Week 2
9/11
This weeks has a lot of top teams that scheduled weak opponents. Still, there's a couple of handfuls of good looking games out there.
Oregon at Ohio State -- The Buckeyes looked vulnerable. Oregon is good, and Coach Mario will show what he can do, but the Bucks have the hosses to pull away late if it's in doubt. I'm rooting for the Ducks. Ducks' star edge pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux made the trip but is questionable (ankle sprain/ day-to-day). Without Thibodeaux, the Ducks will have to pull something out to get the pressure on QB CJ Stroud. The Bucks gave up over 200 yards on the ground to Minnesota.
Iowa at Iowa State -- Great matchup with some great defensive football being played in Iowa these days. If Campbell's lads can find a way to put some points on the board, they could take them. The Hawkeyes have one of the best defenses in the college game. And the Hawkeyes have a 5 game winning streak vs the Cyclones.
Illinois at Virginia -- Is U of I good, or does Nebraska just plain suck? Or both. While Bielema isn't the most likeable guy in the coaching world, I think he has the Illini ready to win tomorrow, and they cheer Oskee-Wow-Wow, or Moskie-Bow-Wow (or whatever) back in the Illinois Corn Belt.
Washington at Michigan -- Interesting matchup. I personally am hoping Harbaugh turns it around up there. You would think PK's defensive influence still lingers at UW, but Washington QB Dylan Morris threw 3 picks in a 13-7 loss to Montana last week... Michigan will work their ground game with RB Blake Corum. Mich star WR Ronnie Bell is out with a knee injury. Might be another low scoring game? Could be interesting if Dylan Morris gets it together. UW's D still looks pretty good.
Stanford at USC -- Is USC back or not? Stanford had a very tough time getting any yards on the ground vs. Kansas State, and don't expect the Trojans' D to be any easier.
P.S. USC will be playing without Bru McCoy.
Utah at BYU -- They really, really care about this one out in Deseret. The Cougars will try to show the Big 12 that they are worthy. This game features 2 good QBs: Jalen Hall (BYU) and Charlie Brewer (Utah)--yes, that Charlie Brewer who transferred in from Baylor.
Toledo at Notre Dame -- Holy Toledo!
Buffalo at Nebraska -- wouldn't it be great if Buffalo upsets the corn? Frost is coaching for his job the rest of this year.
Cal at TCU -- fun matchup. Cal's pass rush was really good last year. Both teams can play some D. Patterson works up a sweat, and defeats the Cal Bears with his crafty tactics.
NC State at Mississippi State -- ??? Far as I can tell, the Pirate has a good shot at a so-so Wolfpack squad.
Lone Guy Land U. at West Virginia -- Ha! Talk about a culture shock.
South Carolina at East Carolina -- Not sure who the favored team is going to be here.
aTm vs Colorado -- The ags still have QB / turnover issues; they're sloppy (5 turnovers) but their talent up front is too strong for the Buffs.
Pitt at Tennessee -- Not sure what to make of this one. Tennessee has been weak for some while. Pitt-? Pitt had 5 sacks last week (against U. Mass....)
App State at Miami -- Manny's D will face a test against a well coached App State team. Manny's D gave up 147 yards on the ground to the mighty Crimson Tide. Not too shabby. Of course, when you stack the line/box, there are teams out there that can beat you through the air...
TSU at Baylor -- give me a break, Baylor. When we said it was good to schedule a Houston school for recruiting, we meant UH or Rice...
Air Force at Navy -- Navy has been pretty lousy on the gridiron since QB Perry left a few years ago. The Middie ringknockers just aren't that good. Air Force will be a strong favorite. Go Navy!
UNT at SMU -- One Metroplex party school vs. Rich kids Metroplex party school. I hope the Ponies wear the DDD outfits. Dykes should have them ready and come away with the W on the Hilltop.
SFA at Texas Tech -- East Texas party school vs. West Texas party school. Do you like to get plastered in the pine trees or in the dust storms? Tech showed some life in their W over UH. Wells' team should beat up the Jacks. Shough ("Shuck") is a very good QB and played well in Tech's win against UH. With that QB, Tech could elevate themselves to the solid middle of the pack in the Big 12.
So. Illinois at Kansas State -- Watch out for this K State team. I think they've got another good coach who will build them up--probably into another Patterson/TCU type squad. The Cats really shut down Stanford on the ground.
Houston at Rice -- The Bayou Bucket! At least they're playing in a good stadium. Rice hung with Arkansas until late in the game, but that's really not that impressive a feat. Houston is pissed after losing to the Red Raiders. I'm just not seeing a Rice win here.
Kansas at Coastal Carolina -- this directional small conference school puts a whoopin on the hapless Jayhawks.
Hawaii at Oregon State -- No amount of clever offense will result in wins until Hawaii learns how to tackle. Against a good UCLA squad, Da Bows tackled like a bunch of Waikiki Beach hotel flower arrangers (see a few posts down for a nice visual). Fortunately, Oregon State is one of the PAC's worst teams, so it's a fair matchup. If Da Bows can finally learn how to tackle, they play some entertaining offense, so it could be a fun game to watch.
San Diego State at Arizona -- Another one of the weaker PAC teams against a small conference West Coast squad. I don't know what to make of this game.
Alabama State at Auburn -- Auburn finally finds an in-state team they can beat.
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