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Akron (0-1) at Syracuse (0-1)
3:30 EST
Why to watch:
After striking out against Big
Ten opponents, both Akron and
Syracuse will be looking for
their first victory of the
season. The Orange got off to a
fast start against Northwestern,
holding an early third quarter
lead, before a lack of depth and
offensive production finally led
to a 30-10 defeat. All eyes
continue to be fixated on head
coach Greg Robinson, whose
tenure in Upstate New York
becomes more tenuous with each
loss. The Zips, too, hung around
for awhile, but ran out of gas
in the second-half of a 38-17
loss at Wisconsin. The passing
game displayed some pop, but the
defense, already a concern
heading into the opener, gave no
signs that things will be any
better this fall.
Why Akron might win:
Behind a veteran, Chris Kemme-led
offensive line, and with a short
passing game, the Zips moved the
ball relatively well against the
Badgers, getting surprising
support from QB Chris Jacquemain.
Couple that with the running of
Dennis Kennedy, and Akron has
the necessary offensive balance
to put up points on a shaky
Orange defense. If Akron can
reach the end zone with
regularity, Syracuse doesn’t
have the offensive firepower to
keep pace.
Why Syracuse might win:
The Orange wants to get more
from the running game, and Akron
is just the opponent to get
things kickstarted. The Zips are
hurting up front and just
yielded more than 400 yards on
the ground in Madison. Somewhat
lost in last weekend’s defeat
were the returns of backs Delone
Carter and Curtis Brinkley from
major injuries. With a game
behind them, both will find
running room against the soft
interior of the Akron line.
Who to watch: Junior NT
Arthur Jones will arguably be
the most talented all-around
player in the Carrier Dome. A
popular attraction for double
teams, he’s one of those rare
interior linemen who can rush
the passer and get penetration
as well as he defends the run.
If he gets too much attention
from Akron, it’ll open things up
for ends Jared Kimmel and
Vincenzo Giruzzi to get after
Jacquemain.
What will happen: Neither
offense is clicking on all
cylinders, so don’t expect many
big plays or extra points.
Realizing this is one of those
few winnable games on the
schedule, Syracuse will
capitalize behind the running of
Brinkley and Carter.
CFN Prediction: Syracuse
23... Akron 13 ... Line:
Syracuse -5
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 3.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Connecticut (1-0) at Temple
(1-0),
12:00
EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: While the
rest of the country will yawn at
this matchup, the game really
matters to Temple, which has
been pointing to this game since
getting shafted in Storrs last
September by a blown call. Very
quietly, the Owls have become
competitive in the MAC, steadily
building under the guidance of
Al Golden, one of the nation’s
hot young coaches. Last week’s
four-touchdown rout of Army was
the program’s first opening day
win in six years. The Huskies
used a familiar recipe in its
win over Hofstra, getting a
sterling effort from its defense
and more than 200 yards on the
ground. For lovers of solid
defensive play, this is one of
the sneaky good games of the
second weekend.
Why Connecticut might win:
Can Temple score on the Husky
defense? The Owls have a
shortage of playmakers and
struggle to protect QB Adam
DiMichele. That’s bad news
against a Connecticut D that’s
extremely well-coached, limits
big plays, and can create a heap
of pressure. Ends Cody Brown and
Julius Williams, and linebackers
Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson
are going to live in the Temple
backfield.
Why Temple might win: Can
Connecticut score on the Owl
defense? It’s time for the
country to start paying
attention to this Temple
defense, which is among the most
experienced in the MAC and held
Army to only 284 total yards and
a meaningless touchdown. It’s
not as if the Huskies lit up the
Hofstra defense last week, and
the passing game remains a
question mark. A terrific front
four that’s led by end Junior
Galette and tackle Andre Neblett
will control a Connecticut line
that remains a work-in-progress.
Who to watch: Connecticut
RB Donald Brown flashed his
freshman form in the opener,
rumbling for 146 yards and four
touchdowns as counterpart Andre
Dixon sat out the game with an
ankle injury. Considering QB
Tyler Lorenzen’s problems
mounting much of a passing
attack, it’ll be up to Brown
once again to ignite the Husky
offense.
What will happen: The
Temple defense is good. The
Connecticut defense, however, is
better. It’ll suffocate an Owl
that lacks the firepower to move
the ball downfield with any
consistency. Brown and Dixon,
who’s expected to return from
the ankle injury, will help
grind out a close, physical
victory for the Huskies.
CFN Prediction:
Connecticut 27 … Temple 16 ...
Line: Connecticut -7
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 2
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Tennessee Tech (0-0) at
Louisville (0-1),
3:30 EST, ESPN Gameplan
Why to watch: No, it
doesn’t appear Louisville or
head coach Steve Kragthorpe
reached rock bottom during last
year’s dismal campaign. The
Cards sunk to a new low in last
week’s deflating 27-2 loss to
rival Kentucky, looking
overmatched and lacking
execution. The coaching staff
doesn’t have a lot of time to
fix a punchless offense that was
supposed to be one of the
building blocks of this season.
Tennessee Tech is just the
antidote that Louisville is
looking for, a second-division
Ohio Valley Conference opponent
looking to replace most of last
year’s top skill position
players. The Golden Eagles
opened their season last
Thursday night with a 28-12 win
over Gardner-Webb.
Why Tennessee Tech might win:
The Golden Eagles enter this
game knowing that Louisville did
absolutely nothing right on
Sunday and could be pressing
this weekend. Tennessee Tech
does a nice job of getting
defensive pressure and excels at
stopping the run. With so much
at stake for the Cardinals,
they’re liable to gag if this is
a close game in the second half,
and at the very least could be
prone to making mistakes.
Why Louisville might win:
Yeah, the Cardinal offense was
unspeakably bad versus Kentucky,
but there’s too much talent on
that side of the ball to
struggle similarly against an
FCS opponent. QB Hunter Cantwell
will get back on track, hooking
up liberally with Doug Beaumont
and Josh Chichester. Backs Bilal
Powell, Victor Anderson, and
Brock Bolen will see far more
daylight than they did in the
opener. The Eagles are solid up
front, but will be no match for
a Louisville line that has more
upside than it’s shown.
Who to watch: Cantwell.
Considered an NFL prospect just
a couple of weeks ago, he needs
to bounce back after producing
no points and getting picked off
three times. With the schedule
about to get much tougher after
this weekend, it’s imperative
that he finds a groove if
Louisville has any chance
approaching a degree of
respectability.
What will happen: The
Cards will treat this visit from
a second-division program as an
exhibition game and a
much-needed opportunity to work
out the kinks on offense. No
matter the final score, expect
Kragthorpe, a pariah around
Louisville, to get treated
ruthlessly by the local fans.
CFN Prediction:
Louisville 54 … Tennessee Tech
13 ... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 1
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Cincinnati (1-0) at Oklahoma (1-0),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: Oklahoma
has crushed and killed everything in its
path over the last few years at home,
and last week was no exceptions with a
57-2 win over Chattanooga that couldn't
been 107-2 if the coaching staff didn't
call off the dogs. Now the Sooners get a
strong test from a Cincinnati team
looking for a breakout game in the Brian
Kelly era. The new star on the Big East
stage, UC has gone 12-3 under the head coach, and while this still might
be a big season no matter what happens
in Norman, a big performance could do
wonders for the program and the
conference, even in a loss. Considering
the last OU game against a Big East
team, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl loss to West
Virginia, didn't go so well, this is an
important game for the Sooners and the
Big 12, too. After this week, OU has
just one home game until seeing Kansas
in mid-October, and two home dates until
November, while Cincinnati faces two MAC
teams, Miami and Akron, and travels to
Marshall before kicking off its Big East
season against Rutgers.
Why Cincinnati might win:
The Bearcats have an efficient passing
game and does all the little things
right. Under Kelly, they don't turn the
ball over, they keep the mistakes to a
minimum, they have strong special teams
and a tremendous return game, and
they've been extremely tough on the
road. The three losses under Kelly last
year all came by a touchdown or less; UC
doesn't get blown out. There's enough
aggressiveness on defense to get to Sam
Bradford and potentially hurry up the OU
passing game.
Why Oklahoma might
win: The Cincinnati defense
is strong, but it struggled a little bit
against the Eastern Kentucky passing
game last week giving up just 147 yards,
but put up a few deep plays. Cincinnati
faced two high-level quarterbacks last
year, Louisville's Brian Brohm and West
Virginia's Pat White, and lost to both.
Bradford is an elite passer who led the
nation in passing efficiency last season
and could pick apart the UC defense if
given a little bit of time. If the O
line plays like it's supposed to,
Bradford will get the time to work.
Who to watch: Now this is
Dustin Grutza's Cincinnati team. After
the soap opera and saga of Ben Mauk,
last year's star quarterback who has
spent the off-season looking for an
extra year of eligibility, and has been
denied, the team needs a leader. Grutza,
who has the main man two years ago and
has thrown for 4,159 career yards and 27
touchdowns with 24 interceptions, was
always on a short leash before, but now
he's the leader of the attack. It might
have just come against Eastern Kentucky,
but the senior completed 21-of-28 passes
for 296 yards and three touchdowns, and
ran for 33 yards and a score.
What will happen:
Cincinnati is too good to get blown out
early, but this is a special Oklahoma
team that plays at another level at
home. The game won't get out of hand
until the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: Oklahoma
38 ... Cincinnati 20 ... Line: Oklahoma
-21
Must See Rating:
(5 Entourage premiere - 1
One Tree Hill premiere) …
3.5
-
Click here to receive ATS Consultants
FREE selections
Buffalo (1-0) at Pittsburgh
(0-1),
6:00 EST, ESPN Gameplan
Why to watch: Few
programs suffered a more
catastrophic opening day loss
than Pittsburgh, which ended a
brief stay in the Top 25 with a
stunning gaffe to Bowling Green.
The Panthers, a trendy choice to
be one of this year’s upstarts,
flopped at home, getting shut
out by a weak Falcon defense
over the final 30 minutes. Can
Pitt regroup and salvage what
was going to be a breakthrough
season? With a second straight
loss to a MAC team, Dave
Wannstedt could get fired before
reaching the stadium tunnel.
Without much attention, Turner
Gill is doing a terrific job
coaching up Buffalo. After
exceeding expectations in 2007,
the Bulls opened with an
impressive 42-17 thrashing of
UTEP. Gill’s kids are dangerous,
especially when QB Drew Willy is
in the zone.
Why Buffalo might win:
Pitt has already proven it can
lose to a MAC team, and Buffalo
might actually be better than
Bowling Green. The Bulls boast a
balanced offense that’s led by
Willy and RB James Starks, and
returns last season’s top five
receivers. If the Panther
offensive line doesn’t grow up
in a hurry, QB Bill Stull will
have defenders in his face all
day, much the way he did last
weekend.
Why Pittsburgh might win:
For all the troubles the
Panthers had in the trenches a
week ago, they’ll be able to
move an undersized Buffalo front
off the ball and give more
running lanes for RB LeSean
McCoy. McCoy was bottled up in
the opener, a head-scratcher
that won’t blossom into a trend.
The Bulls’ problems in the back
seven will get exposed by the
talented Panther receiving corps
that includes Derek Kinder,
Oderick Turner, and true
freshman Jonathan Baldwin.
Who to watch: This is the
type of game that Pittsburgh LB
Scott McKillop should rack up 15
tackles and toy with the Buffalo
offensive line. He’ll again be
the catalyst of a defense that
played well a week ago, limiting
Bowling Green to just 254 total
yards.
What will happen: The
Panthers will be better and will
still be in the hit for the Big
East title. Under normal
circumstances, this would be a
bear trap for Pitt, but with a
must-win situation, it’ll
respond with a win over a feisty
Buffalo squad. McCoy will double
last week’s paltry 71 yards,
leading the way to a hard-fought
victory.
CFN Prediction:
Pitt 34 … Bufalo 16 ... Line:
Pitt -13
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
South Florida (1-0) at UCF (1-0),
7:00 EST, ESPN2
Why to watch: Okay, so
it’s not Florida-Miami, but this
Saturday’s tilt between South
Florida and UCF is still an
intense rivalry game involving
Sunshine State programs. The
Bulls have won the last three
games in this series, including
last year’s 64-12 demolition
that the Knights remember all
too well. South Florida was near
perfect in its 56-7 win over
Tennessee-Martin, solidifying
its role as one of the favorites
to challenge West Virginia in
the Big East. UCF wasn’t nearly
as effective in its 17-0
blanking of South Carolina
State, struggling to move the
ball on an overmatched defense.
The retooled Knights’ backfield
delivered mixed results, with
the running game producing 228
yards, but new starting QB
Michael Greco managing just nine
completions and 90 yards in 16
attempts.
Why South Florida might win:
If UCF scored only 17 points
against an FCS opponent, will it
reach double-digits on the
attacking South Florida D? It
won’t be easy. The Knights
averaged just over four yards a
play and only led 7-0 heading
into the final quarter. That’s
frightening news, especially
with DE George Selvie, LB Tyrone
McKenzie and the rest of the
Bull defense about to descend
upon Orlando. Greco was shaky in
his first start and the group of
runners replacing Kevin Smith
was ordinary.
Why UCF might win:
Turnovers. The Knights are a
bunch of ball-hawks, who gobble
up turnovers, a persistent
problem throughout South Florida
QB Matt Grothe’s career. If he
even attempts to challenge the
seasoned UCF secondary, Joe
Burnett and Sha’reff Rashad will
make him pay. Yes, the Knights
will have problems moving the
chains consistently, but if
Grothe reverts back to his old
form, Greco and the offense
won’t have to be otherworldly to
put points on the board.
Who to watch: If, as
expected, the South Florida
limits Grothe’s downfield
throws, it’ll mean extra carries
for Mike Ford, a downhill runner
who’ll soften the interior of
the UCF line. The Bulls enjoy an
edge at the point of attack,
which will benefit not just
Ford, but also Benjamin
Williams, Moise Plancher, and
Jamar Taylor.
What will happen: Until
UCF can settle its problems on
offense, it’s not going to beat
talented teams, such as the one
visiting from Tampa this
weekend. As long as Grothe
doesn’t give the game away, the
Bulls are too talented on
defense and too fast on offense
to drop a game to its biggest
rival
CFN Prediction:
South Florida 34 … UCF 13 ...
Line: South Florida -14.5
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 2.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
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