Write On Sports LLC - "Football Week 12" by Tom Zuck

Football Week 12

2007-11-14 23:22:17 | By: Tom Zuck

Last week's slate of games was not too bad. Of course there was no Pitt game so I didn't have that impending defeat weighing me down. The Auburn - Georgia game was certainly disappointing. The Tigers started out so poorly and then came back to take the lead and then, BOOM! Georgia was back in front in a big way. And of course I lost my bet with Abi Wall.

That win by Georgia makes three people I know happy, Abi, and former Burrell Bucs and current Georgia residents Tommy Bart and Howard Bonazza.

Unfortunately the common denominator in Auburn's defeats this season, and last, has been Brandon Cox's interceptions. There is a lot that goes into forcing an interception and it is not all on him, but in the end he gets the blame. Next year's offense will be interesting with a new QB.

About a month ago I was accused of having a "Big Ten Bias". Well it turns out that the only bias I had was that I thought Michigan, and to a lesser degree Ohio State, were so much better than the rest of the Big Ten. Of the three losses Michigan has had this year, I picked them to win those games.some bias, eh?

I watched the Michigan - Wisconsin game and I wondered where that Wisconsin team has been all year. I also saw Mario Manningham act like a complete jerk. He pranced and pouted when he felt TRUE FRESHMAN quarterback Ryan Mallett wasn't getting him the ball.

Did he address the offensive line and yell at them and demand that they give the kid more protection? Nope. So I had to laugh when Manningham dropped a pass when the game was still winnable. I would say Mallett has performed better than any of the other freshmen quarterbacks like Jimmy Clausen and Pat Bostick. Michigan really missed Mike Hart and Chad Henne. They need them this week.

Kansas looked very good last week. They deserve to be ranked where they are and the next couple of weeks will be very interesting for the Jayhawks. They have Missouri and then a possible Big 12 Championship game with Oklahoma.

West Virginia looked OK last week but there seems to be something wrong with Steve Slaton. He just doesn't look right and they need him to be his old self if they want to play in, and win, a major BCS bowl.

My high school game last week was pretty good. Montour did what I thought they would. They overpowered Trinity and are now in the WPIAL semifinals. Montour's big gun is Christian Wilson and he is headed to Michigan next year. Trinity's two top guys, Sweat and Yancich, are headed to Ohio State.

I looked at the paper this morning and there was a story about a Green Beret, a 2000 graduate of Montour, who had been killed in Afghanistan. It puts all of our silly football talk into perspective.

I don't think I am covering a game this week so unless it rains I will be at Highlands to watch Jeannette play Aliquippa; two traditional powers from somewhat distressed communities. The level of support these teams have is incredible, especially when compared to the apathy shown for my home-town team.

Some of us here have teams still playing in the WPIAL high school playoffs. Central Catholic is ranked #1 in the state in Class AAAA. Then we have Aliquippa and Jeannette guys on our list too.

Last week was another good one for me; I was 15-4 and that put me at 120-51 for the season. This week has a few tricky games that could knock me down but by and large the week does not feature the compelling games we have had the past month. I doubt that anyone other than hardcore fans would say the Pitt - Rutgers game or LSU - Ole Miss has the same drama as the Buckeyes against Michigan.

There are some others with major bowl implications. I do hope to see some of the Oklahoma - Texas Tech game, that one has the potential for some real excitement; same for BC v. Clemson and WVU v. Cincy.

#2 Oregon (5-1, 8-1) at Arizona (3-4, 4-6)
9 p.m. Thursady

This is Oregon's chance to really prove it belongs in the BCS NC hunt. The Ducks need a strong effort, rightly or wrongly, over a team it should beat. A stumble here and people will not forgive them. Arizona is a major disappointment. Mike Stoops has to win next season. Even though I like D Mac at Arkansas I think Dennis Dixon is the Heisman favorite and this week he will prove on national TV that he is deserving of the award. Even though the uniforms are still God-awful, Oregon is a very good team. Mighty Ducks win in the desert.

#7 Ohio State (6-1, 10-1) at #21 Michigan (6-1, 8-3)
Noon, Saturday

The Buckeyes defense took a major hit last week against Illinois. Michigan's offense took a major hit from Wisconsin's defense. So who came out better? I think the Bucks because even with all of the turnovers they still had a shot to win. Michigan is still banged up. This team needs Henne and Hart to play. There have been rumors that UM Coach Lloyd Carr will announce his resignation after this game. Even though this game is in the Big House I am going with the Buckeyes to win their fourth in a row in this series.

Maryland (2-4, 5-5) at Florida State (3-4, 6-4)
Noon

Florida State seems to be coming around; even if it's by little steps. Maryland stunned BC last week. Drew Weatherford is slated to start after a concussion and Xavier Lee is back on the team. Maryland's sophomore QB Chris Turner had a career game last week, 21-27 for 337 yards and 3 TDs. That will be tough to duplicate this week. Plus, it's at FSU. Even though Maryland needs this game to become bowl eligible I am gonna stick with the Seminoles. Chief Osceola rides again; Seminoles win.

Pitt (2-2, 4-5) at #32 Rutgers (2-3, 6-4)
Noon

My parents are going to this one. Either they are very loyal Pitt fans, or masochists. I'm not sure which. Pitt really hasn't faced a back like Ray Rice this season. Rutgers has gotten a lot out of him but not much from QB Mike Teel. Pitt's defense is not aggressive so I doubt their ability to get after him. The Rutgers defense is aggressive and that means Pitt's not so mobile freshman QB Pat Bostick could see the turf. Pitt has LeSean McCoy on offense and not much else. Rutgers wins.

#1 LSU (5-1, 9-1) at Ole Miss (0-6, 3-7)
3:30 p.m.

This is not a good week for Ole Miss to play LSU. The Tigers lost the last time they were ranked #1. I doubt there is much chance for that this week. I think it helps that Oregon will already have its game in the books. That will give LSU motivation to avoid a sluggish start. Tigers win big.

Miami (2-4, 5-5) at #10 Virginia Tech (5-1, 8-2)
3:30 p.m.

It's a good thing Miami uses the smoke/steam when they come on to the field. Too bad it doesn't stay around so the fans from the OB don't have to look at them! What a joke that was last week; Virginia is good, but 48-0 in the final Miami game EVER played in the Orange Bowl. That is a disgrace. This week Tech gets to put a nice beating on Miami. Quarterback U produced 94 yards passing, four sacks and three interceptions against UVA. Do ya think the Tech defense is licking its chops? I do. Tech wins.

Iowa State (2-5, 3-8) at #3 Kansas (6-0, 10-0)
3:30 p.m.

Iowa State has shown some improvement under former Auburn and Texas Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik. Is it enough this week? I doubt it. I was really impressed watching Kansas, especially QB Todd Reesing, last week. Look for the Jayhawks to continue its run. Quick, when was the last time Kansas was 10-0? How about two centuries ago..well, not full centuries, but it was 1899! Jayhawks win.

#31 Cal (3-4, 6-4) at Washington (1-6, 3-7)
3:30 p.m.

One of the kids who were tree-sitting at Berkley to protest something fell out of a tree next to the stadium. That sort of encapsulates the Bears season. Cal broke out the throwback uniforms last week. Too bad they also did what they normally do when playing USC.they lost. This week Washington is all banged up. The Huskies have not been the same since the loss to Ohio State. Only a win over Stanford stopped a six-game losing streak. They lost last week to Oregon State, look for them to lose again. Cal wins.

#26 Penn State (4-3, 8-3) at Michigan State (2-5, 6-5)
3:30 p.m.

The Spartans looked pretty good last week against a not very good Purdue team. The defense did allow way too many points though and that could be trouble for this week. Penn State can score a lot, at times. Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick form a nice tandem in the MSU backfield. The Spartans need to protect Brian Hoyer from a very good Penn State defense. If he has time to throw he can move the ball. Penn State's Rodney Kinlaw probably won't rush for the 168 yards he had against Temple last week and the Spartans can get pressure on QB Anthony Morelli. The Nittany Lions have lost to the three good teams they have played this season. I am thinking upset, Spartans in a mild upset.

#25 Wisconsin (4-3, 8-3) at Minnesota (0-7, 1-10)
3:30 p.m.

Where was this Badger team a few weeks ago? Holy cow! Last week the Badgers looked like the team that was ranked #5 in week two. The defense was aggressive and really took it to Michigan. Minnesota is just bad. Look for the Badgers, especially in the running game, to score often. On Wisconsin! On Wisconsin! Badgers win big.

N.C. State (3-3, 5-5) at Wake Forest (4-3, 6-4)
4 p.m.

Wake needs a win, yesterday. This season has not gone well for the Demon Deacons and last week's game was downright awful. The Wolfpack stole one last week from UNC so they feel good and this game won't be easy for Wake. Wake still has a chance to tie Clemson or BC but they would lose both tiebreakers. A win this week and one next week over a tough Vandy squad and Wake has an eight-win season. NC State pulled off a win over Virginia a few weeks ago but I don't think they will this week. Wake wins.

#6 West Virginia (3-1, 8-1) at #22 Cincinnati (3-2, 8-2)
7:45 p.m.

Cincinnati is coming off a huge win over UConn. It wasn't so much that they won but how they did it. The Bearcats beat up the Huskies. Losing to Pitt must have really made Cincy mad because after that they have beaten USF and now UConn. WVU is a different beast though. The Mountaineers don't seem to be in sync though and that will be tough against the opportunistic Bearcats. I am going to stick with Pat White and Steve Slaton; Hoopies win.

#17 Boston College (4-2, 8-2) at #15 Clemson (4-2, 8-2)
7:45 p.m.

Boston College needs this win to keep its season from being a complete washout to the casual college fan. I have said before that BC's lack of a running game could hurt them and it has now in two straight losses. Last week BC rushed for ONLY 45 yards. That meant Matt Ryan had to pass over 50 times. Clemson's defense is too active for that scenario again. Clemson's offense is more balanced but QB Cullen Harper needs more from James Davis and CJ Spiller this week. I'm going with Death Valley at night, Clemson wins.

#4 Oklahoma (5-1, 10-1) at Texas Tech (3-4, 7-4)
8 p.m.

Texas Tech is a scoring machine. But look at the numbers and you will see Oklahoma has scored just two fewer touchdowns. Texas Tech can't, or won't, run the ball and that is not a good sign against a good Oklahoma defense that has a knack for picking off passes. Red Raider coach Mike Leach has been linked with UCLA's job if it becomes available. Bobby Stoops isn't going anywhere, other than the Big 12 Championship game after the Sooners win this week. Boomer Sooner, Oklahoma wins.

Louisville (2-3, 5-5) at South Florida (2-3, 7-3)
8 p.m.

You have two disappointing seasons here. South Florida couldn't hold the ball in its losses and Louisville couldn't stop anyone in its losses. Heck, the Cardinals had trouble with Pitt. This one is in Florida and that should give the Bulls an edge. The USF defense is good too and should get at Brian Brohm. Brohm needs his big receivers to play well. I'm going to go with South Florida since they got back on track last week. Bulls win.

11-15 Thu. North Texas @ Arkansas State 7:00 p.m. GP (Ch. TBA)
11-15 Thu. Oregon @ Arizona 9:00 p.m. ESPN
11-16 Fri. Hawaii @ Nevada 11:00 p.m. ESPN2
11-17 Sat. Ohio State @ Michigan Noon ABC
11-17 Sat. Northwestern @ Illinois Noon ESPN
11-17 Sat. UConn @ Syracuse Noon ESPN2
11-17 Sat. Tulsa @ Army Noon ESPN Classic
11-17 Sat. Maryland @ Florida State Noon LFS/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. North Carolina @ Georgia Tech Noon LFS/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Pittsburgh @ Rutgers Noon GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Florida Atlantic @ Florida Noon GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Missouri @ Kansas State 12:30 p.m. FSN
11-17 Sat. Kentucky @ Georgia 12:30 p.m. LFS/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. BYU @ Wyoming 2:00 p.m. The Mtn
11-17 Sat. Vanderbilt @ Tennessee 2:00 p.m. GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Duke @ Notre Dame 2:30 p.m. NBC
11-17 Sat. Idaho @ Boise State 3:00 p.m. GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. LSU @ Ole Miss 3:30 p.m. CBS
11-17 Sat. Miami, Fla. @ Virginia Tech 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Iowa State @ Kansas 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. California @ Washington 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Penn State @ Michigan State 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN (reverse mirror)
11-17 Sat. Northern Illinois @ Navy 3:30 p.m. CSTV
11-17 Sat. Western Michigan @ Iowa 3:30 p.m. BigTen (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Purdue @ Indiana 3:30 p.m. BigTen (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. Wisconsin @ Minnesota 3:30 p.m. BigTen (Ch. TBA)
11-17 Sat. N.C. State @ Wake Forest 4:00 p.m. ESPNU
11-17 Sat. New Mexico @ Utah 5:30 p.m. The Mtn
11-17 Sat. Oregon State @ Washington State 6:30 p.m. FSN Regional
11-17 Sat. Oklahoma State @ Baylor 7:00 p.m. FSN
11-17 Sat. Southern Miss @ UTEP 7:30 p.m. CSTV
11-17 Sat. West Virginia @ Cincinnati 7:45 p.m. ESPN
11-17 Sat. Boston College @ Clemson 7:45 p.m. ESPN2
11-17 Sat. Oklahoma @ Texas Tech 8:00 p.m. ABC
11-17 Sat. Louisville @ South Florida 8:00 p.m. ESPNU