College Football Week 3 Recap

    The College Football season rolls on, and week 3 just wrapped up last weekend.

    We saw #1 USC fall to #21 Stanford, in the second huge upset this season (UL Monroe beating Arkansas was the first). USC will fall in the rankings, but they still can take the PAC 12 crown. The loss was early in the season, and their title hopes are still strong.

Stanford after their upset of #1 USC

    #2 Alabama shut out Arkansas by a score of 52-0. Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson did miss the game, but that is not an excuse to loose by 52 at home. If Arkansas was truly worthy of a #9 preseason ranking, they should be able to compete with Alabama, even with Wilson out. A top 10 team doesn't loose like that at home when only the starting QB is out. Right now, it looks like Arkansas is far from taking down Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.


    #3 Florida State made a statement with a 52-0 beat down over Wake Forest, Utah was able to rebound and beat BYU, and Florida proved they are more powerful than Tennessee in the SEC East. It remains to be seen if they are as good as #8 Georgia and #7 South Carolina, and can reclaim the top of the SEC East.

    #20 Notre Dame visited #9 Michigan State, and embarrassed Sparty in East Lansing. Michigan State was shut down on offense, and there has been a big drop off at QB from Kirk Cousins to Andrew Maxwell. When Le'Veon Bell is unable to run the ball like he was vs Notre Dame, Maxwell is not a reliable option to take the reigns and lead the offense. Having poor WR play doesn't help much either though.

    A very surprising upset was Pittsburgh beating #10 Virginia Tech. Pitt was 0-2, with a bad loss to FCS Youngstown State during week 1, 31-17. During week 2, they lost to Cincinnati 34-10 on Thursday night. Most people had given up on Pitt, but with this upset over VT, the Panthers appear to be back.


Top 25:

1. Alabama 3-0
2. Florida State 3-0
3. LSU 3-0
4. Oklahoma 2-0
5. Oregon 3-0
6. South Carolina 3-0
7. Georgia 3-0
8. Texas 2-0
9. Clemson 3-0
10. West Virginia 2-0
11. USC 2-1
12. Stanford 3-0
13. Notre Dame 3-0
14. Ohio State 3-0
15. TCU 2-0
16. Michigan 2-1
17. Louisville 3-0
18. Michigan State 2-1
19. Kansas State 3-0
20. N.C. State 2-1
21. Northwestern 3-0
22. Florida 3-0
23. Mississippi State 3-0
24. UCLA 3-0
25. Boise State 1-1

Next 5 In: Virginia Tech 2-1, Nebraska 2-1, Utah 2-1, Arizona 3-0, Cincinnati 2-0



What To Watch:

BYU (2-1) @ #25 Boise State (1-1)
9:00pm ET, ESPN 

This will be Boise State's chance to redeem itself after the loss to Michigan State. If they cannot win this game, the Broncos will only prove they are not the same power they were in the past.

Prediction: BYU 28 Boise 16

Missouri (2-1) @ #6 South Carolina (3-0)
3:30pm ET, CBS

Missouri has another chance to show it can hang with the SEC heavy weights. South Carolina can show they deserve a top 10 ranking with a win.

Prediction: South Car 37 Mizz 20

Oregon State (1-0) @ #24 UCLA (3-0)
3:30pm ET, ABC/ESPN2

Both are two teams from the PAC 12 that emerged with multiple week 2 upsets. Oregon State has only played one game, and UCLA has played three. The Beavers may have gotten lucky vs a Wisconsin team that is nowhere near as good as we thought, but Oregon State is still not a very good team. UCLA should roll.

Prediction: UCLA 37 OSU 17

#16 Michigan (2-1) @ #13 Notre Dame (3-0)
7:30pm ET, NBC

This could be the last chance for Michigan to prove they are a BCS-contender. If they loose, they will be written off for the season and be counted as another very disappointing team from the Big Ten this year. Notre Dame has a chance to prove they are back as one of the top teams in the country.

Prediction: ND 28 Mich 20

#19 Kansas State (3-0) @ #3 Oklahoma (2-0)
7:50pm ET, FOX

Both teams have a lot to prove in this game. The Sooners had a shaky game week 1 vs UTEP. They rolled over Florida A& M in week 2, so we have yet to see this team tested. Kansas State can prove they are a BCS contender and not stuck behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas for the Big 12 crown. I could see the upset here, but Oklahoma should get the win.

Prediction: OU 36 KSU 30

#9 Clemson (3-0) @ #2 Florida State (3-0)
8:00pm ET, ABC

The first test for FSU. They will have to show they are a title contender with a win over Clemson. Clemson is out to show they are the kings of the ACC. If Florida State can win this, the Seminoles are back to national prominence. This should be close and already has the feels of a classic.

Prediction: FSU 28 Clem 25

   

College Football Week 2 Recap

    Week 2 is now done, and what a weekend it was. We had many upsets go down, small and large, including a number of FCS schools take down FBS ones.

     It started on Friday night, as #22 Utah and Utah State renewed their rivalry. Utah had won the last 12 meetings, but the streak ended and the Aggies won 27-20. The upsets had begun.

     #9 Wisconsin traveled to Corvallis, Oregon where they were stunned by the Oregon State Beavers. A loss that highlighted a terrible weekend for the Big 10, but a great weekend for the Pac 12. #17 Nebraska (Big 10) fell victim to UCLA (Pac 12). Arizona State also beat up on Big 10 member Illinois 45-14.

     The Pac 12 played well all around except for #22 Utah, Colorado, and Washington. All teams but those three came away with a win. Arizona also pulled off a stunner and took down #19 Oklahoma State. 

     One interesting thing to take away from this weekend, is the sad-state of Colorado's two universities. Colorado lost to FCS-opponent Sacramento State, and Colorado State lost too FCS school North Dakota State. It doesn't get much lower then that for a state's football programs.

     But the most shocking upset of Saturday was the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks upset of the SEC's #8 Arkansas Razorbacks. The score was 21-7 Razorbacks at halftime. But Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson had taken many blows and was knocked out of the game with a head injury. UL Monroe jumped at the chance and held Arkansas to seven points in the second half. Overtime began with Arkansas scoring a field goal. ULM got the ball, and on 4th and 1, ULM QB Kolton Browning ran for a TD. 

    Final score: UL Monroe 34 #8 Arkansas 31.

     Arkansas looked shaky last week vs Jacksonville State, but after this performance, they look pitiful. If Wilson had stayed in the game, then the Razorbacks would have most likely won. But this is college football and we can only wonder.

Kolton Browning, UL Monroe

Top 25:

1. USC (2-0)
2. Alabama (2-0)
3. Florida State (2-0)
4. LSU (2-0)
5. Oklahoma (2-0)
6. Oregon (2-0)
7. South Carolina (2-0)
8. Georgia (2-0)
9. Michigan State (2-0)
10. Virginia Tech (2-0)
11. Texas (2-0)
12. Clemson (2-0)
13. West Virginia (1-0)
14. Ohio State (2-0)
15. Michigan (2-0)
16. TCU (1-0)
17. Louisville (2-0)
18. Kansas State (2-0) 
19. NC State (1-1)
20. Notre Dame (2-0)
21. Stanford (2-0)
22. Northwestern (2-0)
23. Mississippi State (2-0)
24. Arkansas (1-1)
25. Wisconsin (1-1)

Next 5 in: Boise State (0-1), Florida (2-0), Nebraska (1-1), Tennessee (2-0), UCLA (2-0)



What To Watch:

UL Monroe (1-0) @ Auburn (0-2) 
12:20pm ET, SEC Network

Auburn has dropped two to open the season, and you never know...

Prediction: Aub 45 ULM 14

#2 Alabama (2-0) @ #24 Arkansas (1-1) 
3:30pm ET, CBS

Arkansas looks to bounce back after embarrassment, but Alabama is just too strong regardless.

Prediction: Bama 37 Ark 24

Northern Iowa (1-1) @ Iowa (1-1) 
3:30pm ET, Big Ten Network

With how bad Iowa has been so far, and with how many FCS upsets we have already seen, I think something could happen here. NIU already gave problems to Wisconsin. 

Prediction: NIU 29 Iowa 24

Florida (2-0) @ Tennessee (2-0) 
6:00pm ET, ESPN

An SEC rivalry, both of these teams are good and it will be interesting to see if Jeff Driskel and Florida can compete with the stronger SEC teams this season.

Prediction: UF 28 Tenn 13

#1 USC (2-0) @ #21 Stanford (2-0) 
7:30pm ET, FOX

Stanford struggled vs SJSU, but beat up Duke. So far we can't tell what they really are without Andrew Luck. Versus USC, we should be able to tell. USC should get revenge on some losses in previous years.

Prediction: USC 52 Stanford 14

Utah State (2-0) @ #25 Wisconsin (1-1) 
8:00pm ET, Big Ten Network

Wisconsin needs to get it together because Utah State is dangerous and will cause some problems here. Would not be suprised at all if the Aggies won.

Prediction: USU 30 Wis 27

Houston (0-2) @ UCLA (2-0) 
10:30pm ET, Pac 12 Network

Can UCLA sustain the momentum and slow down Houston's offense? Can Houston bounce back after two poor showings? It really comes down to if UCLA's offense. Can it match the firepower of Houston's? Houston could run away with this one.

Prediction: UCLA 45 HOU 38


Week 1 Recap

    

PAC 12 Preview

    
ACC   Big East   Big 10   Big 12   SEC   Other Conferences   Bowls and Top 50
     
    
    The Pac-12 will be one of the most explosive conferences this year, as many of the teams are built around  a high powered offense.

    USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Washington State, Utah, and Arizona could easily put up 35+ points per game, which makes the Pac-12 the most fun conference to watch.

Nickell Robey, USC

    USC is back, after a two-year bowl ban. And they are stronger then they may have ever been. Matt Barkley could be the best QB in Trojan history and they are stacked across the board. They will go 12-0, and will be in the BCS Championship.

    Oregon plays a very easy schedule in the first half of the season, and should be 8-0 heading into a huge showdown in LA on November 3rd vs USC. But, USC is still considerably a better team then Oregon, and the Ducks won't get past USC. They will meet again in the Pac-12 championship, but they won't be able to knock off USC a 2nd time.

    Utah is the third best team in the conference, and certainly one of the most underrated teams in the nation. Stanford is much worse then last year, but still will make a bowl game. Washington is another very underrated team and has upset teams before. Watch for them to give LSU a battle September 8th.

    UCLA, California, and Arizona are my picks to finish off the bowl-bound teams, but Washington State may surprise people. Under new coach Mike Leach, they will run the second best passing attack in the conference behind USC, and one of the top ones in the nation. Marquess Wilson is the best receiver you have never heard of in the nation. But, the Cougars have holes at almost every other position, which ultimately will keep them from a bowl game.

    Arizona State is a year or two away before returning to competitiveness. Oregon State is close too, but still has bit to go. Colorado will struggle this year, and could very well loose all conference games this season.

Projected Standings:

North:

1. Oregon 11-1 (8-1)

T2. Stanford 8-4 (6-3)

T3. Washington 8-4 (6-3)

4. California 6-6 (4-5)

5. Washington State 4-8 (2-7)

6. Oregon State 2-10 (1-8)

South:

1. USC 12-0 (9-0)

2. Utah 9-3 (6-3)

3. UCLA 6-6 (5-4)

4. Arizona 6-6 (4-5)

5. Arizona State 4-8 (2-7)

6. Colorado 2-10 (0-9)


PAC-12 Championship: USC over Oregon

College Football Week 11 Recap

    This Saturday of College Football can for certain be called "the week of the upset that never was" as #1 Oregon, #3 TCU, #8 Stanford, and #21 Nevada all experienced scares of loosing what they hoped for that season, as all had close games to the wire, but came out with the win.

    In fact, only three ranked teams lost this Saturday to unranked opponents. That being #14 Iowa, #16 Utah, and #18 Arizona. 

     But the majority of close, down to the wire games this weekend ended up not being in the underdogs favor.

    For the top ranked Oregon Ducks, they played Pac-10 foe Cal. Cal needs one more win to become bowl eligible, and next week have a game against #8 Stanford. 

    But to be sure of an invitation, the Golden Bears must win at least one of their games against the two top teams in the Pac-10, and then a win against Washington, who is in a similar position.

      It looked like Cal might be able to get that win as the halftime score was 8-7 at halftime in the Ducks favor. Near the beginning of the fourth quarter, Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio made a field goad, but took a step forward to early. This causing a penalty and a re-kick. 


    Now only needing to make a 29 yard field goal, Tavecchio missed. Cal stayed down 15-13, and that's how it stayed. And Cal could not pull off the victory.

    Similar situations occurred for #3 TCU who beat #25 San Diego State by four points. This game came right down to the end, but TCU escaped with the win.

    SDSU definitely showed they are legit, and while they will fall out of the Top 25, they should win out the rest and finish in the rankings. Utah is up next week, followed by UNLV. 
   
    I project a win for the Aztecs, due to the fact that Utah was supposed to beat Notre Dame and be motivated due to the whipping received at the hands of TCU. But an embarrassment came once more and they lost 28-3.

    Utah seems to have lost confidence. Two straight losses have shown an affect on this team, and they need to turn it around to salvage for a better bowl game then the likes of the Independence or Emerald Bowl.

    The other types of game that happened over the weekend were games where a top ranked team was behind for a lot of the game, but able to pull away with a big win. A good example of this went down in Columbus, Ohio were Penn State and Ohio State battled it out.

    The ninth ranked Buckeyes for Ohio State were down 14-3 at halftime in Columbus against the 6-4 Penn State Nittny Lions. An upset was sensed all over the state. But right out of the gate starting the second half, Ohio State went on a tear, and scored 35 unanswered points to beat Penn State 38-14, and remain keep BCS hopes alive.    


    The first half was rough for the Buckeyes, who gave up two touchdowns to Penn State quarterback Mathew McGloin. Penn State was tearing up the Buckeye defense, and Ohio State fans remembered this defense as the one who gave up 21 points in the first half to Wisconsin.


    In the second half however, it was a completly different story. McGloin threw two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns. Soon, after only gaining 17 yards after halftime, he was benched and backup quarterback Robert Bolden was brought in. But Bolden went 0/3 in pass completions and soon McGloin was put back in but could not do anything.
McGloin did have an apparent hand injury in the seconed quarter, but played through it.


    This could have been contributing to his problems and poor play.

    As for Ohio State in the seconed half, they played almost perfect football. The Buckeyes had three offensive touchdowns, and two defensive. If not for a Terrelle Pryor interception in the third while in the red zone, it very well could have had anothe six points.

    Regardless, Pryor had two touchdown passes. One was a three yard pass to tight end Jake Stoneburner, and another was a 58 yard pass that was intended for DeVier Posey, was then tipped by a Penn State defender, but snatched by Buckeye Dane Sanzenbacher for the touochdown.


    Ohio State running back Dan Herron added a touchdown starting the second quarter, making it 13 total touchdowns to his All-American worthy season. He also gained a career high 190 yards rushing on 21 attempts.

    In all, Ohio State can expect to jump in the rankings, and Penn State needs a win next week against the 4-6 Indiana Hoosiers to get into a respected bowl game.

    So many games this weekend came down to the wire, but not many were able to pull of the upset. So not much will change in the Top 25. But you can expect to see some shifts.

     TCU's victory over San Diego State was to close for comfort, and the Horned Frogs, while still having a tougher conference and more games, will not maintain the lead over Boise State and will move down a spot to #4. But a national title spot is not out of reach if Auburn or Oregon loose. They can always jump Boise State for that spot.

Top 25

1. Oregon 10-0
2. Auburn 11-0
3. Boise State 9-0
4. TCU 11-0
5. Wisconsin 9-1
6. LSU 9-1
7. Ohio State 9-1
8. Nebraska 9-1
9. Stanford 9-1
10. Alabama 8-2
11. Michigan State 9-1
12. Oklahoma State 9-1
13. Arkansas 8-2
14. Oklahoma 8-2
15. Missouri 8-2
16. Virginia Tech 8-2
17. Texas A&M  7-3
18. South Carolina 7-3
19. Iowa 7-3
20. Florida State 7-3
21. Nevada 9-1
22. Mississippi State 7-3
23. USC 7-3
24. Arizona 7-3
25. Temple 8-2

Next 5 in: Miami (FL) 7-3 N.C. State 7-3, San Diego State 7-3, Northwestern 7-3, Michigan 7-3

    Before we start What To Watch, I would like to point out that the reason Georgia State vs Alabama is on this list, is that this is Georgia State's first year of having a football team. The Panthers are 6-4, and have had a very impressive inaugural season. While they will most likely finish there first season 6-5 after a loss to the Crimson Tide, it is very hard to go above .500 in your first season. It would be worth your while to tune in to the Thursday night game, even for a possession or two to see this game on ESPNU. Congratulations Panthers on a great season and good luck in the future.

What To Watch

Georgia State @ #10 Alabama (Thu, 7:30pm ET, ESPNU) Prediction: ALA 59 GSU 7

Fresno State @ #3 Boise State (Fri, 9:30pm ET, ESPN2) Prediction: BSU 37 FSU 10

#5 Wisconsin @ Michigan (Sat, 12:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: WIS 34 MICH 21

#7 Ohio State @ #19 Iowa (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: OSU 31 IOWA 28

#16 Virginia Tech @ Miami (FL) (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: VT 28 MIA 13

#22 Mississippi State @ #13 Arkansas (Sat, 7:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: MSU 34 ARK 28

#8 Nebraska @ #19 Texas A&M (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ABC) Prediction: TAM 49 NEB 43

#20 Florida State @ Maryland (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: MARY 20 FSU 15
  

    


   

College Football Week 9 Recap

    I am sorry that I have not been able to post anything for awhile. I recently moved to a new house and the internet is not up yet. Right now I am typing this from one of the school's computers. I also have not been able to post any college football weekly recaps for a long time as well because of packing.

    As college football week 10 approaches, I do not have time to make a full analysis of all the news. But I will post my What To Watch and Top 25 poll.

    Top 25

1. Oregon 8-0
2. Boise State 7-0
3. Auburn 9-0
4. TCU 9-0
5. Alabama 7-1
6. Utah 8-0
7. Wisconsin 7-1
8. Nebraska 7-1
9. Ohio State 8-1
10. Stanford 7-1
11. LSU 7-1
12. Oklahoma 8-1
13. Arizona 7-1
14. Missouri 7-1
15. Iowa 6-2
16. Michigan State 8-1
17. Oklahoma State 7-1
18. South Carolina 6-2
19. Arkansas 6-2
20. Mississipi State 7-2
21. Virginia Tech 6-2
22. Baylor 7-2
23. North Carolina State 6-2
24. Hawaii 7-1
25. Syracuse 6-2

What To Watch

#23 N.C. State @ Clemson (Sat, 12:00pm, ESPN 3.com) Prediction: NCST 22 CLEM 12

Illinois @ Michigan (Sat, 12:00pm, ESPN) Prediction: ILL 34 UM 21

#22 Baylor @ #17 Oklahoma State (Sat, 12:30pm FSN) Prediction: OSU 38 BAY 31

Washington @ #1 Oregon (Sat, 3:30pm, ABC) Prediction: ORE 37 UW 14

#4 TCU @ #6 Utah (Sat, 3:30pm, CBS College Sports) Prediction: Utah 35 TCU 26

#24 Hawaii @ #2 Boise State (Sat, 3:30pm, ESPNU) Prediction: BSU 44 HAW 20

#5 Alabama @ #11 LSU (Sat, 3:30pm, CBS) Prediction: ALA 28 LSU 6

#19 Arkansas @ #18 South Carolina (Sat, 7:00pm, ESPN) Prediction: SCU 24 ARK 20

#13 Arizona @ #10 Stanford (Sat, 8:00pm, ABC) Prediction: STAN 23 ARA 10