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Colorado State
(0-3)
at TCU
(2-2)
7:00 PM
Why to Watch:
One team’s disappointing season will
quickly take an even bigger turn
downward. Colorado State is on an ugly
ten-game losing streak, coming off a
tough loss to Houston. TCU turned things
around a bit with a 21-7 win over SMU,
but the team hasn’t looked nearly as
good as expected. The Horned Frogs are
trying to gain an offensive identity,
but it did get a good boost last week
when star tailback Aaron Brown returned.
Basically, it’s do-or-die time in the
Mountain West race for both teams, even
though it’s the conference opener for
the Rams.
Why Colorado State Might Win:
Although the CSU defense has struggled
this year, it faces a TCU offense which
has not been explosive and ranks 94th
nationally in total yards. If the Rams
can catch fire early and get a few big
scores, it can pound away with big RB
Kyle Bell and force TCU to try to come
back through the air. If that happens,
things might quickly get ugly
considering how rough and inefficient
the Horned Frog passing game has been.
Why TCU Might Win: Colorado State QB
Caleb Hanie should have problems staying
upright. The Ram offensive line has done
a decent job in run blocking, but hasn’t
done much in pass protection,
surrendering ten sacks in three games,
and several other hurries. The
aggressive TCU defensive front should
get into the backfield without a problem
and will snuff out several drives with
sacks.
Who to Watch: The return of a
healthy Aaron Brown to the TCU backfield
finally gives the offense a weapon to
work around. On his first carry after
missing two-plus games with a knee
injury, Brown went 26 yards on a reverse
against SMU. He gained 14 yards on his
next carry, and started to look like the
back he was expected to become early
this year. But TCU is trying to find an
answer at quarterback. Last week, Marcus
Jackson came off the bench for Andy
Dalton and looked like a viable run-pass
threat option after the offense has
struggled so much.
What Will Happen: The Horned
Frogs’ defense will smother the Rams,
and Brown will key an attack that is
livelier with Jackson at the helm.
CFN Prediction:
TCU 24 …
Colorado State 10
... Line: TCU -11
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 2
Cincinnati (4-0) at San Diego State
(1-2)
10:00 PM
Why to watch:
After a fourth straight blowout
to start the season and a
once-every-generation appearance
in the Top 25, it’s safe to
declare Cincinnati one of the
really big surprises of the
first month of the season. The
No. 24 Bearcats are being
sparked by an opportunistic
defense and a balanced offense,
but can ill-afford to look past
this week’s game at San Diego
State, and ahead to the Big East
opener at Rutgers. After
opening with a couple of
one-sided losses to Pac-10
teams, the Aztecs got a
feel-good win over Portland
State last Saturday night.
Consistent with its history, San
Diego State likes to get
vertical with QB Kevin O’Connell
and a seasoned corps of
receivers. A win over a surging
ranked team is exactly the kind
of boost Chuck Long needs in his
second season with the program.
Why Cincinnati might win:
Takeaways win football games,
and no one in America is
creating turnovers faster than
the Bearcats. After just four
games, Cincy is +15 in turnover
margin, recovering seven fumbles
and picking off a whopping 12
passes. When pitted against
quality defenses in the first
two weeks, O’Connell and the
passing attack sputtered, while
the running game was
non-existent. Expect more of
the same this weekend. The 117th-ranked
Aztec defense is also a good
place for Brian Kelly to fine
tune a Cincinnati spread offense
that’s showing signs its ready
to bust out.
Why San Diego State might win:
A Cincinnati team that’s yet to
leave the state of Ohio in 2007
must now travel across country
to play what’ll feel like a
10:00 night game. The Bearcats
may be creating lots of
takeaways, but the Aztecs are
one of just four teams in the
country that have yet to lose a
fumble and have been picked off
just twice in three games.
O’Connell comes into the game
with momentum after throwing for
443 yards and five touchdown
passes in last week’s 52-17
rout.
Who to watch:
Cincinnati’s Mike Mickens is one
of the country’s best
cornerbacks that not enough
people talk about. A genuine
lock down cover corner that’s
not afraid to fill lanes on
running downs, he leads the Big
East with four interceptions.
The match up between Mickens and
Aztec WR Brett Swain, who caught
six passes for 224 yards and
three touchdowns last week,
could be more entertaining than
the game itself.
What will happen: Be
warned, Cincinnati. This is a
trap game that has the potential
to ruin a really impressive
start to the season. The
Bearcats will survive behind the
play of their nasty defense and
the continued success of an
improving passing game.
CFN Prediction:
Cincinnati 34 … San Diego
State 17
... Line: Cincinnati -14
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
UNLV (2-2)
at Nevada (1-2)
4:05 PM
Why to Watch:
It may not get the same ink as
Michigan-Ohio State and
Alabama-Auburn, but this is an
intense in-state rivalry that
gets both sides jacked up. This
year, things appear to have
changed a bit after UNLV’s
surprising 27-0 whitewash of a
Utah team that thumped UCLA the
week before. Are the Rebels for
real, or was last week a letdown
by the Utes? The Wolf Pack,
meanwhile, is a high-scoring
outfit that’s having problems
giving up yards. With Fresno
State and Boise State coming up
in the next two weeks, the Pack
can’t afford to lose confidence
now.
Why UNLV Might Win: After
playing Wisconsin tough, and
getting hammered by Hawaii, the
Rebels weren’t expected to turn
back the Utes so convincingly –
if at all. But UNLV got its
offense going behind RB Frank
Summers, and used Beau Bell and
a rugged D that featured an
interception by Quinton Pointer
to knock off the Utes. UNLV’s
challenge is to get the passing
and rushing components of the
attack going well at the same
time, but it’ll be able to crank
out rushing yards from the start
against a run defense that’s not
stopping anyone. The Pack is
second-to-last in the nation in
run defense, with the line
having particular problems.
Why Nevada Might Win: The
Wolf Pack may not have any one
standout at the moment, but the
offense is moving the ball,
averaging 436 yards per game.
UNLV’s defense is active, but
can be thrown on. QB Nick
Graziano has thrown for 682
yards and seven touchdowns and
can be dangerous when accurate,
and when he gets into a groove.
If he’s effective, he could bomb
the Pack to the win.
Who to Watch: When Frank
“The Tank” Summers enrolled at
UNLV last January from his
All-America JUCO days, he was
viewed as the answer to the
Rebels’ ground problems, but he
gained just 113 yards on 30
carries in the first three
games. Last week he lived up to
his promise, piling up 190 yards
on the ground and scoring twice,
and catching a pass for a
29-yard touchdown. The 5-10,
240-pounder came in expected to
be a workhorse, and with QB
Travis Dixon still trying to
figure out what he’s doing,
he’ll get even more work.
What Will Happen: UNLV is
on the right track after last
week’s game and will take
advantage of Nevada’s generous
defense, but it isn’t going to
come up with two consistent
games in a row defensively.
CFN Prediction:
Nevada
23 … UNLV 17
...
Line: Nevada -3.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
Mountain West Fearless Predictions, Week
Five, Part 1 |
