Archive for September, 2012

Two Big 12 offensive shootouts between West Virginia and Baylor, and Texas and Oklahoma State provided the nation with some unreal highlight type of action. In the Pac-12, Washington upset No. 8 Stanford to skew the college football national map even more. The National Championship game changes, because Oregon is a lot more complete of a team than I thought they would, so here are this week’s projections.

BCS BOWL GAMES
BCS National Championship – BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
(Monday Jan. 7th – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Oregon Ducks
Is there anything that Alabama cannot do? This week’s AP Poll unanimous number one, the Tide continue to roll. Alabama’s run game has been solid throughout behind the wheels of Eddie Lacy. Throw in the fact that Alabama is able to shut opposing offenses down, it doesn’t get any clearer that the National Championship Race runs right through Tuscaloosa. The Alabama defense is first in the nation in points against, allowing opponents to score on average a touchdown per game. Out west the Oregon Ducks have been phenomenal. D’Anthony Thomas is one of the great play makers in college football, he’s got eight total touchdowns this season. Defenses have fits trying to cover this guy. Also, Oregon can all of a sudden play some defense, they shut out Arizona last week, and only yielded 26 points, to the Mike Leach Cougars’ offense this week.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – BCS Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Thursday Jan. 3rd – 8:30 PM – University of Phoenix Stadium)
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
West Virginia may have simply out score opponents in order to win, because the WVU defense is awful. But when having the luxury of elite talent like Geno Smith who only threw for 656 yards and 8 touchdowns in Saturday’s shootout victory over Baylor, Smith now has a completion percentage 84.1% passes and has 20 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. The West Virginia offense will be tested next week as they make their first Big 12 road trip to take on the Texas Longhorns. As for Notre Dame, they we’re able to take a well deserved BYE week to rest up. The Irish have a top defense in the nation, but trips to USC and Oklahoma will either make or break them later in the season.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – BCS SEC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Wednesday Jan. 2nd – 8:30 PM – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats
The more I watch Georgia play, the more I like them. With the biggest test of their season coming next week against South Carolina, if they win that one, they may be able to get to the SEC title game unbeaten considering they don’t have LSU or Alabama on their schedule this season. Behind the Aaron Murray, Georgia will be tough for anyone to beat. The Wildcats ride high still fresh off their upset victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. Kansas State and Bill Snyder will be a tough matchup for anyone of their conference foes. But with a balanced run game and a stout defense, until Kansas State is beaten, it is hard to pick against them.

Rose Bowl Game – BCS Big Ten No. 1 vs. BCS Pac-12 No. 1
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 5:00 PM – Rose Bowl)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. USC Trojans
The Big Ten is so down this season, but at least Nebraska took care of business against a very down Wisconsin program. Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez are two good enough runners that Nebraska can just lean on them in order to accomplish what they need to. The Cornhuskers are the favorite to win the Big Ten at this point. USC jumps back into the BCS picture because of the parody in the Pac-12. With Stanford’s loss, it looks like USC will be the only one to remotely challenge Oregon. If they can just do that and maybe come away with just two losses the Trojans will end up in the Rose Bowl.

Discover Orange Bowl – BCS ACC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Tuesday Jan. 1 – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Florida State Seminoles vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Florida State could be this year’s 2004 Auburn Tigers. Moving them down from the National Title game to the Orange Bowl, wasn’t because I don’t think they will run the table, it’s because I think Oregon will as well. Florida State just doesn’t have another marquee game left. Yes, maybe the Thursday night matchup in Blacksburg is game to look at, but because Virginia Tech has lost two games already even that makes the game loose value. For Rutgers they are the most solid team in the Big East. Kyle Flood has done a great job stepping for Greg Schiano, since their game against conference favorite, Louisville is in Piscataway, Rutgers should win that and get to the Orange Bowl.

NON BCS BOWL GAMES
GoDaddy.com Bowl – MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2
(Sunday Jan. 6th – 9:00 PM – Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Ohio Bobcats vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

BBVA Compass Bowl – SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
(Saturday Jan. 5th – 1:00 PM – Legion Field)
Missouri Tigers vs. UCONN Huskies

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Friday Jan. 4th – 8:00 PM – Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
Texas Longhorns vs. Florida Gators

TicketCity Bowl – Big Ten No. 7 vs. C-USA No. 5
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – Cotton Bowl)
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. UTEP Miners

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – EverBank Field)
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Capital One Bowl – Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Michigan Wolverines vs. LSU Tigers

Outback Bowl – Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Raymond James Stadium)
Northwestern Wildcats vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
(Monday Dec. 31st – Noon – LP Field)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Hyundai Sun Bowl – ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
(Monday Dec. 31st – 2:00 PM – Sun Bowl)
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Stanford Cardinal

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East No. 5/SEC No. 8/9
(Monday Dec. 31st – 3:30 PM – Liberty Bowl)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Chick-fil-A Bowl – ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 31st – 7:30 PM – Georgia Dome)
Clemson Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – C-USA No. 3 vs. MWC No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 11:45 AM – Amon G. Carter Stadium)
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. San Diego State Aztecs

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Pac-12 No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – AT&T Park)
*Utah State Aggies vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – Yankee Stadium)
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. South Florida Bulls

Valero Alamo Bowl – Pac-12 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 6:45 PM – Alamodome)
Oregon State Beavers vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 10:15 PM – Sun Devil Stadium)
Baylor Bears vs. Michigan State Spartans

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl – ACC No. 7 vs. SEC
(Friday Dec. 28th – 2:00 PM – Independence Bowl)
NC State Wolfpack vs. Ole Miss Rebels

Russell Athletic Bowl – Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
(Friday Dec. 28th – 5:30 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Louisville Cardinals vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
(Friday Dec. 28th – 9:00 PM – Reliant Stadium)
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Military Bowl – Army vs. ACC No. 8
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 3:00 PM – RFK Stadium)
*Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Belk Bowl – ACC No. 5 vs. Big East No. 3
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 6:30 PM – Bank of America Stadium)
Maryland Terrapins vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 9:45 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
Washington Huskies vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Little Caesars Bowl – Big Ten No. 8 vs. MAC No. 2
(Wednesday Dec. 26th – 7:30 PM – Ford Field)
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – C-USA No. 2 vs. MWC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 24th – 8:00 PM – Aloha Stadium)
East Carolina Pirates vs. Air Force Falcons

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – Noon – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs. Houston Cougars

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – 3:30 PM – Sam Boyd Stadium)
Boise State Broncos vs. UCLA Bruins

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA No. 4
(Friday Dec. 21st – 7:30 PM – Tropicana Field)
Syracuse Orange vs. SMU Mustangs

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – BYU vs. MWC No. 2
(Thursday Dec. 20th – 8:00 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
BYU Cougars vs. Nevada Wolfpack

Gilden New Mexico Bowl – MWC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 7
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 1:00 PM – University Stadium)
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Arizona Wildcats

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – WAC No. 1/2 vs. MAC No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 4:30 PM – Bronco Stadium)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Toledo Rockets

WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen

WVU O-Coordinator Shannon Dawson

WVU QB Geno Smith

WVU C Joe Madsen

WVU CB Brodrick Jenkins

Morgantown will get its first taste of Big 12 play this Saturday when the Baylor Bears come to WVU. Elsewhere this week Oklahoma State and Texas meet in Stillwater. Here’s how it’ll go down.

BYE WEEK: Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners

No. 25 Baylor Bears (3-0, 0-0) vs. No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0, 0-0)
(Milan Puskar Stadium; Saturday – Noon; FX)
Game Overview: Touchdowns will be a common theme throughout this game between the two offensive juggernauts. Star power is all over the field. The quarterback battle between Geno Smith and Nick Florence was named the Davey O’Brien Award National Marquee Matchup of the week. Smith and Florence combined have thrown for 2076 yards and 23 touchdowns. Add the speedsters, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey for WVU, and Terrance Williams, Tevin Reese and Lanear Sampson for Baylor, the recipe for a shootout is flawless. It’ll come down to who can just simply slow the other one down. Both teams have done a decent job of creating turnovers. West Virginia ranks 74th nationally in total defense, but ranks 13th in the country in turnover margin, as for Baylor, the Bears rank 6th nationally in turnover margin. The offenses in this game will put up a ton of numbers, but the first defense to make a big play in this game, will make an impact.
Coach Speak: “That wasn’t the easiest job that he took over four to five years ago, and he got it to the point that they are going to bowl games. They are winning, they are ranked, they are being talked about on a national standpoint and they are building facilities that are fantastic,” said WVU Head Coach Dana Holgorsen about Art Briles, “What he has done with that program over the last five years is impressive.” Holgorsen was on the same staff at Texas Tech with Art Briles back in 2000 under Mike Leach. Holgorsen was the wide receivers coach, Briles was the running backs coach and current WVU offensive line coach, Bill Bedenbaugh was the graduate assistant. These staff are very close, Art Briles even gave WVU defensive line coach Erik Slaughter his first coaching job, back when Briles was the Head Coach at Stephenville High School in Texas.
Key Matchup: Baylor Wide Receivers vs. West Virginia Secondary; The West Virginia secondary will be tested this weekend. Brodrick Jenkins and Pat Miller will be aired out by Terrance Williams and Tevin Reese. Baylor will try to stretch the field and WVU has to be ready. Baylor is up tempo and averages 79 offensive snaps per game, last week against Maryland, the Terrapins only snapped the ball 65 times in the game. WVU must be prepared for a wide open spread offense. Jenkins, Miller and the rest of the secondary will be the guys in the middle of it.
Prediction: West Virginia Mountaineers 43, Baylor Bears 35

No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs (3-0, 1-0) vs. SMU Mustangs (1-2, 0-0)
(Gerald Ford Stadium; Saturday – 7:00 PM; FSN)
Game Overview: Southern Methodist isn’t a good team this season. They’ve really struggled doing anything effectively. SMU’s had blowout losses to Baylor and Texas A&M. As for TCU they’ve just taken care of business through the first three games led by the defense. Gary Patterson’s defense is stout, they are top ten in the nation in total defense, red zone defense and is second in the country stopping opposing offenses on third down. Kenny Cain anchors the defense, he has 14 tackles and two interceptions this season. Between him and Stansly Maponga, the Horned Frogs defense is an intimidating group.
Coach Speak: “We expect especially going over there, it’s a tough crowd, it’s a night time game,” said Head Coach Gary Patterson. Don’t expect the Frogs to sleep on an SMU team that was buried by Baylor and SMU. The Horned Frogs will come out fired up and ready to play.
Key Matchup: TCU RB Matthew Tucker vs. SMU Front Seven; TCU will rely on Matthew Tucker to carry the football for the second straight week. It’ll be interesting to see how many carries that Tucker will get this week. TCU might be weary to give Tucker the ball too much just because of the lack of depth at running back. They will need Tucker throughout the rest of the season.
Prediction: TCU Horned Frogs 34, SMU Mustangs 7

Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0, 0-0) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (3-0, 0-0)
(Jack Trice Stadium; Saturday – 7:00 PM; Fox College Sports)
Game Overview: These are two underrated football teams, who have been able to win the games they were supposed to early in the season. The Red Raiders have outscored opponents 151-30 while Iowa State beat a decent Tulsa team and took down Iowa in the Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. It’ll be a nice contrast of a high powered offense and an experienced defense. The Red Raiders offense average 597 yards per game, while the Cyclones defense only give up about 280 yards per game. Something has to give.
Coach Speak: “Paul Rhoads (Iowa State Coach) is a defensive coach, he worked for me a year at Auburn. He’s a big technique guy,” said Texas Tech Coach Tommy Tuberville, “I’m impressed with their experience, they have linebackers that can play and run, defensive linemen that play with their hands and defensive backs that are well coached. They don’t do a lot, but what they do, they do it right.” Tuberville knows that the Iowa State defense will be the best one they’ve faced yet.
Key Matchup: Iowa State LB’s AJ Klein, Jake Knott vs. Texas Tech QB Seth Doege; The linebacker – quarterback matchup is a great one in this game. All three are very experienced guys. When Seth Doege checks off, AJ Klein and Jake Knott will be guys to adjust the Iowa State defense. These guys will be the respective leaders of their units, if Klein and Knott can get the Cyclones defense to force a turnover in a key situation than, the Cyclones have the upperhand.
Prediction: Iowa State Cylcones 29, Texas Tech Red Raiders 27

No. 12 Texas Longhorns (3-0, 0-0) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1, 0-0)
(Boone-Pickens Stadium; Saturday – 7:50 PM; FOX)
Game Overview: This is another road test for the Longhorns and a chance to for Oklahoma State to prove that their loss to Arizona a couple of weeks ago was a fluke. The Longhorns come into the game overwhelmingly happy with the play of quarterback David Ash. He has exceeded expectations and become way more than a game manager. Ash has completed 76.4% of his passes, throwing for 703 yards and 7 touchdowns without turning the football over. If Ash continues to do that, Texas is going to be a tough team to be for anyone in the country. The Texas offense is balanced and the defense is pretty good. They find ways to make plays. Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor are elite pass rushers that will give the Oklahoma State offensive line some problems. Oklahoma State still hasn’t announced which quarterback they will go with on Saturday, Wes Lunt should be good to go after getting out of a cast last Sunday, but JW Walsh replaced Lunt and put up a school, 742 total yards a week later against Louisiana-Lafayette. Whoever starts this game will be put in pressure situations by those above mentioned Texas defensive linemen.
Coach Speak: “We were able to show the guys last year in the eight games we won, we won the turnover ratio and in the five we lost, we lost the turnover ratio,” said Texas Head Coach Mack Brown. “We’ve gone back in our fifteen years here, when we’ve won the turnover ratio, we’re 75-0.” So basically, Brown knows that if the Horns are able to win the turnover battle they got a great shot at winning the game.
Key Matchup: Oklahoma State Run Game vs. Texas Defensive Front; If Oklahoma State wants any shot of upsetting the Texas Longhorns in Stillwater this week, the Cowboys offense has to go through Joseph Randle. Coach Mike Gundy has to be able to put the football in his most dynamic player’s hands. Randle has the ability to change the momentum in a game. Oklahoma State’s offensive line has to be able to get downhill and run block against the depth of the Texas defensive line. If Randle can run wild a little bit, it may open the pass for Walsh or Lunt. Oklahoma State is 6th in country in rushing yards per game, if they want to beat Texas they have to continue to run the football effectively.
Prediction: Texas Longhorns 33, Oklahoma State Cowboys 24

WVU Defensive Coordinator Joe DeForest

WVU OL Coach Bill Bedenbaugh

WVU WR JD Woods

WVU CB Pat Miller

Despite Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Iowa State all having the week off, this past weekend provided a lot of insight as to which teams are for real, and which teams aren’t. K-State gets the largest bump, moving up to number one after their win over Oklahoma.

1. Kansas State Wildcats (4-0, 1-0; Win vs. Oklahoma, 24-19; Last Week: 4th)
The Wildcats are for real, Bill Snyder’s team proved that they are so much better than their media preseason poll sixth ranking. Collin Klein puts the team on his back, between the 228 total yards and touchdown, Klein was able to put his team in position to upset Oklahoma on the road. The Snyder-Cat defense was also stellar in the game, they forced three turnovers, incluing a Justin Tuggle strip sack, and held a OU to under 100 yards on the ground. Kansas State will be tough for any team in the Big 12 to beat. They may not win pretty, but they find a way to win.

2. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0, 0-0; Win vs. Maryland 31-21; Last Week: 1st)
Geno Smith was sacked for the first time this season in Saturday’s win over Maryland, he also was hit and knocked down about eight or nine more times. WVU’s offensive line has to keep Smith upright. If they can’t pick up blitzes against Maryland, how are they going to pick up blitzes against Big 12 teams like Texas who also have elite pass rushers like Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor? Nevertheless, Smith still threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns. West Virginia plays and will be tested in their first Big 12 game this Saturday against Baylor.

3. Texas Longhorns (3-0; Win vs. BYE; Last Week: 3rd)
After derailing Ole Miss a week ago, the Longhorns took the BYE week to have an extra week of preparation for Big 12 play. Texas has to be happy with the way David Ash has played through the first three games. He’s completed 76.4% of his passes for 700 plus yards and 7 touchdowns already. If Ash continues to do more than manage the game effectively, Texas will be in business, because with a dominant run game and a defensive line that can apply pressure, solid quarterback play is all they need to be that elite program again.

4. Oklahoma Sooners (2-1, 0-1; Loss vs. Kansas State, 24-19; Last Week: 2nd)
Wow, another typical Oklahoma loss. I hate to say I told you so, but I did. The Sooners and Bob Stoops have found ways to lose games that they shouldn’t. The Sooners turned the ball over three times in their loss to K-State. This proves that OU isn’t a national title contender, especially with trips to Dallas to play Texas at the Cotton Bowl as well as Fort Worth and Morgantown. They still can run the ball well with Dominic Whaley and Damien Williams.

5. Baylor Bears (3-0, 0-0; Win vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 47-42; Last Week: 5th)
Baylor escaped Louisiana-Monroe on Friday night, with a quality road victory. With the way ULM has played this year, going on the road and finding a way to win is a good thing. Baylor’s receiver corps could be the deepest in the country. Terrance Williams, Tevin Reese and Lenear Sampson will test West Virginia’s secondary this Saturday. Nick Florence has done a good job replacing Robert Griffin III. Baylor is still going to beat a bunch of teams in the Big 12 conference the rest of the way.

6. TCU Horned Frogs (3-0, 1-0; Win vs. vs. Virginia, 27-7; Last Week: 6th)
The Horned Frogs have only given up a total of 13 points in three games. Their defense is stingy, they don’t give in, and they force turnovers. And then the great thing is, the TCU offense capitalizes on the turnovers. Casey Pachall has eight touchdowns already making up a little bit for the injured Waymond James. It’ll be interesting to see if the TCU run game can keep up especially with Matthew Tucker having to carry the load. TCU goes on the road this week to take on SMU.

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1, 0-0; BYE; Last Week: 7th)
Oklahoma State welcomes in Texas this weekend, which will really show how much they’ve corrected since that loss to Arizona three weeks ago. Oklahoma State’s defensive toughness will be tested against a really physical Texas run game. For the Cowboys’ offense JD Walsh stepped up in place of Wes Lunt. It’ll be interesting to see if he can continue success this week. If worse comes to worse, they Cowboys’ offense can feed Joseph Randle.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0, 0-0; BYE; Last Week: 8th)
Seth Doege and the Red Raiders are improved this year. Doege can certainly throw the ball and sling it all over the field. He’s got great experience and takes leadership of this Texas Tech team. Doege and the Red Raiders won all the games they were supposed to win against Northwestern State, Texas State and New Mexico, but can they do it against Big 12 competition?

9. Iowa State Cyclones (3-0, 0-0; BYE; Last Week: 9th)
The Cyclones’ AJ Klein and Jake Knott have to be able to continue playing like the top linebackers in the country as ISU enters conference play. The Cyclones need these guys to lead the defense and have them play at a high level. The Cyclones could move up in the power rankings if they take care of business at home this Saturday against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

10. Kansas Jayhawks (1-3, 0-1; Loss vs. Northern Illinois, 30-23; Last Week: 10th)
Unfortunate for the Kansas Jayhawks, they will struggle this season and get routed a ton in conference play. The Jayhawks don’t have the fire power offensively to keep pace with any of these other schools. They fail to do the little things right, the KU defense is very good, they’ve forced 13 turnovers already, but the offense can’t capitalize on it and until they do that, Kansas will continue to lose games.

What a weekend in college football, Kansas State proved to the nation that they could be the team to beat in the Big 12 Conference. Oregon let everyone know that they can play defense as they pitched a shutout against Arizona. This week there some big changes in the projections this week – aside from the top.

BCS BOWL GAMES
BCS National Championship – BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
(Monday Jan. 7th – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida State Seminoles
The Alabama Crimson Tide again just took care of business. They beat up on an inferior opponent, FAU on Saturday 40 to 7. The great thing about Nick Saban’s team is that they don’t allow the opponent to think they have any shot at beating the Tide. When the opponent is down the Tide are able to step on their throats and crush them. The Seminoles on the other hand proved how good they really are by beating an extremely talented Clemson team. FSU quarterback EJ Manuel had the moxie to bring his team back when they were down. The fact that FSU doesn’t have another tough game like that left on their schedule, really means they should be able to run the table and play for a national title.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – BCS Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Thursday Jan. 3rd – 8:30 PM – University of Phoenix Stadium)
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Geno Smith was 30 of 43 for 338 yards and 3 TD’s against Maryland and all anyone could talk about after the game, was how much he and the offense struggled. If that’s the stat line on a bad day, WVU should be able to keep the momentum going. Add that they get both Kansas State and Oklahoma at home, that should bode well for WVU. As for the Irish, they are legit this year. They held Michigan’s offense to 299 yards which is tough to do when Denard Robinson is their quarterback. Notre Dame’s ability to force turnovers is what will enable them to win games against tough opponents. The Irish are fifth in the country in turnover margin.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – BCS SEC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Wednesday Jan. 2nd – 8:30 PM – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Louisiana State Tigers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
It wasn’t pretty, but LSU was able to take care of business against Auburn Tigers this past weekend. LSU’s stifling deep defense was able to hold Auburn to 183 yards on Saturday. LSU is good enough to be everybody on the their schedule besides Alabama. Because of that they’ll get an at large bid to the Sugar Bowl. The Scarlet Knights got a win in SEC country by beating Arkansas. Rutgers is legitimate, they now have two quality road wins at Arkansas and at USF. Kyle Flood’s squad will get the Big East’s BCS Bowl bid by beating Louisville in the de facto Big East Championship, later in the season.

Rose Bowl Game – BCS Big Ten No. 1 vs. BCS Pac-12 No. 1
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 5:00 PM – Rose Bowl)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Oregon Ducks
The Big Ten isn’t the same this year. Penn State is out of the picture, Ohio State is good but they also have a bowl ban, Michigan already has two losses and Wisconsin is down too, so that leaves Nebraska to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead’s ground attack should allow the Cornhuskers to get to the conference championship and win it. And Oregon is filthy if they don’t end up with one loss or less, it’ll be a surprise. This Oregon defense maybe the best in while. The Ducks are dangerous on both sides of the ball.

Discover Orange Bowl – BCS ACC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Tuesday Jan. 1 – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Clemson Tigers vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Yes, Clemson did lose this week, but to a top five Florida State team. Because of that since Clemson lost early, they’ll be able to regain from it. They don’t have a game on their schedule that they should loose, because of that the Tigers make a return trip to Miami Gardens to play in back to back Orange Bowls. Now Kansas State is nasty, they got a huge win by upsetting Oklahoma in Norman. Collin Klein is as tough any player in America on offense, and the elite defenders like Arthur Brown and Nigel Malone that they have will be able to slow opponents down. K-State is should at least lock up an at-large BCS bid.

NON BCS BOWL GAMES
GoDaddy.com Bowl – MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2
(Sunday Jan. 6th – 9:00 PM – Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns

BBVA Compass Bowl – SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
(Saturday Jan. 5th – 1:00 PM – Legion Field)
Texas A&M Aggies vs. UCONN Huskies

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Friday Jan. 4th – 8:00 PM – Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
Texas Longhorns vs. Florida Gators

TicketCity Bowl – Big Ten No. 7 vs. C-USA No. 5
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – Cotton Bowl)
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Rice Owls

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – EverBank Field)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Capital One Bowl – Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Michigan State Spartans vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Outback Bowl – Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Raymond James Stadium)
Michigan Wolverines vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
(Monday Dec. 31st – Noon – LP Field)
Maryland Terrapins vs. Ole Miss Rebels

Hyundai Sun Bowl – ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
(Monday Dec. 31st – 2:00 PM – Sun Bowl)
NC State Wolfpack vs. UCLA Bruins

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East No. 5/SEC No. 8/9
(Monday Dec. 31st – 3:30 PM – Liberty Bowl)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Arkansas Razorbacks

Chick-fil-A Bowl – ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 31st – 7:30 PM – Georgia Dome)
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – C-USA No. 3 vs. MWC No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 11:45 AM – Amon G. Carter Stadium)
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Pac-12 No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – AT&T Park)
Navy Midshipmen vs. Utah Utes

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – Yankee Stadium)
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. South Florida Bulls

Valero Alamo Bowl – Pac-12 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 6:45 PM – Alamodome)
USC Trojans vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 10:15 PM – Sun Devil Stadium)
Baylor Bears vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl – ACC No. 7 vs. SEC
(Friday Dec. 28th – 2:00 PM – Independence Bowl)
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Missouri Tigers

Russell Athletic Bowl – Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
(Friday Dec. 28th – 5:30 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Louisville Cardinals vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
(Friday Dec. 28th – 9:00 PM – Reliant Stadium)
Oklahoma State Sooners vs. Purdue Boilermakers

Military Bowl – Army vs. ACC No. 8
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 3:00 PM – RFK Stadium)
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Belk Bowl – ACC No. 5 vs. Big East No. 3
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 6:30 PM – Bank of America Stadium)
Miami Hurricanes vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 9:45 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
Stanford Cardinal vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Little Caesars Bowl – Big Ten No. 8 vs. MAC No. 2
(Wednesday Dec. 26th – 7:30 PM – Ford Field)
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – C-USA No. 2 vs. MWC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 24th – 8:00 PM – Aloha Stadium)
East Carolina Pirates vs. San Diego State Aztecs

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – Noon – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs. UTEP Miners

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – 3:30 PM – Sam Boyd Stadium)
Boise State Broncos vs. Oregon State Beavers

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA No. 4
(Friday Dec. 21st – 7:30 PM – Tropicana Field)
Syracuse Orange vs. Houston Cougars

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – BYU vs. MWC No. 2
(Thursday Dec. 20th – 8:00 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
BYU Cougars vs. Nevada Wolfpack

Gilden New Mexico Bowl – MWC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 7
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 1:00 PM – University Stadium)
Air Force Falcons vs. Washington Huskies

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – WAC No. 1/2 vs. MAC No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 4:30 PM – Bronco Stadium)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Toledo Rockets

Head Coach Dana Holgorsen

Offensive Coordinator/WR Coach Shannon Dawson

QB Geno Smith

WR Stedman Bailey

S Darwin Cook

The first pivotal game will be played this weekend when Bill Snyder’s fifteen ranked Kansas State Wildcats travel to Norman to take the sixth ranked Oklahoma Sooners. This one should be a good indication to see which one of these teams is for real.

BYE WEEK: Iowa State Cyclones, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Baylor Bears (2-0, 0-0) vs. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (1-1, 0-0)
(Malone Stadium; Friday – 8:00 PM; ESPN)
Game Overview: The Warhawks will play their third consecutive game against a team from a BCS automatic qualifying conference (beat Arkansas, lost to Auburn in OT), when they host the Bears this week in Monroe. For Baylor it is all about getting it together and playing their style of football last. Last week when Baylor downed Sam Houston State 48-23, they had to overcome a ten-point deficit. Baylor cannot play to the level of their competition. They have to come out fired up tonight to take on a tough Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks team otherwise as the Warhawks did to both Arkansas and Auburn will make them pay for that. If Baylor jumps out ahead Nick Florence and company has to be able to put the hammer down, because if Louisiana-Monroe has any reason to believe they can win this game, will do so really because they have before.
Coach Speak: “You hope your players are always ready regardless of the situation, but I think with what (Louisiana) Monroe was able to do at Arkansas in the opening week and the national attention that they garnered from that, certainly if you didn’t have the respect you had for them that you should have, you do now,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said about taking on Louisiana-Monroe. The Bears aren’t overlooking Louisiana-Monroe because they are a good football team. Baylor understands that if they do, they’ll get beat.
Key Matchup: Baylor’s Pass Defense vs. ULM QB Kolton Browning; The Bears secondary has yielded 323 yards per game. Kolton Browning has torn up defenses throwing for 324 yards per game with six total touchdowns. If Baylor’s corners CJ Morton and Demetri Goodwin can’t lock down the Warhawk receiver.
Prediction: Baylor Bears 41, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 28

Maryland Terrapins (2-1, 0-0) vs. No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0, 0-0)
(Milan Puskar Stadium; Saturday – Noon; FX)
Game Overview: West Virginia will meet Maryland for the 49th of the edition of the Border War on Saturday. Because of the conference switch, the Terrapins are the lone remaining “rival” left on WVU’s schedule. West Virginia brings in a six game win streak over the Terps. This game is important in terms of history and of recruiting. One cool thing to watch is to see is if true Maryland freshman speedster Stefon Diggs, is the player everyone says he is. Comparisons have been made to Tavon Austin, if Austin has it his way, he’ll show Diggs how good he’ll really have to be. Speaking of Austin, Maryland’s secondary will have to matchup with Austin and wide receiver Stedman Bailey who leads the nation in both receptions per game and receiving yards per game.
Coach Speak: “Soft, it was part of the second half we started the second half soft. Soft and not ready to play, they were clearly playing harder than us in the second half,” Head Coach Dana Holgorsen said, “We got the ball on the goal line, we were soft.” During his weekly news conference, Holgorsen made it clear that he wasn’t happy about allowing a safety to James Madison. Don’t be surprised if the WVU offensive line comes out with a little anger and a little fire. That’s a prideful group that cares, they won’t let that happen again.
Key Matchup: Maryland DT Joe Vellano vs. WVU C Joe Madsen; Inside the trenches, two seniors will go at it. Maryland All-American Defensive Tackle, Joe Vellano causes havoc in the middle and will apply some pressure from the interior on WVU quarterback Geno Smith. For West Virginia, Rimington Award Watch list guy, Joe Madsen is one of the top centers in the country. Madsen and Vellano, they are two tough guys, lunch pale, blue-collar type workers. Everything starts with these two, this will be a good battle to watch inside.
Prediction: West Virginia Mountaineers 49, Maryland Terrapins 17

Virginia Cavaliers (2-1, 0-1) vs. No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs (2-0, 1-0)
(Amon G. Carter Stadium; Saturday – Noon; ESPN)
Game Overview: Gary Patterson’s squad comes off of their Big 12 debut with a win over Kansas, and now will be posed with the challenge of taking on a fundamentally sound Virginia football team. TCU will without running back Waymond James, who the Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported would miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. That means TCU will have to figure out a way to move the ball up and down the field. Matthew Tucker who was really the thunder to James’ style of running will be the guy from here on out that the Horned Frogs rely on to pound the football. James’ injury also means TCU will probably use Casey Pachall to throw the football more. As for UVA, they make their first trip to the state of Texas for the first time in 17 years. This year Cavalier team has certainly taken a step back from years past, but veteran pieces on offense, they still aren’t an easy out.
Coach Speak: “We didn’t play especially well (against Kansas), for us like we always do, we don’t worry about the other team,” said Gary Patterson when he was asked during the Big 12 media teleconference about taking on a tough Virginia team. Patterson feels, like most coaches that if he can just worry about his young team, that it won’t matter who the opponent is.
Key Matchup: Virginia TE Jake McGee vs. TCU LB Kenny Cain; If Virginia is going have offensive success, they will use their tight end Jake McGee, especially over the middle of the field. McGee has already caught 9 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns this season. That means, TCU linebacker Kenny Cain is going to have to be alert as to where McGee lines up on the field. It’ll be interesting to see how Cain matches up with McGee, because unless McGee lines up split out wide, Cain will have to cover the big tight end.
Prediction: TCU Horned Frogs 31, Virginia Cavaliers 14

Kansas Jayhawks (1-2, 0-1) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (2-1, 0-0)
(Huskie Stadium; Saturday – 3:30 PM; ESPN3)
Game Overview: The Jayhawks have forced 12 turnovers in three games. They’ve recovered seven fumbles and have had five interceptions. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because they only have one win to show for it, but Kansas leads the Big 12 in turnovers. Now that the means the defense is doing their job and the offense has to step up. Charlie Weis has to be able to get that offense to capitalize on those turnovers. Dane Crist has to be the player that Weis thought he was bringing in, not so much statistically, but a leader that makes plays when needed. Crist has thrown for just 200 yards per game and has turned the ball over four times. So really when the defense gets a turnover, there has been times where Crist and the offense gives it right back. If Kansas capitalizes on turnovers, they may have beaten Rice or beaten TCU. That point aside, Northern Illinois poses challenges, their quarterback Jordan Lynch is a dual-threat guy that has rushed for 304 yards and passed for six 610 yards. He has ten total touchdowns already this season.
Coach Speak: “When you feel that there is a talent discrepancy is play more complementary football. I know that offensive coordinators love to be slinging the ball all over the yard every play,” Charlie Weis said, “I think for us that does not bode well, we have a couple of decent runners, I think that our teams committed to running the football. I think the slower we can play the game, the better for us.” Weis is going to continue to rely on Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox because he knows that Kansas’ offense has to go through the run game.
Key Matchup: Kansas FS Bradley McDougal vs. NIU QB Jordan Lynch; Huskies quarterback, Jordan Lynch hasn’t turned the ball over at all this season. Kansas free safety Bradley McDougal has caused chaos forced four total turnovers. He’s picked off opposing quarterbacks twice and has forced two fumbles. This means that Lynch has to be aware of where McDougal is on the field at all times, because if not, McDougal will make him pay.
Prediction: Kansas Jayhawks 34, Northern Illinois Huskies 32

No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats (3-0, 0-0) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0, 0-0)
(Oklahoma Memorial Stadium; Saturday – 7:50 PM; FOX)
Game Overview: This is the Big 12’s first marquee game of the season. This is Oklahoma’s first major test if they want to get to the National Championship Game. The game should really show if either team is for real. Last year when the teams met it was a tight game until K-State run off the field by Oklahoma in the second half of the game. As for this year, Kansas State’s offense led by Collin Klein will give the Sooners’ defense challenges that they haven’t faced yet this season. Klein, who gives defensive coordinators, fits, because they have to prepare for his ability to run and throw the football. When the Sooners have the ball, it’s all about Damien Williams, the guy has absolutely made himself a presence this season. Williams has rushed for 259 yards and five rushing touchdowns. These two teams both run the football real well which means time of possession is a huge deal. If one of these teams can control the clock for maybe a plus ten or plus twelve minute margin, they will win the football game. Also, don’t be surprised if this is the game Bob Stoops unloads the Sooners’ passing game, it seems like Landry Jones has been too quiet through the first two OU games this season.
Coach Speak: Bob Stoops coached under Bill Snyder between 1985 to 1987 and then again from 1990 to 1995. Snyder feels that Stoops’ know how of Snyder’s offense and defense isn’t the only reason why Oklahoma may have a little bit of an advantage. “Oklahoma has had two weeks of opportunity anyway to prepare for us so that part of it makes it difficult as well, especially since they’re amazingly talented and a well-coached football team,” Snyder said. Oklahoma comes off of a BYE week while Kansas State had to play a decent North Texas team.
Key Matchup: K-State CB Nigel Malone vs. Oklahoma WR Kenny Stills; Landry Jones has really not been able to get any kind of chemistry going between himself and the younger receivers like Trey Metoyers and the Penn State transfer, Justin Brown. The one guy he’s been able to rely on is Kenny Stills. This week Stills is matched up with Nigel Malone, one of the top corners in the Big 12 Conference. In last year’s Malone was able to pick of a pair of passes against Landry Jones. If Jones tries to force anything to Kenny Stills, Malone will be there to break things up. This battle will be huge especially Malone shuts down Stills, it’ll give K-State a great shot to win the game.
Prediction: Kansas State Wildcats 33, Oklahoma Sooners 27