The twelfth week of the season brings us only a few interesting matchups to look at among ranked teams. Here they are:
#9 Ohio State @ #20 Iowa
Ohio State has been one of the best teams all year long, with the #6 ranked scoring offense and the #5 ranked scoring defense. If it wasn't for a woodshed beating at the hands of Wisconsin, they would be right there in the BCS Title game discussion.
Iowa has had a strong defense, ranked 7th in points allowed, but a less than stellar offense that only averages 30.8 points/game. They have dreadful losses against Arizona and Northwestern on their schedule thus far which helps to paint a bad picture of this team. Iowa may have climbed as high as it could the last few years.
OSU should take this game on the road with a 34-17 win.
#16 Virginia Tech @ #24 Miami
Virginia Tech started out poorly with two losses against Boise St and James Madison. Since then they haven't lost a game and are getting better each week. Miami comes in to this game without Jacory Harris due to injury and will start a freshman in his place. Not much more needs to be said, VaTech should take this one 38-13.
#8 Nebraska @ #19 Texas A&M
I'm not sure why this isn't the featured game of the week on ESPN. Nebraska comes in with an impressive resume, although it does have its one loss against Texas. Ha! A&M is riding a wave of recent success since benching Jerrod Johnson in favor of Ryan Tanehill. The Aggies are playing much better football now. That said, Nebraska should out man A&M, but Coach chewing gum may regret calling out the Aggie fans during his press conference earlier in the week. The Aggies want this game really bad. A win over the Huskers would give them a ton of momentum going in to the Texas game just 5 days later. I think the Aggies will pull off the upset and win 30-17 @ Kyle Field.
Florida Atlanic @ Texas
Somehow the line on this game shows Texas as 21 point favorites. Texas has struggled to score than many points in a game. Florida Atlantic knows a little about losing streaks having lost 5 in a row earlier this season. They are riding a current 3-game win streak, albeit against horrendous competition.
Texas needs this game to have a shot at a bowl game. They desperately want to turn things around. Injuries are starting to pile up with 3 freshman starting on the O-Line, Tre Newton's "retirement" earlier this week, and the absence on Defense of Jackson Jeffcoat and Chykie Brown. Texas should be able to overcome those losses and beat the FAU team by 27-10. Cody Johnson should have a big day since he is the only healthy Texas running back, well, except for DJ Monroe. I hope to see Garret Gilbert and his receivers get in a good rhythm and start to put some things together. Ideally Darius White, Mike Davis, and DeSean Hales will get plenty of snaps at receiver. Maybe Case could get in for a series or two at the end of the game...maybe??
Lets get it done Horns!
Hook'em!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
College Football Week 11
This weekend has several big conference matchups in the SEC and Big 12. Wilcats vs Tigers, Bulldogs vs Tide, Gators vs Gamecocks, Cowboys vs Longhorns. Should be an interesting day of football. Lets go...
#25 Texas A&M @ Baylor
This should be a great matchup of talented Texas schools. A&M has found its spark since moving Ryan Tannehill to QB. They are scoring points and are coming off an upset over #8 OU. Baylor looks to get back on track after falling to OSU 55-28, and it wasn't even that close. Both teams are strong on the offensive side, with Baylor having a more balanced attack. The Aggies are slightly better on defense, yet still lack consistency. I look for RG3 and co to pull off the win in Waco, 34-27.
#19 Mississippi State @ #12 Alabama
I'll admit that until I didn't realize MSU was even ranked until today. How could I have missed such key wins over powerhouses Kentucky, UAB, Houston, and Alcorn State? Sure, they did beat Florida at home, by this is the Florida of the last few years. I look for the Tide to remind everyone that they are the defending champs and are still a powerful force to be reckoned with. I look for the Tide to roll 38-7.
#23 South Carolina @ #22 Florida
The Old Ball Coach is still searching for legitimacy at USC. A win over Florida, combined with the win against Bama earlier in the year will definitely help to provide that boost. A win in The Swamp would put them in line for the SEC East title. Florida thinks they may have turned the corner after 3 straight losses a few weeks back, but a big win over Vanderbilt doesn't convince me of that. I think the Gamecocks come in with a lot to play for and pull out the win on the road, 17-13.
#10 Oklahoma State @ Texas
Well, another week of Texas football is upon us. The Horns welcome, reluctantly, the OSU Cowboys and their high-flying offense to Austin. The Cowboys rank #3 in Passing yards and Scoring offense. They do give up 28 points per game on average, so a good Texas offense could score some points. Unfortunately a "good" Texas offense hasn't been seen consistently this year. OSU has three key offensive stars, QB Brandon Weeden, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Justin Blackmon. I'm looking for Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown to take on Blackmon and slow him down. Will Muschamp will have some special blitz packages to pressure Weeden and limit how much time he has to throw the ball. If they can stop Kendall Hunter from having a huge day, they could give the offense a chance to win.
On Offense, the Longhorns need to stay balanced. They can't afford to start throwing the ball every play and expect to win. I hope to see Fozzy Whitaker get the ball early and often today and take advantage of it. Garret Gilbert continues to get the nod from the Texas coaches, despite his 5 INTs last week. If he can avoid turnovers, look off defenders, and make more accurate throws, then he should be the guy and he should be able to move the offense and score some points. If he starts throwing picks, the UT coaches should see what young Case McCoy can do. All the other positions on the team are subject to change based on performance on the field. It doesn't say that you're giving up to give a different guy a chance, it shows your team that no one player is bigger than the rest of them. I hope that Gilbert silences his critics tonight with a solid performance.
If Texas can win the turnover battle and the defense can limit OSUs passing game and make them one-dimensional, the Horns have a chance to pick up the win at home. If OSU gets up by a couple scores early, like they have in the past, this could be a long night for the Longhorns. I have to think the Texas coaches and players have a great game-plan this week like they did against Nebraska, and I look for them to pull out the win, 38-27.
Hook'em!
#25 Texas A&M @ Baylor
This should be a great matchup of talented Texas schools. A&M has found its spark since moving Ryan Tannehill to QB. They are scoring points and are coming off an upset over #8 OU. Baylor looks to get back on track after falling to OSU 55-28, and it wasn't even that close. Both teams are strong on the offensive side, with Baylor having a more balanced attack. The Aggies are slightly better on defense, yet still lack consistency. I look for RG3 and co to pull off the win in Waco, 34-27.
#19 Mississippi State @ #12 Alabama
I'll admit that until I didn't realize MSU was even ranked until today. How could I have missed such key wins over powerhouses Kentucky, UAB, Houston, and Alcorn State? Sure, they did beat Florida at home, by this is the Florida of the last few years. I look for the Tide to remind everyone that they are the defending champs and are still a powerful force to be reckoned with. I look for the Tide to roll 38-7.
#23 South Carolina @ #22 Florida
The Old Ball Coach is still searching for legitimacy at USC. A win over Florida, combined with the win against Bama earlier in the year will definitely help to provide that boost. A win in The Swamp would put them in line for the SEC East title. Florida thinks they may have turned the corner after 3 straight losses a few weeks back, but a big win over Vanderbilt doesn't convince me of that. I think the Gamecocks come in with a lot to play for and pull out the win on the road, 17-13.
#10 Oklahoma State @ Texas
Well, another week of Texas football is upon us. The Horns welcome, reluctantly, the OSU Cowboys and their high-flying offense to Austin. The Cowboys rank #3 in Passing yards and Scoring offense. They do give up 28 points per game on average, so a good Texas offense could score some points. Unfortunately a "good" Texas offense hasn't been seen consistently this year. OSU has three key offensive stars, QB Brandon Weeden, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Justin Blackmon. I'm looking for Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown to take on Blackmon and slow him down. Will Muschamp will have some special blitz packages to pressure Weeden and limit how much time he has to throw the ball. If they can stop Kendall Hunter from having a huge day, they could give the offense a chance to win.
On Offense, the Longhorns need to stay balanced. They can't afford to start throwing the ball every play and expect to win. I hope to see Fozzy Whitaker get the ball early and often today and take advantage of it. Garret Gilbert continues to get the nod from the Texas coaches, despite his 5 INTs last week. If he can avoid turnovers, look off defenders, and make more accurate throws, then he should be the guy and he should be able to move the offense and score some points. If he starts throwing picks, the UT coaches should see what young Case McCoy can do. All the other positions on the team are subject to change based on performance on the field. It doesn't say that you're giving up to give a different guy a chance, it shows your team that no one player is bigger than the rest of them. I hope that Gilbert silences his critics tonight with a solid performance.
If Texas can win the turnover battle and the defense can limit OSUs passing game and make them one-dimensional, the Horns have a chance to pick up the win at home. If OSU gets up by a couple scores early, like they have in the past, this could be a long night for the Longhorns. I have to think the Texas coaches and players have a great game-plan this week like they did against Nebraska, and I look for them to pull out the win, 38-27.
Hook'em!
Friday, November 5, 2010
College Football: Week 10
Another week and more football. There are several big games that have BCS Championship implications this week. Lets get to it.
#21 Baylor @ #17 Oklahoma State
This will be a good test for both schools as they try to stay in control of their own destiny in the Big 12 South. Baylor took advantage of Texas' mistakes in Austin last week and proved they were the better team. OSU bounced back from their loss to Nebraska with a win over KSU last week. Both teams have strong offenses. I think OSU has the edge in this game with one of the best runners in Kendall Hunter, and the nation's #3 passing offense. I'll take he Pokes 45-31.
#3 TCU @ #5 Utah
Utah has been one of the least talked about undefeated teams this year. They've quietly put together a good year so far with a chance to make a lot of noise this week against the Frogs. Both teams have solid defensive stats this year with TCU holding the #1 ranking for points allowed. The Frogs haven't payed a close game since the opener against Oregon State. Utah has been in a few more battles this year, and had one last week against Air Force. I think TCU is too strong on defense to lose this game. I look for Utah to get up early and the Frogs to come back and win it 34-17.
#6 Alabama @ #10 LSU
This game sounds like a great matchup. LSU's stingy defense versus Bama's power running game. The bet advantage LSU has in this game is home field. Bama's running attack and defense will hit the Tigers like a sledgehammer. LSU won't have enough offense to compete in this game. Bama win 35-13.
#8 Oklahoma @ A&M
A&M found a quarterback last week, and lost a wide receiver. Tannehill should help the Aggies stay in this game, but OU should pull away and take it 44-31.
Texas @ K-State
Throw the records out when these two teams meet. Mostly because KSU has owned Texas. I still have visions of Darren Sproles returning kicks for TDs and Major Applewhite having 6 turnovers in a game. Ricky being held to 84 yards the year he won the Heisman. Snyder family stadium is smaller than most high-school stadiums in Texas, yet it is a very tough place to play. K-State has not had as strong a defense as in years past, but they do boast one of the best running backs in the nation, Daniel Thomas. They only average 180 passing yards a game, which is good since it appears Aaron Williams will not play for Texas this week. KSU has beaten both UCLA and ISU, teams that outplayed Texas at home this year. Yet, I think Texas has a shot here. With desperation setting in, I think the coaches are going to try some new things this week, like a new punt returner, and some of the younger receivers like Darius White and DeSean Hales. I would also like to request that n TE see the field the remainder of the year. It sounds like the players for Texas want to show some serious effort this week to take some heat off of their coaches. That could be a winning combo for the Horns. I think a determined and still talented group of Longhorns goes to the Little Apple and pulls out a win on Saturday, call it 27-17. Go Horns!
P.S. If you haven't watched the "I am Greg Davis" video. Do it now. If you've already seen it, watch it anyway.
#21 Baylor @ #17 Oklahoma State
This will be a good test for both schools as they try to stay in control of their own destiny in the Big 12 South. Baylor took advantage of Texas' mistakes in Austin last week and proved they were the better team. OSU bounced back from their loss to Nebraska with a win over KSU last week. Both teams have strong offenses. I think OSU has the edge in this game with one of the best runners in Kendall Hunter, and the nation's #3 passing offense. I'll take he Pokes 45-31.
#3 TCU @ #5 Utah
Utah has been one of the least talked about undefeated teams this year. They've quietly put together a good year so far with a chance to make a lot of noise this week against the Frogs. Both teams have solid defensive stats this year with TCU holding the #1 ranking for points allowed. The Frogs haven't payed a close game since the opener against Oregon State. Utah has been in a few more battles this year, and had one last week against Air Force. I think TCU is too strong on defense to lose this game. I look for Utah to get up early and the Frogs to come back and win it 34-17.
#6 Alabama @ #10 LSU
This game sounds like a great matchup. LSU's stingy defense versus Bama's power running game. The bet advantage LSU has in this game is home field. Bama's running attack and defense will hit the Tigers like a sledgehammer. LSU won't have enough offense to compete in this game. Bama win 35-13.
#8 Oklahoma @ A&M
A&M found a quarterback last week, and lost a wide receiver. Tannehill should help the Aggies stay in this game, but OU should pull away and take it 44-31.
Texas @ K-State
Throw the records out when these two teams meet. Mostly because KSU has owned Texas. I still have visions of Darren Sproles returning kicks for TDs and Major Applewhite having 6 turnovers in a game. Ricky being held to 84 yards the year he won the Heisman. Snyder family stadium is smaller than most high-school stadiums in Texas, yet it is a very tough place to play. K-State has not had as strong a defense as in years past, but they do boast one of the best running backs in the nation, Daniel Thomas. They only average 180 passing yards a game, which is good since it appears Aaron Williams will not play for Texas this week. KSU has beaten both UCLA and ISU, teams that outplayed Texas at home this year. Yet, I think Texas has a shot here. With desperation setting in, I think the coaches are going to try some new things this week, like a new punt returner, and some of the younger receivers like Darius White and DeSean Hales. I would also like to request that n TE see the field the remainder of the year. It sounds like the players for Texas want to show some serious effort this week to take some heat off of their coaches. That could be a winning combo for the Horns. I think a determined and still talented group of Longhorns goes to the Little Apple and pulls out a win on Saturday, call it 27-17. Go Horns!
P.S. If you haven't watched the "I am Greg Davis" video. Do it now. If you've already seen it, watch it anyway.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
College Football week 9
Well, another loss last week for Texas against a team they should have rolled. Uggh. I hate rebuilding years. Fans are pissed about the lack of success that Texas has had this year and fingers are pointing all over the place. Coaches are trying to explain themselves and individual players are catching a lot of heat from the fans. I have some thoughts on that, but first...
Important match ups this week:
#5 Michigan St @ #18 Iowa
I still don't think the Big 10 is all that great, just lots of parity. That said, I think Iowa can beat MSU at home this week and further the chaos in that conference race. Iowa 24-20
#6 Missouri @ #14 Nebraska
This one is for a lot of marbles. Mizzou coming off of arguing the biggest win in the programs recent history last week against OU, now faces it's eternal nemesis, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers got back on track last week with a win over OSU. At the beginning of the year I thought Mizzou would win this game, but now I'm less confident because nobody saw Taylor Martinez coming back then. I don't think Mizzou has the defense to stop Taylor "Swift" and Nebraska's secondary will stop Mizzou enough to win. I think NU wins 34-24.
#2 Oregon @ USC
This is one of the big match ups of the week. USC in the spoiler position against BCS hopeful Oregon. Oregon should destroy the Trojans with it's high powered offense. I think it will be closer, but UO will take it 41-31.
Texas Tech @ Texas A&M
Both teams are really looking to get some momentum going here. The Aggies beat KU last week after getting demolished by Missouri at home the prior week. Tech barely got past Colorado last week. I think A&M will find a way to pull out a win at home. The farmers will take it 34-24.
#25 Baylor @ Texas
Baylor comes in to this game having already achieved their goal of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since joining the Big 12. The have looked impressive with play makers on offense, including Robert Griffin, Jay Finley, and Kendall Wright, and an okay defense. They smell blood in the water as they come in to Austin looking for an opportunity to catch Texas while they're down.
Texas is trying to find itself. Still. Coaches are partly to blame, both for failing to develop and/or recruit top talent, and for play calling. Players are not making big plays. Texas finally looked like it was playing with some drive in the 4th quarter last week, but it was still too little too late. The Texas defense will need a strong performance to slow down this potent Baylor offense. Hopefully Emanuel Acho and Jackson Jeffcoat will be back this week. A lot of fans wanted to pull Garret Gilbert last week in favor of freshman, Case McCoy. I was one of those, but not because I don't think Gilbert can be the guy, but because I thought it was the only way to force the rest of the team to step up and play like they give a damn. I understand why the coaches didn't go with that idea last week. I would let Garret know during practice this week that that kind of tactic may be employed if things aren't significantly better this week early on. For the rest of the offense, I want to see more Mike Davis, John Chiles, Malcolm Williams, DeSean Hales in the passing game. I want to see Fozzy and Tre get the bulk of the carries in the first 4 quarters, with 8 touches or so for DJ Monroe, and then a good dose of Cody Johnson in the 4th quarter when Baylor is starting to tire. Gilbert should run the ball on occasion to loosen up the defense, and a few passes to the running backs would be good too.
I think Texas should bounce back this week and take care of business with a 27-17 win. The test will be to see what happens after that. I just hope that the team continues to improve week to week. If it doesn't something has got to change around there. Hook'em!
Important match ups this week:
#5 Michigan St @ #18 Iowa
I still don't think the Big 10 is all that great, just lots of parity. That said, I think Iowa can beat MSU at home this week and further the chaos in that conference race. Iowa 24-20
#6 Missouri @ #14 Nebraska
This one is for a lot of marbles. Mizzou coming off of arguing the biggest win in the programs recent history last week against OU, now faces it's eternal nemesis, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers got back on track last week with a win over OSU. At the beginning of the year I thought Mizzou would win this game, but now I'm less confident because nobody saw Taylor Martinez coming back then. I don't think Mizzou has the defense to stop Taylor "Swift" and Nebraska's secondary will stop Mizzou enough to win. I think NU wins 34-24.
#2 Oregon @ USC
This is one of the big match ups of the week. USC in the spoiler position against BCS hopeful Oregon. Oregon should destroy the Trojans with it's high powered offense. I think it will be closer, but UO will take it 41-31.
Texas Tech @ Texas A&M
Both teams are really looking to get some momentum going here. The Aggies beat KU last week after getting demolished by Missouri at home the prior week. Tech barely got past Colorado last week. I think A&M will find a way to pull out a win at home. The farmers will take it 34-24.
#25 Baylor @ Texas
Baylor comes in to this game having already achieved their goal of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since joining the Big 12. The have looked impressive with play makers on offense, including Robert Griffin, Jay Finley, and Kendall Wright, and an okay defense. They smell blood in the water as they come in to Austin looking for an opportunity to catch Texas while they're down.
Texas is trying to find itself. Still. Coaches are partly to blame, both for failing to develop and/or recruit top talent, and for play calling. Players are not making big plays. Texas finally looked like it was playing with some drive in the 4th quarter last week, but it was still too little too late. The Texas defense will need a strong performance to slow down this potent Baylor offense. Hopefully Emanuel Acho and Jackson Jeffcoat will be back this week. A lot of fans wanted to pull Garret Gilbert last week in favor of freshman, Case McCoy. I was one of those, but not because I don't think Gilbert can be the guy, but because I thought it was the only way to force the rest of the team to step up and play like they give a damn. I understand why the coaches didn't go with that idea last week. I would let Garret know during practice this week that that kind of tactic may be employed if things aren't significantly better this week early on. For the rest of the offense, I want to see more Mike Davis, John Chiles, Malcolm Williams, DeSean Hales in the passing game. I want to see Fozzy and Tre get the bulk of the carries in the first 4 quarters, with 8 touches or so for DJ Monroe, and then a good dose of Cody Johnson in the 4th quarter when Baylor is starting to tire. Gilbert should run the ball on occasion to loosen up the defense, and a few passes to the running backs would be good too.
I think Texas should bounce back this week and take care of business with a 27-17 win. The test will be to see what happens after that. I just hope that the team continues to improve week to week. If it doesn't something has got to change around there. Hook'em!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
College Football: Week whatever...
Here we go again. There are several good games today. Let's go!
Top 25:
#6 LSU @ #4 Auburn
Interesting matchup of top 10 teams. LSU has won some ugly games with it's defense and Auburn has rolled teams with its offense powered by Cam Newton. I think Auburn wins this one handily at home. 41-24.
#1 OU @ #11 Mizzou
OU faces the biggest test remaining on it's schedule. Mizzou hasn't really been tested yet. I think this one is a toss up. OU has more talent and should win this one, 38-34.
A&M @ Kansas
A&M is in free fall right now. This is a must win game. That said,I think KU pulls this one out at home.
#22 KSU @ Baylor
This looks like a pretty good match up of solid teams. KSU is stronger running the ball at 15th in the nation, while Baylor is 13th in Passing offense. Both have average defenses. My gut tells me KSU will win this, but I'm going to pick Baylor in this one at home. This is a big opportunity for Griffin and the Bears team to become bowl eligible. Let's call it 30-24 Baylor.
#16 Nebraska @ #14 Okie State
This one will be interesting. I want to buy in to OSU and it's high powered offense. But I've seen that show before. Lot's of hype and then it fails to deliver against good conference opponents. Nebraska will bounce back big this week and steamroll OSU. 41-28.
Iowa State @ #19 Texas
It's Alumni Band Day at Texas- shout out to all my peeps what were there practicing at 4:30am today. I woke up at 7:30 and made some Kerbey Lane Apple Whole Wheat pancakes and pepper bacon. But I miss you guys. I digress, back to football. Texas really had a great showing last week and continued it's dominance against the run. ISU got rolled by the sooners last week. Texas should dominate this game for all four quarters. I look for Texas to continue what it started on offense last week with Gilbert running the ball on occasion and throwing it deep, especially against a shorter secondary today. Malcolm Williams and Mike Davis should shine in the passing game. I think Fozzy will get things rolling early on the ground. I expect to see more DJ Monroe this week, and then the hammer, Cody Johnson taking it home in the 4th quarter. The Texas defense has a legit shot at a shutout today. I would love to see that. I'll call it Texas 45-3.
Hook'em!
PS- Great job by Colt McCoy last week. I'm looking forward to watching him again tomorrow against the Saints. Also sending out good thoughts to VY for a speedy recovery. As VY Says "Say I won't!"
Top 25:
#6 LSU @ #4 Auburn
Interesting matchup of top 10 teams. LSU has won some ugly games with it's defense and Auburn has rolled teams with its offense powered by Cam Newton. I think Auburn wins this one handily at home. 41-24.
#1 OU @ #11 Mizzou
OU faces the biggest test remaining on it's schedule. Mizzou hasn't really been tested yet. I think this one is a toss up. OU has more talent and should win this one, 38-34.
A&M @ Kansas
A&M is in free fall right now. This is a must win game. That said,I think KU pulls this one out at home.
#22 KSU @ Baylor
This looks like a pretty good match up of solid teams. KSU is stronger running the ball at 15th in the nation, while Baylor is 13th in Passing offense. Both have average defenses. My gut tells me KSU will win this, but I'm going to pick Baylor in this one at home. This is a big opportunity for Griffin and the Bears team to become bowl eligible. Let's call it 30-24 Baylor.
#16 Nebraska @ #14 Okie State
This one will be interesting. I want to buy in to OSU and it's high powered offense. But I've seen that show before. Lot's of hype and then it fails to deliver against good conference opponents. Nebraska will bounce back big this week and steamroll OSU. 41-28.
Iowa State @ #19 Texas
It's Alumni Band Day at Texas- shout out to all my peeps what were there practicing at 4:30am today. I woke up at 7:30 and made some Kerbey Lane Apple Whole Wheat pancakes and pepper bacon. But I miss you guys. I digress, back to football. Texas really had a great showing last week and continued it's dominance against the run. ISU got rolled by the sooners last week. Texas should dominate this game for all four quarters. I look for Texas to continue what it started on offense last week with Gilbert running the ball on occasion and throwing it deep, especially against a shorter secondary today. Malcolm Williams and Mike Davis should shine in the passing game. I think Fozzy will get things rolling early on the ground. I expect to see more DJ Monroe this week, and then the hammer, Cody Johnson taking it home in the 4th quarter. The Texas defense has a legit shot at a shutout today. I would love to see that. I'll call it Texas 45-3.
Hook'em!
PS- Great job by Colt McCoy last week. I'm looking forward to watching him again tomorrow against the Saints. Also sending out good thoughts to VY for a speedy recovery. As VY Says "Say I won't!"
Saturday, October 16, 2010
College Football- Week 7
Well, after two dissapointing games for Texas, there was a much needed off week before the next game on the schedule versus Nebraska. It sounds like Texas had some much needed rest and some good work on fundamentals. More on the Horns later...but first a few thoughts on the other games of the weekend.
Top 25 Action:
#12 Arkansas @ #7 Auburn
Arkansas played Alabama really well a few weeks ago but came up short. Last week the Aggies gave them fight, although eally no team played that well. Auburn is too strong for the piggies this week. I think Newton will have another strong gam at QB for the Tiges on the groud and in the air. Auburn 34, Arkansas 17.
#1 Ohio St @ #18 Wisconsin
Wisconsin may be 5-1 coming in to this game, but the Buckeyes are a big step up from UNLV, San Jose State and Austin Peay. I look for the Buckeyes to put a 34-17 beating on the Badgers tonight.
Big 12 Play:
#21 Missouri @ A&M
So Mizzou finds itself ranked at #21 this week and is on the road in College Station. Missouri i starting a 4-game gauntlet that Texas fans can empathize with- @A&M, OU, @Nebraska, and @Texas Tech. I'm not realy sure why, but I think the Aggies will take this one at home. I think the Aggies will pull it out 35-27.
#20 OSU @ Texas Tech
This is a matchup that intrigues me this weekend. I think OSU is a legit team that will cause some noise in the Big 12. This weeked will be a good indicator of how much noise. A win in Lubbock makes me think they might challenge for the South division crown. A loss puts them right back where they normally are, fighting for 3rd. I think the Pokes will win this weekend. Call it 45-35 OSU.
Baylor @ Colorado
Baylor will do it's part to wish Colorado well in it's move to the Pac-12. Robert Griffin will unleash the magic and push the Bears to 5-2 on the year with a good win on the road. Call it 41-27 Bears.
ISU @ #6 ou
ou should have this game put away by the 2nd quarter.
Texas @ #5 Nebraska
This week the Horns travel to Nebraska for the last time in the forseeable future. On paper this looks like a blow out in Nebraskas favor. Its a good thing games aren't played on paper. This is a great opportunity for a rested and hopefully re-focused Texas defense to face a strong running team with a big play QB. If they play good assignment football on defense they can slow down the Huskers offense enough to give the Horns offense a chance. Texas also needs a strong performance from special teams. They need to make some plays today whether its a couple good returns, a blocked punt, or holding NU to poor starting field position. All of those could be a great difference makers today. The Texas Offense has got to start figuring some things out now. I look for Fozzy Whitaker to have a good day running the ball and catching it out of the backfield. DJ Monroe also needs 10-15 touches to get the most out of his big play ability. Greg Davis needs to call plays early down the fied to help soften that NU Defense to make the running game and short passing game more effective. If the Horns can do that they have a chance to win. I'll call this in the Horns favor 27-24. Should be a great game.
I'm looking forward to firing up the NFL Sunday ticket tomorro to watch Colt McCoy get this first NFL start against the Steelers. What a hard matchup, but I don't think Colt will be the reason they struggle, it's the overwhelming lack of talent on the Browns. Colt will do a good job and won't get frazzled. I think Browns fans should be really happy to have him as their QB of the future. Good luck Colt!
Until next week...
Top 25 Action:
#12 Arkansas @ #7 Auburn
Arkansas played Alabama really well a few weeks ago but came up short. Last week the Aggies gave them fight, although eally no team played that well. Auburn is too strong for the piggies this week. I think Newton will have another strong gam at QB for the Tiges on the groud and in the air. Auburn 34, Arkansas 17.
#1 Ohio St @ #18 Wisconsin
Wisconsin may be 5-1 coming in to this game, but the Buckeyes are a big step up from UNLV, San Jose State and Austin Peay. I look for the Buckeyes to put a 34-17 beating on the Badgers tonight.
Big 12 Play:
#21 Missouri @ A&M
So Mizzou finds itself ranked at #21 this week and is on the road in College Station. Missouri i starting a 4-game gauntlet that Texas fans can empathize with- @A&M, OU, @Nebraska, and @Texas Tech. I'm not realy sure why, but I think the Aggies will take this one at home. I think the Aggies will pull it out 35-27.
#20 OSU @ Texas Tech
This is a matchup that intrigues me this weekend. I think OSU is a legit team that will cause some noise in the Big 12. This weeked will be a good indicator of how much noise. A win in Lubbock makes me think they might challenge for the South division crown. A loss puts them right back where they normally are, fighting for 3rd. I think the Pokes will win this weekend. Call it 45-35 OSU.
Baylor @ Colorado
Baylor will do it's part to wish Colorado well in it's move to the Pac-12. Robert Griffin will unleash the magic and push the Bears to 5-2 on the year with a good win on the road. Call it 41-27 Bears.
ISU @ #6 ou
ou should have this game put away by the 2nd quarter.
Texas @ #5 Nebraska
This week the Horns travel to Nebraska for the last time in the forseeable future. On paper this looks like a blow out in Nebraskas favor. Its a good thing games aren't played on paper. This is a great opportunity for a rested and hopefully re-focused Texas defense to face a strong running team with a big play QB. If they play good assignment football on defense they can slow down the Huskers offense enough to give the Horns offense a chance. Texas also needs a strong performance from special teams. They need to make some plays today whether its a couple good returns, a blocked punt, or holding NU to poor starting field position. All of those could be a great difference makers today. The Texas Offense has got to start figuring some things out now. I look for Fozzy Whitaker to have a good day running the ball and catching it out of the backfield. DJ Monroe also needs 10-15 touches to get the most out of his big play ability. Greg Davis needs to call plays early down the fied to help soften that NU Defense to make the running game and short passing game more effective. If the Horns can do that they have a chance to win. I'll call this in the Horns favor 27-24. Should be a great game.
I'm looking forward to firing up the NFL Sunday ticket tomorro to watch Colt McCoy get this first NFL start against the Steelers. What a hard matchup, but I don't think Colt will be the reason they struggle, it's the overwhelming lack of talent on the Browns. Colt will do a good job and won't get frazzled. I think Browns fans should be really happy to have him as their QB of the future. Good luck Colt!
Until next week...
Friday, October 1, 2010
College Football Week 5
Well, it's been a frustrating week in Longhorn land. The Texas offense struggled throughout the game, and the defense which played very well in the first half against UCLA didn't execute as well in the 2nd half and the Bruins offense pounded the ball with a renewed swagger. It's one loss, a non-conference loss at that. Texas can still win the Big 12 and play in a BCS bowl game. This week's game against ou is now even more important in determining where Texas will end up at the end of the season.
ou comes in with it's own problems. It's defense has struggled against passing teams and ranks in the bottom 3rd of all FBS teams in total defense. The ou passing attack has been great with a complimentary running came that looks strong as long as Demarco Murray remains healthy.
The Texas strength is it's pass defense which bodes well going up against the ou strength which is it's pass offense. If Texas can stop the ou run and minimize the passing game, they can give the offense a chance to figure out what it wants to be and win this game.
I think Texas will continue to try to get out to a quick start in the 1st quarter with an up-tempo passing offense with some draws to D.J. Monroe who showed some great acceleration in the UCLA game last week. He has the chance to break one at any time. Texas will be without Mike Davis, the freshman WR who has been the best at that position so far this season for Texas. Hopefully Greg Davis will dial up more deep balls for Goodwin and Malcolm Williams which should open up the underneath routes for Chiles, Kirkendoll, and the RBs. Gilbert will have to manage the game well, occasionally throwing the ball away when face with too much pressure from the ou blitz. The Longhorns can't afford to turn the ball over in this game. Turnovers will likely decide the outcome on Saturday.
All that said, I think this will be another low-scoring game with Texas pulling out a 20-10 victory with a strong defensive effort. Monroe, Chiles, AJ Williams, and Sam Acho will be big difference makers.
Other games of interest:
#7 Florida @ #1 Alabama:
Florida doesn't have teh defense to stop Bama's ground attack, and Bama's D will stuff Florida's struggling offense. Bama wins by a couple scores.
#9 Stanford @ #4 Oregon:
This should be a great game. Oregon has been very good early on, but Stanford is their first real test. I think this game will have lots of points, but the Ducks will win it at home by a touchdown.
Kansas @ Baylor:
Baylor will take a big step towards it's first bowl game in over a decade with a win at home against KU.
#22 Penn State @ #17 Iowa:
Really? Who cares about this game. Loser goes to the Alamo bowl to play Texas Tech or Ok state. I'll say that Iowa will win this at home.
Happy Saturday!
ou comes in with it's own problems. It's defense has struggled against passing teams and ranks in the bottom 3rd of all FBS teams in total defense. The ou passing attack has been great with a complimentary running came that looks strong as long as Demarco Murray remains healthy.
The Texas strength is it's pass defense which bodes well going up against the ou strength which is it's pass offense. If Texas can stop the ou run and minimize the passing game, they can give the offense a chance to figure out what it wants to be and win this game.
I think Texas will continue to try to get out to a quick start in the 1st quarter with an up-tempo passing offense with some draws to D.J. Monroe who showed some great acceleration in the UCLA game last week. He has the chance to break one at any time. Texas will be without Mike Davis, the freshman WR who has been the best at that position so far this season for Texas. Hopefully Greg Davis will dial up more deep balls for Goodwin and Malcolm Williams which should open up the underneath routes for Chiles, Kirkendoll, and the RBs. Gilbert will have to manage the game well, occasionally throwing the ball away when face with too much pressure from the ou blitz. The Longhorns can't afford to turn the ball over in this game. Turnovers will likely decide the outcome on Saturday.
All that said, I think this will be another low-scoring game with Texas pulling out a 20-10 victory with a strong defensive effort. Monroe, Chiles, AJ Williams, and Sam Acho will be big difference makers.
Other games of interest:
#7 Florida @ #1 Alabama:
Florida doesn't have teh defense to stop Bama's ground attack, and Bama's D will stuff Florida's struggling offense. Bama wins by a couple scores.
#9 Stanford @ #4 Oregon:
This should be a great game. Oregon has been very good early on, but Stanford is their first real test. I think this game will have lots of points, but the Ducks will win it at home by a touchdown.
Kansas @ Baylor:
Baylor will take a big step towards it's first bowl game in over a decade with a win at home against KU.
#22 Penn State @ #17 Iowa:
Really? Who cares about this game. Loser goes to the Alamo bowl to play Texas Tech or Ok state. I'll say that Iowa will win this at home.
Happy Saturday!
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