That's right boys and girls. Yesterday, the Fighting Irish offensive unit finally scored a touchdown. Unfortunately, the blog can no longer be based around the Irish touchdown drought. Anyways, on to a quick rundown on some of yesterday's action:
- How about the fake field goal by LSU? Les Miles pulled a Spurrier on Spurrier, and called the fake field goal, which was executed perfectly for a touchdown. If you didn't see it, you need to. All in all, LSU won pretty convincingly, although the score was closer than the game actually was. LSU is the real deal.
- Notre Dame is 0-4. Congratulations. They'll be 0-8. Mark it down. Wow, how would it feel to be 0-8 at Notre Dame? Four games from now, you can ask them.
- Michigan got a big win over Penn State. Frankly, Michigan is much better than they showed the first two weeks, and we all know that. They are still a favorite to win the Big Ten.
- Matthew Stafford and the Georgia Bulldogs handed Mr. Nick Saban his first loss at Alabama. I feel really bad for them. Um, yeah, not really. That was a big win for Georgia though, as they couldn't afford to start 0-2 in the conference.
- How good is the Hawaii offense, you ask? Colt Brennan sat out, and they still won 66-10.
- Memo to Louisville: You don't lose to Syracuse. Brohm almost threw for 600 yards, but the Cardinals lost anyways. Their defense better figure it out.
- So Tennessee beat Arkansas State. Oh well, that's not saying a whole lot.
- Ok answer me this Utah Utes fans: How do you get shutout by UNLV, a week after you beat UCLA 44-6? It's puzzling to me.
- Kentucky got a good win at Arkansas. Is Kentucky for real? At this point, I think you'd have to answer yes to that question.
- And finally, I must bring out my sadness for the Duke Blue Devils. They gave it a good run, but lost at Navy 46-43. Oh the humanity. All I wanted was for them to get a winning streak going. Oh well, so much for that. It's time to start the losing streak again.
That's my main thoughts on yesterday's action. Be back tomorrow with more college football news and stories.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: WEEK 4 PREVIEW
- THE BIG BOYS
No. 1 USC vs. Washington St. (Saturday, 8:00 ET: ABC)
Nebraska fans thought they had serious chance of upsetting the top-ranked Trojans last weekend. Unfortunately for them, the Trojans didn’t miss the bus. USC proved why they are the number one team in the nation, and routed the Huskers. This week, USC hosts Washington State, in what should be another victory for the top-ranked team in the land. Washington State has a solid football team, but doesn’t match up well with USC. It should be a decent game for a while, but look for the Trojans to pull away in the second half.
No. 2 LSU vs. No. 12 South Carolina (Saturday, 3:30 ET: CBS)
The ol’ ball coach has a tough task on his hands this weekend. Spurrier and the Gamecocks head to Baton Rouge to play LSU, in what could be the most exciting game of the weekend. You can bet Spurrier will have a few tricks up his sleeve on Saturday, but Les Miles has his team playing lights out right now. LSU has only allowed seven points in three games up to this point, but I expect South Carolina to put more points than that. This will be a true test for both teams to see where they stand. I’ll take LSU by 10.
No. 3 Florida at Ole Miss (Saturday, 12:30 ET)
If you had questions as to how good Florida was, you got your answer this past weekend, as Tebow and the Gators dominated Tennessee by a score of 59-20. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Urban Meyer’s team put up 50 this week as well. Ole Miss just looked completely out of sync against Vanderbilt last week, and lost 31-17. Right now, the Rebels could be the worst team in the SEC. And that’s not good when you’re facing a team that’s red hot. Gators win this one BIG.
No. 4 Oklahoma at Tulsa (Friday, 7:30 ET: ESPN2)
You know that there are some good teams in college football when Oklahoma is ranked fourth. These guys are loaded with talent, and are beating the teams they are suppose to beat handily. However, call me crazy, but I don’t think this will be an easy game for the Sooners. Tulsa’s not a bad football team folks. If Sam Bradford can continue to play at a high level for Oklahoma, the sky’s the limit for them. Of course I’m taking Oklahoma in this one, but as Mr. Lee Corso says, it will be closer than the experts think.
- HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Michigan St. at Notre Dame (Saturday, 3:30 ET: NBC)
Last year, Notre Dame had a good season. This year, Notre Dame is not having a good season. Honestly folks, I don’t ask for much, and I’m not even a Notre Dame fan. But will they please try to score an offensive touchdown this week? Maybe I was taught wrong, but from what I can remember, you have to score touchdowns to win games. Perhaps that’s why they are 0-3. And quite frankly, they might win this week, but does it really matter? Michigan State struggled against Pittsburgh last week, so I’m not sure what to expect this week. I’ll make a bold prediction though. Notre Dame scores an offensive touchdown. If they do that, I consider the game a success. Even if they get beat 35-7.
Purdue at Minnesota (Saturday, 9:00 ET: ESPN2)
Ok, I’ll start by saying this. I play in this online contest where you pick three underdogs to win their games each week, and it’s based on the point spread. Minnesota was a ten point favorite last week at Florida Atlantic. Thank you odds makers, as I gained ten points in this contest by picking Florida Atlantic. Although the Golden Gophers made a daring comeback, they still lost 42-39. For a Big Ten team to lose games to Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic shows exactly why the Big Ten fans don’t get the respect they want. And well, I guess we don’t even have to mention Michigan’s misstep in week one do we? So, would I pick Minnesota as one of my underdogs this week? Let’s just say this, there’s a better chance of Notre Dame scoring an offensive touchdown than me doing that. Purdue wins easily.
- YOU WANT GOOD FOOTBALL?
No. 20 Texas A&M at Miami (FL) (Thursday, 8:00 ET: ESPN)
This could be a very good college football game, and it gets the main stage being the Thursday night ESPN game. Randy Shannon is in the process of turning the Hurricanes around, and this could be a big win for that program. On the other side, Texas A&M is good, but has still yet to prove themselves. This is a tough game to call, but I’ll go out on a limb and take Miami to pull the upset. But this will definitely be a game you’ll want to watch if you like college football.
No. 21 Kentucky at Arkansas (Saturday, 6:00 ET: ESPN2)
Ok I’ll be completely honest with you. I didn’t think Kentucky had a chance against Louisville. But the Wildcats prove me wrong, and upset the Cardinals. Now onto a team I’m not particularly happy with right now. The Arkansas Razorbacks. One minute, their down 31-10. Then I turn back over, and their up 38-31. Then, they lose in the final seconds, dropping the game to the Tide 41-38. Well that’s just great. Now Nick Saban and Alabama move to number sixteen in the polls. All I wanted was for the Razorbacks to ruin Saban’s SEC home debut in Tuscaloosa. I guess that was asking too much. As for this game, it will be close, and I’ll give Arkansas the edge since they are at home.
No. 10 Penn St. at Michigan (Saturday, 3:30 ET: ABC)
Hooray! Michigan won for the first time in the 2007 season! Wait……what’s that? Oh, dang. Penn State is coming to town. So Michigan’s celebration may be cut short. However, don’t judge this game based on the fact that Michigan is 1-2. They still have a lot of talent. But Penn State is more talented. I want to take Michigan in this game, but then again, I don’t want to look like a fool if they get beat by forty. We don’t really know what to expect until they get out there. In my honest opinion, Michigan keeps it close, but Paterno’s bunch wins by a touchdown or less.
No. 22 Georgia at No. 16 Alabama (Saturday, 7:45 ET: ESPN)
Ok, I won’t express my dislike for Mr. Saban in this section. Maybe. However, I will talk about the hard-nose football game that should take place between these two teams. Georgia still hasn’t proved a whole lot, with their wins coming over Western Carolina and Oklahoma State. Then again, Alabama hasn’t proved a ton either, with wins over Western Carolina, Vanderbilt, and perhaps an overrated Arkansas team. This is a toss-up, but I’ll grudgingly take the Crimson Tide by a field goal. And if I’m right, Alabama probably moves up to number five in the country. If they don’t, Mr. Saban will be angry. And we wouldn’t want to do that now would we?
- GOING UP
Duke at Navy (Saturday, 1:00 ET: CSTV)
In what was likely a game that set football back a couple years, Duke beat Northwestern on Saturday, and no one was more excited than me. Why? Because now Duke can start a new streak. A winning streak! That’s right, I’m taking Duke in the upset this weekend because I want to see them win two in a row. Navy is probably the better team, but with this kind of momentum, Duke could win two or three games this season. Duke 10, Navy 7.
No. 8 Ohio St. at Northwestern (Saturday, 3:30 ET: ESPN)
No, the “Going Up” heading for this section doesn’t refer to Northwestern. It refers to the Buckeyes of Ohio State, who got a big road victory against Washington. Ohio State has done enough to stay in the top ten, and they are playing well right now. The win last weekend makes up for that 20-2 game against Akron. This should be a one-sided affair, with the Buckeyes picking up the victory.
Utah at UNLV (Saturday, 10:00 ET)
Utah goes from UCLA to UNLV. So in my eyes, that means a definite victory. You beat one “initial” team 44-6, then you’ve got to beat another “initial” team the next week. Utah is proving that they can play some football, and are definitely on the way up. For a team that lost their starting quarterback and running back, they look pretty good. Utah wins in Las Vegas by a couple scores.
- GOING DOWN
Arkansas St. at Tennessee (Saturday, 7:00 ET)
The Volunteers could have easily been placed in the “Houston, We Have a Problem” section. However, I decided to save that until next week. Yeah I said it. You know why? Because I’m taking Arkansas State over Tennessee in Knoxville this week. Mark it down. If I’m right, perhaps I’m a genius. If I’m wrong, no one really believed me anyways, so I don’t look like a complete fool. Tennessee has some big problems on defense, and if they’re not cleared up soon, it could be a long season on Rocky Top.
Washington at UCLA (Saturday, 10:15 ET)
Although Washington had a letdown against Ohio State last week, they aren’t on the way down. But UCLA? They are. There’s really no excuse to lose 44-6 to Utah. Especially when you’re ranked in the top 25. But they don’t have to worry about that anymore. They’ve got much bigger problems to deal with this week. If UCLA wins this game, all is well again. But if they lose this game, they will have put themselves in a big hole. I’ll take Washington to win in Pasadena.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma St. (Saturday, 3:30 ET)
Boy, Oklahoma State got trounced. On national television. To Troy. That can’t feel too good, although Troy does have a reputation of beating teams they shouldn’t. But Oklahoma State had a lot of promise heading into the season, but the loss to Georgia in which they were never really in the game, and the loss to Troy which they never really had a chance to win, doesn’t exactly put them in a good place right now. If they can stop Texas Tech’s 85 passing attempts this week, they’ll be in good shape. This is a pick ‘em, and I’ll take Ok St.
SMU at TCU (Saturday, 8:30 ET: CSTV)
I honestly thought TCU would beat Texas a couple weeks ago, but TCU had a letdown and Texas stormed back to win. Then TCU goes out and loses to Air Force last weekend. Things aren’t looking too good right now, but have no fear, SMU is here. TCU should bounce back this week with a win over the Mustangs.
Iowa at No. 9 Wisconsin (Saturday, 8:00 ET: ABC)
Only one question for Iowa, and I’m done. How do you lose to Iowa State? For Iowa, like my good friend Mr. T said in Rocky III, my prediction, is PAIN. Wisconsin wins big.
- OTHERS
Eastern Carolina at #5 West Virginia (Saturday, 12:00 ET: ESPN2)
Should be another victory for the Mountaineers. I still think they are a step behind the top four teams in the country defensively, but their offense can play with anybody.
Georgia Tech at Virginia (Saturday, 12:00 ET: ESPN U)
Should be a good ACC game. I’ll take Ga. Tech to rebound from the loss last week.
Maryland at Wake Forest (Saturday, 3:30 ET: ESPN U)
Another solid ACC game. Wake wins in a close one.
Marshall at Cincinnati (Saturday, 7:30 ET)
Cincinnati is better than you think.
No. 13 Oregon at Stanford (Saturday, 10:00 ET)
Oregon is good. Real good.
Charleston Southern at No. 19 Hawaii (Sunday, 12:05 AM ET)
My prediction: Colt Brennan throws for at least 6 TD’s. And Hawaii wins by at least 50.
That’s all for this week‘s preview. Here’s to a good college football weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
