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By Richie Weldon
Each week I will focus on some
of my predictions and insights for the coming week and
discuss some of my previous, faulty predictions. The
article will also feature pictures of a different college
football stud that defines the term “Eye Candy”.
Angles
All eyes this coming weekend
are going to be on the Texas vs. Ohio State game. The team
wins this game will likely have the inside track to the
national championship. The media is going to be all over
this one, so let’s talk about some other games you might
want to pay attention to.
Did anyone notice that the
Big Ten went undefeated in Week 1? All 11 teams, including
lowly Indiana, defeated their opponents, and pretty
solidly. Not a single game was decided by fewer than 10
points. Will the Big Ten be able to remain undefeated?
Don’t look to the Texas-OSU
game as the key indicator. Illinois plays on the road at an
improving Rutgers team and Minnesota plays on the road
against a lackluster California team. Both of these games
happen before the “big game” of the weekend. Penn State
travels to Notre Dame, but I think the Nittany Lions will
come away with a victory. Georgia Tech had the game against
the Irish in hand, but was unable to put it away. Poor
tackling and kick-off coverage were the Yellow Jackets'
downfall in their 14-10 loss.
Is Pittsburgh (a 38-13
winner) really that good, or is Virginia really that bad? I
didn’t see this game, as there were more intriguing ones on
the tele, so looking at the box score, I’d have to say that
it’s a bit of both, but leaning towards Virginia being that
bad. The Cavs amassed only 52 yards on the ground and were
pathetic on third down conversions, going 3 for 14. Pitt
did help the Cavs out by having 75 yards of penalties, but
the rest of the Panthers numbers were solid. To me, this
game was more impressive as a statement for the Big East
than the yawner that West Virginia opened with.
Rutgers had a great victory
at North Carolina. This win was an important step towards
become eligible for a second straight bowl. Coach Greg
Schiano now has to find ways to win against Illinois, Ohio,
Howard, Syracuse and Cincinnati to close this deal. Add in
a win against USF, Navy, or Connecticut for good measure and
the talk about Rutgers turning the corner and transforming
into a good team won’t be far behind.
Which will be the biggest
upset for the coming week? If you asked me a month ago, I
would’ve said that North Carolina was going to knock off
Virginia Tech. For some reason, the Hokies have trouble
playing in Keenan Stadium, but after seeing Beamer Ball back
in action and the Heels looking dull against Rutgers, the
Hokies should take care of business in fine fashion.
If Fresno State was an
underdog against the Oregon Ducks this Saturday, that game
might be the upset of the week, but the Bulldogs should be
favored. Week 2 looks pretty mundane, apart from the
Longhorns and Buckeyes. There’s an intriguing early game in
the ACC with Clemson playing up in Chestnut Hill. The
Tigers are ranked higher in the polls than the Golden
Eagles, but Boston College is a pretty solid team at home.
Last year they beat Clemson, in OT for their first ACC
victory. Look for another close game with Tom O’Brien’s
team will find their way to victory.
Dangles
In my preseason Top 25
I stated that Cal would go on the road to beat Tennessee.
Boy was I wrong. Cal looked more like a team in spring
practice during the first three quarters of the game.
Missed tackles, missed assignments, and an offense that
could just not produce did it in for the Golden Bears.
Let’s see how they bounce back against the other “Golden”
team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, on Saturday.
USC proved me completely
wrong in the second half against Arkansas. The Hogs showed
life during the entire game and didn’t give up and their
defense was amazing, just as I thought it would be. The new
QB John David Booty proved problematic against the USC
defensive studs. Seriously, I was really surprised how
easily Booty was able to direct his offense to score. Right
now, USC appears to be the team to beat in the Pac-10, but
the season is young.
Notre Dame may have won the
game at Georgia Tech, but they did not look that good. In
the fourth quarter, it was Georgia Tech’s defense and
special teams that lost the game, not the Notre Dame offense
or defense. Quarterback Brady Quinn looked pathetic and
coach Charlie Weis was lucky to get this victory.
Perks
 This
week’s perk comes from an Outsports reader who sent me an
e-mail suggesting I left someone out of the
Top 3 hottest players in college football. After seeing
the picture of the guy he was referring to, Clemson’s
starting QB Will Proctor (left), I have to completely
agree! Proctor will now make the first slot in my
“Honorable Mentions” list for the 2006 season.
Related:
Our Top 25
Burning questions and hot players |
