College Football Week 7 Viewer's Guide
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by Nejoshi
With the BCS Standings finally coming out on Sunday, Week 7 of the college football season represents the beginning of the stretch run. This wacky season has proved that anything is possible, and that no one is immune from a shocker. All across the country, conference showdowns have provided tremendous excitement in the last two weeks, and I don’t expect anything less this upcoming Saturday.
Purdue (5-1) @ Michigan (4-2), Saturday 12:00 ET
The Boilermakers ran into a brick wall that was the Ohio State defense last week, and were dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten. Purdue’s next test comes with a trip to the Big House, and a Wolverine team that has won four straight, but still hasn’t looked that great. Mike Hart has been superb, but the rest of the skill position players have struggled to match their form from last year. Chad Henne looked out of sync during last week’s victory, and hasn’t been able to hook up with Mario Manningham as much as he would like. Opposing offenses have killed Michigan’s defense as well; Carr’s group is averaging 346 yards a game, something unheard from the Wolverines in the past. There are some definite holes in this defense, and I expect the Boilermakers and Curtis Painter to deal Michigan their third loss at the Big House this year.
Purdue, 34-31
Texas A&M (5-1) @ Texas Tech (5-1), Saturday 3:30 ET
With Texas all but out of it, this game, in effect, is like a play-in game to face Oklahoma for the Big 12 South title. The Aggies are the only undefeated in the division, with the Cowboys in a three-way tie one game back. Graham Harrell is the latest quarterback that this run-and-shoot offense has turned into a stats machine. His nation best 28 touchdown passes and 2,726 yards passing through six games has him lapping the field. Dennis Franchione’s team has done it with a relentless rushing attack that is averaging close to 250 yards a game. However, this team would do better if they could find a way to put the ball in Jorvorskie Lane’s hands. Franchione made the proper adjustment and got his super sophomore the ball early and often last week, and it resulted in a nice come from behind victory. Lane will need to be the workhorse once again from start to finish in order for Texas A&M to remain undefeated in conference. I expect Franchione to do just that.
Texas A&M, 28-24
(19) Wisconsin (5-1) @ Penn State (4-2), Saturday 3:30 ET
This game was supposed to go a long way toward decided the Big 10 Champion, but now it’s simply a game to stay out of the doghouse, especially for the home team. The Nittany Lions will have opportunities to expose a Badger defense that has grown extremely porous in recent weeks. In last week’s upset loss to Illinois, Wisconsin was torn apart for 289 yards rushing. Joe Paterno’s team will look to run early and often so that its defense can dictate the game. Look for Rodney Kinlaw to have his breakout game of the season and run all over Wisconsin’s 61st rated run defense. The Badgers haven’t shown me that they should be a ranked team, and they will lose their second straight conference game on the road and fall our of the top 25.
Penn State, 27-24
(1) LSU (6-0) @ (17) Kentucky (5-1), Saturday 3:30 ET
These two teams head into this match-up in completely different situations. The top-ranked Tigers had the perfect game last week: a challenging contest that pushed them to the limit and tested their will. They managed to pass that test with flying colors, and now are the unanimous choice as the nation’s top team. Meanwhile, Andre Woodson and the Kentucky Wildcats received a dose of reality, as their prolific offense was subdued rather easily in a road loss to South Carolina. It doesn’t get any easier for the Wildcats this week as they must prepare for the nation’s best defense. Welcome to the Dog Days of the SEC. LSU is due for a letdown following the emotional comeback victory last week, especially on the road, but this Wildcats team simply doesn’t have the moxie to do it. I think Les Miles’ team should be on upset alert next week when they host Auburn, but they will get through this one just fine.
LSU, 28-17
(11) Missouri (6-0) @ (6) Oklahoma (5-1), Saturday 6:30 ET
The Tigers looked magnificent in whipping Nebraska, a win that put Missouri on the map. But, that was only half the battle. Chase Daniel and the Tigers now must hit the road to Norman and take on the Sooners. Bob Stoops’ team saved their season by coming out on top in the Red River Shootout, and must remember that a BCS bid still isn’t impossible. The Sooners are more dynamic on offense and have more talent on defense. There’s no reason that they should lose this game, especially at home. But, this college football season has taught us to think the impossible can happen, and I expect the Tigers to keep this game close for a while. However, in the second half, the Tigers defense has been known to breakdown, something that will cost them in this game.
Oklahoma, 38-28
Upset Special:
Notre Dame over (4) Boston College
This may seem crazy, but this series has had some crazy games in its past. In 1993, the top-ranked Irish lost a shot at a national championship when they lost to an unranked Boston College squad at home. Nine years later, Notre Dame was 8-0 under first-year Tyrone Willingham and Boston College dealt another crazy chapter in the Holy War with a 14-7 upset win. The Eagles have moved up to #4 in the rankings, but its hard to say they deserve that spot. Their schedule has been a lot more cupcake than meat, and last week was the Eagles first complete game. Notre Dame, meanwhile, finally got off the mat and beat someone, forcing seven turnovers in an eye-opening win over UCLA. I think this defense has turned a corner, and will be able to contain the Eagles offense. Meanwhile, I expect this offense to have a breakout game and exploit BC’s terrible pass defense. Jimmy Claussen should make plays with his arm for the first time in his career at Notre Dame and lead the Irish to an improbable victory.
Last Week: 5-1
Season: 20-11
This was first posted on The Sports Lounge
