College Football Preview: Week 9

THURSDAY 10/23:
Auburn at West Virginia, 7:30 (ESPN)
New Mexico at Air Force, 8 (CBS College)

FRIDAY 10/24:
Boise State at San Jose State, 9 (ESPN 2)

SATURDAY 10/25:
Texas Tech at Kansas, 12 (ESPN)
Illinois at Wisconsin, 12 (ESPN 2)
Wake Forest at Miami (FL), 12 (ESPN U)
Minnesota at Purdue, 12 (ESPN Classic)
Northwestern at Indiana, 12 (BTN)
Baylor at Nebraska, 12:30 (Versus)
Oklahoma at Kansas State, 12:30 (FSN)
Georgia at LSU, 3:30 (CBS)
Virginia Tech at Florida State, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Michigan State at Michigan, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Oklahoma State at Texas, 3:30 (ABC)
UCLA at California, 3:30 (ABC)
Virginia at Georgia Tech, 3:30 (ESPN U)
SMU at Navy, 3:30 (CBS College)
Colorado at Missouri, 6:30 (FSN)
Middle Tennessee at Mississippi State, 7 (ESPN U)
Alabama at Tennessee, 7:45 (ESPN)
Penn State at Ohio State, 8 (ABC)
Notre Dame at Washington, 8 (ESPN 2)
Southern Mississippi at Memphis, 8 (CBS College)
USC at Arizona, 10:15 (FSN)

SUNDAY 10/26:
UCF at Tulsa, 8 (ESPN)

GAMES OF THE WEEK:

Penn State at Ohio State
Ohio State had not been impressive in any of their victories this season until last Saturday at Michigan State. Terrelle Pryor had his best game to date, coincidentally after he told Jim Tressel to bench him if he struggled. You don't hear that every day. The defense also put the clamp down on Javon Ringer. Now comes the showdown that will in all likelihood determine who wins the Big 10, and heads to the very least the Rose Bowl. Penn State might have been caught looking ahead against Michigan, as it took them a good two and a half quarters to get going offensively. The Ohio State defense will be Darryl Clark's greatest test yet, and it will be intriguing to see how he responds to adversity if the Lions fall behind early in the Horseshoe. Penn State has been on a roll all season, but last week might be all the Buckeyes needed to get rolling. I look for them to win and continue Penn State's three-decade winless drought in Columbus. Ohio State 20-16.

Georgia at LSU
For some reason, we haven't heard much about Georgia in the past few weeks after losing to Bama. Maybe it has something to do with it being at a light part of the schedule, or the fact that they still have to play LSU, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. But this is still a very dangerous team capable of winning the SEC. The Bayou Bengals' defense responded following the 51 points scored by Florida in their win at South Carolina, but this unit is not what it was a year ago. UGA can score on them, although a Florida-like effort will be asking too much. Neither squad has had what I'd call a signature win, and at least in the case of the Tigers, there are still some questions regarding how good they truly are. Whoever wins the upper hand in this contest should go on to compete for their respective division crown, while the loser probably should start preparing for a non-BCS New Year's Day bowl, although a lot can change in November. I wouldn't count the winner out of the national title picture either. I'll take Georgia behind Moreno's legs and Stafford's arm.

Oklahoma State at Texas
In what has become a yearly tradition in this matchup of Big 12 South foes, OSU jumps out to a huge lead, only to blow it late to the Longhorns. In fact, during the Horns 2005 title season, the Pokes had a 28-14 halftime lead in Stillwater, only to give up 33 unanswered points in the second half. I think it is safe to say that this will be a battle of who can get to 50 first, but Texas' defense has stepped up to the plate against both Bradford and Daniel. Zac Robinson flies under the radar in the Big 12 quarterback picture, but he puts up the big numbers. You have to like Texas in this contest. Yes, I give credit to Mike Gundy and his staff for the unexpected 7-0 start at OSU. If they keep it up, he should be in the national coach of the year discussion along with Nick Saban, Joe Paterno, and a couple others. But outside of the game at Missouri, they have not been tested. Texas has had three challenging battles in a row, with a visit to Boulder, and then the big games against OU and Mizzou.

Texas Tech at Kansas
This is a battle of high-flying offenses, and interesting head coaches. Mike Leach just comes across as a cool guy (he gave dating advice to a Tech student on a TV show for goodness' sake). As for Mark Mangino, how can you not love a big guy? (he's got to be jolly!). The Red Raiders can ill afford a slip up, considering the fact they still have to face the rest of the Big 12 South elite. And they haven't played a ranked opponent on the way to a 7-0 start. Let's face it: this team has to prove their worth to the nation after struggling for three quarters with a weak A&M team. As for Kansas, with Mizzou already having two losses in league play, there is a little more margin for error, even after losing to Oklahoma. I see TTU quieting any critics they have, and proving that they will give OSU, Texas, and OU trouble when the teams meet head-to-head in November.

USC at Arizona
Just like before the Oregon State game, everyone is jumping back on the USC-to-the BCS Championship bandwagon. Not so fast my friends. The Wildcats feature an explosive offense, and are coming off a win at home over then-#25 Cal. Not to mention, they are 5-2 and 3-1 in Pac 10 play. USC is also one of the four teams at 3-1 in the conference, and you have to wonder their mental state entering this game after three easy wins in a row. Arizona has yet to knock them off under Mike Stoops, but has their best chance on Saturday night. USC will have to work for this one, but I think the team learned that nothing is a guarantee after Oregon State and will come out with a strong performance.

OTHER GAMES TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Auburn at West Virginia

Seven or eight weeks ago, this was viewed as one of the most anticipated interleague matchups of the 2008 campaign amongst potential national title contenders. Instead, WVU is 4-2 and Auburn is 4-3, neither in the top 25 any longer. The problem for both squads has been offense: the Mountaineers have been unable to keep Pat White healthy, while Auburn has already scrapped their offensive coordinator, thanks in part of course due to that 3-2 win at Mississippi State. To make matters worse on Thursday, ESPN is sending Lou Holtz to call the game.

Boise State at San Jose State

Believe it or not, #12 in the BCS Boise State is not the first place team in the WAC. It is the Spartans of San Jose State. The winner of this contest on Friday night will have sole possession of first in the conference, and be the only undefeated team left in league play. Dick Tomey's offense is not high-powered, and against an underrated Broncos' defense, could struggle to keep up. The game doesn't start until 9 EDT, so you should be able to catch most of it when you get home from your high school games on Friday night.

Duke at Vanderbilt
Duke and Vanderbilt are more known for academic prestige than success on the football field. The two facts kind of go hand in hand, as football players are usually a couple fries short of a happy meal (see: Pac-Man Jones, Chris Henry). But times are changing in both programs. Vandy is 5-2 and upset Auburn, while Duke is 3-3 and has yet to be completely blown out of the water by anyone, which is usually a weekly tradition in Durham. So Blue Devils and Commdores fans, put aside countdowns to the first basketball game of the season for one Saturday and keep an eye on this contest.

Virginia Tech at Florida State
Any flashbacks of the 2000 national championship game will quickly be erased on Saturday, as neither the Hokies or Noles even lead their respective divisions in the ACC. FSU has moved into the top 25, while VT fell out due to their upset loss at BC last Saturday. I have a feeling this game will come down to special teams. FSU has a strong return game, but their punting unit had two major gaffes against Miami two weeks ago. And we know how Beamer Ball maximizes the chance to score on special teams mistakes.

Ole Miss at Arkansas
In the words of Flounder from Animal House, "Oh boy!" Houston Nutt returns to Fayetteville, and it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets (I am hedging on it not being too positive). The Rebels could theoretically be 7-0 at this point, but have struggled to close the deal, and thus are 3-4. Arkansas is argubly the worst team in the SEC, but Bobby Petrino's young team has been showing improvement in recent weeks.

Alabama at Tennessee
Get out the cheese, this is a potential trap game for the Tide (sorry for that terrible attempt at a joke). While the Vols have had their issues during a 3-4 start, this is one of the bigger rivalries for both squads. Alabama is certainly the more talented of the squads, but as we've seen in pretty much every one of their league games, they jump out to a huge lead, only to almost blow it in the second half. At Neyland Stadium in front of 100,000+ screaming people wearing orange and white, they can ill afford to cruise if they build a lead.

Notre Dame at Washington
Who else is excited by the Apple Cup in late November? We could have 0-11 Washington against 1-10 Washington State! Granted, Wazzou is just plain awful, while the Huskies' poor mark can partially be contributed to a hellacious schedule. Three years after taking his Washington team to South Bend, former Notre Dame head coach Ty Willingham gets a crack at the Irish in Seattle. Notre Dame has been improving week-to-week, and shouldn't let an 0-6 team slow them down.