Week 7 Games of the Week

It's nut cutting time in college football. Out of conference fluff has ended, and most teams had an easy opening week of conference play last week. But now, the first of about three Separation Saturdays is upon us. The Big XII and SEC picture will be shaped this week, with somebody left scrambling to stay in the NC hunt (or in Florida's case, a loss eliminates them). So let's look into the crystal football and see how things play out this week.

ACC
Clemson at # 20 Wake Forest (-2.5): While I was never high on Clemson, the fact remains they still have a shot at winning the ACC and getting to a BCS bowl. If they lose tonight however, that dream is all but over. The Tigers can't afford to fall into a 1-2 hole in ACC play. This game will most likely decide the ACC Atlantic division. Clemson's plan is simple: feed Spiller and Davis. But they have no always executed that plan effectively with shaky O-Line play. Wake's run D is #15 in the nation so it's been solid, and is good enough to make Clemson pass. And this is where the game will be won or lost. The Wake pass D has been spotty so expect Clemson QB Cullen Harper to make enough plays to keep Wake off balance. Plus the Clemson D is second in the ACC in total D, so expect them to give a Wake team that only averages 27 points a game a few problems. Clemson 24, Wake Forest 20

Big XII
#6 Texas vs. #1 Oklahoma (-7) at Dallas: This is the most anticipated Red River Shootout since 2002. Both teams come in crushing the competition at a pace of 35.8 points per game, both teams have outstanding quarterback play, and both teams are hungry to stay in the Big XII and national title chase. The winner of this game has played in 10 of the 12 Big XII title games, and appeared 3 of the last 5 BCS title games. In other words, the stakes are high. So who wins? On paper OU has more talent. Quarterback Sam Bradford has an abundance of weapons at his disposal including RB DeMarco Murray, WRs Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson, and TE Jermaine Gresham. The defense, particularly in the secondary, has been stronger than even most OU fans expected. Under DC Will Mushchamp, the same can be said about the Longhorn D. They are leading the nation in sacks, and DL Brian Orakpo is 3rd nationally in sack. Offensively, Colt McCoy is have a Heisman worthy season. He is 4th in the nation in passing efficiency, and is Texas' leading rusher. The biggest advantage between the teams appears in the air. The Horns pass defence ranks 100 nationally, and they have not seen anything near the passing attack OU provides. Expect Sam Bradford to have a big day, and the Sooners to stay atop the polls. OU 35, TX 24

Big East
Rutgers (+7.5) at Cincinnati: Slow weekend in the Big East, but their weekend will come. Only intrigue here is will Cincy win it's conference opener to set up some key matchups against UCONN, USF, and WVU in the next 3 weeks? Expect the Bearcats to stay focused on this matchup, and beat a Rutgers team that is hurting in all aspects. CB Mike Mickens and the Cincinnati D will cause QB Mike Teel and Rutgers all kinds of problems. Cincinnati 30, Rutgers 14

Big Ten
#21 Michigan State (-1.5) at #23 Northwestern: I know everybody is all excited about Penn State at Wisconsin, but at this point MSU at NW has more impact on the Big 10 race. Both teams are undefeated in conference, so more is on the line in this one. NW has been surprisingly stingy on defense, giving up only 12 points per game. The Spartans have been good defensively as well, giving up 16 per game but have struggled against the better passing teams on their schedule (Cal and Indiana). This where Northwestern QB CJ Bacher can make or break this game. If he limits his turnovers, he gives his team a very good chance to win. The Wildcat D is good enough to at least contain Spartan RB Javon Ringer. He's going to get 40 touches no matter what, but if they limit his yards per touch they have a good shot because Brian Hoyer has not shown much through the air. So can Bacher throw the ball to the guys in the purple jerseys? I'm going to say he can, and the NW spread is effective enough to get a close home win. NW 23, MSU 21

Pac 10
Arizona (-7) at Stanford: Another game with slightly more importance that the game most are excited about (Arizona State at USC). Both teams have two conference wins (AZ 2-0; Stanford 2-1). A Cardinal upset puts the Pac 10 in chaos with a bunch of 1 loss teams; a 'Zona win puts the Wildcats in the driver's seat. I don't expect the upset here. Matter of fact, I think Mike Stoops is finally making his mark on the Wildcat program and has his team in a position to expect to win. Arizona QB Willie Tuitama is playing like a senior quarterback should, and the Arizon D has been stingy (15.2 PPG). The Cardinal D on the other hand is horrendous (27.7 PPG), and the offense isn't lighting it up either (23 PPG). The 'Cats roll, setting up a big matchup versus Cal (the other Pac undefeated team; idle this week) next week. Arizona 35, Stanford 17

SEC
#4 LSU (+6) at #12 Florida: Hate, thy name is LSU/Florida. As if there wasn't enough bad blood between these teams after last year (remember the Tebow cell phone incident) we now have LSU planning to take Tebow out. Ahhh, nothing like ESSSSSS EEEEEEE SSSEEEEEEE football. The Tigers will rely on the strong running game led by Charles Scott (133 YPG, 6TDs) to take the pressure of QB Jarrett Lee. Expect the Gators to load the box to apply pressure on the run game and Lee. Well all know about the Gators "O" led by Tebow and Percy Harvin, but the key will be the Gators D. The Gators D is third in the nation in turnover margin, and only gives up 11 points per game. If the Gator D plays up to snuff, don't expect Jarrett Lee to pass his second big road test. Florida 24 LSU 17

Mid Major
TCU (-15.5) at Colorado State: Two undefeated teams in MWC play look to stay in the race with Utah and BYU. The Horned Frogs bring the nations #1 defense to Hughes Stadium, and they'll need it against a pass happy Rams attack. The Rams however give up 30 points a game and TCU averages 246 yards rushing per game. So expect the Rams passing game to be a moot point, as TCU will keep them off the field and stuff them when necessary. TCU 31, CSU 14