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Rice (2-1) at Texas (2-0),
7:00 EST
Why to watch: Texas has
steamrolled each of its first
two victims, but after last
week’s game with Arkansas was
moved to next week thanks to
Hurricane Ike, this is still one
of the Big 12’s mystery teams .
A visit from Rice won’t answer
that riddle. One certainty to
come out of the first two weeks
is that Longhorn QB Colt McCoy
looks like a different player
than the one that slogged
through a sophomore slump last
fall. He’s been precise with his
passes, elusive outside the
pocket, and assertive as one of
the team leaders. While the Owls
drifted back to Earth a little
with last week’s loss to
Vanderbilt, they’re going to be
a threat in Conference USA as
long as Chase Clement is at the
controls of the offense. A
genuine gunslinger, he’s already
accounted for more than 1,000
yards and 11 touchdowns.
Why Rice might win: The
Horns’ on-going issues in the
secondary haven’t gone away.
They’re young in the defensive
backfield and prone to giving up
the long ball downfield. With
Clement leading the way, the
Owls boast a mature passing
attack and a slew of capable
targets. If Texas commits too
many defensive resources to
Jarett Dillard, James Casey will
make it pay by pulling down a
half-dozen receptions. If Rice
can turn this game into a
shootout, it has a chance to
make UT very uncomfortable.
Why Texas might win: No
matter what scheme or mix of
personnel it tries, Rice simply
can’t stop anyone. It’s the
weekly knock on the Owls, who
allow 33 points and more than
400 yards a game to teams far
less potent than the one from
Austin. McCoy will remain in the
zone, dishing the ball around
like a point guard to receivers
Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley.
When the ‘Horns stay on the
ground, Fozzy Whitaker and
Vondrell McGee will enjoy gaping
holes running behind a line
that’ll toy with the Owls.
Who to watch: Texas LB
Roddrick Muckelroy appears
poised to deliver the
breakthrough season Longhorn
fans have been looking for since
he arrived. He has picked up
where he left off at the end of
last year, leading the team in
tackles and scoring his first
career touchdown on a fumble
recovery. The Horns need more
leaders on defense, a role he’s
bucking to fill.
What will happen: It’s
back to business for Texas after
last week’s unscheduled bye. The
Horns will get to 3-0 without
breaking a sweat, using a
balanced offense and a couple of
turnovers to race past Rice by
halftime. With the game against
Arkansas now slated for next
week, Mack Brown will be content
to get his regulars off the
field when the bulge reaches 28
points
CFN Prediction:
Texas 52 … Rice 14 ... Line:
Texas -30.5
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 2
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Consultants FREE selections
Sam Houston State (1-0) at
Kansas (2-1),
7 EST
Why to watch:
Of all the great quarterbacks in
the Big 12 and all the Heisman
candidates and all the
superstars, Kansas might face
the most talented signal-caller
it’ll face all year. Fine, so
former Oklahoma QB Rhett Bomar
hasn’t lived up to the hype when
he was considered neck-and-neck
with Adrian Peterson for the
honor of being the nation’s top
recruit, but he’s a good passer
who could get the Bearkat
offense going just enough to
make this fun … for about a
half. Kansas is coming off the
heartbreaking loss at South
Florida, complete with a blown
lead and a horrible late
interception thrown by Todd
Reesing to lead to the
game-winning USF field goal.
With the Big 12 opener at Iowa
State coming up next, there’s
still work to be done to be as
sharp as last year.
Why Sam Houston State might win:
It might have only been a
blowout over East Central
(Oklahoma), but Sam Houston
State showed off its high-octane
offense with a balanced attack
in the 58-13 win. The Bearkats
can run and throw well, at least
at an FCS level, and have an
aggressive D that should provide
more than a light scrimmage for
the Jayhawk offense.
Why Kansas might win: The
KU passing game should rip the
Bearkat secondary apart. While
Reesing hasn’t been
ultra-precise on a consistent
basis, he should be able to
shine by getting the ball to his
receivers in places where they
can do something with it. Expect
plenty of yards after the catch.
Who to watch: When is
Jocques Crawford going to show
up? The star JUCO transfer who
was supposed to take the KU
running game to another level
has only rushed for 64 yards and
a touchdown on 22 carries, while
Angus Quigley and Jake Sharp
have been more effective at
times. Crawford only got four
carries against South Florida,
and now he has to show that he
can become the one the running
game can rely on.
What will happen: Kansas
will try to make up for the
South Florida gaffe by trying to
score 28 points on its opening
drive. That won’t happen, but
the Jayhawks will jump out to a
big early lead and will empty
the bench after halftime.
CFN Prediction:
Kansas 58 … Sam Houston State 9
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1
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Massachusetts
(2-1) at Texas Tech (3-0),
7 EST
Why to watch:
The show is starting to get
interesting. Texas Tech put up a
few yards and some points as it
won its first two games, but it
was going through the motions.
And then came last week when
Graham Harrell and the crew
ripped up SMU in a 43-7 win.
With the Big 12 opener against
Kansas State up next, everything
has to be clicking after this
week. Massachusetts should
provide just enough of a fight
to make the Red Raider defense
work. However, if Tech wants to
put up 70 points, it should be
able to.
Why Massachusetts might win:
The Minutemen have the offense
to throw 400 yards and 30 points
on the board if the Red Raiders
aren’t paying attention. Liam
Coen might not look like a
prototype pro quarterback, but
the preseason pick for the
Colonial Player of the Year by
some has the skills to be a
second day draft pick. Scoring
isn’t a problem for UMass, but …
Why Texas Tech might win:
… holding the Red Raider offense
down will be an issue. The
Minutemen secondary has been
fine, but that’s because the run
defense has been abysmal. So
far, UMass has given up 42
points to Holy Cross and 52 to
James Madison. Texas Tech’s
attack is a wee bit better than
those two. UMass won’t generate
enough pressure to throw off
Harrell.
Who to watch: While the
Texas Tech passing game gets all
the headlines and all the
attention, the running backs
have done their part so far,
too. Senior Shannon Woods, who’s
been in and out of the doghouse
over the last few years, has
been effective in a platoon
rushing for 168 yards and four
touchdowns, while catching five
passes for 65 yards. Sophomore
Baron Batch ran for 99 yards and
a touchdown last week against
SMU while catching five passes
for 71 yards.
What will happen: Harrell
will throw for 300 yards in the
first half on the way to an easy
walk in the park.
CFN Prediction:
Texas Tech 63 … Massachusetts 20
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 1.5
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Iowa State
(2-1) at UNLV (2-1),
9 EST The Mtn.
Why to watch: These two played two years ago with Iowa State winning
16-10 in Ames, Now it’ll make
the trip to Vegas with each
program in far better shape than
they were two years ago. The
Cyclones are coming off a 17-5
drubbing from Iowa, but they’ve
been decent defensively and put
up decent offensive numbers in
wins over South Dakota State and
Kent State. They don’t have to
start the Big 12 season until
October when Kansas comes to
town, but they could use this
win to keep bowl hopes alive.
UNLV went from being a lame-duck
program, with head coach Mike
Sanford on a hot seat, to an
interesting Mountain West option
after stunning Arizona State in
a 23-20 overtime win. With six
home games left in the final
nine games, and with the offense
finally starting to click a
little bit after years of
mediocrity, the chance is there
for the Rebels to finally turn a
corner. A win over the Cyclones
would prove the ASU win wasn’t a
fluke.
Why Iowa State might win:
The Cyclone skill players should
have plenty of time to operate.
The Iowa State offensive line
struggled with the great Iowa D
line, but it’s been solid for
the most part so far. UNLV
doesn’t generate too much
pressure on the defensive front,
even though it came up with two
sacks against ASU last week.
Iowa State’s line should give
the quarterbacks time to work,
while it should push around the
Rebel defense when it comes time
to power the ball.
Why UNLV might win: Iowa
State doesn’t have the
linebackers to handle the UNLV
running game. Whether it’s Frank
Summers moving the ball up the
middle or QB Omar Clayton
working wide, the Rebels should
be able to mix it up like Kent
State was able to. The Golden
Flashes ran for 243 yards
against ISU while also throwing
for three scores. KSU lost
48-28, but it moved the ball.
Who to watch: It was a
long, drawn out process this
off-season to come up with the
UNLV starting quarterback, with
Clayton battling with Travis
Dixon for the job, but the
coaching staff made the right
choice. Clayton, a sophomore has
yet to throw an interception
while completing 61% of his
throws for 542 yards and six
touchdowns. He’s not flashy
running the ball, but he can
move when needed. He didn’t
blink against ASU last week in
what should go down as his
breakthrough performance.
What will happen: UNLV
will be fired up after last
week’s big win, but Iowa State’s
running game and offensive line
will be too effective in the
second half. The Rebels won’t
make many mistakes, but they
won’t force enough to get the
Cyclones off the field.
CFN Prediction:
Iowa State 28 … UNLV 23 ...
Line: UNLV -2.5
Must See Rating: (5
Dr. 90210 - 1 Biggest
Loser: Families) … 3
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Consultants FREE selections
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Big 12 Week Four Predictions, Part
1 |