I know there is already a College Football thread, but I think its easier to seperate it out into each week anyways...plus, I wanted to share another installment of something I wrote last week:
Can You Do The Can-Can?
A five step program to the games of the weekend in...
College football (Week 5)
1. The Game. Plainly and surely, this rivalry, with yearly matchups named just "The Game", in Michigan is absolutely going to be an exciting game. Students screaming, mascots fighting, bands playing. Michigan has played two ranked teams this year and lost, albeit by a total of 10 points. Notre Dame and Wisconsin both slipped by the young Wolverines team, and Michigan's schedule doesn't let up, at least quite yet, with two games against ranked teams in the next two weeks. Michigan State, inversely, beat Notre Dame in a thriller, and is looking to defeat another perenial competitor. Can Michigan State QB Drew Stanton keep up the pace he has set in the first 4 games, passing for 13 TDs through a 73.1% completion rate and only 2 INTs, and push past rival Michigan? Can Michigan RB Michael Hart prove last year wasn't just a fluke (1455 yards, 9 TDs) and push this Michigan team back into prominence?
2. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Many studies have been done, none deffinetively. How many years does it take for a new NCAA D-1 team take to get good enough to decimate a top 25 team? This question, luckily, seems easier to answer, especially because it happened last week. After 8 years as a D-1 team, South Florida obliterated a stacked Louisville team whom no one expected to lose this week. Wait, that's wrong. USF's coach, always the optimist, saw a victory going into that game. Is he crazy enough to see the same going into a game against the ninth ranked team, nationally hyped Miami (FL)? Miami could very easily be undefeated and highly ranked, losing only to rival Florida State 7-10. Luckily for them, they are 2-1 and have held onto a ranking of 9th, not too shabby for any regular team. That said, Florida is hungry for a win, especially against an opponent who has, for the last week, talked about possibly upsetting Florida. Can Miami hold off a surge from the south, as it were, and defeat a team made up of the Big Three (Miami, Florida, Florida State) rejects? Or can the Bulls play hard-nose defense and make big plays offensively and on special teams to make it a two game upset streak?
3. And so, another clash of top-15 teams comes this week. #5 Florida travels to #15 Alabama to face a Crimson Tide who has won 4 not-so-blow-outs. Alabama has to its credit a 14-6 TD to TDs allowed ratio, which seems respectable but is not amazing, considering who they have played. Also, Alabama's rush defense is formidable, but its pass defense can not be acknowledged the same respect. Florida hopes to take advantage of that, with QB Chris Leak looking to continue his dominance of opponents (11 TDs, 71.1% completion, 0 INTs). WR Chad Johnson sure hopes Leak can do so, because he has benefited greatly, catching for 400 years and 6 scores in the 4 games this year. Can Chris Leak toy with Alabama's defense while his own D hopes to continue its own dominance, with 7 INTs this year, allowing Florida to continue down its road to an unblemished season (although they have LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Florida state remaining on the schedule)? Can Alabama overachieve and beat a hugely talented Urban Meyer coached Florida team?
4. There isn't only one double-ranked matchup this weekend. Purdue hosts Notre Dame by trying to bounce back from a loss to #18 Minnesota. Both with one loss, these teams need this game to stay in the race for a big bowl game at the end of the season, especially with two more ranked teams in their future. Notre Dame needs this especially dearly because it plays the queso grande, #1 USC, as well as #10 Tennesee. Charlie Weis led Notre Dame goes in sporting (no pun intended) overachieving QB Brady Quinn and RB Darius Walker, but feels confident he can beat the underachieving Purdue offense in a shootout, and outplay the Purdue defense in a slugfest. Purdue is baffled by its late lost to Minnesota and hopes to beat THIS ranked team. Can the Boilermakers shake the loss and prevent itself from dropping two in a row to become 2-2? Can the Irish warm up for USC with a win over ranked Purdue?
5. Everyone assumes a win from the hugely favorited. Does no one think people betted for Goliath to beat David? Given, Arizona State isn't David compared to this Goliath-ly skilled USC team, but the task they are facing is daunting. QB Sam Keller has slaughtered opponents this year through the year, going for 1443 yards and 16 TDs with just 2 INTs, and he prays USC will show some kind of secondary weakness this week. After outscoring opponents 178-47 this season, USC has showed it can beat the lesser teams. This week is its first chance to play a fairly respectable team, and it won't be their last. They also play at #13 Notre Dame, at #12 Cal, and versus #20 UCLA. If USC is down at the half this week, it most likely will be more like 35-28 instead of 13-10. Can Arizona State beat the seemingly unbeatable, arguably best-ever CFB team? Can USC stem Keller's passing game and show the nation the first half off last week was just a fluke?
...only time will tell.
Can You Do The Can-Can?
A five step program to the games of the weekend in...
College football (Week 5)
1. The Game. Plainly and surely, this rivalry, with yearly matchups named just "The Game", in Michigan is absolutely going to be an exciting game. Students screaming, mascots fighting, bands playing. Michigan has played two ranked teams this year and lost, albeit by a total of 10 points. Notre Dame and Wisconsin both slipped by the young Wolverines team, and Michigan's schedule doesn't let up, at least quite yet, with two games against ranked teams in the next two weeks. Michigan State, inversely, beat Notre Dame in a thriller, and is looking to defeat another perenial competitor. Can Michigan State QB Drew Stanton keep up the pace he has set in the first 4 games, passing for 13 TDs through a 73.1% completion rate and only 2 INTs, and push past rival Michigan? Can Michigan RB Michael Hart prove last year wasn't just a fluke (1455 yards, 9 TDs) and push this Michigan team back into prominence?
2. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Many studies have been done, none deffinetively. How many years does it take for a new NCAA D-1 team take to get good enough to decimate a top 25 team? This question, luckily, seems easier to answer, especially because it happened last week. After 8 years as a D-1 team, South Florida obliterated a stacked Louisville team whom no one expected to lose this week. Wait, that's wrong. USF's coach, always the optimist, saw a victory going into that game. Is he crazy enough to see the same going into a game against the ninth ranked team, nationally hyped Miami (FL)? Miami could very easily be undefeated and highly ranked, losing only to rival Florida State 7-10. Luckily for them, they are 2-1 and have held onto a ranking of 9th, not too shabby for any regular team. That said, Florida is hungry for a win, especially against an opponent who has, for the last week, talked about possibly upsetting Florida. Can Miami hold off a surge from the south, as it were, and defeat a team made up of the Big Three (Miami, Florida, Florida State) rejects? Or can the Bulls play hard-nose defense and make big plays offensively and on special teams to make it a two game upset streak?
3. And so, another clash of top-15 teams comes this week. #5 Florida travels to #15 Alabama to face a Crimson Tide who has won 4 not-so-blow-outs. Alabama has to its credit a 14-6 TD to TDs allowed ratio, which seems respectable but is not amazing, considering who they have played. Also, Alabama's rush defense is formidable, but its pass defense can not be acknowledged the same respect. Florida hopes to take advantage of that, with QB Chris Leak looking to continue his dominance of opponents (11 TDs, 71.1% completion, 0 INTs). WR Chad Johnson sure hopes Leak can do so, because he has benefited greatly, catching for 400 years and 6 scores in the 4 games this year. Can Chris Leak toy with Alabama's defense while his own D hopes to continue its own dominance, with 7 INTs this year, allowing Florida to continue down its road to an unblemished season (although they have LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Florida state remaining on the schedule)? Can Alabama overachieve and beat a hugely talented Urban Meyer coached Florida team?
4. There isn't only one double-ranked matchup this weekend. Purdue hosts Notre Dame by trying to bounce back from a loss to #18 Minnesota. Both with one loss, these teams need this game to stay in the race for a big bowl game at the end of the season, especially with two more ranked teams in their future. Notre Dame needs this especially dearly because it plays the queso grande, #1 USC, as well as #10 Tennesee. Charlie Weis led Notre Dame goes in sporting (no pun intended) overachieving QB Brady Quinn and RB Darius Walker, but feels confident he can beat the underachieving Purdue offense in a shootout, and outplay the Purdue defense in a slugfest. Purdue is baffled by its late lost to Minnesota and hopes to beat THIS ranked team. Can the Boilermakers shake the loss and prevent itself from dropping two in a row to become 2-2? Can the Irish warm up for USC with a win over ranked Purdue?
5. Everyone assumes a win from the hugely favorited. Does no one think people betted for Goliath to beat David? Given, Arizona State isn't David compared to this Goliath-ly skilled USC team, but the task they are facing is daunting. QB Sam Keller has slaughtered opponents this year through the year, going for 1443 yards and 16 TDs with just 2 INTs, and he prays USC will show some kind of secondary weakness this week. After outscoring opponents 178-47 this season, USC has showed it can beat the lesser teams. This week is its first chance to play a fairly respectable team, and it won't be their last. They also play at #13 Notre Dame, at #12 Cal, and versus #20 UCLA. If USC is down at the half this week, it most likely will be more like 35-28 instead of 13-10. Can Arizona State beat the seemingly unbeatable, arguably best-ever CFB team? Can USC stem Keller's passing game and show the nation the first half off last week was just a fluke?
...only time will tell.
Still long way to go but I like this! Roll Tide!! It makes my day when Florida loses.
