Saturday's prime time special on ABC features No. 1 Ohio State traveling to Kinnick stadium to take on No. 13 Iowa. The last time Ohio State played in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes outscored them 33-7. Ohio State's last victory at Iowa was in 2000. However, the Buckeyes are 9-1 in the last ten contests against the Hawkeyes; including last year's 31-6 payback. Ohio State leads the overall series 43-14-3.
After last week's dismissal of Penn State the Buckeyes are now 4-0 on the season. Although the defense is giving up 115 yards rushing and 244 yards passing, opposing offenses are converting on third-down less than 21 percent of the time. That is best in the Big Ten and fourth best in the country.
The Silver-Bullets are still getting to the quarterback. They are tied for sixth in the country with four sacks a game and are averaging 9.5 tackles for loss (third). Pretty impressive for a unit that was supposed to be the weak link on the team.
Although the offense didn't have its finest hour last week, Antonio Pittman is still gaining over 112 yards rushing each game. Don't expect Troy Smith and the wide receivers to have back-to-back sub-par games.
Senior quarterback Drew Tate (954 total yards) leads the Hawkeye offense. Tate has receivers Dominique Douglas and Scott Chandler to throw the ball to and running back Albert Young to take the hand-offs. However, after 6 receptions last week against Illinois, Young is leading the team with 18 catches.
Iowa also has a stout defense. The Hawkeyes are getting three sacks a game and are only giving up 11 points per contest. Junior linebacker Mike Klinkenborg (41 tackles), junior defensive end Kenny Iwebema (5 tackles for loss), and sophomore defensive tackle Mitch King (7 sacks) are players to watch.
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Ohio State released some of the demons that haunted them from 2004’s loss to the Hawkeyes by defeating Iowa, in Columbus, last year. Saturday, Troy Smith and the defense, are going back into the belly of the beast to exorcise the rest of the demons from that game two years ago. It is said to get rid of evil spirits you should ring a bell. Like last year, Ohio State is going to ring Drew Tate's bell again and again and again. Demons be gone.
Jimmy “The Spread” Tressel has already used late interceptions for touchdowns and a last minute fifty yard field goal to cover the spread this season. It will be interesting to see how Jimmy covers the seven points this week.
Ohio State- 31, Iowa- 18
No. 15 Tennessee at Memphis (plus 13)
Kickoff: Noon
TV: ESPN
Playing away against an in-state opponent is always risky. Especially when you are big program like Tennessee. You have little to gain and everything to lose. Tennessee is 18-1 against Memphis. That's a good record, but every Volunteer fan will always remember the game that Peyton Manning lost to Memphis in 1996. The Tigers are looking for a repeat of their 21-17 home win ten years ago.
Tennessee- 21, Memphis- 17
Wisconsin at Indiana (plus 11)
Kickoff: Noon
TV: ESPN2
2002 was the last time Indiana and Wisconsin played each other. Indiana won 32-29. Surprisingly, the last time Wisconsin defeated the Hoosiers the year was 2000.
More important than this game is the recovery of Indiana coach, Terry Hoeppner. A remarkable story from a remarkable man. Win or lose, Hoeppner is always a winner. Too bad the Hoosiers lose the game.
Wisconsin- 24, Indiana- 17
Colorado at No. 25 Missouri (minus 14)
Kickoff: 2:00
TV: Fox Sports
Colorado won last year 41-12, but that was last year. This year the Buffaloes are winless. Yes, they came close to defeating Georgia last week, but Colorado has also lost to Montana State. Division IAA Montana State. Can Dan Hawkins, and Colorado, start off on the right foot in the Big 12 North and beat undefeated Missouri? No.
Missouri- 27, Colorado- 21
Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame (minus 15)
Kickoff: 2:30
TV: NBC
Last year Notre Dame rolled over Purdue, 49-28. With that victory, Notre Dame has won six out of the last ten games against the Boilermakers. These schools have played each other every year since 1946. Notre Dame has a record of 39-21 versus Purdue in those 50 games.
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It's a shame Michigan State had a typical Spartan meltdown last week. I was looking forward to Charlie Weis' speech at the press conference after losing to Michigan State. Would he have resigned? We'll never know. Purdue's 4-0 record is a mirage and the Irish are ready to give them a taste of sand.
Notre Dame- 38, Purdue- 24
Alabama at No. 5 Florida (minus 13.5)
Kickoff: 3:30
TV: CBS
Alabama (3-1) is coming off of a heart breaking overtime loss to Arkansas last week. Back-up Place kicker Leigh Tiffin missed three make able field goals. One of the missed field goals was a 37-yarder in the first overtime that would have won the game. Tiffin also missed the extra-point after the Crimson Tide's touchdown in the second overtime. That miss allowed Arkansas to win the game 24-23.
Running back Ken Darby is also struggling this year. The senior has been banged up and is only rushing for 58 yards a game. To carry the slack of Darby, freshman quarterback John Parker Wilson has stepped up. Wilson has thrown for 961 yards and six touchdowns. Wide receivers Keith Brown and D.J. Hall have hauled in 653 of those yards and five of the six touchdowns.
Florida (4-0) is ranked fifth in the country. Other rankings that the Gators can chomp on are being ranked in the top ten in the following categories: passing offense, total offense, rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense, and net punting.
Senior quarterback Chris Leak is having a stellar season. Leak has already throw for 1,066 yards and an NCAA leading 12 touchdowns. However, some of the Gator faithful are wanting to see more of freshman Tim Tebow. Tebow is the team's second leading rusher and is definitely the quarterback of the future. DeShawn Wynn is Florida's leading rusher and Dallas Baker is the number one receiver.
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Alabama's 31-3 victory last year was the first time these two storied schools played each other in the regular season since 1999. Saturday will only be the 27th time these teams have played each other in the regular season. Alabama leads the series 18-8.
Florida will get its first home win against Alabama since 1991. The Swamp is going to get messy.
Florida- 35, Alabama- 13
No. 24 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Virginia Tech (minus 9)
Kickoff: 3:30
TV: GamePlan
The Hokies won last year 51-7. This will be the fourth time these schools have played each other. Virginia Tech leads the series 2-1. Georgia Tech won the first game of the series 6-3, back in 1990. That was the same season Georgia Tech split the national championship with Washington.
Virginia Tech- 16, Georgia Tech- 10
No. 14 Oregon at Arizona State (plus 2)
Kickoff: 3:30
TV: GamePlan
Oregon (4-0) had a bye week after “winning” the game against Oklahoma two weeks ago. Arizona State (3-1) is looking to bounce back from the 49-21 spanking California gave them last week. If you like scoring, high offensive numbers, and little defense, this is your game.
Both teams are ranked in the top 15 for total offense. The Sun Devils average 436 yards (14th in the country) of offense and the Ducks are averaging 471 yards (7th). Oregon has been scoring 37 points a game while ASU has been tallying 32.
The defensive side of the ball has been as pathetic as the offensive side has been prolific. Arizona State has been allowing 311 yards per game and Oregon is allowing 353. Both teams are also allowing their opponents to score close to 22 points each game.
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If you have GamePlan, sit back and enjoy the fireworks. The scoreboard may not be able to keep up with the yards and points that are going to be racked up.
Oregon- 45, Arizona State- 42
No. 22 Boise State at Utah (minus 4)
Kickoff: 3:00
TV: OLN/VS.
Boise State is trying to play the BCS spoiler that Utah was in 2004. Utah is trying to spoil the Broncos dreams of a big payday. This is the third time that Boise State and Utah have played each other as Division I opponents. Boise State won both contests in 1998 and 1999. Since 2002 Boise State is 45-7. Four of the seven losses came last year. If you like rooting for the little guy, you want Jared Zabranksy and Boise State to finally go undefeated.
Boise State- 30, Utah- 27
Texas Tech at Texas A&M (minus 1)
Kickoff: 3:30
TV: ABC
Undefeated A&M will have its first true test of the season. Quarterback Steven McGee has thrown for 820 yards six touchdowns and zero interceptions. McGee has also rushed for 219 yards and one touchdown. Tailback Jorvorskie Lane is averaging 4.3 yards and carry and has ten rushing touchdowns.
Texas Tech avenged its embarrassing 12-3 loss, to TCU, with a 62-0 pounding of hapless Southeastern Louisiana. The Red Raiders offense should be more than the Aggies defense can handle.
Tech- 38, A&M- 31
Houston at Miami (minus 16)
Kickoff: 6:00
TV: ESPN
Not a good week to be a Houston Cougar. This is the first time since 1997 that Miami has started a season 1-2. Houston is undefeated this year, but Rice, Tulane, and Grambling are not the same quality as Miami. Even a Miami team that is unranked for the first time since 1999.
Miami- 42, Houston- 14
No. 3 USC at Washington State (plus 17)
Kickoff: 7:00
TV: TBS
USC leads the all-time series 51-8-4. The Trojans are 28-4 against the Cougars in PAC-10 play. Washington State's first PAC-10 win against USC didn't come until 1986. The Trojans are 7-3 against the Cougars over the past ten games.
USC- 52, WSU- 8
Kansas at No. 21 Nebraska (minus 21)
Kickoff: 7:00
TV: Fox Sports Network
Bill Callahan seems to have Nebraska on the right track. Defeating Michigan last year in the Alamo Bowl and losing respectfully to USC two weeks ago may have put his program back on the map. Losing to Kansas would be a major setback.
Nebraska- 33, Kansas- 27
No. 6 Michigan at Minnesota (plus 9.5)
Kickoff: 8:00
TV: ESPN
Only allowing 18.5 rushing yards a game (best in the country) is a big reason Michigan is undefeated this season. The Wolverine defense is allowing just over 14 points a game.
Defensive end LaMarr Woodley, and linebackers David Harris and Prescott Burgess are the anchors of the 5th ranked defense.
Mike Hart has been the driving force for the Michigan offense. Hart is averaging 119 yards rushing a game. Chad Henne doesn't have the best numbers, but when he connects with Steve Breaston and Mario Manningham good things seem to happen. The Wolverines are scoring just over 35 points a contest.
Glen Mason will find out how good his team's running game is this week. The Gophers have already rushed for 907 yards this season. Running backs Amir Pinnix and Alex Daniels are combining for 171 yards a game.
Not only is the offense racking up the rushing yards, but they are scoring as well. They are averaging 36 points per contest under the leadership of quarterback Bryan Cupito. When Cupito does throw he looks for receiver Logan Payne and tight end Matt Spaeth.
Unfortunately for Minnesota their defense is allowing opposing teams to rush for 150 yards and gain just under 350 yards of total offense. Some bright spots for the defense have been the play of defensive end Steve Davis, cornerback Jamal Harris, and linebacker Mike Sherels.
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Michigan has dominated the Gophers over the last ten games (9-1) and have won 33 of the last 36 games in the series. However, the last three games have been decided by three points each time. Last year Minnesota won 23-20 after losing heart breakers in 2004 (24-27) and 2003 (35-38).
Glen Mason will be showing his salesman white teeth after beating another point spread against the Wolverines.
Michigan- 28, Minnesota- 25
No. 10 Georgia at Mississippi (plus 18)
Kickoff: 8:00
TV: ESPN2
Was last week's scare against Colorado an apparition or is Georgia not that good? Playing at Mississippi will be a good gut check for the Bulldogs.
Georgia- 24, Mississippi- 12
Stanford at UCLA (minus 23.5)
kickoff: 10:15
TV: Fox Sports Network
A reason to stay up for this game is that it might be the last season you see Walt Harris as head coach at Stanford. For that matter, this might be the last season you see Harris as a head coach at any school. UCLA is allowing opponents to pick up a first down only 15% of the time on third down. Karl Dorrell, UCLA's head coach, doesn't want to win this game in overtime like he did last year.
UCLA- 40, Stanford- 21
Bowling Green at Ohio (minus 5.5)
Kickoff: 2:00
Ohio (2-2) has been outscored 55-13 the last two weeks. Fortunately for the Bobcats, Bowling Green is coming to town. The Falcons are not the same quality team that they were between '01 and '04. Four weeks into the season the Bobcats offense is not looking very ferocious. Numbers don't lie. OU is ranked 113th in rushing offense, 109th in total offense, 85th in scoring offense, and 83rd in passing offense.
If that's not bad enough, the defense hasn't fared much better. Ohio is allowing over 328 yards to opposing offenses. One bright spot for the defense is their pass defense. The Bobcats are holding quarterbacks to 169 yards and a 97.99 efficiency rating. Unfortunately, Bowling Green's strength on offense is the running game.
BG lost to recent doormat Kent State last week. Not only did the Falcons lose, but they were beaten handily at home 38-3. Bowling Green's two victories this season have come against perennial losers Buffalo, 48-40 in double overtime, and Florida International, 33-28.
Anthony Turner and Freddie Barnes have been splitting time at the quarterback position for Bowling Green. However, Turner didn't play last week due to an injured shoulder. Barnes may not be as good a passer as Turner, but he is leading the team in rushing yards and touchdowns.
Linebacker Terrel White leads the MAC in tackles averaging 11 stops a game. He's helped on defense by linebacker Erique Dozier and defensive end Devon Parks. The trio looks to frustrate Austen Everson, Kalvin McRae, and the rest of the Ohio offense.
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The biggest test will be for the defense to stop the Falcons multi-faceted rushing offense. Bowling Green's defense is not the same caliber as Missouri's or Rutger's. Ohio's offense should be able to move up the charts in some of those offensive categories. If Solich's team hasn't lost its fight, the Bobcats should be victorious on Saturday.
Ohio- 23, Bowling Green- 20
Division IAA Watch
North Dakota State was able to get the streak to four weeks by defeating Ball State.
Which of these teams IAA teams will win this week?
Main at Boston College
Northern Iowa at Iowa State
Eastern Illinois at Hawaii
Liberty at Wake Forest
Sam Houston State at Texas
The View's Record
Last Week: 3-1, 2-2 against the spread
Season: 12-6, 11-7 against the spread
(Matt Gutridge is a freelance writer for the Eagle-Gazette. Contact him by e-mail at TheCollegeView@hotmail.com.
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