Mountain West matchup peaks Terrific Ten
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TCU sack artist Jerry Hughes will have his sights on BYU's Max Hall this Saturday. (Icon SMI)
1) No. 8 TCU (-2) 26, @No. 16 Brigham Young 23 - The Frogs are on a roll with a 6-0 start to the season and they will be tested in Provo. TCU can do damage on the ground with the Joseph Turner/Ed Wesley/Andy Dalton triplicate. Gary Patterson's defenses are always among the nation's best as TCU is eighth in the nation against the run in giving up 81 yards per night. The Frogs also are fourth in total defense. The key matchup could be TCU sack artist Jerry Hughes against BYU quarterback Max Hall. Hughes has eight of the Horned Frogs' 20 quarterback drops this season.
2) @No. 2 Alabama (-14½) 30, Tennessee 7 - Alabama's scintillating defense has one main objective—stop UT running back Montario Hardesty. Nick Saban's defense leads the nation in allowing only 63 yards rushing per game. With Tennessee's passing game in dire straits, a shutout could be in the offing for the Tide if it doesn't turn the ball over or call off the charges in the fourth quarter of a one-sided affair. Alabama will be attempting to win its third straight over the Vols, something no team has done in this series since Tennessee reeled off seven in a row from 1995-2001.
3) No. 3 Texas (-13) 35, @Missouri 21- As the Longhorns hold opponents to 35 yards rushing per game, Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert must take to the air with a vengeance. That said, the 'Horns are tied with Iowa State for the Big 12 lead in interceptions with 10. Oddly, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has three touchdown passes against four picks in Big 12 play. The red zone could be interesting. The Texas offense has converted 28 of 30 trips there while the Tigers are last in the league in allowing a 94.7% success rate by their foes. Defensively, Will Muschamp's unit continues to flourish as opponents have seen the end zone only eight times in 84 drives.
4) @Michigan (+4½) 27, No. 13 Penn State 21- It is the proverbial “irresistable force vs. the immoveable object” when the Wolverines' eighth-rated rushing offense battles Penn State's sixth-rated rushing defense. Running backs Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor should be well-rested for the Wolverines after sitting out last week's rout of Delaware State. If Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier is still ailing, Denard Robinson's running ability at quarterback could be a key. Iowa is the only legitimate rushing team Penn State has faced and the Hawkeyes rushed 37 times for 163 yards in beating the Lions.
5) Oklahoma (-7) 34, @No. 25 Kansas 27 - The hard-luck Sooners have three losses by five points after last week's 16-13 loss to Texas. With quarterback Sam Bradford likely shelved for the rest of the season, OU is at a crossroads. The key is establishing DeMarco Murray against a Jayhawks run defense that gave up 147 yards on 44 carries last week in a 34-30 loss at Colorado. Kansas is at a crossroads as well, as that loss makes this a must-win. The key is Todd Reesing having time to get the football to Dezmon Briscoe, who leads the nation with 134 receiving yards per game vs. an Oklahoma defense that has sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times so far.
6) @No. 9 LSU (-7) 23, Auburn 14 - Stopping Ben Tate in the running game will be LSU's key mission. Tate is second in the SEC and seventh in the nation in rushing. LSU's linebackers are the key to their defense as Kelvin Sheppard, Perry Riley, and Harry Coleman are all leading in tackles. LSU running back Charles Scott could have a big day against an Auburn rush defense that gives up 181 yards on the ground and has surrendered 14 rushing touchdowns. LSU actually has not had a rushing touchdown against Auburn since 2003.
7) No. 11 Oregon 31, @Washington (+9½) 24 - The Ducks are undefeated and leading the Pac-10, but will have their hands full with the competitive Huskies. The coaching job that Chip Kelly has done has been outstanding since the season-opening beatdown at Boise State. Oregon has outscored it's first three league opponents 118-19 as each opponent has scored 10 points or less. Washington quarterback Jake Locker will pose problems to the Ducks' defense. He has only been picked off six times in 135 attempts. He leads the Pac-10 in total offense with 275 total yards per game. UO leads the Pac-10 in pass defense, giving up just 163 yards per game.
8) @No. 18 Utah 26, Air Force (+9½) 20 - The Utes must stop the Falcons' top-rated ground attack. Air Force checks in at 279 rushing yards per game from their option offense. Utah is an improving rushing team as Eddie Wide has eclipsed 100 yards in three straight games. The Utes have won five of the last six in the series with five of those games decided by eight points or less. The Falcons have turned opponents over an astounding 21 times while committing only four miscues. That (+17) turnover margin leads the nation.
9) No. 12 Georgia Tech (-5½) 31, @ Virginia 16 - Could suddenly resurgent Virginia catch Georgia Tech napping after the Yellow Jackets' 28-23 win over Virginia Tech last week in Atlanta? The Cavaliers have not given up a score in their last five first quarters amd they have given up only one touchdown in their last three games. Stopping the Yellow Jackets' running game is almost insurmountable for anyone, though. The Jackets have rushed for over 300 yards in five games this season, 309 in last week's win. While the running game is Tech's M.O., wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has caught a pass in 23 straight games. He leads the ACC with 95.9 receiving yard per game.
10) @ Ole Miss 31, Arkansas (+6½) 28 - Round 2 of the Houston Nutt Bowl as Hogs quarterback Ryan Mallett faces an Ole Miss pass defense that is eighth in the nation and has given up only two touchdown passes. Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead has had a tough season so far and faces a Razorbacks defense that leads the SEC in tackles-for-loss and is also second in sacks. A key question could be the Razorbacks' psyche after being so close to upsetting Florida. Turnovers could be a key as well as Arkansas leads the SEC with a (+7) in turnover ratio while the Rebels are a (-2).
SEC:
@No. 24 South Carolina (-12½) 31, Vanderbilt 10
@Kentucky (-16½) 34, UL-Monroe 13
No. 1 Florida 27, @ Mississippi State (+23) 7
Pac-10:
@Cal (-34½) 52, Washington State 14
@No. 7 USC 30, Oregon State (+21) 14
@Stanford 30, Arizona State (+6½) 27
@No. 22 Arizona (-7½) 31, UCLA 20
ACC:
Florida State 20, @ North Carolina 14
@Duke (-6) 42, Maryland 30
@No. 10 Miami (-5) 27, Clemson 9
@Notre Dame (-8) 24, Boston College 14
@Navy (-2½) 31, Wake Forest 24
Big East:
@No. 5 Cincinnati (-18) 42, Louisville 24
No. 23 @West Virginia (-7½) 28, UConn 20
Rutgers 34, @ Army 17
@No. 20 Pitt 24, South Florida (+6½) 20
@Syracuse 19, Akron (+10) 17
Big Ten:
@No. 19 Ohio State 30, Minnesota (+18) 14
@Northwestern 23, Indiana (+6) 22
No. 6 Iowa (even) 27, @ Michigan State 20
@Purdue (-10) 31, Illinois 14
Big 12:
No. 2 Texas 28, @Missouri 21
No. 15 Oklahoma State (-9½) 40, @Baylor 21
@Nebraska (-17½) 34, Iowa State 13
@Kansas State 27, Colorado (+4½) 24
@Texas Tech 44, Texas A&M (+21½) 28
Conference USA:
@Marshall (-7) 26, UAB 19
Central Florida (-10) 38, Rice 7
@Southern Miss 34, Tulane (+18½) 17
@No. 17 Houston 41, SMU (+16½) 28
Mountain West:
@Colorado State (-8) 33, San Diego State 20
UNLV (even) 21, @New Mexico 14
WAC:
No. 4 Boise State 46, @ Hawaii (+25) 24
@Utah State (-1) 24, Louisiana Tech 20
@Nevada 38, Idaho (+15) 24
Fresno State (-24) 30, @New Mexico State 19
Overall: 238-72, (34-8, last week); vs. Spread: 163-121, (27-14, last week)
