Week Seven Newsletter: Red River Shootout Edition

Sexy Seven (teams whose stock increased last week)

1. Missouri (5-0)—Beat Nebraska convincingly, hosts upstart Oklahoma State Saturday
2. USC (3-1)—Bounced back nicely against Oregon following Oregon State upset
3. Vanderbilt (5-0)—Lived up to hype by edging Auburn at home to remain unbeaten
4. Ohio State (4-1)—Survived road test at Wisconsin; Big Ten title still well within reach
5. Ball State (6-0)—Clearly the MAC’s best team and in the Top 25 for first time ever
6. Penn State (6-0)—Continues to win with ease; Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State next
7. Georgia Tech (4-1)—Avoided loss in trap game versus Duke; new offense is thriving

Falling Five (teams whose stock decreased last week)

1. Wisconsin (3-2)—Lost back-to-back Big Ten games after having lead at halftime
2. Miami FL (2-3)—Lost consecutive conference games like Wisconsin, but at home
3. Nebraska (3-2)—No shame in home loss to Missouri, but didn’t come close to winning
4. Maryland (4-2)—Playing very inconsistently as evidenced by 31-0 loss at Virginia
5. Auburn (4-2)—Offense is struggling; tougher games to come in conference play

My Top Five 

1. Oklahoma  2. Missouri  3. Alabama  4. Texas  5. LSU

Game of the Week: LSU at Florida

Sure, it's crazy to think that Texas and Oklahoma is not the game of the week.

Keep in mind, however, that Texas has a brutal schedule after they play Oklahoma this weekend in Dallas. The Longhorns face unbeatens Missouri and Oklahoma State at home and then travel to Lubbock to face undefeated Texas Tech.

Therefore, determining the Big 12 division champions won't take place for a while. 

Meanwhile, the LSU Tigers head to Gainesville for a matchup against the Florida Gators. This game immediately determines the outlook for the remainder of SEC play as opposed to how the Big 12 will shape up as a result of the Texas-Oklahoma game.

LSU took care of Auburn on the road earlier in the season and is looking for a second signature win. On the other hand, Florida is looking to get back to dominating fashion following a home loss to Mississippi and a win versus Arkansas that was closer than expected.

Pay attention when Florida is on offense. LSU’s strategy to contain Tim Tebow and Florida’s speed will be very interesting. Also, look for the Tigers' special teams to make some plays or try to pull off a trick play.

Heisman Trophy leading candidates

1. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford
2. Texas QB Colt McCoy
3. Missouri QB Chase Daniel
4. Alabama RB Glen Coffee
5. Michigan State RB Javon Ringer

This week’s Shame On...Maryland (lost 31-0 at Virginia)

I don’t need to say much, but Maryland beat Clemson and Virginia was trounced by USC. Maryland should have beaten Virginia and should be embarrassed for playing like they did.

Upset Pick of the Week

Since I can’t select a game that equals my pick from last week, Northern Illinois over Tennessee, this week I am picking four games that are slight upsets: Clemson over No. 25 Wake Forest, Northwestern over No. 24 Michigan State, North Carolina over Notre Dame, and Iowa State over Baylor.

Team on Upset Alert: Miami FL

Miami has lost two consecutive home games. On Saturday the 'Canes host Central Florida, who gave South Florida a good game earlier in the season. It is likely that Miami will be short on confidence, and the Knights are the kind of upstart team capable of pulling off an upset.