UCLA at Oregon is the Foxtel Game of the Week, but there are other good match-ups on the ESPN networks this Sunday:
No. 24 Nebraska
at Minnesota (3.00am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
A scheduling oddity has seen the Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-0 Big
Ten) have two consecutive off-weeks – almost unheard of in the middle of the
season – but it’s been a blessing in disguise for Bo Pelini’s squad, who figure
to welcome back star QB Taylor Martinez from a left foot injury. Whether the enigmatic signal-caller starts is
uncertain, but he will certainly see game action. Redshirt freshman Tommy
Armstrong Jr. will start if Martinez can’t, and has been preparing with the
first team offense this week.
The prospect of Martinez taking the field is a dose of timely
good news for the Huskers, who prepare for a stretch run through November well
placed in the race for Big Ten Legends Division honours (they sit half a game
behind Michigan State), and a place in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Minnesota (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten), without head coach Jerry Kill,
who is receiving treatment for epilepsy, had a strong win against Northwestern
last week, and seem to be carrying some momentum and are were clearly emotional
after beating the Wildcats last week, with Kill making a surprise attendance to
rev his team up at half-time. It clearly lifted the team, and they will need to
lift again to draw themselves to .500 in Big Ten play.
Offense has been a problem for the Gophers this year, and it
was painfully evident in back-to-back losses against Iowa and Michigan before
the team bounced back against Northwestern last week. They’ve been somewhat
bailed out by their defense, but making big plays against a suspect Nebraska
defense is crucial.
History says the Gophers are in trouble in this one: Nebraska
has the edge here, having won sixteen straight, including a dominant victory in
Lincoln last November. I think they win fairly comfortably on Saturday, particularly
if Martinez starts.
North
Carolina State at No. 2 Florida State (6.30am; ESPN/ESPN-HD)
This should be an
easy day at the office second-ranked Seminoles (6-0, 4-0 ACC), but the Wolfpack
(3-3, 0-3 ACC) have been known to spring the upset every now and again. FSU
coach Jimbo Fisher knows that better than most; the Seminoles lost 17-16 in
Raleigh last year, a stinging, unexpected defeat that knocked them out of BCS Championship
Game contention.
A year later, and the Seminoles welcome North Carolina State
into Tallahassee a week after an impressive 51-14 demolition job of Clemson on
the road. In every facet of the game, the ‘Noles were superb in Memorial
Stadium, no easy place to win, let alone thoroughly dominate proceedings. QB
Jameis Winston is a legitimate superstar/Heisman Trophy candidate, and should
be far too much for Dave Doeren’s NC State defense to handle. I don’t see FSU
sleeping on this one, not after last year’s loss.
Interestingly, the Wolfpack are the only team who can boast a
winning record against Florida State during Jimbo Fisher’s reign in
Tallahassee. Unfortunately, it won’t help them this week. The Wolfpack are
going into a hostile environment, and simply don’t have enough firepower to
match it with the Seminoles.
No. 9 Clemson
at Maryland (6.30am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
A week after being thoroughly embarrassed by a rampaging
Florida State squad, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers (6-1, 4-1 ACC) will be out for
revenge against a Maryland (5-2, 1-2 ACC) squad who had their own troubles with
Florida State a few weeks back – they were expected to challenge the ‘Noles,
but instead sustained a 63-0 loss – and need a bounce-back win to keep pace in
the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Offensive coordinator Chad Morris wants the Clemson offense
to get back to basics, a week after finding it nigh on impossible to execute
even the most basic of plays against Florida State’s defense. Thankfully, the
Tigers should find it easier going against the Terps defenders, allowing WR
Sammy Watkins, who was noticeably a ghost on the field against Florida State,
to find his game-breaking touch again. Same goes for QB Tajh Boyd, who played
his worst game of his Clemson career at the worst possible time last week.
Two years ago, Maryland put together a furious second-half
rally, coming from eighteen points down to win 56-45 in a game that featured
little defense and many big plays. It won’t be easy for the Terps, who are without
two key receivers, Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, who both suffered broken legs
during Maryland’s 34-10 loss to Wake Forest last week. Coach Randy Edsall is
running out of offensive weapons.
Stinging from the loss – one televised nationally, no less –
against Florida State should be about all the impetus Clemson need to get back
on track. I expect big games from Boyd and Watkins, and from the excellent
Tiger defensive front, sack machines to a man, and the combination will be too
much for the Terps. Clemson wins big.
Penn State
at No. 4 Ohio State (11.00am; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
Undefeated, but far from impressive in their wins this
season. That’s my read on Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes squad. In a year where the
overall strength of the Big Ten is down, Ohio State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) haven’t scored
enough ‘style points’ and will find it hard to push their way into the BCS
National Championship picture, even if they run the table and finish
undefeated.
That said, a Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the
Rose Bowl Game remain well in arm’s reach for the Buckeyes. They would be wise
not to overlook an underrated Penn State (4-2, 1-1, Big Ten) squad, who’ve had
an up-and-down-year – big win against Michigan, bad loss against Central
Florida – and the Nittany Lions head to Columbus with thoughts of continuing the
run of recent big-time upsets in college football.
Whilst Penn State had a bye week, the Buckeyes scratched their
way to a less than impressive 34-24 win against Iowa, during which their suspect
defense did some good things, but were also gashed by Hawkeyes QB Jake Ruddock,
who threw an 85-yard touchdown pass. Meyer can’t be happy with the OSU
defenders, particularly not the secondary, which has given up big pass plays routinely.
Underestimate Penn State at your peril – most likely buzzwords
for Urban Meyer’s coaching staff this week in Columbus. Their fighting spirit
is immense. We saw that against Michigan when they came back to tie the game,
and ultimately win a wild, multiple-OT game. Bill O’Brien has instilled a real belief
in this team, down on scholarships and without a chance to go to a post-season
Bowl game due to major NCAA sanctions.
The way the Nittany Lions played against Michigan, they are a
sneaky chance for a major upset, but it’ll take their absolute best
performance. At home, with a vocal crowd at their backs, I think the Buckeyes
win narrowly, but it won’t be pretty, and if I had to pick an Upset Watch for
the week, this game would be it.
No. 6 Stanford
at No. 25 Oregon State (1.00pm; ESPN2/ESPN2-HD)
This one could very well have been the Game of the Week, were
it not for the Ducks and the Bruins. Nonetheless, it’s an intriguing contest between
Stanford (6-1, 4-1, Pac-12), whose fortunes have been well discussed around the
college football world, against Mike Riley’s Oregon State (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12),
who have managed to fly under the radar since losing their opener to FCS power
Eastern Washington.
Quietly, the
Beavers have become one of the nation’s most flamboyant, high-scoring offenses.
After losing to EWU in the opener, they’ve rattled off six straight wins.
A seventh win would match a mark that they haven’t achieved since 2000.
Beavers QB Sean
Mannion deserves to be a serious Heisman candidate He leads the nation with
2,992 passing yards and is second with 29 touchdowns to just three picks. WR Brandin
Cooks has 76 catches, 1,176 yards and twelve scores. The combination is potent
in a Baylor sort of way. They’re lighting up scoreboards in a similar fashion,
too, just with far less attention than the Bears down in Texas.
Obviously, Stanford’s
defense will have their hands full, but they are proven performers, holding
UCLA to a paltry 266 yards of total offense in their 24-10 triumph against
previously-undefeated Bruins last week. The Cardinal offense would benefit from
having WR Devon Cajuste on the field, but he’ll be watching from the sidelines
after injuring a leg last week. Taking away QB Kevin Hogan’s favourite target
is going to make things more difficult.
I’m taking Oregon
State in this one. The program is in need of a real signature to elevate itself
to the upper echelon of the Pac-12 conference – a lofty place to be at the
present moment – and I think it comes on Saturday night.
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