So, how great was last weekend?!?!? Miami @ Ohio State...Florida State @ Oklahoma...Penn State @ Alabama...Michigan @ Notre Dame...Oregon @ Tennessee...Georgia @ South Carolina. Some tremendous early season match-ups that made it very difficult to leave the TV set!
Now, look what we have this weekend...a big let down. Sure, there are some interesting and intriguing games (especially the de facto Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge), but we don't have anything close to those major games this weekend and like most of us that are going to have a letdown, there are more than a few teams that better be careful they don't have that same letdown. First, here are a couple of the more interesting games on the docket, with only one game featuring 2 ranked teams:
#12 Arkansas @ Georgia (Noon, ESPN)...GA Tech @ North Carolina (Noon)...#8 Nebraska @ Washington (3:30 pm, ABC)...#10 Florida @ Tennessee (3:30 pm, CBS)...Clemson @ #16 Auburn (7:00 pm, ESPN)...Mississippi State @ #15 LSU (7:00 pm, ESPNU)...#6 Texas @ Texas Tech & Notre Dame @ Michigan State (8:00 pm, ABC)...#9 Iowa @ #24 Arizona (10:30 pm, ESPN)
So, as you can see, some good games, but none that just jump out at you like last week. In addition to the Iowa/Arizona match-up, there are 2 other Big Ten/Pac-10 games: #18 USC @ Minnesota and Arizona State @ #11 Wisconsin. This brings me to the point about some teams that should NOT have letdowns:
1. #18 USC - Yes, Minnesota is coming off a loss to South Dakota. Yes, USC is 2-0. However, they struggled mightily to defeat a not-so-good Virginia team at home. Minnesota is not as bad as they played and this could be close. Not saying Minn will win, but if USC isn't careful, they will not like the flight home.
2. #22 Penn State - They got totally dominated at Alabama (then again, who won't this year). If they are still licking their wounds and feeling sorry for themselves come kick-off on Saturday vs Kent State out of the MAC, they will send the Golden Flashes home with a 'W' and not just a fat check! If not for 5 turnovers mostly caused by their own doing, they would have won in Chestnut Hill, MA over Boston College. Their run defense is pretty strong which could be a key in this game. Be ready Nittany Lions...
3. #8 Nebraska - Sure, the Huskers are 2-0 and have won convincingly...over Western Kentucky and Idaho! Now that they are moving up to the Big Boy games, they better play better. Not that Washington is a football power right now, but you can bet that the support in Seattle will be loud and can make that a tough place to play. I don't thnk the Huskies will beat Nebraska, but it could be a close game depending on how Nebraska approaches the game.
4. Virginia Tech - Wow. They have gone from preseason #10 to not even close to being ranked in 2 weeks. Here come the East Carolina Pirates into Blacksburg, a team that is currently averaging 50 pts/game (vs Tulsa & Memphis). The way I see it, Va Tech can go one of two ways: they will either respond and absolutely maul East Carolina or they will still be wallowing in self pity and struggle in a close game that will go down to the final whistle. There is no question they have the talent, but when you are staring 0-3 in the face, there could be a tendency to tighten up.
5. Florida State - They were clobbered at Oklahoma a week after looking great. I tend to believe the true FSU team is somewhere in between. Into Doak Campbell Stadium comes the BYU Cougars, themselves fresh off a loss at the Air Force Academy. The Cougars are 1-1, with a win at home over Washington and have high hopes for this year. They will fight like animals backed into a corner to avoid a dreaded 1-2 start so the Seminoles better be ready to defend their home turf.
6. #7 Oklahoma - Speaking of both FSU, Air Force and BYU (ironic that the same 4 teams are playing each other the very next week...just need FSU/Air Force & Oklahoma/BYU next week to complete the round robin), the Falcons come flying high into Norman where the Sooners are still high from that convincing mauling of the Seminoles. Air Force has a very unique style of football and can be difficult for teams to defend when they aren't used to it. If Oklahoma players are still patting themselves on the back for last week, they will find themselves right out of the National Championship talk next week.
7. #10 Florida - last week, Florida 38-14 over S. Florida...Tennessee crushed by Oregon at home 48-13. Looks like a mismatch, however if you look at both teams you will see some things that are interesting. Florida hasn't looked very good in either game despite getting the 2 wins. Tennessee played very well for a half or so against Oregon, arguably the most explosive and hard to defend offense in the country. Florida hasn't played anything close to that caliber of team yet. Last week, South Florida rushed for 244 yards vs the Gators...Tennessee is 15th in the country with 257 yds/game on the ground. If the Gators D cannot stop the Tennessee rushing game, they will be in for a very long day and the Vols will wear them down.
8. #11 Wisconsin - Arizona State heads to Camp Randall, bringing with them a very athletic defensive squad. Wisconsin's offensive line is a monster, probably all of them will be in the NFL and it will be interesting to see if they can still create running lanes for Clay and Ball against a faster D-line. This is the first of 3 very tough games for ASU, as they open Pac-10 play next week with Oregon and then travel to #25 Oregon State after that. However, this is their first "real" game so my money is on them bringing their A-game (especially QB Threet who transferred to ASU from Michigan) and will really test the Badgers.
9. #21 West Virginia - On paper, this looks like a mismatch. WVU just too athletic and talented for Maryland, who is still looking to get back to the elite level they got to a few years ago. However, this could be a classic trap game for the Mountaineers. Last week they had an emotional OT victory over Marshall and you can never underestimate an in-state rivalry and all that brings with it. Next week they travel to Baton Rouge to take on #15 LSU. Maryland has played Navy, Morgan State & next week plays Florida Int'l...you tell me what game they had circled on their calendar in the first month. You can bet they will be fired up for this one.
10. #15 LSU - Hard fought, emotional win over #18 UNC to open the year, severe thrashing of Vanderbilt last week, West Virginia comes to town next week. They are feeling pretty good about themselves. In comes Mississippi State, fresh off a tough 17-14 loss to #21 Auburn in a game they could have won. They know starting 0-2 in the SEC would make it impossible for them to reach their goals so they will be extra motivated. LSU can't just rely on their amazing home field advantage vs the Bulldogs who have been rejuvenated under Coach Dan Mullen and are anticipating a return to the Bowl season. They NEED this game...
Others of note: Ole Miss (H vs Vandy - lose this & things get real ugly in Oxford); Syracuse (H vs Maine - tough I-AA team); #20 Michigan (H vs UMass - remember Appalachian State?); Colorado (H vs Hawaii - lose this & when is your next win?); #25 Oregon State (H vs Louisville - better not be looking ahead to next week's trip to Boise State)
Should be another fun weekend of college football despite the lack of marquee match-ups as there are plenty of story lines to be followed.
Here's to your favorite team as you cheer them on!! Enjoy the games everyone!
- The Sports Nut
RIP John Wooden, the greatest coach ever
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