On Campus 9/16
5 Games to Watch:
Miami v Clemson- The Tigers have the chance to put the Hurricanes in an 0-2 hole for the first time since 1978, but more than that it would be and 0-2 conference hole in what promises to be a close race in the new improved ACC. Clemson’s offense looks good so far this season with the emergence of freshman tailback James Davis splitting time with junior Reggie Merriweather. Senior QB Charlie Whitehurst has not put up huge numbers like some hoped he would, but he has yet to throw an interception and is completing 78% of his passes. Miami should be able to move the ball against the Clemson defense, as long as their line gives Kyle Wright some time. Look for this one to be close down to the wire, and we have already seen Clemson kicker Jad Dean pull out late game heroics, while Miami couldn’t even spot the ball to give the kicker a chance.
Purdue v Arizona- Joe Tiller still has a high powered offense, and he seems to plug ina new QB every year; this year, enter Brandon Kirsch. Nobody is really sure how good this Purdue team really is, going on the road to an improving Arizona team will give them a good barometer. Arizona head coach Mike Stoops could use a nice upset win to really jumpstart what he is trying to accomplish there. The way to do that is keep Kirsh off the field. Stoops has a good ground game with tailback Mike Bell (5.3 yds per carry) and a solid defense. If they can control the clock they have a shot, if not Purdue could roll up a big score to prove a point.
Florida State v Boston College- Even thought FSU is not the power they once were, a win over them still carries weight in the eyes of the public. Boston College was an afterthought being brought into the ACC, a northeastern patsy to bat around in football. However, Tom O’Brien’s Eagles come in ranked 17th in the country and a very good football team. O’Brien himself knows a little something about knocking off the Seminoles, as the Offensive Coordinator at Virginia in 1995 when the Wahoos gave the ‘Nole’s their first ever ACC loss (a game which I attended). This BC team is built on a very tough aggressive defense and the last time FSU faced a real defense (2 weeks ago against Miami) QB Drew Weatherford looked like Garo Yepremian. Fifth year Senior QB Quinton Porter has to have a good game, with very few mistakes to overcome the FSU defense and get his team a big win. I think BC can win this and send FSU back down south with other ACC teams nervous to go all the way up to Chestnut Hill.
Oregon State v Louisville- There are still tons of non-believers of Bobby Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals from last year. And after a struggle to beat in state rival Kentucky two weeks ago, even Cardinals fans seem a bit restless and eager to get back onto the field. The Beavers come calling to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium this week in what promises to be a shootout. The OSU passing attack ranks 10th in the country and Junior QB Matt Moore is completing 70% of his passes and only 1 int through two games. Louisville cannot stumble in this game at home if they want to continue to get national recognition as a top flight program.
Tennessee v Florida- Southeastern Conference Football at it’s finest on display this weekend in Gainesville. Florida comes in under new coach Urban Meyer and his fancy mid-major offense and a talented QB in Chris Leak leading that offense. The Vols come in with a superb defense led by Jason Allen and Jesse Mahelona along the line and all-world safety Andre Lott. This is a classic match-up and the winner will play for the SEC championship in Atlanta in December. That is all that this game has riding on it, the chance to play for the SEC title!
4 Players to watch:
Maurice Drew, UCLA- The junior running back has gotten off to a fast start, to say the least. He is averaging 9 yards a carry through two big UCLA wins. He will face much stiffer competition in the Oklahoma defense this week, which is only giving up about 2 yards per carry. Drew will be vital to a UCLA win by using his combination of power and speed to keep the OU defense off balance.
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt- Yes we are talking Vandy football. They are 2-0 with good wins at Wake Forest and at Arkansas (ask SEC teams how hard that is to do). Cutler, the Junior signal caller, has thrown for over 550 yards in the two games and is emerging as one of the best QB’s in the conference. This week he will take on Mississippi at home with a chance to get his team to 3-0 for the first time since Noah built his Ark. Cutler is big and strong armed but also has good feet and can move around back in the pocket.
Sidney Rice, South Carolina- Yes again a little homer pick, but Rice came in very highly recruited but missed his freshman season with an injury and the first game of this year with a dislocated finger. In his debut game last week at Georgia he made five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, and had another TD called back for a motion penalty. This guy is big and fast and has great hands. This week he will get to showcase his talents to a nationwide audience on CBS as the Gamecocks take on the Crimson Tide.
Mathias Kiwanuka- This 6’7 athletic End is going to try and add to the struggles of the Florida State offense. He and his linemates play the run excellently and will need to do so versus FSU’s combo of Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington. Kiwanuka is athletic enough to drop into coverage every once in awhile and he can also get to the QB in passing situations. He could have a game changing performance this week and help BC to big win.
3 Lines to take
Take East Carolina getting 13 at Wake Forest. That is way too big a spread, Skip Holtz’s ECU squad will keep it close and may even sneak out a win.
Again Notre Dame is going to kill me, but I am still waiting for their fall. Take Michigan State getting the 6 points. They have beaten ND the last 4 times they have played in South Bend.
For the first time ever, I am going to say take Rutgers laying 21.5 against Buffalo. A few years ago Buffalo embarrassed Rutgers and even though things are going a little better in Piscataway, Coach Greg Schiano needs a big blowout win, or his job is in more jeopardy than you think.
Miami v Clemson- The Tigers have the chance to put the Hurricanes in an 0-2 hole for the first time since 1978, but more than that it would be and 0-2 conference hole in what promises to be a close race in the new improved ACC. Clemson’s offense looks good so far this season with the emergence of freshman tailback James Davis splitting time with junior Reggie Merriweather. Senior QB Charlie Whitehurst has not put up huge numbers like some hoped he would, but he has yet to throw an interception and is completing 78% of his passes. Miami should be able to move the ball against the Clemson defense, as long as their line gives Kyle Wright some time. Look for this one to be close down to the wire, and we have already seen Clemson kicker Jad Dean pull out late game heroics, while Miami couldn’t even spot the ball to give the kicker a chance.
Purdue v Arizona- Joe Tiller still has a high powered offense, and he seems to plug ina new QB every year; this year, enter Brandon Kirsch. Nobody is really sure how good this Purdue team really is, going on the road to an improving Arizona team will give them a good barometer. Arizona head coach Mike Stoops could use a nice upset win to really jumpstart what he is trying to accomplish there. The way to do that is keep Kirsh off the field. Stoops has a good ground game with tailback Mike Bell (5.3 yds per carry) and a solid defense. If they can control the clock they have a shot, if not Purdue could roll up a big score to prove a point.
Florida State v Boston College- Even thought FSU is not the power they once were, a win over them still carries weight in the eyes of the public. Boston College was an afterthought being brought into the ACC, a northeastern patsy to bat around in football. However, Tom O’Brien’s Eagles come in ranked 17th in the country and a very good football team. O’Brien himself knows a little something about knocking off the Seminoles, as the Offensive Coordinator at Virginia in 1995 when the Wahoos gave the ‘Nole’s their first ever ACC loss (a game which I attended). This BC team is built on a very tough aggressive defense and the last time FSU faced a real defense (2 weeks ago against Miami) QB Drew Weatherford looked like Garo Yepremian. Fifth year Senior QB Quinton Porter has to have a good game, with very few mistakes to overcome the FSU defense and get his team a big win. I think BC can win this and send FSU back down south with other ACC teams nervous to go all the way up to Chestnut Hill.
Oregon State v Louisville- There are still tons of non-believers of Bobby Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals from last year. And after a struggle to beat in state rival Kentucky two weeks ago, even Cardinals fans seem a bit restless and eager to get back onto the field. The Beavers come calling to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium this week in what promises to be a shootout. The OSU passing attack ranks 10th in the country and Junior QB Matt Moore is completing 70% of his passes and only 1 int through two games. Louisville cannot stumble in this game at home if they want to continue to get national recognition as a top flight program.
Tennessee v Florida- Southeastern Conference Football at it’s finest on display this weekend in Gainesville. Florida comes in under new coach Urban Meyer and his fancy mid-major offense and a talented QB in Chris Leak leading that offense. The Vols come in with a superb defense led by Jason Allen and Jesse Mahelona along the line and all-world safety Andre Lott. This is a classic match-up and the winner will play for the SEC championship in Atlanta in December. That is all that this game has riding on it, the chance to play for the SEC title!
4 Players to watch:
Maurice Drew, UCLA- The junior running back has gotten off to a fast start, to say the least. He is averaging 9 yards a carry through two big UCLA wins. He will face much stiffer competition in the Oklahoma defense this week, which is only giving up about 2 yards per carry. Drew will be vital to a UCLA win by using his combination of power and speed to keep the OU defense off balance.
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt- Yes we are talking Vandy football. They are 2-0 with good wins at Wake Forest and at Arkansas (ask SEC teams how hard that is to do). Cutler, the Junior signal caller, has thrown for over 550 yards in the two games and is emerging as one of the best QB’s in the conference. This week he will take on Mississippi at home with a chance to get his team to 3-0 for the first time since Noah built his Ark. Cutler is big and strong armed but also has good feet and can move around back in the pocket.
Sidney Rice, South Carolina- Yes again a little homer pick, but Rice came in very highly recruited but missed his freshman season with an injury and the first game of this year with a dislocated finger. In his debut game last week at Georgia he made five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, and had another TD called back for a motion penalty. This guy is big and fast and has great hands. This week he will get to showcase his talents to a nationwide audience on CBS as the Gamecocks take on the Crimson Tide.
Mathias Kiwanuka- This 6’7 athletic End is going to try and add to the struggles of the Florida State offense. He and his linemates play the run excellently and will need to do so versus FSU’s combo of Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington. Kiwanuka is athletic enough to drop into coverage every once in awhile and he can also get to the QB in passing situations. He could have a game changing performance this week and help BC to big win.
3 Lines to take
Take East Carolina getting 13 at Wake Forest. That is way too big a spread, Skip Holtz’s ECU squad will keep it close and may even sneak out a win.
Again Notre Dame is going to kill me, but I am still waiting for their fall. Take Michigan State getting the 6 points. They have beaten ND the last 4 times they have played in South Bend.
For the first time ever, I am going to say take Rutgers laying 21.5 against Buffalo. A few years ago Buffalo embarrassed Rutgers and even though things are going a little better in Piscataway, Coach Greg Schiano needs a big blowout win, or his job is in more jeopardy than you think.
1 Comments:
I don't know about ECU. They struggled at home with the Dukies. However, Wake isn't as good as they were the past couple of years. The ACC is definitly better, and BC is no slouch, they will have a say in who plays in Jacksonville. Quote of the year goes to Clempsin center Dustin Frye, and I quote "In our conference you have to win most if not all of your games to go to Jacksonville." No shit, moron. You have to win most of your games in any conference to play for the championship. It's college footbal, not the NL West. Why do they let athletes speak? Anyway, I think BC wins, Clemsux beats Miami, who gives a flying fuck about Purdookie and Oregon State, even though they are the Beavers and Louisville is so overrated. I hope they win the Big Least and then have to play a real SEC, ACC, Big XII, Big 10 team, or USC in a BCS game and get the shit kicked out of them. Also, I can't wait until Tennessee shows that Meyer's offense isn't all that special when the guys on the other side of the ball are as good or better than his guys. Also, I have to agree with Sidney Rice as a PTW. With Bama's soft pass defense and his talent, he should go crazy. Screw Shula.
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