Another week of college football is in the books as we are about 3/4 of the way through the season. I was in Scottsdale, Arizona, this weekend, and luckily there was an Iowa Hawkeye bar within a mile from the hotel! The Hawkeyes played Northwestern, a team that has given them match up problems in recent history. Northwestern had a three game losing streak heading into the game and were desperate for a victory. QB Kain Colter, who's dominated the Hawkeyes in his career came back from injury, but they were without Venric Mack their star running back/return man.
Iowa started strong like they did a week ago with a strong drive that ended in a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. They muscled their way downfield with a power running attack led by Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock. The Iowa defense played well in the first quarter as they led 7-0. The second quarter, Iowa's offense wasn't able to reach the end zone, but the defense pitched a shut out. Mike Meyer drilled a field goal, for a 10-0 halftime lead. Iowa has led at halftime every game this season, but their second half play hasn't been that great.
The second half Northwestern took over as Colter was able to run, and hit Dan Vitale for a wide open touchdown. With the score tied at 10 in the fourth quarter, a huge run into Iowa territory late in the game had Hawkeye fans nervous. Not only were they in field goal range, but the clock was winding down. Colter ran an option and a misguided pitch fell to the ground and was scooped up by Iowa freshmen, Desmond King. The Hawkeyes were able to cross midfield, but not quite to field goal range. On 4th and 11, Jake Rudock was intercepted. Time expired and the teams went to overtime.
Iowa started with the ball in overtime and Rudock hit Tevaun Smith for a first down on the first play. After a couple of runs and a penalty, the Hawkeyes were sitting with a 3rd and long situation. The next play Northwestern blitzed and Rudock with very little time chucked the ball into the end zone, it looked to me it was just thrown away, but tight end, CJ Fiedorowicz, was there and hauled it in for the touchdown. Iowa led 17-10.
Iowa's defense was able to shut down Northwestern on 4th down with a huge sack to seal the victory. The defense played a heck of a game, they ended with a season high six sacks. They only had eight total heading into the game. They secondary shut down Northwestern's top receivers. The defense has gotten better as the season goes on, even without DE Dominic Alvis, Mike Hardy stepped up and played a nice game. I liked some of the looks on 3rd down, the defense rushed three, with Nate Meier and Reggie Spearman on the outside, providing a quick pass rush duo. Spearman looked great when he was in there, he was too quick for the left tackle. I'd like to see him in there a little bit more, he's going to be a good one.
The win sent Northwestern to their fourth straight defeat, and Iowa is now 2-2 in conference and 5-3 overall. I don't think they have a shot at winning the division, but a bowl game is certainly in reach, including the Gator Bowl, which would be nice. Iowa's three losses are to Ohio State, Michigan State and Northern Illinois, all three are ranked and own a 23-1 overall record.
Here's my new top 25 for the week
1-Alabama
2-Oregon
3-Florida State
4-Ohio State
5-Miami
6-Baylor
7-Stanford
8-Clemson
9-Fresno State
10-Louisville
11-Auburn
12-South Carolina
13-Oklahoma
14-Northern Illinois
15-Oklahoma State
16-Wisconsin
17-Missouri
18-Texas Tech
19-Texas A&M
20-LSU
21-Michigan State
22-UCF
23-Michigan
24-Virginia Tech
25-Arizona State
I was 7-2 on predictions last week, 61-27 overall now.
Here's this weeks games.
Arizona State at Washington State: The Sun Devils are pretty solid this year, Washington State isn't too bad, but they're not quite good enough to beat ASU. Arizona State 42 Washington State 31
USC at Oregon State: USC might be better with their interim coach, but Oregon State has some weapons on offense, could be high scoring. Oregon State 34 USC 28
Miami at Florida State: Game of the week here, just like it used to be. Both teams are undefeated, but the Seminoles have more talent. Florida State 31 Miami 24
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: Both teams could use a win right now and stay near the top of the conference standings. This should be a good one, but I'll give the nod to the home team. Texas Tech 42 Oklahoma State 34
Michigan at Michigan State: Michigan has struggled this year with close wins against Akron and UCONN and a loss to Penn State. Michigan State's only loss was to a Notre Dame team that Michigan defeated. Michigan State might have the best defense in the country and their offense seems to be clicking with Connor Cook at QB. Spartans win. Michigan State 21 Michigan 17
Northwestern at Nebraska: Before the season started I thought both teams would compete for the division title, Northwestern is pretty much eliminated and Nebraska is coming off an embarrassing loss at Minnesota. Both teams need a win. Nebraska 27 Northwestern 21
Wisconsin at Iowa: This could be a great matchup and the weird thing is, Iowa could make a better bowl game if they lose. Wisconsin could win out and end up in a BCS bowl which could move Iowa up to a better bowl game. Weird scenario, but it could happen. Wisconsin has one of the best running attack in the country and Iowa will be ready. If they can shut down Abbrederris, the Hawkeyes could find a way to win. Unfortunately, I think Wisconsin is too good. Wisconsin 27 Iowa 21
Georgia vs Florida: Here's another big conference game where each team really needs a win. Both teams are down, but I think Georgia has the advantage with Aaron Murray at QB. Georgia 42 Florida 28
New Mexico at San Diego State: Rocky Long coaching against his alma-mater. I got a chance to meet him a few years back when the Lobos beat Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl, great guy. Hard to root against him. The Lobos don't have quite enough talent to hang with the Aztecs this year. San Diego State 45 New Mexico 31
Heisman Watch
1-Marcus Mariota QB Oregon
224-144-2,281-20-0 56-511-9
2-Jameis Winston QB Florida State
183-128-2,177-23-4
3-Bryce Petty QB Baylor
176-122-2,453-18-1
4-Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin
107-1,012-11
5-Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
252-184-2,594-22-8 89-497-6
6-Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville
243-179-2,557-23-2
7-Sean Mannion QB Oregon State
391-270-3,263-30-3
8-Jordan Lynch QB Northern Illinois
245-154-1,711-18-5 156-1,031-8
9-Derek Carr QB Fresno State
364-251-2,574-25-4
10-Mike Evans WR Texas A&M
48-1,101-11
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
College Football 10/23
What a wild weekend of college football, quite a few upsets, I was hoping for one in Columbus, but the Hawkeyes weren't able to put together much in the fourth quarter and lost by 10. They played hard and gave me hope for the rest of the season.
Here's my new top 25
1-Alabama
2-Oregon
3-Florida State
4-Ohio State
5-Miami
6-Baylor
7-Missouri
8-Texas Tech
9-Fresno State
10-Stanford
11-Virginia Tech
12-Clemson
13-Northern Illinois
14-Oklahoma State
15-Wisconsin
16-Louisville
17-Auburn
18-Texas A&M
19-Oklahoma
20-UCLA
21-Nebraska
22-South Carolina
23-LSU
24-Michigan State
25-UCF
Predictions for the week, I'm now 61-27
Boise State at BYU: This should be one hell of a game, Boise State has been looking pretty solid since their opening week loss, but BYU is a bit under the radar. BYU 34 Boise 28
Tennessee at Alabama: Tennessee keeps hanging around with some solid teams, but they met their match this week. Alabama 45 Tennessee 17
UCLA at Oregon: I think UCLA is pretty solid, but not good enough to hang in this one. Oregon 45 UCLA 21
Stanford at Oregon State: Oregon State's passing combo Mannion to Cooks has been money this year! But Stanford has way more talent elsewhere. Stanford 31 Oregon State 27
South Carolina at Missouri: Missouri just keeps winning, I don't even think I had them pegged for a bowl game this year. Missouri 24 South Carolina 21
Texas at TCU: Which Texas team will show up in this one? Hopefully the good one. Texas 31 TCU 27
Texas Tech at Oklahoma: One of the biggest conference games right now, should be a good one. Oklahoma 31 Texas Tech 30
Michigan State at Illinois: Michigan State's defense is unbelievable, Illinois is much improved, but I can't imagine them moving the ball much on the Spartans. Michigan State 17 Illinois 7
Penn State at Ohio State: The Buckeyes just keep winning, and they should win this one at home. Ohio State 31 Penn State 24
I haven't really looked much at the Heisman race this year, but decided to check out some stats. It's looking like it's going to be a quarterback's year to win again.
Top candidates(in no order)
Jameis Winston QB Florida State 1,885 Yds 20 TD 3 Int definitely moved up after torching Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 2,213 Yds 20 TD 2 Int moving down after losing to UCF
Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 2,289 Yds 18 TD 7 Int 486 Rush Yds 6 Rush Td he was banged up in their second loss, probably not going to win it this year
Marcus Mariota QB Oregon 2,051 yds 19 TD 0 Int 493 Rush Yds 9 Rush Td he's my favorite at this point, and take into consideration these numbers are without playing many 4th quarters
Sean Mannion QB Oregon State 2,992 Yds 29 TD 3 Int his numbers are ridiculous, but they lost to Eastern Washington, and will most likely lose more in conference play, great stats though
Derek Carr QB Fresno State 2,276 23 TD 4 Int kind of a darkhorse here since he plays for Fresno, but he's putting up great numbers and they're undefeated
Jordan Lynch QB Northern Illinois 1,488 Yds 14 TD 5 Int 932 Rush Yds 7 Rush TD has some great rushing numbers, put up over 300 on the ground, breaking an NCAA single game record for rushing yards by a QB in a game, also a darkhorse like Carr
Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin 107-1,012-11 averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, which is amazing, he's the only RB that I see in the race right now. Wish he would have stayed committed to Iowa :(
Brandin Hooks WR Oregon State 76-1,176-12 crazy numbers so far, but he plays for Oregon State. If they can pull some upsets in the conference he'll be in the hunt with Mannion
Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 43-1,024-9 mikey football, ok that's not a real nickname, but huge numbers so far, over 20 yards per catch!
Here's my new top 25
1-Alabama
2-Oregon
3-Florida State
4-Ohio State
5-Miami
6-Baylor
7-Missouri
8-Texas Tech
9-Fresno State
10-Stanford
11-Virginia Tech
12-Clemson
13-Northern Illinois
14-Oklahoma State
15-Wisconsin
16-Louisville
17-Auburn
18-Texas A&M
19-Oklahoma
20-UCLA
21-Nebraska
22-South Carolina
23-LSU
24-Michigan State
25-UCF
Predictions for the week, I'm now 61-27
Boise State at BYU: This should be one hell of a game, Boise State has been looking pretty solid since their opening week loss, but BYU is a bit under the radar. BYU 34 Boise 28
Tennessee at Alabama: Tennessee keeps hanging around with some solid teams, but they met their match this week. Alabama 45 Tennessee 17
UCLA at Oregon: I think UCLA is pretty solid, but not good enough to hang in this one. Oregon 45 UCLA 21
Stanford at Oregon State: Oregon State's passing combo Mannion to Cooks has been money this year! But Stanford has way more talent elsewhere. Stanford 31 Oregon State 27
South Carolina at Missouri: Missouri just keeps winning, I don't even think I had them pegged for a bowl game this year. Missouri 24 South Carolina 21
Texas at TCU: Which Texas team will show up in this one? Hopefully the good one. Texas 31 TCU 27
Texas Tech at Oklahoma: One of the biggest conference games right now, should be a good one. Oklahoma 31 Texas Tech 30
Michigan State at Illinois: Michigan State's defense is unbelievable, Illinois is much improved, but I can't imagine them moving the ball much on the Spartans. Michigan State 17 Illinois 7
Penn State at Ohio State: The Buckeyes just keep winning, and they should win this one at home. Ohio State 31 Penn State 24
I haven't really looked much at the Heisman race this year, but decided to check out some stats. It's looking like it's going to be a quarterback's year to win again.
Top candidates(in no order)
Jameis Winston QB Florida State 1,885 Yds 20 TD 3 Int definitely moved up after torching Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville 2,213 Yds 20 TD 2 Int moving down after losing to UCF
Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M 2,289 Yds 18 TD 7 Int 486 Rush Yds 6 Rush Td he was banged up in their second loss, probably not going to win it this year
Marcus Mariota QB Oregon 2,051 yds 19 TD 0 Int 493 Rush Yds 9 Rush Td he's my favorite at this point, and take into consideration these numbers are without playing many 4th quarters
Sean Mannion QB Oregon State 2,992 Yds 29 TD 3 Int his numbers are ridiculous, but they lost to Eastern Washington, and will most likely lose more in conference play, great stats though
Derek Carr QB Fresno State 2,276 23 TD 4 Int kind of a darkhorse here since he plays for Fresno, but he's putting up great numbers and they're undefeated
Jordan Lynch QB Northern Illinois 1,488 Yds 14 TD 5 Int 932 Rush Yds 7 Rush TD has some great rushing numbers, put up over 300 on the ground, breaking an NCAA single game record for rushing yards by a QB in a game, also a darkhorse like Carr
Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin 107-1,012-11 averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, which is amazing, he's the only RB that I see in the race right now. Wish he would have stayed committed to Iowa :(
Brandin Hooks WR Oregon State 76-1,176-12 crazy numbers so far, but he plays for Oregon State. If they can pull some upsets in the conference he'll be in the hunt with Mannion
Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 43-1,024-9 mikey football, ok that's not a real nickname, but huge numbers so far, over 20 yards per catch!
Monday, October 14, 2013
College Football 10/14
A pretty wild weekend of college football, there were some pretty big upsets, and a wild finish between Michigan and Penn State. Iowa was on a bye week, and I didn't get to watch many of the games at all. New Mexico was able to take Wyoming to the wire, but ended up losing 38-31. I'm really liking the Lobos team this year, I don't see them in a bowl game, but could see them being competitive. Missouri over Georgia was a huge shock, the Tigers are still undefeated and moving up the rankings. Utah held on to knock off Stanford, and Penn State upset Michigan in 19 overtimes.
New Top 25
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Oregon
4-Clemson
5-Florida State
6-Louisville
7-Texas A&M
8-Miami
9-UCLA
10-South Carolina
11-LSU
12-Baylor
13-Missouri
14-Texas Tech
15-Fresno State
16-Virginia Tech
17-Georgia
18-Stanford
19-Northern Illinois
20-Oklahoma State
21-Wisconsin
22-Oklahoma
23-Nebraska
24-Michigan State
25-Auburn
Predictions
I was 9-4 last weekend, which puts me at 53-22 on the season. Here's a look at some big games this weekend.
UCF at Louisville - This could be a pretty good football game here, UCF is pretty solid, but I don't think they'll win. Louisville 38 UCF 31
UCLA at Stanford - Stanford coming off a huge upset loss to Utah will be ready to get back to winning against undefeated UCLA. Stanford 34 UCLA 24
Auburn at Texas A&M - Auburn hasn't been bad this year, A&M pulled off a nice win Saturday. A&M 42 Auburn 28
Florida State at Clemson - One of the biggest games of the year, winner has a shot at the national title shot, the loser still could, too. Clemson 27 Florida State 24
Florida at Missouri - Missouri coming off a huge upset win against Georgia, will they have enough to win again against Florida? Florida is coming off a tough loss at LSU. Missouri 21 Florida 17
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss is in the middle of a brutal schedule, LSU is rolling right now. LSU 24 Ole Miss 10
TCU at Oklahoma State - Both teams need a win to get back in the hunt for the conference crown. Ok State 34 TCU 28
Washington at Arizona State - Washington is another team with a pretty brutal schedule right now. Arizona State 31 Washington 27
BYU at Houston - Houston's QB just quit football, will they be able to win without him against a tough BYU squad? BYU 34 Houston 31
Iowa at Ohio State - This is the game on Iowa's schedule I'm least looking forward to. I don't think the Hawkeyes match up very well with Ohio State this year. Ohio State 38 Iowa 17
USC at Notre Dame - USC is 1-0 since canning Lane Kiffin, could be a refreshing thing for the remainder of the season, but will travel to South Bend. Notre Dame 34 USC 28
Wisconsin at Illinois - Wisconsin rolled against Northwestern and will probably do the same to Illinois. Wisconsin 42 Illinois 24
Utah State at New Mexico - This is a tough one to project, Chuckie Keeton is out for the year for the Aggies. Not sure who will start at QB for the Lobos. I think the Lobos pull the upset. UNM 35 Utah St 31
Bowl Projections
New Mexico: San Diego State vs Utah
Las Vegas: Fresno State vs Washington
Idaho Potato: Bowling Green vs Utah State
New Orleans: Western Kentucky vs North Texas
Beef O' Brady: South Alabama vs Marshall
Hawai'i: San Jose State vs Rice
Little Caesars: Ball State vs Indiana
Poinsettia: Boise State vs Army
Military: North Carolina vs Tulane
Texas: TCU vs Michigan
Kraft Fight Hunger: Arizona vs BYU
Pinstripe: Toledo vs Houston
Belk: Rutgers vs Pittsburgh
Russell Athletic: UCF vs Virginia Tech
Buffalo Wild Wings: Texas vs Northwestern
Armed Forces: Wyoming vs Navy
Music City: Georgia Tech vs Florida
Alamo: Texas Tech vs UCLA
Holiday: Oregon State vs Oklahoma State
Sun: Ohio vs Maryland
Liberty: East Carolina vs Auburn
Independence: Arizona State vs Duke
Chick Fil A: Miami vs Missouri
Godaddy: Buffalo vs Arkansas State
Heart of Dallas: Iowa vs Notre Dame
Compass: Washington State vs Cincinnati
Gator: Michigan State vs Ole MIss
Outback: Nebraska vs South Carolina
Cotton: Oklahoma vs LSU
Cap One: Wisconsin vs Texas A&M
Sugar: Georgia vs Louisville Georgia gets back on track wins the division and upsets Alabama, Louisville gets upset at Cincinnati
Orange: Clemson vs Oregon Clemson will lose at South Carolina, knocking them out of contention for the title, Oregon losing to Stanford
Fiesta: Baylor vs Northern Illinois
Rose: Stanford vs Alabama Stanford will beat Oregon at home and clinch the North, Alabama loses to Georgia in SEC title game
BCS National Championship: Ohio State vs Florida State I have Ohio State as the only team going undefeated besides Northern Illinois, I have FSU losing to Clemson, but running the table the rest of the way
New Top 25
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Oregon
4-Clemson
5-Florida State
6-Louisville
7-Texas A&M
8-Miami
9-UCLA
10-South Carolina
11-LSU
12-Baylor
13-Missouri
14-Texas Tech
15-Fresno State
16-Virginia Tech
17-Georgia
18-Stanford
19-Northern Illinois
20-Oklahoma State
21-Wisconsin
22-Oklahoma
23-Nebraska
24-Michigan State
25-Auburn
Predictions
I was 9-4 last weekend, which puts me at 53-22 on the season. Here's a look at some big games this weekend.
UCF at Louisville - This could be a pretty good football game here, UCF is pretty solid, but I don't think they'll win. Louisville 38 UCF 31
UCLA at Stanford - Stanford coming off a huge upset loss to Utah will be ready to get back to winning against undefeated UCLA. Stanford 34 UCLA 24
Auburn at Texas A&M - Auburn hasn't been bad this year, A&M pulled off a nice win Saturday. A&M 42 Auburn 28
Florida State at Clemson - One of the biggest games of the year, winner has a shot at the national title shot, the loser still could, too. Clemson 27 Florida State 24
Florida at Missouri - Missouri coming off a huge upset win against Georgia, will they have enough to win again against Florida? Florida is coming off a tough loss at LSU. Missouri 21 Florida 17
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss is in the middle of a brutal schedule, LSU is rolling right now. LSU 24 Ole Miss 10
TCU at Oklahoma State - Both teams need a win to get back in the hunt for the conference crown. Ok State 34 TCU 28
Washington at Arizona State - Washington is another team with a pretty brutal schedule right now. Arizona State 31 Washington 27
BYU at Houston - Houston's QB just quit football, will they be able to win without him against a tough BYU squad? BYU 34 Houston 31
Iowa at Ohio State - This is the game on Iowa's schedule I'm least looking forward to. I don't think the Hawkeyes match up very well with Ohio State this year. Ohio State 38 Iowa 17
USC at Notre Dame - USC is 1-0 since canning Lane Kiffin, could be a refreshing thing for the remainder of the season, but will travel to South Bend. Notre Dame 34 USC 28
Wisconsin at Illinois - Wisconsin rolled against Northwestern and will probably do the same to Illinois. Wisconsin 42 Illinois 24
Utah State at New Mexico - This is a tough one to project, Chuckie Keeton is out for the year for the Aggies. Not sure who will start at QB for the Lobos. I think the Lobos pull the upset. UNM 35 Utah St 31
Bowl Projections
New Mexico: San Diego State vs Utah
Las Vegas: Fresno State vs Washington
Idaho Potato: Bowling Green vs Utah State
New Orleans: Western Kentucky vs North Texas
Beef O' Brady: South Alabama vs Marshall
Hawai'i: San Jose State vs Rice
Little Caesars: Ball State vs Indiana
Poinsettia: Boise State vs Army
Military: North Carolina vs Tulane
Texas: TCU vs Michigan
Kraft Fight Hunger: Arizona vs BYU
Pinstripe: Toledo vs Houston
Belk: Rutgers vs Pittsburgh
Russell Athletic: UCF vs Virginia Tech
Buffalo Wild Wings: Texas vs Northwestern
Armed Forces: Wyoming vs Navy
Music City: Georgia Tech vs Florida
Alamo: Texas Tech vs UCLA
Holiday: Oregon State vs Oklahoma State
Sun: Ohio vs Maryland
Liberty: East Carolina vs Auburn
Independence: Arizona State vs Duke
Chick Fil A: Miami vs Missouri
Godaddy: Buffalo vs Arkansas State
Heart of Dallas: Iowa vs Notre Dame
Compass: Washington State vs Cincinnati
Gator: Michigan State vs Ole MIss
Outback: Nebraska vs South Carolina
Cotton: Oklahoma vs LSU
Cap One: Wisconsin vs Texas A&M
Sugar: Georgia vs Louisville Georgia gets back on track wins the division and upsets Alabama, Louisville gets upset at Cincinnati
Orange: Clemson vs Oregon Clemson will lose at South Carolina, knocking them out of contention for the title, Oregon losing to Stanford
Fiesta: Baylor vs Northern Illinois
Rose: Stanford vs Alabama Stanford will beat Oregon at home and clinch the North, Alabama loses to Georgia in SEC title game
BCS National Championship: Ohio State vs Florida State I have Ohio State as the only team going undefeated besides Northern Illinois, I have FSU losing to Clemson, but running the table the rest of the way
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
College Football 10/8
I had a couple of shows this week, so I wasn't able to watch the Iowa-Michigan State game at Spectators with all of the other Hawkeye fans, which maybe was a good thing. I had a show in Farmington at the Sun Ray Casino on Friday, so I watched the first half at the hotel and the second half at the lounge in the casino. I knew Michigan State had a great defense, but, Iowa couldn't do much at all against them. Mark Weisman couldn't even get double digit yardage, and the Hawkeyes managed only 23 yards on the ground, after averaging over 200 per game. Jake Rudock was sharp in the second half completing all 11 passes, including two touchdowns, which put Iowa ahead 14-10 going into halftime. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't get anything else going and the defense got shredded up pretty bad. Sean Draper looked awful out there, looked like he was playing touch football. I noticed Mike Hardy playing a lot, not sure what happened to Dominic Alvis. The offense played with Kevonte Martin-Manley, too, not sure what happened to him. He could have provided something on offense, but some younger receivers did step up. Looking at the numbers, Iowa, actually put up better yardage against the Spartans than Notre Dame did, but the outcome was different. The Hawkeyes have a week off to prepare for the Ohio State Buckeyes, which could be an ugly one. I still think the Hawks will come up with six wins and make a bowl game.
I watched a few other games while at the lounge, but most of them were blowouts. The wife and I decided to go to the New Mexico-New Mexico State game when we got home. It's a 15 minute walk to the stadium, which is fantastic. It was the second college football game I've actually been to in my life. The first was October 26, 1991, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State tied Oklahoma State 6-6, it was one of the worst college, or any level of football, games that I have ever seen. No offense, four field goals, it was ridiculous. The UNM game was quite a bit different, the Lobos won 66-17 and put up over 500 yards rushing and ran a kick back 100 yards. New Mexico State might have the worst team in the country, they have some decent players, but they got dominated. It was pretty fun to watch. The Lobos have so many talented running backs on the roster. I think Bob Davie will have the team in a bowl game within a couple of years, I don't think they will this year. Had they beat UTSA and UNLV they could have had a shot, but the schedule the rest of the year is pretty tough.
My Top 25
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Oregon
4-Clemson
5-Stanford
6-Florida State
7-Georgia
8-Louisville
9-Texas A&M
10-Miami
11-UCLA
12-Oklahoma
13-South Carolina
14-Michigan
15-LSU
16-Florida
17-Fresno State
18-Baylor
19-Northern Illinois
20-Texas Tech
21-Northwestern
22-Virginia Tech
23-Oklahoma State
24-Washington
25-Missouri
Predictions: I was 9-3 this weekend, 44-18 on the season now!
Here are the big games for this week
Rutgers at Louisville: If the game was at Rutgers, I would give them a chance to keep it close, but I don't see it happening. Louisville 45 Rutgers 27
Oregon at Washington: Washington is a good team that played well against Stanford. Oregon is a great team and have won most of their games in the 56-17 range. Oregon 45 Washington 28
Missouri at Georgia: Missouri has been surprising so far this year, still undefeated, but the tough part of the schedule is coming up. Georgia fought off some injuries and held on to beat Tennessee. Georgia 34 Missouri 24
South Carolina at Arkansas: This is a tough one, South Carolina didn't look too sharp in their win over Kentucky, and Arkansas doesn't have as much talent as the Gamecocks. South Carolina 27 Arkansas 21
Texas A&M at Ole Miss: A&M enjoyed a week off, while Ole Miss was knocked off for a second straight week, pushing them out of the top 25. This will be their third straight. A&M 41 Ole Miss 27
Florida at LSU: I wasn't sure about LSU before the season started, but they are looking pretty good. Florida looked good against Arkansas, even without their starting QB, who is done for the year. LSU 45 Florida 24
Oklahoma vs Texas: Oklahoma squeaked out a win against TCU, and Mack Brown avoided getting fired as Texas narrowly escaped against Iowa State. (I do think the Cyclones got hosed at the end.) Oklahoma 42 Texas 28
Oregon State at Washington State: Both of these teams are looking pretty sharp on offense right now, this should be a nice shootout. Washington State 48 Oregon State 42
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech: I think Pittsburgh has a pretty solid offense, but could struggle against Virginia Tech on the road. Va Tech 28 Pittsburgh 21
Baylor at Kansas State: Baylor is putting up points like crazy! Kansas State desperately needs a victory after losing to Texas and Oklahoma State in conference play. Baylor 56 Kansas State 24
Indiana at Michigan State: Indiana shocked me by beating up Penn State Saturday. Michigan State's defense is ridiculously good. Michigan State 31 Indiana 23
Northwestern at Wisconsin: Both teams have lost to Ohio State, but hung with them pretty good. I'm picking Wisconsin at home. Wisconsin 27 Northwestern 24
Michigan at Penn State: Michigan looked like they were back to normal after a couple sloppy losses to weak opponents. Penn State couldn't shut down Indiana's offense. Michigan 35 Penn State 21
New Mexico at Wyoming: The Lobos ran all day on NMSU. Wyoming has one of the better QB's in the Mountain West, should be another high-scoring affair. Wyoming 52 New Mexico 35
I watched a few other games while at the lounge, but most of them were blowouts. The wife and I decided to go to the New Mexico-New Mexico State game when we got home. It's a 15 minute walk to the stadium, which is fantastic. It was the second college football game I've actually been to in my life. The first was October 26, 1991, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State tied Oklahoma State 6-6, it was one of the worst college, or any level of football, games that I have ever seen. No offense, four field goals, it was ridiculous. The UNM game was quite a bit different, the Lobos won 66-17 and put up over 500 yards rushing and ran a kick back 100 yards. New Mexico State might have the worst team in the country, they have some decent players, but they got dominated. It was pretty fun to watch. The Lobos have so many talented running backs on the roster. I think Bob Davie will have the team in a bowl game within a couple of years, I don't think they will this year. Had they beat UTSA and UNLV they could have had a shot, but the schedule the rest of the year is pretty tough.
My Top 25
1-Alabama
2-Ohio State
3-Oregon
4-Clemson
5-Stanford
6-Florida State
7-Georgia
8-Louisville
9-Texas A&M
10-Miami
11-UCLA
12-Oklahoma
13-South Carolina
14-Michigan
15-LSU
16-Florida
17-Fresno State
18-Baylor
19-Northern Illinois
20-Texas Tech
21-Northwestern
22-Virginia Tech
23-Oklahoma State
24-Washington
25-Missouri
Predictions: I was 9-3 this weekend, 44-18 on the season now!
Here are the big games for this week
Rutgers at Louisville: If the game was at Rutgers, I would give them a chance to keep it close, but I don't see it happening. Louisville 45 Rutgers 27
Oregon at Washington: Washington is a good team that played well against Stanford. Oregon is a great team and have won most of their games in the 56-17 range. Oregon 45 Washington 28
Missouri at Georgia: Missouri has been surprising so far this year, still undefeated, but the tough part of the schedule is coming up. Georgia fought off some injuries and held on to beat Tennessee. Georgia 34 Missouri 24
South Carolina at Arkansas: This is a tough one, South Carolina didn't look too sharp in their win over Kentucky, and Arkansas doesn't have as much talent as the Gamecocks. South Carolina 27 Arkansas 21
Texas A&M at Ole Miss: A&M enjoyed a week off, while Ole Miss was knocked off for a second straight week, pushing them out of the top 25. This will be their third straight. A&M 41 Ole Miss 27
Florida at LSU: I wasn't sure about LSU before the season started, but they are looking pretty good. Florida looked good against Arkansas, even without their starting QB, who is done for the year. LSU 45 Florida 24
Oklahoma vs Texas: Oklahoma squeaked out a win against TCU, and Mack Brown avoided getting fired as Texas narrowly escaped against Iowa State. (I do think the Cyclones got hosed at the end.) Oklahoma 42 Texas 28
Oregon State at Washington State: Both of these teams are looking pretty sharp on offense right now, this should be a nice shootout. Washington State 48 Oregon State 42
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech: I think Pittsburgh has a pretty solid offense, but could struggle against Virginia Tech on the road. Va Tech 28 Pittsburgh 21
Baylor at Kansas State: Baylor is putting up points like crazy! Kansas State desperately needs a victory after losing to Texas and Oklahoma State in conference play. Baylor 56 Kansas State 24
Indiana at Michigan State: Indiana shocked me by beating up Penn State Saturday. Michigan State's defense is ridiculously good. Michigan State 31 Indiana 23
Northwestern at Wisconsin: Both teams have lost to Ohio State, but hung with them pretty good. I'm picking Wisconsin at home. Wisconsin 27 Northwestern 24
Michigan at Penn State: Michigan looked like they were back to normal after a couple sloppy losses to weak opponents. Penn State couldn't shut down Indiana's offense. Michigan 35 Penn State 21
New Mexico at Wyoming: The Lobos ran all day on NMSU. Wyoming has one of the better QB's in the Mountain West, should be another high-scoring affair. Wyoming 52 New Mexico 35
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