Games of the Week
#16 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-0) at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)
For both teams this might be the toughest team they'll both have faced. Alabama has had a tougher schedule, but they have been blowing everybody out. Mississippi State is also undefeated but their toughest game was Tennessee. The winner of this game will control their own destiny and be atop the SEC West standings. Can Mississippi State's offense score enough points on Alabama's defense to win the game? Or will Alabama assert their dominance over a Bulldog team that won against lesser competition? One thing is for sure, we'll know for sure how good Mississippi State is after this one.
Prediction: Mississippi State 13 Alabama 35
#4 Florida Gators (7-0) vs #14 Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) In Jacksonville
Florida is riding high after consecutive wins over South Carolina, LSU, and Texas A&M while Georgia is looking to prove that the South Carolina loss was just a fluke. A win here would practically give the winner the SEC East Title if they continue to win out. Florida has made their success behind a good defense and a power running game. But that could play into Georgia's hand because the strength of their defense is up the middle. The key to this game could be the play of Georgia QB Aaron Murray. If he can get the Bulldog offense going, they have a great shot to pull the upset. But they can't afford to get down big early like they did against South Carolina.
Prediction: Florida 17 Georgia 10
#23 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1) at #5 Kansas State Wildcats (7-0)
Both of these teams are coming off blowout wins over West Virginia and looking to stake claim to the lead in the Big 12. You would think that this would be a shootout because of how good each offense is playing. But lost in all of that, both defenses are actually playing at a high level too. Will Texas Tech be able to slow down Kansas State's rushing and Heisman front runner Collin Klein? Can Kansas State's secondary slow down the Red Raider passing attack? I have a feeling the defense that makes the biggest play will win this game.
Prediction: Texas Tech 20 Kansas State 34
#3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) at #8 Oklahoma Sooners (5-1)
Even with the two SEC games this week, this is the game of the week. Both teams are in the hunt for the National Title and need to win this game to stay in the race. This will be a battle between the Irish Defense vs the Oklahoma offense. The winner of this battle will win the game. The Irish defense has played as one of the best in the nation. Their front 7 is playing at a high level and have the ability to shut down the Sooner running game. If there is a weakness it could be the Irish secondary. QB Landry Jones has improved, but at this point can you trust him in a close game? If Notre Dame's defense can keep playing well and the offense can run the ball like they did against BYU they can win this game. Oklahoma will need a big game from Landry. They go as he goes.
Prediction: Notre Dame 21 Oklahoma 20
#22 Michigan Wolverines (5-2) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2)
The winner of this game basically wins the Legends Division. Michigan right now is undefeated in Big 10 play while Nebraska's only conference loss is to Ohio State. Nebraska under HC Bo Pelini has struggled against mobile QBs and in last year's meeting the Huskers defense struggled to contain Dennard Robinson. If the Huskers defense can contain him like they did Kain Colter last weekend they should do well. Another thing to remember is that the game is played in Lincoln at night. Nebraska has won their past four night games in Memorial Stadium and overall are pretty tough to beat in that environment.
Prediction: Michigan 42 Nebraska 31
Coaching Hot Seat
Jeff Tedford, California
Career Record: 82-52
8 Bowl Appearances
Tedford has been a coach whose seat has been getting warmer every year. Tedford came to Cal with the reputation of being a QB guru. He tutored the likes of Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, and Joey Harrington. Things started out good for Tedford. In his first year he took them from one win to seven. From 2003-2006 the Bears won at least 8 games and even were ranked #2 at one point. He was even Pac 10 coach of the year twice. A big reason for the success early on was due to the ability to get top flight talent into the program. Aaron Rodgers, DeSean Jackson, and Marshawn Lynch are just a few of the top players he's had. 8 Bowl Appearances
Things started to change in 2007. That season they started off 5-0 but ended up losing 6 of their last 7 games and finished with a 7-6 record. Also in 2010 they only won 5 games. Coincide the amount of talent that has come to Berkely hasn't been the same. Tedford has also lost some of his best coaches/recruiters to other schools.
With all of this, the program has grown stale over the plast couple of years and there really doesn't seem to be any real impact players on the roster. They are 3-5 on the season so far and they'll be lucky to make it to 5 wins. With this downturn paired with Stanford and USC being top flight teams and UCLA on the move up could result in Cal administration feeling like they need to do something.
What happened to....
If you checked out my preseason rankings, you'd see that I had FIU at #24. Any why not. They just came off an 8-5 year and were starting to play some really good football under HC Mario Cristobal. The returned 17 or 22 starters with 10 of them being defense. They were poised to roll through the Sun Belt and have a legit shot at an undefeated season.
However this season has been a giant failure. After losing their opener against Duke, FIU looked to get things back on track with a hard fought win over Akron. However the Panthers have dropped their next 6 games and look to be settled into the last place in the Sun Belt. The common thought that having to replace their starting QB and key pieces to the offense has been the issue. But instead the defense (with 10 returning starters) has been the biggest concern. The Panther defense is giving up an average of 37 points per game. It's hard to win games when you have to score 40 points to win.
What's worse is that HC Mario Cristobal was a hot name in the coaching carousel. He ended up turning down jobs to stay at FIU. With a season like this, it could hurt his chances of getting the type of job he was being offered.
How about....
When you think of Duke we all think of their basketball team and how successful that program is. The exact opposite can be found in the football program. There has been some success throughout Duke's history, but most of us know them as being a yearly bottom dweller in the ACC standings.
However things have changed this year. Under HC David Cutcliff the Blue Devils leading the Coastal Division with a 3-1 conference record and are already 6-2 on the season. Even if they don't win another game this season, the Blue Devils are already Bowl Eligible and will go to their first bowl game since 1994. That's pretty remarkable for a team that had a 22 game losing streak in the middle of that stretch.
The Blue Devils are lead by senior QB Sean Renfree who has really taken a big step forward this year. Renfree has thrown for 1,793 yards and 11 TDs so far this season. His two favorite options are senior Conner Vernon and sophomore Jamison Crowder.
It will be interesting to see where Duke goes from here. They'll have two tough ones in a row with Florida State and Clemson, but end the season against Georgia Tech and Miami. If they can win two or three of those games it will be a huge season for the Blue Devils. But even if they go 0-4 a bowl game will be a great treat for this team and it's fans.
Player Spotlight
Jordon Poyer
Height: 5'11Weight: 190
School: Oregon State
Year: Senior
Position: Cornerback
One of the biggest reasons that Oregon State is having the success they are this year is the play of defensive standout Jordon Poyer. Poyer who is a former safety who is only in his second true season as a cornerback. Poyer is none for being a good athlete and his ability to match up with wide receivers and shadow them all over the field. He has good ball skills and that has shown with his 5 INTs so far this year. He even had 3 against Washington State, one of which he took back for 6 which sealed the game for the Beavers. Poyer also returns kicks and punts for the Beavers.
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