College Football: Breaking Down The Six Biggest Games On September 11
Nine years ago, September 11 was a tragedy which brought America closer together than it had been in some time.
In 2010, this day will now mark what may be the most exciting Saturday in college football in years.
At almost every time slot, there is a big matchup between two talented squads somewhere in the country.
And whatever the stakes are, whether it is for revenge, proving your worth, or making a national title claim, there is no question that it will be a very entertaining day's worth of games.
All that needs to be said is that if you have picture-in-picture or DVR, Saturday is the day to use it.
Here is a preview of the five biggest games of Saturday, September 11 in college football.
6. The SEC Season Begins: Georgia at South Carolina, 12:00 PM
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The most exciting conference in college football in the past few years has unquestionably been the SEC, and their season kicks off with the rematch of a big game a year ago.
The Georgia Bulldogs come to Columbia, SC with a new starting QB in Aaron Murray ready for his first road test in the SEC.
And if UGA doesn't have superstar WR A.J. Green against a talented Gamecock secondary, the redshirt freshman QB might have a rough afternoon.
Steve Spurrier's team suddenly looks more potent on offense, and that's not just because of an improved Stephen Garcia at QB.
Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore, an in-state product, had two touchdowns in his first game as a Gamecock against Southern Mississippi.
South Carolina will need their running game, which got 224 yards against the Golden Eagles, to be big once again against a Bulldogs defense which held their opponent, albeit a Louisiana-Lafayette team that went 6-6 in 2009, to just 14 yards rushing on 29 attempts.
UGA's defense which hopes to be improved will have a big early test to prove their mettle, and if they come through, they should be able to get the big road win.
But if Green cannot play, expect South Carolina's secondary to come up big and help the Gamecocks score a big win.
5. Oregon at Tennessee, 7:00 PM
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So what if Oregon did not have Jeremiah Masoli or LaMichael James, the duo that created terror in the Pac-10 to start the 2009 season?
That did not stop the Ducks' offense from putting up a blistering 72 points at home against New Mexico Saturday behind new starting QB Darron Thomas and backup RB Kenjon Barner, one of the most dangerous players fans should know more about.
The Ducks should have James back as they make their longest road trip of the season to Neyland Stadium to face new coach Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Volunteers, who hung a 50-spot on FCS Tennessee-Martin.
But the Volunteers have a face familiar to a team that shut down the Ducks a year ago: former Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.
Wilcox's Bronco defense in 2009 held the Ducks to just eight points and an abysmal 31 yards rushing, a far cry from the 391 rushing yards they put up on USC in October of that season.
Now Wilcox is running the T as the Volunteers' defensive coordinator, and has very capable athletes on defense which he will try to use to contain Chip Kelly's zone read spread attack.
But if Tennessee cannot gain consistent, balanced yards against a more experienced Oregon defense, it will be tough for the Vols to pull off the win.
It may be a roadie for Oregon, but that should not stop them from getting the win.
4. New Face, Old Rivalry: Michigan at Notre Dame, 3:30 PM
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We saw something similar a year ago, where both Notre Dame and Michigan looked pretty solid going into their yearly matchup, and the Wolverines prevailed in the Big House.
This season, the series shifts to Notre Dame, where Brian Kelly had taken his coaching talents to South Bend to coach the Fighting Irish.
And not only is one of the coaches a new face to the rivalry, but QBs Dayne Crist of the Irish and UM's Denard Robinson will be making their first starts each in the long-lasting rivalry.
And while both offenses should be potent, the questions will be presented to the defenses.
Can the Irish's 3-4 attack stop Robinson and his bevy of quick receivers?
How will Michigan's 3-3-5 hold up against Kelly high-tempo offense?
Michigan needs this game to help save Rich Rodriguez's job, but his Wolverines looked very good in their opener against Big East darkhorse Connecticut, beating the Huskies 30-10.
But the game could have been very different had there been less missed opportunities by UConn.
The Wolverines cannot afford to give ND those opportunities because Crist and the Irish should be able to make them pay.
However, when all is said and done, the Irish should get the win because they are more capable of stopping Michigan's offense than the other way around.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
3. The Stoops Bowl: Florida State at Oklahoma, 3:30 PM
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Saturday afternoon in Norman presents the first ever Stoops Bowl between Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles, and their new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.
Florida State in the first game of the Jimbo Fisher era showed life in blowing out Fisher's alma mater, Samford 59-6.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, struggled to escape an upset bid from Utah State, winning 31-24.
But no doubt this game features two of the more underrated QBs in the country: Oklahoma's Landry Jones and FSU's Christian Ponder.
The Seminoles are looking to end Oklahoma's 31-game home winning streak, and doing so might signal a return to glory for FSU which has been irrelevant for several seasons.
After years of having an archaic defensive scheme under Mickey Andrews, Mark Stoops came in from Arizona and has worked to more appropriately use the athletes he has defensively to stymie opposing offenses.
On the other sideline, Oklahoma appeared, at least Saturday against USU, to still have a hangover from the 2009 season which was a major disappointment for the Sooners.
Jones is certainly capable of leading an offense comparable to the Sam Bradford era, but it will be up to the Sooner defense if they can get back to where they were in 2008.
But with more unknowns going in the direction of the Seminoles, the good money should be on the Sooners to push their winning streak at Memorial Stadium to 32 games.
2. Revenge: Miami (FL) at Ohio State, 3:40 PM
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Seven long years have passed since the Miami Hurricanes' lost the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and with that, a 34-game winning streak was snapped and a chance to be a dynasty went up in smoke.
And when this series was scheduled, fans of the U have had this date circled on their calendars for years, waiting to get revenge on the Buckeyes.
Miami coach Randy Shannon, the defensive coordinator in their last matchup, will certainly have his team hungry to pull off a win.
And they will bring talented QB Jacory Harris and big time weapons WR Leonard Hankerson and Aldarius Johnson to Columbus.
The defense is no slouch either, with superstars at every level: DE Allen Bailey, LB Sean Spence, and DB Brandon Harris being the main cogs to the Canes' defense.
Waiting for the Hurricanes in the Horseshoe will be none other than Heisman hopeful QB Terrelle Pryor and an offense that looked explosive in a 45-7 win over Marshall.
But the concern for the Buckeyes after Thursday was whether or not their defensive line, which is usually dominant, can get pressure as they had trouble creating pressure in the backfield.
Good news for OSU is that DE Nathan Williams, a relentless rusher, should be healthy and ready to go Saturday.
And safety Tyler Moeller, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, is a player that can create havoc anywhere on the field.
With all of the athletes and stars on both sides of the field, the game should come down to Miami's offensive line vs Ohio State's defensive line.
If the Buckeyes can win the battles in the trenches, they might be able to force Harris into mistakes, which he was known for during most of 2009.
If Harris remains upright, he might not have problems picking the Buckeyes' secondary apart.
Ohio State should have the edge in this game, but it's tough to truly gauge how heavy the revenge factor will be for the Hurricanes.
But unless the U can sustain that drive for 60 minutes and be able to play controlled football, Ohio State will keep Miami from tasting revenge.
1. A Champion's First Test: Penn State at Alabama, 7:00 PM
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This game might be the more interesting and telling game of the week, and right now it seems as it will be next to impossible for Penn State to pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa.
But stranger things have happened in college football, just ask Appalachian State.
With the recent news of Mark Ingram's knee surgery and Alabama choosing not to appeal the suspension of DE Marcell Dareus, the Tide could potentially be without two of their best players.
However, the Tide have so many big time weapons everywhere, especially on offense with RB Trent Richardson and WR Julio Jones primed for big nights against Tom Bradley's Penn State defense.
Don't count out Penn State, as they do present a good challenge to Alabama's offensive line, with DE Jack Crawford and DT Ollie Ogbu who should be able to have a big effect on the game.
The question for Joe Paterno will be how much does he limit freshman QB Robert Bolden who played well in his first start against Youngstown State against Nick Saban's defenses.
If the result is anything like what we saw with Garrett Gilbert going against Bama in the BCS National Championship Game back in January, it will be tough sledding for the Nittany Lions.
And the running game is a question mark in itself, with talented RB Evan Royster running for only 40 yards on 11 carries in PSU's win over Youngstown State.
But this game is another chance for the Big Ten to try to prove that it is on even footing with the SEC. And although Penn State is not on the same level as Alabama on paper, they certainly play a similar style of football that might match up well with the Tide.
That probably will help them a little bit because they are used to playing physical football coming from the Big Ten.
But that will not help the Saturday night, as the Tide should be able to pull out a good home win, though it will be closer than most expect.
This article is featured on Storm the Field.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
