’t been hearing too much about the Ducks. They have just been going along and steady dismantling teams. With their big playmaker sidelined, look for Kenjon Baker and De’Anthony Thomas to get the ball more. Also, Darron Thomas is going to have to keep doing what he always does, lead the offense and move the ball.
Arizona State has a good offense that relies on the arm of Brock Osweiler. While is touchdown to interception ratio is nearly 2 for 1, he may not have to worry about that. Oregon has been having troubles creating turnovers. He does throw his interceptions in bunches, with all six coming in only three of ASU’s games.
There are only two real ways to beat Oregon. The first is to play a physical, defensive game. This was the type seen by Auburn and LSU. The second is to let it dissolve into a shoot-out and hope for the defense to step up once. The shoot-out strategy hasn’t been successful in the past, but could work this year with the weakened Oregon defense.
Arizona State does not have the ability to play either one of those styles. I like ASU, I think they will be in the Pac 12 Championship Game, but they don’t have the ability this year to hang with either Oregon or Stanford.
The only saving grace for the Sun Devils is that fact that James is probably out. That said, Oregon still have a lot of playmakers on offense. Couple that with the fact that the game is in Oregon and this game is starting to look bad for ASU. I don’t think ASU will get blown away, since Oregon will still be getting used to no LaMichael James. I think the Ducks win by two touchdowns.
3) No. 20 Baylor at No. 21 Texas A&M – 12:00 PM on FX
How do you come back from back-to-back second half gag-jobs against ranked opponents? Barely hold off a third straight second half gag-job on the road, that’s how. Aggie fans had to be a little leery during last weeks Texas Tech/Texas A&M game.
If you like lots and lots of offense and don’t want to be bogged down with pesky things like defense, then this is the game for you.
Baylor has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Robert Griffin III. His completion percentage is over 80 percent, he has 19 passing touchdowns compared to 1 interception, and he is a very good running quarterback.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, is led by the underrated Ryan Tannehill, who has had some issues keeping the ball out of opponent’s hands. Tannehill also has the ability to take off and gain yards with his feet. While his team did choke away two leads, he did take both Oklahoma State and Arkansas to the brink.
The problem with this game is the defense. Texas A&M has a woeful defense, probably the worst in the country. They give up too many yards at the worst possible times. They nearly folded completely against Texas Tech last week. When you are facing a quarterback like Griffin and you want to win, you need to be perfect.
This game will dissolve into a shoot-out quickly. You can expect both teams to move up and down the field with relative ease. However, I have to think that Baylor can make more plays down the stretch to pull this out.
4) No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Texas – 3:30 PM on ABC
Wait, the Texas Longhorns have to face a high octane offensive team from the state of Oklahoma? Didn’t this happen last week?
Anyone who saw the drubbing of Texas last weeks knows the team needs a little help. A good old fashion shoot-out might be just want the doctor ordered. The Longhorns have a good offense, but they are young and are going to make dumb mistakes against quality defenses, as we saw in the Red River Shootout.
The Achilles Heel of Oklahoma State is the defense. It gets overlooked because the Cowboys pour on the points against opponents. The defense gives up, on average, close to 28 points a game. Against a team like Oklahoma, with offensive and defensive balance, this is going to be a huge issue.
Texas, along with a young offensive, has a young and inexperienced defense. A veteran quarterback like Brandon Weeden should be able to pick apart the defense; much like Landry Jones did last week. What Texas needs to do is try and stop the aerial assault, either through tight coverage or a pass rush.
You are going to see a lot of points scored in this game. Texas is going to need a lot of help from its defense if it expects to stay in this game. I think the Cowboys win by at least two touchdowns.
5) No. 19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest – 6:30 PM on ESPN3
Normally, I don’t like to write about or even think about Virginia Tech football. The main reason is they just play an ugly style of football. It’s effective, just not fun to watch. However, I’m here to pump the tires of the flavor of the week: Wake Forest.
Before we start anointing the Demon Deacons the next ACC Champion, let’s first remember that they lost to Syracuse and their victories have not been against quality opponents. Before Seminoles fans start screaming at me, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, FSU is a paper tiger.
Now, it’s not all bad for Wake Forest. They have one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Tanner Price. Price doesn’t turn the ball over and can sling it all over the field. He could use a bit more help from his running game, but Josh Harris has been improving every week.
As for Virginia Tech, before we start saying that Logan Thomas has arrived, remember his career day last week was against Miami. He is still the same quarterback who looked absolutely pathetic against a still improving Clemson defense and on the road against East Carolina.
Thomas is going to have to be the man in this game for the Hokies to win, considering the Demon Deacons are one of the better teams against the run. David Wilson will still get a lot of carries and a fair number of yards, but Virginia Tech cannot count on him to win the game for them.
For Thomas to truly silence the critics, he is going to have to have a good game against Wake Forest. He will pale in comparison to Price, but he cannot simply give up like he did against Clemson. Wake Forest is going to just attack that Hokie defense, continuing to pass all game long hoping something will stick.
Virginia Tech has yet to have a quality road test this year. This will be a close one, but I think Wake Forest can squeeze out a victory at home.
6) Ohio State at No. 16 Illinois – 3:30 PM on ABC
Talk about two teams on different paths. Illinois is undefeated and looking to make serious waves in the Big Ten. Ohio State can’t get out of its own way. The Illini are bowl eligible while the Buckeyes are going to struggle to break .500. Not a fun time to be an Ohio State fan, but finally a reason to cheer as an Illinois fan.
Extra Point:
Last week I wrote about the feel good story of Russell Wilson. Today, I’ll tell you the tale of Stephen Garcia and wasted talent.
It’s not very often that a top 25 team and odds on favorite to win their division boots their starting senior quarterback off the team, but that is exactly what South Carolina did this week. According to sources, Garcia tested positive for marijuana and alcohol. While Garcia is over the age limit for alcohol, he stated he would not to drink as part of an agreement he made with the school following his fifth suspension.
Yes, you read that correct, fifth suspension. He has violated numerous “team rules”, with an incident involving girls in his hotel room after curfew before a bowl game and an incident involving a life skills and leadership seminar. Those were just the recent problems, he had run-ins with the police during his freshman year for public drunkenness, keying a professor’s car, and pulling a fire alarm.
The main problem with Garcia was that it just seemed like he didn’t give a crap about anything. He was given numerous opportunities to succeed and didn’t follow through. Plus, his play was always very erratic. You never knew if you were going to get the guy who beat defending champion Alabama in 2010 or the guy who completed less than 40 percent of his passes and had two interceptions against Auburn in 2011.
It was a running gag for me to mention week after week how bad Garcia was, even calling for his benching before the Auburn game. However, I figured he would be with the team all season. I just figured he was pulling a Jevan Snead, where he just fell to pieces in his final season. Turns out he just couldn’t leave his troubled past behind.
So, Gamecock fans now get to root for Connor Shaw, who so far has been able to stay out of trouble. As for Garcia, he gets to wonder where it all went wrong while trying out for teams in the Arena Football League and the United Football League. After all, he’s going to need beer money.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Trent's Touchdown: Six Week 6 College Football Games to Watch
It’s Week 6 of the college football season. Another week, another round of conference realignment talk. Also, another round of suspensions at Ohio State, but we can talk more about that later. Now, on to the touchdown:
1) No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Texas – 12:00 PM on ABC (at Dallas, TX)
Can we have a moment of silence for Garrett Gilbert’s career at the University of Texas? I guess it’s pretty sad when your high point is a four interception performance in the National Championship Game. May he have better luck at SMU or wherever he ends up.
Enough about that, it’s the Red River Shootout! Oklahoma is the overwhelming favorite, but the game will be tougher than it looks. While the rotating quarterback situation is normally a distraction, the two headed monster of Case McCoy and David Ash seem to work well for Texas.
The team has really started to click since the benching of Gilbert during the BYU game. You can expect Texas to attack the Oklahoma defense with a balanced run and pass attack. Defensively, the Longhorns are going to have to slow down the pass attack of Oklahoma and try and create turnovers.
The turnovers should be an issue. While everyone wants to slobber over Landry Jones’ ability to throw, people seem to turn a blind eye to his 2 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. My suggestion would be to go off-script and use Dominique Whaley to soften up the Texas defense, than use Jones to pick apart a defense looking run first.
While I think that Texas is overrated at this point, I think they can pull this off. The simple fact of the matter is that Texas has really seemed to have rallied around McCoy and Ash. Texas is also on a whirlwind tour of beating up on teams they lost to last year. Plus, if college football has taught me anything, it is to never bet against a McCoy.
2) No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas – 7:00 PM on ESPN
The fight for third place in the SEC West heats up! Normally, I wouldn’t put a third place game this high up, but when four teams in one division are in the top 15, you make special exceptions.
While I’m sure all the Auburn fans are celebrating after their team beat South Carolina last week, they shouldn’t break their arms patting the Auburn defense on the back. The Gamecock offense is centered solely on the running of Marcus Lattimore. The Arkansas offense is centered on the arm of Tyler Wilson.
Auburn has a horrible pass defense. Last game they were effective at stopping the pass, but that was against Stephen Garcia, who finally got benched for Connor Shaw. Look at the numbers that Tajh Boyd put up in the loss to Clemson. Tyler Wilson is expected to put up comparable numbers to Boyd.
You have to give Arkansas a lot of credit. They got beat up by Alabama two weeks ago and go down 35-17 at halftime to Texas A&M before storming back to beat the Aggies by 4. While the Arkansas defense has been serviceable, the offense is what really drives the team.
In order for Auburn to win, they are going to need to score early and often and never let up. They are going to need their defense to come up big and make key stops. That is do-able, if this was last year’s Auburn team. It’s not happening this year. Arkansas is going to try to light up Auburn and will, for the most part, succeed.
3) No. 17 Florida at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 PM on CBS
Les Miles recently said that he wants to get Jordan Jefferson more involved in the LSU offense. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. While Jarrett Lee is not exactly Heisman material, he is an effective game manager for this LSU team. By game manager, I mean that he won’t win you any games and he’ll make mistakes, but not enough to have you lose to inferior teams.
This game was a heck of a lot more interesting before John Brantley went down with a leg injury during Florida’s big loss to Alabama last week. Now, the Florida offense is being lead by a freshman quarterback who trouble getting the snap last week. Basically, the Florida offense is going to be about running early and often.
I don’t completely discount the Gator’s ability to move the ball. Charlie Weis has shown the ability to dumb down his offense for a quarterback who is being called on to replace an injured starter (Tom Brady in 2001). However, Weis wasn’t game planning against the LSU defense.
LSU has one of the best defenses in the country. Their specialty is stopping the run. LSU is going to ride this defense for as long as they can. They will win or lose games based on just how well the defense does. The Tigers defense will try and shut down the Gators and give Jarrett Lee (or Jordan Jefferson) good field position when leading the offense.
Add in the fact that this game is being played at LSU and things do not shape up nicely for the Gators. While I don’t think LSU will do all that much offensively, their defense will handle Florida and win the game for the Tigers.
4) Missouri at No. 20 Kansas State – 3:30 PM on ABC
It kind of says something about your team if you’re ranked and playing an unranked opponent at home and the unranked opponent is actually favored to win. Seriously though, the only reason Kansas State is ranked is because they had to be ranked, after beating an overvalued Baylor team.
I wrote a few weeks ago about how Missouri was one of the best two loss teams in the country. Offensively, they have a very potent running attack no matter who is carrying the ball. Not to take anything away from Henry Josey, but if it wasn’t for injuries he wouldn’t be getting the carries he’s getting. James Franklin is one of the more underrated dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, who can light it up on the ground and through the air.
Kansas State is going to try and lean on its defense, like it did against Baylor and Miami. They gave up a lot of yards to those two teams before making big stops late. The Wildcats are going to need luck on their side to stop Missouri.
Kansas State cannot afford to try and match Missouri offensively. I like Collin Klein as much as the next guy, but his passing numbers are nowhere near as good as they have to be. His main skill is running with the ball but he’ll need to throw to win this game.
Missouri has a lot of things going for them at this point. A win against Kansas State will keep them going in the right direction. I think the Tigers get by Kansas State by at least a touchdown.
5) No. 12 Michigan at Northwestern – 7:00 PM on Big Ten Network
I’m still not sure how Michigan is ranked so high. The only challenge they had was Notre Dame and if it wasn’t for poor defense and Tommy Rees, Michigan would have lost that game. Outside of Kansas State, is Michigan the most underwhelming top 25 team?
I never understood the allure of Denard Robinson. I want a Wolverines fan to rationally explain it to me. He is just a horrible passer. He has one skill set, which is running the ball. Don’t get me wrong, he is an exceptional runner, but that’s his whole game. It’s almost like Michigan runs the Wildcat offense on every snap.
As for Northwestern, Dan Persa is finally back from injury and ready to light the Big Ten on fire. There is a question about his ability to run the ball after his Achilles’ injury from last year, but he can still throw the ball. The main problem for Northwestern is the fact that their back-up quarterback is their leading rusher. They need Persa to be able to run the ball so their offense can click.
A lot of people will talk about the highly ranked Michigan defense. Again, I’m not exactly sure why. Their opponents this year have been Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, and Minnesota. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row. Plus, all these games have been at home, a distinct advantage.
In this year’s Big Ten, Michigan is a good team. That just doesn’t translate to actually being a good team against the rest of the country. Northwestern finally got their leader and quarterback back last week and lost on defensive lapses during the final two minutes. I think Northwestern pulls off the upset at home.
6) Ohio State at No. 7 Nebraska – 8:00 PM on ABC
This was supposed to be the game in which Ohio State got back Dan Herron and DeVier Posey. Looks like the NCAA had different ideas. It’s going to be a long month of October for the Buckeyes. Is it wrong that I’m smiling about that?
Extra Point:
I may have had a little fun with Ohio State, but what the heck is going on in Columbus? DeVier Posey and Dan Herron, who just finished a five game suspension for “Tattoo-Gate”, are getting at least one more game tacked on for receiving too much money for too little work for summer jobs.
But fear not, Athletic Director Gene Smith said that there wasn’t a “systemic” problem with Ohio State. He then proceeded to throw everyone but himself and the University under the bus. Is there anyone besides Smith who believes there isn’t a “systemic” problem at Ohio State?
According to Smith, this was about individual failures. Which I might have believed if it had happened to one or two players. However, this has been multiple players with multiple violations that lead to one of the better coaches in college football to have to resign in disgrace. This is an Ohio State failure.
Listen, the issue here is the sense of entitlement these kids feel. Ohio is a severely depressing place, so of course if there are players who make the population as a whole feel just a little bit better about their situation, those players are going to be looked upon as better than everyone else and given special treatment.
Ohio State has done nothing to try and dissuade them of this belief. This was evident after the tattoo incident came to light before the Sugar Bowl last year. Instead of suspending the players involved, the University allowed Tressel to let them play and serve their suspension for the first five games of the following year.
This was a joke, considering Ohio State’s only competition would have been Michigan State during that five game stretch. Basically the school was sending the message that you’ll get suspended if you do something bad, but not for any relevant games.
The University needed to come down hard on these players since they broke the rules, instead of giving them a slap on the wrists. Ohio State felt it was better to win the Sugar Bowl than to enforce the rules. In a cruel bit of karmic payback, Ohio State ended up vacating that Sugar Bowl victory, along with all the other games in the 2010 season. There is no one to blame but themselves.
1) No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Texas – 12:00 PM on ABC (at Dallas, TX)
Can we have a moment of silence for Garrett Gilbert’s career at the University of Texas? I guess it’s pretty sad when your high point is a four interception performance in the National Championship Game. May he have better luck at SMU or wherever he ends up.
Enough about that, it’s the Red River Shootout! Oklahoma is the overwhelming favorite, but the game will be tougher than it looks. While the rotating quarterback situation is normally a distraction, the two headed monster of Case McCoy and David Ash seem to work well for Texas.
The team has really started to click since the benching of Gilbert during the BYU game. You can expect Texas to attack the Oklahoma defense with a balanced run and pass attack. Defensively, the Longhorns are going to have to slow down the pass attack of Oklahoma and try and create turnovers.
The turnovers should be an issue. While everyone wants to slobber over Landry Jones’ ability to throw, people seem to turn a blind eye to his 2 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. My suggestion would be to go off-script and use Dominique Whaley to soften up the Texas defense, than use Jones to pick apart a defense looking run first.
While I think that Texas is overrated at this point, I think they can pull this off. The simple fact of the matter is that Texas has really seemed to have rallied around McCoy and Ash. Texas is also on a whirlwind tour of beating up on teams they lost to last year. Plus, if college football has taught me anything, it is to never bet against a McCoy.
2) No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas – 7:00 PM on ESPN
The fight for third place in the SEC West heats up! Normally, I wouldn’t put a third place game this high up, but when four teams in one division are in the top 15, you make special exceptions.
While I’m sure all the Auburn fans are celebrating after their team beat South Carolina last week, they shouldn’t break their arms patting the Auburn defense on the back. The Gamecock offense is centered solely on the running of Marcus Lattimore. The Arkansas offense is centered on the arm of Tyler Wilson.
Auburn has a horrible pass defense. Last game they were effective at stopping the pass, but that was against Stephen Garcia, who finally got benched for Connor Shaw. Look at the numbers that Tajh Boyd put up in the loss to Clemson. Tyler Wilson is expected to put up comparable numbers to Boyd.
You have to give Arkansas a lot of credit. They got beat up by Alabama two weeks ago and go down 35-17 at halftime to Texas A&M before storming back to beat the Aggies by 4. While the Arkansas defense has been serviceable, the offense is what really drives the team.
In order for Auburn to win, they are going to need to score early and often and never let up. They are going to need their defense to come up big and make key stops. That is do-able, if this was last year’s Auburn team. It’s not happening this year. Arkansas is going to try to light up Auburn and will, for the most part, succeed.
3) No. 17 Florida at No. 1 LSU – 3:30 PM on CBS
Les Miles recently said that he wants to get Jordan Jefferson more involved in the LSU offense. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. While Jarrett Lee is not exactly Heisman material, he is an effective game manager for this LSU team. By game manager, I mean that he won’t win you any games and he’ll make mistakes, but not enough to have you lose to inferior teams.
This game was a heck of a lot more interesting before John Brantley went down with a leg injury during Florida’s big loss to Alabama last week. Now, the Florida offense is being lead by a freshman quarterback who trouble getting the snap last week. Basically, the Florida offense is going to be about running early and often.
I don’t completely discount the Gator’s ability to move the ball. Charlie Weis has shown the ability to dumb down his offense for a quarterback who is being called on to replace an injured starter (Tom Brady in 2001). However, Weis wasn’t game planning against the LSU defense.
LSU has one of the best defenses in the country. Their specialty is stopping the run. LSU is going to ride this defense for as long as they can. They will win or lose games based on just how well the defense does. The Tigers defense will try and shut down the Gators and give Jarrett Lee (or Jordan Jefferson) good field position when leading the offense.
Add in the fact that this game is being played at LSU and things do not shape up nicely for the Gators. While I don’t think LSU will do all that much offensively, their defense will handle Florida and win the game for the Tigers.
4) Missouri at No. 20 Kansas State – 3:30 PM on ABC
It kind of says something about your team if you’re ranked and playing an unranked opponent at home and the unranked opponent is actually favored to win. Seriously though, the only reason Kansas State is ranked is because they had to be ranked, after beating an overvalued Baylor team.
I wrote a few weeks ago about how Missouri was one of the best two loss teams in the country. Offensively, they have a very potent running attack no matter who is carrying the ball. Not to take anything away from Henry Josey, but if it wasn’t for injuries he wouldn’t be getting the carries he’s getting. James Franklin is one of the more underrated dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, who can light it up on the ground and through the air.
Kansas State is going to try and lean on its defense, like it did against Baylor and Miami. They gave up a lot of yards to those two teams before making big stops late. The Wildcats are going to need luck on their side to stop Missouri.
Kansas State cannot afford to try and match Missouri offensively. I like Collin Klein as much as the next guy, but his passing numbers are nowhere near as good as they have to be. His main skill is running with the ball but he’ll need to throw to win this game.
Missouri has a lot of things going for them at this point. A win against Kansas State will keep them going in the right direction. I think the Tigers get by Kansas State by at least a touchdown.
5) No. 12 Michigan at Northwestern – 7:00 PM on Big Ten Network
I’m still not sure how Michigan is ranked so high. The only challenge they had was Notre Dame and if it wasn’t for poor defense and Tommy Rees, Michigan would have lost that game. Outside of Kansas State, is Michigan the most underwhelming top 25 team?
I never understood the allure of Denard Robinson. I want a Wolverines fan to rationally explain it to me. He is just a horrible passer. He has one skill set, which is running the ball. Don’t get me wrong, he is an exceptional runner, but that’s his whole game. It’s almost like Michigan runs the Wildcat offense on every snap.
As for Northwestern, Dan Persa is finally back from injury and ready to light the Big Ten on fire. There is a question about his ability to run the ball after his Achilles’ injury from last year, but he can still throw the ball. The main problem for Northwestern is the fact that their back-up quarterback is their leading rusher. They need Persa to be able to run the ball so their offense can click.
A lot of people will talk about the highly ranked Michigan defense. Again, I’m not exactly sure why. Their opponents this year have been Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, San Diego State, and Minnesota. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row. Plus, all these games have been at home, a distinct advantage.
In this year’s Big Ten, Michigan is a good team. That just doesn’t translate to actually being a good team against the rest of the country. Northwestern finally got their leader and quarterback back last week and lost on defensive lapses during the final two minutes. I think Northwestern pulls off the upset at home.
6) Ohio State at No. 7 Nebraska – 8:00 PM on ABC
This was supposed to be the game in which Ohio State got back Dan Herron and DeVier Posey. Looks like the NCAA had different ideas. It’s going to be a long month of October for the Buckeyes. Is it wrong that I’m smiling about that?
Extra Point:
I may have had a little fun with Ohio State, but what the heck is going on in Columbus? DeVier Posey and Dan Herron, who just finished a five game suspension for “Tattoo-Gate”, are getting at least one more game tacked on for receiving too much money for too little work for summer jobs.
But fear not, Athletic Director Gene Smith said that there wasn’t a “systemic” problem with Ohio State. He then proceeded to throw everyone but himself and the University under the bus. Is there anyone besides Smith who believes there isn’t a “systemic” problem at Ohio State?
According to Smith, this was about individual failures. Which I might have believed if it had happened to one or two players. However, this has been multiple players with multiple violations that lead to one of the better coaches in college football to have to resign in disgrace. This is an Ohio State failure.
Listen, the issue here is the sense of entitlement these kids feel. Ohio is a severely depressing place, so of course if there are players who make the population as a whole feel just a little bit better about their situation, those players are going to be looked upon as better than everyone else and given special treatment.
Ohio State has done nothing to try and dissuade them of this belief. This was evident after the tattoo incident came to light before the Sugar Bowl last year. Instead of suspending the players involved, the University allowed Tressel to let them play and serve their suspension for the first five games of the following year.
This was a joke, considering Ohio State’s only competition would have been Michigan State during that five game stretch. Basically the school was sending the message that you’ll get suspended if you do something bad, but not for any relevant games.
The University needed to come down hard on these players since they broke the rules, instead of giving them a slap on the wrists. Ohio State felt it was better to win the Sugar Bowl than to enforce the rules. In a cruel bit of karmic payback, Ohio State ended up vacating that Sugar Bowl victory, along with all the other games in the 2010 season. There is no one to blame but themselves.
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