Games of the Day

Ohio State at Michigan: The Wolverines welcome Ohio State to the Big House today in the latest installment of this storied rivalry. Clearly Michigan is not playing at the high level it is used to and Ohio State has already clinched the Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Despite all that, you never know what is going to happen in these rivalry games. Ohio State should be able to score at will and win this game going away against a soft Michigan defense. I imagine the Wolverines will keep this game close for a little while, but Ohio State should pull away. One thing is for sure, Rich Rodriguez could definitely use an upset to help get some of the Wolverine faithful off his back.

Cal at Stanford: Stanford is easily playing the best football in the country right now as they welcome the Cal Golden Bears to town for "The Big Game." Hard to imagine Cal pulling this one out, especially without star running back Javhid Best. Best will miss today's game as he continues to recover from a severe concussion suffered in the game against Oregon State. Andrew Luck, Toby Gerhart and the entire Cardinal offense has been absolutely rolling in recent weeks. The overpowering run game allows Stanford to get a lead and then just take the air out of the ball and control the clock. I think this game is closer than you would guess, but Stanford comes out on top.

Oregon at Arizona: In a wide open Pac Ten, there are still multiple teams fighting for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Arizona needs the win to remain in contention. Oregon would seem to be the better team, but Arizona is incredibly tough to play at home. Mike Stoops has the Wildcat defense playing at a high level and QB Nick Foles is one of the better, unknown players in the country. I think Arizona takes this one and joins the rest of the teams atop the Pac Ten.

A Look Back at Saturday's Games

The Iowa Hawkeyes luck finally ran out, taking them out of BCS title contention. They have trailed at the half in every game this season, but had come back to win them all before yesterday. They now will have to win at Ohio State to give themselves a shot at the Rose Bowl. Hard to imagine anybody being surprised to see them lose.

Florida and Texas both kept their undefeated records intact by beating Vanderbilt and Central Florida respectively. We really do not learn anything from either game against obviously inferior opponents. Florida had no choice as it was a conference game, but Texas picked this game. That wraps up their grueling non-conference schedule featuring games against powerhouses like Louisiana Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP and now Central Florida. It would have been nice to see them schedule at least one legitimate non-conference game. When the BCS standings are released this afternoon, we will likely see the Longhorns back in the third spot behind Alabama.

Alabama kept a zero in the loss column with a win over LSU. The game was a bit sloppy and I am still not convinced that the Alabama offense will be able to do enough to win against a team with a top defense. They look very inconsistent and have to settle for field goals way too often. We again saw a terrible call by SEC replay officials play a significant role in the outcome of this game. Officials upheld an incomplete pass call on an LSU interception late in the game despite replays clearly showing Patrick Peterson getting his foot down inside the line. The call allowed Alabama to kick a field goal and go up by two scores with only 3 minutes left, rather than the Tigers having the ball with a chance to win. It has not been a good year for SEC officiating, to put it mildly. Alabama now clinches a spot in the SEC title game against Florida.

I would say that Oregon fell trap to the "letdown" game against Stanford, but that would be selling Stanford short. Stanford and running back Toby Gerhart ran all over the Oregon and dominated the Duck defense. Oregon's offense gave it their best shot, but Stanford was just too much to handle.

Quick Hits:
USC gets back in the win column, but looks very pedestrian in doing so.

Notre Dame loses to Navy again. Charlie Weiss has got to be getting nervous.

McCoy to Shipley is the best QB/WR combo and it is not even close.

Iowa and Penn State losing has got to help Boise State's chances of a BCS berth.

Toby Gerhart is a MAN

Toby Gerhart showed Saturday why he has to be considered among the top running backs in the country. He carried the ball an astounding 38 times for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even more, he crushed the will of the Oregon Duck defenders. Stanford continually ran the traditional "power" running play and Oregon had no answer. It was clear from the beginning that Gerhart had demoralized the Oregon defense and they could do nothing about it. Redshirt freshman QB Andrew Luck also had a solid game to provide some balance, but it was clear that Stanford knew they could control the game by running the ball. The Oregon offense did its best to try and rally at the end, but it was to no avail. Stanford will now travel to the Coliseum to take on USC and the Trojans defenders better be ready for a long night.

Oregon Getting Pounded, Alabama Trailing at the Half

The Stanford Cardinal are running all over the Oregon Ducks as they have taken a 31-14 lead into halftime. Toby Gerhart is demoralizing the Duck defense with 23 carries and 110 yards through the first 2 quarters. If they are not running with Gerhart, the Cardinal are gashing Oregon through the air behind superstar freshman QB Andrew Luck. Stanford has already put 316 yards of offense on the board and has Oregon completely out of sorts. It looks like the famous letdown game may have jumped up to bite the Oregon Ducks. If they want any chance at a comeback, they better tighten their chin straps and find the will to stop Gerhart in the second half.

In Tuscaloosa, the LSU Tigers have taken a 10-7 halftime lead into the locker room. Alabama's inability to mount any sort of offense in the red zone is killing them again. QB Greg McElroy missed a wide open Julio Jones in the end zone on one drive, which ended in a field goal, and McElroy ended the first half throwing an ugly interception near the goal line. Alabama was able to get away with settling for field goals against the Vols, but LSU has far too many athletes to get away with it today. LSU corner Patrick Peterson has been dominant, virtually shutting down Julio Jones. It looks like Alabama may join Iowa in the loss column today.

College Football Preview

This weekends slate of games does not feature many matchups of top teams, but there are a few games of note.

LSU at Alabama: The ninth ranked LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on number three Alabama. Alabama is coming off of a bye week following a down to the wire game against Tennessee. Alabama will have to be better than they were against the Volunteers. While not looking as impressive as they did at the start of the season, the Crimson Tide has still managed to come out on top in every game they have played. They were fortunate against Tennessee to have Lane Kiffin's special teams be a complete mess. LSU will not afford them the same luxury. LSU is a good team with only one loss, but I do not think they get it done against an Alabama team that has had two weeks to prepare. Do not be surprised if we have a close contest, however, because LSU certainly has enough athletes to make some plays. An upset would not be shocking, but I see Alabama winning the game by two scores.

Ohio State at Penn State: The Buckeyes go into Happy Valley looking to put a solid win on their resume. To this point, they really have only played one top team, USC at home, and lost. Their next three games at Penn State, home against Iowa and at Michigan give them a chance to finish strong. It will be a tough task this weekend against a Penn State team that seems to have found its stride. They field a very solid defense that should be able to contain Terrelle Pryor on the ground and turn him into a passer, which greatly reduces his effectiveness. On the offensive side of the ball, QB Daryll Clark and RB Evan Royster lead an explosive attack that can put points up in a hurry. Look for Ohio State to leave town with a third loss on the board.

USC at Arizona State: Most years, we would simply be discussing how many points the Trojans will win by. This year is a bit of a different story. For the first time in recent history, USC will be coming off of a big loss in which they were completely dominated on both sides of the ball. How will they react? They clearly do not have the same amount of experience as last year's team, but some would argue they have as much, if not more, talent. We have not seen it yet this year, and I don't know that we will. Arizona State, however, is definitely in a down year. Look for the Trojans to come out playing angry, inspired football and get themselves back in the win column. I do not see this game being close.

A couple of other games to keep an eye on are Oregon at Stanford and Northwestern at Iowa. If Oregon comes out with any sort of let down after last weeks big win, Stanford has the talent to beat them. On the flip side, Iowa has to avoid looking ahead to its last big game next week at Ohio State. Northwestern hung tough with Penn State into the second half last week and will not be a walk over.

Quick Hits From Yesterday's College Football Action

For the first time in a few weeks Florida looked convincing in their win over Georgia. They could be hitting their stride at the right time. Georgia is not a great all around team, but neither are some of the teams they have struggled against. I would still like to see them against a top tier team that can play on both sides of the ball. Offenses in the SEC are way down this year which has let the top teams struggle and still come away with wins.

Colt McCoy and the Texas offense are finally coming together. They had struggled to find any consistency all season, but the last two weeks have been a different story. To perform the way they did on the road last night shows me they are hitting on all cylinders again. I would take them over either SEC team right now. Let's see if they jump ahead of Alabama for the number 2 spot in the BCS who was idle yesterday.

Oregon made a huge statement. While many experts said USC would have a down year this season by their standards, a win over the Trojans is still a big deal. They completely dominated USC on both sides of the ball. There is not a team in the country who wants to play them right now. It will be interesting to see how far they move up in the BCS standings.

If only the computers had eyes. The computers will likely still have Iowa at the top of their rankings. Does anyone really think they could beat the other top teams? I am not sure they would be favored to beat anyone else in the top 10. If they do run the table and get beat out for a spot in the title game by a one loss SEC team, they will not have much of an argument. They have struggled to get through a very weak conference.

Oregon Proves They Are For Real

Before the college football season started many people looked at the Oregon Ducks as one of the top teams in the country. Then came their season opening loss at Boise State. In a nationally televised game, the Oregon Ducks were dominated by Boise State and then lost their top running back to suspension for punching a Boise State player after the game. Since that loss, Oregon has gained momentum again by dominating every opponent they have faced. Many people would have told you that coming into tonight's game against USC, they were playing better than anyone in the country. Watching them go up and down the field against USC, it would be hard to argue with that idea. They took it to a USC defense that came into the game as the Pac 10's number 1 rush defense and pass rush. Oregon has officially announced that they are a force to be reckoned with. A win over perennial power USC will make everyone pay attention. With Texas' victory over Oklahoma State, Oregon is likely headed to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. USC will now likely be looking at a non BCS bowl game for the first time in 7 seasons.

A Look at Some of Saturday's Key Games

This Saturday's college football schedule features 3 big games. Let's take a quick look at each of them.

Texas at Oklahoma State: The number 5 Longhorns travel to Stillwater to take on number 14 Oklahoma State. This will be the last big test for an undefeated Texas team looking to return to the BCS title game. The Cowboys are led by quarterback Zach Robinson, who is among the best in the country. They will, however, be without star wide receiver Dez Bryant who remains suspended for the balance of the season. Texas comes in fresh off of their best offensive performance of the season, a 41 - 7 victory over Missouri. If the offense can carry it's rhythm into this game, the Longhorns should be able to escape with their undefeated record in tact. Aside from last week, however, the offense has struggled to stay consistent. Look for the hostile Stillwater crowd to keep the offense off balance and help keep this game close. Oklahoma State will have a chance to win this game late, and I would not be surprised to see an upset.

USC at Oregon: In a battle of top 10 teams, USC travels to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks. You could make the argument that Oregon is playing better football than anyone in the country right now. After a season opening loss at Boise State, the Ducks have come back to look like the team they were thought to be prior to the season. The winner of this game will likely end the year as the Pac 10 champion and guarantee themselves a spot in a BCS game. Autzen Stadium is one of the tougher places in the country for visiting teams. A prime time, Saturday night game should have the crowd at a fevered pitch all night. USC and freshman quarterback can look to their experience at Ohio State to help deal with the crowd noise. I would give a slight edge to USC on both the sides of the ball, but special teams could play a big role in this game. USC has a dynamic punt returner in Damian Williams, but their kicking game has struggled at times this year. The USC offense could also be without tight end Anthony McCoy, who is nursing a sore ankle. McCoy has proven to be the safety valve for Matt Barkley all season. Oregon will look to run the football with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and speedster LaMichael James. If the Trojans fill the box against the run, look out for Oregon tight end Ed Dickson to make some key catches. USC's balanced offense should be able to run the ball early to help setup the passing game. Overall, the difference will be the wide receiver's from USC taking advantage of the Oregon secondary to win a close game.

Georgia at Florida: Georgia will take on top ranked Florida in the annual showdown known as the "Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." Florida has shown signs of vulnerability the last couple of weeks as the offense has struggled to be as dynamic as we are used to. You could easily make the argument that if it were not for some very questionable officiating, we would be looking at a Gator team with at least one loss. The lack of a big time receiver has been more of a problem than most thought. Fortunately, they have one of the best defenses in the country. Georgia does not have the talent to match Florida, but anything can happen in a rivalry game. If Georgia can force Florida into a couple of turnovers as Mississippi State did last week, they can stay in this game and give themselves a chance to win. In the end, I expect Florida's talent to be too much for Georgia to handle.