The Landscape, Part 1
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This coming weekend in college football will go a long way towards answering a lot of questions about many teams. Are Ohio State, Kansas and Arizona State for real? Can Tim Tebow continue to impress? What will Dennis Dixon do on such a hug national stage? Can USC bounce back, and what will happen with their quarterback situation? How deep is the Big East? So last weekend didn't work out so well with picks. This was good ('Bama 41-17 of UT), and not so good (Texas A&M beat the daylights out of the Huskers, reminding me to NEVER take the Huskers, post-Coach-Osborne). Let's see if this week is any better than last...
#7 West Virginia @ Rutgers Rutgers has gained lots of momentum for the rest of the season after upsetting South Florida. West Virginia is coming off a thumping of Mississippi State. Rutgers came close to victory last year in Morgantown, but last year there was no Pat White for the Mountaineers. Expect the trio of Pat White, Steve Slaton and Noel Devine to make a huge difference in this one. West Virginia 34, Rutgers 24
#12 USC @ #5 Oregon This game is Dennis Dixon's chance to take over the Heisman race. A big game will catapult him to the forefront and a bad one will drop him out of the top 5. USC is supposedly healthy now and the Trojan linebackers are the best in the country; however, their effectiveness could be neutralized by the Oregon spread offense. USC's ground game should be the real difference in this game. The best way to defend Dennis Dixon is to keep him off the field and if there is one stable of runningbacks that can do that, it's the Men of Troy's unit. Close, but the Trojans by a few. USC 38, Oregon 34
#10 South Florida @ #23 Connecticut South Florida should be royally disgruntled after falling in Piscataway last Thursday night. UConn is coming off one of the biggest wins in the school's brief football history. Chances are, the Huskies won't be given a freebie score from a horrific no-call again. South Florida 31, UConn 13
#11 Florida "at" #18 Georgia Georgia has been one of the most confusing teams to follow this year. They embarrass Ole Miss, win in overtime in Tuscaloosa, then get blown out in Knoxville by a team who got blown out by the same team they beat in Tuscaloosa. Florida has done nothing but score points this year and if LSU couldn't stop the Gators, how can Georgia? This game is almost always close, and expect a fairly close one for three quarters. Florida 31, Georgia 20
Nebraska @ #16 Texas This one should be close...HA!! I almost got that out without laughing. Then again Texas has played to the level of their competition all year...nah, the Huskers are too much of a mess. Nebraska 17, Texas 37
Clemson @ Maryland James Davis and C.J. Spiller against a back-up sophomore quarterback...Trouble Clemson 41, Maryland 20
#9 Kansas @ Texas A&M Kansas has been on a major roll this year and the Aggies have been a monstrous disappointment. That being said, Kyle Field is usually a terror for visitors. Kansas hasn't played in any environment even remotely close to as hostile as the one they'll face in College Station. Homefield advantage will be enough for A&M to topple the Jayhawks. Kansas 10, Texas A&M 28
#16 South Carolina @ Tennessee Steve Spurrier always seems to relish match ups with Phil Fulmer, but this year he might not feel quite the same. The Gamecocks are dreadful on offense and the Vols will be playing for Fulmer's job. Take the Vols to win a close one on Rocky Top. South Carolina 13, Tennessee 17' ' #1 Ohio State @ #25 Penn State This one shouldn't be as much of a crap shoot to me as it is, but everything about this game is unsettling. Ohio State has been dominant on defense and has put up solid offensive numbers. The problem with those facts are that Ohio State has played one of the worst schedules in the nation. Penn State was my preseason pick to win the Big Ten/Eleven and, after a roaring start, they have made me look dumber than Channing Crowder in a geography class. I would bet my life on Penn State having a raucous home crowd Saturday night, and Ohio State fell in Happy Valley the last time they came in...Something tells me... Ohio State 17, Penn State 24
#21 California @ #4 Arizona State The Sun Devils have quietly climbed from nowhere to the top 5. Cal has not-so-quietly climbed from the middle of the top 25 to the #2 spot, and then fallen back towards the bottom of the polls. Arizona State is much like the Buckeyes in that they're schedule is poor and this is their first real test. DeSean Jackson will not be contained. Cal 45, Arizona State 31
Hopefully this week works out better than last week. As this year has shown, anything is possible. One thing is certain: after this weekend, the national landscape will be much cleaner.
