Big 12
North
Colorado
|
Iowa St
|
Kansas
|
Kansas State
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Missouri
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Nebraska
South
Baylor
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Oklahoma
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Oklahoma State
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Texas
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Texas A&M
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Texas Tech
Big
12 Week Two Fearless Predictions, Part 2
|
Week One
How'd we do so far? 11-1 straight
up, 3-3
ATS
Big 12 Game of
the Week
Ohio State
(1-0)
at
Texas
(1-0) 8 pm EST ABC Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
It might only be early September, but
this might be for the national
championship. This is the one the whole
college football world has been waiting
for ever since these two staged a
classic in last year's 25-22 Texas
victory that kickstarted the run to the
national championship. After moving up
in the Coaches' Poll to number two,
Texas has put itself in a position to
control its own destiny in the national
title hunt with, realistically, only a
shaky Oklahoma and trips to Nebraska and
Texas Tech standing in the way of
another championship game. Ohio State is
seen as this year's version of the 2005
Longhorns with QB Troy Smith, who was
platooned with Justin Zwick in last
year's UT showdown, being asked to be
another Vince Young. After a dominating
35-12 win over Northern Illinois to
start the season, the Buckeyes are still
the number one team in the country, but
this is the game that needs to cement
the spot. Can Mack Brown win a big game
without Young? Can Ohio State show that
all the defensive losses to the NFL
didn't really matter? This should be
nothing less than a classic.
Why Ohio State might win: Texas
QB Colt McCoy looked terrific against
North Texas completing 12 of 19 passes
for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Ohio
State isn't North Texas. It's one thing
to be able to stand around all day and
wait for the receivers to come open, but
it's another to do it against a
fire-breathing defense like OSU's.
Everyone can say all they want about how
McCoy faces one of the best defenses in
the nation every day in practice, but
it's just not the same. Texas won last
year because of the steady play of Young
when things got tight. If all else is
dead even, the Buckeyes have a whopping
advantage at quarterback. Ohio State
knows Troy Smith can pull games out of
the fire; Texas hopes McCoy can.
Why Texas might win:
The forecast for Austin, Texas for this
Saturday: High 98 with isolated
thunderstorms. Especially early in the
season when everyone's still getting in
game shape, there's a huge difference
between the heat of Columbus and the
hard-to-breathe humidity that should be
a factor on Saturday night. Texas will
be used to it; Ohio State won't be. The
Buckeye defensive back seven will be
really good ... in time. As good as NIU
RB Garrett Wolfe is, it has to be a
concern that the Huskie back was able to
tear off 171 rushing yards. The Texas
offensive line is far better than NIU's,
and Jamaal Charles leads a backfield
that's more than good enough to come up
with a huge night.
Who to watch: Ohio State can
certainly run the ball, but the offense
hums at its best when the deep passing
game is working. Things got a lot easier
for Smith, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez
as Texas will be without starting CB
Tarell Brown after the senior was
arrested on misdemeanor drug and weapon
charges. It's supposed to be Brown's job
to handle a much-improved Ginn, and now
it might be up to sophomore Ryan Palmer
or junior Brandon Foster to handle the
work. ... Job one for UT defensive
coordinator Gene Chizik will be to stop
No. 7. Ginn was always known for being a
great do-it-all athlete, and now he has
improved his route running and receiver
skills to an All-America level. He
caught four passes fro 123 yards and two
touchdowns against NIU, took two
kickoffs for 25 yards, and two punt
returns for 44.
What will happen: This is about
as dead even as it can get. McCoy is
better than many might think, and he'll
show just enough poise to make the one
or two key throws needed to keep the
offense moving. It'll be a physical,
hard-hitting game with the two offensive
lines controlling the other's defensive
front. Texas will get just enough from
the running game to pull off the win and
move up to number one.
CFN Prediction:
Texas
23 ... Ohio State 20
... Line: Texas -2
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 5
Ole Miss
(1-0)
at
Missouri
(1-0) 12:30 pm EST Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
While this won't get much in the way of
national attention, this should be one
of the more interesting games of the day
with the pride of two power conferences
on the line. The knock on Missouri under
head coach Gary Pinkel has been the
program's inability to get through the
non-conference schedule unscathed. With
New Mexico and Ohio ahead, Ole Miss is
the most likely obstacle between the
Tigers and a 4-0 start. Considering the
way Colorado played in its opener, 5-0
is possible before dealing with Texas
Tech. Ole Miss is coming off a good win
over Memphis last Sunday. Beating
Missouri would easily be the biggest
victory in the young Ed Orgeron era and
would serve notice that this really will
be a dangerous team for the rest of the
year.
Why Ole Miss might win: Brent
Schaeffer and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Ole
Miss went from having one of the
nation's worst offenses to having a 1-2
punch good enough to beat most teams
thanks to the transfer of Schaeffer from
Tennessee and Green-Ellis from Indiana.
The former Hoosier ran for 127 yards and
two touchdowns against Memphis, while
Schaeffer managed the game extremely
well making the key plays when needed
and keeping the Tiger defense on its
heels with is mobility. Missouri still
doesn't know quite how good it is after
barely breaking a sweat against Murray
State, but this Ole Miss team will be as
physical as anyone MU will play all
year.
Why Missouri might win:
The Tigers have a huge advantage up
front. The MU offensive line is among
the best in the Big 12 with four
returning starters from last year
including a few All-Big 12 talents. Ole
Miss has big problems on the defensive
front four with injuries to top ends
Chris Bowers and Paria Jerry forcing the
coaching staff to scramble to find
productive bodies to fill in all along
the line. If the Memphis offensive line
could shove around the Rebels, the
Missouri starting five should have a
field day.
Who to watch: Missouri could be
the big sleeper in the Big 12 title hunt
if QB Chase Daniel keeps improving. He
had his way with the Murray State
secondary throwing for 320 yards and
five touchdowns, and he has to be just
as effective this week if the Rebel
defensive line really is as troubled as
Orgeron is saying it is. Memphis QB
Martin Hankins was able to complete 21
of 27 passes on the Ole Miss secondary;
Daniel has to be licking his chops.
What will happen: These are two
decent teams that should play a
hard-hitting, entertaining game.
Mizzouri will win on the lines, so
Missouri will win on the scoreboard.
CFN Prediction:
Missouri 31 ... Ole Miss 17
... Line: Missouri -8
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 3
Nicholls State
(1-0)
at
Nebraska
(1-0) 1:30 pm EST Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
Nebraska gets in a light scrimmage
before making the trip to USC for what
could be the game that rockets the
Husker program back into the elite of
the elite status. Until then, Bill
Callahan's boys will try to continue the
offensive balance it showed off last
week against Louisiana Tech on the way
to 584 yards of total offense. Nicholls
State tore through Southern Arkansas for
an easy 35-0 win and will try to make
this remotely interesting for more than
a few drives.
Why Nicholls State might win:
Turnovers. NSU forced five last week and
was able to capitalize on most. Nebraska
is almost certain to be less than 100%
focused knowing it can sleepwalk through
this game and win easily, and with the
game in L.A. coming up. If NSU can come
up with a few early breaks and generate
points off them, it might not be a total
slaughter.
Why Nebraska might win:
The Colonels were able to shut down the
Southern Arkansas offense, but Nebraska
has way too many weapons for this not to
be ugly. If the passing attack doesn't
work, then Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn
should be able to run without a problem.
The NSU offense isn't equipped to put up
points in bunches.
Who to watch: Everything has to
be in place for Nebraska before dealing
with the Trojan offensive machine. The
defense still has issues in the
secondary and is susceptible to the deep
ball, but the biggest changes will be
made at linebacker after top backup
Phillip Dillard was lost for the year
with a knee injury. Lance Brandenburgh
will be more in the rotation in the
middle after moving over from the
strongside, while Clayton Sievers will
get more work behind Stewart Bradley.
What will happen: Nebraska can
call its shot. Expect the backups to get
plenty of meaningful work in the second
half.
CFN Prediction:
Nebraska 52 ... Nicholls State 0
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 1
Washington
(1-0)
at
Oklahoma
(1-0)
3:30 pm EST ABC Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
Will the real Oklahoma please stand up?
For the second straight year, the
Sooners struggled in a home opener with
a non-BCS team escaping with a
tougher-than-expected 24-17 win over UAB.
The victory exposed deep concerns about
QB Paul Thompson’s effectiveness and
raised doubts whether Adrian Peterson
can physically carry the offense on his
back for 12 games. The defense was
surprisingly soft against a post-Darrell
Hackney Blazer team, but don’t expect
that to be the norm in 2006. For the
first time since 2001, Washington opened
the year with a win, but the celebration
was short-lived. The Huskies needed an
escape of their own against San Jose
State, and last year’s headaches with
pass defense don’t look even close to
being solved. An upset in Norman would
give Ty Willingham the signature win
he’s desperately seeking in Year 2.
Why Washington might win: The
Husky offense was a pleasant surprise in
the opener piling up 300 yards on the
ground with almost half coming from
Louis Rankin. The Sooner D struggled to
contain mobile Blazer backup QB Sam
Hunt, who’s not nearly as dangerous in
the open field as Washington’s Isaiah
Stanback.
Why Oklahoma might win: The
Sooner defense has been called out by
coaches and the media this week and
should come out roaring. If they can
stop the Husky ground game and force
Stanback to beat them through the air,
he’ll misfire and turn the ball over.
Washington allowed San Jose State’s Adam
Tafralis to go 28-of-35 for 323 yards
and three touchdowns, which is exactly
the type of secondary Thompson needs to
face to get back on track.
Who to watch: Considering how the
Huskies made San Jose State WR James
Jones look like James Lofton last
weekend, Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly is
poised for a career day. The 6-4 future
star had just three grabs for 28 yards
Saturday night, but he’ll torch the
leaky U-Dub secondary this week.
What will happen: Oklahoma’s return
to glory isn’t going to happen
overnight, but to quiet critics, the
Sooners needs a resounding win right
now. They’ll get it behind a fired up
defense and, at least for one week, a
more balanced offense.
CFN Prediction:
Oklahoma 41 ... Washington 16
... Line: Oklahoma -17
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2
Colorado
(0-1)
at
Colorado State
(1-0) 5 pm EST Saturday, September
9th
Why to watch:
Neither team is exactly doing backflips
over the way the first week of the
season went. Colorado State obliterated
Weber State 30-6, but it did so without
star RB Kyle Bell, who tore up his knee
just before the year began. Colorado
felt a different sort of pain losing a
19-10 shocker to Montana State to start
off the Dan Hawkins era with a
resounding thud. The Buffs have lost
five straight going back to last year
getting outscored 168 to 42 over the
slide. Almost all can be forgiven with a
win over the Rams in what might be
college football's nastiest
under-the-radar rivalry. Colorado has
won the last three after losing three in
a row. The last six games have all been
decided by a touchdown or less
Why Colorado might win: Can
Colorado State run the ball without
Bell? It was able to grind out 149 yards
on Weber State, but Colorado's run
defense should be able to keep the
mediocre Ram backfield from doing much
of anything. That means the game will
probably be in the hands of QB Caleb
Hanie, who has talent, but will throw
picks. The Buffs have to force turnovers
and take advantage of every one because
...
Why Colorado State might win:
... the Buff offense has miles to go
before it's productive on a consistent
basis. QB James Cox struggled when he
got in late last year, and he was
flat-out awful last week completing a
mere eight of 22 passes for 110 yards.
The Rams appear to have a different
attitude on defense this year looking to
be tougher and more aggressive against
the run. Take away the Colorado running
game, and you take away the offense.
Who to watch: Buffs fans are
itching to see what mutli-talented
backup quarterback Bernard Jackson can
do. He appeared to be ready to come into
the MSU game late, but a turnover
prevented it from happening. If Cox
starts out like he did against the
Bobcats, the Jackson era might begin.
... For Colorado State, the loss of Bell
meant several backs got turns at bat.
UCLA transfer and former defensive
player Nnamdi Ohaeri, Michael Myers and
Michael Johnson were able to combine for
111 yards against Weber State and all
have to get in the mix against the
Buffs. It would be nice if one could get
hot and be the main man, but that's not
likely to happen.
What will happen: Colorado isn't
that bad, is it? The Buff offense will
struggle, but the defense will make up
for the problems by forcing several
mistakes. This will be when CU's
All-America placekicker shows off just
how good he is.
CFN Prediction:
Colorado 22 ... Colorado State 20
... Line: Colorado State -2
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2.5
UNLV
(1-0)
at
Iowa State
(1-0)
7 pm EST Saturday, September 9th
Why to watch:
If this is anything like last week's
Iowa State three overtime win over
Toledo, it could be the best game of the
weekend. The Cyclones got off to a rocky
start showing no pass defense and not
enough offense until late needing a
dropped two point conversion to seal the
win. A week before the rivalry showdown
with Iowa, ISU has to face the Mountain
West's top wild card. UNLV got a
big-time infusion of talent this
off-season with several great players
coming in from the JUCO ranks. After
blowing up Idaho State 54-10, Mike
Sanford and his spread offense should
provide a huge test for a Cyclone team
that needs this win with Iowa, Texas,
Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech coming
up in the next six weeks.
Why UNLV might win: Clint
Cochran. The Toledo quarterback lit up
the Cyclone secondary like a Christmas
tree completing 39 of 49 passes for 367
yards and three touchdowns with an
interception. If things haven't
dramatically changed over the last week,
UNLV's new star, QB Rocky Hinds, should
go nuts. The former USC Trojan threw for
322 yards and a touchdown and ran for 42
yards and a score against Idaho State
showing a great command of the offense
and spreading the ball around well. If
this gets into a shootout, UNLV has the
weapons.
Why Iowa State might win:
Can the Rebels get any pressure on Iowa
State's Bret Meyer? The Cyclone
quarterback was terrific against Toledo
running for 70 yards and three
touchdowns and throwing for 234 yards
and two scores. He's a veteran leader
who is deadly when he gets time and room
to operate. UNLV got four sacks on Idaho
State QB Matt Gutierrez, but the pass
rush should be an issue against the
better offensive lines. Meyer's mobility
will give the Rebels fits.
Who to watch: The quarterbacks
will take center stage, but they have to
throw to someone. UNLV Ryan Wolfe set a
school-record for a freshman with 160
yards and a touchdown on six catches
last week, and he's not even close to
being the team's most talented receiver.
JUCO transfer Aaron Straiten only caught
two passes for 15 yards against Idaho
State, but he'll eventually blow up and
put up huge numbers. Iowa State's top
target, Todd Blythe, wasn't great for
most of the night against Toledo, but he
was great when he had to be catching two
touchdown passes including what turned
out to be the game-winner in overtime.
Former USC Trojan and top Rebel corner
Eric Wright will see plenty of time
against the Cyclone junior.
What will happen: It'll be a
shock if the two teams don't combine for
over 600 passing yards. Even through
UNLV's Erick Jackson is a dangerous
runner, Iowa State's ground game with
Stevie Hicks and Bret Meyer will be
enough to pull out another wild Cyclone
home game.
CFN Prediction:
Iowa
State 38 ... UNLV 28
... Line: Iowa State -14
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ...
2.5
Big
12 Week Two Fearless Predictions, Part 2