Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup 10/14/11

Week 7 marks the beginning of the second half of the college football season. Most teams are now fighting for conference supremacy and getting into bowl position. No marquee match ups this week but a little bit of everything on the schedule should make for an interesting weekend. Michigan travels to the land of Sparty to take on Michigan State in what is always a fevered game. Arizona State takes on Oregon in what could be the preview of the first potential Pac-12 championship game. Oklahoma State vs. Texas sounded like a good game until the Sooners beat down the Longhorns last week.




This is the turning point for most teams this week. Can a few get hot and make a run at contenders, teams like Michigan State, Washington, and Virginia. All these teams have an outside chance of winning their conference but if that is to come true they have to put the pedal to the medal for the rest of the season;. Can the disappointing teams like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Ohio State do anything to salvage their year? We will find out in the second half and hopefully for these teams sake it will be better than the first half.

# 18 Arizona State (5-1) vs. # 9 Oregon (5-1) – Oregon’s offense will be without the services of the nations leading rusher LaMichael James due to his bum elbow but that shouldn’t hamper the high powered offense. Kenjon Barner will take the place of James and shouldn’t be a significant drop off. DeAnthony “Black Mamba” Thomas also has the speed to turn the corner on any defense. The strength of the Sun Devils is their defense with them being ranked in the top 25 nationally. Top ASU LB Vontaze Bufict will have to step up big time against an Oregon offense averaging 312 yards rushing. The Sun Devils only give up 119 a game so something has to give in that department. I think the key to this one will be the play of Ducks QB Darron Thomas. Without James, will Chip Kelly allow Thomas air it out against a Sun Devils team that is stout against the run? Can big Brock Osweiler and the ASU offense give the Sun Devils defense enough points to contend with the Ducks? I think they can and I believe they will spring the upset. The Pick: Arizona State

# 11 Michigan (6-0) vs. # 23 Michigan State (4-1) - The winner of this game will be in sole possession of first place in the Legends Division and have the bragging rights in the physical series of these two in-state rivals. Denard “Shoelaces” Robinson will be a handful for the Spartans as he threw for 327 and ran for another 117 yards, scoring four touchdowns in the process. The Spartans are led by QB Kirk Cousins and their top ranked defense. Sparty is only allowing 173.4 yards per game and 64 rushing this season. B.J Cunningham is 11th in the in the country with 116.4 yards and is Cousins go to guy. Edwin Baker can also get loose at a moment’s notice as evident from his 147 yard outburst against the Wolverines last year. Its boils down to if the Spartans can stop the one man wrecking crew known as Denard Robinson. He is everything to the Wolverines offense and I think he has another big day and leads them to the win. The Pick: Michigan

Florida (3-2) vs. Auburn (3-2) – It just wouldn’t be right to have a college football column without somehow mentioning the SEC. This weekend’s best game is between a couple of 2 loss teams that were dominated in their last game. It was expected from the Gators as they were without starting QB Jeff Brantley and had to start freshman Jacoby Brissett in his place. The Tigers on the other hand were man handled by Arkansas after handing with the Razorbacks early in the game. Florida’s defense is still talented and they have one of the best front seven’s in all of college football. Auburn will have to find a way to generate some offense and after QB Barrett Trotter’s 6-19 performance last week, the call for stud freshman QB Kiehl Frazier will only grow louder. The Gators will attack the Auburn offense especially when they pass with defensive linemen like Shariff Floyd coming after Trotter. Michael Dyer has been the most consistent player offensively for the Tigers, but I think even he may struggle against this Gator defense. Who ever starts for the Gators at QB rather if it’s Brissett or other QB freshman Jeff Driskell, they should be able to put up points on the porous Tiger defense. Florida still has burners Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps so it appears they will just wear down the Tigers. The Pick: Florida

Game of the Week: Arizona State vs. Oregon - This one was a tough decision this week. As I stated above there are really no marquee games of two top 10 tens facing off or anything like that. I will go with Arizona State vs. Oregon because of its potential implications in the Pac-12. This could be the inaugural Pac-12 championship game and it’s a good contrast in styles as the high powered Ducks are a dominant offensive team going up against the ferocious defense of the Sun Devils. They can play a little football out west I guess.

Most intriguing game: #6 Oklahoma State vs. Texas: I guess you could call this one the mini Red River Shootout as the Cowboys travel to Austin and take on the Longhorns. This one is in intriguing because it marks the second straight year that Ok. State will have to go Austin because of the Big 12 shrinking to 10 teams and scheduling conflicts. Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon look to get loose against a vulnerable looking Longhorn secondary that was torched last week by Landry Jones.

Under the radar game – Baylor vs. Texas A&M: The “Lawsuit” bowl as some are billing this one will be an exciting game. The Aggies have given up two leads of over 15 points in their two losses and Baylor’s RG3 is always ready to air it out and show the athleticism that has made him an early Heisman candidate. Kendall Wright will also have a say in this one. I look for an offensive explosion at college station this weekend.

Coach better get it right game: Jimbo Fisher Florida State – Just a few weeks ago we were talking about how the Seminoles are on the cusp of returning to their glory days. A few weeks later and the wheels have fallen off in Tallahassee as the “Noles are now 2-3 after a humiliating loss to Wake Forest. Now I’m not saying Fisher is in the hot seat but he needs to get his team back to winning and change the momentum that they have had over the last few games. No better place to start then against Duke, who you just can’t lose to if you consider yourself a top program. Coach Fisher you have to get it right this game.

College Football Weekend Finale

This weekend we saw the SEC championship game tickets get punched as South Carolina dominated Florida as they never have before and Auburn with the sensational Cam Newton overwhelm Georgia. It should be an competitive and exciting game in Atlanta with those two teams. Virginia Tech's blowout of North Carolina further cemented them as the best team in the ACC. As the season winds down, the good team have separated themselves from the bad. Now for the breakdown of those highlighted games and other observations from this weekend.

South Carolina 36 vs. Florida 14 - The Marcus Lattimore show was on full display in this game. The fab Freshman toted the ball 40 times and produced 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. He just pummeled the Gators for and set the tone early and often for the Gamecocks. Lattimore had 21 carries for 83 yards in the first half but its was 21-yard scamper for a TD that really broke the Gators spirits. Stephen Garcia did his part as well going 15/22 for 156 with no turnovers and he also added 28 yards on the ground. This is only the second time in 19 tries that the Gamecocks have beat Florida.  South Carolina also beat Florida for the first time at home since joining the SEC in 1992, and now advance to their first ever SEC championship game. As for Florida, their offensive attack reverted back to what we saw mostly this year. "Threebow" in reference to the three QBs they use to match Tim Tebow production could not get the offense going. John Brantley finished with a pedestrian stat line of 16/31 for 130 yards. Jordan Reed and Trey Burton didn't even play much.The same Gator team that looked so crisp and speedy on offense the last two games, looked pathetic this game.  Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps were bottled up and that was all she wrote for Florida. South Carolina moves on to  face Auburn in the SEC championship game.

Auburn 41 vs. Georgia 31 - If Cam Newton isn't the best player in college football, you tell me who is? The Auburn QB was just a one man wrecking crew once again in the Tigers win over the Bulldogs.  Newton busted the Bulldogs defense up for 150 yards on the ground and went 12/15 for 148 yards and a touchdown in the air. The Tigers marched down the field on their opening drive and took a 7-0 lead but Georgia would go on to score the next 21 points as receiver as A.J Green and QB Aaron Murray began to get hot. Green had a spectacular day as well with 9 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. But Newton and the Auburn's offense could not be stopped. RB Onterrio McCalebb 4-yard run capped off a 9 play, 73 yard drive that made the game 21-14 Georgia. Georgia would be forced to punt on their next series and The Tigers again scored on the next possession with Newton using a beautiful play-action fake to find a wide open Philip Lutzenkirchen down the middle of the field for another TD that made it 21-21 going into halftime. Georgia and QB Aaron Murray would add 10 more points in the 3rd quarter but it wouldn't be enough as the Tigers offense kept rolling and eventually would tally 49 points. I also have to commend Nick Fairley who seemed to be in the Bulldogs backfield all game long. Cam Newton may have a lot of problems off the field but on it, he is simply the most electrifying player in college. He is Tebow 2.0 with ability to run in space and he throws better than Tebow ever did. He became the first player in SEC history to throw for 2,000 yards run for 1,000 in this game. If he doesn't get the Heisman due to those allegations he is facing than something is really wrong and flawed with the system of voting. I just haven't saw a better player this year and maybe the last two years than the Tigers QB. Auburn will face South Carolina for the SEC crown now but not before the annual Iron bowl with Alabama. That one should be a doozy and be careful Auburn fans, they still have to win out to play in the National championship game.

Va Tech 26 vs. North Carolina 10 - The Hokies dominated the Tar Heels on both sides of the ball and are now just one game away from winning the ACC coastal division. Tyrod Taylor finished with 249 yards passing and the Hokies defense had their way with the Tar Heels. Virginia Tech actually trailed 10-9 going into halftime but they were a different team in the second half. Taylor would find an open Marcus Davis for a 43-yard strike to open the half and from their the Hokies would only add to their separation. Taylor found Davis again for an 11-yard TD pass and the game was never in much doubt from their. “I think we’re playing at a high level right now, and as long as we continue to play it, I think people will eventually respect us,” Taylor said. The Hokies now travel to Miami to visit the Hurricanes next weekend and need to win either of its final two games to reach the league title game in Charlotte on Dec. 4. Its been a long winding road for Frank Beamer's team but they have just about wrapped up their side of division.

Other News and Notables:

BCS frontrunner's survive: Cal almost pulled off the epic upset of Oregon, using different defensive fronts and switching their number of down linemen on every defensive play. As the score indicated, the Bears were able to slow down Oregon's seemingly unstoppable offense. It did however look as if Cal was able to stop the clock with a few "questionable" injuries. All great teams have a game where they don't look great and this happens to be Oregon's. They still have a few tough games ahead of them in Arizona and the Civil War game versus Oregon State. Cal may have shown those teams how to beat the Ducks so stay tuned for their final two games. TCU almost had a major letdown after defeating Utah last week. The Horned Frogs were able to narrowly defeat San Diego St. 40-35. As stated above, every team has inevitable trap game but luckily for the Horned Frogs they were able to keep their national title hopes alive. Utah didn't help out their cause though, after they were demolished by Notre Dame ( In a word, Wow) 28-3.

Wisconsin - Did anyone see the Badgers literally just run over Indiana? The Badgers rolled up 598 total yards with 338 yards of it on the ground. Their starter and 2009 Big Ten offensive player of the year John Clay didn't even play this game and they still had to rushers over 100 yards with Montee Ball going for 167 and James White adding 144 yards. That's the definition of smash mouth football.

The Big East - Now this is just getting ridiculous. How does a BCS conference not have a team ranked in the top 25? Pittsburg's loss to Uconn now means that going into their BCS game, the team that wins the conference probably won't be ranked. This has just been an awful year for the conference as a whole this year. I know they can't wait for the basketball season to get under way.

College Football Weekend Setup

Week 9 is upon us and as the season begins to hit the backstretch, most teams are jockeying for bowl berths or just trying to make it to one. There are a few big games this week on the schedule. Missouri takes on Nebraska in the Tigers last big test they will face. Oregon goes down to L.A. for a showdown with a mediocre but still hated USC Trojans and Michigan State battles Iowa in a Big Ten Clash. And with that let’s focus on these three games for breakdowns.

Missouri vs. Nebraska – After finally beating the Sooners, Missouri gets the prize of traveling to Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers. QB Blaine Gabbert proved more than able last week in the toppling of Oklahoma. I love his composure and the way the offensive line protects him. He stood tall in the pocket all night and ran the offense with surgical precision. De’Vion Moore give the Tigers a decent running attack and averaged 7.3 yards a carry last weekend. The Tigers defense is starting to get some credit now and it is much deserved. They are a physical unit and aggressive. Nebraska counters with QB Taylor Martinez, who was considered a Heisman hopeful until he met the Texas defense. Roy Helu will need a good game to take some of the focus off of Martinez but I still don’t think that will be enough. Nebraska has a stout defense as well led by senior Prince Amukamara. They will keep the game close for the Huskers but that will not be enough.
The Pick: Missouri

Oregon vs. USC – Oregon and USC always provide an exciting game. Both teams like to get up and down the field and score. Oregon has just been so dominant this year, at one time ranking number one in both total offense and defense. Lamicheal James is a Heisman candidate and is the straw that stirs the tea in their offense. QB Darron Thomas is more than capable at his position. His job is to keep the defense honest with the threat of the pass and keep the tempo up for the Ducks high powered offense. USC comes off a bye after whopping Cal. Matt Barkley has quietly put together a great season in his first year under Lane Kiffin . Barkley’s number merit Heisman talk, just take a look:

Cmp Att Pct Yds Yd/A TD Int Rating

138 211 65.4 1,869 8.9 20 4 167.3

He won’t be in contention because of all the sanctions USC face but this guy is pretty darn good. He will be able to put up points on Oregon’s defense. The big elephant in the room with the Trojans is their defense. I haven’t seen a worse defense from USC since the pre Pete Carroll days. Oregon will run through, over and around these guys on offense. USC doesn’t have a bowl game this year so they have to treat every game as if it is one but the Ducks are just too much with their breakneck speed tempo offense.
The Pick: Oregon

Michigan State vs. Iowa – Is it me or does it seem like Iowa is playing a marquee game every week? The road to the Big Ten title obviously goes through Iowa City these days. The Hawkeye’s still have a chance at the title. They would need to win out and still get some help but it’s possible. Ricky Stanzi has really cut down on the mistakes this year. After being named pick six Rick by last years opposing teams, Stanzi has only thrown two INTs the whole year. Even with that being said, Iowa needs a strong run game effort to top the Spartans. Adam Robinson is the workhorse for the Hawkeyes and is a brusier at running back. They will turn to him to control the clock and keep the ball from Michigan State. The Spartans have been fun to watch this year. Rather if it was a fake field goal vs. Notre Dame or the fake punt vs. Northwestern, Sparty has a flair for the dramatics. I admire Mike Dantonio not only for coming back from a heart attack and blood clot but also for his gutsy calls in crunch time. He is a man’s man. I also love the running backs Edwin Baker and Le’veon Bell. Baker’s tenacity as runner is great. He is tough to bring down and an arm tackle won’t get it done. QB Kirk Cousins has been living on the edge all season but keeps finding a way to gut wins out. The defense led by LB Greg Jones has been good enough to keep the Spartans in games. This just seems like a team of destiny this year with all the adversity they have faced. This is the last remaining tough opponent they face and if they beat Iowa, they actually have an outside shot at the National Championship. That is too much on the line for Sparty to give up.
The Pick: Michigan State



Game of the week – Missouri vs. Nebraska: The Tigers have to avoid a letdown after defeating Oklahoma. The winner of this should take the Big 12 north title.



Most intriguing game - Louisville vs. Pitt: It was hard to pick this game over the Michigan vs. Penn State clash, but because it has more impact on the standings in the Big East, it will get the nod. Charlie Strong has exceeded expectations in Louisville and Dave Wannestedt keeps falling below his at Pitt.



Rivalry Game – Florida vs. Georgia: The world largest cocktail party made it an easy pick for me on this one. Both teams are struggling and both would like none other to add to the other’s misery this year.



Under the Radar Game – Baylor vs. Texas: The Bears have quietly put together a nice season led by the freaky athletic QB Robert Griffin. Texas continues their inconsistent year. Which Longhorn team will show up? The one who served Nebraska or the one that got served by UCLA.



Wake me when its over game – New Mexico vs. Colorado State: These two teams combined record is 2-13. Enough said.



Coach better get it right game – Notre Dame vs. Tulsa: The pressure to be the coach of Notre Dame is always on. Brian Kelly’s team needs to respond after the drubbing it took from Navy. I didn’t even pick on Dan Hawkins this week.

College Football Weekend Finale

Another week in College Football and another number one ranked team goes down. The Oklahoma Sooners were the first number one team this year in the initial BCS rankings but that won't last long with its defeat at the hands of the Missouri Tigers 36-27. Missouri's high powered offense out lasted the Sooners and gave them problems all night. The most noticeable thing to me was the lack of pressure that Oklahoma was able to get on QB Blaine Gabbert. He would finish 30 of 42 for 308 yards. He pretty much had all the time and more to dissect the Sooners defense and made them pay for it. In previous years the Tigers wilted under the pressure of Oklahoma but were able to show their toughness this time around. Oklahoma became the third top ranked team to go down following Alabama and Ohio State. The win now puts Missouri in the driver seat for the north division title. A looming showdown next week in Lincoln vs. Nebraska will show if they are ready for the next level.

Now a few teams that caught my eye, some for good reason and some for bad.

Auburn - My question now is what can Cam Newton not do? Auburn just pummeled LSU on the ground with 440 yards to LSU's 115. Newton did his part going for 217 yards on 28 carries. He showed his uncanny athleticism on a stunning 49 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. This guy is just too big for the DB's to tackle and too fast for the Linemen and Linebackers to catch. Auburn's other running backs also showed up with Freshman Micheal Dyer rushing for 100 yards on 15 carries and Onterrio McCalebb broke the game open with a spectacular 70 yard scamper that sealed the victory for Auburn. Cam Newton now has to be considered the front runner for the Heisman. His team is undefeated in the SEC and he has already broken the single season touchdown record for Auburn and also the SEC single season QB rushing yardage mark. Auburn is now the lone undefeated team in the SEC and if they win out, should be in the national championship game.Auburn rose to number in the latest BCS rankings and the only team that seems to stand in their way will be Alabama in the Iron bowl and final game of the season. That is just the way it should be.

Oregon - The Ducks continue to dominate its foes but can't seem to lock down the top spot in the BCS. The Ducks pounded UCLA 60-13 but remain stuck at the two spot for the second consecutive week. If they win out and don't make it to the championship game, they would have valid argument with the system but I think if they do go undefeated they should have a spot in the title game. They have a showdown with USC this weekend.

Michigan State - Michigan State survived a scare, coming back from 17 down to defeat a very game Northwestern team. Mike D'antoni has guts. He called a fake punt that led to a touchdown that spun the momentum back into the Spartans favor. When asked what he was thinking on that play, D'antoni quoted " That's the old mouse taking the cheese bait." You have to love a coach who will take risks in order to win games. That's the way I would want my coach to be. Sparty remains unbeaten and have the inside track to the Big Ten title.

Texas - The Longhorns remain the inconsistent team that I said they were earlier this season. There is just not justification of losing to Iowa State. The cyclones jumped on the Longhorns to the tune of a 28-0 lead going into the 4th quarter. The Longhorns mounted a comeback in the final quarter but it was to little to late. Mack Brown sounded frustrated in his post game conference and for good reason. Texas isn't going anywhere this season.

And lastly, the non-AQ teams continue to get jumped by the BCS conference teams in the poll. TCU was jumped by Auburn in the latest BCS poll. Boise State remains at number two , but it will be worth watching if the BCS conference schools can continue to surge over the likes of TCU, Utah, and Boise State because of the poll rankings and strength of schedule.

Finally Friday College Football Weekend Edition

After watching Oregon demolish UCLA 60-13 last night, I guess I'm inclined to say they should be the number team in the nation. They moved the ball on offense with Qb Darron Thomas throwing for 308 yards and 3 scores. Lamicheal James, the nation's leading rusher finished with 123 and 2 scores before leaving with a leg injury. This Ducks are move physical than I thought. They manhandled UCLA on both sides of the ball. I was very disappointed in the Bruins, this is the same team that ran all over Texas but couldn't get anything against the Ducks. The one I feel the worst about is Oregon's mascot the duck. 60 points equals 60 push-ups for him and the way the Ducks are rolling on offense he will probably will have arms as big as this guy: http://www.angelzfunnyz.com/Portals/0/Gallery/Album/8/gross-arms.jpg. Now on to the rest of the college weekend games.

LSU vs. Auburn - Much has been said about the often maligned Les Miles but the mad hatter has a quirky way of winning games. The man is 58-15 with a winning percentage of .792 (Higher than Nick Saban)and regularly subject to rumors of his firing as the head coach. Personally, I like the guy I mean how could you not with quotes like this "Louisiana has a heritage of great players that play their high school football within the boundaries of Louisiana." Now if he could just figure out his QB position because both Jordan Jefferson and Jared Lee have not been able to move the ball. LSU has one of the best defense's in the nation all they need is for the offense to do is be competent, but I don't think they can. Cam Newton and the Tigers will challenge the the Tigers defense in way they haven't seen this year. Patrick Patterson and the Tigers will be game for the challenge but I don't see them stopping the Cam Newton express this week. I do question Newton with these untimely comments he said this week: http://forum.gatorsports.com/viewtopic.php?t=5298&p=78090. The pick: Auburn

Oklahoma vs. Missouri - Oklahoma takes its newly minted number BCS ranking down to Columbia vs an under the radar Tigers team. The Sooners are a very solid team and certainly have earned the number one BCS ranking but I'm not sold on them this year. The inconsistent play of Landry Jones and the way they play down to their opponents are my reasons. I haven't saw much of Missouri to make to many comments on them. I have seen QB Blake Gabbert play before and he is pretty good. I also know that Gary Pinkel likes to toss the skin around in that offense so this should make for a good game. Because I don't know enough about the Tigers I will take Oklahoma.

Wisconsin vs. Iowa - Wisconsin is coming off the programs biggest win in recent years, knocking off previously number one  ranked Ohio State. They did it impressively by using the power run game with John Clay and the occasional change of pace back James White. They now must avoid a let down because the Hawkeyes come to town. An interesting side note to this game is that Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is an Iowa alum and even has a Hawkeye tattooed on his calf, talk about awkward. Iowa has played well this year and only loss came from Arizona, so they are still on the hunt for the Big Ten title. This game again will come down to the Hawkeyes being able to stop the Badgers power run game. If Wisconsin can control the time of possession and run on Iowa, which I think will happen, than they should win this one.

Game of the Week - LSU vs. Auburn : This game has SEC as well as National Title implications on it. It could also be a showcase game for Cam Newton to further cement his Heisman hunt.

Most intriguing game - Nebraska vs. Oklahoma State - Nebraska is out for blood after losing to rival Texas and Oklahoma State has been better than advertised with emerging deep threat Justin Blackmon.

Under the Radar game - North Carolina vs. Miami (FL) - Both teams still have a shot at the ACC Coastal Division going into this game, and one will not afterwards.

Rivalry Game - Alabama vs. Tennessee - Remember when this game use to matter? The ol' third Saturday in October will be a laugher this time but will always be a classic rivalry game.

Coach better get it right game - Texas Tech vs. Colorado - Tommy Tuberville has been less than stellar this year and was suppose to infuse some defensive toughness to the Red Raiders. So far he hasn't. Its too easy to pick on Colorado coach Dan Hawkins each week and he ends up in this slot seemingly every weekend .