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.
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