Saturday, September 11:
#22 Georgia at #24 South Carolina
The biggest storyline leading up to this game is the three game suspension of All-World Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. South Carolina had an impressive victory over Southern Mississippi last week. The Gamecocks seem to have finally found an offense comparable to their usually underrated defense with freshman running back Marcus Lattimore.
South Carolina 24-17
South Florida at #8 Florida
Anyone who watched Florida’s offensive performance last week against Miami of Ohio would be tempted to pick South Florida in an upset. What they are forgetting is that Florida still has a killer defense and the Gator offense can’t get any worse.
Florida 24-13
#17 Florida State at #10 Oklahoma
Oklahoma struggled last weekend by barely beating lowly Utah State 31-24. Oklahoma will look to rebound offensively with playmakers such as Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray. Florida State while improved, has not won a big game in a number of years and this game will be serve as a barometer for new coach Jimbo Fisher.
Oklahoma 28-20
#12 Miami at #2 Ohio State
Both Miami and Ohio State cruised to easy victories last week. Miami QB Jacory Harris is a dark horse for the Heisman, but he is inconsistent and has yet to win a meaningful road game. He and the rest of Hurricanes will be entering the “Shoe” to face early Heisman frontrunner QB Terrell Pryor and the stingy Buckeye Defense. Both teams have similar talent level, but the Buckeyes are a little more experienced and their at home. The big question is, how what type of reaction will Miami Heat forward LeBron James (who is expected to attend the game) get as he makes a public appearance in the state of Ohio.
Ohio State 27-17
Michigan at Notre Dame
Both teams are coming off impressive opening day victories that seemed to appease each fan base. Each team is looking at this game to show the rest of the country that they could be in contention for a New Year’s Day Bowl Game. Michigan QB Denard Robinson was scintillating in his first start. Robinson accounted for 383 yards of total offense and two touchdowns last week versus Connecticut. The Michigan defense was impressive by only allowing ten points to one of the top teams from the Big East. The task is much larger this weekend. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has only won one road game in his tenure in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame will look to exploit Michigan’s biggest weakness which is pass defense (the Wolverines lost top CB Troy Woolfolk to a season ending injury in the preseason). The Fighting Irish need Dayne Christ to safely deliver the ball to his playmakers (Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, Duval Kamara, and Armando Allen) and let them get yards after the catch.
Notre Dame 31-24
#7 Oregon at Tennessee
The Oregon Ducks head into Knoxville after demolishing New Mexico 72-0. The Ducks welcome back suspended running back LaMichael James who will form a dynamic duo with fellow running back Kenjon Barner. Usually this game would be one of the marquee games of any week in college football, but Tennessee is rebuilding after dealing with the departure of former head coach Lane Kiffin.
Oregon 34-17
#18 Penn State at #1 Alabama
Much of the hype surrounding this game is centered on the coaches (Joe Paterno and Nick Saban) and their mutual respect for each other. On the field, this game is a miss match in two key areas. Penn State’s secondary and offensive level simply will not be able to match up with their counterparts from Alabama. Another question mark is how true freshman Robert Bolden performs in his first road game against the number one team in the country nonetheless. Expect Alabama to distance themselves from Penn State by eliminating the Lions running game and by producing big plays from Julio Jones and the Crimson Tide’s talented receivers.
Alabama 31-9
No comments:
Post a Comment