::Big 10 Preseason Power Rankings:: (Team, (Conf Record; Overall Record), Analysis)

1) Michigan (9-0, 14-1) –  The Wolverines snapped a 5 game losing streak against rival PSU to claim their first Conference title in 4 years. Head Coach Alan Berry will enter the season with arguably the most talent in the conference alongside long time assistant Al Martinez and the latest assemblage of the “Super Staff.”  Will Michigan be able to regain past glory and march towards another National Championship?  For those roaming the Big House, the elation of their 2033 Championship victory grows fainter each season.

2) Iowa (7-1, 10-2) – The ever resilient Hawkeyes made a statement with their last second victory over Penn State last season, but will hope to take another step forward this year with a victory over nemesis Michigan.  Iowa tasted playoff glory in 2040 after a 3 year drought, but fell to Florida State after coaches McCallister, Ludwig, and Arnold took a wrong turn at the local Hooters.  Iowa’s consistency is unbelievable, averaging over 10 wins a season during the last 16 seasons.   Head Coach Jessie McCallister hopes his newly revamped defensive gameplan will lead to this same consistency for Iowa in playoff appearances.

3) Penn State (7-2, 11-3) – The Nittany Lions suffered close but disappointing losses to both Iowa and Michigan after a combined 9 wins in a row against both teams.  The loss to Michigan snapped Penn State’s 3 year reign as Big 10 Conference champions.  Longtime coaches Marvin Floyd and Richard Delaney will work with coaches Mendez and Johnson to update and reload the squad for another shot at the Conference crown and the long awaited National Championship trophy.

4) Illinois (5-3, 8-4) – For the first time in PSE history, the Illini defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes after 29 straight losses.  While partial credit might be attributed to the long steady decline of OSU, Illinois Head Coach John Outland deserves the lions share of the credit as he has steered the long struggling team to a winning record in each of the past 4 seasons.  However, Illinois will need all the help coaches Delgado and Ramirez can provide to continue to improve with a brutal 2041 schedule:  A rematch versus OSU along with matchups against conference powerhouses Michigan, Iowa, and Penn State.

5) Ohio State (5-3, 8-5) – The proud Buckeye program reached its lowest ebb in PSE history last year with an 8-5 record.  Although this would’ve been a commendable season for most programs in the country, 8-time National Champion OSU had never had more than 3 losses in its previous 31 campaigns.  Second year Head Coach Stephen Payne will look to continue the program’s rebuilding and hope the Buckeyes can reignite past glory during tough matchups against Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, and Cincinnati.

6) Michigan State (5-3, 5-6) – Longtime Michigan State coach Steven Matthews will begin his second season in the Head Coaching role determined to post a winning record after a disastrously tough schedule last season.  However, things won’t be any easier this season for the Spartans as they will face tough FIU along with 5 returning playoff teams: Southern Cal, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Iowa, and Penn State.  A victory in any of these games would exceed expectations in the minds of most experts.  A victory in two or more would mean Michgan State is a true rising power in the conference.

7) Wisconsin (4-4, 7-4) – The Badgers took care of business last season with victories against all 7 teams they faced with losing records.  However, they could not take the next step forward and lost to Michigan State and the 3 teams they faced with winning records.  Nevertheless, Wisconsin’s 7 wins were their most in 20 seasons. Coaches Bradley, Campbell, and British Isles imports Bozarth and Wright will look to confirm their status as an up-and-coming team in the Big 10 this season.  To do so, they will look towards a rematch in week 4 against Michigan State and a contest against OSU the following week.

8 ) Northwestern (2-6, 2-9) – Perennial also-ran Northwestern will struggle to improve in 2041 with a sparse coaching staff.  Five seasons ago Coach Robert Alston led the Wildcats to their second winning season in the last 25 years. However, his abrupt departure after that season has left Northwester teetering on the brink of anonymity again.  Only their victory against Minnesota last season allows them to climb this high in the rankings.

9) Minnesota (2-6, 3-8) – New Head Coach Terry Villanueva brings a full staff with him to attempt to build success at this program for the first time in its history.  Despite their inexperience, these coaches may be able to improve the Golden Gophers if they can stay active and implement a practice and recruiting regimen that improves the school’s talent.

10) Purdue (2-6, 2-9) – The Boilermakers sported consecutive 7-5 records in 2038 and 2039 before coach Payne’s departure for the greener pastures of Ohio State.  However, they dropped like a rock last year without a true head coach.  This season, longtime EFL Head Coach Michael Gomez (Arizona, St. Louis) will attempt to reinvigorate the program by bringing his professional approach to Purdue.  Improvement seems a given, but can Coach Gomez build Purdue back into a winner?

11) Nebraska (1-7, 2-9) – Once proud Nebraska has fallen into desperate times, winning only 11 games in the past 8 seasons.  It has been 13 seasons since PSE Legend Alvin Head retired, leaving his second coming in the hands of the capable Dwight Odom.  However, once Odom left 3 short seasons later, Nebraska freefell deep below the depths of mediocrity.  New Head Coach Nicholas Absten and a full staff will try to rebuild the program into something Cornhusker fans can once again be proud of.

12) Indiana (0-8, 0-11) – Former Head Coach George Martin was fired last season after his second winless season in three years.  First time Head Coach Graham Goforth takes charge of the Hoosiers this year, and will have to build up the program’s talent through recruiting and practice field success to have true chance at contention.  However, an improvement in coaching alone should net Indiana a couple victories and show Hoosiers fans that they have their coach of the future.

Comments & predictions are invited below!

Following the same format that I used last year, I’ll be predicting a variety of awards and conferences for the 2035 season, which looks to be a good one for the most part.  We’re coming off of a very close championship game featuring USC and VT, and both teams look to get back.  Will they?  We’ll find out in roughly 3 weeks…

Conference Predictions

Big 12 – Oklahoma –  It’s not even a competition.  Oklahoma made its most threatening run in team history, just one GOOD field goal kicker away from making the championship game.  Bygones are bygones though, and I’m sure Okie will have long forgotten about the USC loss by the time week 1 rolls around and they’re steamrolling Big 12 victim #1 Iowa State.

Big East – Notre Dame – A fiercely competitive conference, the conference champs TCU lost the key components to their stellar passing game in QB Christopher Johnson and WR Malik Dale, both leaving for the draft as Redshirt Sophs.  As far as I know, neither were drafted.  That said, Notre Dame being the great team that they are, brought TCU to overtime last year, and this year they look to repossess the Big East crown.

MWC – SDSU – Yawn.  Still a boring conference.  Actually, Boise State Vs SDSU will be a pretty good game.  UNLV may also push SDSU to their limit.  Otherwise?  Nothing.  With regards to Boise State, I don’t think they’ll be a good enough team to knock off the perennial powerhouses of SDSU.

WAC – NMSU – Oklahoma, playing Hawaii and BYU, would probably prove to be the best team in the WAC, but they’re in the Big 12 so we’ll roll with the returning champion Aggies, who other then losing to Oklahoma last year in the playoffs, made it through the regular season 11-1 with only a loss to the Stormin’ Mormons at BYU.

ACC – Virginia Tech – I don’t know if the gap between the Hokies and Florida State is widening or closing, but rest assured it is still there and it is still quite wide.

Big 10 – Michigan – The conference is so wide open it’s not even funny but I’ll show Jack, Hawk, Rob, and that new DC a vote of confidence in their endeavor to return Michigan to playoff form.

C-USA – Rice – A surprise pick indeed, but Rice looks to simply coast to a C-USA West title, unless a loss to Memphis is accompanied by one to ECU, or they just lose to Tulsa in the first place.  However, returning talent that includes reigning Al Bundy winner Ronald Jarrell, and not having to show their entire hand to Memphis beforehand, I think Rice features the team that could finally knock the Tigers off their perch.

MAC – Ball State – It’s pretty much between Akron and Ball State at this point, this point being the preseason.  While a tough pick between the two, no doubt, Ball State lacked a lot of talent last year and is going to be more experienced and talented this year.  Watch out for the Week 3 game between the two sides, it could go a long way in telling us the eventual champ.

PAC 10 – USC – Even when they lose to ASU they still win the conference.  And while losing to ASU again would probably mean not winning the conference, I’ll take that chance.  The returning champs should handle their inter-conference business with ease.

SEC – UGA – LSU has posed a threat to UGA these few past seasons, and will once more this season.  Accompanying them may be UK, ‘Bama, and Arky.  This aside, UGA is UGA and EJ is EJ.  LSU won’t be one to go down easy, but in the end UGA’s talent is just too much to overcome.

Sun Belt – Western Kentucky – Army not being the powerhouse that it once was, the conference is quite wide open.  Arkansas State or WKU look to lead  the West while Army and FIU lead the East.  In the end I think it shall come down to WKU and FIU, with the power rushing game of WKU being too much for FIU to stop.

Awards

John Jean Award – Otto Saari, Cincinnati – Cinci faces a brutal schedule, but historically they’ve been so awful that, given the staff that Saari has thrown together, it shouldn’t take much to win the JJA given the improvement that Cinci should show.  Their best record ever was 7-5 and I’d be stunned if they didn’t improve upon that.

Beermonkey Award – Ernest Johnson, QB, UGA – Last year I picked him and he got 2nd.  Given that 1st place went to an OLB from Ball State, 2nd is about as good as it gets.  EJ, the dual threat QB, murdered many defenses this past year, and the only question to be asked is… why wouldn’t he get better?  He’s the face of the Bulldogs, he averaged 7.34 YPC in 2034, and he’s going to be out for blood once more after a disappointing postseason loss to the Sooners.

Shane Falco – Some random back-up QB – I’ll stick with the trend.  McMahon, my pick of last year, was ROBBED blind by FSU’s back-up QB who threw for like 1,200 yards.  If I really had to pick somebody I’ll go with Xavier Behl, Hawaii QB, who led a deadly passing attack as QB of the Rainbow Warriors.

Al Bundy – DeMarcus Blizzard – I don’t know what their new offensive philosophy is, but apparently it’s really awesome.  And given that their offense was already awesome, and that they’re losing their star QB, I’ll venture a guess that Oklahoma will run over teams this year.  Not literally run over them, but kinda literally because they are going to run on them a lot.

Golden Hands – Random Hawaii Receiver/Leon King, Oklahoma – Last year my 3 picks were Random Hawaii receiver (1st and 3rd), Darnell Dudley, Oklahoma (2nd), and Joseph Stocker’s replacement (nothing).  Ditching the weak link, converted RB Leon King should be more than an ample replacement for Dudley.  Oklahoma and Hawaii will bring the two best passing attacks in the ECAA to their week 7 show down.

Championship

Virginia Tech Beats Oklahoma 38-24.  Last season I predicted VT over USC 27-17.  I got the team’s and VT’s score right, but got it wrong because USC scored 14 more than I had planned.  This one’s pretty foolproof though, as if Okie scores 14 more than I predict then they still won’t win.  Seriously though, Okie Vs VT was a missed FG away from happening this season, and both teams certainly aren’t regressing.  USC, of course, talented as they are, are very much a threat to return and repeat, and many others shall challenge.  But all in all, VT is hard to pick against and Okie looked very impressive in the playoffs this year.

For those of you that read my preseason predictions, you may remember my pick for the NCG.  It was VT/USC.  If you’re betting with me then I should assume you’re making money.  You’re welcome.  Enough about me though, we’re down to just 1 final game and it should be a pretty good one at that.  Maybe this time around we’ll see more than 13 combined points!  Wouldn’t that be a treat?  As long as it’s close though, I’m sure it will be interesting, and so my prediction:

(4)VaTech Vs (6)Southern Cal

We’ve finally reached the finale, and both teams have gotten here in very different ways.  VT has coasted by from week 1 to the semi-final, their closest game being a 10 point win over Florida State in the Conference Championship Game.  USC’s closest game was not their 28 point win over FSU, but rather a 28-27 win over the mighty Sooners of Oklahoma, winning thanks to a missed 45 yard FG as the clock fell to about 20 seconds.  Luck is necessary to get here though, although hopefully this game won’t be decided by it.  What’s more likely is it’s decided by VT’s mighty defense which has surrendered all of 2 TD’s in the playoffs, holding Memphis and Hawaii to a combined total of 6.  VT’s been winging it with a rushing game, having top two RB’s Rosales and Allen both average over 5 YPC and combine for 4 TD’s.  While Wayne Amin has done a decent job at QB, it seems there is finally hope for starting QB Reginald Crews to return.  He’s listed as questionable but one would assume a starting QB would play in the NCG listed as questionable.  Without him VT’s offense could be in a world of hurt.  USC has almost doubled what VT has put up in the passing yards department, 4 different players having thrown the ball.  USC is ultimately going to give VT’s offense the most different looks it has seen this year while bringing to the table a pretty solid defense, but in the end VT just brings too many different looks with their offense and features two lock down a defense to lose this one.  Sticking to my preseason guns I’ll take VT to win 27-17.

4 teams left, any one of them just 1 win away from being crowned champs.  Memphis and USC came this close last year before suffering defeats Michigan and PSU, respectively.  I’m pretty sure Oklahoma made the semi-finals a few seasons back, but I don’t think VT has ever been in this spot.  The 4 teams have combined for all of 2 championships, both coming from USC in recent years.  The predictions, now

(1)Memphis Vs (4)Virginia Tech

This is not the first time this match-up has occurred.  In the first round of the 2031 playoffs Memphis beat the Hokies 30-10.  Both teams are much improved since then, having picked up talent and added new kinks to their playbook.  VT has gone through their first two opponents with a back-up QB, and it looks to stay that was as starter Crews is doubtful to play.  Back-up Wayne Amin struggled mightily Vs Hawaii, going 9/20 for 56 yards a TD and an INT while being sacked 6 times for -45 yards.  That was no big matter though, as starting RB Rosales torched the Hawaii defense for 170 yards on a consistent 25 carries with a long of just 17 yards.  The Hokies rushed for 253 yards, but that will be a tough task to repeat Vs a Memphis defense that has allowed… 253 yards rushing in its 2 games.  Memphis features a balanced offense that spread the defense, although their abilities are hurt with starting RB Bryant out for the game.  The teams, after combining for 47 points against round 1 shut their round 2 opponents down to allow just 9 points total.  While both teams are going to do a little bit of everything on offense, I think the defenses will contain at every turn and we’ll get a slugfest.  I will take VT, my preseason pick to win it all, in a 23-13 game featuring a heck of a lot of rushing.

(2)Oklahoma Vs (6)Southern Cal

Oklahoma seems to have finally shaken off their doubters by proving themselves in an impressive 16 point win over the perennial power houses of UGA.  While their high-octane offense was answered, the defense came up big allowing just 10 to UGA’s powerful rushing attack.  USC has not let their mid-season loss to ASU shake them in the slightest, having outscored their playoff opponents by a ridiculous 82-17 margin.  QB Robert Dyer averaged 19.83 yards per pass attempt Vs FSU, going 9/12 for 238 yards and 2 TD’s.  RB Bobo has rushed for over 100 yards in both playoff games and actually managed two touchdown PASSES Vs Army, showing the versatility of USC’s offense.  Also, WR Reginald Barrios caught for 220 yards on 6 receptions Vs Army with 2 TD’s.  Quite an impressive offensive show.  Oklahoma also has an impressive offense, but it couldn’t find the back of the end zone Vs UGA, having to settle for 4 FG’s and just 1 offensive TD with a fumble TD to boot.  They did succeed in just pounding the ball though, outpossessing UGA by 14 and a half minutes while averaging 3.78 yards per carry *cough cough 3 yards and a cloud of dust /cough*.  While it seems the offense can be slowed, Okie is clearly happy to pound it out and drain away the clock combined with solid defense.  As such they’ll look to control the pace of this game, but I think USC’s offense is too explosive to allow Okie to do that, and I’ll take the Trojans to win 28-16.

8 teams left in the hunt to win it all.  It looks as though anything is possible as the stunner of round 1 was FSU simply obliterating PSU while Akron stormed back from a 27-0 deficit to nearly knock out the tournament’s top seed.  As things are though, we’re still with the top seed Memphis, and 3 of our 4 1 seeds with PSU being the odd one out.  The first round completely lacked one-score games, but there should be a turnaround this week.  On to predictions:

New Orleans… game

(1)Memphis Vs (8)Texas Christian

Certainly an intriguing match-up.  Memphis returns from a Final 4 trip in 2033, while TCU is the upstart team, having suffered a bowl loss to West Virginia last year.  Memphis and TCU appeared in the 2 closest games of round 1, Memphis beating Akron and TCU over tOSU by 13.  Memphis may be exposed in that it would seem they have a weak pass defense, having let Akron QB Melvin Mitchell pass for 376 yards and 2 TD’s in a valiant comeback effort.  That suits TCU well, as they compete with BM Trophy Finalist Christopher Johnson tossing the rock.  It seems that Johnson was slowed by Ohio State though, passing for only 166 yards with 0 TD’s and an INT.  He’ll have to shake the playoff jitters to beat Memphis, but I think Memphis’s defense won’t let lightning strike twice and will outtalent and outplay TCU en route to a 34-21 victory.

Los Angeles game

(4)Virginia Tech Vs (12)Hawaii

For those of you that care to read my chat musings, you may have seen that I’ve already given the key to this match-up for VT’s offense, and that is… THE SWEEP.  THE SWEEP is not any one play, it’s just a compilation of every pitch VT has, which makes sense given that they have one of the fast RB’s in the ECAA in Willie Rosales (who averages 8.68 YPC) as well as a talented pitching QB in Reginald Crews.  Crews is also talented at passing, having thrown for 32 TD’s and just 3 INT’s.  VT has two RB’s with over 1,000 yards rushing and 11 players with at least 10 catches.  In fact, every player that caught a pass for them caught at least 10.  That figure includes 6 WR’s, 3 TE’s, 2 RB’s and a FB.  In case it hasn’t hit you yet, the point is VT spreads the ball very well and is perhaps the most difficult team to game plan for in the ECAA.  The special teams unit has accounted for 12 TD’s.  They have given up 8 offensive TD’s, 5 of which coming against FSU who just put up 44 on PSU.  Hawaii is certainly in the upper echelons of the ECAA as well, having RB Schmidt who has speed to match and perhaps beat Rosales’s, QB Xavier Behl who shredded SDSU’s defense to bits by way of an 80 percent completion percentage, 289 yards passing, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s.  RB Schmidt averages 6.91 YPC and RB2 Cline is just short of 1,000 yards rushing himself.  Hawaii doesn’t quite spread the ball like VT though, with big gaps between all of their receivers.  While Hawaii is an impressive team, VT is simply as tough a draw as there is, and I’ll take the Hokies to win this one 27-12.

Tempe game

(2)Oklahoma Vs (7)Georgia

The last time I said a game would be a high-scoring affair, it was TCU/Ohio State which I predicted as 52-48.  The teams went on to combine for 27 points total.  I’m even more confident that this one will be a high-scoring affair though.  It features Oklahoma’s #1 scoring offense with UGA’s 3rd.  Oklahoma comes in first in rushing yards per game with 328, UGA 2nd with 315.  Oklahoma is… first in passing yards per game as well, UGA a lackluster 8th.  UGA is 2nd in scoring defense, Oklahoma 3rd.  Oklahoma is 1st in rushing and passing yards against, UGA 6th in rushing and 2nd in passing.  I could go on and on, but there’s no point.  The only thing of substance I have to add is that UGA allows exactly 0.0 yards per punt return.  Oklahoma has two QB’s who have passed for over 1,000 yards while still rushing for 64 TD’s and having two 1,000 yard rushers.  UGA is led by QB Ernest Johnson who managed 3,3oo all purpose yards and 42 TD’s in regular season play.  After a strong outing Vs Iowa, it seems that he’ll make sure to tack on a few more to his TD total Vs UGA.  With both teams having played amazing football on both sides of the ball, it’s a very tough game to pick, but I’ll take the Bulldogs to win it 45-38.

Miami Game

(14)Florida State Vs (6)USC

Miami’s a pretty spectacular place, so it’d be pretty fitting if it had a spectacular playoff game, and this one has a bit of potential.  FSU has been impressive this season.  Hanging 34 on VT is something.  44 on PSU is something.  16 carries for 350 yards and 7 TD’s in one game is… something.  21 carries for 242 yards and 4 TD’s by a diff RB in the same game is something.  19 carries for 164 yards by a final RB doesn’t hurt either.  FSU put up 40 on a stingy UCLA defense.  The team has over 6,600 yards of total offense.  USC is perhaps the team to beat though.  They have no weaknesses and play a very unpredictable brand of offense.  While their offense hasn’t put up the numbers of FSU, I think they attack from more angles and have a better defense and will take this one 34-21.

So I was gonna do a week 13 thing and a conference championship game thing, but sleep got the best of me.  No worries though.  It’s been two days of full sleep, I no longer require sleep for a while, so here I am, back to writing articles for your viewing pleasure.  The ECAA playoffs are about to get underway and we have some great match-ups…  and some not-so great ones.  It’s about 1 to 7, maybe 2 to 6 or 3 to 5.  Anyway, to begin:

Toledo Region

(1)Memphis Vs (16)Akron

The MAC, once more, sends in the lowest seed to perhaps get throttled.  I don’t think that’s the case here though.  Memphis is 15 in the overall talent previews, Arkon… 50th.  But it appears to me that the gap is closing.  Not fully closed though, and Memphis being the better team in seemingly every area, I’ll take the Tigers by a 38-6 score.

(8)TCU Vs (9)Ohio State

If there is indeed only 1 great match-up, this one is it.  This one is undefeated, high-flying TCU led by BM Finalist QB Christopher Johnson Vs the traditional powerhouse Buckeyes who got into the playoffs by a surprising win over arch rivals Michigan.  The aforementioned TCU QB completed over 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 34 TD’s and just 5 INT’s, aided by RB Zanetti who averaged over 5 YPC.  Ohio State will know what to expect as TCU’s leading WR has 1,108 yards receiving and the 2nd one has just 375.  TOSU prefers to keep things on the ground with 31 TD’s spread out between 8 different players.  As a whole they average 6.15 yards per carry, led by RB’s Hoyle and Haney who have combined 1,838 yards and 19 TD’s on 244 carries.  The receiving game is much the same as TCU’s, with WR Marshall leading with 1,038 yards receiving and DeAndre Lomeli being next in line with 292 receiving yards.  With these two offenses going at it, it’s certainly going to be an old-fashioned shootout.  I’ll take TCU over Ohio State 52-48

San Francisco Region

(4)Virginia Tech Vs (13)Arkansas State

ArkSt is the 2nd lowest team to be seeded, so they should be playing Oklahoma…  but I don’t think it makes a big difference to ArkSt, NMSU, Okie, or VT.  VT is the better team if you look at it from any angle.  They have seemed to be struck with a playoff curse of sorts, but I doubt it continues.  It’d take nothing short of a miracle for Ark State to win I’m afraid.  I’ll take VT 42-7.

(5)SDSU Vs (12)Hawaii

I’ve been singing the same tune the duration of the year:  SDSU is overrated.  I think that will finally come into fruition.  Hawaii is a tried and tested team that has butchered many a defense, with 3,033 yard passing and 54 passing TD”s as well as a top 3 rushing corps that has thrown together YPC’s of 6.91, 7.27, and 7.47.  They received awards for WR Clarence Burroughs and DE Robert Kingery, as well as numerous 1st and 2nd team All-Americans, 5 from offense and 1 on defense.  SDSU hasn’t put up stats half as impressive on a schedule that was 10 times easier.  SDSU will get embarrassed by the first ranked team they’ve played, I’ll take Hawaii 45-17.

Phoenix Region

(2)Oklahoma Vs (15)NMSU

Oklahoma seems to be THE ECAA offensive juggernaut.  They simply can’t be stopped.  They’ve scored over 100… twice, and their lowest total is 45.  Their back-up QB has thrown for 17 TD’s, their starting RB has 26 rushing TD’s, their back-up RB averages almost 9 YPC… you get the point.  The defense has racked up 51 sacks, and overall just given Oklahoma one of the most dominant campaigns in ECAA history.  While NMSU has been impressive in their own right, beating Hawaii, UTSA, and Tulane winning the WAC, they haven’t shown that they have the firepower to keep up with the Sooners.  I’ll take Okie to win 54-13.

(8)Iowa Vs (9)Georgia

A game between two teams that are very close to being defined as polar opposites.  Iowa plays with a stingy defense and power running game, while UGA simply lights up the scoreboard one way or another.  UGA’s “X Factor” would be dual threat QB who has thrown for 2,500 yards, 33 TD’s and 4 INT’s with 807 yards on 110 rushes and 8 TD’s.  He’s just 3rd in rushing though, as the rushing game is lead by RB DeAndre Dean who averages 9.17 YPC with 16 TD’s.  Iowa hasn’t been as impressive, but they do boast wins over Arizona St and fending champs Michigan.  Iowa’s defense has caused 14 turnovers while the special teams unit has taken back 10 kicks or punts.  The offense is led by Dallas Henderson who has rushed for 6 TD’s and 1,248 yards.  There also seems to be a bit of bad blood between the two, as Iowa coaches seem to really dislike UGA for whatever reason.  In any case, while Iowa will play their tough brand of defense, UGA has too much in too many areas, and wins this one 35-17.

University Park Region

(3)Penn St Vs (14)Florida St

I’m not so caught up on my geography, so if it didn’t say University Park, PA, I wouldn’t have realized the game was in Pennsylvania.  It is, though, and although I’m not sure how close it is to College Station I’m sure nevertheless that PSU won’t have to travel far.  That aside, this seems to be a match of fire and ice, FSU’s fast-paced offense being the fire while PSU’s run-first mentality combined with a solid D being the ice.  FSU boasts the Shane Falco winner, but don’t let that fool you.  The guy who won it is their back-up who has passed for all of 1,132 yards, with an impressive 16 TD’s to 2 INT’s.  Starter Maurice Timmons has been markedly less impressive, throwing for 25 TD’s and 11 INT’s on 2,123 yards.  FSU makes its money with a running game that has totaled 3,113 yards and 36 TD’s with 6.16 YPC.  PSU has coasted to an 11-1 record with a rock solid defense that has given up juts 6 points per game.  While the rushing game hasn’t averaged many YPC, and the passing game has been far from spectacular, the defense leads the league in sacks and is tied for 5th in INT’s.  FSU looks to constantly put pressure on PSU, but I think PSU will be able to slow it down and take this one by a score of 17-16.

(6)Southern Cal Vs (11)Army

A total mismatch, USC is the better team in every way, shape, and form.  USC beat Army 48-10 in the 2032 playoffs, and I think the gap has only widened.  USC has a versatile offense that attacks from every angle, while featuring an aggressive D that is tied for 2nd in sacks, just 1 behind PSU.  Army is coming off of an embarrassing smackdown from the likes of Arkansas State, a demolition in which Arkansas State went on a 23-0 run en route to a 40-10 victory.  While Army should be expected to play better than that, USC is still in a league of its own and I’ll take them 56-17.

2/5 last week?  God I suck at this.  It’s no wonder they don’t even pay me.  Maybe because I don’t pay them.  ANYWAY, I look to improve once more and it shouldn’t be tough after that crap-filled week.  Also, rollover looks to be late so these rankings may be slightly off but maybe you should just DEALWITHIT.

Game #1

(11) Texas Vs (17) Army

A clash of the titans OOC style, both teams march in undefeated, Texas 5-0 to Army’s 4-0.  While Texas hasn’t dominated like the upper echelon teams do, they have coasted, their closest game being a 13 point win over Kansas.  While their competition has been thin they can still justify their rank with a win over Army.  The star of their offense seems to be back-up RB Chauncey Warren who averages 12.91 YPC and has 3 TD’s on just 22 carries.  While the passing game has been slow to a degree, the running game has most certainly picked up the pace and Texas’s offense thrives on that basis.  On defense they’ve managed 21 sacks and look to keep Army’s QB on his toes.  Army comes in not having faced much in the way of competition, although they did get by a strong Temple team with a 14-6 win.  Army is also a definite running team, having passed 104 times and run 218 times.  QB Braton was benched after two poor performances, and Tayshaun Deacon has performed admirably in his place, not gaining many yards but throwing for short gainers with 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s as well as a rushing TD.  The rushing game features due McNeill and Garcia who have combined for 721 yards and 6 TD’s with ~4.87 YPC.  Army has 16 sacks of their own, and given that they’ve played one less game than Texas are about on the same pace.  With both teams being rushing teams who are good at pressuring the QB, expect this to be a quick, tough game with the score staying low.  Army’s defense has not given up a TD yet, and I think they’ll keep that record going as Army ekes by Texas 13-9.

Game 2

(24) WVU Vs USF

Both teams sit pretty at 4-0, looking for a key conference win in a conference with no divisions and no CCG.  WVU is entering a brutal stretch that includes USF, L’ville, Notre Dame, an easy game Vs LaTech before returning to action with a battle Vs TCU.  USF’s tough games are more evenly spread out.  That said, WVU is certainly prepared for a tough stretch of games.  They earner some respect with a key OOC win over Arkansas State (who this past week beat a strong WKU squad).  WVU features a low key offense that really shows off the abilities of Senior TE Michael Woods whose 39 receptions place him 9th in the nation.  The offense is helped by a very sturdy D that through 4 games has forced 12 turnovers and taken 3 of those to the house.  USF puts an emphasis on the running game, and when your starting RB averages 5.3 YPC that’s probably a good idea.  Donte Adams is the aforementioned back, who has broken an impressive 51 tackles as well as gotten 45 yards receiving on 10 catches.  Starting QB Anderson has managed 7 TD’s and 2 INT’s in spite of a less than impressive completion percentage and yards per attempt.  While USF’s defense doesn’t quite ball hawk as WVU’s, they’ve stilled forced 6 turnovers and scored off of 1.  With another match between running teams with good defenses, I’ll take WVU in another low scoring battle – 16-14

A few quick predictions:

Tulane/Memphis – A rematch of the 2033 C-USA Conference Championship game, Tulane desperately seeking a win and Memphis knowing they’re superior.  I won’t predict my own game, but for all parties interested IPhalanx picked Memphis to win 31-17.

ASU/UCLA – Both teams are 3-1 with OOC losses.  While it seems the game is simply to see who gets to play 2nd fiddle to USC, that’s certainly not a philosophy either of these teams will adopt or agree with.  I’ll take ASU 23-13 over UCLA.

ND/Hawaii – A high-profile OOC game, Notre Dame has played tough but fallen short on two separate occasions.  I’ll take Hawaii in a high-scoring event, 45-35.

L’ville/TCU – The winners of this game along with USF/WVU will be established as clear conference favorites.  TCU looks to continue to ride their hot streak and win this one over the Cardinals 38-24.

That’s that, folks.  The last one I’m doing until week 13, as I’m on vacation weeks 7-12.  I hope that you enjoyed the predictions for the time being and I’d like to thank wrstephen in large part for this, it was both his idea and he researched numerous teams for me.

Another day, another dollar, this time coming off of a slightly impressive 4/5 performance.  Looking to improve upon that, my week 5 games of the week:

Game #1

(1)USC Vs BYU

Both teams are 4-0 heading into this match, and I think I have a pretty good idea of who will come out 5-0.  While there is no doubt that both of these teams are good, reigning champs in their respective conferences, USC is on another level.  They played round 1 of last year’s playoffs in a 59-6 win for USC.  USC boasts the #1 rank, supported by a lethal offense.  RS Freshman QB Marquis Harper has won the starting job and has had a stellar season to date as shown by his 161.7 QB Rating.  The team features a very versatile offense that includes RB’s throwing passes to RB’s and even a TD reception from back-up QB Dyer.  The defense is led by OLB Butcher who has tallied 32 tackles and 8 sacks in 4 games.  BYU is unranked, although they do have enough votes to claim 34th in the Coaches Poll.  They have lit up the scoreboard in their own right, posting 3 shut outs and averaging 45.25 points per game.  QB Harris has been the catalyst towards a booming offense, with 758 yards passing, 7 TD’s, and 0 INT’s.  The rushing game has been a three-headed monster, with the top 3 RB’s averaging upwards of 6 yards per carry and all with 5 TD’s.  BYU’s defense has no real star player, but they’ll need them all so play to the best of their abilities if they are to keep up with USC.  I think USC will outclass BYU though, and take it by a score of 52-14.

Game #2

(20)Ball State Vs (23)Toledo

This game will probably be the deciding factor as with regards to the winner of the MAC West.  Toledo has won the last 2 games by a combined 6 points, and it’s turning into a heated rivalry.  Toledo dropped their 1st game Vs UTSA, but have won two straight since then led by efficient QB Dwight Ferguson.  Ferguson has passed for 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s coming off of a 2033 campaign that included a MAC Title and 25 TD’s to 7 INT’s.  The running game has been somewhat lacking, but Toledo has nevertheless moved the ball efficiently and put points on the scoreboard.  The defense has no real star, but has totaled 15 sacks in any event, and regrouped after a horrid season opener Vs UTSA.  Ball State lost a lot of talent after the 2033 season, and it has shown in a rather weak passing game.  They’ve moved the ball well by rushing though, with 10 rushing TD’s and a total YPC of 4.36.  Leading RB DeShawn Ruth has rushed for 317 and caught for another 147 on 22 catches.  The defense is led by OLB Brooks who has had an incredible year, tallying 40 TFL’s on 54 tackles with 10 sacks.  While I think Ball State has been the stronger team thus far, I think Toledo will pick up their intensity level for this game and walk away with a win by a score of 27-24.

Quick Predictions for a few other games:

WKU Vs Ark St – Ark St is coming off a surprise 21-6 loss at the hands of WVU, and will need to rebound.  I think WKU is too strong though, and will take the Hilltoppers 27-14

UTSA Vs NMSU – A UTSA win would greatly complicate WAC matters.  In an upset I’ll take the Roadrunners by a 35-24 margin

Temple Vs Army – Both teams are undefeated with a lot resting on the winner of this game, I’ll take the favorites Army to win 28-13.

After going a miserable 1/4 on predictions last time, I return once more, hoping that this time I’ll suck less.

Game #1

(6)PSU @ (12)Iowa

While the importance of this game is somewhat lowered by the fact that PSU and Iowa are in different divisions, both teams still view it as a very important game.  There’s not a lot of leeway, one loss could be the one that keeps you out of the playoffs.  Iowa has not made the playoffs in 4 seasons, but look to finally return under the leadership of Junior RB Dallas Henderson.  Iowa has only played one game this season, a 30-6 demolition of Iowa State in which they held ISU to 75 yards and 4 first downs.  QB Donte Clagg has a poor performance, throwing for 1 TD and 1 INT and completing just 43% of his passes.  He’s helped by the running game, which features 5 * RB Henderson with his 5.91 YPC Vs ISU and 6.57 YPC in the 2033 season.  Iowa’s D has many key players, including a great pair of corners in Snavely and Stewart, a true Frosh DT Parker, and OLB DeShawn Regalado who racked up 4 TFL’s against ISU.  PSU has returned with a stingy defense, giving up just 7 points in two games while scoring 85.  QB Carl Shearer hasn’t been given much work as the load has been placed on a strong running game with RB’s Roach and Williams just short of 200 yards a piece.  It looks to be an intense battle of two tough defenses and star running backs, so I’ll take PSU over Iowa 23-14 in a low scoring affair.

Game #2

(25)UCLA Vs Oregon St

Another inter-division battle, both teams are coming off of OOC losses, both in low scoring games and both by 7 points.  Oregon State’s passing game has been non-existent, as they’ve thrown for 0 TD’s with 4 INT’s, but the rushing game has churned out tough yards with RB’s Madrid and Watson.  The defense is highlighted by DE’s Shaw and Smith who have combined for 37 tackles, 19 TFL’s, and 4 sacks.  UCLA has played just two games, a 37-3 win over Nevada and a 14-7 loss to Tulane.  The defense has remained strong, but the offense has struggled, totaling just 7 first downs Vs Tulane.  If UCLA is to win they’ll need QB Wilson to have a solid game Vs Oregon State.  The defense will look to LB Alphonso Evans, as he has 20 tackles, 7 TFL’s, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  This also looks to be a low scoring event, but I think UCLA will find a rushing game and open the floodgates with a 28-6 victory.

A few quick picks of interesting games

UTSA/Maryland:  An OOC match between teams with a combined 5-1 record.  The offenses should be strong and I’ll take UTSA over Maryland 41-31

Rice/ECU:  An important conference game with each team having suffered a loss in-coference.  I’ll take Rice to win by a healthy 34-17 margin

(21)ArkSt/WVU:  Two teams looking to make a name for themselves with an OOC game, both undefeated.  Arkansas State is liable to light up the scoreboard at any time, and I think they’ll score just enough to win, 28-20.