Quick hits edition because I said so.
#1 Michigan 17, Northwestern 3
Another mediocre day by Henne, another good day by Hart, another absolutely motherfucking frightening day by the Michigan defense. Northwestern's leading rusher had 6 yards. A bit more trepidation about the Wolverines against Ohio State than in past weeks, as the loss of Manningham has really hurt the offense. Normally that doesn't matter, as teams need to beat Michigan using the pass and most QBs aren't up to the task, but if anyone is, it'd be Troy Smith.
#2 Ohio State 44, Minnesota 0
Though really, maybe not. In a huge blowout against an awful Minnesota team, Smith only had 183 and a TD. Though he probably didn't need to do any more. Basically, Indiana Game Troy Smith could beat the Michigan defense. This one? Probably not.
Oregon State 33, #3 USC 31
Ironically, USC looked better here than in a lot of their recent wins, mostly thanks to John David Booty's 406 yards and 3 TDs (and 1 INT.) 4 turnovers also killed the Trojans. And, you know, allowing 400 yards. I said I'd believe USC could lose when I see it, and now that I've seen it, I can downgrade them from "title contender" to "really good."
#5 Texas 35, Texas Tech 31
The only TTU line that matters: QB Graham Harrell: 42/62, 519, 3 TD, INT. Colt McCoy probably outperformed him though, matching Harrell in completion percentage (21/31), but throwing for 4 touchdowns and a pick. Texas is in USC territory: vulnerable, but the question is if they'll face anyone who can take advantage.
#6 Florida 21, Georgia 14
UGA held Florida to a relatively low 326 yards, but also turned the ball over 5 times. Whoops. Quite the ugly stat lines all over, except for Gators WR Andre Caldwell's rushing TD and receiving TD.
Virginia Tech 24, #7 Clemson 7
Oof. Clemson just got absolutely dominated by the Virginia Tech defense, only gaining 172 yards. Hokies RB Branden Ore both outgained and outscored Clemson, gaining 203 and scoring 2 TDs. I no longer know what to think in the ACC. The BCS bid will probably go to, like, Maryland.
#8 Auburn 23, Mississippi 17
Rebels QB Brent Schaeffer (8/16, 161, 1/2 TD/INT) had an awful day, as did most of the Ole Miss offense, but surprisingly the game remained close. Even if not statistically. Auburn still fails to impress me, either the stats or the score never really dominate.
#11 Tennessee 31, South Carolina 24
If not for 3 Syvelle Newton picks, the Gamecocks probably win this one. I really want to like you, Vols, just give me something to love.
#12 Notre Dame 38, Navy 14
I have nothing to say outside of over-the-top Notre Dame-bashing making fun of their overratedness.
#14 Arkansas 44, Louisiana-Monroe 10
Arkansas gave up 376 yards, but ULM QB Kinsmon Lancaster also gave up 5 interceptions. Whoops.
#16 Oklahoma 26, #22 Missouri 10
Lots of dissonance between the score and the stats here. Mizzou QB Chase Daniel accounted for most of the Tigers' offense, gaining 359 of their 387 yards and scoring their long TD on the ground. Unfortunately, he also threw 3 picks, which was probably the difference in the game. On the OU side, Paul Thompson only threw for 127, but had 2 touchdowns and no picks. Meanwhile, RB Allen Patrick carried the load and ran it for 162. I'm still unsure of what to make of OU: the offense was efficient, but not overly productive, while the defense gave up a fair amount of yards, but forced 4 turnovers. Who knows. Sigh.
#17 Wisconsin 30, Illinois 24
So, 6 points is the handicap of having Ron Zook as your head coach.
#18 Rutgers 24, Connecticut 13
I give full credit/blame for this on the UConn offense and special teams. Well, the UConn quarterbacks and special teams. The one shining light for either team was backup Huskies RB Donald Brown running for 199 and 2 TD. So there's at least some optimism for UConn's future, as long as we recruit a quarterback.
Oklahoma State 41, #19 Nebraska 29
Pretty even, right down to one missed XP each. Both QBs threw well, Nebraska's slightly more. Both RBs ran well, Nebraska's slightly more. Both top WRs were productive, Nebraska's slightly more. More of an indication that OK State's improved greatly over the year than any great falling off by the Huskers.
#20 Boston College 41, Buffalo 0
Well, they finally got that undisputed, dominating win.
#21 Texas A&M 31, Baylor 21
The Aggies continued their overnight transition to a passing team, led by Stephen McGee's 215 yards and 2 TD through the air, along with 89 on the ground. Baylor looked pretty good, but with QB Shawn Bell being knocked out for the year, there goes the Bears' chance at bowl eligibility.
#24 Georgia Tech 30, Miami 23
Miami's offense has somewhat gotten its shit together, although it was mostly the two-man operation of QB Kyle Wright (246, TD, INT) and RB Javarris James (19 car, 133). GT was better though, as the Good Reggie Ball (188, 2 TD) showed up, and actually remembered to throw to Calvin Johnson. There's still some hope for Miami, although the fact that that now means "bowl eligibility" is pretty sad. I guess GT is now the default best team in the conference?
#25 Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 14
Jake Christensen (19/30, 256, 2/1 TD/INT) is a much better emergency QB than Jason Manson.
BYU 33, Air Force 14
Pretty one-sided. At least one thing is clear in the MWC: BYU's the top team. Now watch them lose next week.
Arizona State 26, Washington 23 (OT)
An actual good game (16/22, 170, 2 TD) for Rudy Carpenter! Washington? Meh. Running game seems decent, but with Stanback out, they probably won't have the QB consistency to regain their former form.
Tulane 42, Army 28
Tulane QB Lester Ricard's performance is worth noting: 33/43, 409 yards, 3 TD.
Temple 28, Bowling Green 14
=-O.
Vanderbilt 45, Duke 28
Vandy QB Chris Nickson could be a good one, and this could be the first of many great performances: 14/24, 250, 2 TD passing, 150 and 3 TD rushing.
East Carolina 20, Southern Miss 17 (OT)
USM only gained 180 yards. No offense, but that's almost, like, no offense.
Maryland 27, Florida State 24
And the Seminoles outgained UMD by 190 yards. I give up.
Indiana 46, Michigan State 21
And not even that close. Hoosiers QB Kellen Lewis: 15/26, 261 yards, 5/1 TD/INT. Yes, 5 touchdowns. Jeez.
Cal Poly 16, San Diego State 14
Well, that optimism for the Aztecs didn't last long.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Week 10 Rundown: Tuesday and Wednesday
Probably won't be able to do much work on the blog until Wednesday night, thanks to real life and all, so I'll do these quick and probably do all my week 9 recap stuff (perhaps abbreviated) and top 25 then.
TUESDAY
7:30 PM
UAB (3-5) @ SMU (4-4)
SMU's been the more impressive team, basically by beating Marshall, and they're at home. C-USA parity abounds, though.
My Pick: SMU
Confidence (out of 5): 1
Fresno State (1-6) @ #somewhere in the mid-teens Boise State (8-0)
Fresno's been too bad for too long this year to not bounce back, so there would usually be a chance for them to pull off the upset here. But, whoops, game's at Boise, where the Broncos are unstoppable.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 3
TUESDAY
7:30 PM
UAB (3-5) @ SMU (4-4)
SMU's been the more impressive team, basically by beating Marshall, and they're at home. C-USA parity abounds, though.
My Pick: SMU
Confidence (out of 5): 1
Fresno State (1-6) @ #somewhere in the mid-teens Boise State (8-0)
Fresno's been too bad for too long this year to not bounce back, so there would usually be a chance for them to pull off the upset here. But, whoops, game's at Boise, where the Broncos are unstoppable.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 3
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Week 9 Rundown: Saturday and Sunday
SATURDAY
12:00 PM
Northwestern (2-6) @ #1 Michigan (8-0)
Come on now. Northwestern couldn't beat Michigan STATE. With a 35 point lead. Then again, stranger things have happened. No they haven't.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence (out of 5): 5
#12 Notre Dame (6-1) @ Navy (5-2)
Sigh. Navy could've had a chance with QB Brian Hampton, but given how bad they looked without him against Rutgers...
My Pick: Notre Dame
Confidence: 4
#16 Oklahoma (5-2) @ #22 Missouri (7-1)
I really have no fucking clue. It really depends on if Oklahoma's defense is now legitimately good, or just happened to play Colorado. Since they kind of stopped Texas, I'll lean towards the former. However, even then, Missouri still has a chance. So, let's do some fun math here. If OU's defense is legit, OU has an 80% chance of winning. If it isn't, Missouri probably has a 95% or so chance of winning. And those averages equal...
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 1
Illinois (2-6) @ #17 Wisconsin (7-1)
Illinois has fallen back to earth, and even if they returned to a better form, the Wisconsin defense would probably shut them down.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 3
Northern Illinois (5-3) @ #25 Iowa (5-3)
Iowa probably isn't that great, but NIU hasn't done much of anything this year. Well, outside of Garrett Wolfe, but even he's been shut down the last two weeks. Wolfe may return to form, but even so, I doubt the upset will happen.
My Pick: Iowa
Confidence: 3
Syracuse (3-5) @ Cincinnati (4-4)
Boring, mediocre teams. I can't even make fun of Syracuse's lack of offense anymore, really. The push that is double apathy goes to the home team.
My Pick: Cincinnati
Confidence: 1
Michigan State (4-4) @ Indiana (4-4)
Michigan State should win this easily based on talent. And lose this horrible based on coaching. The Spartans were down 35 to Northwestern and all, and probably got lucky (you think?) to beat the Wildcats. And Indiana, oddly, is much better than Northwestern.
My Pick: Indiana
Confidence: 1
NC State (3-4) @ Virginia (3-5)
Virginia's win over UNC means nothing. The momentum of NCSU's quarterback change seems pretty much lost, but they're still facing the Cavaliers, who are the worst team in the ACC who doesn't have a legendary basketball coach.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
Penn State (5-3) @ Purdue (5-3)
Purdue's all high-powered offense, no-powered defense. Hey, maybe the offense is powered on the defense's suffering! Anyway, that Purdue high-powered offense has been getting shut down lately. Whoops!
My Pick: Penn State
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
#8 Auburn (7-1) @ Mississippi (2-6)
Ole Miss is awful. Auburn can be inconsistent, but this is one of those times where it doesn't matter.
My Pick: Auburn
Confidence: 4
1:00 PM
Buffalo (1-6) @ #20 Boston College (6-1)
Finally, BC will get that unquestioned, dominating win.
My Pick: Boston College
Confidence: 5
Bowling Green (4-4) @ Temple (0-8)
I've run out of things to say about how bad Temple is.
My Pick: Bowling Green
Confidence: 4
Vanderbilt (3-5) @ Duke (0-7)
Duke gave Miami a go, so there's actually hope. Still, Vanderbilt actually beat their overrated conference rival.
My Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 2
2:00 PM
BYU (5-2) @ Air Force (3-3)
This looked to be a clash between two MWC undefeateds. Then Air Force lost to conference bottomfeeder San Diego State. Whoops!
My Pick: BYU
Confidence: 2
Army (3-5) @ Tulane (2-5)
Both teams have pretty much been competitive against teams around their own level. Neither's really better than the other, so push goes to home team.
My Pick: Tulane
Confidence: 1
Ball State (2-6) @ Miami of Ohio (1-7)
Miami of Ohio has only beaten Buffalo, but only by a TD. Ball State clearly seems to be the better team, despite their lack of secondary. But neither are any good.
My Pick: Ball State
Confidence: 1
Colorado (1-7) @ Kansas (3-5)
Kansas has been disappointing. But Colorado sucks.
My Pick: Kansas
Confidence: 2
Ohio (5-3) @ Kent State (5-2)
Wow, this is the big MAC showdown for the year. Ohio's been riding a wave of momentum, but so has Kent, and the Golden Flashes' offense has looked better. Plus they're at home!
My Pick: Kent State
Confidence: 2
2:30 PM
Kentucky (3-4) @ Mississippi State (2-6)
Mississippi State suddenly found their offense against the UGA defense of all teams. Kentucky's been inconsistent, but I figure MSU's probably falling back to earth.
My Pick: Kentucky
Confidence: 1
3:00 PM
Florida International (0-7) @ Alabama (5-3)
Yep.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 5
3:30 PM
Minnesota (3-5) @ #2 Ohio State (8-0)
Minnesota's probably the worst team in the Big Ten. Uh oh.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence: 4
#3 USC (6-0) @ Oregon State (4-3)
OSU might be without star RB Yvenson Bernard. They probably didn't have a chance with him.
My Pick: USC
Confidence: 4
Georgia (6-2) @ #6 Florida (6-1)
Mississippi State's performance last week pretty much cements that Georgia's defense isn't that great. So...then what DO they have? (A loss.)
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 3
#19 Nebraska (6-2) @ Oklahoma State (4-3)
OK State seems to be much better than expected this year. Nebraska looked great losing close to Texas, but part of me wonders if they've exhausted themselves. The OSU offense can put up a big game, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them put up a bunch of points and pull off the upset. I won't pick it, though.
My Pick: Nebraska
Confidence: 1
Miami (5-2) @ #24 Georgia Tech (5-2)
Miami's...pretty awful, actually. How the heck are they 5-2? Anyway, this could get ugly if someone on the GT coaching staff realizes Calvin Johnson is on their team. And it could get ugly even if they don't.
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Confidence: 2
Central Florida (2-5) @ Houston (5-3)
Yeah, UCF's fallen back to earth this season. Houston's inconsistent, but one of the better teams in the C-USA.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 3
Eastern Michigan (1-6) @ Western Michigan (5-2)
Oh Eastern, you poor, poor, inferior directional Michigan. Since this is a rivalry game and all, EMU may show up to play, so there is a chance of the upset, but ehhhh I doubt it.
My Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 2
Wake Forest (6-1) @ North Carolina (1-6)
I don't really buy Wake, but UNC's basketball team may be better than their football team. Well, at football. At basketball too, obviously.
My Pick: Wake Forest
Confidence: 4
North Texas (2-5) @ Troy (2-4)
Neither team has looked good in their Sun Belt games. Troy almost upset FSU that one week, and hey, they're at home! But in general, hooray Sun Belt parity.
My Pick: Troy
Confidence: 1
3:35 PM
Iowa State (3-5) @ Kansas State (4-4)
Bleh. ISU's inconsistent, but KSU's first impression of almost losing to Illinois State still sticks in my brain. In Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe I trust. For the time being.
My Pick: Iowa State
Confidence: 1
4:00 PM
Arkansas State (5-2) @ Florida Atlantic (2-5)
ASU or MTSU is the class of the Sun Belt. Arkansas State's running offense is EASILY the class of the Sun Belt, though. Florida Atlantic...is bad. Usually caveats about Sun Belt parity apply.
My Pick: Arkansas State
Confidence: 2
New Mexico State (2-5) @ Nevada (4-3)
WACKY PASSTASTIC NMSU OFFENSE! That can only beat I-AA teams.
My Pick: Nevada
Confidence: 3
UNLV (1-6) @ Utah (4-4)
Utes, quite inconsistent. UNLV, quite...a year away from being good.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 2
4:30 PM
Memphis (1-6) @ Marshall (2-5)
Marshall looked bad to start the year and has built their way up to mediocre (with a scary running back.) Memphis looked mediocre and built their way...up? to just bad.
My Pick: Marshall
Confidence: 2
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee State (4-3) @ Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2)
Oh, wait, I forgot about ULL. They're probably the class of the Sun Belt. MTSU's one of the better SBC teams, but the Ragin' Cajuns seem to be the most consistently good team in the conference. And hell, they beat Houston!
My Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Confidence: 2
5:30 PM
New Mexico (4-4) @ Colorado State (4-3)
Oh damn you, MWC parity. UNM has looked pretty good since losing to Portland State, while CSU was consistently slightly above average until Wyoming killed them this past week. I'll go with the team that's been better lately, but they're probably about even.
My Pick: New Mexico
Confidence: 1
6:00 PM
Louisiana Tech (2-5) @ San Jose State (4-2)
If SJSU's streak of good games was a fluke, they could lose here. It probably isn't, and hell, even if it is, they could still win.
My Pick: San Jose State
Confidence: 3
7:00 PM
#5 Texas (7-1) @ Texas Tech (5-3)
Texas Tech can always pull off the upset, obviously, because of that offense. But they've beaten themselves against inferior defenses.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 2
Louisiana-Monroe (1-6) @ #14 Arkansas (6-1)
Hell of a non-conference schedule, there, Arkansas.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 5
Portland State @ #23 Oregon (5-2)
Hell of a non-conference schedule, there, Oregon.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 5
Akron (3-4) @ Toledo (2-6)
Oh, Toledo, why are you so bad this year. Akron's been disappointing too, but hell, at least they beat NC State.
My Pick: Akron
Confidence: 2
Arizona State (4-3) @ Washington (4-4)
Washington had the disappointing loss to Oregon State. Arizona State had the disappointing seven games before this one.
My Pick: Washington
Confidence: 2
Florida State (4-3) @ Maryland (5-2)
FSU began to get things together near the end of that BC game. The Seminoles could have cause to worry if they face a team who has beaten anyone. However, Maryland is not in that category.
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 2
Washington State (5-3) @ UCLA (4-3)
UCLA hanging in there with Notre Dame says more about Notre Dame being overrated than UCLA being, well, worth anything now that they don't have a quarterback.
My Pick: Washington State
Confidence: 2
7:05 PM
#21 Texas A&M (7-1) @ Baylor (4-4)
Baylor? Pretty decent. A&M's looked vulnerable at times, with last week's OK State game being one of those, but the Aggies will probably beat Baylor on the ground. Maybe even through the air, although Baylor is a pretty good passing team. At any rate, there's a chance for an upset, but not as big of a chance as for an Aggie win.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 2
7:30 PM
East Carolina (3-4) @ Southern Miss (4-3)
USM's one of the better C-USA teams, and they're at home. ECU is decent, but the Golden Eagle defense could easily shut the Pirates down.
My Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 2
Wyoming (4-4) @ TCU (4-2)
Wow, TCU's 0-2 in the MWC. Wyoming had the big Colorado State win, but talentwise, TCU is in the much highter tier of Mountain West teams. The Horned Frogs should win here, and if they don't, the season's probably a lost cause.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#11 Tennessee (6-1) @ South Carolina (5-2)
Tennessee's looked vulnerable, and is still coasting off that Cal win. South Carolina's been improved lately. It's at South Carolina. And I ain't pickin' against Spurrier.
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 1
8:00 PM
Cal Poly @ San Diego State (1-5)
Helluva night game.
My Pick: San Diego State
Confidence: 4
SUNDAY
12:05 AM
Idaho (4-4) @ Hawaii (5-2)
Idaho's way improved, and probably the #4 or so team in the WAC (#5 if Fresno gets their act together.) But I doubt they can stop of catch up with that wacky Hawaii pass offense.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 3
8:00 PM
Connecticut (3-4) @ #18 Rutgers (7-0)
UConn was able to mostly quiet Slaton and White, but they run outside and down the sidelines. From what I've seen of Rutgers, they run it down the middle. Like Navy. Who ran for 501 against the Huskies. At UConn. Uh oh.
My Pick: Rutgers
Confidence: 3
12:00 PM
Northwestern (2-6) @ #1 Michigan (8-0)
Come on now. Northwestern couldn't beat Michigan STATE. With a 35 point lead. Then again, stranger things have happened. No they haven't.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence (out of 5): 5
#12 Notre Dame (6-1) @ Navy (5-2)
Sigh. Navy could've had a chance with QB Brian Hampton, but given how bad they looked without him against Rutgers...
My Pick: Notre Dame
Confidence: 4
#16 Oklahoma (5-2) @ #22 Missouri (7-1)
I really have no fucking clue. It really depends on if Oklahoma's defense is now legitimately good, or just happened to play Colorado. Since they kind of stopped Texas, I'll lean towards the former. However, even then, Missouri still has a chance. So, let's do some fun math here. If OU's defense is legit, OU has an 80% chance of winning. If it isn't, Missouri probably has a 95% or so chance of winning. And those averages equal...
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 1
Illinois (2-6) @ #17 Wisconsin (7-1)
Illinois has fallen back to earth, and even if they returned to a better form, the Wisconsin defense would probably shut them down.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 3
Northern Illinois (5-3) @ #25 Iowa (5-3)
Iowa probably isn't that great, but NIU hasn't done much of anything this year. Well, outside of Garrett Wolfe, but even he's been shut down the last two weeks. Wolfe may return to form, but even so, I doubt the upset will happen.
My Pick: Iowa
Confidence: 3
Syracuse (3-5) @ Cincinnati (4-4)
Boring, mediocre teams. I can't even make fun of Syracuse's lack of offense anymore, really. The push that is double apathy goes to the home team.
My Pick: Cincinnati
Confidence: 1
Michigan State (4-4) @ Indiana (4-4)
Michigan State should win this easily based on talent. And lose this horrible based on coaching. The Spartans were down 35 to Northwestern and all, and probably got lucky (you think?) to beat the Wildcats. And Indiana, oddly, is much better than Northwestern.
My Pick: Indiana
Confidence: 1
NC State (3-4) @ Virginia (3-5)
Virginia's win over UNC means nothing. The momentum of NCSU's quarterback change seems pretty much lost, but they're still facing the Cavaliers, who are the worst team in the ACC who doesn't have a legendary basketball coach.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
Penn State (5-3) @ Purdue (5-3)
Purdue's all high-powered offense, no-powered defense. Hey, maybe the offense is powered on the defense's suffering! Anyway, that Purdue high-powered offense has been getting shut down lately. Whoops!
My Pick: Penn State
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
#8 Auburn (7-1) @ Mississippi (2-6)
Ole Miss is awful. Auburn can be inconsistent, but this is one of those times where it doesn't matter.
My Pick: Auburn
Confidence: 4
1:00 PM
Buffalo (1-6) @ #20 Boston College (6-1)
Finally, BC will get that unquestioned, dominating win.
My Pick: Boston College
Confidence: 5
Bowling Green (4-4) @ Temple (0-8)
I've run out of things to say about how bad Temple is.
My Pick: Bowling Green
Confidence: 4
Vanderbilt (3-5) @ Duke (0-7)
Duke gave Miami a go, so there's actually hope. Still, Vanderbilt actually beat their overrated conference rival.
My Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 2
2:00 PM
BYU (5-2) @ Air Force (3-3)
This looked to be a clash between two MWC undefeateds. Then Air Force lost to conference bottomfeeder San Diego State. Whoops!
My Pick: BYU
Confidence: 2
Army (3-5) @ Tulane (2-5)
Both teams have pretty much been competitive against teams around their own level. Neither's really better than the other, so push goes to home team.
My Pick: Tulane
Confidence: 1
Ball State (2-6) @ Miami of Ohio (1-7)
Miami of Ohio has only beaten Buffalo, but only by a TD. Ball State clearly seems to be the better team, despite their lack of secondary. But neither are any good.
My Pick: Ball State
Confidence: 1
Colorado (1-7) @ Kansas (3-5)
Kansas has been disappointing. But Colorado sucks.
My Pick: Kansas
Confidence: 2
Ohio (5-3) @ Kent State (5-2)
Wow, this is the big MAC showdown for the year. Ohio's been riding a wave of momentum, but so has Kent, and the Golden Flashes' offense has looked better. Plus they're at home!
My Pick: Kent State
Confidence: 2
2:30 PM
Kentucky (3-4) @ Mississippi State (2-6)
Mississippi State suddenly found their offense against the UGA defense of all teams. Kentucky's been inconsistent, but I figure MSU's probably falling back to earth.
My Pick: Kentucky
Confidence: 1
3:00 PM
Florida International (0-7) @ Alabama (5-3)
Yep.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 5
3:30 PM
Minnesota (3-5) @ #2 Ohio State (8-0)
Minnesota's probably the worst team in the Big Ten. Uh oh.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence: 4
#3 USC (6-0) @ Oregon State (4-3)
OSU might be without star RB Yvenson Bernard. They probably didn't have a chance with him.
My Pick: USC
Confidence: 4
Georgia (6-2) @ #6 Florida (6-1)
Mississippi State's performance last week pretty much cements that Georgia's defense isn't that great. So...then what DO they have? (A loss.)
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 3
#19 Nebraska (6-2) @ Oklahoma State (4-3)
OK State seems to be much better than expected this year. Nebraska looked great losing close to Texas, but part of me wonders if they've exhausted themselves. The OSU offense can put up a big game, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them put up a bunch of points and pull off the upset. I won't pick it, though.
My Pick: Nebraska
Confidence: 1
Miami (5-2) @ #24 Georgia Tech (5-2)
Miami's...pretty awful, actually. How the heck are they 5-2? Anyway, this could get ugly if someone on the GT coaching staff realizes Calvin Johnson is on their team. And it could get ugly even if they don't.
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Confidence: 2
Central Florida (2-5) @ Houston (5-3)
Yeah, UCF's fallen back to earth this season. Houston's inconsistent, but one of the better teams in the C-USA.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 3
Eastern Michigan (1-6) @ Western Michigan (5-2)
Oh Eastern, you poor, poor, inferior directional Michigan. Since this is a rivalry game and all, EMU may show up to play, so there is a chance of the upset, but ehhhh I doubt it.
My Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 2
Wake Forest (6-1) @ North Carolina (1-6)
I don't really buy Wake, but UNC's basketball team may be better than their football team. Well, at football. At basketball too, obviously.
My Pick: Wake Forest
Confidence: 4
North Texas (2-5) @ Troy (2-4)
Neither team has looked good in their Sun Belt games. Troy almost upset FSU that one week, and hey, they're at home! But in general, hooray Sun Belt parity.
My Pick: Troy
Confidence: 1
3:35 PM
Iowa State (3-5) @ Kansas State (4-4)
Bleh. ISU's inconsistent, but KSU's first impression of almost losing to Illinois State still sticks in my brain. In Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe I trust. For the time being.
My Pick: Iowa State
Confidence: 1
4:00 PM
Arkansas State (5-2) @ Florida Atlantic (2-5)
ASU or MTSU is the class of the Sun Belt. Arkansas State's running offense is EASILY the class of the Sun Belt, though. Florida Atlantic...is bad. Usually caveats about Sun Belt parity apply.
My Pick: Arkansas State
Confidence: 2
New Mexico State (2-5) @ Nevada (4-3)
WACKY PASSTASTIC NMSU OFFENSE! That can only beat I-AA teams.
My Pick: Nevada
Confidence: 3
UNLV (1-6) @ Utah (4-4)
Utes, quite inconsistent. UNLV, quite...a year away from being good.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 2
4:30 PM
Memphis (1-6) @ Marshall (2-5)
Marshall looked bad to start the year and has built their way up to mediocre (with a scary running back.) Memphis looked mediocre and built their way...up? to just bad.
My Pick: Marshall
Confidence: 2
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee State (4-3) @ Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2)
Oh, wait, I forgot about ULL. They're probably the class of the Sun Belt. MTSU's one of the better SBC teams, but the Ragin' Cajuns seem to be the most consistently good team in the conference. And hell, they beat Houston!
My Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Confidence: 2
5:30 PM
New Mexico (4-4) @ Colorado State (4-3)
Oh damn you, MWC parity. UNM has looked pretty good since losing to Portland State, while CSU was consistently slightly above average until Wyoming killed them this past week. I'll go with the team that's been better lately, but they're probably about even.
My Pick: New Mexico
Confidence: 1
6:00 PM
Louisiana Tech (2-5) @ San Jose State (4-2)
If SJSU's streak of good games was a fluke, they could lose here. It probably isn't, and hell, even if it is, they could still win.
My Pick: San Jose State
Confidence: 3
7:00 PM
#5 Texas (7-1) @ Texas Tech (5-3)
Texas Tech can always pull off the upset, obviously, because of that offense. But they've beaten themselves against inferior defenses.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 2
Louisiana-Monroe (1-6) @ #14 Arkansas (6-1)
Hell of a non-conference schedule, there, Arkansas.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 5
Portland State @ #23 Oregon (5-2)
Hell of a non-conference schedule, there, Oregon.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 5
Akron (3-4) @ Toledo (2-6)
Oh, Toledo, why are you so bad this year. Akron's been disappointing too, but hell, at least they beat NC State.
My Pick: Akron
Confidence: 2
Arizona State (4-3) @ Washington (4-4)
Washington had the disappointing loss to Oregon State. Arizona State had the disappointing seven games before this one.
My Pick: Washington
Confidence: 2
Florida State (4-3) @ Maryland (5-2)
FSU began to get things together near the end of that BC game. The Seminoles could have cause to worry if they face a team who has beaten anyone. However, Maryland is not in that category.
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 2
Washington State (5-3) @ UCLA (4-3)
UCLA hanging in there with Notre Dame says more about Notre Dame being overrated than UCLA being, well, worth anything now that they don't have a quarterback.
My Pick: Washington State
Confidence: 2
7:05 PM
#21 Texas A&M (7-1) @ Baylor (4-4)
Baylor? Pretty decent. A&M's looked vulnerable at times, with last week's OK State game being one of those, but the Aggies will probably beat Baylor on the ground. Maybe even through the air, although Baylor is a pretty good passing team. At any rate, there's a chance for an upset, but not as big of a chance as for an Aggie win.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 2
7:30 PM
East Carolina (3-4) @ Southern Miss (4-3)
USM's one of the better C-USA teams, and they're at home. ECU is decent, but the Golden Eagle defense could easily shut the Pirates down.
My Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 2
Wyoming (4-4) @ TCU (4-2)
Wow, TCU's 0-2 in the MWC. Wyoming had the big Colorado State win, but talentwise, TCU is in the much highter tier of Mountain West teams. The Horned Frogs should win here, and if they don't, the season's probably a lost cause.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#11 Tennessee (6-1) @ South Carolina (5-2)
Tennessee's looked vulnerable, and is still coasting off that Cal win. South Carolina's been improved lately. It's at South Carolina. And I ain't pickin' against Spurrier.
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 1
8:00 PM
Cal Poly @ San Diego State (1-5)
Helluva night game.
My Pick: San Diego State
Confidence: 4
SUNDAY
12:05 AM
Idaho (4-4) @ Hawaii (5-2)
Idaho's way improved, and probably the #4 or so team in the WAC (#5 if Fresno gets their act together.) But I doubt they can stop of catch up with that wacky Hawaii pass offense.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 3
8:00 PM
Connecticut (3-4) @ #18 Rutgers (7-0)
UConn was able to mostly quiet Slaton and White, but they run outside and down the sidelines. From what I've seen of Rutgers, they run it down the middle. Like Navy. Who ran for 501 against the Huskies. At UConn. Uh oh.
My Pick: Rutgers
Confidence: 3
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Week 9 Rundown: Thursday and Friday
THURSDAY
7:30 PM
#7 Clemson (7-1) @ Virginia Tech (5-2)
Tech's still kind of a question mark, and may be hungry after losing so badly to BC. Clemson may be losing James Davis, but if any team has the halfback depth to overcome that, it's Clemson. I wouldn't rule out an upset, but I think Clemson is way better than BC, and we all saw that game, so Tigers baby Tigers.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence (out of 5): 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
UTEP (4-3) @ Tulsa (6-1)
Tulsa looks like the best team in C-USA, although there's still a bunch of parity. UTEP's a pretty good team that has seemed to underperform, so they could definitely get the win here. However, The Jordan Palmer Interception Experience + the game being at Tulsa =
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 2
7:30 PM
#7 Clemson (7-1) @ Virginia Tech (5-2)
Tech's still kind of a question mark, and may be hungry after losing so badly to BC. Clemson may be losing James Davis, but if any team has the halfback depth to overcome that, it's Clemson. I wouldn't rule out an upset, but I think Clemson is way better than BC, and we all saw that game, so Tigers baby Tigers.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence (out of 5): 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
UTEP (4-3) @ Tulsa (6-1)
Tulsa looks like the best team in C-USA, although there's still a bunch of parity. UTEP's a pretty good team that has seemed to underperform, so they could definitely get the win here. However, The Jordan Palmer Interception Experience + the game being at Tulsa =
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 2
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Feely Top 25: After Week 8
#1 Michigan (8-0, #1 LW, W vs. Iowa 20-6): HOORAY RUSH OFFENSE! HOORAY RUSH DEFENSE! Henne may not be as great as advertised, but give me a dominating defense and a suspect offense (that can still run it) over...
#2 Ohio State (8-0, #2 LW, W vs. Indiana 44-3): ...a dominating offense, but a suspect defense (that might not be able stop the run).
#3 USC (6-0, #3 LW, BYE): Probably still going undefeated. Yep.
#4 West Virginia (7-0, #4 LW, W @ Connecticut 37-11): Despite the score, the UConn game falls more into the ECU "they can be stopped" category than the Marshall "one sided beatdown of death" category. Then why are they still #4? Because none of the teams on their schedule look like the team that can stop them.
#5 Texas (7-1, #5 LW, W @ Nebraska 22-20): Same old story as the last two teams, more or less. Flawed? Yes. Still winning the rest of their games? Yes.
#6 Florida (6-1, #6 LW, BYE): I still think they're the best team in the SEC from week to week. Tulane gaining 412 yards against Auburn only cements this for me.
#7 Clemson (7-1, #8 LW, W vs. Georgia Tech 31-7): Holy shit. All those halfbacks! They may lose James Davis for the time being, but they're four deep, so they can afford it. Some questions about Will Proctor, but with that running game and that defense, in that conference, they don't deserve to be lower than they are. Quick half-baked analogy that probably doesn't hold up: Clemson is Michigan, but with a scarier offense and less scary defense.
#8 Auburn (7-1, #7 LW, W vs. Tulane 38-13): Seeing "412" under Tulane's yardage totals worries me. Probably more than it should, though.
#9 Cal (7-1, #9 LW, W vs. Washington 31-24): Hm, that Oregon win looks a lot less impressive now, actually. Mostly here by attrition, as none of the next four teams have done enough to convince me they're legit. One by one now:
#10 LSU (6-2, #10 LW, W vs. Fresno State 38-6): All that talent, but their big win over a team with a winning record? Louisiana-Lafayette.
#11 Tennessee (6-1, #12 LW, W vs. Alabama 16-13): Remember that win against Cal? That was great. And look at all we've done since then! We beat...Alabama! Ignore all those turnovers. Oh, how about Georgia! One of the big SEC favorites! In the preseason.
#12 Notre Dame (6-1, #14 LW, W vs. UCLA 20-17): Wow, look at how they keep shredding those fearsome defenses, like UCLA, Purdue, and Stanford. Who's up next, Ball State?
#13 Louisville (7-0, #11 LW, W @ Syracuse 28-13): This could all change after the bye week, but Brohm looks hmmmm shitty. If the UL team that showed up this week shows up in the WVU game, they'll get murdered, but I could still see them getting things together over the bye.
#14 Arkansas (6-1, #17 LW, W vs. Mississippi 38-3): A pretty good team. The fact that they're this high probably shows the lack of standout teams this season more than anything else.
#15 Boise State (8-0, #15 LW, W @ Idaho 42-26): Amazing offense, but that defense looks even more suspect now. Although each unit may still be better than Notre Dame's. Ohhhh burn.
#16 Oklahoma (5-2, #16 LW, W vs. Colorado 24-3): Offense looked mediocre, defense looked great, but then again it's Colorado. Still cautiously teetering here, about to fall off the cliff.
#17 Wisconsin (7-1, #21 LW, W @ Purdue 24-3): Impressive shutdown of a prolific Purdue offense. Baby Michigan!
#18 Rutgers (7-0, #22 LW, W @ Pittsburgh 20-10): Well, I take it back, they're better than I thought, and the #3 team in the Big East. Enjoy it until West Virginia and Louisville kill you, Scarlet Knights.
#19 Nebraska (6-2, #18 LW, L vs. Texas 20-22): A pretty good team. Which is good enough for #19. Yep.
#20 Boston College (6-1, UNR, W @ Florida 24-19): Probably the second-best team in the ACC now, though I still think it's close with GT. And that's horribly sad. Would probably get murdered by any of the above teams except Rutgers and possibly Oklahoma.
#21 Texas A&M (7-1, #24 LW, W @ Oklahoma State 34-33): A pretty good Big 12 team. I really have nothing to say about them, and it's getting annoying. If I see one more pretty good Big 12 team, I'm going to scream.
#22 Missouri (7-1, UNR, W vs. Kansas State 41-21): Insert scream here.
#23 Oregon (5-2, #13 LW, L @ Washington State 34-23): Whoops! Still a pretty good team and my #3 in the Pac 10, but...yeah. Way off on that one.
#24 Georgia Tech (5-2, #19 LW, L @ Clemson 7-31): Pending that someone realizes that Calvin Johnson is, in fact, on their team.
#25 Iowa (5-3, #23 LW, L @ Michigan 6-20): Because I still don't buy Wake Forest.
#2 Ohio State (8-0, #2 LW, W vs. Indiana 44-3): ...a dominating offense, but a suspect defense (that might not be able stop the run).
#3 USC (6-0, #3 LW, BYE): Probably still going undefeated. Yep.
#4 West Virginia (7-0, #4 LW, W @ Connecticut 37-11): Despite the score, the UConn game falls more into the ECU "they can be stopped" category than the Marshall "one sided beatdown of death" category. Then why are they still #4? Because none of the teams on their schedule look like the team that can stop them.
#5 Texas (7-1, #5 LW, W @ Nebraska 22-20): Same old story as the last two teams, more or less. Flawed? Yes. Still winning the rest of their games? Yes.
#6 Florida (6-1, #6 LW, BYE): I still think they're the best team in the SEC from week to week. Tulane gaining 412 yards against Auburn only cements this for me.
#7 Clemson (7-1, #8 LW, W vs. Georgia Tech 31-7): Holy shit. All those halfbacks! They may lose James Davis for the time being, but they're four deep, so they can afford it. Some questions about Will Proctor, but with that running game and that defense, in that conference, they don't deserve to be lower than they are. Quick half-baked analogy that probably doesn't hold up: Clemson is Michigan, but with a scarier offense and less scary defense.
#8 Auburn (7-1, #7 LW, W vs. Tulane 38-13): Seeing "412" under Tulane's yardage totals worries me. Probably more than it should, though.
#9 Cal (7-1, #9 LW, W vs. Washington 31-24): Hm, that Oregon win looks a lot less impressive now, actually. Mostly here by attrition, as none of the next four teams have done enough to convince me they're legit. One by one now:
#10 LSU (6-2, #10 LW, W vs. Fresno State 38-6): All that talent, but their big win over a team with a winning record? Louisiana-Lafayette.
#11 Tennessee (6-1, #12 LW, W vs. Alabama 16-13): Remember that win against Cal? That was great. And look at all we've done since then! We beat...Alabama! Ignore all those turnovers. Oh, how about Georgia! One of the big SEC favorites! In the preseason.
#12 Notre Dame (6-1, #14 LW, W vs. UCLA 20-17): Wow, look at how they keep shredding those fearsome defenses, like UCLA, Purdue, and Stanford. Who's up next, Ball State?
#13 Louisville (7-0, #11 LW, W @ Syracuse 28-13): This could all change after the bye week, but Brohm looks hmmmm shitty. If the UL team that showed up this week shows up in the WVU game, they'll get murdered, but I could still see them getting things together over the bye.
#14 Arkansas (6-1, #17 LW, W vs. Mississippi 38-3): A pretty good team. The fact that they're this high probably shows the lack of standout teams this season more than anything else.
#15 Boise State (8-0, #15 LW, W @ Idaho 42-26): Amazing offense, but that defense looks even more suspect now. Although each unit may still be better than Notre Dame's. Ohhhh burn.
#16 Oklahoma (5-2, #16 LW, W vs. Colorado 24-3): Offense looked mediocre, defense looked great, but then again it's Colorado. Still cautiously teetering here, about to fall off the cliff.
#17 Wisconsin (7-1, #21 LW, W @ Purdue 24-3): Impressive shutdown of a prolific Purdue offense. Baby Michigan!
#18 Rutgers (7-0, #22 LW, W @ Pittsburgh 20-10): Well, I take it back, they're better than I thought, and the #3 team in the Big East. Enjoy it until West Virginia and Louisville kill you, Scarlet Knights.
#19 Nebraska (6-2, #18 LW, L vs. Texas 20-22): A pretty good team. Which is good enough for #19. Yep.
#20 Boston College (6-1, UNR, W @ Florida 24-19): Probably the second-best team in the ACC now, though I still think it's close with GT. And that's horribly sad. Would probably get murdered by any of the above teams except Rutgers and possibly Oklahoma.
#21 Texas A&M (7-1, #24 LW, W @ Oklahoma State 34-33): A pretty good Big 12 team. I really have nothing to say about them, and it's getting annoying. If I see one more pretty good Big 12 team, I'm going to scream.
#22 Missouri (7-1, UNR, W vs. Kansas State 41-21): Insert scream here.
#23 Oregon (5-2, #13 LW, L @ Washington State 34-23): Whoops! Still a pretty good team and my #3 in the Pac 10, but...yeah. Way off on that one.
#24 Georgia Tech (5-2, #19 LW, L @ Clemson 7-31): Pending that someone realizes that Calvin Johnson is, in fact, on their team.
#25 Iowa (5-3, #23 LW, L @ Michigan 6-20): Because I still don't buy Wake Forest.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Week 8 Recap: The Rest
San Diego State 19, Air Force 12
AFA did their usual thing on the ground, but SDSU RB Atiyyah Henderson did them one better and ran for 142 and a score. And the Mountain West is further muddled. Sigh.
Oregon State 17, Arizona 10
3 turnovers each, the Beavers outrushing Arizona 153-66 was the difference. Oregon State may get to bowl eligibility, while Arizona looks like they'll have to wait another year.
Arizona State 38, Stanford 3
RUDY CARPENTER! 14/15, 160, TD! Hooray! However, it means nothing because Stanford is horrible. ASU's another team in the pack. Ten. Pack ten. Hahaha.
Western Michigan 41, Ball State 27
BALL STATE OUTGAINED SOMEONE PASSING! HOORAY! And only ran for 9 yards, so they lost.
Baylor 36, Kansas 35
Baylor still has no rushing game (100 yards), but still gained more on the ground than Kansas did on the air (98). And obviously, Kansas RB Jon Cornish had a huge day on the ground (196, 2 TD), and Baylor QB Shawn Bell was a one-man team (394, 5/2 TD/INT). Two teams are obviously even, PART OF THE PACK! Yep.
Boston College 24, Florida State 19
2 Drew Weatherford INTs + only 49 FSU rushing yards = this. I still don't buy BC huge, but they seem to be at least a pretty good team, obviously.
Wyoming 24, Colorado State 0
Ouch. CSU got outgained bad and turned it over 3 times. Just horribly one-sided. And the Mountain West is further muddled. Sigh.
Miami 20, Duke 15
Wow, Miami is bad. Duke outgained the Canes 400-391, and Miami needed a red zone INT to seal the win. One of Duke's 5 turnovers doesn't happen, and we're probably talking upset.
Hawaii 49, New Mexico State 30
Nobody broke 360 passing yards. I'm extremely disappointed.
Houston 34, UTEP 17
0/1 TD/INT ratio! THE JORDAN PALMER INTERCEPTION EXPERIENCE RETURNS! But the key was UTEP's inability to get a running game going, only gaining 30 on the ground.
Texas Tech 42, Iowa State 26
TTU QB Graham Harrell: 31/40, 368 yards, 6 TD. That's more like it.
Louisiana Tech 48, Utah State 35
Wow, the Bulldog offense just went KABOOM! 344 rushing, 226 passing. Jeez. The USU offense had a good day, but when you can't stop Louisiana Tech to that degree, you ain't winnin'.
Marshall 31, UAB 24
Marshall RB Ahmad Bradshaw is scary: 242 yards, 2 TD. And yeah, he pretty much won it.
Maryland 26, NC State 20
NCSU QB Daniel Evans: 15/26, 145, 2 INT. Honeymoon's over.
Michigan State 41, Northwestern 38
Wow. Yep. Ouch.
Minnesota 10, North Dakota State 9
And Minnesota got killed statistically. Worst team in the Big Ten, seemingly easy.
Virginia 23, North Carolina 0
Things are bad when Joe Dailey comes in in relief. Things are worse when he's the more effective quarterback.
Northern Illinois 43, Temple 21
Garrett Wolfe: 45 yards. There goes that.
AFA did their usual thing on the ground, but SDSU RB Atiyyah Henderson did them one better and ran for 142 and a score. And the Mountain West is further muddled. Sigh.
Oregon State 17, Arizona 10
3 turnovers each, the Beavers outrushing Arizona 153-66 was the difference. Oregon State may get to bowl eligibility, while Arizona looks like they'll have to wait another year.
Arizona State 38, Stanford 3
RUDY CARPENTER! 14/15, 160, TD! Hooray! However, it means nothing because Stanford is horrible. ASU's another team in the pack. Ten. Pack ten. Hahaha.
Western Michigan 41, Ball State 27
BALL STATE OUTGAINED SOMEONE PASSING! HOORAY! And only ran for 9 yards, so they lost.
Baylor 36, Kansas 35
Baylor still has no rushing game (100 yards), but still gained more on the ground than Kansas did on the air (98). And obviously, Kansas RB Jon Cornish had a huge day on the ground (196, 2 TD), and Baylor QB Shawn Bell was a one-man team (394, 5/2 TD/INT). Two teams are obviously even, PART OF THE PACK! Yep.
Boston College 24, Florida State 19
2 Drew Weatherford INTs + only 49 FSU rushing yards = this. I still don't buy BC huge, but they seem to be at least a pretty good team, obviously.
Wyoming 24, Colorado State 0
Ouch. CSU got outgained bad and turned it over 3 times. Just horribly one-sided. And the Mountain West is further muddled. Sigh.
Miami 20, Duke 15
Wow, Miami is bad. Duke outgained the Canes 400-391, and Miami needed a red zone INT to seal the win. One of Duke's 5 turnovers doesn't happen, and we're probably talking upset.
Hawaii 49, New Mexico State 30
Nobody broke 360 passing yards. I'm extremely disappointed.
Houston 34, UTEP 17
0/1 TD/INT ratio! THE JORDAN PALMER INTERCEPTION EXPERIENCE RETURNS! But the key was UTEP's inability to get a running game going, only gaining 30 on the ground.
Texas Tech 42, Iowa State 26
TTU QB Graham Harrell: 31/40, 368 yards, 6 TD. That's more like it.
Louisiana Tech 48, Utah State 35
Wow, the Bulldog offense just went KABOOM! 344 rushing, 226 passing. Jeez. The USU offense had a good day, but when you can't stop Louisiana Tech to that degree, you ain't winnin'.
Marshall 31, UAB 24
Marshall RB Ahmad Bradshaw is scary: 242 yards, 2 TD. And yeah, he pretty much won it.
Maryland 26, NC State 20
NCSU QB Daniel Evans: 15/26, 145, 2 INT. Honeymoon's over.
Michigan State 41, Northwestern 38
Wow. Yep. Ouch.
Minnesota 10, North Dakota State 9
And Minnesota got killed statistically. Worst team in the Big Ten, seemingly easy.
Virginia 23, North Carolina 0
Things are bad when Joe Dailey comes in in relief. Things are worse when he's the more effective quarterback.
Northern Illinois 43, Temple 21
Garrett Wolfe: 45 yards. There goes that.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Week 8 Recap: The Top 25
#23 Iowa @ #1 Michigan
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 20, Iowa 6
Same old, same old. Iowa only ran for 69 yards, and Drew Tate was held to a mostly ineffective 197. Henne only threw for 203 and a pick as well, but as usual, Mike Hart carried the day (and the ball!) with 126 and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, rushing and defense. Yep.
Indiana @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 44, Indiana 3
Troy Smith: 15/23, 220, 4 TD. Actually Heismanworthy! And the defense actually stopped...well, I guess Indiana has a running game.
#4 West Virginia @ Connecticut
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 37, Connecticut 11
The defense actually played as well as you could expect, limiting WVU to only 3 or so big plays. However, the only showing worse than that of the UConn offense was that of the UConn student section. Only 2 rows left by halfway through the third quarter? Come on.
#5 Texas @ #18 Nebraska
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 22, Nebraska 20
And both teams were about as even as the score shows, although Texas featured a more balanced attack. Three Nebraska turnovers were probably the difference. Colt McCoy showed poise, going 25/39 for 220 and 2 TD, with most of those yards going to Limas Sweed (119, TD). Texas is the class of the Big 12, but probably closer to the pack than figured, while Nebraska pretty much solidified themselves as #2 in the wake of Adrian Peterson's injury.
Tulane @ #7 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Auburn 38, Tulane 13
Backup RB Ben Tate had a big day (156 rushing yards, TD), with Kenny Irons sitting the game out. On the minus side, I know Tulane was probably passing and trying to play catch-up, but the Auburn D still allowed 412 yards. Meh.
#19 Georgia Tech @ #8 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 7
Whoopin whoopin whoopin. I figured the GT defense would show up either way, but the Clemson running backs just shredded them to a horrifying degree. James Davis: 216 and 2 TD on 21 carries. C.J. Spiller: 116 and a TD on 16 carries, and a 50-yard TD reception. Oh, and for some reason Georgia Tech didn't really throw to Calvin Johnson all that much. So, yeah, Clemson looks like a scary machine hellbent on death amongst the ACC's mediocrity. Of course, since BC had that fluke win over the Tigers and the ACC is so weak, BC will probably run the table and keep Clemson out of the ACC title game. Sigh.
Washington @ #9 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 31, Washington 24 (OT)
Holy fuck that fucking touchdown catch! Wow, what a...weird game statwise. On the Washington end anyways. For Cal, Nate Longshore threw for 291 yards, but Marshawn Lynch was the offensive MVP with 150 yards and 2 TD. Meanwhile, Washington QB Carl Bonnell both simultaneously kept the Huskies in the game and lost it for them, throwing for 284 yards, 2 TD, and...5 INT. So, Washington looks far from dead, especially if they can keep the turnovers down. Meanwhile, Cal is the easy #2 in the Pac 10 with Oregon's loss, but this game suggests that USC could very well eat them alive.
Fresno State @ #10 LSU
My Pick: LSU
Final Score: LSU 38, Fresno State 6
JaMarcus Russell only threw for 210? I'm ashamed. Basically, an unspectacular but solid whoopin'.
#11 Louisville @ Syracuse
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 28, Syracuse 13
Brian Brohm still seems rusty, only throwing for 203 and a pick. He may have actually been outperformed by Perry Patterson's 303 and 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Fortunately for Louisville, they were the team with a running game, as Kolby Smith and Anthony Allen combined for 210 and 4 TDs, while Syracuse ran for...74. Louisville seems vulnerable, though that may be temporary.
Alabama @ #12 Tennessee
My Pick: Tennessee
Final Score: Tennessee 16, Alabama 13
Absolutely disgustingly ugly game statistically. The only player who put up any yardage of note was Erik Ainge, who threw for 302 but had 3 picks. Just...ugh. Both teams are about even, but their stock takes a bit of a hit with me.
#13 Oregon @ Washington State
My Pick: Oregon
Final Score: Washington State 34, Oregon 23
Backup Oregon QB Brady Leaf put up 262 and 2 TD, accounting for most of the Ducks' yardage, but unfortunately, Dennis Dixon started and threw 2 picks. WSU RB Dwight Tardy ran for 145 and a TD, so...so much for Oregon's defense. And Oregon, really. With this, the Ducks have fallen from "solid conference #3" to "most talented team in the pack."
UCLA @ #14 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 20, UCLA 17
On the one hand, holy crap what a comeback pass. On the other hand, they needed a comeback pass against a team that only put up 277 yards. Same old, same old from UND. Big game for Brady Quinn, no real running game, defense can shut down a non-existent offense.
#15 Boise State @ Idaho
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 42, Idaho 26
WACTASTIC! Idaho QB Steven Wichman had 328 yards and 3 TD, but probably kept the Vandals out of it with 2 picks. Boise RB Ian Johnson remains a scary, scary man: 183 yards and, yes, 4 more TDs. Boise's defense looks really, really suspect, but the Broncos have the offense where they don't have to worry in that conference.
Colorado @ #16 Oklahoma
My Pick: Oklahoma
Final Score: Oklahoma 24, Colorado 3
OU RB Allen Patrick ran for 110 and a TD, whatever that means. Yep. All in all, the OU offense looked mediocre, but the Colorado offense was just...sad. Horrible. Awful. Very bad. Which may be an effect of the Oklahoma D being back to its usual self, but who knows. It's Colorado. They're not very good. So yeah, mediocre win for Oklahoma, skepticism abounds although there's optimism about the defense.
Mississippi @ #17 Arkansas
My Pick: Arkansas
Final Score: Arkansas 38, Mississippi 3
Arkansas's Felix Jones returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards, and it was all downhill from there. Yawn.
#22 Rutgers @ #20 Pittsburgh
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 10
Whoops. Tyler Palko had a decent day (169, TD) but Rutgers stopped the Panthers' running game and established their own. Ray Rice: 225 and a TD. I guess Rutgers is legit, but...god. Rutgers? Really?
#21 Wisconsin @ Purdue
My Pick: Wisconsin
Final Score: Wisconsin 24, Purdue 3
Well, so much for that prolific Purdue offense. John Stocco only threw for 201 and a pick, but Badgers RB Pat Hill Jr. carried the day with 161 rushing yards and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, Big Ten-tastic! Wisconsin seems to have this "little Michigan" vibe to it, and it's adorable. Like a dog that thinks he's people! Awwwww.
#24 Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State
My Pick: Texas A&M
Final Score: Texas A&M 34, Oklahoma State 33 (OT)
TAMU QB Stephen McGee threw for 192 and 2 TD, and was the Aggies' leading rusher with 86 yards, so he continues to impress. Top RB Jovorskie Lane had 2 TD, but only 25 yards. Similar was backup OK State QB Zac Robinson's performance, with 3 TD but only 94 yards. Yep. A&M's pretty good, and OK State is probably better than any non-Huskers/Mizzou team in the North.
Mississippi State @ #25 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Georgia 27, Mississippi State 24
YAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN. UGA defense didn't impress, and the UGA offense is still the UGA offense. Sigh.
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 20, Iowa 6
Same old, same old. Iowa only ran for 69 yards, and Drew Tate was held to a mostly ineffective 197. Henne only threw for 203 and a pick as well, but as usual, Mike Hart carried the day (and the ball!) with 126 and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, rushing and defense. Yep.
Indiana @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 44, Indiana 3
Troy Smith: 15/23, 220, 4 TD. Actually Heismanworthy! And the defense actually stopped...well, I guess Indiana has a running game.
#4 West Virginia @ Connecticut
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 37, Connecticut 11
The defense actually played as well as you could expect, limiting WVU to only 3 or so big plays. However, the only showing worse than that of the UConn offense was that of the UConn student section. Only 2 rows left by halfway through the third quarter? Come on.
#5 Texas @ #18 Nebraska
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 22, Nebraska 20
And both teams were about as even as the score shows, although Texas featured a more balanced attack. Three Nebraska turnovers were probably the difference. Colt McCoy showed poise, going 25/39 for 220 and 2 TD, with most of those yards going to Limas Sweed (119, TD). Texas is the class of the Big 12, but probably closer to the pack than figured, while Nebraska pretty much solidified themselves as #2 in the wake of Adrian Peterson's injury.
Tulane @ #7 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Auburn 38, Tulane 13
Backup RB Ben Tate had a big day (156 rushing yards, TD), with Kenny Irons sitting the game out. On the minus side, I know Tulane was probably passing and trying to play catch-up, but the Auburn D still allowed 412 yards. Meh.
#19 Georgia Tech @ #8 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 7
Whoopin whoopin whoopin. I figured the GT defense would show up either way, but the Clemson running backs just shredded them to a horrifying degree. James Davis: 216 and 2 TD on 21 carries. C.J. Spiller: 116 and a TD on 16 carries, and a 50-yard TD reception. Oh, and for some reason Georgia Tech didn't really throw to Calvin Johnson all that much. So, yeah, Clemson looks like a scary machine hellbent on death amongst the ACC's mediocrity. Of course, since BC had that fluke win over the Tigers and the ACC is so weak, BC will probably run the table and keep Clemson out of the ACC title game. Sigh.
Washington @ #9 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 31, Washington 24 (OT)
Holy fuck that fucking touchdown catch! Wow, what a...weird game statwise. On the Washington end anyways. For Cal, Nate Longshore threw for 291 yards, but Marshawn Lynch was the offensive MVP with 150 yards and 2 TD. Meanwhile, Washington QB Carl Bonnell both simultaneously kept the Huskies in the game and lost it for them, throwing for 284 yards, 2 TD, and...5 INT. So, Washington looks far from dead, especially if they can keep the turnovers down. Meanwhile, Cal is the easy #2 in the Pac 10 with Oregon's loss, but this game suggests that USC could very well eat them alive.
Fresno State @ #10 LSU
My Pick: LSU
Final Score: LSU 38, Fresno State 6
JaMarcus Russell only threw for 210? I'm ashamed. Basically, an unspectacular but solid whoopin'.
#11 Louisville @ Syracuse
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 28, Syracuse 13
Brian Brohm still seems rusty, only throwing for 203 and a pick. He may have actually been outperformed by Perry Patterson's 303 and 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Fortunately for Louisville, they were the team with a running game, as Kolby Smith and Anthony Allen combined for 210 and 4 TDs, while Syracuse ran for...74. Louisville seems vulnerable, though that may be temporary.
Alabama @ #12 Tennessee
My Pick: Tennessee
Final Score: Tennessee 16, Alabama 13
Absolutely disgustingly ugly game statistically. The only player who put up any yardage of note was Erik Ainge, who threw for 302 but had 3 picks. Just...ugh. Both teams are about even, but their stock takes a bit of a hit with me.
#13 Oregon @ Washington State
My Pick: Oregon
Final Score: Washington State 34, Oregon 23
Backup Oregon QB Brady Leaf put up 262 and 2 TD, accounting for most of the Ducks' yardage, but unfortunately, Dennis Dixon started and threw 2 picks. WSU RB Dwight Tardy ran for 145 and a TD, so...so much for Oregon's defense. And Oregon, really. With this, the Ducks have fallen from "solid conference #3" to "most talented team in the pack."
UCLA @ #14 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 20, UCLA 17
On the one hand, holy crap what a comeback pass. On the other hand, they needed a comeback pass against a team that only put up 277 yards. Same old, same old from UND. Big game for Brady Quinn, no real running game, defense can shut down a non-existent offense.
#15 Boise State @ Idaho
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 42, Idaho 26
WACTASTIC! Idaho QB Steven Wichman had 328 yards and 3 TD, but probably kept the Vandals out of it with 2 picks. Boise RB Ian Johnson remains a scary, scary man: 183 yards and, yes, 4 more TDs. Boise's defense looks really, really suspect, but the Broncos have the offense where they don't have to worry in that conference.
Colorado @ #16 Oklahoma
My Pick: Oklahoma
Final Score: Oklahoma 24, Colorado 3
OU RB Allen Patrick ran for 110 and a TD, whatever that means. Yep. All in all, the OU offense looked mediocre, but the Colorado offense was just...sad. Horrible. Awful. Very bad. Which may be an effect of the Oklahoma D being back to its usual self, but who knows. It's Colorado. They're not very good. So yeah, mediocre win for Oklahoma, skepticism abounds although there's optimism about the defense.
Mississippi @ #17 Arkansas
My Pick: Arkansas
Final Score: Arkansas 38, Mississippi 3
Arkansas's Felix Jones returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards, and it was all downhill from there. Yawn.
#22 Rutgers @ #20 Pittsburgh
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 10
Whoops. Tyler Palko had a decent day (169, TD) but Rutgers stopped the Panthers' running game and established their own. Ray Rice: 225 and a TD. I guess Rutgers is legit, but...god. Rutgers? Really?
#21 Wisconsin @ Purdue
My Pick: Wisconsin
Final Score: Wisconsin 24, Purdue 3
Well, so much for that prolific Purdue offense. John Stocco only threw for 201 and a pick, but Badgers RB Pat Hill Jr. carried the day with 161 rushing yards and 2 TD. Rushing and defense, Big Ten-tastic! Wisconsin seems to have this "little Michigan" vibe to it, and it's adorable. Like a dog that thinks he's people! Awwwww.
#24 Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State
My Pick: Texas A&M
Final Score: Texas A&M 34, Oklahoma State 33 (OT)
TAMU QB Stephen McGee threw for 192 and 2 TD, and was the Aggies' leading rusher with 86 yards, so he continues to impress. Top RB Jovorskie Lane had 2 TD, but only 25 yards. Similar was backup OK State QB Zac Robinson's performance, with 3 TD but only 94 yards. Yep. A&M's pretty good, and OK State is probably better than any non-Huskers/Mizzou team in the North.
Mississippi State @ #25 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Georgia 27, Mississippi State 24
YAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN. UGA defense didn't impress, and the UGA offense is still the UGA offense. Sigh.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Week 8 Rundown: Saturday and Sunday
SATURDAY
12:00 PM
Indiana (4-3) @ #2 Ohio State (7-0)
Indiana is...decent. I won't go too far just yet. But the Big Ten has a soft underbelly, so they'll be able to beat the Minnesotas and Northwesterns, or maybe even the Purdue. s. But, yeah, anyway, Ohio State. Even if the Hoosiers get something going offensively, I doubt they'll be able to stop the Buckeyes.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence (out of 5): 4
#5 Texas (6-1) @ #18 Nebraska (6-1)
Oooh. Nebraska's looked average against stiff competition, but really, Texas allowed 31 to Baylor. Texas should win this, but I could very easily see one or two breaks leading to a Huskers win. Could very easily be a shootout either way, too.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 2
#11 Louisville (6-0) @ Syracuse (3-4)
Cuse is actually exhibiting some offense here and there. Gasp. Louisville scraped one out at Cincy, so there may be some vulnerability, but Brohm's probably just getting back into a rhythm. And if he does during this game, uh oh.
My Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
#22 Rutgers (6-0) @ #20 Pittsburgh (6-1)
Rutgers has the #1 scoring defense and #2 yardage defense in the nation (behind LSU.) That...probably says more about their weak schedule than anything. If the Scarlet Knights win here, I'll start taking them more seriously. However, here, especially on the road, is where I think they'll be exposed.
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Confidence: 3
#21 Wisconsin (6-1) @ Purdue (5-2)
Purdue's all offense, no defense. This could be close, but the Wisconsin offense is no slouch, and I could see them stopping the Boilermaker offense enough to get the win. So I'll go with the better team.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 2
Illinois (2-5) @ Penn State (4-3)
Well, even if Morelli doesn't start, I'm sure whoever is QB will do a great job of...handing off to Tony Hunt. There's talent with the Illini (JUICE!), but not this year, not against this team.
My Pick: Penn State
Confidence: 3
NC State (3-3) @ Maryland (4-2)
I'm banking that NC State's improvement under Daniel Evans is legit. Though really, either way, Maryland? Not very good.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
Michigan State (3-4) @ Northwestern (2-5)
Even the Michigan State coaches aren't this bad. I sincerely hope.
My Pick: Michigan State
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
Mississippi (2-5) @ #17 Arkansas (5-1)
Mississippi has kept the scores closer than their horrible, horrible performances would suggest. However, they should get killed here, especially if the Rebels' season is just building up to all their luck running out at once.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 3
1:00 PM
Mississippi State (2-5) @ #25 Georgia (5-2)
Georgia has no offense. Mississippi State has...well, if Georgia has no offense, I guess Mississippi State has negative offense, then.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 3
Miami (4-2) @ Duke (0-6)
This would be a hilarious fight. Although watch out for those Duke boys in groups, they'll ra....nah, I won't say it.
My Pick: Miami
Confidence: 4
2:00 PM
Western Michigan (4-2) @ Ball State (2-5)
Insert comment about Ball State's horrible horrible horrible horrible pass defense here. (Horrible.)
My Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 3
Buffalo (1-5) @ Ohio (4-3)
I love Buffalo, they make games so easy to pick.
My Pick: Ohio
Confidence: 4
Kansas State (4-3) @ Missouri (6-1)
KSU's actually looked decent, but you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the Wildcats almost lost to Illinois State in Week 1. Mizzou's solidly above-average, and while KSU has a chance, I think it's significantly less of one at Missouri.
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 3
2:30 PM
Tulane (2-4) @ #7 Auburn (6-1)
Uhhhhhhh yeah this is a mismatch.
My Pick: Auburn
Confidence: 5
UCLA (4-2) @ #14 Notre Dame (5-1)
This could've been a fun shootout before UCLA's quarterback woes. Now it'll just be another BIG HEISMAN WORTHY WIN THAT PROVES NOTRE DAME DESERVES A BCS GAME!!!!!
My Pick: Notre Dame
Confidence: 4
3:00 PM
UNLV (1-5) @ BYU (4-2)
BYU or Air Force is probably the best team in the MWC. Controversial, I know, especially since they're the two teams undefeated in the conference. Anyway, UNLV's pass defense doesn't seem too great or anything, and it'll probably look a lot worse after this game.
My Pick: BYU
Confidence: 3
SMU (4-3) @ East Carolina (2-4)
ECU's definitely played a tougher slate, but SMU's looked like a pretty good team since their awful season start. Both teams are probably even, but ECU somehow managed to be the only team to slow down West Virginia, and the Pirates are at home.
My Pick: East Carolina
Confidence: 1
Toledo (2-5) @ Eastern Michigan (0-6)
Toledo looks like they've imploded after winning against Kansas and I-AA McNeese State. EMU, meanwhile, has had some bad losses, but looked good in their last game, a close defeat at Bowling Green. Toledo's probably the better and more talented team, but again, they just seem lost at the moment.
My Pick: Eastern Michigan
Confidence: 1
South Carolina (4-2) @ Vanderbilt (3-4)
SC looks to be getting things together with Syvelle Newton at QB. Vandy can obviously pull of the big win, but I am going to go with the surging Cocks. There was no verb I could use there that wouldn't have been suggestive.
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 2
3:05 PM
Kansas (3-4) @ Baylor (3-4)
Kansas has had some close losses, but Baylor should've had one too. Against Texas. This could go either way, but I still feel weird picking who I'm about to pick.
My Pick: Baylor
Confidence: 1
Temple (0-7) @ Northern Illinois (4-3)
Would it be out of the question for Garrett Wolfe to run for 600 and put him back on his previous pace?
My Pick: Northern Illinois
Confidence: 5
3:30 PM
#23 Iowa (5-2) @ #1 Michigan (7-0)
I find this game more worrisome for Michigan than the PSU one by a bunch. I get the feeling Drew Tate is due, and with the Michigan run defense, well, that's their only chance. And even then, probably still only a chance.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence: 2
Washington (4-3) @ #9 California (6-1)
When a one-man team is lost for the season, well, whoops.
My Pick: Cal
Confidence: 4
Alabama (5-2) @ #12 Tennessee (5-1)
A case could be made that Alabama's better than Georgia. Actually, thinking about that, that's probably true. Tennessee's hung their hat on that Cal win, and, well, beating a Georgia team that doesn't look so impressive now. Still, even if this is closer to a pick 'em than the polls would indicate, Tennessee's probably the better team, and the Vols are at home.
My Pick: Tennessee
Confidence: 1
Stanford (0-7) @ Arizona State (3-3)
Stanford's QB is out for the year. Yes, that was Stanford WITH a quarterback.
My Pick: Arizona State
Confidence: 4
TCU (3-2) @ Army (3-4)
TCU's thoroughly decent, probably above-average. Army, not so much.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 3
Boston College (5-1) @ Florida State (4-2)
The Clemson win was gift-wrapped, but BC's win against BYU and loss against NC State look better now. I guess I buy BC moreso now, but still. I have no real evidence to back it up, unless Florida State's prestige counts during this mediocre season, but I've got a feeling...
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 2
Texas Tech (4-3) @ Iowa State (3-4)
ISU's another one of those teams that I don't think can stop the Red Raider passing attack. However, ISU will almost definitely put some points up, and said Texas Tech passing attack has more of a tendency to beat itself than in previous years. Plus, you know, TTU lost to Colorado. But still.
My Pick: Texas Tech
Confidence: 1
North Dakota State @ Minnesota (2-5)
Yep.
My Pick: Minnesota
Confidence: 5
4:00 PM
Rice (2-5) @ Central Florida (2-4)
UCF's actually been pretty abysmal all year. Rice has shown inconsistent flashes, and is coming off a big win against UAB, but there are two reasons I'm picking against them: They're on the road, and they're still Rice.
My Pick: Central Florida
Confidence: 1
Colorado State (4-2) @ Wyoming (3-4)
Two pretty good mid-majors. Not much separating them, as CSU's worst loss was to Nevada, while Wyoming's played everyone close, but Colorado State has had the stronger schedule. I'll go with the team with the better track record, though a result either way wouldn't surprise me.
My Pick: Colorado State
Confidence: 1
5:00 PM
#13 Oregon (5-1) @ Washington State (4-3)
Oregon seems to kindasortamaybe have kind of a defense. Which spells trouble for Pac 10 teams! Wazzou could be the #4 team in the Pac 10, so an upset isn't out of the question, but I'm not picking it.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 2
5:05 PM
#15 Boise State (7-0) @ Idaho (4-3)
Idaho may be the surprise team of the WAC. Oh, wait, San Jose State, whoops. God the WAC is weird. Anyway, yeah, Boise's way better than everyone in the conference.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 4
6:00 PM
Miami of Ohio (1-6) @ Akron (2-4)
Uhhhh yeah Miami of Ohio is sadly pretty bad. Akron has also disappointed so far, but they're at least pretty decent. And at home!
My Pick: Akron
Confidence: 2
7:00 PM
Colorado (1-6) @ #16 Oklahoma (4-2)
It probably won't be apparent exactly how much the loss of Peterson will hurt OU until they face their first test. This probably ain't it.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 3
#24 Texas A&M (6-1) @ Oklahoma State (4-2)
The performance of TAMU QB Stephen McGee last week is what finally sold me on the Aggies. If McGee falters, I could easily see OK State pulling off the win. However, OK State may not be able to stop the A&M running game either way, and while I don't think A&M is a top 25-worthy team without a passing game, I think they could still win without it.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 2
Oregon State (3-3) @ Arizona (3-4)
Two about even teams that will probably hover around .500 at the end of the year. Arizona beat BYU at home, so they get the benefit of the doubt.
My Pick: Arizona
Confidence: 1
UTEP (4-2) @ Houston (4-3)
Two inconsistent teams in the upper tier of C-USA. Houston especially has been slipping lately. Regression to the mean for both Houston and Jordan Palmer's interception total + Houston at home =:
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 2
Middle Tennessee State (3-3) @ Louisiana-Monroe (1-5)
The Sun Belt is mostly full of parity, but ULM's pretty awful.
My Pick: Middle Tennessee State
Confidence: 2
Utah State (1-6) @ Louisiana Tech (1-5)
LA Tech's played 4 teams in my top 25, so it's kind of hard to get a handle on how good (or not good) they are. USU's comparatively rolling from their offensive impotence at the beginning of the year. I'll go with the devil (or disappointing WAC team) I know.
My Pick: Utah State
Confidence: 1
Marshall (1-5) @ UAB (3-4)
Basically, bad @ inconsistent. Inconsistent's bad days <>
7:05 PM
North Texas (2-4) @ Arkansas State (4-2)
ASU or ULL are the definite Sun Belt favorites right now. AK State running game hooray! Usual caveats about Sun Belt talent parity apply.
My Pick: Arkansas State
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#19 Georgia Tech (5-1) @ #8 Clemson (6-1)
Calvin Johnson's still a beast, but the team as a whole can be very inconsistent. See: the Maryland game. I trust Clemson to show up much more, and with the Tigers at home, I can't really envision the upset.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence: 3
8:00 PM
Air Force (3-2) @ San Diego State (0-5)
Air Force is as good as anyone in the conference. On the other side...well, patience, SDSU fans, patience.
My Pick: Air Force
Confidence: 3
Hawaii (4-2) @ New Mexico State (2-4)
What's the over-under on yardage here? 1400 combined? Basically, this is going to come down to a game of "My passing attack is better than your passing attack." And, well, Hawaii's is way better.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 4
Tulsa (5-1) @ Memphis (1-5)
Tulsa's rolled in C-USA, and right now looks like the class of the conference. Memphis is...depressing.
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 4
9:00 PM
#10 LSU (5-2) @ Fresno State (1-5)
Maybe last year. Hahahahaha no not even then. The only question here is if Fresno or Louisiana-Lafayette is the worst team LSU has on their schedule. Just gotta keep it within 42, Bulldogs.
My Pick: LSU
Confidence: 4
SUNDAY
8:00 PM
South Florida (5-2) @ Cincinnati (3-4)
USF QB Matt Grothe has been a one-man team and a pretty big surprise. And he looked mostly fine last week against UNC. Cincinnati is decent, but so boringly so I don't really have much to say about them. They could win, but USF is better.
My Pick: South Florida
Confidence: 2
12:00 PM
Indiana (4-3) @ #2 Ohio State (7-0)
Indiana is...decent. I won't go too far just yet. But the Big Ten has a soft underbelly, so they'll be able to beat the Minnesotas and Northwesterns, or maybe even the Purdue. s. But, yeah, anyway, Ohio State. Even if the Hoosiers get something going offensively, I doubt they'll be able to stop the Buckeyes.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence (out of 5): 4
#5 Texas (6-1) @ #18 Nebraska (6-1)
Oooh. Nebraska's looked average against stiff competition, but really, Texas allowed 31 to Baylor. Texas should win this, but I could very easily see one or two breaks leading to a Huskers win. Could very easily be a shootout either way, too.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 2
#11 Louisville (6-0) @ Syracuse (3-4)
Cuse is actually exhibiting some offense here and there. Gasp. Louisville scraped one out at Cincy, so there may be some vulnerability, but Brohm's probably just getting back into a rhythm. And if he does during this game, uh oh.
My Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
#22 Rutgers (6-0) @ #20 Pittsburgh (6-1)
Rutgers has the #1 scoring defense and #2 yardage defense in the nation (behind LSU.) That...probably says more about their weak schedule than anything. If the Scarlet Knights win here, I'll start taking them more seriously. However, here, especially on the road, is where I think they'll be exposed.
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Confidence: 3
#21 Wisconsin (6-1) @ Purdue (5-2)
Purdue's all offense, no defense. This could be close, but the Wisconsin offense is no slouch, and I could see them stopping the Boilermaker offense enough to get the win. So I'll go with the better team.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 2
Illinois (2-5) @ Penn State (4-3)
Well, even if Morelli doesn't start, I'm sure whoever is QB will do a great job of...handing off to Tony Hunt. There's talent with the Illini (JUICE!), but not this year, not against this team.
My Pick: Penn State
Confidence: 3
NC State (3-3) @ Maryland (4-2)
I'm banking that NC State's improvement under Daniel Evans is legit. Though really, either way, Maryland? Not very good.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
Michigan State (3-4) @ Northwestern (2-5)
Even the Michigan State coaches aren't this bad. I sincerely hope.
My Pick: Michigan State
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
Mississippi (2-5) @ #17 Arkansas (5-1)
Mississippi has kept the scores closer than their horrible, horrible performances would suggest. However, they should get killed here, especially if the Rebels' season is just building up to all their luck running out at once.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 3
1:00 PM
Mississippi State (2-5) @ #25 Georgia (5-2)
Georgia has no offense. Mississippi State has...well, if Georgia has no offense, I guess Mississippi State has negative offense, then.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 3
Miami (4-2) @ Duke (0-6)
This would be a hilarious fight. Although watch out for those Duke boys in groups, they'll ra....nah, I won't say it.
My Pick: Miami
Confidence: 4
2:00 PM
Western Michigan (4-2) @ Ball State (2-5)
Insert comment about Ball State's horrible horrible horrible horrible pass defense here. (Horrible.)
My Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 3
Buffalo (1-5) @ Ohio (4-3)
I love Buffalo, they make games so easy to pick.
My Pick: Ohio
Confidence: 4
Kansas State (4-3) @ Missouri (6-1)
KSU's actually looked decent, but you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the Wildcats almost lost to Illinois State in Week 1. Mizzou's solidly above-average, and while KSU has a chance, I think it's significantly less of one at Missouri.
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 3
2:30 PM
Tulane (2-4) @ #7 Auburn (6-1)
Uhhhhhhh yeah this is a mismatch.
My Pick: Auburn
Confidence: 5
UCLA (4-2) @ #14 Notre Dame (5-1)
This could've been a fun shootout before UCLA's quarterback woes. Now it'll just be another BIG HEISMAN WORTHY WIN THAT PROVES NOTRE DAME DESERVES A BCS GAME!!!!!
My Pick: Notre Dame
Confidence: 4
3:00 PM
UNLV (1-5) @ BYU (4-2)
BYU or Air Force is probably the best team in the MWC. Controversial, I know, especially since they're the two teams undefeated in the conference. Anyway, UNLV's pass defense doesn't seem too great or anything, and it'll probably look a lot worse after this game.
My Pick: BYU
Confidence: 3
SMU (4-3) @ East Carolina (2-4)
ECU's definitely played a tougher slate, but SMU's looked like a pretty good team since their awful season start. Both teams are probably even, but ECU somehow managed to be the only team to slow down West Virginia, and the Pirates are at home.
My Pick: East Carolina
Confidence: 1
Toledo (2-5) @ Eastern Michigan (0-6)
Toledo looks like they've imploded after winning against Kansas and I-AA McNeese State. EMU, meanwhile, has had some bad losses, but looked good in their last game, a close defeat at Bowling Green. Toledo's probably the better and more talented team, but again, they just seem lost at the moment.
My Pick: Eastern Michigan
Confidence: 1
South Carolina (4-2) @ Vanderbilt (3-4)
SC looks to be getting things together with Syvelle Newton at QB. Vandy can obviously pull of the big win, but I am going to go with the surging Cocks. There was no verb I could use there that wouldn't have been suggestive.
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 2
3:05 PM
Kansas (3-4) @ Baylor (3-4)
Kansas has had some close losses, but Baylor should've had one too. Against Texas. This could go either way, but I still feel weird picking who I'm about to pick.
My Pick: Baylor
Confidence: 1
Temple (0-7) @ Northern Illinois (4-3)
Would it be out of the question for Garrett Wolfe to run for 600 and put him back on his previous pace?
My Pick: Northern Illinois
Confidence: 5
3:30 PM
#23 Iowa (5-2) @ #1 Michigan (7-0)
I find this game more worrisome for Michigan than the PSU one by a bunch. I get the feeling Drew Tate is due, and with the Michigan run defense, well, that's their only chance. And even then, probably still only a chance.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence: 2
Washington (4-3) @ #9 California (6-1)
When a one-man team is lost for the season, well, whoops.
My Pick: Cal
Confidence: 4
Alabama (5-2) @ #12 Tennessee (5-1)
A case could be made that Alabama's better than Georgia. Actually, thinking about that, that's probably true. Tennessee's hung their hat on that Cal win, and, well, beating a Georgia team that doesn't look so impressive now. Still, even if this is closer to a pick 'em than the polls would indicate, Tennessee's probably the better team, and the Vols are at home.
My Pick: Tennessee
Confidence: 1
Stanford (0-7) @ Arizona State (3-3)
Stanford's QB is out for the year. Yes, that was Stanford WITH a quarterback.
My Pick: Arizona State
Confidence: 4
TCU (3-2) @ Army (3-4)
TCU's thoroughly decent, probably above-average. Army, not so much.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 3
Boston College (5-1) @ Florida State (4-2)
The Clemson win was gift-wrapped, but BC's win against BYU and loss against NC State look better now. I guess I buy BC moreso now, but still. I have no real evidence to back it up, unless Florida State's prestige counts during this mediocre season, but I've got a feeling...
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 2
Texas Tech (4-3) @ Iowa State (3-4)
ISU's another one of those teams that I don't think can stop the Red Raider passing attack. However, ISU will almost definitely put some points up, and said Texas Tech passing attack has more of a tendency to beat itself than in previous years. Plus, you know, TTU lost to Colorado. But still.
My Pick: Texas Tech
Confidence: 1
North Dakota State @ Minnesota (2-5)
Yep.
My Pick: Minnesota
Confidence: 5
4:00 PM
Rice (2-5) @ Central Florida (2-4)
UCF's actually been pretty abysmal all year. Rice has shown inconsistent flashes, and is coming off a big win against UAB, but there are two reasons I'm picking against them: They're on the road, and they're still Rice.
My Pick: Central Florida
Confidence: 1
Colorado State (4-2) @ Wyoming (3-4)
Two pretty good mid-majors. Not much separating them, as CSU's worst loss was to Nevada, while Wyoming's played everyone close, but Colorado State has had the stronger schedule. I'll go with the team with the better track record, though a result either way wouldn't surprise me.
My Pick: Colorado State
Confidence: 1
5:00 PM
#13 Oregon (5-1) @ Washington State (4-3)
Oregon seems to kindasortamaybe have kind of a defense. Which spells trouble for Pac 10 teams! Wazzou could be the #4 team in the Pac 10, so an upset isn't out of the question, but I'm not picking it.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 2
5:05 PM
#15 Boise State (7-0) @ Idaho (4-3)
Idaho may be the surprise team of the WAC. Oh, wait, San Jose State, whoops. God the WAC is weird. Anyway, yeah, Boise's way better than everyone in the conference.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 4
6:00 PM
Miami of Ohio (1-6) @ Akron (2-4)
Uhhhh yeah Miami of Ohio is sadly pretty bad. Akron has also disappointed so far, but they're at least pretty decent. And at home!
My Pick: Akron
Confidence: 2
7:00 PM
Colorado (1-6) @ #16 Oklahoma (4-2)
It probably won't be apparent exactly how much the loss of Peterson will hurt OU until they face their first test. This probably ain't it.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 3
#24 Texas A&M (6-1) @ Oklahoma State (4-2)
The performance of TAMU QB Stephen McGee last week is what finally sold me on the Aggies. If McGee falters, I could easily see OK State pulling off the win. However, OK State may not be able to stop the A&M running game either way, and while I don't think A&M is a top 25-worthy team without a passing game, I think they could still win without it.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 2
Oregon State (3-3) @ Arizona (3-4)
Two about even teams that will probably hover around .500 at the end of the year. Arizona beat BYU at home, so they get the benefit of the doubt.
My Pick: Arizona
Confidence: 1
UTEP (4-2) @ Houston (4-3)
Two inconsistent teams in the upper tier of C-USA. Houston especially has been slipping lately. Regression to the mean for both Houston and Jordan Palmer's interception total + Houston at home =:
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 2
Middle Tennessee State (3-3) @ Louisiana-Monroe (1-5)
The Sun Belt is mostly full of parity, but ULM's pretty awful.
My Pick: Middle Tennessee State
Confidence: 2
Utah State (1-6) @ Louisiana Tech (1-5)
LA Tech's played 4 teams in my top 25, so it's kind of hard to get a handle on how good (or not good) they are. USU's comparatively rolling from their offensive impotence at the beginning of the year. I'll go with the devil (or disappointing WAC team) I know.
My Pick: Utah State
Confidence: 1
Marshall (1-5) @ UAB (3-4)
Basically, bad @ inconsistent. Inconsistent's bad days <>
7:05 PM
North Texas (2-4) @ Arkansas State (4-2)
ASU or ULL are the definite Sun Belt favorites right now. AK State running game hooray! Usual caveats about Sun Belt talent parity apply.
My Pick: Arkansas State
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#19 Georgia Tech (5-1) @ #8 Clemson (6-1)
Calvin Johnson's still a beast, but the team as a whole can be very inconsistent. See: the Maryland game. I trust Clemson to show up much more, and with the Tigers at home, I can't really envision the upset.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence: 3
8:00 PM
Air Force (3-2) @ San Diego State (0-5)
Air Force is as good as anyone in the conference. On the other side...well, patience, SDSU fans, patience.
My Pick: Air Force
Confidence: 3
Hawaii (4-2) @ New Mexico State (2-4)
What's the over-under on yardage here? 1400 combined? Basically, this is going to come down to a game of "My passing attack is better than your passing attack." And, well, Hawaii's is way better.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 4
Tulsa (5-1) @ Memphis (1-5)
Tulsa's rolled in C-USA, and right now looks like the class of the conference. Memphis is...depressing.
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 4
9:00 PM
#10 LSU (5-2) @ Fresno State (1-5)
Maybe last year. Hahahahaha no not even then. The only question here is if Fresno or Louisiana-Lafayette is the worst team LSU has on their schedule. Just gotta keep it within 42, Bulldogs.
My Pick: LSU
Confidence: 4
SUNDAY
8:00 PM
South Florida (5-2) @ Cincinnati (3-4)
USF QB Matt Grothe has been a one-man team and a pretty big surprise. And he looked mostly fine last week against UNC. Cincinnati is decent, but so boringly so I don't really have much to say about them. They could win, but USF is better.
My Pick: South Florida
Confidence: 2
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Week 8 Rundown: Wednesday through Friday
WEDNESDAY
7:30 PM
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2) @ Florida Atlantic (2-4)
FAU doesn't look quite as awful as predicted, but LALA's had some freaky good wins, like Houston and...well, Eastern Michigan is impressive for a Sun Belt team. ULL should win this easy, but there's always the chance for some Sun Belt wackiness. None of these teams are really clearcut leaders of the pack talentwise.
My Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Confidence (out of 5): 3
THURSDAY
7:30 PM
Central Michigan (4-3) @ Bowling Green (4-3)
Ohhhh jesus I don't know. BGSU beat Ohio, but got murdered by Kent, while CMU is undefeated in the conference and played BC close, but god beat badly by Kentucky. I like CMU's wins more, and the homefield advantage doesn't seem to mean much in the MAC, so I'll go with the Chippewas.
My Pick: Central Michigan
Confidence: 1
North Carolina (1-5) @ Virginia (2-5)
UVA's at least been competitive in their conference games, although UNC has played a weaker schedule. Virginia can kind of run it, and will probably have their biggest ground game this week. Teams are probably about even, I'm just really down on the UNC run defense (or lack thereof.)
My Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 1
9:00 PM
Utah (4-3) @ New Mexico (3-4)
Utah's as frustrating as anyone in the country. ALL THAT TALENT, DAMMIT! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here, especially since UNM's loss to Portland State still lingers in my mind.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
#4 West Virginia (6-0) @ Connecticut (3-3)
Well, UConn's coming off a big win against...Army? I want to give the Huskies more of a chance, but if Navy ran for over 500, then...hoo boy.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence: 4
7:30 PM
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2) @ Florida Atlantic (2-4)
FAU doesn't look quite as awful as predicted, but LALA's had some freaky good wins, like Houston and...well, Eastern Michigan is impressive for a Sun Belt team. ULL should win this easy, but there's always the chance for some Sun Belt wackiness. None of these teams are really clearcut leaders of the pack talentwise.
My Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Confidence (out of 5): 3
THURSDAY
7:30 PM
Central Michigan (4-3) @ Bowling Green (4-3)
Ohhhh jesus I don't know. BGSU beat Ohio, but got murdered by Kent, while CMU is undefeated in the conference and played BC close, but god beat badly by Kentucky. I like CMU's wins more, and the homefield advantage doesn't seem to mean much in the MAC, so I'll go with the Chippewas.
My Pick: Central Michigan
Confidence: 1
North Carolina (1-5) @ Virginia (2-5)
UVA's at least been competitive in their conference games, although UNC has played a weaker schedule. Virginia can kind of run it, and will probably have their biggest ground game this week. Teams are probably about even, I'm just really down on the UNC run defense (or lack thereof.)
My Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 1
9:00 PM
Utah (4-3) @ New Mexico (3-4)
Utah's as frustrating as anyone in the country. ALL THAT TALENT, DAMMIT! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here, especially since UNM's loss to Portland State still lingers in my mind.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
#4 West Virginia (6-0) @ Connecticut (3-3)
Well, UConn's coming off a big win against...Army? I want to give the Huskies more of a chance, but if Navy ran for over 500, then...hoo boy.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence: 4
Monday, October 16, 2006
Feely Top 25: After Week 7
#1 Michigan (7-0, #1 LW, W @ Penn State 17-10): Same old same old. Offense is about as good as anyone's, and the defense is much better. What more can I say? Praise praise praise praise.
#2 Ohio State (7-0, #4, W @ Michigan State 38-7): Best resume of anyone, and hey, they keep winning big. I obviously think they're far from the undisputed #1 everyone claims, but they've still been as impressive as any team. Well, any team except one.
#3 USC (6-0, #3, W vs. Arizona State 28-21): I still think they're running the table, but seriously, c'mon, win one easily. Please?
#4 West Virginia (6-0, #6, W vs. Syracuse 41-17): They make it look like NCAA 07 out there. And, scarily, they're better in real life than I am in the game. I think Texas is probably the overall better team, but I'm beginning to buy the WVU going undefeated hype.
#5 Texas (6-1, #5, W vs. Baylor 63-31): I'm still high on them, especially as the Big 12 looks more and more blah, but c'mon. They should've killed Baylor moreso. Not that I'd have wanted to see it.
#6 Florida (6-1, #2, L @ Auburn 17-27): Yes, still this high. They're about even with...
#7 Auburn (6-1, #9, W vs. Florida 27-17): , but I like Florida as the more consistent team.
#8 Clemson (6-1, #8, W vs. Temple 63-9): Granted, it's Temple, but still, oof. Looking more and more like the easy ACC champs.
#9 Cal (6-1, #7, W @ Washington State 21-3): Didn't impress at all in the Wazzou game. However, the Golden Bears still could be competitive with any one-loss team out there.
#10 LSU (5-2, #10, W vs. Kentucky 49-0): Still #3 in the SEC easy, don't give me any of that Tennessee lip. Though they should've kept doing whatever they do against the shit teams when they faced Florida and Auburn.
#11 Louisville (6-0, #11, W vs. Cincinnati 27-17): Looked vulnerable, even with Brohm back. Shouldn't matter until the WVU game.
#12 Tennessee (5-1, #12, BYE): Well, that Georgia win doesn't look that great now. So, basically, they have the Cal win. Which is more than a lot of teams this year, including...
#13 Oregon (5-1, #13, W vs. UCLA 30-20): Wow, a Pac 10 team exhibited some defense. Although UCLA's going through its own problems.
#14 Notre Dame (5-1, #15, BYE): WHAT A HEISMANWORTHY PERFORMANCE BY BRADY QUINN DURING THAT BYE WEEK
#15 Boise State (7-0, #17, W @ New Mexico State 40-28): Should go undefeated. Will likely be passed over for Notre Dame. Sigh.
#16 Oklahoma (4-2, #16, W vs. Iowa State 34-9): The defense and QB Paul Thompson looked decent, so they're here tenatively. If the backup running backs suck, they'll start slippin'.
#17 Arkansas (5-1, #18, W vs. Southeastern Missouri State 63-7): Big win.
#18 Nebraska (6-1, #19, W @ Kansas State 21-3): A solidly above-average team. Seems to be nothing more, nothing less. Yep. Exciting.
#19 Georgia Tech (5-1, #21, BYE): #13 in the polls? Really? Like Nebraska, a solidly above-average team. Which makes them the clearcut #2 in the ACC. Sigh.
#20 Pittsburgh (6-1, #24, W @ Central Florida 52-7): Defense is good, running game looks great, and Tyler Palko may have gone from super-overrated to super-underrated over the course of the year. They have Louisville and West Virginia at home, and, well, there's a chance they could win both. Well, the former I could easily see. Latter should be a hell of a game. Of course, even as I type all that praise, Dave Wannstedt could fuck it all up.
#21 Wisconsin (6-1, NR, W vs. Minnesota 48-12): Hung with Michigan, then tore apart the dregs of the Big Ten. The weak schedule so far makes me a bit skeptical, but they avoid Ohio State, and thus could win out in the rest of their games. Good balance on offense, good defense, hey, why not?
#22 Rutgers (6-0, NR, W @ Navy 34-0): Well, they keep winning. And they showed a passing game for once. I still like Pitt as the Big East darkhorse way more, but Rutgers is far and away #4.
#23 Iowa (5-2, #14, L @ Indiana 28-31): And falling. But hey, someone's gotta be ranked, and the pieces for a good team are still all there. Plus the Big Ten past the big two is still quite wide open.
#24 Texas A&M (6-1, NR, W vs. Missouri 25-19): They've been primarily a running team, but QB Stephen McGee had a pretty impressive performance. And with Peterson hurt, they could very well be the #2 team in the Big 12. Maybe #3 behind Nebraska.
#25 Georgia (5-2, #20, L vs. Vanderbilt 22-24): The defense still looked good, so there's still hope. A bit of hope. And I'm still not completely sold on Wake Forest, so here the Bulldogs are.
#2 Ohio State (7-0, #4, W @ Michigan State 38-7): Best resume of anyone, and hey, they keep winning big. I obviously think they're far from the undisputed #1 everyone claims, but they've still been as impressive as any team. Well, any team except one.
#3 USC (6-0, #3, W vs. Arizona State 28-21): I still think they're running the table, but seriously, c'mon, win one easily. Please?
#4 West Virginia (6-0, #6, W vs. Syracuse 41-17): They make it look like NCAA 07 out there. And, scarily, they're better in real life than I am in the game. I think Texas is probably the overall better team, but I'm beginning to buy the WVU going undefeated hype.
#5 Texas (6-1, #5, W vs. Baylor 63-31): I'm still high on them, especially as the Big 12 looks more and more blah, but c'mon. They should've killed Baylor moreso. Not that I'd have wanted to see it.
#6 Florida (6-1, #2, L @ Auburn 17-27): Yes, still this high. They're about even with...
#7 Auburn (6-1, #9, W vs. Florida 27-17): , but I like Florida as the more consistent team.
#8 Clemson (6-1, #8, W vs. Temple 63-9): Granted, it's Temple, but still, oof. Looking more and more like the easy ACC champs.
#9 Cal (6-1, #7, W @ Washington State 21-3): Didn't impress at all in the Wazzou game. However, the Golden Bears still could be competitive with any one-loss team out there.
#10 LSU (5-2, #10, W vs. Kentucky 49-0): Still #3 in the SEC easy, don't give me any of that Tennessee lip. Though they should've kept doing whatever they do against the shit teams when they faced Florida and Auburn.
#11 Louisville (6-0, #11, W vs. Cincinnati 27-17): Looked vulnerable, even with Brohm back. Shouldn't matter until the WVU game.
#12 Tennessee (5-1, #12, BYE): Well, that Georgia win doesn't look that great now. So, basically, they have the Cal win. Which is more than a lot of teams this year, including...
#13 Oregon (5-1, #13, W vs. UCLA 30-20): Wow, a Pac 10 team exhibited some defense. Although UCLA's going through its own problems.
#14 Notre Dame (5-1, #15, BYE): WHAT A HEISMANWORTHY PERFORMANCE BY BRADY QUINN DURING THAT BYE WEEK
#15 Boise State (7-0, #17, W @ New Mexico State 40-28): Should go undefeated. Will likely be passed over for Notre Dame. Sigh.
#16 Oklahoma (4-2, #16, W vs. Iowa State 34-9): The defense and QB Paul Thompson looked decent, so they're here tenatively. If the backup running backs suck, they'll start slippin'.
#17 Arkansas (5-1, #18, W vs. Southeastern Missouri State 63-7): Big win.
#18 Nebraska (6-1, #19, W @ Kansas State 21-3): A solidly above-average team. Seems to be nothing more, nothing less. Yep. Exciting.
#19 Georgia Tech (5-1, #21, BYE): #13 in the polls? Really? Like Nebraska, a solidly above-average team. Which makes them the clearcut #2 in the ACC. Sigh.
#20 Pittsburgh (6-1, #24, W @ Central Florida 52-7): Defense is good, running game looks great, and Tyler Palko may have gone from super-overrated to super-underrated over the course of the year. They have Louisville and West Virginia at home, and, well, there's a chance they could win both. Well, the former I could easily see. Latter should be a hell of a game. Of course, even as I type all that praise, Dave Wannstedt could fuck it all up.
#21 Wisconsin (6-1, NR, W vs. Minnesota 48-12): Hung with Michigan, then tore apart the dregs of the Big Ten. The weak schedule so far makes me a bit skeptical, but they avoid Ohio State, and thus could win out in the rest of their games. Good balance on offense, good defense, hey, why not?
#22 Rutgers (6-0, NR, W @ Navy 34-0): Well, they keep winning. And they showed a passing game for once. I still like Pitt as the Big East darkhorse way more, but Rutgers is far and away #4.
#23 Iowa (5-2, #14, L @ Indiana 28-31): And falling. But hey, someone's gotta be ranked, and the pieces for a good team are still all there. Plus the Big Ten past the big two is still quite wide open.
#24 Texas A&M (6-1, NR, W vs. Missouri 25-19): They've been primarily a running team, but QB Stephen McGee had a pretty impressive performance. And with Peterson hurt, they could very well be the #2 team in the Big 12. Maybe #3 behind Nebraska.
#25 Georgia (5-2, #20, L vs. Vanderbilt 22-24): The defense still looked good, so there's still hope. A bit of hope. And I'm still not completely sold on Wake Forest, so here the Bulldogs are.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Week 7 Recap: The Rest
Alabama 26, Mississippi 23 (OT)
The heck? Ole Miss keeps getting outgained, 441-304 in this case, but they keep winning or keeping it close lately. The Ole Miss offense was at least decent this time around, but the defense couldn't stop the Tide by air (John Parker Wilson: 16/28, 206, 2 TD) or on the ground (Kenneth Darby: 162 yards). So yeah, Ole Miss is as bad as their record, but not as good as their scores.
Arizona 20, Stanford 7
Stanford only managed 92 yards. Oh Cardinal, you are no...any team but Temple.
Connecticut 21, Army 7
UConn gained 382 yards of mostly-empty yardage, as 2 of the 3 TDs came on a punt return and a 98-yard Terry Caulley run. Matt Bonislawski only threw for 139, but the key number for the Huskies QB was 0, as in 0 interceptions. Also, new kicker Graig Vicidomino went 0/3 on FGs, actually result in...yes, the return of Matt Nuzie. He never really left, but God help us all.
Bowling Green 24, Eastern Michigan 21
EMU WR Eric Deslauriers finally had a big game, gaining 172 yards and 2 TD. That was pretty much all the good news for the Eagles, as they only had 82 rushing yards and lost AGAIN.
Colorado 30, Texas Tech 6
I'm not so sure that Colorado stopped the TTU passing attack so much as that it stopped itself, thanks to Graham Harrell's 3 picks. And well, Texas Tech doesn't have much of a running game or a defense, so the score tells the rest of the story.
Miami 35, Florida International 0
FIGHT FIGHT FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. Miami still only managed 298 total yards, which probably says something. Something like that their offense is bad.
Hawaii 68, Fresno State 37
Oof. Well, the Fresno offense gave it a go, gaining almost 500 yards. But when you're unable to stop the pass against a team that does nothing but pass, well, this happens. An interception return for a TD and 2 Fresno fumbles helped too.
Idaho 24, Louisiana Tech 14
Ouch. What's worse: Idaho outgaining LA Tech 382-211, or LT turning the ball over 8 times? Yes, eight. Though I guess it's kind of impressive that despite all that, they only lost by ten.
Ohio 20, Illinois 17
Poor Illinois. An upset by luck here, in the Vandy/Ole Miss mold, with Illinois outgaining the Bobcats 441-264, but turning the ball over five times in the process. There's still hope for the Illini, but unfortunately that probably won't result in a win until...at Northwestern?
Oklahoma State 42, Kansas 32
Whoa. Not so much the result as the numbers. Kansas had 400 yards, but somehow managed to give up 628. 628! OK State QB Bobby Reid: 23/35, 411, 5/1 TD/INT. And 46 and a rushing TD on the ground. Wow. The KU offense is decent, but that defense is horrid. And OSU is far from the Big 12 bottom-dwellers I thought they'd be this season.
Kent State 40, Toledo 14
And Kent did it all running, as RB Eugene Jarvis had 3 TD on 179 yards, and the Golden Flashes only passed for 78. And for some reason, KSU backup QB Michael Machen kicked an extra point. Okay. Kent looks to be legit, at least on a MAC level, while Toledo's having the implosion most people pegged for Bowling Green.
Maryland 28, Virginia 26
UVa was up 20-0 through the half, but then proceeded to implode, including an INT returned for a TD in the fourth. The Cavaliers probably should've won this one, but that's more of an indictment of Maryland than any sort of praise for Virginia.
Wisconsin 48, Minnesota 12
Mostly an annihilation. Badgers QB John Stocco: 12/19, 193, 4 TD. RB Pat Hill Jr.: 164 yards, 2 TD. On the plus side, the Gophers did return a failed XP for 2 points.
Wake Forest 25, NC State 23
Despite their flaws, Wake suddenly actually looks pretty good in that mess of an ACC. NC State deserved to win here, holding the Demon Deacons under 300 yards, but QB Daniel Evans's late interception sealed it. The Wolfpack revitalization behind Evans seems legit, and again, that ACC is a mess.
Western Michigan 16, Northern Illinois 14
Garrett Wolfe...25 yards? And NIU as a whole had 0, since QB Phil Horvath got sacked for negative 25. So, with Wolfe's slim Heisman chances dead and buried, we can now mention the elephant inside the room: Man, NIU's disappointing this year.
UTEP 34, Tulane 20
Jordan Palmer: 22/29, 230, 3 TD, 0 INT. Come oooooooooooon, I don't want to have to retire that nickname.
Wyoming 31, Utah 15
Absolutely impotent performance by the Utes here, passing for only 111 and rushing for only 33. So much for that.
The heck? Ole Miss keeps getting outgained, 441-304 in this case, but they keep winning or keeping it close lately. The Ole Miss offense was at least decent this time around, but the defense couldn't stop the Tide by air (John Parker Wilson: 16/28, 206, 2 TD) or on the ground (Kenneth Darby: 162 yards). So yeah, Ole Miss is as bad as their record, but not as good as their scores.
Arizona 20, Stanford 7
Stanford only managed 92 yards. Oh Cardinal, you are no...any team but Temple.
Connecticut 21, Army 7
UConn gained 382 yards of mostly-empty yardage, as 2 of the 3 TDs came on a punt return and a 98-yard Terry Caulley run. Matt Bonislawski only threw for 139, but the key number for the Huskies QB was 0, as in 0 interceptions. Also, new kicker Graig Vicidomino went 0/3 on FGs, actually result in...yes, the return of Matt Nuzie. He never really left, but God help us all.
Bowling Green 24, Eastern Michigan 21
EMU WR Eric Deslauriers finally had a big game, gaining 172 yards and 2 TD. That was pretty much all the good news for the Eagles, as they only had 82 rushing yards and lost AGAIN.
Colorado 30, Texas Tech 6
I'm not so sure that Colorado stopped the TTU passing attack so much as that it stopped itself, thanks to Graham Harrell's 3 picks. And well, Texas Tech doesn't have much of a running game or a defense, so the score tells the rest of the story.
Miami 35, Florida International 0
FIGHT FIGHT FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. Miami still only managed 298 total yards, which probably says something. Something like that their offense is bad.
Hawaii 68, Fresno State 37
Oof. Well, the Fresno offense gave it a go, gaining almost 500 yards. But when you're unable to stop the pass against a team that does nothing but pass, well, this happens. An interception return for a TD and 2 Fresno fumbles helped too.
Idaho 24, Louisiana Tech 14
Ouch. What's worse: Idaho outgaining LA Tech 382-211, or LT turning the ball over 8 times? Yes, eight. Though I guess it's kind of impressive that despite all that, they only lost by ten.
Ohio 20, Illinois 17
Poor Illinois. An upset by luck here, in the Vandy/Ole Miss mold, with Illinois outgaining the Bobcats 441-264, but turning the ball over five times in the process. There's still hope for the Illini, but unfortunately that probably won't result in a win until...at Northwestern?
Oklahoma State 42, Kansas 32
Whoa. Not so much the result as the numbers. Kansas had 400 yards, but somehow managed to give up 628. 628! OK State QB Bobby Reid: 23/35, 411, 5/1 TD/INT. And 46 and a rushing TD on the ground. Wow. The KU offense is decent, but that defense is horrid. And OSU is far from the Big 12 bottom-dwellers I thought they'd be this season.
Kent State 40, Toledo 14
And Kent did it all running, as RB Eugene Jarvis had 3 TD on 179 yards, and the Golden Flashes only passed for 78. And for some reason, KSU backup QB Michael Machen kicked an extra point. Okay. Kent looks to be legit, at least on a MAC level, while Toledo's having the implosion most people pegged for Bowling Green.
Maryland 28, Virginia 26
UVa was up 20-0 through the half, but then proceeded to implode, including an INT returned for a TD in the fourth. The Cavaliers probably should've won this one, but that's more of an indictment of Maryland than any sort of praise for Virginia.
Wisconsin 48, Minnesota 12
Mostly an annihilation. Badgers QB John Stocco: 12/19, 193, 4 TD. RB Pat Hill Jr.: 164 yards, 2 TD. On the plus side, the Gophers did return a failed XP for 2 points.
Wake Forest 25, NC State 23
Despite their flaws, Wake suddenly actually looks pretty good in that mess of an ACC. NC State deserved to win here, holding the Demon Deacons under 300 yards, but QB Daniel Evans's late interception sealed it. The Wolfpack revitalization behind Evans seems legit, and again, that ACC is a mess.
Western Michigan 16, Northern Illinois 14
Garrett Wolfe...25 yards? And NIU as a whole had 0, since QB Phil Horvath got sacked for negative 25. So, with Wolfe's slim Heisman chances dead and buried, we can now mention the elephant inside the room: Man, NIU's disappointing this year.
UTEP 34, Tulane 20
Jordan Palmer: 22/29, 230, 3 TD, 0 INT. Come oooooooooooon, I don't want to have to retire that nickname.
Wyoming 31, Utah 15
Absolutely impotent performance by the Utes here, passing for only 111 and rushing for only 33. So much for that.
Week 7 Recap: The Top 25
#1 Michigan @ Penn State
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 17, Penn State 10
OPERATION SHUTDOWN. Penn State could only run for 53 yards, and I'll give Anthony Morelli credit for throwing no interceptions before being knocked out of the game. Michigan basically dominated, between the defense, Mike Hart rushing for 112 and a TD, and Henne throwing for 196 and a score. Though again, I'll give PSU credit, as I thought it could've been a lot worse.
#2 Florida @ #9 Auburn
My Pick: Florida
Final Score: Auburn 27, Florida 17
Seeing as Auburn's 2 TDs came on a punt block and the fumbled lateral to end the game, my initial instinct was that Florida deserved to win the game. But, nope, Brandon Cox (18/27, 182) outperformed Chris Leak (9/17, 113, 1/1 TD/INT), and only receivers or Tim Tebow could run on the Auburn defense. Auburn takes a step up in my eyes, even if I still probably like Florida better. It's close now, though.
Arizona State @ #3 USC
My Pick: USC
Final Score: USC 28, Arizona State 21
Wow, nobody really impressed at all except USC RB Chauncey Washington's 108 and a score. Probably more an overall mediocre offensive effort than any result of the defenses. So...yeah. USC doesn't look all that great. But they won. As usual.
#4 Ohio State @ Michigan State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
Troy Smith had another very-good-but-shouldn't-be-Heismanworthy game, going 15/22 for 234 and 2 TD. Probably an impressive win, but...wow, Michigan State sucks. And it's 95% coaching.
Baylor @ #5 Texas
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 63, Baylor 31
Wow, this was actually kind of a game. Two big factors, well, outside of the talent gap: 5 Baylor turnovers, 2 of which were returned for TDs, and Baylor's continual lack of a running game (69 yards). Still, 447-389 is probably a lot closer than most figured the yardage gap would be. Texas remains the Big 12 elite, and while it will probably seem stupid in about a month, right now I have some optimism for the Bears. BAYLOR.
Syracuse @ #6 West Virginia
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 41, Syracuse 17
Cuse hung in there for a while, then WVU just decided to turn it into a video game. Again. As they always seem to do. Pat White: 99 yards and an INT passing, but 247 and 4 TD on the ground. Oh, and Slaton ran for 163 and a score. Next week (WVU @ UConn) frightens me horribly.
#7 Cal @ Washington State
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 21, Washington State 3
The box score for this game is all sorts of screwy, so I'm not sure why the yardage gap was so small. Seems like most of Wazzou's yards came unsuccessfully trying to play catch-up. Cal didn't really impress that much outside of Marshawn Lynch being a one-man team and running for 152 and 2 TD.
Temple @ #8 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 63, Temple 9
I'm shocked it was this close.
Kentucky @ #10 LSU
My Pick: LSU
Final Score: LSU 49, Kentucky 0
Even more of a one-sided whoopin' than I expected. Now why can't the Tigers do that against, you know, good teams?
Cincinnati @ #11 Louisville
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 27, Cincinnati 17
Pretty close all in all. Cincy QB Dustin Grutza was productive if not accurate, going only 10/27 but throwing 2 TDs. The big story was the comeback of Brian Brohm, however, and he looked pretty good, throwing for 324, a TD, and a pick on 20/37 passing. The UL running game struggled here, so Louisville actually seems more vulnerable than they did while Brohm was injured. They should improve, though, but WVU's the definite Big East favorite now.
UCLA @ #13 Oregon
My Pick: Oregon
Final Score: Oregon 30, UCLA 20
UCLA couldn't accomplish much, only gaining 249 yards. Oregon outdid that solely on the ground with 276. The injury to UCLA QB Ben Olson really hurt their outlook, while Oregon has cemented their status as one of the Pac 10 elite.
#14 Iowa @ Indiana
My Pick: Iowa
Final Score: Indiana 31, Iowa 28
Kellen Lewis had a TROY SMITH HEISMANESQUE PERFORMANCE, going 19/25 for 255 and 3 TD. And that was pretty much the different. Drew Tate had more yards (292), but wasn't as accurate (23/40) and wasn't as productive (1/1 TD/INT). Yep. This is kind of the equivalent of the dot-com stock crash. You wait for growth, you wait for growth, and then you lose to Indiana.
Iowa State @ #16 Oklahoma
My Pick: Oklahoma
Final Score: Oklahoma 34, Iowa State 9
Well, Adrian Peterson's broken collarbone is obviously the big thing here. So, with the one-man team being done for the year...now what? Well, Paul Thompson (16/27, 195, 2 TD) had a good day, and, in the real key, the Sooner defense only allowed 277 yards. I think OU should be at least as good as, say, Missouri if the defense can keep it up, since that's their bread and butter. Well, as long as the backup running backs aren't horrible or anything. I wouldn't know.
#17 Boise State @ New Mexico State
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 40, New Mexico State 28
Boise held the non-existent NMSU rushing attack to 0 yards. Which I guess is appropriate. BSU RB Ian Johnson ran for 191 and 4 TDs, so he is a scary man. Best mid-major in the nation, heaping praise etc. etc.
Southeastern Missouri State @ #18 Arkansas
My Pick: Arkansas
Final Score: Arkansas 63, Southeastern Missouri State 7
Shock.
#19 Nebraska @ Kansas State
My Pick: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 21, Kansas State 3
KSU QB Josh Freeman threw for 272 of the Wildcats' 342 overall yards, but that was mostly playing catch-up. Plus Freeman threw 2 picks. Nebraska shut down the run, and basically just had an efficient but not outstanding victory. Still the best team the Big 12 North, and with the Peterson injury, maybe even the #2 team in the conference overall.
Vanderbilt @ #20 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Vanderbilt 24, Georgia 22
UGA QB Joe Tereshinski actually didn't have a bad line (11/17, 151, TD), but he got replaced by Matthew Stafford late. The UGA defense tried to keep them in this, holding Vandy to 299 yards and getting 2 picks (one for a TD), but, well, lost cause. Vandy QB Chris Nickson threw for 190 and ran for 59, accounting for 5/6 of the Commodore offense, so, yeah, he's gonna be a good one.
#22 Missouri @ Texas A&M
My Pick: Texas A&M
Final Score: Texas A&M 25, Missouri 19
A bit of a shootout, with both teams gaining over 400 yards. Missouri's running game let them down here (98 yards), so that was probably the difference. A&M's usually a rushing team, and they ran for 211, but they exhibited more of a balanced attack, with QB Stephen McGee throwing for 183 and a TD on 19/23 passing. Missouri's still a solid above-average team, and this was a pretty impressive win for the Aggies.
#23 Virginia Tech @ Boston College
My Pick: Virginia Tech
Final Score: Boston College 22, Virginia Tech 3
Oof. BC only had 277 yards, but QB Matt Ryan's 174 and 2 TD was probably enough to win here. VT QB Sean Glennon had 23/34 passing, but only had 148 yards and 2 picks. The Hokies obviously looked worse, but both teams pretty much disappointed.
#24 Pittsburgh @ Central Florida
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Pittsburgh 52, Central Florida 7
Wow, the Panthers just busted out the whoopin' stick. They won the yardage game 475-342, and forced 4 turnovers in the process. Tyler Palko had 2 TDs and 172 yards on only 11 completions, while Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Dowling had another big game, running for 135 and 3 TD. Whoopin' whoopin' whoopin'.
Rutgers @ #25 Navy
My Pick: Navy
Final Score: Rutgers 34, Navy 0
Navy's chances went down along with QB Brian Hampton holding his knee. Even so, Rutgers improved their stock with me, actually showing a passing game behind Mike Teel's 215 yards and 3/1 TD/INT ratio. I still have questions about the defense, and I think with Hampton Navy could've won this one, but I think 6-0 might be where I stop arguing. For the moment.
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 17, Penn State 10
OPERATION SHUTDOWN. Penn State could only run for 53 yards, and I'll give Anthony Morelli credit for throwing no interceptions before being knocked out of the game. Michigan basically dominated, between the defense, Mike Hart rushing for 112 and a TD, and Henne throwing for 196 and a score. Though again, I'll give PSU credit, as I thought it could've been a lot worse.
#2 Florida @ #9 Auburn
My Pick: Florida
Final Score: Auburn 27, Florida 17
Seeing as Auburn's 2 TDs came on a punt block and the fumbled lateral to end the game, my initial instinct was that Florida deserved to win the game. But, nope, Brandon Cox (18/27, 182) outperformed Chris Leak (9/17, 113, 1/1 TD/INT), and only receivers or Tim Tebow could run on the Auburn defense. Auburn takes a step up in my eyes, even if I still probably like Florida better. It's close now, though.
Arizona State @ #3 USC
My Pick: USC
Final Score: USC 28, Arizona State 21
Wow, nobody really impressed at all except USC RB Chauncey Washington's 108 and a score. Probably more an overall mediocre offensive effort than any result of the defenses. So...yeah. USC doesn't look all that great. But they won. As usual.
#4 Ohio State @ Michigan State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
Troy Smith had another very-good-but-shouldn't-be-Heismanworthy game, going 15/22 for 234 and 2 TD. Probably an impressive win, but...wow, Michigan State sucks. And it's 95% coaching.
Baylor @ #5 Texas
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 63, Baylor 31
Wow, this was actually kind of a game. Two big factors, well, outside of the talent gap: 5 Baylor turnovers, 2 of which were returned for TDs, and Baylor's continual lack of a running game (69 yards). Still, 447-389 is probably a lot closer than most figured the yardage gap would be. Texas remains the Big 12 elite, and while it will probably seem stupid in about a month, right now I have some optimism for the Bears. BAYLOR.
Syracuse @ #6 West Virginia
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 41, Syracuse 17
Cuse hung in there for a while, then WVU just decided to turn it into a video game. Again. As they always seem to do. Pat White: 99 yards and an INT passing, but 247 and 4 TD on the ground. Oh, and Slaton ran for 163 and a score. Next week (WVU @ UConn) frightens me horribly.
#7 Cal @ Washington State
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 21, Washington State 3
The box score for this game is all sorts of screwy, so I'm not sure why the yardage gap was so small. Seems like most of Wazzou's yards came unsuccessfully trying to play catch-up. Cal didn't really impress that much outside of Marshawn Lynch being a one-man team and running for 152 and 2 TD.
Temple @ #8 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 63, Temple 9
I'm shocked it was this close.
Kentucky @ #10 LSU
My Pick: LSU
Final Score: LSU 49, Kentucky 0
Even more of a one-sided whoopin' than I expected. Now why can't the Tigers do that against, you know, good teams?
Cincinnati @ #11 Louisville
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 27, Cincinnati 17
Pretty close all in all. Cincy QB Dustin Grutza was productive if not accurate, going only 10/27 but throwing 2 TDs. The big story was the comeback of Brian Brohm, however, and he looked pretty good, throwing for 324, a TD, and a pick on 20/37 passing. The UL running game struggled here, so Louisville actually seems more vulnerable than they did while Brohm was injured. They should improve, though, but WVU's the definite Big East favorite now.
UCLA @ #13 Oregon
My Pick: Oregon
Final Score: Oregon 30, UCLA 20
UCLA couldn't accomplish much, only gaining 249 yards. Oregon outdid that solely on the ground with 276. The injury to UCLA QB Ben Olson really hurt their outlook, while Oregon has cemented their status as one of the Pac 10 elite.
#14 Iowa @ Indiana
My Pick: Iowa
Final Score: Indiana 31, Iowa 28
Kellen Lewis had a TROY SMITH HEISMANESQUE PERFORMANCE, going 19/25 for 255 and 3 TD. And that was pretty much the different. Drew Tate had more yards (292), but wasn't as accurate (23/40) and wasn't as productive (1/1 TD/INT). Yep. This is kind of the equivalent of the dot-com stock crash. You wait for growth, you wait for growth, and then you lose to Indiana.
Iowa State @ #16 Oklahoma
My Pick: Oklahoma
Final Score: Oklahoma 34, Iowa State 9
Well, Adrian Peterson's broken collarbone is obviously the big thing here. So, with the one-man team being done for the year...now what? Well, Paul Thompson (16/27, 195, 2 TD) had a good day, and, in the real key, the Sooner defense only allowed 277 yards. I think OU should be at least as good as, say, Missouri if the defense can keep it up, since that's their bread and butter. Well, as long as the backup running backs aren't horrible or anything. I wouldn't know.
#17 Boise State @ New Mexico State
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 40, New Mexico State 28
Boise held the non-existent NMSU rushing attack to 0 yards. Which I guess is appropriate. BSU RB Ian Johnson ran for 191 and 4 TDs, so he is a scary man. Best mid-major in the nation, heaping praise etc. etc.
Southeastern Missouri State @ #18 Arkansas
My Pick: Arkansas
Final Score: Arkansas 63, Southeastern Missouri State 7
Shock.
#19 Nebraska @ Kansas State
My Pick: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 21, Kansas State 3
KSU QB Josh Freeman threw for 272 of the Wildcats' 342 overall yards, but that was mostly playing catch-up. Plus Freeman threw 2 picks. Nebraska shut down the run, and basically just had an efficient but not outstanding victory. Still the best team the Big 12 North, and with the Peterson injury, maybe even the #2 team in the conference overall.
Vanderbilt @ #20 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Vanderbilt 24, Georgia 22
UGA QB Joe Tereshinski actually didn't have a bad line (11/17, 151, TD), but he got replaced by Matthew Stafford late. The UGA defense tried to keep them in this, holding Vandy to 299 yards and getting 2 picks (one for a TD), but, well, lost cause. Vandy QB Chris Nickson threw for 190 and ran for 59, accounting for 5/6 of the Commodore offense, so, yeah, he's gonna be a good one.
#22 Missouri @ Texas A&M
My Pick: Texas A&M
Final Score: Texas A&M 25, Missouri 19
A bit of a shootout, with both teams gaining over 400 yards. Missouri's running game let them down here (98 yards), so that was probably the difference. A&M's usually a rushing team, and they ran for 211, but they exhibited more of a balanced attack, with QB Stephen McGee throwing for 183 and a TD on 19/23 passing. Missouri's still a solid above-average team, and this was a pretty impressive win for the Aggies.
#23 Virginia Tech @ Boston College
My Pick: Virginia Tech
Final Score: Boston College 22, Virginia Tech 3
Oof. BC only had 277 yards, but QB Matt Ryan's 174 and 2 TD was probably enough to win here. VT QB Sean Glennon had 23/34 passing, but only had 148 yards and 2 picks. The Hokies obviously looked worse, but both teams pretty much disappointed.
#24 Pittsburgh @ Central Florida
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Pittsburgh 52, Central Florida 7
Wow, the Panthers just busted out the whoopin' stick. They won the yardage game 475-342, and forced 4 turnovers in the process. Tyler Palko had 2 TDs and 172 yards on only 11 completions, while Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Dowling had another big game, running for 135 and 3 TD. Whoopin' whoopin' whoopin'.
Rutgers @ #25 Navy
My Pick: Navy
Final Score: Rutgers 34, Navy 0
Navy's chances went down along with QB Brian Hampton holding his knee. Even so, Rutgers improved their stock with me, actually showing a passing game behind Mike Teel's 215 yards and 3/1 TD/INT ratio. I still have questions about the defense, and I think with Hampton Navy could've won this one, but I think 6-0 might be where I stop arguing. For the moment.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Week 7 Rundown: Saturday and Sunday
SATURDAY
12:00 PM
Syracuse (3-3) @ #6 West Virginia (5-0)
Syracuse has been a surprisingly offensive team this year. Wait, that came out wrong. I mean, I guess they've been surprisingly NOT offensive...you should know what I mean. And yes, I did resort to wordplay to avoid talking about how they're going to get killed. Although WVU and Louisville have to slip up sometime.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence (out of 5): 3
#14 Iowa (5-1) @ Indiana (3-3)
Well, I guess there's SOME hope for Indiana after last week. But not here.
My Pick: Iowa
Confidence: 4
Army (3-3) @ Connecticut (2-3)
Uh...wow. This is not an easy pick. How far the kind of alright have fallen. Well, the UConn defense is still kind of decent. And Terry Caulley should be able to run on Army. Connecticut's definitely the better team, but Army can win this, especially if Matt Nuzie makes some huge mistake.
My Pick: Connecticut
Confidence: 2
Minnesota (2-4) @ Wisconsin (5-1)
Pretty much the same thing I have to say as last week about Wisconsin. I don't really know HOW good they are, since their only real test has been Michigan. I'm quite down on Minnesota, so that probably won't change after this game.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 3
Wake Forest (5-1) @ NC State (3-2)
Well, NC State's win over BC looks a lot better now, at least to me. NCSU's come off two big wins, but Wake's rolled over a wake schedule, so it basically comes down to "Is NC State's new QB legit?" vs. "Is Wake Forest as a team legit?" After seeing Wake live, the former seems much more likely than the latter.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
South Florida (4-2) @ North Carolina (1-4)
USF's running game has essentially been QB Matt Grothe, who will be starting, although with a bunch of sprained ligaments. Hmmmm. USF's the much better team, and the UConn game proved that the USF running backs can run all over a suspect defense, so I'll give the nod to the Bulls.
My Pick: South Florida
Confidence: 1
Purdue (4-2) @ Northwestern (2-4)
Purdue is all offense, no defense. Northwestern is all...I'll get back to you on that.
My Pick: Purdue
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
Iowa State (3-3) @ #16 Oklahoma (3-2)
The OU defense finally looked good, maybe that's a trend. Even if it's not, Adrian Peterson should be able to win this by himself. Plus I've been down on Iowa State since the near-loss to Northern Iowa.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 3
Vanderbilt (2-4) @ #20 Georgia (5-1)
Vandy's had some tough luck, so they're probably a better team than you think. Still, the Georgia offense looked mildly improved with Tereshinski, and that'll be enough to put away the Commodores easy.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 3
1:00 PM
Ball State (2-4) @ Central Michigan (3-3)
Ball State can't stop the pass, even against North Dakota State or Buffalo. CMU's a pretty good team, and even if they give up some points here, they should be able to win a shootout.
My Pick: Central Michigan
Confidence: 3
Miami of Ohio (0-6) @ Buffalo (1-4)
That one win's against Temple, so it's not like it really counts. Miami of Ohio has almost beaten Purdue, Kent State, and Northern Illinois, so they should finally get that elusive victory here.
My Pick: Miami of Ohio
Confidence: 3
Florida State (3-2) @ Duke (0-5)
FSU's not that bad. I hope.
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 4
1:30 PM
Rutgers (5-0) @ #25 Navy (5-1)
If both teams just run for a lot of points, does that count as a shootout? Navy might have the better defense, and, dare I say, maybe even the better QB. Or I could just be biased after seeing Brian Hampton become a one-man offense against UConn. If Rutgers wins this one, I'll be moderately on the bandwagon, in that I think their offense could actually make up for their lack of defense. But I don't think that's the case.
My Pick: Navy
Confidence: 2
2:00 PM
Southeastern Missouri State @ #18 Arkansas (4-1)
I think Auburn's better than SEMO.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 5
Arkansas State (3-2) @ Memphis (1-4)
Outside of the Tennessee game, Memphis has been a competitive if not especially good team. Arkansas State's running game looked good against Army, but then vanished before Sun Belt play. ASU proceeded to run all over Florida International, but against Louisiana-Monroe? Ehhh. I might give Arkansas State more of a chance had they looked impressive in both Sun Belt games, but I don't think they'll have enough to beat a decent C-USA team.
My Pick: Memphis
Confidence: 2
Oklahoma State (3-2) @ Kansas (3-3)
Kansas has been impressive, and since putting in QB Adam Barmann, has shot themselves in the foot with interceptions a lot less. I didn't have many expectations for OK State, so hanging close with Houston looked like a pleasant surprise until the Houston-ULL game last week. Kansas lost to to Texas A&M, but hey, A&M's probably better than the Cowboys.
My Pick: Kansas
Confidence: 2
Northern Illinois (4-2) @ Western Michigan (3-2)
WMU's loss to Ohio has made me more or less give up on the MAC. The Broncos had looked to have things together until then, and NIU looks to be a one-man team, but since is the MAC, I'll just go with the underdog team away from home.
My Pick: Northern Illinois
Confidence: 1
2:30 PM
Jacksonville State @ Mississippi State (1-5)
Mississippi State usually loses to a I-AA every year, but I'll be nice and hope they buck the trend.
My Pick: Mississippi State
Confidence: 2
3:00 PM
Tulsa (4-1) @ East Carolina (2-3)
ECU's been up and down from "slightly above average" to "slightly below average." With Houston's loss to LA-Lafayette, Tulsa's probably now the class of the C-USA, especially since their loss to BYU looks a lot better now. The good ECU could show up, but even if they do, I think a close loss will be the best the Pirates can do.
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 3
Marshall (1-4) @ SMU (3-3)
Marshall seems to be slowly improving, but SMU suddenly became a decent C-USA team after looking horrible the first two weeks. QB Patrick Willis is back for the Mustangs, and I think they'll be able to continue their momentum.
My Pick: SMU
Confidence: 2
Utah (4-2) @ Wyoming (2-4)
Wyoming's been competitive in all their games, but that loss to UVa looks a lot worse since ECU was able to pull off the win. After Utah whooped TCU, we'll just call the Boise State game an outlier for now.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 3
3:30 PM
#4 Ohio State (6-0) @ Michigan State (3-3)
If Michigan State can get the running game going (and that might not be a problem against this Buckeyes defense), the upset could actually happen. I'm not gonna bet on it, however.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence: 2
Cincinnati (3-3) @ #11 Louisville (5-0)
The Louisville B-team's hummed along and would probably win easy here. And Brian Brohm may be back! Uh oh.
My Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
UCLA (4-1) @ #13 Oregon (4-1)
Stat I saw today: Karl Dorrell has never beaten a team with a winning record on the road. About sums it up. Even if Oregon doesn't have a defense, UCLA doesn't have a defense or, now, a quarterback.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 3
#22 Missouri (6-0) @ Texas A&M (5-1)
You know, if Army hadn't played A&M so close, the resume of these two teams would be about equal. Missouri impressed early against a weak schedule (especially with how bad Mississippi's been), but didn't look amazingly impressive in Big 12 play so far. A&M may have lost to Texas Tech, which Mizzou beat fairly easily, but I don't think the talent difference is that great. Missouri is probably the better team, but A&M is at home and desperately needs to win one for their coach, and I could see the Tigers easily faltering.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 1
Mississippi (2-4) @ Alabama (4-2)
Ole Miss could not crack 200 yards against Vanderbilt.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 5
Texas Tech (4-2) @ Colorado (0-6)
Colorado seems improved, but, uh, no.
My Pick: Texas Tech
Confidence: 3
Maryland (3-2) @ Virginia (2-4)
Neither of these teams will probably amount to much, even in such a weak ACC, but Maryland's at least been competitive in every game except at WVU. Virginia, meanwhile, has lost to East Carolina. And Western Michigan.
My Pick: Maryland
Confidence: 2
4:00 PM
Eastern Michigan (0-5) @ Bowling Green (3-3)
Well, at least EMU's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette looks better now. I figured BGSU would implode this year, but they've been as good as anyone in the inconsistent-as-heck MAC. EMU's losses don't look THAT bad (well, except Ball State. And Northwestern.), so there may be some hope, but I can't give them the benefit of the doubt just yet. I mean, they only threw for 209 against Ball State.
My Pick: Bowling Green
Confidence: 2
Toledo (2-4) @ Kent State (4-2)
Toledo pretty much has done what I thought BGSU would. However, the Rockets aren't that bad, and I doubt Kent's as good as they've been in MAC play so far. Based on performance, Kent should win big, but based on talent, regression to the mean, and general MAC wackiness, my gut says Toledo. (Also, mmmm sandwiches.)
My Pick: Toledo
Confidence: 1
Louisiana-Monroe (1-4) @ Troy (1-4)
Troy's been inconsistent. ULM's basically just been pretty bad.
My Pick: Troy
Confidence: 2
5:00 PM
#7 Cal (5-1) @ Washington State (4-2)
Wazzou's rebounding nicely from a hard-luck year so far, while Cal's rebounded nicely from a bad-luck loss in Week 1. Cal might have the best defense in the Pac 10, for whatever that's worth. While I think Wazzou has as good a shot for #4 in the conference as anyone, I don't think they'll be able to overcome the talent gap.
My Pick: Cal
Confidence: 3
Arizona (2-4) @ Stanford (0-6)
Arizona's disappointing, but Stanford is dead to me.
My Pick: Arizona
Confidence: 2
Hawaii (3-2) @ Fresno State (1-4)
Fresno has just imploded this year, culminating with their loss to Utah State. Utah State! Hawaii's their usual passtacular self, and have done well for themselves this season, losing only to Alabama and Boise by a touchdown each. However, I don't expect Fresno to be this bad for that long. For all the talk about CB Marcus McCauley, Fresno's pass defense hasn't been overly spectacular, so I expect that Fresno won't be able to match up with Hawaii's firepower.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 1
6:00 PM
Utah State (1-5) @ San Jose State (3-1)
USU is coming off of a huge win, but they were just abysmal before that. San Jose State is...good? Really? SJSU's success really just confuses me horribly, but I'm not going to question it, especially against Utah State of all teams.
My Pick: San Jose State
Confidence: 2
6:30 PM
Oregon State (2-3) @ Washington (4-2)
Washington's been above-average but not overly impressive, while Oregon State has gotten killed by superior competition (Boise, Cal). I think it should be a game, but UW falls into the "superior competition" category, especially at home.
My Pick: Washington
Confidence: 2
7:00 PM
Baylor (3-3) @ #5 Texas (5-1)
This is a battle for first place in the Big 12 South. When I found that out, I laughed. When this game is over, I will cry.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 5
Florida International (0-6) @ Miami (3-2)
This may answer the eternal question: If a nonexistent offense blows out a Sun Belt team, is that offense really nonexistent?
My Pick: Miami
Confidence: 5
Houston (4-2) @ Southern Miss (3-2)
I'm assuming the UH loss to...LA-Lafayette? Really? was a one-time thing. Southern Miss has a defense, but that offense is shaky. I could see USM holding Houston to around 14 or so, but I don't know if the Golden Eagles offense could even match that.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 3
Idaho (3-3) @ Louisiana Tech (1-4)
Idaho's looked impressive in WAC play, beating NMSU and USU pretty easy. HOWEVER, LA Tech QB Zac Champion has an awesome name. I'll go with my head and not my heart, though.
My Pick: Idaho
Confidence: 2
Ohio (3-3) @ Illinois (2-4)
Oh God, who knows. Ohio beat WMU and NIU, but both of those seem pretty fluky. Illinois did lose to Indiana and all, but they have talent (JUICE WILLIAMS!) and could easily have a big day (Michigan State!). The Illini have more talent than the Bobcats, and they've generally played at least to their talent level. Indiana game aside.
My Pick: Illinois
Confidence: 2
7:10 PM
#19 Nebraska (5-1) @ Kansas State (4-2)
I'm assuming this is the right start time, and not the 1 AM that Yahoo! has. Nebraska's looked less impressive against decent competition, but KSU lost to Baylor. Admittedly, Kansas State isn't that bad, but they should still lose here.
My Pick: Nebraska
Confidence: 3
7:30 PM
UAB (3-3) @ Rice (1-5)
Rice lost to Tulane by 2 touchdowns, so the momentum from the Army win looks to be gone. UAB's been wholly decent, beating teams like ECU and Memphis, even if they did lose to Mississippi State. So yeah, UAB's beat better teams.
My Pick: UAB
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#2 Florida (6-0) @ #9 Auburn (5-1)
Auburn is a running based team. Florida has the #2 rushing defense in the country. Florida has two good quarterbacks. Florida has a defense that has a knack for big interceptions. Auburn needs their defense to step up in order to have a chance. Said defense got shredded by Arkansas. Need I go on? If Florida can't get the running game going, I could see the Auburn secondary doing some things against Leak, but there are many more ways where Florida can win.
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 2
8:00 PM
#1 Michigan (6-0) @ Penn State (4-2)
Penn State's a pretty good team, and I would be surprised but not shocked if the upset happens, but I can sum up my thoughts on the game in one sentence: It's a shame that Mario Manningham is out, because I'm sure that if they put him in the secondary, Anthony Morelli would throw an interception or two his way.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence: 3
Arizona State (3-2) @ #3 USC (5-0)
I was worried Washington could upset USC. Or Wazzou. But I'm not worried for the Trojans here. Again, ASU QB Rudy Carpenter's line against the Oregon defense, which is probably not as good as USC's: 6/19, 33 yards, INT. Yep.
My Pick: USC
Confidence: 3
Kentucky (3-3) @ #10 LSU (4-2)
Now that LSU isn't facing another top ten team, back to work.
My Pick: LSU
Confidence: 4
9:00 PM
Tulane (2-3) @ UTEP (3-2)
UTEP's regressed to near the pack from last year, but is definitely above-average. Tulane is part of said pack. The usual caveats about The Jordan Palmer Interception Experience apply, but UTEP's the better team, and should win at home.
My Pick: UTEP
Confidence: 2
10:00 PM
New Mexico (2-4) @ UNLV (1-4)
UNLV almost beat Iowa State, then pfffft. UNM hasn't really been that great either, outside of an upset on UTEP. I'd say both teams are about equal, so I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the home team that also beat their I-AA opponent.
My Pick: UNLV
Confidence: 1
SUNDAY
8:00 PM
#17 Boise State (6-0) @ New Mexico State (2-3)
New Mexico will pass a lot. And lose.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 4
12:00 PM
Syracuse (3-3) @ #6 West Virginia (5-0)
Syracuse has been a surprisingly offensive team this year. Wait, that came out wrong. I mean, I guess they've been surprisingly NOT offensive...you should know what I mean. And yes, I did resort to wordplay to avoid talking about how they're going to get killed. Although WVU and Louisville have to slip up sometime.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence (out of 5): 3
#14 Iowa (5-1) @ Indiana (3-3)
Well, I guess there's SOME hope for Indiana after last week. But not here.
My Pick: Iowa
Confidence: 4
Army (3-3) @ Connecticut (2-3)
Uh...wow. This is not an easy pick. How far the kind of alright have fallen. Well, the UConn defense is still kind of decent. And Terry Caulley should be able to run on Army. Connecticut's definitely the better team, but Army can win this, especially if Matt Nuzie makes some huge mistake.
My Pick: Connecticut
Confidence: 2
Minnesota (2-4) @ Wisconsin (5-1)
Pretty much the same thing I have to say as last week about Wisconsin. I don't really know HOW good they are, since their only real test has been Michigan. I'm quite down on Minnesota, so that probably won't change after this game.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 3
Wake Forest (5-1) @ NC State (3-2)
Well, NC State's win over BC looks a lot better now, at least to me. NCSU's come off two big wins, but Wake's rolled over a wake schedule, so it basically comes down to "Is NC State's new QB legit?" vs. "Is Wake Forest as a team legit?" After seeing Wake live, the former seems much more likely than the latter.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 2
South Florida (4-2) @ North Carolina (1-4)
USF's running game has essentially been QB Matt Grothe, who will be starting, although with a bunch of sprained ligaments. Hmmmm. USF's the much better team, and the UConn game proved that the USF running backs can run all over a suspect defense, so I'll give the nod to the Bulls.
My Pick: South Florida
Confidence: 1
Purdue (4-2) @ Northwestern (2-4)
Purdue is all offense, no defense. Northwestern is all...I'll get back to you on that.
My Pick: Purdue
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
Iowa State (3-3) @ #16 Oklahoma (3-2)
The OU defense finally looked good, maybe that's a trend. Even if it's not, Adrian Peterson should be able to win this by himself. Plus I've been down on Iowa State since the near-loss to Northern Iowa.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 3
Vanderbilt (2-4) @ #20 Georgia (5-1)
Vandy's had some tough luck, so they're probably a better team than you think. Still, the Georgia offense looked mildly improved with Tereshinski, and that'll be enough to put away the Commodores easy.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 3
1:00 PM
Ball State (2-4) @ Central Michigan (3-3)
Ball State can't stop the pass, even against North Dakota State or Buffalo. CMU's a pretty good team, and even if they give up some points here, they should be able to win a shootout.
My Pick: Central Michigan
Confidence: 3
Miami of Ohio (0-6) @ Buffalo (1-4)
That one win's against Temple, so it's not like it really counts. Miami of Ohio has almost beaten Purdue, Kent State, and Northern Illinois, so they should finally get that elusive victory here.
My Pick: Miami of Ohio
Confidence: 3
Florida State (3-2) @ Duke (0-5)
FSU's not that bad. I hope.
My Pick: Florida State
Confidence: 4
1:30 PM
Rutgers (5-0) @ #25 Navy (5-1)
If both teams just run for a lot of points, does that count as a shootout? Navy might have the better defense, and, dare I say, maybe even the better QB. Or I could just be biased after seeing Brian Hampton become a one-man offense against UConn. If Rutgers wins this one, I'll be moderately on the bandwagon, in that I think their offense could actually make up for their lack of defense. But I don't think that's the case.
My Pick: Navy
Confidence: 2
2:00 PM
Southeastern Missouri State @ #18 Arkansas (4-1)
I think Auburn's better than SEMO.
My Pick: Arkansas
Confidence: 5
Arkansas State (3-2) @ Memphis (1-4)
Outside of the Tennessee game, Memphis has been a competitive if not especially good team. Arkansas State's running game looked good against Army, but then vanished before Sun Belt play. ASU proceeded to run all over Florida International, but against Louisiana-Monroe? Ehhh. I might give Arkansas State more of a chance had they looked impressive in both Sun Belt games, but I don't think they'll have enough to beat a decent C-USA team.
My Pick: Memphis
Confidence: 2
Oklahoma State (3-2) @ Kansas (3-3)
Kansas has been impressive, and since putting in QB Adam Barmann, has shot themselves in the foot with interceptions a lot less. I didn't have many expectations for OK State, so hanging close with Houston looked like a pleasant surprise until the Houston-ULL game last week. Kansas lost to to Texas A&M, but hey, A&M's probably better than the Cowboys.
My Pick: Kansas
Confidence: 2
Northern Illinois (4-2) @ Western Michigan (3-2)
WMU's loss to Ohio has made me more or less give up on the MAC. The Broncos had looked to have things together until then, and NIU looks to be a one-man team, but since is the MAC, I'll just go with the underdog team away from home.
My Pick: Northern Illinois
Confidence: 1
2:30 PM
Jacksonville State @ Mississippi State (1-5)
Mississippi State usually loses to a I-AA every year, but I'll be nice and hope they buck the trend.
My Pick: Mississippi State
Confidence: 2
3:00 PM
Tulsa (4-1) @ East Carolina (2-3)
ECU's been up and down from "slightly above average" to "slightly below average." With Houston's loss to LA-Lafayette, Tulsa's probably now the class of the C-USA, especially since their loss to BYU looks a lot better now. The good ECU could show up, but even if they do, I think a close loss will be the best the Pirates can do.
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 3
Marshall (1-4) @ SMU (3-3)
Marshall seems to be slowly improving, but SMU suddenly became a decent C-USA team after looking horrible the first two weeks. QB Patrick Willis is back for the Mustangs, and I think they'll be able to continue their momentum.
My Pick: SMU
Confidence: 2
Utah (4-2) @ Wyoming (2-4)
Wyoming's been competitive in all their games, but that loss to UVa looks a lot worse since ECU was able to pull off the win. After Utah whooped TCU, we'll just call the Boise State game an outlier for now.
My Pick: Utah
Confidence: 3
3:30 PM
#4 Ohio State (6-0) @ Michigan State (3-3)
If Michigan State can get the running game going (and that might not be a problem against this Buckeyes defense), the upset could actually happen. I'm not gonna bet on it, however.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence: 2
Cincinnati (3-3) @ #11 Louisville (5-0)
The Louisville B-team's hummed along and would probably win easy here. And Brian Brohm may be back! Uh oh.
My Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
UCLA (4-1) @ #13 Oregon (4-1)
Stat I saw today: Karl Dorrell has never beaten a team with a winning record on the road. About sums it up. Even if Oregon doesn't have a defense, UCLA doesn't have a defense or, now, a quarterback.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 3
#22 Missouri (6-0) @ Texas A&M (5-1)
You know, if Army hadn't played A&M so close, the resume of these two teams would be about equal. Missouri impressed early against a weak schedule (especially with how bad Mississippi's been), but didn't look amazingly impressive in Big 12 play so far. A&M may have lost to Texas Tech, which Mizzou beat fairly easily, but I don't think the talent difference is that great. Missouri is probably the better team, but A&M is at home and desperately needs to win one for their coach, and I could see the Tigers easily faltering.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 1
Mississippi (2-4) @ Alabama (4-2)
Ole Miss could not crack 200 yards against Vanderbilt.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 5
Texas Tech (4-2) @ Colorado (0-6)
Colorado seems improved, but, uh, no.
My Pick: Texas Tech
Confidence: 3
Maryland (3-2) @ Virginia (2-4)
Neither of these teams will probably amount to much, even in such a weak ACC, but Maryland's at least been competitive in every game except at WVU. Virginia, meanwhile, has lost to East Carolina. And Western Michigan.
My Pick: Maryland
Confidence: 2
4:00 PM
Eastern Michigan (0-5) @ Bowling Green (3-3)
Well, at least EMU's loss to Louisiana-Lafayette looks better now. I figured BGSU would implode this year, but they've been as good as anyone in the inconsistent-as-heck MAC. EMU's losses don't look THAT bad (well, except Ball State. And Northwestern.), so there may be some hope, but I can't give them the benefit of the doubt just yet. I mean, they only threw for 209 against Ball State.
My Pick: Bowling Green
Confidence: 2
Toledo (2-4) @ Kent State (4-2)
Toledo pretty much has done what I thought BGSU would. However, the Rockets aren't that bad, and I doubt Kent's as good as they've been in MAC play so far. Based on performance, Kent should win big, but based on talent, regression to the mean, and general MAC wackiness, my gut says Toledo. (Also, mmmm sandwiches.)
My Pick: Toledo
Confidence: 1
Louisiana-Monroe (1-4) @ Troy (1-4)
Troy's been inconsistent. ULM's basically just been pretty bad.
My Pick: Troy
Confidence: 2
5:00 PM
#7 Cal (5-1) @ Washington State (4-2)
Wazzou's rebounding nicely from a hard-luck year so far, while Cal's rebounded nicely from a bad-luck loss in Week 1. Cal might have the best defense in the Pac 10, for whatever that's worth. While I think Wazzou has as good a shot for #4 in the conference as anyone, I don't think they'll be able to overcome the talent gap.
My Pick: Cal
Confidence: 3
Arizona (2-4) @ Stanford (0-6)
Arizona's disappointing, but Stanford is dead to me.
My Pick: Arizona
Confidence: 2
Hawaii (3-2) @ Fresno State (1-4)
Fresno has just imploded this year, culminating with their loss to Utah State. Utah State! Hawaii's their usual passtacular self, and have done well for themselves this season, losing only to Alabama and Boise by a touchdown each. However, I don't expect Fresno to be this bad for that long. For all the talk about CB Marcus McCauley, Fresno's pass defense hasn't been overly spectacular, so I expect that Fresno won't be able to match up with Hawaii's firepower.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 1
6:00 PM
Utah State (1-5) @ San Jose State (3-1)
USU is coming off of a huge win, but they were just abysmal before that. San Jose State is...good? Really? SJSU's success really just confuses me horribly, but I'm not going to question it, especially against Utah State of all teams.
My Pick: San Jose State
Confidence: 2
6:30 PM
Oregon State (2-3) @ Washington (4-2)
Washington's been above-average but not overly impressive, while Oregon State has gotten killed by superior competition (Boise, Cal). I think it should be a game, but UW falls into the "superior competition" category, especially at home.
My Pick: Washington
Confidence: 2
7:00 PM
Baylor (3-3) @ #5 Texas (5-1)
This is a battle for first place in the Big 12 South. When I found that out, I laughed. When this game is over, I will cry.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 5
Florida International (0-6) @ Miami (3-2)
This may answer the eternal question: If a nonexistent offense blows out a Sun Belt team, is that offense really nonexistent?
My Pick: Miami
Confidence: 5
Houston (4-2) @ Southern Miss (3-2)
I'm assuming the UH loss to...LA-Lafayette? Really? was a one-time thing. Southern Miss has a defense, but that offense is shaky. I could see USM holding Houston to around 14 or so, but I don't know if the Golden Eagles offense could even match that.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 3
Idaho (3-3) @ Louisiana Tech (1-4)
Idaho's looked impressive in WAC play, beating NMSU and USU pretty easy. HOWEVER, LA Tech QB Zac Champion has an awesome name. I'll go with my head and not my heart, though.
My Pick: Idaho
Confidence: 2
Ohio (3-3) @ Illinois (2-4)
Oh God, who knows. Ohio beat WMU and NIU, but both of those seem pretty fluky. Illinois did lose to Indiana and all, but they have talent (JUICE WILLIAMS!) and could easily have a big day (Michigan State!). The Illini have more talent than the Bobcats, and they've generally played at least to their talent level. Indiana game aside.
My Pick: Illinois
Confidence: 2
7:10 PM
#19 Nebraska (5-1) @ Kansas State (4-2)
I'm assuming this is the right start time, and not the 1 AM that Yahoo! has. Nebraska's looked less impressive against decent competition, but KSU lost to Baylor. Admittedly, Kansas State isn't that bad, but they should still lose here.
My Pick: Nebraska
Confidence: 3
7:30 PM
UAB (3-3) @ Rice (1-5)
Rice lost to Tulane by 2 touchdowns, so the momentum from the Army win looks to be gone. UAB's been wholly decent, beating teams like ECU and Memphis, even if they did lose to Mississippi State. So yeah, UAB's beat better teams.
My Pick: UAB
Confidence: 2
7:45 PM
#2 Florida (6-0) @ #9 Auburn (5-1)
Auburn is a running based team. Florida has the #2 rushing defense in the country. Florida has two good quarterbacks. Florida has a defense that has a knack for big interceptions. Auburn needs their defense to step up in order to have a chance. Said defense got shredded by Arkansas. Need I go on? If Florida can't get the running game going, I could see the Auburn secondary doing some things against Leak, but there are many more ways where Florida can win.
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 2
8:00 PM
#1 Michigan (6-0) @ Penn State (4-2)
Penn State's a pretty good team, and I would be surprised but not shocked if the upset happens, but I can sum up my thoughts on the game in one sentence: It's a shame that Mario Manningham is out, because I'm sure that if they put him in the secondary, Anthony Morelli would throw an interception or two his way.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence: 3
Arizona State (3-2) @ #3 USC (5-0)
I was worried Washington could upset USC. Or Wazzou. But I'm not worried for the Trojans here. Again, ASU QB Rudy Carpenter's line against the Oregon defense, which is probably not as good as USC's: 6/19, 33 yards, INT. Yep.
My Pick: USC
Confidence: 3
Kentucky (3-3) @ #10 LSU (4-2)
Now that LSU isn't facing another top ten team, back to work.
My Pick: LSU
Confidence: 4
9:00 PM
Tulane (2-3) @ UTEP (3-2)
UTEP's regressed to near the pack from last year, but is definitely above-average. Tulane is part of said pack. The usual caveats about The Jordan Palmer Interception Experience apply, but UTEP's the better team, and should win at home.
My Pick: UTEP
Confidence: 2
10:00 PM
New Mexico (2-4) @ UNLV (1-4)
UNLV almost beat Iowa State, then pfffft. UNM hasn't really been that great either, outside of an upset on UTEP. I'd say both teams are about equal, so I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the home team that also beat their I-AA opponent.
My Pick: UNLV
Confidence: 1
SUNDAY
8:00 PM
#17 Boise State (6-0) @ New Mexico State (2-3)
New Mexico will pass a lot. And lose.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 4
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Week 7 Rundown: Thursday and Friday
THURSDAY
7:00 PM
Southern Utah @ Florida Atlantic (1-4)
FAU was good enough to win one more game than I expected this year, so I assume they'll beat the Thunderbirds.
My Pick: Florida Atlantic
Confidence (out of 5): 3
7:30 PM
Temple (0-6) @ #8 Clemson (5-1)
This could be the mismatch of the year. I have no idea what to write here, because I don't know if I can do this justice.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence: 5
#23 Virginia Tech (4-1) @ Boston College (4-1)
VT's only had one test, and lost it badly, so they're probably overrated. Then again, so is BC. BC might actually be the better team for how much I malign them, but they're breaking in a new kicker, and this year, special teams problems = a loss, even if you don't deserve one.
My Pick: Virginia Tech
Confidence: 2
8:00 PM
Colorado State (4-1) @ Air Force (2-2)
Colorado State has a lot of momentum, but their loss to Nevada and especially their big win at Fresno look a lot worse now. AFA's impressed, although that may be a result of low standards, playing Tennessee close and only losing to Navy. Even with their impressive wins being not so impressive now, I still think CSU is a good team (especially that defense), but I'm going to take Air Force.
My Pick: Air Force
Confidence: 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
#24 Pittsburgh (4-1) @ Central Florida (2-3)
UCF's been quite underwhelming. Pretty much the same thoughts I usually have on Pitt: They should win based on talent, but Dave Wannstedt coaching always worries me.
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Confidence: 3
7:00 PM
Southern Utah @ Florida Atlantic (1-4)
FAU was good enough to win one more game than I expected this year, so I assume they'll beat the Thunderbirds.
My Pick: Florida Atlantic
Confidence (out of 5): 3
7:30 PM
Temple (0-6) @ #8 Clemson (5-1)
This could be the mismatch of the year. I have no idea what to write here, because I don't know if I can do this justice.
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence: 5
#23 Virginia Tech (4-1) @ Boston College (4-1)
VT's only had one test, and lost it badly, so they're probably overrated. Then again, so is BC. BC might actually be the better team for how much I malign them, but they're breaking in a new kicker, and this year, special teams problems = a loss, even if you don't deserve one.
My Pick: Virginia Tech
Confidence: 2
8:00 PM
Colorado State (4-1) @ Air Force (2-2)
Colorado State has a lot of momentum, but their loss to Nevada and especially their big win at Fresno look a lot worse now. AFA's impressed, although that may be a result of low standards, playing Tennessee close and only losing to Navy. Even with their impressive wins being not so impressive now, I still think CSU is a good team (especially that defense), but I'm going to take Air Force.
My Pick: Air Force
Confidence: 2
FRIDAY
8:00 PM
#24 Pittsburgh (4-1) @ Central Florida (2-3)
UCF's been quite underwhelming. Pretty much the same thoughts I usually have on Pitt: They should win based on talent, but Dave Wannstedt coaching always worries me.
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Confidence: 3
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Feely Top 25: After Week 6
#1 Michigan (#1 LW, W vs. Michigan State 31-13): Still more impressive than, well, anyone. Especially having the nation's #1 rush defense while playing in the Big Ten.
#2 Florida (#4 LW, W vs. LSU 23-10): Man, they really could do this. They'll probably slip somewhere along the way, but as I've been saying all along, the best team in the SEC. I still can't explain Tim Tebow.
#3 USC (#3 LW, W vs. Washington 26-20): Another week, another close win. I thought about putting them at #4, but I have more confidence in them going undefeated than...
#4 Ohio State (#2 LW, W vs. Bowling Green 35-7): WHAT A DOMINATING PERFORMANCE BY TROY SMITH AGAINST THAT VAUNTED BOWLING GREEN DEFENSE HEISMAN HEISMAN HEISMAN. Back down here since Bowling Green ran on them.
#5 Texas (#6, W vs. Oklahoma 28-10): Probably got lucky with all of the OU turnovers, but a win's a win. Best one-loss team in the nation easy, and should dominate the Big 12 from here on in.
#6 West Virginia (#7, W @ Mississippi State 42-14): Nice rebound from the mediocre ECU performance. Still could run the table, but I'm still not convinced Louisville won't beat them. And whoever wins that game will probably get upset by Pitt or something.
#7 Cal (#10, W vs. Oregon 45-24): Laid the whoopin' down. As impressive as anyone since the Tennessee loss, with or without Marshawn Lynch.
#8 Clemson (#11, W @ Wake Forest 27-17): Not as close as that score would make it seem. Possibly the best rushing attack in the nation, and that defense still isn't half bad despite all those injuries. As long as QB Will Proctor limits his mistakes, which was a concern in the Wake game, Clemson should roll in the horribly-down ACC.
#9 Auburn (#5, L vs. Arkansas 10-27): Probably could've dropped them down more, but Brandon Cox actually finally had a good game. Plus Oregon lost too, and these Tigers still did beat...
#10 LSU (#7, L @ Florida 10-23): Lots of talent, maddeningly inconsistent. JaMarus Russell still has some work to do, but again, talent talent talent, enough that I still consider them above the second tier of SEC teams.
#11 Louisville (#12, W @ Middle Tennessee State 44-17): The B-team keeps humming against a subpar schedule, and they're still undefeated, so hey, why not?
#12 Tennessee (#15, W @ Georgia 51-33): Okay, now they're the undisputed #4 SEC team. Well, unless someone wants to argue they're #3 or, God, #2. The O-line seems to be stopping Erik Ainge from doing The Fainting Goat, which is a plus, but I still say on the whole they're just at the top of the second SEC tier.
#13 Oregon (#9, L @ Cal 24-45): Oof. Running game got stopped dead by the Golden Bears. But seeing as the #4 Pac 10 team is...Washington?, they'll be more than fine. They'll be finer. But not finest.
#14 Iowa (#16, W vs. Purdue 47-17): And here's the huge dropoff. They had a huge day against a non-existant defense, worthy of...
#15 Notre Dame (#17, W vs. Stanford 31-10): BCS WORTHY!
#16 Oklahoma (#14, L vs. Texas 10-28): Defense finally came through, but turnovers turnovers turnovers. Sigh. Still the easy #2 in the Big 12, just knocked down since they're now an above-average 2-loss team instead of an above-average 1-loss team.
#17 Boise State (#18, W vs. Louisiana Tech 55-14): Well, Fresno's dead, and Nevada lost to Hawaii. But the Rainbow Warriors could give Boise a run! Oh, BSU already beat Hawaii. Will probably go undefeated, but the BCS will probably pass over an all-offense, little-defense team for someone more deserving, like, say...NOTRE DAME! Wait.
#18 Arkansas (NR, W @ Auburn 27-10): Probably shouldn't be this high, but they're less undeserving than any of the other possibilities. Kinda sad, really. Running game can compete with anyone as long as QB Mitch Mustain keeps from making any mistakes and the defense remains decent to above-average. Whether or not those latter two keep happening is what worries me.
#19 Nebraska (#19, W @ Iowa State 28-14): A definite but not overly impressive win. Easy Big 12 North favorites, solidly above-average but not exciting. Yep.
#20 Georgia (#13, L vs. Tennessee 33-51): Well then. I think the defense should rebound from that horrible performance, enough to carry a now-slightly-improved-kinda offense. Probably maybe.
#21 Georgia Tech (#20, W vs. Maryland 27-23): They almost lost to Maryland, but they still have Calvin Johnson, and they're still probably the clear #2 team in the ACC. Sigh.
#22 Missouri (#22, W @ Texas Tech 38-21): Could've lost, easy. Not overly impressive, but the teams below them weren't either, or had byes and didn't do anything to deserve being bumped above Mizzou.
#23 Virginia Tech (#23, BYE): Could move up easy, if they perform better against some good teams. If only there were any in the ACC...
#24 Pittsburgh (#24, W @ Syracuse 21-11): Should've beaten the Orange more impressively. Still the solid #3 team in the Big East, and there are really no other 1-loss teams that did anything to move them above here. And they're still better than Rutgers.
#25 Navy (NR, W @ Air Force 24-17): Like I said, executing their gameplan as well as anyone. Winning on running and not really stopping anyone, much like the Rutgers team I constantly bash, but Navy's at least played some pretty good teams.
#2 Florida (#4 LW, W vs. LSU 23-10): Man, they really could do this. They'll probably slip somewhere along the way, but as I've been saying all along, the best team in the SEC. I still can't explain Tim Tebow.
#3 USC (#3 LW, W vs. Washington 26-20): Another week, another close win. I thought about putting them at #4, but I have more confidence in them going undefeated than...
#4 Ohio State (#2 LW, W vs. Bowling Green 35-7): WHAT A DOMINATING PERFORMANCE BY TROY SMITH AGAINST THAT VAUNTED BOWLING GREEN DEFENSE HEISMAN HEISMAN HEISMAN. Back down here since Bowling Green ran on them.
#5 Texas (#6, W vs. Oklahoma 28-10): Probably got lucky with all of the OU turnovers, but a win's a win. Best one-loss team in the nation easy, and should dominate the Big 12 from here on in.
#6 West Virginia (#7, W @ Mississippi State 42-14): Nice rebound from the mediocre ECU performance. Still could run the table, but I'm still not convinced Louisville won't beat them. And whoever wins that game will probably get upset by Pitt or something.
#7 Cal (#10, W vs. Oregon 45-24): Laid the whoopin' down. As impressive as anyone since the Tennessee loss, with or without Marshawn Lynch.
#8 Clemson (#11, W @ Wake Forest 27-17): Not as close as that score would make it seem. Possibly the best rushing attack in the nation, and that defense still isn't half bad despite all those injuries. As long as QB Will Proctor limits his mistakes, which was a concern in the Wake game, Clemson should roll in the horribly-down ACC.
#9 Auburn (#5, L vs. Arkansas 10-27): Probably could've dropped them down more, but Brandon Cox actually finally had a good game. Plus Oregon lost too, and these Tigers still did beat...
#10 LSU (#7, L @ Florida 10-23): Lots of talent, maddeningly inconsistent. JaMarus Russell still has some work to do, but again, talent talent talent, enough that I still consider them above the second tier of SEC teams.
#11 Louisville (#12, W @ Middle Tennessee State 44-17): The B-team keeps humming against a subpar schedule, and they're still undefeated, so hey, why not?
#12 Tennessee (#15, W @ Georgia 51-33): Okay, now they're the undisputed #4 SEC team. Well, unless someone wants to argue they're #3 or, God, #2. The O-line seems to be stopping Erik Ainge from doing The Fainting Goat, which is a plus, but I still say on the whole they're just at the top of the second SEC tier.
#13 Oregon (#9, L @ Cal 24-45): Oof. Running game got stopped dead by the Golden Bears. But seeing as the #4 Pac 10 team is...Washington?, they'll be more than fine. They'll be finer. But not finest.
#14 Iowa (#16, W vs. Purdue 47-17): And here's the huge dropoff. They had a huge day against a non-existant defense, worthy of...
#15 Notre Dame (#17, W vs. Stanford 31-10): BCS WORTHY!
#16 Oklahoma (#14, L vs. Texas 10-28): Defense finally came through, but turnovers turnovers turnovers. Sigh. Still the easy #2 in the Big 12, just knocked down since they're now an above-average 2-loss team instead of an above-average 1-loss team.
#17 Boise State (#18, W vs. Louisiana Tech 55-14): Well, Fresno's dead, and Nevada lost to Hawaii. But the Rainbow Warriors could give Boise a run! Oh, BSU already beat Hawaii. Will probably go undefeated, but the BCS will probably pass over an all-offense, little-defense team for someone more deserving, like, say...NOTRE DAME! Wait.
#18 Arkansas (NR, W @ Auburn 27-10): Probably shouldn't be this high, but they're less undeserving than any of the other possibilities. Kinda sad, really. Running game can compete with anyone as long as QB Mitch Mustain keeps from making any mistakes and the defense remains decent to above-average. Whether or not those latter two keep happening is what worries me.
#19 Nebraska (#19, W @ Iowa State 28-14): A definite but not overly impressive win. Easy Big 12 North favorites, solidly above-average but not exciting. Yep.
#20 Georgia (#13, L vs. Tennessee 33-51): Well then. I think the defense should rebound from that horrible performance, enough to carry a now-slightly-improved-kinda offense. Probably maybe.
#21 Georgia Tech (#20, W vs. Maryland 27-23): They almost lost to Maryland, but they still have Calvin Johnson, and they're still probably the clear #2 team in the ACC. Sigh.
#22 Missouri (#22, W @ Texas Tech 38-21): Could've lost, easy. Not overly impressive, but the teams below them weren't either, or had byes and didn't do anything to deserve being bumped above Mizzou.
#23 Virginia Tech (#23, BYE): Could move up easy, if they perform better against some good teams. If only there were any in the ACC...
#24 Pittsburgh (#24, W @ Syracuse 21-11): Should've beaten the Orange more impressively. Still the solid #3 team in the Big East, and there are really no other 1-loss teams that did anything to move them above here. And they're still better than Rutgers.
#25 Navy (NR, W @ Air Force 24-17): Like I said, executing their gameplan as well as anyone. Winning on running and not really stopping anyone, much like the Rutgers team I constantly bash, but Navy's at least played some pretty good teams.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Week 6 Recap: The Rest
Navy 24, Air Force 17
Run run run run run. Air Force seems more well-rounded, whatever that means, actually passing for 119 while running for 193. It looks like Air Force isn't amazingly great, but should be a MWC contender. And it also looks like Navy shouldn't have lost to Tulsa, as they're executing their gameplan (run! for touchdowns!) as well as anyone.
Cincinnati 20, Akron 14
Zips got dominated here, as Cincinnati outgained Akron 441-236. Three Bearcats turnovers kept it close, however. Cincinnati also looks to be better than expected (poor UConn), while Akron is just obnoxiously inconsistent.
UCLA 27, Arizona 7
The Wildcats only had two sustained drives, with one ending in an INT and an other in their lone touchdown. UCLA backup QB Patrick Cowan had the one good offensive performance on either team, throwing for 201 and 2 TD. And neither team could run: UCLA gained 72 on the ground, Arizona only 50. So, yeah, Arizona's a year-plus off, while UCLA is mediocre but should become bowl-eligible.
Ball State 55, Buffalo 25
BALL STATE CANNOT STOP ANYONE FROM PASSING! The Bulls gained 364 yards through the air. However, Buffalo also sucks.
Baylor 34, Colorado 31 (3 OT)
Wow, so much for Colorado turning the corner. Baylor still can't really run it (136 team rushing yards), but Colorado absolutely can't pass it (QB Bernard Jackson: 9/24, 75, TD, 3 INT).
Central Florida 23, Marshall 22
And it should've been worse, with UCF winning the yardage battle 488-366. The Golden Knights running game carried the day, led by Kevin Smith's 166 yards and Jason Peters's 108. However, the only rushing TD was scored by backup QB Kyle Israel.
Central Michigan 42, Toledo 20
Toledo QB Aaron Opelt threw 4 touchdowns. Unfortunately, 2 were put in the end zone by Central Michigan defenders. This, plus two more Toledo fumbles, were more than enough for the Chippewas to win despite being outgained 487-387.
South Florida 38, Connecticut 16
I could point to UConn's pathetic 78 rushing yards, but I think the game and season could be summed up like so: On third down, QB Matt Bonislawski runs out of bounds at the right sideline. UConn sets up for the field goal, obviously to the right of the goal posts, and Matt Nuzie proceeds to...kick the ball straight. He failed to adjust his kick with the left joystick. Sigh.
East Carolina 31, Virginia 21
I'd just like to point out that Virginia is very bad.
North Texas 25, Florida International 22 (7 OT)
7 OTs, and only 5 total field goals. Yep. SUN BELT TASTIC!
Utah State 13, Fresno State 12
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Hawaii 41, Nevada 34
The usual WACtastic shootout. Nevada QBs Jeff Rowe and Travis Moore each had 2 TDs, but Hawaii's Colt Brennan threw for 4 and ran for another. Hawaii won the time of possession, which with the turnover numbers even, probably made the difference.
Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Houston 28
The hell? Kevin Kolb had 367 yards on 24/31 passing, but the Cougars only had 38 rushing yards and let the Ragin' Cajuns outgain them 415-405. I consider this an aberration, but good for ULL.
Indiana 34, Illinois 32
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, JUICE WILLIAMS! Illinois was the slightly better team statistically, but an Indiana kickoff return was probably the difference.
UAB 35, Memphis 29
UAB RB Corey White dominated, running for 129 and 3 TD. Memphis has continued their passing ways, as QB Martin Hankins threw for 303 and a 3/1 TD/INT on 22/30 passing. UAB looks to have come down from the team that played Oklahoma close, and Memphis losing to them shows where they are this year.
Miami 27, North Carolina 7
Two anemic offenses here. Cam Sexton had a Joe Dailey-esque performance, going 9/28 for 136 and 2 INT. Hell, Dailey even played in the game, which should show how bad things got. Then again, Miami wasn't much better, outside of RB Javarris James's 111 yards and a TD. Both teams are pretty hopeless. But hey, someone's gotta win those ACC games. Right?
Northern Illinois 28, Miami of Ohio 25
Garrett Wolfe deserves the Heisman, and gained 162 yards and 2 TDs here, but it's a shame the NIU defense can't stop anyone. The RedHawks gained 469 yards, so maybe they should just try Wolfe as a safety or something.
Penn State 28, Minnesota 27 (OT)
Minnesota got screwed in OT, but they probably didn't deserve to win. Only 90 yards rushing? Minnesota? Looks like the Gophers are the worst team in the Big Ten that doesn't begin with an "Il" or an "In".
Mississippi 17, Vanderbilt 10
Oh, I just pity poor Vandy. The Commodores gained 453 yards, and held the Rebels to 196, but Vanderbilt turned it over 5 times. Sigh. Poor poor Vandy. Ole Miss is horrible.
Wyoming 14, New Mexico 10
UNM only managed 190 yards. Sigh. 3 Wyoming turnovers helped keep it close, however.
UTEP 24, SMU 21
SMU only managed 190 yards. Sigh. 2 UTEP turnovers helped keep it close, however.
Run run run run run. Air Force seems more well-rounded, whatever that means, actually passing for 119 while running for 193. It looks like Air Force isn't amazingly great, but should be a MWC contender. And it also looks like Navy shouldn't have lost to Tulsa, as they're executing their gameplan (run! for touchdowns!) as well as anyone.
Cincinnati 20, Akron 14
Zips got dominated here, as Cincinnati outgained Akron 441-236. Three Bearcats turnovers kept it close, however. Cincinnati also looks to be better than expected (poor UConn), while Akron is just obnoxiously inconsistent.
UCLA 27, Arizona 7
The Wildcats only had two sustained drives, with one ending in an INT and an other in their lone touchdown. UCLA backup QB Patrick Cowan had the one good offensive performance on either team, throwing for 201 and 2 TD. And neither team could run: UCLA gained 72 on the ground, Arizona only 50. So, yeah, Arizona's a year-plus off, while UCLA is mediocre but should become bowl-eligible.
Ball State 55, Buffalo 25
BALL STATE CANNOT STOP ANYONE FROM PASSING! The Bulls gained 364 yards through the air. However, Buffalo also sucks.
Baylor 34, Colorado 31 (3 OT)
Wow, so much for Colorado turning the corner. Baylor still can't really run it (136 team rushing yards), but Colorado absolutely can't pass it (QB Bernard Jackson: 9/24, 75, TD, 3 INT).
Central Florida 23, Marshall 22
And it should've been worse, with UCF winning the yardage battle 488-366. The Golden Knights running game carried the day, led by Kevin Smith's 166 yards and Jason Peters's 108. However, the only rushing TD was scored by backup QB Kyle Israel.
Central Michigan 42, Toledo 20
Toledo QB Aaron Opelt threw 4 touchdowns. Unfortunately, 2 were put in the end zone by Central Michigan defenders. This, plus two more Toledo fumbles, were more than enough for the Chippewas to win despite being outgained 487-387.
South Florida 38, Connecticut 16
I could point to UConn's pathetic 78 rushing yards, but I think the game and season could be summed up like so: On third down, QB Matt Bonislawski runs out of bounds at the right sideline. UConn sets up for the field goal, obviously to the right of the goal posts, and Matt Nuzie proceeds to...kick the ball straight. He failed to adjust his kick with the left joystick. Sigh.
East Carolina 31, Virginia 21
I'd just like to point out that Virginia is very bad.
North Texas 25, Florida International 22 (7 OT)
7 OTs, and only 5 total field goals. Yep. SUN BELT TASTIC!
Utah State 13, Fresno State 12
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Hawaii 41, Nevada 34
The usual WACtastic shootout. Nevada QBs Jeff Rowe and Travis Moore each had 2 TDs, but Hawaii's Colt Brennan threw for 4 and ran for another. Hawaii won the time of possession, which with the turnover numbers even, probably made the difference.
Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Houston 28
The hell? Kevin Kolb had 367 yards on 24/31 passing, but the Cougars only had 38 rushing yards and let the Ragin' Cajuns outgain them 415-405. I consider this an aberration, but good for ULL.
Indiana 34, Illinois 32
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, JUICE WILLIAMS! Illinois was the slightly better team statistically, but an Indiana kickoff return was probably the difference.
UAB 35, Memphis 29
UAB RB Corey White dominated, running for 129 and 3 TD. Memphis has continued their passing ways, as QB Martin Hankins threw for 303 and a 3/1 TD/INT on 22/30 passing. UAB looks to have come down from the team that played Oklahoma close, and Memphis losing to them shows where they are this year.
Miami 27, North Carolina 7
Two anemic offenses here. Cam Sexton had a Joe Dailey-esque performance, going 9/28 for 136 and 2 INT. Hell, Dailey even played in the game, which should show how bad things got. Then again, Miami wasn't much better, outside of RB Javarris James's 111 yards and a TD. Both teams are pretty hopeless. But hey, someone's gotta win those ACC games. Right?
Northern Illinois 28, Miami of Ohio 25
Garrett Wolfe deserves the Heisman, and gained 162 yards and 2 TDs here, but it's a shame the NIU defense can't stop anyone. The RedHawks gained 469 yards, so maybe they should just try Wolfe as a safety or something.
Penn State 28, Minnesota 27 (OT)
Minnesota got screwed in OT, but they probably didn't deserve to win. Only 90 yards rushing? Minnesota? Looks like the Gophers are the worst team in the Big Ten that doesn't begin with an "Il" or an "In".
Mississippi 17, Vanderbilt 10
Oh, I just pity poor Vandy. The Commodores gained 453 yards, and held the Rebels to 196, but Vanderbilt turned it over 5 times. Sigh. Poor poor Vandy. Ole Miss is horrible.
Wyoming 14, New Mexico 10
UNM only managed 190 yards. Sigh. 3 Wyoming turnovers helped keep it close, however.
UTEP 24, SMU 21
SMU only managed 190 yards. Sigh. 2 UTEP turnovers helped keep it close, however.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Week 6 Recap: The Top 25
Michigan State @ #1 Michigan
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 31, Michigan State 13
Shock. The final yardage stats came out pretty close, with Michigan up only 359-325. Of course, most of the Spartans' yards came after the outcome was completely certain. The Michigan offense continues to hum, with Mike Hart getting a bunch of yards (122) and Henne (11/17, 140, 3 TD) to Manningham (3 rec, 75, 2 TD) getting most of the touchdowns. The Spartans still have a bunch of talent, and there's hope, but Michigan is quite awesome.
Bowling Green @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 35, Bowling Green 7
Troy Smith had the expected great day against a not-great secondary, throwing for 191 and 3 TD on 17/20 passing. Yardage was close (396-358), and Ohio State once again cannot stop the run (179 BGSU yards), so...eh. One would think the UNDISPUTED NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!!! would manhandle Bowling Green worse than Michigan took apart Notre Dame.
Washington @ #3 USC
My Pick: USC
Final Score: USC 26, Washington 20
Washington QB Isaiah Stanback continues to be a one-man team, responsible for 245 of the Huskies' 398 yards, and scoring both TDs. John David Booty went 23/40 passing and racked up 243 yards, but had a mediocre 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Washington could very well be a legit #4 in the Pac 10, and USC continues to not impress. However, I still like the Trojans in the Pac 10.
#7 LSU @ #4 Florida
My Pick: Florida
Final Score: Florida 23, LSU 10
An ugly game statistically, with Florida getting outgained 320-311, but LSU turning it over 5 times. Nobody on either team had more than 43 yards rushing, and both QBs failed to impress statistically: JaMarcus Russell threw for 228, but a 1/3 TD/INT, and while Leak went 17 for 26, he only had 155 and a pick. Anyway, Florida can stop the run (#2 in the country in rushing yds/game behind Michigan), so they'll be fine. Plus the whole Tim Tebow thing is working out wonderfully, even if I have no explanation. That pump fake was awesome.
Arkansas @ #5 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Arkansas 27, Auburn 10
Okay, so Arkansas wasn't overrated. Well, at the time. But after the win, now they probably are. Mitch Mustain only had 87 yards, but was quite efficient, with one TD on 7/10 passing. But the Razorback running game more than made up for that, with 284 yards and 2 TD. Brandon Cox was finally somewhat impressive, with a TD and 153 on 17/29 through the air. However, the running game (Kenny Irons: 75 yards), and the defense (see the above about Arkansas) obviously let the Tigers down. So, yeah, Auburn's good but not great. Arkansas is...well, good but not great. So there.
#6 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 28, Oklahoma 10
Hey, the OU defense showed up, only allowing 265 yards. But, whoops, the offense turned it over 5 times, including QB Paul Thompson's 2 picks. Colt McCoy had a Mitch Mustain special, with only 108 yards, but 2 TDs on 11/18 passing. Oh, and Adrian Peterson (109 yards, TD) is still very good.
#8 West Virginia @ Mississippi State
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 42, Mississippi State 14
Mississippi State QB Omarr Conner was doing fine (135, TD), but then got hurt, and well, Mike Henig (115, 2 INT) is no Omarr Conner. Which is pretty sad. On the WVU side, yeah, they ran all over the hapless Bulldogs. Slaton: 185, TD. White: 92 on 6/9 passing, 76 and 2 TD rushing. A nice rebound from the ECU game for the Mountaineers.
#9 Oregon @ #10 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 45, Oregon 24
Cal RB Marshawn Lynch got injured, but backup Justin Forsett (163, TD) was more than capable. And QB Nate Longshore had a good day as well, obviously with the score, gaining 189 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT on 14/26 passing. The Cal defense also had a good day, picking off Oregon's Dennis Dixon thrice and holding the Ducks to 86 rushing yards. Oregon's still the easy #3 in the Pac 10. They're just now #3.
#11 Clemson @ Wake Forest
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 27, Wake Forest 17
Clemson once again has a game closer than its yardage, as they outgained Wake 437-266. Will Proctor went 20/30 passing and had 214 yards, but an abysmal 1/3 TD/INT, which probably explains the above. But hey, the running game (223, TD) is the bread and butter. And DE Gaines Adams's fumble recovery for a TD also helped. Clemson's much better, but there may be some hope for Wake. Maybe. The ACC is bad. Oh, and Wake couldn't run the ball, only gaining 78 yards on the ground. Actually, maybe there's not much hope for Wake.
#12 Louisville @ Middle Tennessee State
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 44, Middle Tennessee State 17
Yeah, MTSU got outclassed. Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell had 340 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT ratio. Yep.
#15 Tennessee @ #13 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Tennessee 51, Georgia 33
Uh, yeah. The return of Tereshinski (12/20, 164, 1/2 TD/INT) was an improvement, but really not enough to matter. And two of Georgia's TDs came on a punt return and a kick return, so this could've been worse. And the UGA defense gave up almost 400 yards, led by UT QB Erik Ainge's 268 yards and 2 TD. So...yeah, this was a depantsing.
Purdue @ #16 Iowa
My Pick: Iowa
Final Score: Iowa 47, Purdue 17
A bit of an odd shootout, as Iowa outgained Purdue 551-472, but turnovers (3) and missed FGs (2) doomed the Boilermakers. Iowa RB Desmond Sims ran for 155 and 2 TD, and Drew Tate finally had an impressive game, going 17/23 for 253 and 2 TD. Of course, this was against an awful Purdue defense. Iowa no longer looks like a darkhorse Big Ten champ candidate (naw, really?), and I think the all-offensive, no-defense hierarchy goes Notre Dame > Texas Tech > Purdue.
Stanford @ #17 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Stanford 10
WHAT A GREAT GAME BY BRADY QUINN!!!!!! HEISMAN HEISMAN HEISMAN!!!!!! Against that fearsome Stanford defense. Sure.
Louisiana Tech @ #18 Boise State
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 55, Louisiana Tech 14
Ian Johnson was actually somewhat contained, only gaining 92 and a score on the ground. Boise didn't have any huge individual days, but gained 492 total yards. They gave up 338, but hey, no defense flies in the WAC. And it's probably still a lot better than the other conference's defenses.
#19 Nebraska @ Iowa State
My Pick: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 28, Iowa State 14
Good performance by both teams, the Huskers were just better. Nebraska's running backs, Cody Glenn (148, 2 TD) and Brandon Jackson (116, TD), had big numbers, and Zac Taylor (17/21, 131, TD) had an impressively efficient day. ISU QB Bret Meyer threw for 262 and a 1/1 TD/INT ratio, but the fact that he led the team in rushing with 26 yards (and a TD) pretty much signals why the Cyclones lost the game.
Maryland @ #20 Georgia Tech
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Final Score: Georgia Tech 27, Maryland 23
GT had production from all three skill positions: QB (Reggie Ball: 13/25, 161, TD passing, 84 and a TD rushing), RB (Tashard Choice: 138, 2 TD), and WR (Calvin Johnson: 10 rec, 133, TD). However, the Terps hung in there, behind RB Lance Ball's 116 yards and QB Sam Hollenbach's 190 on 16/24 passing, with a TD, and, perhaps in the difference, an INT. There may be hope for UMD yet. And the fact that GT may still be the #2 team in the ACC really shows how weak the conference is.
#21 Florida State @ NC State
My Pick: Florida State
Final Score: NC State 24, Florida State 20
Florida State needs their defense to win. NC State QB Daniel Evans: 13/22, 190, 3 TD. NC State RB Andre Brown: 113 yards on 18 carries. Whoops. I have no idea if Evans is legit, and if he is, NC State has hope. FSU, very much not legit.
#22 Missouri @ Texas Tech
My Pick: Texas Tech
Final Score: Missouri 38, Texas Tech 21
TTU had 378 passing yards, so Mizzou couldn't really stop them, but the Red Raiders turned it over 5 times. Mizzou had a solid 333 total yards, but no real standout individual performances. The Tigers are a solidly above-average team, but the outcome of this game could've easily been different.
#24 Pittsburgh @ Syracuse
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Pittsburgh 21, Syracuse 11
Both teams were more impressive offensively than defensively? Whaaaaa. Both QBs had good days, with Pitt's Tyler Palko (20/24, 177, TD - and a rushing TD!) being more efficient than Cuse's Perry Patterson (20/29, 225, TD). Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Dowling had the most impressive game, however, running for 221 and a score. So, Cuse is probably good enough to finish around 6th in the Big East, while Pitt is a distant but clear #3 in the conference.
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 31, Michigan State 13
Shock. The final yardage stats came out pretty close, with Michigan up only 359-325. Of course, most of the Spartans' yards came after the outcome was completely certain. The Michigan offense continues to hum, with Mike Hart getting a bunch of yards (122) and Henne (11/17, 140, 3 TD) to Manningham (3 rec, 75, 2 TD) getting most of the touchdowns. The Spartans still have a bunch of talent, and there's hope, but Michigan is quite awesome.
Bowling Green @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 35, Bowling Green 7
Troy Smith had the expected great day against a not-great secondary, throwing for 191 and 3 TD on 17/20 passing. Yardage was close (396-358), and Ohio State once again cannot stop the run (179 BGSU yards), so...eh. One would think the UNDISPUTED NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!!! would manhandle Bowling Green worse than Michigan took apart Notre Dame.
Washington @ #3 USC
My Pick: USC
Final Score: USC 26, Washington 20
Washington QB Isaiah Stanback continues to be a one-man team, responsible for 245 of the Huskies' 398 yards, and scoring both TDs. John David Booty went 23/40 passing and racked up 243 yards, but had a mediocre 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Washington could very well be a legit #4 in the Pac 10, and USC continues to not impress. However, I still like the Trojans in the Pac 10.
#7 LSU @ #4 Florida
My Pick: Florida
Final Score: Florida 23, LSU 10
An ugly game statistically, with Florida getting outgained 320-311, but LSU turning it over 5 times. Nobody on either team had more than 43 yards rushing, and both QBs failed to impress statistically: JaMarcus Russell threw for 228, but a 1/3 TD/INT, and while Leak went 17 for 26, he only had 155 and a pick. Anyway, Florida can stop the run (#2 in the country in rushing yds/game behind Michigan), so they'll be fine. Plus the whole Tim Tebow thing is working out wonderfully, even if I have no explanation. That pump fake was awesome.
Arkansas @ #5 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Arkansas 27, Auburn 10
Okay, so Arkansas wasn't overrated. Well, at the time. But after the win, now they probably are. Mitch Mustain only had 87 yards, but was quite efficient, with one TD on 7/10 passing. But the Razorback running game more than made up for that, with 284 yards and 2 TD. Brandon Cox was finally somewhat impressive, with a TD and 153 on 17/29 through the air. However, the running game (Kenny Irons: 75 yards), and the defense (see the above about Arkansas) obviously let the Tigers down. So, yeah, Auburn's good but not great. Arkansas is...well, good but not great. So there.
#6 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 28, Oklahoma 10
Hey, the OU defense showed up, only allowing 265 yards. But, whoops, the offense turned it over 5 times, including QB Paul Thompson's 2 picks. Colt McCoy had a Mitch Mustain special, with only 108 yards, but 2 TDs on 11/18 passing. Oh, and Adrian Peterson (109 yards, TD) is still very good.
#8 West Virginia @ Mississippi State
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 42, Mississippi State 14
Mississippi State QB Omarr Conner was doing fine (135, TD), but then got hurt, and well, Mike Henig (115, 2 INT) is no Omarr Conner. Which is pretty sad. On the WVU side, yeah, they ran all over the hapless Bulldogs. Slaton: 185, TD. White: 92 on 6/9 passing, 76 and 2 TD rushing. A nice rebound from the ECU game for the Mountaineers.
#9 Oregon @ #10 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 45, Oregon 24
Cal RB Marshawn Lynch got injured, but backup Justin Forsett (163, TD) was more than capable. And QB Nate Longshore had a good day as well, obviously with the score, gaining 189 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT on 14/26 passing. The Cal defense also had a good day, picking off Oregon's Dennis Dixon thrice and holding the Ducks to 86 rushing yards. Oregon's still the easy #3 in the Pac 10. They're just now #3.
#11 Clemson @ Wake Forest
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 27, Wake Forest 17
Clemson once again has a game closer than its yardage, as they outgained Wake 437-266. Will Proctor went 20/30 passing and had 214 yards, but an abysmal 1/3 TD/INT, which probably explains the above. But hey, the running game (223, TD) is the bread and butter. And DE Gaines Adams's fumble recovery for a TD also helped. Clemson's much better, but there may be some hope for Wake. Maybe. The ACC is bad. Oh, and Wake couldn't run the ball, only gaining 78 yards on the ground. Actually, maybe there's not much hope for Wake.
#12 Louisville @ Middle Tennessee State
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 44, Middle Tennessee State 17
Yeah, MTSU got outclassed. Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell had 340 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT ratio. Yep.
#15 Tennessee @ #13 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Tennessee 51, Georgia 33
Uh, yeah. The return of Tereshinski (12/20, 164, 1/2 TD/INT) was an improvement, but really not enough to matter. And two of Georgia's TDs came on a punt return and a kick return, so this could've been worse. And the UGA defense gave up almost 400 yards, led by UT QB Erik Ainge's 268 yards and 2 TD. So...yeah, this was a depantsing.
Purdue @ #16 Iowa
My Pick: Iowa
Final Score: Iowa 47, Purdue 17
A bit of an odd shootout, as Iowa outgained Purdue 551-472, but turnovers (3) and missed FGs (2) doomed the Boilermakers. Iowa RB Desmond Sims ran for 155 and 2 TD, and Drew Tate finally had an impressive game, going 17/23 for 253 and 2 TD. Of course, this was against an awful Purdue defense. Iowa no longer looks like a darkhorse Big Ten champ candidate (naw, really?), and I think the all-offensive, no-defense hierarchy goes Notre Dame > Texas Tech > Purdue.
Stanford @ #17 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Stanford 10
WHAT A GREAT GAME BY BRADY QUINN!!!!!! HEISMAN HEISMAN HEISMAN!!!!!! Against that fearsome Stanford defense. Sure.
Louisiana Tech @ #18 Boise State
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 55, Louisiana Tech 14
Ian Johnson was actually somewhat contained, only gaining 92 and a score on the ground. Boise didn't have any huge individual days, but gained 492 total yards. They gave up 338, but hey, no defense flies in the WAC. And it's probably still a lot better than the other conference's defenses.
#19 Nebraska @ Iowa State
My Pick: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 28, Iowa State 14
Good performance by both teams, the Huskers were just better. Nebraska's running backs, Cody Glenn (148, 2 TD) and Brandon Jackson (116, TD), had big numbers, and Zac Taylor (17/21, 131, TD) had an impressively efficient day. ISU QB Bret Meyer threw for 262 and a 1/1 TD/INT ratio, but the fact that he led the team in rushing with 26 yards (and a TD) pretty much signals why the Cyclones lost the game.
Maryland @ #20 Georgia Tech
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Final Score: Georgia Tech 27, Maryland 23
GT had production from all three skill positions: QB (Reggie Ball: 13/25, 161, TD passing, 84 and a TD rushing), RB (Tashard Choice: 138, 2 TD), and WR (Calvin Johnson: 10 rec, 133, TD). However, the Terps hung in there, behind RB Lance Ball's 116 yards and QB Sam Hollenbach's 190 on 16/24 passing, with a TD, and, perhaps in the difference, an INT. There may be hope for UMD yet. And the fact that GT may still be the #2 team in the ACC really shows how weak the conference is.
#21 Florida State @ NC State
My Pick: Florida State
Final Score: NC State 24, Florida State 20
Florida State needs their defense to win. NC State QB Daniel Evans: 13/22, 190, 3 TD. NC State RB Andre Brown: 113 yards on 18 carries. Whoops. I have no idea if Evans is legit, and if he is, NC State has hope. FSU, very much not legit.
#22 Missouri @ Texas Tech
My Pick: Texas Tech
Final Score: Missouri 38, Texas Tech 21
TTU had 378 passing yards, so Mizzou couldn't really stop them, but the Red Raiders turned it over 5 times. Mizzou had a solid 333 total yards, but no real standout individual performances. The Tigers are a solidly above-average team, but the outcome of this game could've easily been different.
#24 Pittsburgh @ Syracuse
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Pittsburgh 21, Syracuse 11
Both teams were more impressive offensively than defensively? Whaaaaa. Both QBs had good days, with Pitt's Tyler Palko (20/24, 177, TD - and a rushing TD!) being more efficient than Cuse's Perry Patterson (20/29, 225, TD). Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Dowling had the most impressive game, however, running for 221 and a score. So, Cuse is probably good enough to finish around 6th in the Big East, while Pitt is a distant but clear #3 in the conference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)