Week Four College Football Weekend

Big 12 This Week
Friday September 25th

(3-0) Missouri at (0-2) NevadaThe Tigers have been the surprise team of the Big 12 thus far. QB Blake Gabbert has been just as good as last year’s senior star Chase Daniel.

Saturday September 26th

(3-0) Southern Miss at (3-0)Kansas The Golden Eagles came from 21 points down in the 4th quarter to defeat Virginia on the road. The Jayhawks have cruised to 3 straight wins over Duke, UTEP, and Northern Colorado. While Southern Miss has usually been strong defensively, Kansas spread attack should give them plenty of issues.

(1-1)Tennessee Tech at (1-2) Kansas State Kansas State’s offense has yet to get on track following the graduation of QB Josh Freeman. The Wildcats have managed only one TD the last two weeks against Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA. This is an important game to win if the Wildcats intend to be bowl eligible.

(1-2) UTEP at (3-0) #2 TexasTexas did not play its best game, but still defeated Texas Tech 34-24 last Saturday night in Austin. The Longhorns lost LB Jared Norton for the season with a knee injury. Redshirt Freshman Tre Newton has been named the Texas starting RB. Colt McCoy has struggled with his accuracy, but should find a non-existent UTEP defense rather inviting.

(2-1) Louisiana-Lafayette at (2-1) NebraskaNebraska dominated Virginia Tech everywhere but the scoreboard last week, falling to the Hokies on the 2nd to last play of the game. Nebraska had 4 second half red zone trips that resulted in only 6 points. Louisiana-Lafayette has one of their better teams this season having already defeated Big 12 opponent Kansas State and being relatively competitive versus LSU. Nebraska QB Zac Lee struggled with his accuracy in Blacksburg throwing 11 consecutive incompletions during one stretch from the early 3rd quarter to the 4th quarter.

(1-2) UAB at (2-0) Texas A&M Texas A&M’s offense suffered a serious blow when WR Jeff Fuller broke his leg during last week’s win over Utah State. This is the last “tune-up” game for the Aggies before their showdown with Arkansas at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

(2-1) Army at (2-1) Iowa StateThis Army team is much improved from last season. They run the same option attack on offense, but also feature a 6 foot 10 inch TE Ali Villanueva, who is a match up nightmare.

(0-3) Northwestern State at (1-1) BaylorWaco is burning this week, and not just because the Bears got throttled in a home game against Connecticut. Keep your vehicles secured and your beer on “lockdown”.

(2-1)Grambling at (2-1) Oklahoma State Oklahoma State has been out gained in back-to-back games versus UH and Rice. They will need to shore up that side of the ball before they enter Big 12 play.

(2-1) Texas Tech at (2-0) #17 HoustonThis is the biggest game in over a quarter century on the UH campus. With a win, the Cougars have a legitimate chance to run the table and play in a BCS game. Tech is clearly the best defense that Houston will face all season. That being said, UH has more skill talent than the Texas team that Tech held largely in check in Austin. This is the 1st meeting between the two teams since the demise of the Southwest Conference.

Navy This Week
(0-3) Western Kentucky at (1-2) NavyWestern Kentucky is struggling with their transition to Division 1 football. They lost to D-2 Central Arkansas last week. Navy should enjoy a huge step down in competition from Pittsburgh and Ohio State. Expect the Midshipmen to put up a big number in this game.

Texas Bowl 2009

The 2009 Texas Bowl will be contested on Thursday December 31, 2009. Here in this space each week I will take a look at the teams that could be headed to Houston as well as breakdown the top college football games. This year’s game will feature The United States Naval Academy (Navy) taking on a member of the Big 12 Conference provided that Navy has a winning record and that the Big 12 has enough teams qualify for postseason play.

Navy plays 13 regular season games this season. The NCAA allows an exception to the 12 game season rule when a team is playing @Hawaii. Beyond Hawaii, and their annual Commander and Chief games versus Army and Air Force, the Midshipmen will play BCS teams Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame. Coach Ken Niumataolo is breaking in a new option QB in junior Ricky Dobbs and must replace game-breaking wing back Shun White.

Big 12 This Week
Saturday September 19th

(0-2) Rice @ #16 (1-1) Oklahoma State - The Cowboys get their 2nd consecutive crack at a Conference USA squad from Houston. Oklahoma State turned the ball over four times against the Cougars last week and also seemed to cramp up physically in the 4th quarter.

(2-0) #19 Nebraska at (1-1) #13 Virginia Tech - New Cornhuskers QB Zac Lee gets his 1st real test against one of the nation’s top defenses. If Nebraska can force Tech QB Tyrod Taylor to take some chances down the field, they can spring the upset in Blacksburg.

(2-0) Tulsa at (1-1) #12 Oklahoma - Texas Longhorn transfer GJ Kinne has more than held his own as Tulsa’s QB. He has 6 TD’s in two games, but will find fewer wide open spaces against a Sooner defense that can really get after the passer. Tulsa has traditionally kept this rivalry game close and this year should be no different, especially with Sooners QB Sam Bradford sidelined with a knee injury.

(1-1) Wyoming at (0-2) Colorado - Dan Hawkins hot seat has reached a boiling point following a huge loss at Toledo. The Buffs’ defense can’t stop a hard marching band right now. Expect Colorado to get conservative offensively and try to keep their defense off the field with RB Darrel Scott.

(1-1) Connecticut at (1-0) Baylor - The Huskies lost a game in inexplicable fashion last weekend against North Carolina. With one minute remaining and the score tied at 10, Connecticut was called for holding in its own end zone which resulted in a UNC safety. The Bears’ Robert Griffin has his coming out party last year in Hartford. The Bears have too much offense to lose this one at home.

(0-1) Utah State at (1-0) Texas A&M - It’s two Aggies for the price of one in College Station, Texas, Saturday night. Christine Michael had a very productive debut two weeks ago for A&M averaging over 10 yards a carry in a win over New Mexico.

(1-1) Iowa State at (1-1) Kent State -The Cyclones lost badly to their in-state rivals, Iowa, 35-3 last week. Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud suffered through a miserable day, finishing 10 of 22 for 79 yards and four interceptions.

(2-0) Texas Tech at (2-0) #2 Texas - While some people have called this a “revenge” game for the Longhorns last second defeat in Lubbock last season, this is clearly not the same Texas Tech football team this season. Tech is replacing 75% of its offensive production and will not have the crowd on its side this season. The Longhorns should score early and often in this one while a maturing secondary could have a productive day against Tech’s 1st year starting QB Taylor Potts.

(1-1) Kansas State at (2-0) UCLA - The Bruins will be without starting QB Kevin Prince who fractured his jaw last week in a win over Tennessee. Kansas State has found yardage hard to come by following the departure of last year’s starting QB, Josh Freeman to the NFL.
Navy This Week

(1-1) Navy @ (2-0) Pittsburgh - These two teams are polar opposites. The Panthers have the top shelf talent, while the Midshipmen are better at execution. Navy scored 33 straight points to overcome a 14 point deficit in a win over Louisiana Tech last weekend. Pitt was the beneficiary of a 3 fumbles in a win over Buffalo.