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.
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