College Week 4 Preview

Alright I got my mojo back last week. I went 29-2 on the week leaving me at 74-12 on the season.  This week should be even more interesting as conference races start to heat up and there are fewer warm-up games for the more highly ranked teams.

                                 

                                #1 Alabama @ #10 Arkansas  

                                                 While Ryan Mallet has been playing extremely well for Arkansas, he’s now going to face one of the most dominating defenses in the country. I’m just not of the opinion that he’ll be able to do it. Alabama wins.

                                Eastern Michigan @ #2 Ohio State

                                                  One of the most consistently bad teams in the country is facing Ohio State…….Yeah, Buckeyes win.

                                #24 Oregon State @ #3 Boise State (Game of the Week)

                                                 I minds of many, this game is the final obstacle that Boise State will face on the road to an undefeated season. Anyone who has seen Nevada or Fresno State play would disagree with that statement, but it is going to be a good game to watch. Oregon State has talent everywhere and will challenge Boise State’s defense on every level. I am picking Boise State to win in a close game though.

                                #4 TCU @ SMU

                                                 SMU has made strides and looks competitive again. However, they’re still no match for TCU.

                                #5 Oregon @ Arizona State

                                                 While Arizona State lost their last game, they have shown that they are more competitive than I thought they were going to be coming into the season. However, their strength defensively is up the middle, while Oregon is better at running to the outside. Oregon should win this game.

                                South Dakota State @ #6 Nebraska

                                                FCS teams rarely do well against AP top 10 FBS teams. Cornhuskers dominate.

                                UCLA @ #7 Texas

                                                 UCLA caught me by surprise when they pulled the victory out against Houston. It does of course help the Houston’s top two quarterbacks went down with injuries in that game. I doubt the same thing will happen in this Texas game. Texas wins.

                                #8 Oklahoma @ Cincinnati  

                                                 Cincinnati has looked less than stellar this season. Oklahoma wins.

                                Kentucky @ #9 Florida

                                                 While Kentucky has been playing tough the past couple of weeks, however their facing a really good Florida team this week. It’ll be a close game, but I think Urban Meyer’s superior coaching will be enough to surpass the surprisingly good Wildcats.

                                Austin Peay @ #11 Wisconsin

                                                 Austin Peay. Meet John Clay. He will be destroying you this evening. Badgers roll.

                                #12 South Carolina @ #17 Auburn

                                                 Both teams have been playing exceptionally well these first few weeks, but something have got to give in this matchup and I am picking Cam Newton to be the one who stumbles. It’s not that I don’t think he can play well, I just think that South Carolina has enough momentum to carry them through this game. It should be a good one though.

                                San Jose State @ #13 Utah

                                                 Utah continues to pound on lesser opponents. Someone needs to be nicer to poor San Jose State.

                                California @ #14 Arizona

                                                 Cal just got ripped by Nevada; I don’t think they’ll be able to hang with Arizona. 

                               

                                #22 West Virginia @ #15 LSU 

                                                 While this game could be good, I think it won’t be. West Virginia struggled to defeat Marshall. I think that fact alone means that LSU should easily destroy this team. Tigers win.

                                #16 Stanford @ Notre Dame

                                                Stanford is rolling while Notre Dame is still finding their way. Stanford wins.

               

                                Ball State @ #18 Iowa

                                                Ball State still doesn’t have Nate Davis. Therefore, they have no chance. Iowa wins.

                                #19 Miami (Fl.) @ Pittsburgh

                                                Pittsburgh has still yet to impress me. Miami has had a week to rest and a weeks’ worth of rage to release on the poor Panthers. Miami wins.

                                #20 USC @ Washington State

                                                 USC had better impress me in this game. I don’t doubt they’ll win, but I’m about to write them out of the Pac-10 if they don’t have an impressive victory. Same goes for Matt Barkley’s Heisman chances. Impress me Trojans.

                                Bowling Green @ #21 Michigan 

                                                 This could be a high flying affair, but Michigan should have little trouble outscoring Bowling Green.

                                Temple @ #23 Penn State

                                                I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Temple could actually win this game. Temple has played extremely well in their first few games, going so far as to upset over UConn. I don’t think Penn State has fallen far enough to be defeated by Temple, but the possibility does exist.

                                Northern Colorado @ #25 Michigan State

                                                  FCS + AP Top 25 = Michigan State win.

                Other Games of Note

               

                                 North Carolina State @ Georgia Tech

                                                As conference play starts to pick up, more games like this will be mentioned. While it would seem to most that this would be a rather non-descript game, North Carolina State has been playing extremely well to start out the season, while Georgia Tech has not been nearly as dominating as they were a year ago. This game comes down to which quarterback will be executing their offense better; Joshua Nesbitt or Russell Wilson. Nesbitt is a bit more consistent, so I’m picking Georgia Tech, though I am rooting for NC State.

                                Wake Forest @ Florida State

                                                Much like the previous game, this game will have big ramifications in the race for the ACC title. While Wake Forest hasn’t been thought of in the same light as Florida State, they have been playing just as well. This game should be a high-flying affair that will end in Florida State’s victory.

                                Arkansas State @ Troy

                                                Probably the biggest game in the Sun Belt for the foreseeable future. Arkansas State’s Ryan Aplin has been surprisingly good these first few weeks, giving the Red Wolves hope that they will be able to compete with Troy for the Sun Belt title. However, I have said it once and I will say it again, Larry Blakeney is one of the best coaches in the country and he will have his team ready. Troy wins.

                                Fresno State @ Mississippi

                                                While Mississippi is not the best team in the SEC, they are still an SEC school and should be a challenge for this resurgent Fresno State team. I’m picking Fresno State to win in an upset.

                                Utah State @ San Diego State

                                                This game could test the limits of the scoreboard. Both teams have high powered offenses and have been playing unusually well this season, at least when compared to their normal seasons. I’m going with San Diego State in this matchup, simply because their offense is a bit more explosive and balanced.

Top 10 Heisman Candidates


1.       Kellen Moore – Another strong showing after having a week off. He is still the best player in college football.




2.       Terrelle Pryor – Didn’t play as well as he did the previous week, but won’t lose traction in the Heisman race.




3.       John Clay – Another week, another strong performance by Clay.




4.       Ryan Mallett – A big passing game against Georgia boosts his case. A repeat performance against Alabama would jump him above Pryor.




5.       Colin Kaepernick – Five total touchdowns against a Pac-10 team leads to Kaepernick jumping more highly touted Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley.




6.       Andrew Luck – Extremely efficient in the red zone, but the yardage simply isn’t there to move up.




7.       Matt Barkley – After a great first game, he has fallen back with increasingly mediocre performances.




8.       Daniel Thomas – Continues his strong start, though it is taking for carries for him to get the kinds of yards he needs to stay on this list.




9.       Denard Robinson – Another dominant performance, but against lesser competition.




10.   Nick Foles – A big win against National ranked Iowa has brought Nick Foles to the forefront in the Heisman discussion. It doesn’t hurt that Case Keenum is missing the rest of the season with a torn ACL.