Week 4 Final Thoughts: Phil Harrison

Final thoughts and musings before Week 4 kicks off.

Final Thoughts
- Pete Fiutak
- Richard Cirminiello
- Terry Johnson
- Phil Harrison
- Matt Zemek

By Phil Harrison
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHarrisonCFN

-ULM VS. BAYLOR: Who’s making the schedule for the University of Louisiana-Monroe anyway? First a game at Arkansas, then at Auburn, and now a home game (at least) against Baylor. Look for the WarHawks to make a game of it again this week against the Bears. Then, unlike most teams, things get easier once conference play begins. Talk about tearing down to build up.

-KENTUCKY VS. FLORIDA: Watch out for a bit of a letdown with Florida this week. No I’m not going off my rocker and predicting an upset by Kentucky, but after a week of folks inflating the egos of the Gators, don’t be surprised if they come out more flat than trampled hotcakes.

-VIRGINIA TECH VS. BOWLING GREEN: How will VaTech bounce back this week? It’s not a stretch to state that Bowling Green might be a better team than Pitt. If the Hokies take the Falcons as lightly as the Panthers, we might be looking at desperate times in Blacksburg.

-MIAMI VS. GEORGIA TECH: Don’t you get the feeling that this will be the one game this year when the Hurricanes put it all together? There seems to be one every year, and then they go back to planning killer parties and socializing most other weeks.

-MISSOURI VS. SOUTH CAROLINA: Does anyone else smell upset here? The Gamecocks are trying to keep things humming with a less than healthy Connor Shaw at QB, and Missouri has enough talent to take advantage and surprise the ‘Ole Ball Coach. Let’s put the over/under visor throwing count at three, while placing USC firmly on upset alert.

-EASTERN MICHIGAN VS. MICHIGAN STATE and OHIO STATE VS. ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM: It’s nice to see that both Ohio State and Michigan State scheduled byes before their clash to open Big Ten play next week.

-TEMPLE VS. PENN STATE: The Owls seem to give the Nittany Lions a game of it each year, so what happens in a year in which Temple is expected to give Penn State all it can handle? The way things go in college football, maybe the opposite of what you’d expect.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS. ALABAMA: Remember when Mike Tyson was at the pinnacle of his career? You didn’t know exactly when, but you knew he’d deliver a knockout blow sometime early in the bout. Yeah, the same likely applies here. Next contestant?

-CALIFORNIA VS. USC: I’d hate to be Cal this week. Why? The Trojans are going to be looking to wash a very bad taste out of their collective mouths from the loss to Stanford last week. Consider the Golden Bears the bacteria, and Matt Barkley and gang a very strong, alcohol-based mouthwash. Barkley might throw for three miles in this one.

-LSU VS. AUBURN: The Gene Chizik farewell tour continues. (I kid because I can.) But if Kiehl Frazier and the Tigers can muster some mo-jo and somehow show up this week, they could turn the college football world upside down. Funnier things have happened. Don’t hold your breath though.

-RUTGERS VS. ARKANSAS: If this game goes bad for the Hogs, we might see all fifteen personalities of John L. Smith retire after the end of the game. If Arkansas wins, we might still see all fifteen personalities of John L. Smith retire after the game. Either way, it’s sure to be good theater.

-MICHIGAN VS. NOTRE DAME: Shoelace vs. touchdown Jesus. Winged helmets vs. golden domes. The maize and blue vs.... well... kilts and bagpipes. If Michigan wins, then the Big Ten can brag about going 1 for infinity in spotlight games this year. If Notre Dame wins, the media will probably leapfrog the Irish over every team except Alabama and LSU. Either way, we’re all watching. Either way, it’s a huge game with redemption available in different ways for both teams.

-KANSAS STATE VS. OKLAHOMA: This is one of those size ‘em up games. You really don’t know how good each team is, but this matchup should provide a general clue. Advantage Oklahoma, but don’t ever count out the grumpy white-haired man with glasses on the sideline of the ‘Cats.

-CLEMSON VS. FLORIDA STATE: Recent history says this is generally where the wheels come off for the Seminoles. Something feels different this year though. Then again, so did last year, and the year before. Please, FSU, bring the spear and show us all that you’re for real.

-SYRACUSE VS. MINNESOTA: Is it possible that the Golden Gophers could go 4-0? It’ll be tough without starting QB MarQueis Gray, who is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain. A win, and a bowl game is an attainable and tangible goal this year. It’d be just Minnesota’s luck, though, for the team to be bowl-eligible, only to have the whole Mayan thing take place on December 21.

-ARIZONA VS. OREGON: Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats have been a pleasant surprise this year, but now things heat up to a boil in Autzen Stadium. The scoreboard operator may want to refrain from filling up on liquids in this one because bathroom breaks will be a rare occurrence. It’s likely that points will come in bushels late Saturday night.
 
Final Thoughts
- Pete Fiutak
- Richard Cirminiello
- Terry Johnson
- Phil Harrison
- Matt Zemek