Ok, ok last week was not my best week. Who cares? It’s just fun talking college football..
With that in mind…..
The Heisman Bet Games-
Arizona v (10) USC- OUCH! A bad week can kill a football program… teams now ranked above USC- Boston College, South Florida, South Carolina and Oregon. Yes, Oregon. Wow. Look for the USC machine to get back on track this week, but it probally won’t be a pretty win.
Auburn v Arkansas- ESPN has moved McFadden down to second in Heisman prognostication. The reason? A paltry 4.9 yrds a carry last week. The O-Line for the Razorbacks are going to have to open up some holes and get their blocking assignments right to get it going on. Take Arkansas at home, but watch to see who they turn to as their big play guy. Last week against UC Chatanooga backup RB Jones delivered a bigger punch with less carries. We shall see further developments this week, Auburn will give them all they can handle.
The SEC Games-
(25) Tennessee v Mississippi State- What a win last week over Georgia. Ainge wasn’t perfect, didn’t need to be. The Volunteers ran the ball well. Tennessee needs another win, will their be an emotional hangover? Mississippi State is 1-2 in conference play this year, dont look now, but at home versus an emotionally drained team, they might be able to pull an upset. Tennessee may well fell like a yo-yo entering and exiting the Top 25 poll this year.
(1) LSU v (17) Kentucky- Do not buy the WildcatsAt least not this week anyway. I don’t buy the hype, maybe its their schedule, I don’t know. I just feel they are due for a letdown. And with LSU coming into town this week, it doesn’t make the picture any rosier.
(7) South Carolina v North Carolina- Repeat after me, “Steve Spurrier is a great coach”. Good! Our therapy time is going well this week. Statistically this teams are realitivly even surprisingly, but the stats don’t show how worlds apart these programs are. The Gamecocks will take the win this week, but the question is- will their level of play inspire new believers in this program?
(24) Georgia v Vanderbilt- Will Georgia please make up its mind? They lost to S.C. and Tennessee but won over Alabama? Serisously, they need to be more consistent to justify their case. This is a good week to get some stability in the win collumn, a loss here could kill their chances of staying in the Top 25.
The PAC-10 Games-
What no one saw coming- a chance for someone other than USC to take the PAC-10 crown. Its a long season though- will the Ducks and Cal be able to hold on?
Washington State v (9) Oregon- Autzen stadium is unpredictable this year, but know this- Washington State sucks. Serisouly. And Oregon is top five in Total Yards, Rushing Yards, and Points Scored. This does not bode well for Washington State, who has given up an average of 31 points a game this year.
Oregon State v (2) Cal- The Golden Bears are alot better than their stats, but here is the most compelling one: points per game, Oregon State 26.8, Cal 39.4. Oh and Cal is playing at home. Enough said.
Yeah, I know Arizona State is unbeaten. Im not buying them however, but they should get a win this week.
The Big East Games-
UCF v (5) South Florida- The Bulls lean heavily on their run game and defence, which will play nicely into their hands this week. Look to next week when South Florida takes on Rutgers- we should be able to truly gage them then.
Louisville v (15) Cincinnati- Repeat after me if you have ESPNU, “This looks like a game I just have to see this weekend”. And for the rest of America- well check the scores on ESPN.com frequently, this should be a fun game. Lousiville leads the offensive stats, but both score about the same points per game. Interesting split- Louisville has played tougher opponents, but Cini has is playing at home. I dunno who to pick, but this game will be a good one.
The Big-10 Games-
Kent State v (3) Ohio State- Umm yeah, take take Ohio at home. Tressell will have his boys ready.
(18) Illinois v Iowa- Well… ask yourself.. is Illinois REALLY that good? ESPN notes the Illini have a seven game losing streak against Iowa. Iowa is a one trick pony… Rashard Mendenhall will make a very nice running back for a NFL team someday… but the Hawkeyes have a better passing game, and is playing them at home, which should help keeping them in the game. Look for Iowa to continue the streak, or at least put up a hell of a fight.
The Big-12 Games-
(11) Missouri v (6) Oklahoma- The Sooners are much better, and at home. Don’t look for Missouri to slip to far in the polls though, but this week will not be their best game.
(23) Texas v Iowa State- its hard to make a case for Iowa State to win this game, because they won’t Colt McCoy is struggeling, sure, but a sloppy, unorganized win is still a win. Texas should move up a notch or two in the polls this week.
Other Ranked Teams-
(4) Boston College v Notre Dame- Yikes. What does one think of ND on a week-to-week basis? Personally, I feel the talent is there, but Weis is in way over his head, more due to the culture of ND than his coaching ability. I will take Boston College to win this game, but it will be interesting to see if ND can string back to back wins together.
(12) Virginia Tech v Duke- Football school plays a basketball school… take VT.
Other Games Of Note-
Rutgers v Syracuse- Take Rutgers and look foreward to their matchup with South Florida next week.
Georgia Tech v Miami (FL)- This will be a fun game, I like Georgia Tech to win, they seem to have better quality of developed players. Look for Miami to keep it close early though.
Bowling Green v Miami (OH)- Both teams lack a strong running game, but BGU has a high-octane passing attack which will give Miami headaches.
Fresno State v Idaho- My WAC homers say they Vandals will pull an upset. Yeah, whatever.
And Finally My Boise State Broncos-
Nevada v Boise State- Nevada is tanking this year. Like I opined after last week’s game the level of play in the WAC is disintegrating at a disasterous rate. Programs that were building up, strengthening conference play, have fallen flat. Programs like Nevada, who heads in into this game with a 2-3 record, one of those losses coming from Northwestern. Yikes. That does not bode well for any WAC team’s strength of schedule. Look for Ian Johnson to get his typical 100+ yards with a couple of touches and throw in a Childs td or two for a Boise State win. Oh… and your truly will be there. My sister-in-law rocks.
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