Pregame Warm-Up Pod Cast: Week 8

I know it’s a little late this week(technical difficulties), but it’s here the week 8 pod cast.  This week Jon Dove from NFLMocks.com and myself, Jason Madson go at it minus one.  Michael Felder was helping a friend move, or so he says.  We dive right into the Conference breakdowns to begin the episode, talking about hot topics in each conference,  Some of the topics we discuss are: Pitt making a run in the Big East, Mizzou’s National Championship chances, SMU QB Kyle Padron makes his weekly appearance, both TCU and Utah are better than Boise State and many other topics.  We also make our picks in the 5 biggest games of the week, according to me.  The show is finished off with the World Famous Prospect Quick Fire.  Sorry for the tardiness, Enjoy.

Big 10 Report: Week 8

Overview: 

 Two big things were lost this weekend; Ohio State’s #1 ranking and Tim Brewster’s job.  You cannot talk about this past weekend’s games without mentioning the big win by the Wisconsin Badgers as they upset the #1 Buckeyes.  Wisconsin played their game and won because they were able to establish a running game.  John Clay and James White were a great 1-2 punch as they put up 184 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.  The loss by the Buckeyes put a serious dent in their National Title hopes, now they must keep winning and hope that other teams lose.  Terrelle Pryor regressed as a passer and threw more than a handful of balls in the ground.  Not all is lost for Ohio State so they need to regain focus and play well.  Lost in upset talk was the nice performance by the unbeaten Michigan State Spartans.  I felt that this could possibly be a trap game for the Spartans but they came out and played their game.  They have a few tough games coming up including at Iowa and at Penn State.

Iowa also took care of business this weekend knocking off the Michigan Wolverines.  It appears that the Big 10 has as many as 4 teams battling for the title; those teams include Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

You have to think this might be the start of the slide for Michigan as they have not lost 2 games in a row.  It is obvious that Michigan is struggling with the bigger stronger teams of the Big 10, compared to the different style teams they played early in the season.

Standout Players:  

Over at NFLMocks.com we looked at the performance of Gabe Carimi and I think he is worth mentioning here as a stand out player.  He had a tough match-up against Cameron Heyward but he held his own in pass protection and also opened up several big holes for the running backs.  I was really impressed with the way he got to the second level.  You also have to mention another Wisconsin player in JJ Watt as he was all over the field.  He was constantly in the backfield putting pressure on Pryor while holding strong against the run.  Finally, I want to point out the game by Iowa’s Adam Robinson who carried the ball 34 times for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Robinson is going to be one of the most important pieces to Iowa’s Big 10 championship hopes.

Looking Ahead:

There is really only one game that will get a lot of attention and that is the match-up of Wisconsin @ Iowa.  This game could very well knock the loser out of title contention.  The key to the game is on the front lines as the Wisconsin offensive line looks to get a push against the impressive Iowa defensive front.  A nice head to head match-up to keep an eye on is Gabe Carimi vs Adrian Clayborn.

Written by Jon Dove.  Follow him on Twitter @NFLMocks.

Big 10 Report: Week 7

Overview:

Over the weekend we got a good gauge on who the contenders are going to be for the Big 10 title. As I see it right now I would say that Ohio State, Michigan State, and Iowa have the best shot of coming home with the Big 10 crown. However, this weekend’s matchup of Ohio State vs Wisconsin could change a lot if Wisconsin could manage an upset.

Michigan State avoided their first loss last week by containing the extremely dangerous Denard Robinson. They have proven that they have all the parts necessary to end the season at the top of the Big 10. Their running attack is 2nd to none in the conference and they will continue to count on it heavily.

Two teams had devastating losses and they would be Penn State and Northwestern. Both teams didn’t have a legitimate shot at finishing atop the conference but these loss have a lot of questions swirling round each team. Penn State was expected to have a down year but nobody expected them to lose to Illinois at home. And while it’s not a major upset many expected Northwestern to handle a struggling Purdue team.

Lastly, is this the fall of the Wolverines? They started last season off very similar to this season and they ended the season very poorly. The Michigan State defense exposed the blue print to slow down Denard Robinson, and I am sure the rest of the Big 10 took notice.

Standout Players:

To me the standout players come from 1 team in particular and that is Michigan State. Edwin Baker may very well be the top running back in the Big 10 and he continues to help this Michigan State team claim victories. Kirk Cousins has been a rock at the quarterback position, he is a very clutch player and is capable of leading his team when it matter most. I really couldn’t pinpoint just one player so I think you have to recognize the entire Illinois team for their dominating performance against Penn State in Happy Valley, not many teams are able to win in Beaver Stadium.

Looking Ahead:

The top game is Ohio State vs Wisconsin and we should know a lot more about both teams after Saturday’s game. In one hand a victory for Ohio State brings them a lot closer to playing for a National Title and Wisconsin is trying to get back into the Big 10 Championship discussion. Another game that I will be keeping a close watch on is the Illinois vs Michigan State game where the Spartans look to avoid a letdown after their big in vs Michigan. I also wouldn’t sleep on the Iowa vs Michigan game because the Wolverines will be thrusty for revenge as they attempt to get back on the winning track.

Written by Jon Dove.  Follow him on Twitter @NFLMocks.

Week 6 in the Big 10

Overview:

 This was a big weekend in the Big 10 as it was good to see some teams take charge of their spot in the pecking order.  Michigan State had a very good win against the higher ranked Wisconsin Badgers.  Michigan State looks to have a strong team that has hopes to make a run at a Big 10 title or at the very least a Rose Bowl bid if Ohio State makes it to the National Championship Game.  Iowa came out and did what they were expected to do against Penn State and you cannot count them out of the Big 10 race.  Penn State looked sluggish on offense and that has a lot to do with a inconsistent running game and a true freshman quarterback.  Northwestern and Michigan are undefeated but many will argue the neither has played a tough schedule, and that is probably true.  Michigan had another shootout win against Indiana giving up over 200 receiving yards to Indiana wideout Tandon Doss.  Ohio State had a dog fight of a game against Illinois and they looked terrible when Pryor went out briefly with an injury.  This is noteworthy because if he is unable to stay healthy, this Buckeye team could be in serious trouble.

Standout Players:

There is no way you mention Big 10’s top players without leading off with Denard Robinson.  This kid has himself positioned nicely for a Heisman trophy run and is stuffing the stat sheet every week.  He is such an electric player and is one of the most exciting players in College Football.  Iowa’s defensive end Adrian Clayborn showed up in a big way against Penn State recording 10 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack; a truly dominate performance.  You also have to give a lot of credit to Kirk Cousins because he led his team to a good victory while going for an efficient 8-10 118 yards in the second half.

Looking Ahead:

The top game on the schedule is the match-up between rivals Michigan and Michigan State, this will be an exciting one people.  Each team is ranked in the top 20 and are undefeated, this game will go a long way towards the final Big 10 standings.   It will be interesting to watch Denard Robinson go against a legitimate defense this week.  I like Michigan State in this game because I feel they will control the clock with their running game and slow down Robinson just enough. 

 Two other intriguing games to keep an eye on are Illinois vs Penn State and Ohio State vs Indiana.  The Penn State vs Illinois game pins two teams hoping to keep pace with the top part of the Big 10 and a loss for either team could be the beginning for a disappointing season.  The only reason I would give Indiana a chance against Ohio State is because I am a little unsure of the health of Pryor.  I feel if he misses any time due to injury the Indiana offense could make this game interesting.

Written by Jon Dove.  Check out his work at NFLMocks.com and on Twitter @NFLMocks

PGWU Podcast: Week 4

This week we discuss the legal troubles at Florida, talk about the big stories in each conference in The Breakdown, make our selections in the PGWU Pick’Em segment and finish the show off with the World Famous Prospect Quick Fire. Enjoy!

Week 4 Power Poll

Every week the writers at Pregame Warm-Up will get together for our top 15 schools, or as we like to call it, the “Power Poll”.  Each individual writer gives their top 15, then we assign the 1st place team 15 points all the way down to the 15th place team with 1 point.  The points are combined and here is how week 4 ended up:

1. Alabama 74 points(4 1st place)   ↔ same as last week

2. Ohio State 70 points(1 first place)    ↔ same as last week

3. Oregon 65 points   ↑ one spot from last week

4. Boise State 61 points   ↓ one spot from last week

5. TCU 54 points   ↑ one spot from last week

6. Nebraska 46 points   ↑  four spots from last week

7. Oklahoma 45 points   ↓ two spots from last week

8. Arkansas 40 points   ↑  five spots from last week

9. Texas 38 points   ↓  one spot from last week

10. South Carolina 31 points   ↓   one spot from last week

11. Florida 17 points   ↔   same as last week

12. Utah 15 points   ↑   two spots from last week

13. LSU 10 points   ♦  New to the Power Poll

14t. Arizona 9 points   ♦   New to the Power Poll

14t. Wisconsin 9 points  ↓   two spots from last week

Others Receiving Points: Michigan 7 points, Stanford 6 points, Auburn 2 points, West Virginia 1 point

Week 4 in the Pac 10

If you hear a rumbling, that’s the sound of everybody jumping off the Jake Locker bandwagon all at once. The biggest game of Week 3 for the Pac-10 was Nebraska vs Washington, and Locker’s 4 for 20 performance left a lot to be desired.

I wouldn’t be too alarmed for Locker, though. Yes, he was bad, but it’s not like everyone just missed the boat on him and he went from #1 overall pick to being a schlub. The Nebraska defense is really good, and the Huskie defense didn’t exactly do Locker any favors. I’ll wait to hold judgement, and the bye week should help Sarkisian and company refocus.

Then there was Arizona’s trouncing of Iowa. This was an odd game for a few reasons. Iowa’s first possession ended in a punt block, the end result being a Wildcat touchdown. Iowa’s next possession ended with a pick-six. After Iowa scored its first touchdown, the ensuing kickoff was returned for a score.Now, I give Arizona all the credit for being opportunistic and creating turnovers, but how much can you really gauge from this game? After those first few drives, were the Hawkeyes really that into it?

It was 27-7 at half time, with those three touchdowns resulting from a blocked punt, interception and kick return. The high powered Arizona offense, when having to face the Hawkeye defense with a long field, could only muster two field goals. I’m not completely sold on Arizona just yet.

Some quick notes on a few other games:

I continue to watch USC with an eye of skepticism. They just don’t seem to possess the ability to overwhelm inferior opponents. Winning is the name of the game, but I’m just not sure the Trojans have what it takes to knock a good team out. Still watching, still waiting for some signs.

Arizona State almost shocked the world by going on the road and coming within a blocked extra point of tying #11 Wisconsin late. I had this one nearly pegged last week, but I’m still surprised. Might not be the last time I say that about the Sun Devils this year.

I take nothing away from UCLA beating a Case Keenum-less Houston team. But you beat who is in front of you, so kudos to the Bruins. Now on to Week 4…

USC vs Washington State

Here you go, Lane. While most people won’t figure there is anything to learn from this game, I’ll be watching. I want to see the Trojans whoop up on somebody, and who better than the worst team (by far) in the Pac-10. This is the time to send a message.

Stanford vs Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish are coming off two hard to swallow losses, and now they face one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Stanford’s Andrew Luck. I would be fearful of the Cardinal players being caught looking forward to next week’s Oregon matchup, but does anybody really look past Notre Dame?

I really don’t see the Irish stopping Luck. And by the way, the drinking game for this one will be all puns that include the words “Luck” and “Irish” by NBC commentators.

UCLA vs Texas

Texas might boast the best defense in the nation, and UCLA has serious offensive issues. You get blanked at home against Stanford, then what are you going to do on the road against Texas?

What they need to do is make sure the Longhorns don’t get any kind of running game going. Then take a page from Arizona’s book and look to special teams and turnovers early to knock the wind out of Texas’ sails. If this were a home game for the Bruins, I could see something like that happening, but a road game against a top ten team? I’d be surprised if the score didn’t end in double digits favoring Texas.

Oregon State vs Boise State

This week’s Pac-10 game of the week. Here’s something I find interesting: The Beavers painted their practice field blue this week to prepare for a trip to Boise. I find this very funny, but at the same time, a possibly genius move by Mike Reilly.

It also helps the Beavers that they are coming off a bye week. Then again, Boise State’s game last week against Wyoming might as well be considered a bye.

The Broncos are the better team, but the matchup favors Oregon State slightly. You want to run the ball on the Beavers, and Boise is a pass-happy team. However, OSU quarterback Ryan Katz cannot get into a shootout with Kellen Moore.

The Beavers have to make this a low-scoring game. Even if they are down, say, 17-3 at half, that’s better than having Moore and the Broncos start lighting up the scoreboard, even if OSU is keeping up early. They won’t be able to sustain that, and Boise will.

California vs Arizona

The Bears seem to be a team that does well when everybody counts them out and folds under pressure. Well, after getting mauled by Nevada last week, and Arizona picking up a signature win, the pressure is off.

The Wildcats jumped ten spots from #24 to #14 in the AP poll. Not sure if I agree with that kind of movement in the polls with the kind of game that went on last week. And really, that was the only real game Arizona has played so far, and it was over early. This is also the last game before the bye week for the Cats. I smell “trap”.

What Cal needs to do is run the ball with a vengeance. Shane Vereen needs about 25 carries for the Bears to win. Keep the ball, stop Arizona from airing it out, and you give yourself a chance. I think they will keep it close late, but Nick Foles and the Arizona passing attack will find seams against a questionable Cal secondary, and make enough big plays down the stretch to put the Bears away.

Oregon vs Arizona State

While the loss was painful, Arizona State should feel pretty good about their performance against Wisconsin. This is also Oregon’s first real game. Kind of smell an upset here, as it has all the ingredients, but there’s only one problem: Oregon is really, really good.

And should be good enough to blow the Sun Devils out. Perhaps the game will remain close in the first half, as the Ducks get up to speed, but Oregon is the best team nobody is talking about, and ASU still has a ways to go before they can be seriously thought of as a threat.

Written by Jay Fisher @jfishsports on Twitter

Big 10 News & Notes

 

Overview: I don’t know how you don’t start your Big 10 conversation this week without mentioning Michigan State.  The Spartans pulled off a big win against Notre Dame with a fake field goal in overtime.  This win has the makings of a pace setter that could propel a team to several more wins.  Michigan State did what they did best by running the ball.  I was also pretty impressed with the defense who were expected to lose the game for the Spartans.  Of course not all things were good for Michigan State as their Head Coach Mark Dantonio suffered a mild heart attack and will be out for awhile.

The other big news in the Big 10 this weekend was Iowa suffering an upset to upstart Arizona.  Iowa was taken out of their game early when they went down by 14 points.  They were never able to rebound as they were forced to throw the ball.  They mounted a late comeback only to fall short.  For most this eliminates the Hawkeyes from National Title contention and exposes some of their weaknesses. 

Michigan and Wisconsin both struggled to put away teams they were suppose to handle easily as UMass and Arizona State hung around and made things interesting.  Michigan and Wisconsin fans are happy with the win but should feel a little uneasy about their team’s performance.  There are a few more games before the teams open up Big 10 play and thing will need to be tightened up before then.

Standout Players: Michigan State RB Le’Veon Bell put up another good performance as he builds his resume for Big 10 freshman of the year.  He had 114 yards on 17 carries and 1 touchdown.  Denard Robinson continues to be an all purpose yard machine combining for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Robinson continues to gain momentum as we head towards Big 10 play.  Two Wisconsin players made headlines with big games and they were John Clay and Lance Kendricks.  Clay rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown as Kendricks hauled in 7 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.  Both players were instrumental in Wisconsin’s tight victory.

Looking Ahead: The biggest game on this week’s schedule is Temple at Penn State in what is sure to be a good match-up.  Temple comes into the game undefeated coming off an impressive win against UConn but to this point hasn’t played a team as talented as Penn State.  The Nittany Lions need to stay focused and not look ahead to their big match-up against Iowa in a few weeks.  This is a potential trap game for Penn State as they will be expected to win but can easily be upset.  Temple possesses a good defense and a solid running game, with some experience at the quarterback position.  Temple Coach Al Golden has heard his name in connection to the Penn State coaching job once Joe Paterno steps down, this will be his audition.

The rest of the Big 10 slate is filled with lesser opponents where I don’t expect any upsets.  The only other game to keep an eye on is Northern Illinois @ Minnesota.

Written by Jon Dove @NFLMocks on Twitter

PGWU Weekend Review

As most of you were watching college football on Saturday, I was enjoying my bachelor party.  I didn’t get to watch much college football, so I spent yesterday and this morning watching the games I recorded.  Here is my version of how the past weekend in college football played out.

Nebraska crushed the Huskies and embarrassed Jake Locker, 56-21.  20% completion percentage is a joke.  If I were playing the Huskers, my gameplan would be to run the football, a lot.  This is the first time I have seen Jared Crick this year and I think he is good, but not the great player everyone is making him out to be. Taylor Martinez is extremely fast around the corner, I would put one of my safties as a spy on him every play, prove you can beat me with your arm.  Nebraska has a Dallas Clark clone in WR/TE Mike McNeill, he is a threat all over the field. 

Houston’s chances of being a BCS buster were crushed by UCLA this week, 31-13 Bruins win.  Case Keenum played in this game, after having concussion symptons during the week, and might be out for quite a while longer now.  He was injured trying to make a tackle on an INT return by UCLA LB Akeem Ayers.  He injured his right leg, but that is all we know at this point.  Keep your eye on freshman QB Terrance Broadway, who stepped in after Keenum’s backup was hurt as well.  He is going to be a good one.  UCLA shored up their rush defense for this week atleast, holding Houston to a little over 100 yards this week.  Bruin RB Johnathan Franklin had a huge game with 158 yards and 3 scores.

Ohio State did what they were supposed to do against Ohio, 43-7 was the final.  Terrelle Pryor had a good game, but 2 INT worries me a little.  The combo of Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine provide a good punch for the Buckeyes.  Add in the rushing ability of Pryor and they have the makings of a very good running game.  I love the Buckeye defense,  they are solid from front to back.

Wisconsin struggled withe the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, but get the win 20-19.  Jay Valai is a hero this week after blocking the game tying extra point.  This raises some questions about the legitimacy of Wisconsin being ranked this high.  The Sun Devils are a team they should lined up and out muscled on every play, especially at home.  Scott Tolzien was his usual accurate self for the Badgers, connecting on 76% of his passes.  

Oregon State holds on to beat the Louisville Cardinals, 35-28.  The Beavers have an offense that is loaded with play makers, but a horrible defense.  Quizz Rodgers had a great game on the ground, gaining 132 yards and 2 scores.  He also caught a pass for a score.  The Beavers were saved by a late INT by Sr. CB James Dockery. 

Arizona proved the doubters wrong this week, beating Iowa 34-27.  Nick Foles threw for 303 yards and distributed the ball to 11 different targets last week.  They made Iowa’s defense look silly in the first half.  Big play’s helped the Wildcats out as well, an INT  return for a TD by Trevin Wade and a KR for a TD by Travis Cobb and a blocked punt helped Arizona out tremendously.  I am very impressed with Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi though, he looks like a better decision maker this season.  Iowa RB Adam Robinson was a non-factor the whole game.

Missouri gets an ugly win, beating San Diego State late 27-24.  This game was one to forget for Mizzou fans, and Blaine Gabbert for that matter.  The Tigers did get the win, but Gabbert threw 2 costly INT’s in the games final quarter.  He did connect with WR TJ Moe on a game winning 68 yard TD with 51 seconds left in the game.  Aztecs RB Ronnie Hillman had a very memorable game.  He rushed for 228 yards and 2 scores, one a 75 yard run, the other for 93.  The Tigers had a big time injury in this game when star DE Aldon Smith suffered a broken fibula, he hopes to be back for the Big 12 conference opener against Colorado.

Oklahoma barely slipped by Air Force,  27-24.  The Falcons gashed the Sooners with their running game, gaining 357 yards on the ground.  They averaged close to 6 yards per rush.  Landry Jones was solid in this game, throwing for 254 yards and a TD.  The Sooners leaned on RB DeMarco Murray, and he didn’t let them down.  Murray had 148 total yards and 3 scores.  Sooners WR Ryan Broyles had a solid receiving game as well.

Written by Jason Madson @isbnJMAD on Twitter

This Week in the Pac-10

 

 Week 2 was a good week to be a Pac 10 team. The conference swept every game, with the lone exception being Stanford’s beat down of UCLA, where a Pac 10 team had to lose. This looks to be a much stronger conference than is being nationally perceived.

Granted, the wins were piled up against less than formidable opponents, but only to teams won by single digits. One of those teams is the consensus basement dweller or the conference, Washington State. Yes, it was against FCS team Montana State, and yes, it took a fourth quarter rally to eek out the victory, but any win the Cougars can get is fine by them.

Then there is USC. The Trojans struggled offensively, a week after the defense was an issue against Hawaii. I’m starting to doubt whether or not Lane Kiffin will be able to give this team an identity. There is talent on the team, we know that. But I find their play inconsistent and rough. They surely haven’t played like a top 25 team thus far, despite the fact they are 2-0.

Some other notes from Week 2. Oregon continues to look like a team not only competing for a Pac-10 title, but possibly looking for a BCS title. The conference schedule will be tough in terms of going undefeated, but the Ducks administered another thrashing, this time at Tennessee. We’re all waiting for that matchup against Stanford.

Speaking of Stanford, their win against UCLA marks the first in-conference game of the season, in which the Cardinal cruised 35-0. I admit, this is a team that is looking better than I expected them to, even if I am low on UCLA.

Oregon State was on a bye in Week 2.

Alright, let’s move on to Week 3.

California vs Nevada

This Friday night game is an interesting one. Both teams are looking to move into the top 25 with a win here, but the Bears are the favorite despite being on the road in a short week.

When playing Nevada, you must guard against the run. It’s not that I don’t think Cal can defend, but can the offense, and most importantly QB Kevin Riley, get out in front early to force Nevada to play from behind. I think Cal is the better team, but Nevada may have the matchup they want.

USC vs Minnesota

The Trojans shouldn’t have a problem winning this game. I’m looking to see how they win. They have shown two different personalities in as many games, so perhaps game three can provide a glimpse on what this team will be like going into Pac-10 play. If they struggle, you can officially put a red flag on USC and Lane Kiffin.

Nebraska vs Washington

This is my Pac-10 game of the week. I want to see Jake Locker against this Cornhusker defense, and I’m sure many NFL scouts will be in attendance to see the same. Locker must be brilliant if the Huskies have any chance to win. I don’t expect Chris Polk to do much in the running game.

Defensively speaking, it’s not like Nebraska is an offensive juggernaut. Washington has to kill the run, kill the run, and oh, did I mention, kill the run? What happens here will be very eye-opening on just how good Washington can be this year.

Arizona State vs Wisconsin

Ex-Michigan quarterback and current Sun Devil Steven Threet has beaten a ranked Wisconsin team before, one of only two of Threet’s Ann Arbor victories. Arizona State has looked good enough to repeat Threet’s past, but the Badgers are going to be a much harder team to beat than the cupcakes presented to them so far.

I’ve been trying to talk myself into a Sun Devil win here, since Big Ten matchups seem favorable to their style of play, but with no experience this year playing tough competition, and going on the road against a hard-nosed team, they should just be happy keeping it close, which I do expect. Gamblers might want to look at the point spread in this one.

Washington State vs Southern Methodist

I’m not going to say this very often this year, but the Cougars are coming off a win. I don’t foresee me typing the same thing next week. This team is building, folks, and the losses will come in bunches, even to teams with problems such as SMU. The best case scenario here is keeping it close early and seeing any signs of progress.

Louisville vs Oregon State

I would not want to be Louisville this week. The Cardinals problem so far has been stopping the ground attack, and Oregon State is a team looking to run it down opponents’ throats. Add into the mix that the Beavers have had two weeks to stomach their loss against top-5 TCU, and yeah, I don’t see this being too close a game.

But you have to mention that the Beavers face Boise State next week, and the fear of overlooking a lesser opponent is out there. Louisville needs to hope for just that, and perhaps get an early lead and force Oregon State quarterback Ryan Katz to make some plays. Otherwise, it will be a long day for the Cardinals.

Portland State vs Oregon

The Ducks’ last tune-up before conference play. Portland State is an FCS school, and they will likely get pounded. Not much to see here.

Iowa vs Arizona

The only game this week featuring two top-25 schools. I hate this matchup for Arizona, who come equipped with a high octane offense but face a tough Big Ten defense. I favor the defense in battles like these, and the Hawkeyes are the better team. Plus, I worry about the defensive line against Iowa’s offense, and if the Wildcats can supply any pressure.

Being at home obviously helps, and Arizona has what it takes to rally if they find themselves behind, but Iowa to me is bigger and stronger and should win the all too important line of scrimmage battle. The Wildcats must force a shootout to be successful. I don’t see it playing out that way, but either way, it will be a great test, and should be a great game.

Houston vs UCLA

The good news: Houston quarterback Case Keenum may not play. The bad news: pretty much everything else. We can start with the fact that the Bruins can’t stop the run. Then we move on to their lack of ground control on offense. I’m a fan of what they’re doing, or more precisely, what they’re trying to do, but Houston, with or without Keenum is simply better at what they are doing.

UCLA needs to pray for a Keenum-less game. It’s really their only chance in this one.

Wake Forest vs Stanford

Okay, Stanford is better than I thought. Andrew Luck, who I already loved, is better than I thought. As for Wake, when Duke puts up 48 points on you, what do you expect one of the nation’s top quarterbacks to do?

Stanford wins easily here. The only concern is whether or not the defense can play as well as it has thus far, especially the run defense, but I don’t see it becoming a huge issue.

Written by Jay Fisher @jfishsports on Twitter