National Preview: Week Eight
by Peter Gray on Oct 20, 2011 8:01 AM EDT
in Football
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PrintHey look, another... lackluster slate of games. The most intriguing game of the day is clearly Wisconsin and Michigan State, but Kyle gets to talk about that one. Some people get to have all the fun.
As always, all times are Eastern. You can find this weekend's TV schedule here.
The Headliners
(22) Washington Huskies @ (7) Stanford Cardinal (8 pm, Saturday)
Line: Stan -21
The knock against Stanford is that they haven't played anybody, but that changes this week because Washington, in case you haven't been paying attention, is actually pretty good. QB Keith Price is playing like a Jake Locker that actually fulfilled his potential, and Chris Polk may be the most underrated RB in America. The problem for the Huskies, though, is that they don't play much defense, especially against the pass. Stanford should be able to score just about whenever they want because, you know, Andrew Luck, but I'm most interested in seeing how the Cardinal defense response to playing an offense with a pulse. Stanford should win this, but don't be shocked if the Huskies cover.
USC Trojans @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: ND -8.5
I don't care much for these teams, but I am a sucker for old time rivalry games. After getting paved by USC for the better part of a decade, the Irish are looking to make it two straight wins in this series, and they've got a good shot at it. USC's defense, while okay, isn't great, and should give up some points to a suddenly balanced Notre Dame offense. The real question in this game is whether Notre Dame's secondary issues, of which there are many, are going to bite the Irish in the ass. Matt Barkley and Robert Woods will eat you alive if you let them. Judging by ND's performance against Denard Robinson in the 2nd half of the Michigan game, USC shouldn't have a problem. If the Irish had some semblance of a pass rush, things may be different. I still think Notre Dame wins, but I'd take USC to cover.
Worthy of Your Consideration
(19) Auburn Tigers @ (1) LSU Tigers (3:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: LSU -21
LSU has steamrolled everyone on their schedule thus far, and I don't think this will be any different. The Tigers will be without RB Spencer Ware and DB Tyrann Mathieu due to a failed drug test, but that won't be enough to make an appreciable difference. Auburn's QB situation is a mess, and I highly doubt they're capable of taking advantage of Honey Badger's absence. Offensively, the Tigers should be in decent shape, as they still have Michael Ford to run the ball, and Jarrett Lee has been wonderfully competent. I'll still take LSU here, even without their stars.
(6) Oklahoma St. Cowboys @ Missouri Tigers (Noon, Saturday)
Line: OSU -6.5
Oklahoma State is clearly a better team than Missouri, but I can't shake the feeling that the Pokes may be susceptible to a bad loss at some point. The Cowboys give up a lot of yards on defense, and Missouri is perfectly capable of moving the ball and scoring on them. The problem with that is we know OSU is comfortable being in a shootout. In the end, I think OSU wins this, but don't be surprised when it's close.
North Carolina Tar Heels @ (8) Clemson Tigers (Noon, Saturday)
Line: Clemson -10.5
Clemson is pretty clearly the better team in this matchup, but I will keep banging away at the Clemson-is-Clemson thing until they prove me wrong for an entire season. Both of the Tar Heels' two losses were by seven points or less, so they're shown that they can keep it close.
(11) West Virginia Mountaineers @ Syracuse Orange (8 pm, Friday)
Line: WVU -14
You know how in football video games, you can press the button to even out the ratings gap between two teams? Syracuse kind of has the real life ability to do that, for both better and worse. The Orange were able to steal one from West Virginia last year in Morgantown, so I'd imagine WVU is looking for some measure of payback here. Cuse should keep this close for most of the game, but in normal fashion, the Mountaineers should pull away late.
(20) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Miami Hurricanes (3:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: UM -3
Tech's returns have been steadily diminishing since the season started, while Miami seems to have righted itself after taking some early losses. All the trends are pointing at a Miami win here, and I agree. Lamar Miller is one of the top two or three RBs in the country, and I highly doubt that the Yellow Jackets can contain him. The only reason for pause is that Miami only has one week to prepare for a triple option offense, but considering the way Tech's been sputtering as of late, I'm not sure that's going to be a real problem.
SMU Mustangs @ Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (8 pm, Saturday)
Line: USM -3
WOOOO MID-MAJOR MADNESS Y'ALL! This game is going to be considerably more fun to watch than the vast majority of the other games on Saturday, so if you find yourself stuck with this as one of your few options, you could be doing a lot worse. Don't expect a ton of defense.
Avert Your Eyes
Tennessee Volunteers @ (2) Alabama Crimson Tide (7:15 pm, Saturday)
Line: UA -29
Texas Tech Red Raiders @ (3) Oklahoma Sooners (8 pm, Saturday)
Line: OU -29
Air Force Falcons @ (5) Boise St. Broncos (3:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: BSU -31
(9) Oregon Ducks @ Colorado Buffaloes (3:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: UO -30.5
(10) Arkansas Razorbacks @ Mississippi Rebels (12:20 pm, Saturday)
Line: Piggy -16
(12) Kansas St. Wildcats @ Kansas Jayhawks (Noon, Saturday)
Line: KSU -11
Boston College Eagles @ (16) Virginia Tech Hokies (3 pm, Saturday)
Line: VT -21
(17) Texas A&M Aggies @ Iowa St. Cyclones (3:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: A&M -20.5
Marshall Thundering Herd @ (21) Houston Cougars (4:30 pm, Saturday)
Line: UH -22.5
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I never thought I'd say this about any SC player
but I kind of feel for Matt Barkley. He walked into a shit situation, but he’s always said all the right things when pressed about it and seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders. I hope he gets rewarded for that (and for his play) and heads to the NFL via early-round pick.
It has been a surprisingly boring year outside of the B10 this year
I really hope ND gets beat though, I can’t stand that damned leprechaun.
Curious decision to have someone who apparently doesn't like college football
write weekly columns about college football.
There’s no such thing as a bad week in college football (with maybe the exception of the first week because there are so many cupcakes). We’re in the midst of conference races in the sport with the most interesting regular season.
Every game Clemson plays is riveting until and unless they lose. Boise State against a school with a pulse? yes. please
Kansas v. Kansas St: who doesn’t like in-state rivalries?
They’re all good weeks from here on out.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
Plus I usually find it’s the big showdown’s with two top ranked teams that end up disappointing. It’s when you have a ranked team struggling with an unranked team that it becomes the most riveting. That’s the one thing I love about college compared to the NFL there are usually at least 3 or 4 games on at a time. And almost always at least one of them is worth watching.
Isn't it amazing?
There are multiple games on from noon until midnight. I agree with spak, there are no bad weeks in college footbal.
Of course, there are weeks that are worse than others. For the instance, during the first week of the season the best game during the afternoon was Western Michigan at Michigan.
"Don't you'uns think this outlaw bit's done got out of hand?"
by ReadingRambler on Oct 20, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
9AM - midnight out here
its glorious
plus the occasional 8pm local hawaii kickoff
that tulsa-ok state rain delay one was great too….i think it ended at 130 out here
"my dad says Michigan used to be good"
GLORIOUS!!
"It's never a bad thing thing to vote for the suckiness of tOSU." -RWReese
Follow @Paige2PSU
With precarious rankings and undefeated seasons at risk each and every weekend,
the knowledgeable viewer will never be bored. If anyone has the audacity to tell you there’s nothing compelling afoot on a given Saturday, you should grab that person by the lapels and shout “football!” over and over until they understand.
I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.
There are no "bad" weeks for college football, but...
…there are weeks where the really intriguing games are few and far between.
I have three tv’s in my man cave just for college football. Each week I look at the tv schedule and map out which games will go on which tv’s (do I need professional help?). This week, the noon and 3:30 games are pretty meh, especially if LSU destroys Auburn as many are predicting. I love the slate of night games this week, but can def agree that this week is pretty so-so when looking at the overall schedule.
by Jared Slanina on Oct 20, 2011 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, wtf is up with all the Pac-10 Thursday night games lately??
by Jared Slanina on Oct 20, 2011 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Three in a row is a bit odd.
But hey, whatever. Tonight’s game is going to be macabre theatre, and there’s something beautiful about a game between two really bad football teams.
I love watching games at Arizona, but it helps when they actually have a solid team.
by Jared Slanina on Oct 20, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a fun stadium to see a game at when the Wildcats are not getting kicked in the teeth.
Unfortunately, all the times I went, they did.
I'd love to see a big game there.
It’s really impressive that they have such an intense atmosphere for a team with little to no tradition.
by Jared Slanina on Oct 20, 2011 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
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