Teams in the top ten took a beating last week. Penn State fell to Iowa, Miami lost to Virginia Tech, Cal was walloped by Oregon and Ole Miss was exposed by South Carolina. This week's schedule does not appear to offer too many challenges to highly ranked teams. To be honest, this week's schedule is the least appealing of the season. So, will things go according to plan? Absolutely not. College football is an emotional, week-to-week game. If a team does not show up, they are going to be in trouble. I am not going to predict a loss for any of the teams in the top ten but I won't be shocked if a couple of them fall in games they shouldn't lose.
Top Five Games
5. (8) Oklahoma at (17) Miami (8:00 on ABC)
This game looked much more appealing before last week. If Miami had beaten Virginia Tech, they would be in the top five and this would be a battle between two traditional powers that are both ranked in the top ten. Now, Miami needs to rebound from a trouncing to keep the momentum surrounding their program going. Another blowout loss would leave people thinking their 2-0 start was an abomination. Oklahoma has rebounded from their opening loss to BYU in impressive fashion. If they can run the table for the rest of the way, the Sooners could find themselves back in the national title picture. Sam Bradford has been ruled out for this game. I don't think it will matter. Landry Jones has proven to be very capable of putting up huge numbers. Miami beat a mediocre Florida State squad and a Georgia Tech team that is not as good as I thought they would be. The Canes defense will be exposed again and the Sooners will take a ten-point win back to Norman.
4. (7) USC at (24) California (8:00)
USC bounced back from a shocking loss to Washington by handling poor Washington State. They still have not managed to get their offense rolling and I am not sure they will for a few more weeks. People in Los Angeles are calling for offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates' head because the offense has been too conservative. The Trojans are trying to be careful with Matt Barkley but I think they should let the chains off a little bit. They have all kinds of talent that is not being used to potential. California was absolutely embarrassed at Oregon last Saturday. A win here could help erase some of the bad taste from that game. A loss may send them into a tailspin. A loss for USC would pretty much eliminate them from PAC-10 title contention. I will be rooting for the Golden Bears but they have never done anything in big games to prove they can win this one. USC wins going away.
3. (4) LSU at (18) Georgia (3:30 on CBS)
LSU should have lost at Mississippi State last Saturday. They were outplayed and the Bulldogs had two plays from inside the one to win the game. I will give the Tigers defense credit for making the stops but they shouldn't have needed those plays to beat MSU. Jordan Jefferson is adequate as a quarterback but the Tigers need to get their running game going. The Tigers ran the ball 31 times for an embarrassing 30 yards last week. That is less than a yard per carry. Wow!!! Georgia did not look good against Arizona State and needed a late field goal to win 20-17. They will need a better offensive effort if they want to score much against LSU. I really don't how this one will turn out but I always lean to the home team in the close SEC contests. Georgia wins by a field goal.
2. (22) Michigan at Michigan State (Noon on Big Ten Network)
Michigan is 4-0 but I still have plenty of questions about them. Their defense did not impress me much last week against the Hoosiers. IU outplayed them and deserved to win in the Big House (yes, I will be bitter for a while). Michigan State barely lost at Notre Dame, gave up a big lead to lose to Central Michigan and lost by eight last week at Madison. I think they are better than their 1-3 record indicates. The Spartans have one of my favorite coaches in football in Mark Dantonio and they are looking at this game as a chance to turn their season around. This will be Michigan's first road game, how will Tate Forcier respond to a hostile crowd? The Spartans will play desperate and I am calling for an upset in a high-scoring affair. MSU wins 42-38.
1. UCLA at Stanford (3:30)
This game has flown under the radar a little bit. Both teams have gotten off to a positive start. The Bruins are 3-0 (1-0) and the Cardinal are 3-1 (2-0). Stanford knocked Washington out of the Top 25 last week with a dominant performance. UCLA's signature victory came back in week two when they knocked off Tennessee in Knoxville. The deciding factor in this game will be whether or not the UCLA defense can stop Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart is a bull of a tailback and the Bruins will need to bring their hard hats. I think UCLA has drastically improved under Rick Neuheisel and they know how to win on the road. I am picking the Bruins to pull it off.
I will preview the Hoosiers battle with the Buckeyes tomorrow. Until then, stay vigilant and God Bless America.
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