I just thought I'd preview this week's newsletter by letting everyone know there are a couple of added sections to the newsletter: 1) Fact or Fiction and 2) A Tale of Two Weeks. "Fact or Fiction" will give a question on a topic that has been heavily discussed in the past week or so and my take on it. "A Tale of Two Weeks" will showcase just that, a team's inconsistency from one week to the next. Utah is a prime example. I should warn everyone that I will be in Columbus, Ohio this weekend, so I may not be able to be as detail-oriented with some of my observations as usual, but shall try. It's also Week 5 up and coming, so the debut of My Top 120 poll will be following this weekend's games.
The Bonehead Call of the Week
I'm awarding this to the announcers of the Syracuse/Louisville game this past weekend. Throughout the second half, when it became apparent that there was going to a chance for an upset, the two announcers kept talking about how this potential upset could be bigger than the Appalachian State win at The Big House earlier in the year.
Come on, fellas. This reminds me of an argument made by some directly following the gi-normous upset at The Big House, claiming that Temple's win over Virginia Tech or North Carolina State's victory over Florida State were bigger upsets.
Syracuse over Louisville a bigger upset than Appalachian State over Michigan? What were these two guys smoking? Perhaps, since they were there to experience the event, they wanted to believe what they were saying, they wanted to believe that it was the biggest upset in history, so they could say that they witnessed it. But, it's ridiculous, on several grounds.
First, Syracuse is a I-A school and a former power at that. I don't care how hapless they've been over the past couple/few years, they still bring in a heck of a lot more talent and potential than the William & Mary's of the world. They usually come close to upsetting one team a season. Just ask Iowa. While the Orange didn't beat them last season, if it weren't for a great defensive stand by the Hawkeyes, you can rest assured the 'Cuse would've gotten the W.
Secondly, I don't care who one is talking about, the doormat of a conference is going to upset a conference opponent somewhere down the line. It happens. It's like in the NFL. Division teams have to play each other twice a year. While one club may definitely have the better talent, coaching, and chemistry, that team is not going to win every time against the lesser opponent. Mississippi State just defeated Auburn this year, defeated Florida a few years back, Mississippi almost upset Florida last year and last week, the Indiana's have beaten the Michigans and the Arizona's have beaten the Oregons. Especially if a similar style has been in place at a program for an extended period of time, coaches in-conference are going to have a good feel for what their superior opponent will bring to the game on a Saturday, much more so than a non-conference opponent who may play the club once ever three or four years, if that.
Thirdly, whether one likes it or not, Michigan was undefeated at the time of the loss. It was their opener and a home opener at that. Many sports' writers and analysts thought Michigan would win the Big Ten with no problem and many projected the Wolverines to square off in the National Title game. For them to lose their home opener to I-AA Appalachian State ended an infinite streak of losses by I-AA teams playing ranked I-A opponents. The Mountaineers of Appalachian State became the first I-AA team in history to defeat a ranked I-A club. Louisville came into their game against Syracuse 2-1, with a win over I-AA Murray State, a 58-42 win over winless Middle Tennessee State, and a loss the week prior to Kentucky. They had already lost to Kentucky, were threatened by a winless Blue Raiders' team and their only blow-out win came against a I-AA club, who only won a single game a year ago. If the Syracuse victory came at the very start of the season, directly after the 73-10 win over Murray State, or came toward the end of the year where Louisville was still unbeaten, then I could understand the announcers' claim for a I-A upset, but even in that case, I can't for the life of me compare Syracuse upsetting a Louisville squad with one of the worst defenses in I-A to Appalachian State's historical upset win at The Big House.
The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to Arkansas tailback, Michael Smith. Arkansas had control of their game against Kentucky for 19 minutes and 30 seconds in the first half. They seemed destined to head into halftime with a 20-7 lead, at least, as they were driving their way into field goal range. So, the lead, at worst, would've been 20-7, if not 23-7 with an additional field goal. But, with 26 seconds left in the first half, Smith fumbled the football at the Wildcat 34-yard line and Kentucky scampered 66 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 20-14 at the half. The Razorbacks' lost all built momentum to that point and were outscored 28-9 in the second half in their 42-29 loss to the Wildcats.
Conference Breakdown
*indicates Division I-AA opponent
ACC
Virginia Tech 44 William & Mary 3 (1-0)*
Miami (Florida) 34 Texas A&M 17 (2-0)
Clemson 42 North Carolina State 20 (3-1)
Wake Forest 31 Maryland 24 OT (4-2)
Navy 46 Duke 43 (4-3)
Virginia 28 Georgia Tech 23 (5-4)
South Florida 37 North Carolina 10 (5-5)
Boston College 37 Army 17 (6-5)
Big East
South Florida 31 North Carolina 10 (1-0)
West Virginia 48 East Carolina 7 (2-0)
Syracuse 38 Louisville 35 (3-1)
Connecticut 34 Pittsburgh 14 (4-2)
Cincinnati 40 Marshall 14 (5-2)
Big Ten
Ohio State 58 Northwestern 7 (1-1)
Michigan 14 Penn State 9 (2-2)
Michigan State 31 Notre Dame 14 (3-2)
Illinois 27 Indiana 14 (4-3)
Purdue 45 Minnesota 31 (5-4)
Wisconsin 17 Iowa 13 (6-5)
Big XII
Nebraska 41 Ball State 40 (1-0)
Missouri 38 Illinois State 17 (2-0)*
Colorado 42 Miami (Ohio) 0 (3-0)
Kansas 55 Florida International 3 (4-0)
Texas 58 Rice 14 (5-0)
Oklahoma State 49 Texas Tech 45 (6-1)
Miami (Florida) 34 Texas A&M 17 (6-2)
Oklahoma 62 Tulsa 21 (7-2)
Baylor 34 Buffalo 21 (8-2)
Toledo 36 Iowa State 35 (8-3)
Pac-10
California 45 Arizona 27 (1-1)
USC 47 Washington State 14 (2-2)
UCLA 44 Washington 31 (3-3)
Arizona State 44 Oregon State 32 (4-4)
Oregon 55 Stanford 31 (5-5)
SEC
Kentucky 42 Arkansas 29 (1-1)
Florida 30 Mississippi 24 (2-2)
Georgia 26 Alabama 23 OT (3-3)
LSU 28 South Carolina 16 (4-4)
Mississippi State 31 Gardner-Webb 15 (5-4)*
Auburn 55 New Mexico State 20 (6-4)
Tennessee 48 Arkansas State 27 (7-4)
A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 3 - Utah 44 UCLA 6
Week 4 - UNLV 27 Utah 0
Margin Difference: 65 points (+38 to -27)
Week 3 - Stanford 37 San Jose State 0
Week 4 - Oregon 55 Stanford 31
Margin Difference: 61 points (+37 to -24)
Week 3 - Florida 59 Tennessee 20
Week 4 - Tennessee 48 Arkansas State 27
Margin Difference: 60 points (-39 to +21)
Week 3 - Texas A&M 54 Louisiana-Monroe 14
Week 4 - Miami (Florida) 34 Texas A&M 17
Margin Difference: 57 points (+40 to -17)
Week 3 - Utah 44 UCLA 6
Week 4 - UCLA 44 Washington 31
Margin Difference: 51 points (-38 to + 13)
The Conference Yo of the Week
For the second consecutive week, I'm handing this out to the SEC. Unlike some other conferences, the inner-concerence duels in the SEC were great this weekend. Arkansas/Kentucky was an entertaining one throughout and close until the very end. Mississippi kept it tight with Florida and even had an opportunity to tie and take the lead late in the game, but were unable to move the football in their 6-point loss to the Gators. The LSU/South Carolina score wasn't as close as the score would indicate, but with the heavy rains, the trickery (fake field goal, anyone?), and the look on Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier's face after the fake field goal made for a fun game that just added to LSU's already impressive early season resume'. The best game of all, without any question, was the primetime battle between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The game was hard-fought throughout, with Georgia having the upper-hand until the very end of regulation, when the Crimson Tide evened things at 20-20. Overtime was reminiscent of the Auburn/South Florida game not too long ago, as just like their in-state rival Tigers did against the Bulls, 'Bama started the overtime with a go-ahead field goal, to take a 23-20 lead and just like Bulls on their first play of their overtime possession, Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford threw the game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass for the 26-23 victory in Tuscaloosa. Outside of the four solid conference games, the SEC went 3-0 outside of the conference, including a win against pesky Arkansas State, who gave Texas fits in their opener.
The Conference Yo No of the Week
I'm splitting this between the Pac-10 and Big XII. I was going to designate this solely to the Pac-10 this week, but upon further perusal of the conference resume's for Week 4's games, I'm afraid I'll have to split this "honor" between they and the Big XII.
The Pac-10 was like the polar opposite of the SEC this past weekend, as all ten Pac-10 teams were playing in-conference games, but unlike the SEC games, the closest of the five head-to-head battles was a 44-32 win by Arizona State over Oregon State. The average gap per game? Twenty points. While some of the match-ups may not have looked great on paper, such as USC/Washington State, California/Arizona, or Oregon/Stanford, I didn't expect WSU to lay a complete egg and I especially didn't expect double-digit margins in the Arizona State/Oregon State and UCLA/Washington games. Hopefully things can improve this weekend as California travels to Autzen Stadium to take on the Oregon Ducks.
The Big XII had a fun shoot-out between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, in the Cowboys' 49-45 victory, but outside of that, there's not much to smile about if you're a Big XII fan. The before-mentioned shoot-out was the only in-conference battle this past weekend and in the nine non-conference opponents faced, the Big XII's opponents are a combined 10-25 (.286) and that includes 3-1 Miami (Florida). These games included Missouri's victory over I-AA Illinois State, Iowa State falling to then winless Toledo, Colorado beating up on Miami (Ohio), Kansas destroying winless Florida International, Texas beating up on winless Rice, and Nebraska beating Ball State by a single point. The most impressive Big XII win? Baylor beating the evenly matched Bulls of Buffalo by a 34-21 margin. Sadly, the Nebraska 41-40 squeaker over Ball State was not the most embarrassing display of Big XII football over the weekend. Texas A&M lost to Miami (Florida) 34-17 and that score is not indicative of the game at all. For anyone who watched will know, Miami led the game 31-0 in the 4th quarter, before they squandered 17 late points (one on the last play from scrimmage). For how pathetic the Hurricanes looked a couple weeks ago in their 51-13 loss to Oklahoma, their dominant victory over A&M this past weekend may say a couple things: 1) That Oklahoma is pretty darn good and 2) A&M fans probably don't want to hear the second...
Game of the Week
I'm going to talk about two very differently played games this week. One being the 1,300 yard, 94-point game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State and the other a hard-fought defensive-minded battle between Alabama and Georgia.
To say that there was a lot of offense in the Texas Tech/Okie State game is an understatement if I ever heard one. Texas Tech finished with over 700 yards of total offense (most of it through the air) and Oklahoma State finished with over 600 yards (most on the ground). It was back and forth throughout with Texas Tech leading 35-28 at the half. Surprisingly, there wasn't nearly as much scoring in the second half as in the first, but still plenty of offense. Bend-as hard-as-you-can-before-you-snap defense really paid dividends for both clubs in the second half, especially the Cowboys. Tech had a golden opportunity to win the game, as they were given the ball following an OSU score with a couple minutes remaining, down 49-45. Quarterback Graham Harrell marched his team down the field and on a 4th down inside the red zone, hit receiver Michael Crabtree right between the numbers in the end zone. Crabtree had over 200 yards receiving at that point, but let the ball bounce off his chest and onto the ground. Okie State only needed to take a couple of kneel downs to close the 1,300 yard, 94-point shoot-out.
In the other game, Georgia seemed to hold a slight advantage throughout. Until the third quarter, Alabama's offense couldn't mount much of anything against the 'Dawgs' defense. But, while the defenses dominated more times than not, there were offensive spurts, especially in the second half. With this, Alabama was able to close the game to a 20-17 gap in the 4th quarter before bringing out All-American of an inconsistent kicker, Tiffin, in for what would be the game-tying field goal. Well, to may Tide fans' surprise, Tiffin was on and the kick was good to send the game to an extra session. On Alabama's first (and only, so it would be) overtime possession, they gained a total of one yard in three plays to set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Tiffin, which is not a gimme for the guy (nothing is). To many's surprise yet again, the young lad made the field goal to temporarily put Alabama out in front 23-20. I say temporarily, because on Georgia's first play, Matt Stafford threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to vault Georgia to a 26-23 overtime victory over the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
While the games were extremely different in style, the products were equally satisfying, and due to that, I felt both deserved mention.
Disappointment of the Week
This goes to Miami (Florida)/Texas A&M. I'll admit, like I mentioned in my prediction, I had no idea what to expect in this game. Miami had yet to beat a quality opponent. The lone quality opponent they had played thus far (Oklahoma) pounded them 51-13. A&M was unbeaten, but had played a fairly soft non-conference schedule and was lucky to get by Fresno State with a 47-45 triple overtime win over the Bulldogs. In my mind, both teams had a lot to prove, but based on A&M's success last year and Miami's recent struggles, I expected a much better played game by the Aggies. Miami's defense was much too quick for Stephen McGee running the option. If that had been Pat White, they may have had a little more difficulty, but not so much with McGee. From start to finish, Miami dominated. If one just look at the final score, they may not think it was such a dominating performance by the 'Canes, but for those that watched it will know, it most certainly was. It was 31-0 fairly late in the game before Miami infiltrated Butch Davis, Larry Coker, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, and their friends on defense for the majority of the 4th quarter, where A&M made the final score somewhat respectable. It was a very embarrassing showing by what was thought to potentially be a Big XII power this year. I'm now very curious (and uncertain) on where the two clubs go from here. If Miami quarterback Kyle Wright continues to play well, then as usual, Miami has the potential to win a few games in the rather weak ACC and I'm even less certain about A&M. This is a club that almost lost to Army a year ago, Fresno State early this season, and got pounded into submission by the same Miami club that got pounded themselves not long before.
Kudos
This goes to Cincinnati, Kentucky, and South Florida.
The Cincinnati Bearcats are 4-0 for the first time since 1954 and ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 1976.
Like Cincinnati, Kentucky is 4-0 and they're ranked #14, its highest ranking since 1977.
South Florida is 3-0 and is ranked #18, the first time the Bulls have been ranked in school history.
No Kudos
Louisville. The Cardinals have allowed 130 points in four games this season (32.5 ppg) and that includes the 10 points they allowed to I-AA Murray State. Against I-A competition, the defense has allowed 120 points in 3 games (40.0 ppg). They allowed 42 points to winless Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders have scored a total of 31 points in their three other games (14 on Florida Atlantic, 0 on LSU, and 17 on Western Kentucky). They allowed 38 points to then winless Syracuse, who had scored 32 points up until that point (12 on Washington, 0 on Iowa, and 20 on Illinois).
I have the perfect therapy for die-hard Nebraska fans out there. Think your defense is bad? Watch Louisville's in action! You'll feel much better afterwards, trust me!
Player of the Week
I'm giving this to West Virginia quarterback, Pat White. A year ago, East Carolina gave the Mountaineers about all they could handle. The Pirates frustrated West Virginia, especially with their solid run defense and stayed in the game until the 5 minute mark of the 4th quarter. That wasn't the case this year, as the Mountaineers dominated from the opening kick-off, beating ECU 48-7. White completed 90% of his passes (18-20) for 181 yards (9.1 ypa), two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran the ball nine times for 42 yards (4.7 ypc) and two more scores.
Surprise of the Week
It was not difficult at all to come up with "the surprise" this past weekend, as winless Syracuse ended fellow Big East opponent Louisville's 20-game home win streak with a 38-35 win in Kentucky. The Orange's closest game before this past weekend was a 21-point loss to Illinois. Even with Louisville coming off a disappointing 40-34 loss to Kentucky, I can't say that I saw this game coming and I'd be skeptical to believe that any sane person would have.
Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
The game was not on television this week and I didn't feel like paying $29.95 for it either, so I will only be able to leave commentary based on what I heard, read, and highlights I saw.
What's there to say about this game? Is Nebraska's defense THAT bad? Did the whole season revolve around the game against USC?
One had to wonder if Nebraska was looking ahead to the upcoming date with USC in their nail-biting 20-17 win against Wake Forest. But, even if that was the case, Wake basically handed the victory to Nebraska with the 3rd down interception thrown in the end zone by Wake's less than stellar back-up. For a quarter and a half against the Trojans, Nebraska looked ready to play at times, but were then dominated for the following two quarters. Were they hung over at home this week from the embarrassing loss? Was that a factor in them allowing 40 points to Ball State, a club that could only manage to score 13 points against Miami (Ohio)? How long will that hangover last? Was it a hangover at all?
Ball State converted 27 first downs, on 60% of their third downs (9-15), totaled 610 yards (4th most allowed by a Nebraska team) and that includes 422 through the air (9.8 ypa) and 188 on the ground (5.2 ypc). Nebraska made good on 25 first downs, were a very solid 8-13 on third down (61.5%), totaled 552 yards, including 438 through the air (11.8 ypa) and 114 on the ground (3.2 ypc).
Even more so than the Wake Forest game, Nebraska was lucky to come out victorious this past Saturday. They were down by 9 points in the 4th quarter and received two miracles from the God of butterfingers in Ball State's final possession. Didn't see the highlights? On Ball State's final drive, down 41-40, on two successive plays, the Cardinals went deep and the ball hit their receiver right square in the hands. On the first attempt, the receiver had a few steps on the cornerback (Andre Jones) and could have walked into the end zone for the go-ahead and probably winning touchdown.
Offensively, Nebraska played pretty well, especially in the passing game. It's difficult to fully evaluate how much an area of the offense has progressed in a game versus a mid-major opponent, but it does feel that Sam Keller is garnering more chemistry with his receivers as the weeks move along. Maurice Purify has been anything but rusty his past two games after a couple drops in his '07 debut showing against Wake. He caught 6 balls on Saturday for 122 yards (20.3 ypr) and 1 touchdown. Sean Hill also went over the 100-yard mark receiving, catching 3 balls for 129 yards (43.0 ypr), and a score. Marlon Lucky was readily utilized in the passing game, catching 11 passes for 81 yards (7.4 ypr), but not he nor any of the Cornhusker tailbacks got much going on the ground, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry.
Defensively, Nebraska was horrible against the run for third consecutive game. They were able to stuff the north-south running of Wake Forest, but unable to contain receiver Kenneth Moore on the motion runs. They couldn't stop any running back in the USC game, as Pete Carroll ran for 211 yards against the "anything but" Blackshirts' defense. Then, this past weekend, while the yards per carry was down from 8.2 to 5.2 (oh boy!), Nebraska still allowed their share of running yards, 188 to be exact, over five a carry, including MiQuale Lewis running for 122 yards on 19 carries (6.4 ypc), and a touchdown. NU's secondary has been more efficient than their front seven over the first third of the regular season, but they gave up the big play on Saturday. While Cardinals' quarterback, Nate Davis, completed 26 of 43 passes (60.5%), he completed those 26 passes for 422 yards (16.2 ypc) and 3 touchdowns. That includes wide-out Danta Jones, who caught 10 balls for 214 yards (21.4 ypr), and a touchdown.
Nebraska's offense has definitely shown signs it has potential, but they've yet to show all components clicking simultaneously throughout a 60-minute game. When the run game flourished against Nevada, the passing game did anything but. When the run game wasn't as successful against Wake Forest, the passing game was sporadically successful. The short pass game was efficient against USC's first-string defense, but not even Barry Sanders could've run successfully for the Huskers that day. The passing game was at its best of the season this past weekend, but the run game was not consistent in the least bit. While NU's offense has shown signs of great potential, they've also shown signs of trouble with the potential of an imbalance and an inconsistency.
While the secondary had their worst outing of the season thus far for the Huskers this past week, the linebackers have been rather mute since their impressive performance against Nevada, and the front four have really made many Huskers' fans (and probably coaches) realize how much they miss their graduating class from just a year ago. In four games this season, Nebraska has accounted for only 3 sacks! More pressure must be exerted on future quarterbacks to aid both the secondary and the front seven. If Chase Daniel, Colt McCoy, Stephen McGee, Zac Robinson/Bobby Reid, and other future future opponents' quarterbacks don't receive much pressure, then the Nate Davis/Danta Love performance on Saturday could have just been a foreshadowing for things to come.
Fortunately, for the Huskers, they face the 107th rated offense in the country on Saturday in Iowa State. I'd have to think that NU won't be allowing 40+ again this weekend. But, I'm not going to guarantee anything, for I never would've thought they'd have allowed 313 yards on the ground to USC two weeks ago or 40 points and 610 yards to Ball State this past week.
Solich Update
The Ohio Bobcats dropped their second straight game following a 2-0 start to the season. This loss was much tougher to take than the expected loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg a week before, as the Bobcats held a 7 to 10 point lead throughout their home contest against the Wyoming Cowboys. But, after playing it "conservatively" (what else is new?), Ohio had to settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter to take a 33-27 lead. On the very next possession, Wyoming drove the length of the field and with the extra point, took the lead and got the victory, 34-33. Ohio will play their first MAC game this weekend against Kent State at home. Out-of-conference, they were and currently are 2-2 on the season.
Gill Update
THE week I pick Buffalo to win a game (outside of the Temple game), they decide to make me look bad. The Baylor Bears had gone into the game 2-1, with very impressive wins against winless Rice and I-AA Texas State by seven points. But, according to Baylor, Texas State was a tougher opponent than Buffalo, as Baylor got the victory 34-21. With the loss, it drops Gill's Bulls to 1-3 on the season, but they are 1-0 in the MAC. The Bulls get their second MAC test this weekend, when they travel to Indiana to take on Ball State.
Random Note of the Week
Craig Bohl's I-AA North Dakota State Nobodies defeated, no, check that, annihilated the defending MAC Champion Chippewas of Central Michigan this past weekend by the final score of 44-14.
Predictions
Thursday
Memphis at Arkansas State: If this were basketball, I'd put a lot of money on Memphis, but unfortunately for the Tigers, it's not. Their lone win this year came against I-AA Jacksonville State and while Arkansas State may be 1-2, their two losses have come by a combined score of 69-40 (average of 34.5 to 20.0) to Texas and Tennessee. With the game at home, I'm going with ASU. Heck, even if it were away, I'd probably go with the Indians.
Arkansas State 31 Memphis 17
Southern Mississippi at Boise State: Not much is known about either club thus far. They're both coming off a bye week, and should be well rested because of that. While I respect USM and head coach Jeff Bower, I give the BFA (Blue Field Advantage) to the Broncos.
Boise State 24 Southern Mississippi 20
Friday
West Virginia at South Florida: Forget the pre-season hype of West Virginia or Rutgers squaring off with Louisville, as the Cardinals are now 2-2. There are five unbeatens in the Big East (out of eight teams): West Virginia, Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut. I want to go with South Florida in this game. The Mountaineers' defense has not shown a level of consistency I'm comfortable with and the game is at home for the Bulls, but I just can't bring myself to do it. While the Bulls faced Auburn earlier in the year and won the game on the road, they have yet to witness an offense with the kind of speed West Virginia carries with it. This should be a fun one, but I'm giving the slight edge to West Virginia.
West Virginia 34 South Florida 28
Saturday
Akron at Connecticut: While UConn has played anything but a tough non-conference schedule, with a home win here, the Huskies would (and will) improve to 5-0 on the season, needing just one more victory to become bowl eligible. With a win on Saturday, they'll also eclipse last year's win total of four games. At home against the Zips, they should accomplish both feats.
Connecticut 27 Akron 17
Michigan at Northwestern: Starting quarterback Chad Henne is expected to be on the field Saturday, but honestly, it wouldn't matter who played behind center for the Wolverines against Northworstern. With the win, Michigan will improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten and 3-2 overall. While things looked bleak early on for the Wolverines, I wouldn't count them out of the Big Ten race just yet.
Michigan 45 Northwestern 7
North Carolina at Virginia Tech: It was perfect timing by head coach Frank Beamer to start freshman phenom Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. First came Ohio, then came William & Mary, and now comes North Carolina at home. Carolina has anything but a stingy defense and will likely fall to their second conference opponent from the state of Virginia in the past three weeks.
Virginia Tech 27 North Carolina 10
Temple at Army: Oh boy. How in the world does one pick a "winner" in this battle of the reverse unbeatens (AKA winless). For lack of any good reason to go either route, I'll pick the home team. Army wins their first (and possibly only) game of the season!
Army 24 Temple 21
Penn State at Illinois: PSU should be on upset alert. In Happy Valley a year ago, the heavily favored Nittany Lions were beat for three to three and a half quarters by Ron Zook's Illini, before the inexperienced club from Champaign, Illinois handed the game to JoPa's crew. But, in losing last week to Michigan, I have to believe that PSU will be more focused than usual this week and should exit Champaign with a victory.
Penn State 24 Illinois 17
Buffalo at Ball State: Buffalo has looked good once this season and that was in their 42-7 smackdown of Temple. Ball State, meanwhile, has been a pain in the backside to Nebraska and Navy. With the game at home and in the fact they're facing Buffalo, I'm going with the Cardinals.
Ball State 38 Buffalo 24
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan: Northern Illinois won their first game of the season a week ago, beating Idaho 42-35. Central Michigan, just a year removed from their MAC title, got pounded by I-AA North Dakota State 44-14 a week ago. This is a big battle between a traditionally solid MAC team and what seemed to be an up-and-coming program. With the game at home and some chewing out sessions this past week following their embarrassing loss to NDSU, I'm giving the slight edge to the Chippewas. But, we'll see. Neither club has shown me much thus far.
Central Michigan 31 Northern Illinois 28
Duke at Miami (Florida): Duke was this close ::pinches right index finger and thumb close together:: to winning their second straight game a week ago, following 22-consecutive losses. They found a way to lose to Navy 46-43 after being up and rather comfortably most of the game. Well, they won't even be close this week. Miami should hand it to the Blue Devils.
Miami (Florida) 45 Duke 10
Notre Dame at Purdue: Let me guess Lou... Notre Dame will magically find their stride in this game and the luck of the Irish will finally be on their side? Good luck. Even though Purdue doesn't have the best defense in the world, as they illustrated last week against Minnesota, the Boilers will have no problems scoring on the Irish D and if/when Notre Dame is involved in a shoot-out, with anyone this year? I'll be betting on their opponent.
Purdue 35 Notre Dame 17
LSU at Tulane: The battle of Louisiana...won't be much of a battle at all. Outside of nine late points LSU allowed to South Carolina last weekend, they've allowed 14 points in four games to teams with a 9-8 record. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they pitch another shut-out, or, at the very worst, allow less than double-digits in points.
LSU 52 Tulane 0
Indiana at Iowa: This is a rebound week for both schools, as Indiana comes off a 27-14 loss to Illinois and Iowa comes off two heartbreaking losses, a 15-13 loss to Iowa State and a 17-13 loss to Wisconsin. With the game in Iowa City and in having a difficult time seeing Kirk Ferentz allow his team to lose three straight, the third being at home to Indiana, I'm going with the Hawkeyes.
Iowa 24 Indiana 13
Baylor at Texas A&M: Baylor and A&M have a lot in common. Both Universities reside in the state of Texas. They're both members of the Big XII conference (South). Both teams are 3-1 and neither school has looked too impressive in attaining that record. Baylor has beaten Rice, Buffalo, and Texas State to get to where they are and A&M has beaten Montana State, Fresno State by 2 in triple overtime, and Louisiana-Monroe. Baylor's victories have come against opponents with a 1-11 record (I-AA schools being winless) while A&M's wins have come against teams with a combined 1-9 record. Their losses? Baylor was shut-out 27-0 to TCU (2-2) and A&M was down 31-0 to Miami (Florida) late until TAMU made it respectable with some late scores. This comes after Miami was slaughtered 51-13 by Oklahoma. But, even with all the similarities, I have to go with the 12th man at College Station, but I can't say I've been too impressed with the Aggies this year. An upset here isn't completely out of the question.
Texas A&M 31 Baylor 14
Mississippi State at South Carolina: Both SEC clubs are 3-1 heading into this one. The Gamecocks are coming off a disappointing (but not unexpected, unless you're Lou Holtz) loss to LSU this past weekend. They should be on the lookout for Croom's Bulldogs, but Spurrier should get his team to rebound at home to improve to 4-1.
South Carolina 28 Mississippi State 14
Mississippi at Georgia: The Mississippi schools shouldn't be taken for granted this season, as Florida can attest to, but Between the Hedges in Athens, following the tough 30-24 loss to the Gators last week should be a bit too much for the Rebels to handle.
Georgia 24 Mississippi 10
Florida Atlantic at Kentucky: Quite the opportunity for Kentucky to start the season 5-0 following huge wins against Louisville and Arkansas. While Howard Schnelleberger may have something to say about that, even Schnelly won't be able to upset the Wildcats in this one.
Kentucky 48 Florida Atlantic 17
Air Force at Navy: Air Force was looking pretty good at 3-0 until last week when they got pounded by the Mormons of Provo, Utah (I'm not laying down some ignorant stereotype. BYU stands for Brigham Young University, the man whom Joseph Smith handed the reigns to after he passed and approximately 97% of students and faculty at BYU are Mormon and 70% of Utahans). Navy had to come from way back to defeat the hapless (but not winless!) Blue Devils of Duke 46-43 to even their record at 2-2. Even with the game in Annapolis, I'm giving the slight edge to the Falcons due to their more consistent (even with last week's dreadful performance) play of the two and better competition they've faced.
Air Force 27 Navy 24
Oklahoma at Colorado: So, Dan Hawkins split his first four games out-of-conference, which can be seen as a plus in Boulder in comparison to last year. What's next? Their first conference game is against Oklahoma! Ouch! Miracles can occur Dan, but I'm not thinking it's going to happen in Boulder on Saturday.
Oklahoma 38 Colorado 10
Iowa State at Nebraska: Nebraska has been embarrassed in Lincoln two weekends in a row and one of those embarrassments came in a victory! Thankfully, ::knocks on wood:: Nebraska faces one of the worst offensive teams, not only in the Big XII, but in the country, so one would hope they'd be able to hold their opponent (The Suckclones) to under 40 points and 610 yards of total offense in this game. NU should win and improve to 4-1 on the season.
Nebraska 31 Iowa State 6
Syracuse at Miami (Ohio): Why is it, that after a huge upset of the once top ten bound Louisville Cardinals, I'm having a difficult time deciding who will win between the Orange and the Red Hawks? Sad. Sad. Sad. I hate to pick Syracuse, but based on their fluke performance from a week ago, I'm going to roll the dice and take my chances with them against Miami.
Syracuse 24 Miami (Ohio) 17
Kent State at Ohio: After two tough losses, especially one at home this past weekend to Wyoming by a single point, 34-33, Ohio is in desperate need of a conference victory to gain some momentum as they begin conference play. At home, I think they will do just that, but the Golden Flashes won't make that easy.
Ohio 31 Kent State 21
Utah State at Utah: Utah is 1-3 with that one victory coming against 3-1 UCLA by the final score of 44-6. What happened that day is beyond me, but outside of that single game against the Bruins, the Utes have been looking anything but impressive. Lucky for them, they square off against a winless opponent who looks even worse off than they are.
Utah 28 Utah State 10
Clemson at Georgia Tech: The Tigers, outside of their opening win against Florida State, has not faced a tough opponent in their early season schedule. With Georgia Tech now 0-2 in conference play following their disappointing 28-23 loss to Virginia, I believe they'll be extra geared up for this home showdown with the unbeaten Tigers. Yellow Jackets in the upset.
Georgia Tech 28 Clemson 24
Louisville at North Carolina State: While things are going poorly, especially on the defensive end for the 2-2 Louisville Cardinals, things are going even worse for Tom O'Brien and his Wolfpack. NC State is 1-3 with their only victory coming against I-AA Wofford (38-17) and after this week, I have to believe it'll be their only win still. The loss Louisville suffered this past weekend was one of the most embarrassing in recent memory (outside of Ann Arbor), and they'll play a four quarter game this time around, at least on the offensive side of the ball.Louisville 42 North Carolina State 24
Maryland at Rutgers: This is a pretty good tune-up game for Rutgers as they get ready for Big East conference play. Maryland has sputtered some their past two games against West Virginia and Wake Forest. Look for that to continue this weekend, as Rutgers improves to 4-0 with the win.
Rutgers 31 Maryland 17
Kansas State at Texas: Only if this game were played in Manhattan. I'd take the Wildcats. ::Sighs:: Since that's not the case, I'll put this game on upset alert, but have to believe the Longhorns will win it in Austin.
Texas 27 Kansas State 21
Michigan State at Wisconsin: Every week, I'm tempted to pick against Wisconsin. Their past three games, against UNLV, Citadel, and Iowa, teams with a combined 4-8 record, they've won by the combined score of 82-57 (average of 27.3 - 19.0). With the game at Camp Randall, I'm expecting more of the same from the Badgers, to play ugly on offense, to appear as if they've lost the game at some point in the second half, and to find a way to win in the end.
Wisconsin 20 Michigan State 13
California at Oregon: The battle of the Pac-10 unbeatens at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. DeSean Jackson is fast... But Dennis Dixon and the Oregon offense are rather quick as well and want to avenge last year's 45-24 loss to the Bears. At Autzen, I think they'll do just that.
Oregon 45 California 38
UNLV at Nevada: For whatever reason, UNLV has looked better than anticipated. They led unbeaten Wisconsin going into the 4th quarter and shut-out Utah this past weekend, 27-0, the same Utes that beat UCLA 44-6 the week before. I'll admit, I don't know much about this Rebel team, but I'm going to go out on a limb and pick them in this game.
UNLV 31 Nevada 28
UTEP at SMU: Mike Price and his Miners should have no problems scoring against the Mustangs. UTEP improves to 3-2 on the season.
UTEP 35 SMU 24
Alabama at Florida State: Alabama is coming off a tough overtime loss to Georgia, but Florida State is going through some off-the-field (which translates to on-the-field) distractions of their own. Even without those off/on-the-field distractions, Florida State has looked anything but dominant, falling to Clemson, and outscoring UAB and Colorado (3-4 combined record) 50-30 (average of 25.0 - 15.0). The Tide are much better prepared for this game than the 'Noles and that should be shown on Saturday in Tallahassee.
Alabama 24 Florida State 17
Hawaii at Idaho: With or without Colt Brennan, June Jones' offense will score a lot of points, especially against an Idaho defense that allowed 42 this past week to Northern Illinois (the then 0-3 Huskies). Warriors score at will against the Vandals.
Hawaii 63 Idaho 21
Western Kentucky at Bowling Green: The Hilltoppers got their first win against a I-A school this past week as a I-A independent by beating Middle Tennessee State 20-17. Congrats to them, as they've now won three straight, but that streak will likely come to an end on Saturday against the Falcons.
Bowling Green 27 Western Kentucky 17
Louisiana-Lafayette at Central Florida: The Golden Knights were a bit peeved following their near upset win over Texas two weeks ago and they took it out on Memphis this past weekend in their 56-20 blow-out win over the Tigers (it wasn't even that close). Look for more of the same this week against the Rajun' Cajuns. George O'Leary's club wins big.
Central Florida 49 Louisiana-Lafayette 21
UCLA at Oregon State: Out of all the games this weekend, this has been the toughest one for me to pick. With the game in Corvallis, I'm very tempted to go with the Beavers, but UCLA quarterback Olsen is scheduled to come back this weekend and with their typically stingy defense (unless their offense turns the ball over 5 times and the team commits 10 penalties...ala Utah), I give the very slight edge to the Bruins.
UCLA 31 Oregon State 23
North Texas at Arkansas: The Mean Green are anything but Mean anymore, but Arkansas will be playing Mean and angry on Saturday, following their consecutive losses to the likes of Alabama and Kentucky. Mean Green fans may want to turn in early and not even tune into this game.
Arkansas 70 North Texas 7
UAB at Tulsa: Even with an extra week to prepare for the Golden Hurricane, UAB will have little to no shot at pulling off the upset. Tulsa improves to 3-1 with an easy win over the Blazers.
Tulsa 38 UAB 13
Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt: Eastern Michigan has won two straight games, but they were against Waterloo, Nebraska and Nicaragua's 8-man team. Vandy should have no problem improving to 3-1 with a win at home against the Eagles.
Vanderbilt 42 Eastern Michigan 6
East Carolina at Houston: The pesky Pirate defense from a year ago seem anything but this season. They better improve and quickly in order to limit the always explosive Cougars' offense in Houston. Unfortunately, for head coach Skip Holtz and company, I don't see that happening.
Houston 28 East Carolina 17
Pittsburgh at Virginia: Virginia lost their season opener to MWC Wyoming by 20 points and have since reeled off three conference victories to carry a 3-0 ACC record and 3-1 overall record into their game this weekend. Pittsburgh has lost two straight, including an embarrassing 20-point loss to Connecticut this past Saturday. Given the momentum (or lack there of) each team is carrying into Charlottesville this weekend, I'm taking the Cavs in another close win.
Virginia 20 Pittsburgh 17
Florida International at Middle Tennessee: This could be it! This could be Florida International's opportunity to win a game this year! They went 0-12 last season and are off to another obliterating 0-4 start this year. Unfortunately, I just can't pick them to win a game. Blue Raiders win at home for their first victory of the season.
Middle Tennessee 31 Florida International 21
Colorado State at TCU: CSU has had anything but an easy early season schedule. They started the year by playing their in-state rivals, Colorado at Boulder in their 31-28 overtime loss to the Buffaloes. They then came back against California, only to lose 34-28 in the end. This past weekend, they had the lead against the always dangerous Houston until late, falling to the Cougars 38-27. Now they get to face TCU and again...I see a hard-fought, tough loss for Lubbick's club.
TCU 24 Colorado State 20
Western Michigan at Toledo: Western Michigan had a tough non-conference schedule this season, but now it's time to get serious with in-conference games. Toledo's usually potent offense hasn't appeared like its old self until this past weekend when they scored 36 against Iowa State. While Western better hope the Rockets haven't found their rhythm on offense again, I have a feeling that the Broncos' defense will be able to limit them just enough for the big MAC victory.
Western Michigan 28 Toledo 21
Louisiana-Monroe at Troy: Louisiana-Lafayette last week and Louisiana-Monroe this week. Troy appeared to be sleepwalking in the first half of their game last week, which is understandable, given the fact their first three opponents were: Arkansas, Florida, and Oklahoma State. But, they came back to score 48 on the Rajun' Cajuns in their 17-point victory which evened their record at 2-2. They may be able to sleepwalk even further into the game this week and come out with a 17-point win.
Troy 52 Louisiana-Monroe 17
Auburn at Florida: If this were a few years ago or even last year, I may have a difficult time deciding who to choose for this game. But, not this season. Florida had a bit of a hiccup last week against Mississippi, as I expected, but escaped with the victory. Auburn, meanwhile, has not looked good against any of their four opponents thus far. They have lost two of four games, including an in-conference game at home to typical SEC doormat Mississippi State, and they've found themselves down at least deep into the second quarter of their two other games, being down late against Kansas State and finding themselves down to New Mexico State 20-14 late in the second quarter of last week's game. Urban Meyer will have his team focused again this week, at the Swamp, against a typical SEC giant, in Tommy Tuberville's Auburn Tigers. If one thought the Gator/Volunteer game was ugly, they haven't seen anything yet!
Florida 42 Auburn 3
Ohio State at Minnesota: The Buckeyes' young offense is finally showing some life and Minnesota's defense has been dead and buried for a few years now. One question, though. Why did Minnesota fire Glen Mason again? Well, anyway, Buckeyes win easily.
Ohio State 45 Minnesota 14
USC at Washington: With this game in Seattle and the Huskies playing the Trojans very closely last year, I'd be on the look-out if I were Pete Carroll. The Huskies lost a tough one this past weekend against UCLA and have lost two straight (the other to Ohio State) since starting the year at 2-0. But, even at home, in seeing how successful UCLA's running game was last weekend against the Huskies and seeing in person how deep and dangerous USC's backs are, Washington won't last past halftime.
USC 55 Washington 20
BYU at New Mexico: The Cougars appear to be coming around after their slow start, pummeling then unbeaten Air Force this past weekend 31-6. New Mexico did some pummeling of their own, but it was against a community college in Poland. BYU is no community college and I'm thinking they'll get the best of the Lobos in this one.
BYU 38 New Mexico 24
Washington State at Arizona: I know it's a bit early to say things like this, but this could be a do or die game for Arizona. They're already 1-3 and with a loss here, will drop to 1-4 and will need to finish 5-2 to just become bowl eligible. Not likely when they'll need to face UCLA, USC, and Oregon amongst other schools. Unfortunately, I don't see them coming out of this one alive (figuratively speaking, of course).
Washington State 31 Arizona 24
Cincinnati at San Diego State: No analysis needed here. Unless Cincinnati plays drunk (literally), I can't see them losing this one. The Bearcats should improve to 5-0 on the season. Who would've thought?
Cincinnati 41 San Diego State 14
Arizona State at Stanford: Stanford looks to be an improved club this year, giving Oregon a battle this past weekend, but ASU looks to be improved as well. Love or hate the guy, Dennis Erickson gets the job done in college. They better not look past the Cardinal, especially on the road, but if they play their game, ASU should improve to a perfect 5-0.
Arizona State 38 Stanford 24
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State: With a week off to recover from their tough two-game stretch of Texas A&M (and losing in triple overtime) and Oregon at Autzen, Pat Hill's Bulldogs should be ready to win a WAC game. If not, this could be another long season for Hill and company.
Fresno State 28 Louisiana Tech 14
Inelligible Games
Massachusetts at Boston College
UC Davis at San Jose State
Northwestern State at Texas Tech
Sam Houston State at Oklahoma State
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at New Mexico State
Week 4 Record: 34-15 (.694)
Overall Record: 109-40 (.732)
Fact or Fiction
"Fact or Fiction, the Pac-10 is just as good, if not better than the SEC this year."
Fact. While the SEC may hold two of the better teams in all the country (LSU and Florida), at this point in the season, I'm not quite as impressed with them from top to bottom as I am with the Pac-10. Granted, at this point in the season, neither conference appears to have a true doormat, like Duke of the ACC, Syracuse of the Big East (outside of last week), Northwestern (maybe Minnesota) of the Big Ten, or Iowa State/Baylor of the Big XII. But, Auburn has been a big disappointment thus far, South Carolina and Arkansas have some questions which need to be answered. Vanderbilt looks to have potential, but that "p" word is always dangerous. The Mississippi schools seem to be pesky, but don't have it in them to make a bowl run quite yet. Georgia appears to be dangerous, but also appears to be fairly inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball. The direct opposite is true of Tennessee, who appears willing and able to score against anyone, but will have trouble stopping anybody else from scoring on them. Kentucky and Alabama have looked to be pretty solid this year, but we've yet to see how either team will respond following a loss. Alabama will now have that opportunity following their 26-23 loss to Georgia last weekend. So, while the SEC appears to be pretty strong, they have a lot of question marks as well, more than in years past.
In the Pac-10, USC, Oregon, California, and Arizona State are all unbeaten and UCLA is 3-1 with an aberration of a performance against Utah two weekends ago. USC seems to be as strong as ever, but will need to find some more chemistry in the passing game before year's end. Oregon and Cal are two of the quickest offenses in the country. Oregon quarterback, Dennis Dixon, has improved upon his throwing and as always, is a threat to run with the football. DeSean Jackson may be the most dangerous player in all of football when the ball is in his hands. He's always a highlight reel in the waiting. Arizona State is explosive offensively, but will need to play better on the defensive side of the ball if they want to contend for the Pac-10 title. UCLA may have a loss, but it was out-of-conference, so they have just as good a chance to win the Pac-10 as anyone. Next to USC, UCLA probably has the second strongest defense in the conference and may pose problems for the offensive-savvy clubs like Oregon and Cal. Tyrone Willingham's Washington Huskies continue to improve. They ended Boise State's win streak this season, before falling to Ohio State and UCLA this last weekend. They led the Buckeyes 7-3 at the half, before self-destructing in the second half and also gave UCLA's defense fits this past weekend, before coming up short at the game's end. Washington State appears to be headed for 6-7 wins and a possible bowl berth, as usual. Oregon State needs to beat a quality opponent, as they've lost handily to Cincinnati 34-3 and fell to Arizona State 44-32. But, those two clubs are 8-0 at this current juncture, so OSU hasn't lost to the Syracuse's of the world either. Finally, it appears that Stanford has improved. They shut-out Dick Tomey's San Jose State Spartans 37-0 two weekends ago. Don't forget, those same Spartans went bowling last year after the regular season concluded. The Cardinal were also tied with the Ducks 31-31 in the second half this past Saturday evening before giving up the final 24 points of the game in the 55-31 loss. Arizona could spell trouble for a Pac-10 team this year at some point. They still don't appear to be quite there in making a bowl run, but could finish with 4-5 wins, one of those being a big upset. Just like with the SEC, there are questions that need to be answered in the Pac-10, but there is no question that the conference has improved as a whole the past couple seasons and there's no question that the talent/dominance gap between USC and the rest of the conference has been trimmed some and not because USC lacks talent (anything but), but that the rest of the conference has improved. While at this point in the season, it's still too early to make a full and thorough evaluation of the two conferences, I believe I can safely say, that in terms of talent, speed, and potential, there's another conference in the land that matches the SEC and may even be slightly better than what is thought to be the best conference in college football on an annual basis, and that's the Pac-10.
Inside the Numbers
-For the first time in school history, Notre Dame has started the season at 0-4. This week, they must travel to 4-0 Purdue and they still have USC, UCLA, and Boston College on their slate after that. Sorry Lou, but an 0-8 start is not completely out of the question here.
-In a losing effort, Texas Tech quarterback, Graham Harrell, completed 46 of 67 passes (68.9%) for 646 yards (14.0 ypc and 9.6 ypa), 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Red Raiders finished the game with 718 yards total offense in their 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State.
-Ball State's 610 yards of total offense (422 through the air and 188 on the ground) was the 4th most yards allowed in a game by a Nebraska defense.
Rant of the Week: Kevin Cosgrove
Former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and current Nebraska defensive coordinator, Kevin Cosgrove, has done anything but impress me the moment he was hired at Nebraska. First off, it's not like the Badgers are known for their stingy defense. They've been known for their big offensive linemen, solid tailbacks (Ron Dayne, P.J. Hill, etc.), and once in a while, a solid receiver (Chris Chambers, Lee Evans, etc.). Nowhere in recent history can I remember Wisconsin having a reputably great defense. LSU, Florida, Virginia Tech, Miami (Florida), Florida State, and Oklahoma, amongst others, have had reputably great defenses over the past five to ten years. Why seek out a Kevin Cosgrove in the first place, unless one is content with having a mediocre defense?
To his credit, Cosgrove and his defense at Nebraska had a pretty solid season in 2005, where they ranked in the top 25 in pass efficiency defense (10th at 10.67), scoring defense (25th at 21.00 ppg), sacks (1st at 4.17 p/g), and tackles for a loss (1st at 10.33 p/g) and were ranked 26th in rush defense (124.25 ypg) and total defense (332.17 ypg). The pass defense was ranked 43rd (207.92 ypg) and they were ranked 69th in turnover margin (-.17). The defense was very mediocre in 2004 and 2006, though.
The rush defense was solid in '04, as Nebraska ranked 11th in the country in that category (104.00 ypg), but were among the middle to lower ranked everywhere else, including: 48th in pass efficiency (118.91), 56th in total defense (371.64 ypg), 71st in scoring defense (27.09 ppg), 110th in turnover margin (-1.09), and 110th in pass defense (267.64 ypg).
Only 2006's scoring defense, ranked 24th (18.29 ppg), ranked 25th or higher nationally of all Nebraska's defensive statistical categories. They were 37th in rush defense (116.57 ypg), 35th in pass efficiency defense (117.36), 56th in total defense (331.86 ypg), Tied for 58th in turnover margin (.00), 79th in pass defense (215.29 ypg), 46th in sacks (2.29 p/g), and 41st in tackles for a loss (6.29 p/g).
That brings us to this year. While Nebraska's defense looked solid in their home opener against Nevada, things have progressively been looking worse ever since. The secondary played well in their first road game of the season, against Wake Forest, but the front seven was exploited time and time again for being out of position on Wake's famous motion plays. Nebraska went back home and has allowed 89 points the past two weekends, over 500 yards rushing and over 500 yards passing.
To date, Nebraska ranks 99th in rush defense (203.50 ypg), 43rd in pass efficiency defense, 75th in total defense (407.00 ypg), 74th in scoring defense (29.00 ppg), are tied for 91st in turnover margin (-.75), are 45th in pass defense (203.5 ypg), 111th in sacks (.75 p/g), and 91st in tackles for a loss (5.25 p/g). Opponents have also converted on 24 of 58 third down opportunities (41%), have scored 14 of 15 times in the red zone (93%) and 11 of those scores are touchdowns (73%). Husker opponents are averaging 12.3 yards per completion and 5.4 yard per carry (compared to 4.0 for Nebraska).
After this upcoming weekend against Iowa State, who ranks 107th in total offense, Nebraska's defense will have to wake up in a big way for these numbers to improve at all, because after the ISU game, NU will have to face: Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado. All of those teams, even Colorado, since the game is in Boulder, have the potential of exploiting Kevin Cosgrove's defense.
Outside of 2005, when it appeared that Cosgrove may have begun to get a feel of the defense at Nebraska and may have even been moving them in a positive direction, he has done nothing to impress fans, coaches, analysts, or players. Regardless if Nebraska's offense can score in the bunches at times, the game begins and ends on the lines (both offensive and defensive). Offenses, even the most explosive ones, have their off days and unless one has a steady, solid defense, those games will be all but lost at halftime. Especially in the weeks ahead, when Nebraska faces such potent offenses as: Missouri, Okie State, Texas, and Kansas, if NU's offense stumbles at all, it will have to rely on Cosgrove's defense to keep them in the game. From what we've seen thus far this season and for the majority of his tenure in Lincoln, that has to make many Huskers' fans cringe.
Never would I have expected to see a Nebraska defense, with greats such as: Trev Alberts, Mike and Ralph Brown, DeMorrio Williams, Grant Wistrom, amongst many others, would I have EVER expected to see an opponent gallop for 8.2 yards per carry and 313 total yards on the ground in Lincoln, even if that team so happened to be USC. Accentuating that point even further, I never would have expected to see a Nebraska defense allow 610 total yards at home to a middle-of-the-pack mid-major school the week after they allowed those before-mentioned 313 yards rushing in Lincoln. Cosgrove doesn't seem to believe in or even known what adjustments are. Unless Nebraska makes an adjustment at defensive coordinator at season's end, don't expect a Big XII title for a while.
Top 120 Poll
This will debut after this weekend's games. I've been updating it on a weekly basis and if the rankings stay anywhere close to where they were after this past weekend's games, there will definitely be some surprises. For those that don't know or don't remember, I will preview the initial '07-'08 top 120 poll by explaining the formula I use in order to conduct it.
