College Football Week 4: The Ten Biggest Storylines Heading into The Weekend
We're here!
The first three weeks of the 2010 college football season seemingly flew by and somehow we're already sitting on October's doorstep ready for conference play to get underway.
The fourth Saturday of the season is shaping up to be a monumental day packed with nonstop action, so let's take a look at the 10 storylines everyone needs to keep an eye on.
Can Boise State Bust Another BCS Team
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It's true that Boise State's big opening win over Virginia Tech has been tainted by the Hokies recent struggles, but luckily for Chris Petersen's Broncos, they've got a shot to take down another respectable BCS team when they host the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday night.
The last time a Pac-10 school visited Boise, the Broncos ended up stifling the Oregon Ducks to start the 2009 season.
They'll have their work cut out for them in this one as they try to contain running back Jacquizz Rodgers and shut down quarterback Ryan Katz.
This will be a true test and it should be interesting to see if Boise can continue to hush the doubters by beating another big boy.
Will Michigan State Use Mark Dantonio's Health Concerns As Motivation
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Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a mild heart attack just a a short time after he got done celebrating a huge victory over Notre Dame last Saturday night. After having surgery to correct the blocked artery that caused the problem, it's still up in the air as to when the coach will return.
Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans will host Northern Colorado this weekend with interim coach Don Treadwell leading the way.
It will be in interesting to see what kind of mindset the Spartans play with as they prepare to start off Big Ten play with two early October games against Michigan and Wisconsin in the coming weeks.
Ryan Mallett Looking For a Showcase Win Against No. 1 Alabama
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A week after leading his Razorbacks team to a last second victory over Georgia, quarterback Ryan Mallett will try once again to topple a formidable SEC opponent, only this time it's the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
In last year's meeting between these two teams, Mallett looked shaky to say the least, completing just 12 passes for 160 yards—his lowest output of the 2009 season.
The difference this year is that the game will be played at Razorback Stadium where Mallett has been sensational so far in his career.
If the junior can pull of the upset, his name will fly to the top of the Heisman list.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
East Vs. West: South Carolina Vs. Auburn Could Be The Real SEC Showdown to Watch
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Arkansas vs. Alabama will be the SEC game that gets most of the attention leading into the weekend, but an equally exciting match up pitting Auburn vs. South Carolina should be just as much fun to watch.
After pulling out a crazy overtime win last Saturday against Clemson, quarterback Cam Newton and the Tigers will try to repeat the feat against a strong South Carolina squad this week.
Both these teams have quality run defenses, so the key to victory could come down to which quarterback can make the big play through the air.
UCLA Vs. Texas: Will The Longhorns Get Caught Looking Ahead?
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UCLA got themselves back on track by beating the Houston Cougars last weekend. And now it seems like they're finally starting to put it together.
The Bruins have the talent on defense with guys like safety Rahim Moore and linebacker Akeem Ayers to cause fits for Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert.
There's a lot of anticipation in Austin for this one, and it should be interesting to see how much Texas can focus on UCLA with match ups against Oklahoma and Nebraska looming in the next few weeks.
Arizona Wary Of Letdown Game Against a Tricky Cal Team
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While the Longhorns should be concerned about not living in the future, it's the Arizona Wildcats who have to worry about getting caught in the past.
After a great win over the then top ten ranked Iowa Hawkeyes last Saturday, the Wildcats will now have to refocus for a California team that will be agitated after getting roughed up by Nevada last week.
The Golden Bears, led by running back Shane Vereen, are a better team than what they showed in that loss, and Arizona head coach Mike Stoops has to make sure his team doesn't get caught in a a letdown game.
The Andrew Luck Show Heads To South Bend
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Some, including myself, have already started throwing around No. 1 pick talk in regards to Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Is it too soon?
Sure, but so far Luck has looked about as good as anyone could have hoped, throwing for almost 700 yards and 10 TDs in Stanford's three blowout wins to start the season.
There's no doubt Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly doesn't want to start his first season 1-3, but can his Irish defense slow down the super sophomore QB?
Taylor Martinez Looks To Pad His Heisman Resume Against FCS Foe
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No freshman has ever won the Heisman Trophy, but if Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez keeps running threw defenses like he's been doing in the first three weeks, he'll certainly be in the conversation at the end of the season.
T-Magic as the kids call him these days has thrown for over 100 yards and rushed for over 100 yards in each of Nebraska's first three contests.
Sure he's not going to put up the passing numbers of say a Ryan Mallett or an Andrew Luck, but Nebraska doesn't need him to do that to be successful.
As long as the freshman keeps up the pace, this Nebraska team is going to keep on winning, and there's no doubt that Heisman voters love a quarterback that gets the Ws.
Michigan's Defense Searching For Respect
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Allowing 37 points and over 400 yards to UMASS?
Come on, Wolverines, have some pride.
West Virginia Tries to Give The Big East Some Credibility
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West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is starting to come into his own as the leader of the Mountaineers offense. The sophomore signal caller displayed some tremendous ability in West Virgina's win over Maryland last week, and he now sits with a 3-0 record in his first three starts.
Things will get raised up a notch this weekend when the boys from Morgantown head down to Baton Rouge to take on the No. 15-ranked LSU Tigers.
Smith has the poise to keep this West Virginia team calm in what's sure to be a rowdy environment in Death Valley on Saturday night.
The Big East has been the joke of the BCS so far this season, but if there's going to be a savior for the conference, it's this West Virginia team.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
