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Colorado (3-0) at Florida State
(2-1),
3:30 EST, ABC
Why to watch: With a
chance to send a message to the
country that it’s on the way
back to prominence, Florida
State flopped, losing ugly to
Wake Forest. The Seminoles were
bad on so many levels, including
failing to reach the end zone
and turning the ball over seven
times. After teasing everyone
with routs of Western Carolina
and Chattanooga, the ‘Noles got
exposed as a team in need of
work. Lots of work. FSU is still
making too many mental errors
and unable to develop sustained
consistency at quarterback. Can
they build from here, or do the
FSU follies continue? A visit
from Colorado will answer plenty
about Florida State’s mindset
and direction. The Buffaloes are
riding high after upsetting West
Virginia in overtime with a
large television audience glued
to the waning moments. While it
wasn’t as profound as last
September’s upset of Oklahoma,
it did get the Buffs to the lip
of the Top 25 cup and to 3-0 for
the first time since 2004. A
trip to Florida gives Dan
Hawkins a chance to spread his
program’s message to a whole new
corner of the map.
Why Colorado might win:
The Florida State offense is a
comedy of errors, marked by
turnovers, penalties, and a lack
of depth on the offensive line.
The Seminoles will have a hard
time moving the chains on a
Buffalo defense that just got
done holding West Virginia to 14
points, and has yielded just a
pair of touchdown passes all
year. On the inside, George
Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas are
a couple of future pros, who’ll
dominate that suspect ‘Nole
front wall. We saw last week
what happens when Florida State
can’t run the ball and must put
the offense in the hands of
quarterbacks Christian Ponder
and D’Vontrey Richardson.
Why Florida State might win:
Lost in last week’s debacle was
the play of the defense, which
kept the Demon Deacons out of
the end zone despite those seven
turnovers. Had the ‘Noles not
been so sloppy with the ball,
they might have pitched a
shutout. LB Derek Nicholson was
a force of nature, and the
return of DT Budd Thacker helped
ease the congestion for DE
Everette Brown and the rest of
the defensive linemen. For all
the problems facing Florida
State, the defense isn’t one of
them, giving up just one
touchdown through the first
three quarters.
Who to watch: The
Seminoles will have to contend
with a couple of true freshmen
backs, blue-chip recruit Darrell
Scott and diminutive Rodney
Stewart, who scooted for 166
yards on 28 carries in the win
against West Virginia. The Buffs
don’t have many lethal weapons
at wide receiver, which will
allow S Myron Rolle to spend
more time pressing up to stop
the run.
What will happen: The
Florida State defense will turn
this into an ugly game of punts,
three-and-outs, and field goal
attempts. It’ll also help lead
the Seminoles to a stabilizing
victory, holding Colorado to
just 300 total yards and a
touchdown short of a road upset.
Richardson will provide the
difference on offense, getting
to the corner and beating the
Buff secondary to the end zone.
CFN Prediction: Florida
State 17 … Colorado 13 ... Line:
Florida State -7
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 3
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Navy (2-2) at Wake Forest (3-0),
3:45 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: Go ahead
and underestimate Wake Forest,
but you’ll do so at your own
peril. The Demon Deacons
continued their recent mastery
of Florida State, beating the
Seminoles, 12-3, for a third
straight year. While it wasn’t a
Picasso, it still counts, and
has propelled the program into
the favorite’s role to win the
ACC. Sandwiched between last
week’s emotional win in
Tallahassee and next week’s
titanic visit from Clemson is a
game with Navy, which authored
an important victory of its own.
The Midshipmen used some
halftime adjustments and a late
field goal from Matt Harmon to
surprise Rutgers in front of an
electric crowd in Annapolis. The
win offsets last week’s loss to
Duke, keeping the Middies on
track to vie for a six bowl
berth in-a-row.
Why Navy might win: When
the Midshipmen are winning, the
option offense is clicking, and
no one is more important to the
attack than point guard
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. It was
no coincidence that he returned
from injury on the same day that
Navy was upsetting a team from
the Big East. He was a little
rusty, but his leadership was
indisputable and his presence
helped spring FB Eric Kettani
for his best game of the month.
Kaheaku-Enhada, Kettani, and
Shun White form a relentless
trio that will try to wear down
the Wake Forest run defense.
Why Wake Forest might win:
The Deacons’ issues along the
offensive line won’t be evident
against a Navy defense laboring
to get a push up front. The
holes will be wide than they’ve
been all year for Josh Adams and
Brandon Pendergrass, and QB
Riley Skinner will get the time
he needs to locate WR D.J.
Boldin and TE Ben Wooster. The
Midshipmen have been horrible in
pass defense, yielding nine
touchdown passes in the first
three games, a trend that
Skinner & Co. plan to further
Saturday afternoon.
Who to watch: Wake Forest
LB Aaron Curry continues to play
with the skill and intensity of
an All-American candidate and a
future NFL player. He leads the
Deacons in tackles and tackles
for loss, and picked off the
pass that snuffed out Florida
State’s comeback bid last
weekend. With the Middies
content to run the ball 50
times, No. 59 will hear his
number called about a dozen
times before the final whistle.
What will happen: If Wake
Forest gets caught looking ahead
to its ACC clash with Clemson,
it’s liable to get blindsided by
Navy. The Middies are capable of
shocking unsuspecting opponents,
especially with Kaheaku-Enhada
back at the controls. The
Deacons will struggle longer
than they’d like before finally
shaking free in the final 30
minutes. Until Navy can start
playing better defense, it’ll
have a hard time picking off one
of the nation’s better rounded
programs.
CFN Prediction: Wake Forest
41 … Navy 27... Line: Wake
Forest -15.5
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 2.5
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South Florida (4-0) at North
Carolina State (2-2),
7:30 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: North
Carolina State rose up and
knocked East Carolina from the
ranks of the unbeaten last
Saturday with a 30-24 upset win.
It’ll try to do the same to
South Florida this weekend. It
was the first signature win in
the Tom O’Brien era and
something the Wolfpack can build
upon going forward. If State can
overachieve for a second
straight week, it can start
seriously thinking about making
a run at bowl eligibility in
November. South Florida remained
unbeaten with a win at Florida
International, but it was a lot
tougher than anyone could have
imagined. The Bulls have won
their last three games by eight
points or fewer, a disturbing
trend that could catch up to
them over the final eight games.
At No. 13 in the AP poll,
they’re the highest ranked Big
East team, but head coach Jim
Leavitt knows his team has flaws
that need to be addressed.
Why
South Florida might win:
N.C. State’s 109th-ranked
offense is going to have a whale
of a time trying to score on the
Bulls. South Florida has the
nation’s No. 12 defense, a
speedy unit that will put
non-stop pressure on Harrison
Beck, who’s replacing injured
Russell Wilson at quarterback.
The Wolfpack offense is
predicated on establishing the
run, which no one has done
successfully versus USF. The
Bulls are allowing just over two
yards a carry and have yet to
allow more than 76 yards in a
game. With offenses fixated on
DE George Selvie, others such as
NT Terrell McClain and DE Craig
Marshall, are stepping up and
making stops.
Why NC State might win:
The Wolfpack D may not have as
many recognizable names as South
Florida, but it’s been every bit
as feisty this month. State has
already created a dozen
turnovers, second only to Wake
Forest in the ACC, and has been
able to get consistent pressure
up front with ends Willie Young
and Shea McKeen. If the Pack can
force QB Matt Grothe into
mistakes, the talent gap between
these two schools will be
erased.
Who to watch: South
Florida LB Tyrone McKenzie has
been playing like a man
possessed since the season
began. He’s making plays all
over the field, and has
registered at least one tackle
for loss in all four games.
He’ll be keeping a close watch
on Wolfpack RB Andre Brown, who
was one of the heroes on
Saturday, powering his way to 73
yards and the game-winning
touchdown.
What will happen: South
Florida is going to struggle to
shake North Carolina State, a
program that’s been playing much
better of late and will be
energized by the Carter-Finley
crowd. The Bulls will survive
another close call, snuffing out
a Wolfpack drive for the tying
touchdown late in the final
quarter.
CFN Prediction: South
Florida 28 … NC State 16...
Line: USF -8
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 4
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Consultants FREE selections
Virginia Tech (3-1) at Nebraska
(3-0),
8:00 EST, ABC
Why to watch: The Bo
Pelini era in Lincoln
technically began on Aug. 30
when Western Michigan visited
Memorial Stadium. For most
Husker fans, however, things
don’t really get started
until Virginia Tech comes to
town for Saturday night’s
primetime affair. Nebraska is
unbeaten, yet really hasn’t been
tested, and has delivered mixed
results on both sides of the
ball. This weekend will give the
program a chance to show a big
chunk of the country just how
far along it’s coming under
Pelini. Give credit to Frank
Beamer and the Hokies for
rebounding with three straight
wins after dropping the opener
to East Carolina. No one is
pretending this is a vintage
Tech team, yet it’s eked out
back-to-back three-point wins
over ACC rival, stamping it the
early favorite in the Coastal
division. There’s no substitute
for a great coaching staff,
something Husker fans hope to be
preaching before too long.
Why Virginia Tech might win:
The one constant for the Hokies
this fall has been the play of
the defense, which has gotten
better with each passing week.
In last week’s pivotal win over
North Carolina, the unit had
four sacks and created an equal
number of turnovers. The
pressure is coming from multiple
sources across the line,
including speedy ends Orion
Martin and Jason Worilds. The
Husker offense has been
sporadic, and will have problems
with this Tech D. Beating up on
the likes of Western Michigan
and New Mexico State has not
prepared it for a well-coached
group that will strip the ball
and wrap up its tackles.
Why Nebraska might win:
Although this isn’t your daddy’s
Blackshirt defense, it’s already
evident Pelini is having a
positive impact on that side of
the ball. Since having some
breakdowns versus Western
Michigan, the Huskers have gone
more than eight quarters without
allowing a touchdown pass and
have been particularly stingy in
the red zone. Led by lineman
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska already
has nine sacks, which is good
for No. 2 in the Big 12. The way
the Hokies are sputtering on
offense, ranking 112th
nationally, their problems
moving the ball figure to
continue this weekend.
Who to watch: Pelini
hasn’t decided on a feature
back, so he’ll continue using
three, Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu,
Jr., and Quentin Castille, who
all offer something a little
different to the offense. The
Huskers are averaging 189 yards
a game on the ground, meaning
something is working. The trio
will have to be a factor because
Joe Ganz is going to find it
difficult throwing on CB Victor
Harris and an improving Hokie
defensive backfield.
What will happen:
Intangibles are always tough to
gauge, but you’ve got to figure
that the atmosphere in Lincoln
will be electric and the Huskers
will feed off that energy. While
the program isn’t where it needs
to be yet, it’ll still capture
its most important victory of
the past few years. The heroes
will be on a defense that keeps
QB Tyrod Taylor from making big
plays and forces the Hokies to
attempt field goals when
touchdowns are needed.
CFN Prediction: Nebraska 27
… Virginia Tech 16 ... Line:
Nebraska -7
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 4
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Consultants FREE selections
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