Games of the Week
#7 Florida Gators (10-1) at #5 Florida State Seminoles (10-1)
During the 1990's this game always had a big time implications, but recently it's just been another game due to one of the teams not being very good. However with both teams ranked in the top 10 and both teams looking to possibly sneak into the National Title game if teams ahead of them slip up. Both teams have really good defenses and this should be a low scoring game. The big question will be Florida's offense. They are not very dynamic, but are returning QB Jeff Driskel from injury. If he can be the play maker we saw earlier in the season the Gators can win. But FSU has a lot more weapons on offense and that should be the difference maker.
Prediction: Florida 10 Florida State 20
#4 Oregon Ducks (10-1) at #19 Oregon State Beavers (9-2)
This game doesn't have the same impact as it did a week ago. This was going to be the game that Oregon could slip up. But they did that last week. Now it will be interesting to see what Oregon team shows up. A pissed off one looking to prove that last week was a fluke. Or a team that is still thinking about last week and could see their second straight loss. Oregon State wants to show that they are the best team in the state and want to knock off the mighty Ducks. Unlike last week this will be a high scoring game. The Beavers don't have as good of a defense as Stanford and will struggle to slow the Duck offense down. Add in that Oregon State doesn't have the fire power to stay in a shoot out and this could get ugly.
Prediction: Oregon 45 Oregon State 27
#11 Stanford Cardinal (9-2) at #18 UCLA Bruins (9-2)
The worst part (or maybe the best part depending how the game goes) about this game is that it could be replayed next weekend. UCLA has already locked up their spot in the Pac 12 Title Game. A Stanford win would clinch their spot in the game. But don't expect a let down game here. Stanford is playing for a lot and UCLA even though they are already in are looking to show they are a not a flash in the pan. We'll see a good match up with UCLA's spread offense vs the Cardinals physical defense. Will QB Brett Hundley and RB Jonathan Franklin be able to run against the Cardinal? Or will OC Noel Mazzone be able to out scheme this defense? But don't forget that UCLA must stop RB Stepfan Taylor and they've shown that they can be run on.
Prediction: Stanford 20 UCLA 17
#13 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-2) at #10 Clemson Tigers (10-1)
This is one of the most intense rivalries in college football. Things have only gotten more interesting with both Dabo Swiney and Steve Spurrier trading shots all year long. Look for this to be a really physical game. We'll see Clemson's high octane offense face off against a stout Gamecock defense. South Carolina's defense is good, but is it good enough to slow down Tajh Boyd and Sammie Watkins? You have to know that the struggling Gamecocks offense is excited to a bad Tiger defense. The big concern for Clemson will be if their defense can hold the Gamecocks down enough to out score them. I like those chances with Marcus Lattimore not in this game.
Prediction: South Carolina 27 Clemson 31
#20 Michigan Wolverines (8-3) at #12 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)
Now that Brady Hoke has the Wolverines on the upswing this rivalry is starting to get back to where it use to be. This game could have major implications if the Buckeyes weren't on probation and were vying for a spot in the National Championship Game. But if Nebraska loses to Iowa and the Wolverines win, they will go to the Big 10 Title Game. But no matter what, both of these teams wants to beat the crap out of the other. Now that QB Dennard Robinson is back the Wolverines offense has an extra wrinkle in it. It will be interesting to see what OC Al Borges has worked up for a thin Buckeye defense. Ohio State will need a big game out of QB Braxton Miller because Michigan has an underrated defense and the Buckeyes don't have a lot of weapons besides him.
Prediction: Michigan 20 Ohio State 21
Coaching Hot Seat
Skip Holtz
Record at South Florida:
Bowl Appearances:
A couple of years ago, Skip Holtz was an up and comer in the college football coaching circles. After winning the Conference USA title two years in a row at East Carolina Holtz got his first crack at a BCS conference job. Holtz took over at South Florida for Jim Leavitt who was fired for alleged abuse of players.
The South Florida job is one that many thought could be a sleeping giant. They are in the fertile Florida recruiting grounds, had improved facilities, and were in a winnable conference. Leavitt had them all the way up to #2 in the nation at one point before he was fired. Holtz was a hot coaching name and many thought he could take them to that level. Instead it's been three years and instead of Conference Championships and BCS Bowls we are talking about him possibly losing his job.
It started out well for Holtz. His first year in Tampa was alright. They won 8 and beat Clemson in the Mieneke Car Care Bowl. However the success of that initial season didn't last. They only won 5 games last year and only 3 games so far this season. Add in that Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are their remaining opponents and it looks like they'd be lucky to win one of them. That leaves us to Holtz. His best year was with Leavitt's players. They've gotten worse every year. Are three years enough to evaluate his program?
Probably not, but that seems to be the trend in college football. He'll more than likely get another year. But the seat is hot. If he can't show vast improvement next year, we could be talking about South Florida looking for their 3rd coach in program history.
What happened to....
West Virginia Mountaineers
At the beginning of the season everybody was intrigued how West Virginia was going to do as the new member of the Big 12 conference. Especially after winning the Big East the year before.
The Mountaineers were thought to be the perfect team for the Big 12. They, much like almost every team, run a spread attack and don't play much defense. West Virginia HC Dana Holgerson had experience in the conference from his time as an assistant at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. With the talent the Mountaineers had on offense they were deemed a sleeper pick to win the conference.
West Virginia started the season off with a bang winning their first five games, mostly by dominating fashion. QB Geno Smith was putting up monster numbers and was the far and away leader for the Heisman Trophy. But after starting out 5-0, the Mountaineers hit a huge wall and have lost their next 5 games. The offense began to stall and the defense was incapable of stopping anybody. West Virginia has two games remaining, Iowa State and Kansas. Both should be wins, but Iowa State is feisty and is always capable of winning every night.
What went wrong? Have teams figured out Holgerson's offense? Did they beat up on inferior competition to start the season? Or did the grind of the Big 12 catch the Mountaineers off guard? To be honest it's probably a combination of them all. Their first five games were against poor competition. Texas was struggling at the time and Baylor was their next best opponent. Add in that the Mountaineers aren't use to playing top 25 teams on a consistent basis (have you seen the Big East) and the grind can wear on a team.
This season can be chalked up to a failure, but look for West Virginia to reload and be a player in the Big 12 for years to come.
How about....
Conference Realignment
Two years ago Conference Realignment was a hot topic. Nebraska, Colorado and Utah all joined new conferences. The next off season we saw Texas A&M, Missouri, TCU, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse all move conferences. Everything seemed to be stabilizing themselves. But as you know, things have picked up once again and we have a new batch of teams moving around.
It all started with Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are the most famous Independent Team in college football. But this past summer they moved their non football teams from the Big East to the ACC. This was a move that was good for both Notre Dame and the ACC. It gave the ACC another big name and put them into a secure spot. The Big 10 was always a conference that wanted Notre Dame, but with this move that was never going to happen. With the possibility of 16 team super conferences looming, the Big 10 didn't want to be left picking up the scraps. So they made the next move.
Enter Rutgers and Maryland. They are your newest members of the Big 10. Not what most people expected when they thought of the Big 10 expanding. But as we know, it's all about money. Rutgers and Maryland bring new big markets to the conference. Now the Big 10 Network would be able to expand into New York City and Baltimore increasing the exposure of the conference and getting BTN on even more TV sets. That means more money for the conference.
But what does that mean for the other conferences? Now the ACC is scrambling. Who are they going to get for their 14th school? Do they have to turn to UConn or Louisville? What schools will move next? The SEC and Big 10 will be looking eventually to get to 16. The place they'll likely look is the ACC. What was thought to finally be a secure conference, is starting to feel a little insecure.
Player Spotlight
Jonathan Franklin
Height: 5'10
Weight: 198
School: UCLA
Year: Senior
Position: Running back
With the UCLA Bruins on the rise and poise to play in their second straight Pac 12 Title Game, we've become a lot more familiar with Jonathan Franklin. Franklin has been a huge part of the Bruins success on offense this year. Going into the final game of the regular season Franklin is 5th in the nation in rushing yards (1,426 yards) while hauling in 12 total TDs. He's gone over 100 yards in all but 3 games. He even had over 200 yards in his first two games of the year.
All this success has brought a lot of attention to the senior running back. Jonathan Franklin is a natural runner who doesn't have a lot of wasted movement and does does a great job of finding cut back lanes and openings. He doesn't have elite top end speed, but is fast enough to get to the edge or break through the middle. This season he has shown that he can also catch the ball, but has some work to do improving his route running and catching the ball more cleanly.
Overall Franklin has taken a huge step forward this year and is one of the top backs in college football this year. His play has been a huge reason UCLA has a shot to win the Pac 12 Conference. There will be several NFL teams looking to add him to their roster this upcoming draft.
