The College Football Thread 9/11 - 9/13

[Bored 0]

After no marquee match-ups last week, this week we get The Game of the Century of the Decade of the Year of the Week when Ohio State travels to the Coliseum to meet USC. The game has potentially lost some of it's gravitas due to the Buckeyes lackluster performance against Ohio resulted in them dropping to #5 in the rankings but a win at USC could leapfrog them to #1.

 

There will also be two very big games for non-BCS conference teams trying to join ECU as possibe "BCS busters" as BYU hosts UCLA and Fresno State plays Wisconsin late Saturday night. Have to give the Badgers credit for scheduling that game as the big boys usually avoid that type of game and locally it's being hyped as the biggest game ever played at Fresno State. And before any of those games we have a Top 25 match-up on Friday night with Kansas/USF. Should be a fun weekend.

 

Oh and it's your duty as an American to try to pretend you give a shit about Michigan/Notre Dame.

 

Network/Basic Cable Schedule

 

THURSDAY

North Carolina at Rutgers, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN

 

FRIDAY

#13 Kansas at #19 South Florida, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN2

 

SATURDAY

#23 California at Maryland, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN

Florida Atlantic at Michigan State, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN2

Nevada at #6 Missouri, 12:30 PM/9:30 AM, FSN

 

#2 Georgia at South Carolina, 3:30/12:30 PM, CBS

Michigan at Notre Dame, 3:30/12:30 PM, NBC

#17 Penn State at Syracuse, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC*

#16 Oregon at Purdue, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC/ESPN*

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC/ESPN*

UCLA at #18 BYU, 3:30/12:30 PM, Versus

 

#9 Auburn at Mississippi State, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

#3 Oklahoma at Washington, 7:45/4:45 PM, ESPN

#5 Ohio State at #1 USC, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC

 

#10 Wisconsin at #21 Fresno State, 10:30/7:30 PM, ESPN2

 

Digital Cable/Satellite/GamePlan Schedule

 

THURSDAY

Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri State, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPNU

 

SATURDAY

Navy at Duke, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPNU

UL Lafayette at #24 Illinois, Noon/9:00 AM, BTN*

Iowa State at Iowa, Noon/9:00 AM, BTN*

Montana State at Minnesota, Noon/9:00 AM, BTN*

Southern Illinois at Northwestern, Noon/9:00 AM, BTN*

N.C. State at Clemson, Noon/9:00 AM, Raycom*/GP

Temple at Buffalo, Noon/9:00 AM, GP

UAB at Tennessee, 12:30 PM/9:30 AM, Raycom*/GP

Missouri State at Oklahoma State, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, FCS Central

Stanford at TCU, 1;00 PM/10:00 AM, Mtn.

Air Force vs. Houston (in Dallas), 3:30/12:30 PM, CBSCS

Chattanooga at Florida State, 3:45/12:45 PM, ESPNU

Hawaii at Oregon State, 4:00/1:00 PM, FCS Pacific

Middle Tennessee at Kentucky, 7:00/4:00 PM, GP

Western Kentucky at #11 Alabama, 7:00/4:00 PM, GP

Virginia at Connecticut, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPNU

Arizona at New Mexico, 8:00/5:00 PM, CBSCS

North Texas at #7 LSU, 8:00/5:00 PM, GP

#22 Utah at Utah State, 8:00/5:00 PM, GP

Bowling Green at Boise State, 8:00/5:00 PM, GP

UNLV at #15 Arizona State, 10:00/7:00 PM, FCS Pacific

 

All Other Div. I-A Games

 

FRIDAY

Washington State at Baylor

 

SATURDAY

Ball State at Akron

Toledo at Eastern Michigan

Central Michigan at Ohio

Delaware State at Kent State

#14 East Carolina at Tulane

Charleston Southern at Miami of Ohio

North Dakota State at Wyoming

Western Michigan at Idaho

SMU at #12 Texas Tech

Samford at Mississippi

New Mexico State at Nebraska

Rice at Vanderbilt

Memphis at Marshall

Southern Miss at Arkansas State

Alabama A&M at UL Monroe

Alcorn State at Troy

[Guest Smues]

#3 Oklahoma at Washington, 7:45/4:45 PM, ESPN

 

Because yesterday wasn't painful enough.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Kansas/USF will be a better game than Ohio State/USC.

[Slayer 0]

Let's go Bulls! Send the Human Planet crashing back to Earth... or something like that

 

Shame I have to wait another week to see how KSU fares against their first real test at Louisville

[Gert T 0]

I am a huge OSU fan and I would settle for a TD or less game. I am tired of everybody talking SO much shit about how bad this team is. I think USC going to win, but I still think it will be close, and if Beanie is close to 100 percent, OSU has a shot.

 

 

[Damaramu 0]

#3 Oklahoma at Washington, 7:45/4:45 PM, ESPN

 

Because yesterday wasn't painful enough.

 

OU sucks on the road. They're Jekyll and Hyde.

[Gert T 0]

At Louisville is a real test?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I am a huge OSU fan and I would settle for a TD or less game. I am tired of everybody talking SO much shit about how bad this team is. I think USC going to win, but I still think it will be close, and if Beanie is close to 100 percent, OSU has a shot.

 

I think Rashard Mendenhall was a better running back last year than Beanie Wells is this year, and USC handled Mendenhall and Co. just fine.

[Slayer 0]

At Louisville is a real test?

Compared to North Texas and Montana State, yes

[Maztinho 0]

Added drama to the BYU/UCLA game, UCLA has to be pissed getting knocked out of the Top 25 on their bye week. It'll be the third time these two teams meet in two seasons (last year they split a regular season and a bowl game against each other) and...

 

For the second straight week, though, a lot of the focus will be on the other head coach, UCLA's Rick Neuheisel, and new offensive coordinator Norm Chow, the former BYU assistant. Neuheisel, new at UCLA, last visited Provo in 1999 when he made his debut coaching Washington.

 

I love me some Norm Chow.

[Gert T 0]

I am a huge OSU fan and I would settle for a TD or less game. I am tired of everybody talking SO much shit about how bad this team is. I think USC going to win, but I still think it will be close, and if Beanie is close to 100 percent, OSU has a shot.

 

I think Rashard Mendenhall was a better running back last year than Beanie Wells is this year, and USC handled Mendenhall and Co. just fine.

 

 

Apples to oranges I think. Beanie's frame of reference for this year is not strong (2 quarters v. Youngstown State) and the Co. that is with Wells is better than the Co. with Mendenhall. Nor do I really think Wells will play much this week.

 

 

 

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I meant in terms of overall package. I'm not going by this year's sample, honest. You're right that Ohio State overall is better than Illinois but Illinois had a pretty good defense and a quarterback that should give any defenses fits. Juice Williams, Todd Boeckman is not. However I'm not here to claim USC will slaughter Ohio State, because I do believe Laurinaitis and company will keep the Trojans somewhat subdued. Still predicting a 35-14 type win for the Trojans though.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

The obligatory notable I-AA games that only I care about post...

 

1: Montana State @ Minnesota (Big Ten Network). Minnesota seems to have a thing for getting upset/nearly losing to I-AA teams. That alone makes this intriguing.

Watch For: RB Demetrius Crawford

2: #11 Southern Illinois @ Northwestern (Big Ten Network)

Watch For: RB Larry Warner

3: #2 North Dakota State @ Wyoming

4: #3 UMass @ #7 James Madison (CN8)

Watch For: QB Liam Coen, QB Rodney Landers, RB Eugene Holloman

5: #15 Western Illinois @ #13 South Dakota State

6: #14 Cal Poly @ #8 McNeese State

[Damaramu 0]

I meant in terms of overall package. I'm not going by this year's sample, honest. You're right that Ohio State overall is better than Illinois but Illinois had a pretty good defense and a quarterback that should give any defenses fits. Juice Williams, Todd Boeckman is not. However I'm not here to claim USC will slaughter Ohio State, because I do believe Laurinaitis and company will keep the Trojans somewhat subdued. Still predicting a 35-14 type win for the Trojans though.

 

35-14 is subdued? I was thinking 24-10 or so is subdued. I'm thinking this game will go two ways. It's either going to be like 21-10 or something semi-close like that or it's going to be a complete 52-14 ass pounding.

At this moment I'm leaning more towards ass-pounding just because I think USC's defense will force Ohio State to punt all night.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Compared to that prediction you threw out along with most people I've seen that's calling a 40+ deficit game for Ohio State, yeah that's fucking subdued.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I am a huge OSU fan and I would settle for a TD or less game. I am tired of everybody talking SO much shit about how bad this team is. I think USC going to win, but I still think it will be close, and if Beanie is close to 100 percent, OSU has a shot.

When I said it wouldn't be the best game of the week, I meant that with either team winning. I think Ohio State could rock USC as well. It's got maybe 35-45% chance of happening (USC being the ones blown out/beaten soundly), but one team is going to rape the other with one of the uprights.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

How the hell could Ohio State rock USC? It'd be a close Ohio State victory or a close USC victory or an USC blowout. The only way Ohio State murders USC is if it's University of South Carolina you meant.

[Art Sandusky 0]

It's not likely, but hey. Ohio State makes its players better men than USC so I hear.

[RepoMan 0]

“Here at Ohio State, they teach you to be a better man. There, it’s just all about football.”

-Ohio State WR Ray Small

 

As dumb as an assertion as Mitt Romny blasting East Coast elitism.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Yep, USC is just all about football, which is the name of the game here.

[iggymcfly 0]

All this USC hype's gotten ridiculous. The teams were just about dead even last year and USC lost 11 starters to OSU's 3. The Buckeyes are definitely the more talented team.

 

Now all of a sudden, everyone's ignoring the talent level because of two games. In the first one, USC blew out an awful Virginia team (They were picked to finish last in their division behind Duke by Phil Steele who's considered the top preseason prognosticator there is, and they led Richmond 3-0 in the 4th quarter last week.) And in the second one, OSU played Ohio close in pretty much the most obvious look-ahead game in college football history.

 

If I were trying to set a line analytically, I'd say USC should be favored by 2.5, but deep down I feel like Ohio State's going to win outright.

[Bored 0]

ESABCPN Coverage Map (subject to change with the speculation that Hogs/'Horns will be postponed until September 27th)

 

[Guest Vitamin X]

Uh oh. iggy's predicted Ohio State winning outright. We all know this means USC will blow them out.

 

iggy is like the Sean Salisbury of TSM.

[Guest]

I really want to see Wisconsin/Fresno State, but that whole going to the game thing...

 

Can't wait.

[snuffbox 0]

I have little confidence in seeing the Badgers win Saturday night.

[Urban Warfare 0]

Uh oh...

 

Beanie Wells 'Doubtful' For USC Game

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Thursday it was doubtful that starting tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells would play Saturday night against No. 1 USC.

 

Tressel said there was lingering soreness for Wells in his right foot after he worked out Wednesday night. Wells did not practice with the team Thursday morning just before it departed for Los Angeles.

 

"We were hoping he'd wake up this morning and feel even better than yesterday," Tressel said shortly before boarding the team bus to the airport. "But it didn't happen. We'll see from here."

 

Full Article

 

I'm sitting Wells for this game if I'm Tressel. This is obviously a big game for Ohio State but it's not worth putting the rest of Wells' season in jeopardy to play him at half speed.

[Broward83 0]

UT / Arkansas pushed back to the 27th.

[cabbageboy 0]

It's probably better to rest him and take a beating from USC, then at the end of the year Tressel can rant about how OSU deserves to be in the title game due to being 11-1 with the lone loss being minus Wells.

 

Slayer, I'm thinking KSU will get a payback win on U of L in that one. If KSU is even as good as UK then that one is going to be ugly.

[Guest]

Yep, USC is just all about football, which is the name of the game here.

The seeming outrage against our program for not making better men or some bullshit like that always makes me laugh. Who cares about making better men? We win football games.

[Bored 0]

With the schedule changes, Nevada/Missouri will now be the early FSN game on Saturday. If you were planning your whole day around watching that Wazzu/Baylor grudge match it'll be available for free online on CBS College Sports All-Access tomorrow night at 8:30/5:30 PM.