CFB Weekend preview #5

#23 Wisconsin at #4 Ohio State

After trudging through weeks of an admittedly embarassing schedule Ohio State finally gets some decent competition in the form of the Wisconsin Badgers. The OSU-Wisc rivarly has been one of the more interesting ones in the Big 10 recently.

Wisconsin should probably be undefeated right now but thanks to an extremely wonky end of the game against Arizona State they have a loss.

Wisconsin will look to run the ball behind their breakout star running back Melvin Gordon who currently leads the nation in rushing. However Ohio State does have a very good rushing defense, only allowing 79 yards per game.

Another very interesting aspect of the game is how the Ohio State quarterback situation will be. Kenny Guiton is now listed as "co-starter" alongside Braxton Miller. How their playing time will be rationed out could go a long way towards sorting the whole thing out. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if at some point this season Guiton was made the full time starter.

Ohio State is favored by 7 but I think they will get a huge boost from the eager fans looking to finally see some decent competition. Wisconsin may hang around for a while in the first half but I think by the time the 4th quarter rolls around the Buckeyes will have put it away.

Wisconsin 17 - Ohio State 24

#21 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama

Ole Miss gets their toughest test of the season when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. The Rebels are off to a great start this season as they sit at 3-0 including a win over Texas. Meanwhile Alabama is, well, Alabama.

However, one thing we've learned about Alabama is this isn't your grandfather's Alabama defense. funny fact, did you know that right now if you take into consideration total defense that they're ranked at 56th nationally? That's four spots below Southern Alabama. As far as passing and rushing defense it's pretty bad for a team that regularly produces starting NFL players.

We know what we will get from Alabama as far as offense, a lot of efficiency with little to no mistakes.

If Mississippi can get their run game going and not make any mistakes I think they could have a real shot. They bring a competent defense to Tuscaloosa however they will need to shut down AJ McCarron's big throws down the field.

This is probably Mississippi's best chance to take down the tide in a long time.

Alabama is favored by 14 in this game which seems really high to me. I'm not quite ready to call for the upset by I'm not sure if Alabama is 14 points better than Mississippi at this point.

Ole Miss 24 - Alabama 31

#5 Stanford @ Washington State

After losing an ugly game to Auburn Washington State has been rolling including a win over USC. They get their next big test as the Cardinal come to town.

I think it's huge that the Cougars are getting Stanford at home and the betting lines reflect this as the #5 team in the land is only favored by 9.

Mike Leach's magic is at work here as the Cougars have the 16th best passing offense in the nation but (un)surprisingly they are literally almost dead last in rushing offense. Well it is called the "air raid" and not the "ground raid"... lol... :(

So, obviously the key to this game is going to be how well the Cougars can pass the ball. Luckily for them Stanford isn't exactly that great at defensing the pass, they rank middle of the pack.

I'm making this game my upset special of the week. I think the Cougar QB will have a huge game sparked by a raucous home crowd.

Stanford 28 - Washington State 34

Iowa at Minnesota

Although this is by no means a marquis matchup it is a rather interesting game from a Big 10 perspective. Both teams have been having relatively quiet yet surprisingly good seasons. Minnesota has gotten off to a 4-0 start (though it should be mentioned they did the same thing last year before only getting two more wins for the rest of the season). Meanwhile Iowa has three wins including a win over rival Iowa State.

As I said though this is a very good matchup. I didn't look through every game but this could very well be the closest matched game of the week. While most sites have Iowa winning the game the margins are extremely slim, mostly by 1 point and a couple have them up by 2. While still another has Minnesota winning by 1.

I love win teams are really lopsided to one form of defense and Minnesota is just one of the teams. Having a top 15 rushing offense while also having a bottom 10 passing offense. I guess that's what you get from Jerry Kill...

That's partly what makes this game so interesting since Iowa is really good at defending the rush.

Really, these teams are very similar in what they try to do. Iowa has comparable stats in those same departments.

I'm going to have to go with Minnesota on this one. Should I factor in that maybe the Golden Gophers will be playing with extra heart because of the problems their coach has been having? I don't know about that but I do know that the home crowd will definitely be fired up one way or the other.

Iowa 21 - Minnesota 27

#6 LSU @ #9 Georgia

- Fany Pack

Michigan has a bye (sad), but there's actually a bunch of good games this week (glad). This SEC powerhouse matchup might be the best.

LSU's unbeaten and ranked higher, but I think the Bulldogs' schedule has prepared them better for this game. While LSU breezed by UAB and Kent State, Georgia opened its season with back-to-back marquee games, losing to now-third-ranked Clemson in a close one then going on to upset South Carolina.

It's a matchup of great quarterbacks, though, with Aaron Murray going up against the Tigers' Zach Mettenberger. It really seems like this will come down to whether Murray has a good game and whether Georgia can keep up its excellent passing game against one of the best passing defenses in the conference.

It being another home game and with the team's recent momentum, I'm calling this one for Georgia.


Georgia 31 - LSU 24

CFB Weekend Preview #4

Florida A&M @ #4 Ohio State

The lines in this one have Ohio State beating FAMU by as low as 49 points and as high as 50. Although the most interesting thing in this game will be how Urban Meyer handles his breakout star quarterback, Kenny Guiton. Although Meyer has insisted there isn't a quarterback competition he hasn't ruled out the possibilty of using a dual QB system. If anyone has the credentials to pull off such a controversial plan it's Meyer. 

At any rate 50 points is a lot, which isn't to say I don't think Ohio State can do it. But a lot will probably depend on how the QB situation shakes out. I wouldb't be surprised to see the third stringer get a couple shots in with this one to be honest. At least after this Ohio State will start playing some decent competition.

Did you know FAMU plays in the MEAC conference? Yeah, apparently there is a Mid Eastern Athletic Conference. 

In conclusion though, yeah, Ohio State will hang 60-70 on them. I hope they do if for no other reason than to punish there stupid fucking marching band who killed someone, literally.

Ohio State 66 - FAMU 7

Michigan State @ #22 Notre Dame

Thw Fighting Brian Kelly's are favored by 5 in this game which seems like a really fair line. However, looking at how both teams have faired thus far in the year I'm inclined to take the Sparty upset. Although the Irish are at home after two games abroad this game will come down to defense since both teams are pretty similarly ranked as far as defense goes.

I give a slight nod to MSU in this regard since as the old addage goes "defenses always travel well", or something like that. I reckon this will be a pretty low scoring "grind it out kind of game", in other words it'll be really boring.

MSU 10 - ND 7

#23 Arizona State @ #5 Stanford

I don't foresee any surprises here as Stanford seems to be rolling and typically beats the teams they're supposed to. I think the only game of the weekend featuring top 25 teams will be pretty boring as Stanford gets the Sun Devils at home where they are usually really good.

Arizona State on the other hand will pay with the bad karma they've accumulated after literally stealing one from Wisconsin last week.

Stanford is favored by 6.5 but to me that seems a bit low. I would expect them to win by at least a touchdown, maybe more.

Stanford 21 - ASU 14

Utah State @ USC

I was right the last time I "had a feeling" about a USC game and I'm having that feeling again. I don't want to take full credit for that scum bag Lane Kiffin losing his job, but if he finds himself in the breadline next week I will think I played a small part in it. 

As in the last game USC is only favored by 6.5 over Utah State, doesn't that seem really low? I'm calling the upset now.

Don't kid yourselves. The Aggies have quite a potent offense, putting up 70 against the vaunted Weber St. defense. Meanwhile for having one of the best receivers in the country USC has struggled mightily, putting up only 10 in that Washington St. game. If this was a home game for the Aggies they might even be favored.

Utah State 21 - USC 17

#15 Michigan @ UConn

- Fany Pack

Not doing a CFB Weekend Preview last week was probably for the best, as I don't think anyone saw Michigan coming so close to being embarrassed at home, at basically the last minute by a team that hasn't won a road game in almost five years. 

Saturday's matchup should, in theory, be a breeze for the Wolverines, who move on to UConn in an 8 o'clock showdown. (Because when I think of exciting prime-time night games, I think no-win UConn.) Anyway, this game is all about saving face for Michigan. If they can do against the Huskies what they were supposed to do against Akron last week, then all will be forgotten remembered but not with heaps of ridicule.

As for UConn, who is 122nd in rushing, their only hope is to keep up their decent passing game. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Michigan's defense seems more than capable of holding them back. And after such a close one last week, Michigan is going to be especially determined to rack up the points. I smell another blowout game.

Let's just chalk the Wolverines' performance against Akron up to indigestion from their Irish feast two weeks ago.

Michigan 45 - UConn 3

CFB weekend preview #2

San Diego State @ #3 Ohio State

Both teams had disappointing starts to the season with SDSU suffering a bad defeat to Eastern Illinois and Ohio State getting a win but not looking their best and dropping in the rankings as a result. For the Aztecs to have any chance this weekend they will need to utilize the run game in a huge way. In their last game Dingwell, the QB threw 63 times, clearly this can't happen again especially with the return of Bradley Roby for the Buckeyes. Look for Braxton Miller to show off his experience by remaining calm against the Aztecs and making the right decisions. The Buckeye defense will keep intense pressure on Dingwell and force him into making mistakes.

SDSU 10 - OSU 41

#6 South Carolina @ #11 Georgia

Can the Bulldogs bounce back after a tough loss to Clemson? I don't think so. South Carolina has won the last past 3 games against Georgia and after such a tough loss last week I have little confidence the Bulldogs can put it together against a South Carolina team on a mission. As is common knowledge by now Aaron Murray has big problems playing in big games.The injuries are also starting to effect the Bulldogs as their leading receiver was injured celebrating a victory against Clemson. Look for Clowney to start up the hype again by coming out huge after letting down expectations last weekend.

SC 31 - Georgia 28

Washington State @ #25 USC

I have a feeling about this game... If the Cougars can protect their young inexperienced quarterback and shut down star USC receiver Marquis Lee they could have a big night. Of course this is all way easier said than done. Fresh off their victory against Hawaii the Trojans will be looking to build momentum after a disaster of a season last year. With little expectations this year they will probably do much better but a Pac 12 championship is probably out of reach. Knowing who their starting QB will be this game will undoubtably help to get things rolling. Washington State just needs to pressure the QB and withstand the initial USC onslaught. If USC is up by 14 at the end of the first quarter then this will get out of hand in a hurry The USC defense looks markedly improved and will no doubt give the young Cougs QB fits. But like I said if the WS O-Line can give him some time then big things could happen. I think this could be Mike Leach's breakthrough game in the Pac 12 if the Cougs can focus on those keys to winning.

Washington State 34 - USC 31

Cincinnati @ Illinois

The Bearcats look to dominate another Big 10 school this week, this time the Fighting Illini. After last week's 42-7 beatdown of Purdue the Bearcats are feeling nothing but confidence. Meanwhile perpetual Big-10-mid-bottom-feeders Illinois can make a bit of a statement by beating Cincinnati and their high scoring offense which of course will be much easier said than done especially after a sloppy win against Southern Illinois. Let's face it Illinois is a bad football team. There's no way around that. Although the game is in Illinois that's not exactly a plus for Illinois as their fans haven't had much to cheer for. Illini coach Tim Beckman has had an uphill battle to find any sort of success. I'm thinking their could be another lopsided win for Cinci this week. I read that from a power ranking Purdue could be higher than the Illini. That doesn't bode very well...

Cinci 38 - Illinois 14

#14 Notre Dame @ #17 Michigan

- Fany Pack

After a warm-up game against Central Michigan last week, Michigan heads right into its first challenge of the season, a night matchup at home against 14th-ranked Notre Dame.

The game's all the more important after news this week that the schools' yearly rivalry will be put on hold after 2014. ;__; Lol, nah, I don't really care. I do find it hilarious, though, that it was Notre Dame's doing, because leave it to Notre Dame to be the asshole in any relationship.

Anyway, this week's matchup should be interesting. This is Notre Dame's first game since its shameful National Championship showing versus Alabama. (Oh, you say the Fighting Irish played last week against Temple? Hmm, that's odd.) I'm not entirely sure why they're ranked above Michigan. They've apparently had a bunch of injuries and whatnot, and last year's starting QB Everett Golson was suspended for the semester. That coupled with the fact the Irish only put 28 points up against Temple last week and the past few Notre Dame/Michigan matchups have been super close has me putting Michigan ahead in this one. And come on, it's a night road game in the Big House.

Michigan 24 - Notre Dame 14