Party in Jersey!
How about that Big East Conference?!?!? Two weeks in a row, two great games. The unraveling of the top 10 is beginning, could we see more this weekend??? I think we just might...
Rutgers 28/Louisville 25:
OK, so I had a write-up ready to post before the game, but I never made it to it (in-laws in town). So I'm scraping it and starting over. What a terrific game this was. On one hand, I felt Rutgers made a handful of just bad mistakes and that was the reason they weren't tied or at least closer than 11 points at halftime. It seemed as if no one wanted to make a play. Oh yea, and a blocked field goal isn't like a punt - you may want to jump on it. That silence you heard was the whistles NOT being blown - PICK UP THE BALL AND RUN!! Mind boggling.
Talk about putting all together. People will be talking left and right about how this proves the Big East is weak or that Rutgers is worthy of BCS Championship nods, etc. Either way, Rutgers played an absolutely terrific game. They were well prepared for Louisville's offense and plum shut them down. Kudos to those guys and to Rutgers fans - that was a big BIG win. Rice was spectacular - 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. Louisville's defense is still questionable at best, I just don't think Rutgers has a terrific offense outside of Ray Rice at running back (say that 5 times real fast). The QB Teel is not so hot.
I was worried about Louisville having a let down following last week's win - I really think that played a big part. Brohm was terrible and his coach was kicking his ass all game. Will be interesting to see how these guys bounce back - they still go to Pittsburgh and host South Florida, both pretty good teams.
One thing I will say; I was a bit surprised that Rutgers wasn't more aggressive with a minute and a half to go in the half. I felt like they could have made a good run for a field goal or even a TD. Clearly it didn't matter. What a way to end a game too - 5th sack of the game. But, either way, I think you have to be more aggressive down by two scores going into the half.
Don't you know the Rutgers kicker is so thankful for an over-aggressive defensive end!! What a travesty that would have been had they lost in OT. Lucky bastard.
Oh yea, and this is REALLY good for Texas. And for the record, I had picked Rutgers winning 33-31, I swear!
Texas Tech (6-4) at Oklahoma (7-2):
Does anyone remember the phantom win that Tech had last year in Lubbock? 3 back-to-back-to-back insanely bad calls led to Tech stealing a win away from the Sooners. Well, payback's a bitch sometimes. Look for Tech to, yet again this year, get stopped cold in its tracks as the Sooners hold the Raiders to unusually low stats.
Oklahoma - 31
Texas Tech - 17
Boise State (9-0) at San Jose State (6-2) - UPSET SPECIAL???:
I got nothing here - I just really want BSU to lose so it diminishes the chances that Texas will play them in the Fiesta Bowl, have a let down and lose.
San Jose State - 35
Boise State - 28
Tennessee (7-2) at Arkansas (8-1):
It's tough to call it an upset special when the teams are so close. Tennessee is coming off of a loss - that's not good for the Hogs. The Vols' losses have come at home whereas they have looked surprisingly good on the road. Arkansas is switching QBs and they have a strong reliance on the running game - which will keep it close as the Vols' rushing defense is ranked in the bottom half of the conference. However, you think they may be a bit disgruntled and looking for payback after the LSU game? Arkansas is too shaky on offense given the QB situation, but they do have the RB who can make some plays and McFadden alone should keep them in the game if he's on. On the flip side, the biggest question will be can Vols backup QB Jonathan Crompton build on his nice outing from last week. Hopefully they won't need him to make any 40+ yard plays to come back and win - if they can keep him mobile and within 20 yard passes, I think Tennessee wins this game.
Tennessee - 28
Arkansas - 24
Oregon (7-2) at USC (7-1):
The most intriguing element of this game is USC - have they finally put it all together? I know they were playing the worst team in the Pac 10 last week when they abused Stanford, but the word on the street is they looked like a different team in terms of the little things. Oregon is, however, no pushover - they can move the ball and they can score quick - the Ducks are averaging 253 through the air, but they are also putting up 206 on the ground as compared to USC's 145. In classic Pac 10 fashion, this may come down to who has the ball last. Here's one stat for you - since 2001, when USC scores more than 30 points they only have 3 losses - when that gets up to 40 and 50 points or more, they have not lost. What's the morale here? Keep the Trojans below 30 points. Unfortunately for the wardrobe show that is Oregon, that's easier said than done.
USC - 38
Oregon - 31
Nebraska (7-3) at Texas A&M (8-2):
Yet again, the Aggies are playing in a big game this weekend. Still a heartbreaker loss from last week. Franchione seems to be taking some heat from last week's conservative play - and deservedly so. Once I can see, but twice? Thought I was watching the Horns from 3 years ago. Still, he's got this Aggie team at 8-2 following a 5-6 season. Unfortunately for Fran, his record against the conference "elite" is abysmal including Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. He's got 2 of those to close out the year.
With that said I'm picking the Aggies to nut up and pull out a close win here. If they lose this I'll be paying extra close attention to Aggie chatter and news.
Texas A&M - 27
Nebraska - 23
Texas (9-1) at Kansas State (6-4):
I will say this, Kansas State has overachieved this year behind yet another freshman QB. With that said I see a huge blowout coming this Saturday. Texas' stock is rising following the USC loss and other "close call" games by the surrounding teams in the polls. With the Louisville loss and a big win this weekend, Texas may be in prime position. Look for Colt to have another solid game although not as many yards/TDs as recent games. KSU has a very weak running defense which should allow our backs to control the clock and hopefully breaking a couple of big ones. Look for Texas to continue to build it's resume with a nice road win against a winning, bowl team.
Texas - 49
Kansas State - 17
Keep an Eye on…
S. Carolina at Florida. The Ball Coach got his former school last year, but it will be tough in the swamp. Still, Florida seems to be barely hanging on at times - and who can blame them!! Go back and take a look at the schedule they've played this year. It's impressive and it's not done.
They had a semi-down game last weekend against Vanderbilt and may be wearing down. Just a heads up…
Stay tuned later this weekend for the wrap-ups on the games and my take on the "Colt for Heisman" talk. Outlandish? Premature? Deserved? Probably a little of all 3.
Enjoy the games this weekend.
Rutgers 28/Louisville 25:
OK, so I had a write-up ready to post before the game, but I never made it to it (in-laws in town). So I'm scraping it and starting over. What a terrific game this was. On one hand, I felt Rutgers made a handful of just bad mistakes and that was the reason they weren't tied or at least closer than 11 points at halftime. It seemed as if no one wanted to make a play. Oh yea, and a blocked field goal isn't like a punt - you may want to jump on it. That silence you heard was the whistles NOT being blown - PICK UP THE BALL AND RUN!! Mind boggling.
Talk about putting all together. People will be talking left and right about how this proves the Big East is weak or that Rutgers is worthy of BCS Championship nods, etc. Either way, Rutgers played an absolutely terrific game. They were well prepared for Louisville's offense and plum shut them down. Kudos to those guys and to Rutgers fans - that was a big BIG win. Rice was spectacular - 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. Louisville's defense is still questionable at best, I just don't think Rutgers has a terrific offense outside of Ray Rice at running back (say that 5 times real fast). The QB Teel is not so hot.
I was worried about Louisville having a let down following last week's win - I really think that played a big part. Brohm was terrible and his coach was kicking his ass all game. Will be interesting to see how these guys bounce back - they still go to Pittsburgh and host South Florida, both pretty good teams.
One thing I will say; I was a bit surprised that Rutgers wasn't more aggressive with a minute and a half to go in the half. I felt like they could have made a good run for a field goal or even a TD. Clearly it didn't matter. What a way to end a game too - 5th sack of the game. But, either way, I think you have to be more aggressive down by two scores going into the half.
Don't you know the Rutgers kicker is so thankful for an over-aggressive defensive end!! What a travesty that would have been had they lost in OT. Lucky bastard.
Oh yea, and this is REALLY good for Texas. And for the record, I had picked Rutgers winning 33-31, I swear!
Texas Tech (6-4) at Oklahoma (7-2):
Does anyone remember the phantom win that Tech had last year in Lubbock? 3 back-to-back-to-back insanely bad calls led to Tech stealing a win away from the Sooners. Well, payback's a bitch sometimes. Look for Tech to, yet again this year, get stopped cold in its tracks as the Sooners hold the Raiders to unusually low stats.
Oklahoma - 31
Texas Tech - 17
Boise State (9-0) at San Jose State (6-2) - UPSET SPECIAL???:
I got nothing here - I just really want BSU to lose so it diminishes the chances that Texas will play them in the Fiesta Bowl, have a let down and lose.
San Jose State - 35
Boise State - 28
Tennessee (7-2) at Arkansas (8-1):
It's tough to call it an upset special when the teams are so close. Tennessee is coming off of a loss - that's not good for the Hogs. The Vols' losses have come at home whereas they have looked surprisingly good on the road. Arkansas is switching QBs and they have a strong reliance on the running game - which will keep it close as the Vols' rushing defense is ranked in the bottom half of the conference. However, you think they may be a bit disgruntled and looking for payback after the LSU game? Arkansas is too shaky on offense given the QB situation, but they do have the RB who can make some plays and McFadden alone should keep them in the game if he's on. On the flip side, the biggest question will be can Vols backup QB Jonathan Crompton build on his nice outing from last week. Hopefully they won't need him to make any 40+ yard plays to come back and win - if they can keep him mobile and within 20 yard passes, I think Tennessee wins this game.
Tennessee - 28
Arkansas - 24
Oregon (7-2) at USC (7-1):
The most intriguing element of this game is USC - have they finally put it all together? I know they were playing the worst team in the Pac 10 last week when they abused Stanford, but the word on the street is they looked like a different team in terms of the little things. Oregon is, however, no pushover - they can move the ball and they can score quick - the Ducks are averaging 253 through the air, but they are also putting up 206 on the ground as compared to USC's 145. In classic Pac 10 fashion, this may come down to who has the ball last. Here's one stat for you - since 2001, when USC scores more than 30 points they only have 3 losses - when that gets up to 40 and 50 points or more, they have not lost. What's the morale here? Keep the Trojans below 30 points. Unfortunately for the wardrobe show that is Oregon, that's easier said than done.
USC - 38
Oregon - 31
Nebraska (7-3) at Texas A&M (8-2):
Yet again, the Aggies are playing in a big game this weekend. Still a heartbreaker loss from last week. Franchione seems to be taking some heat from last week's conservative play - and deservedly so. Once I can see, but twice? Thought I was watching the Horns from 3 years ago. Still, he's got this Aggie team at 8-2 following a 5-6 season. Unfortunately for Fran, his record against the conference "elite" is abysmal including Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. He's got 2 of those to close out the year.
With that said I'm picking the Aggies to nut up and pull out a close win here. If they lose this I'll be paying extra close attention to Aggie chatter and news.
Texas A&M - 27
Nebraska - 23
Texas (9-1) at Kansas State (6-4):
I will say this, Kansas State has overachieved this year behind yet another freshman QB. With that said I see a huge blowout coming this Saturday. Texas' stock is rising following the USC loss and other "close call" games by the surrounding teams in the polls. With the Louisville loss and a big win this weekend, Texas may be in prime position. Look for Colt to have another solid game although not as many yards/TDs as recent games. KSU has a very weak running defense which should allow our backs to control the clock and hopefully breaking a couple of big ones. Look for Texas to continue to build it's resume with a nice road win against a winning, bowl team.
Texas - 49
Kansas State - 17
Keep an Eye on…
S. Carolina at Florida. The Ball Coach got his former school last year, but it will be tough in the swamp. Still, Florida seems to be barely hanging on at times - and who can blame them!! Go back and take a look at the schedule they've played this year. It's impressive and it's not done.
They had a semi-down game last weekend against Vanderbilt and may be wearing down. Just a heads up…
Stay tuned later this weekend for the wrap-ups on the games and my take on the "Colt for Heisman" talk. Outlandish? Premature? Deserved? Probably a little of all 3.
Enjoy the games this weekend.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 11:52 PM
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