By Mark Walters
It’s October, and as the leaves fall so do previously top-ranked teams. Since my last column, Florida (4) fell to Mississippi, USC (1) lost to Oregon State in Corvallis, and Vanderbilt toppled Auburn (13) in Nashville. The Gators are now 11, USC dropped to 8, and Auburn is down to 20 in this week’s AP Top 25.
There is a heaping pile of story lines heading into week seven, but the most enticing has to be this year’s installment of the Red River Shootout between Big XII juggernauts Oklahoma and Texas, Nos. 1 and 5, respectively.
Neither team has been tested much as the Longhorns have outscored their opponents 236-57, the Sooners 248-69. Unlike Texas, Oklahoma has at least seen a ranked opponent in Texas Christian, ranked 24th when the two met in Norman a few weeks ago.
Both teams have Heisman-hopeful quarterbacks, and both teams have big time receivers to air it up. The last time I thought a game was impossible to predict, I called it:Alabama over Georgia. Oh man, here goes… I like Texas. UT QB Colt McCoy has a completion percentage of just under 80, and their defense gets it done. Out of all their tackles for loss, Texas’ defense has dropped its opponent for negative 222 yards, more than any other defense. And for some reason I just think Oklahoma is a bit overrated.
For a Big XII enthusiast, the fun hardly ends at the Texas State Fair, where fans can enjoy Crisco-marinated foods such as chocolate-covered bacon and fried cantaloupe pie. Yum! Over in the Show-Me-State, QB Chase Daniel and the No. 3 Missouri Tigers take on Barry Sanders’ alma mater, No. 17 Oklahoma State.
Glancing at Okie State is deceiving, as I first noticed that its defense gave up 37 points to Houston, 24 to Troy and 28 to Texas A&M. But after a closer look, I saw that OSU forced five Aggie turnovers, one of which was an interception by DE Ugo Chinasa that he took to the house. OSU head coach Mike Gundy is a man, which is why I’m gonna go ahead and put Mizzou on the upset alert, barely.
In the Big 10, Penn State continues the meat of its schedule as it heads to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on the Badgers, a team the Nittany Lions have struggled against, especially on the road. Yeah, Camp Randall Stadium is a tough place to play, but with the marching band in turmoil and the fans likely still hung over from a heart-breaking loss to Ohio State last week, I like the Nittany Lions in this one.
Penn State came into the season with a lot of questions and lingering off-the-field dilemmas, but they’ve been playing well thus far, averaging just below 45 points and allowing a little more than 11 through six games. They didn’t have much of a problem against then-22nd ranked Illinois or on the road at Purdue.
Oh and for you Big 10 fans, Northwestern is 5-0 and hosting No. 23 Michigan State this weekend. I wrongly predicted Iowa to steamroll the Wildcats, so this week I’m going to have them winning over Sparty, but only if they can stop Michigan State RB Javon Ringer, who is 12 yards shy of 1000 for the season. He had 201 against Notre Dame! He definitely makes my list of underrated Heisman hopefuls who won’t win the Heisman; more on that later in the season.
Looking around the country, No. 4 LSU travels to the Swamp to take on No. 11 Florida. LSU is coming off a bye week, and Florida has a lot to prove after losing to an unranked Mississippi team two weeks ago. This one is about as tough to predict as Oklahoma and Texas. I’ll flip a coin, hold on… LSU swept in a best-of-three flip-off.
Along with Northwestern, Vanderbilt-another private school in a world of public powers-is also undefeated and getting much more love in the polls. The Commodores travel to Mississippi State this weekend. Nothing is guaranteed, but I like Vandy in this one.
Tennessee is at No. 10 Georgia, a BCS afterthought that has a lot to prove after losing to Alabama. Nebraska heads to Lubbock, Texas, to take on No. 7 Texas Tech. The Cornhuskers couldn’t do much against a high-powered Missouri team and I expect the same against the Red Raiders, a team that likes to score a lot of points, averaging 48 points through five games.
To show some love for teams in the AP Top 25 that usually aren’t, UNC is 4-1, 22nd, and hosting Notre Dame Saturday. David Letterman’s Ball State Cardinals are undefeated and 25th heading into Western Kentucky. I won’t put North Carolina on the upset alert only because I don’t think Notre Dame winning in Chapel Hill is a big upset, but I like the Irish in this one.
Then ya got your BYUs, Utahs and Boise States of the college football world, who keep climbing the polls, 9, 14 and 15, respectively. If both teams are unbeaten when they collide November 22, Utah vs. BYU could be a HUGE game. Keep that in mind, but in the meantime, expect both to steamroll through teams like Wyoming, San Diego State, and New Mexico.
Other than that, Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor is a freak of an athlete, No. 8 USC will demolish Arizona State, and I can’t decide which game is better deserving of this season’s first edition of “If only it were basketball,” Arizona at Stanford, or Syracuse at West Virginia. You decide.