| Posted : Thursday, October 25 2007 / 19:26 PM |
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Week 9 predictions
It looks like the football "Gods" were listening to my plea last week. Austinwolv and myself went a perfect 6-0 in week 8. This week, Madden Planet's Austinwolv and SeminoleDynasty will look to continue the positive prognosticating with 6 more big games.
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It looks like the football "Gods" were listening to my plea last week. Austinwolv and myself went a perfect 6-0 in week 8. The Rutgers over South Florida pick started off a big week for both guys. This week, Madden Planet's Austinwolv and SeminoleDynasty will look to continue the positive prognosticating with 6 more big games. The games the guys have picked for week 9 are Southern California @ Oregon, Kansas @ Texas A&M, California @ Arizona State, Boston College @ Virginia Tech, West Virginia @ Rutgers, and Ohio State @ Penn State. Austinwolv was unable to contribute this week due to the his wife going into labor. Austinwolv will hopefully be back next week. Best wishes and all to Austinwolv.
Boston College @ Virginia Tech
Oct. 25, 7:30pm ET ESPN
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Boston College will make the 2nd week in a row a #2 team in the country plays on Thursday night on the road. Those usually spell disaster. Boston College is undefeated with a record of 7-0. The Eagles had the week off to prepare for the Hokies. The Eagles are led by Heisman front runner quarterback Matt Ryan. The Eagles average 34.6 points per game and 455.4 yards per game behind the arm of Ryan. The Eagles are a passing team that blends in the run every now and then.
On defense the Eagles are ranked 18th in scoring defense averaging 17.7 points given up per game. They also give up 323.6 yards per game. The rush defense of the Eagles has been unbelievable giving up an average of 46.4 yards per game. Only twice this season have the Eagles given up more than 20 points.
Virginia Tech comes in 6-1 and ranked #8 in the country. The Hokies seem to have found an identity on offense behind quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Though last week against Duke in a 43-14 win, former starter Sean Glennon came in for relief of an injured Taylor and doing an outstanding job finishing 16 of 21 for 258 yards with a couple of touchdowns. 2 weeks straight now the Hokies have scored more than 40 points in a game. The Hokies are averaging 28.1 points per game and 298.9 yards per game. They still haven't found a consistant offense, but it has gotten much better from the 1st few games. Tyrod Taylor might miss this game, so Sean Glennon would get the start.
The Hokie defense has once again been one of the best in the country. They are ranked 8th in the country in scoring defense averaging 16 points per game. They are also giving up 302.1 yards per game and ranked 14th in total defense. The Hokies have only given up more than 20 twice this season, but that was against LSU and Clemson.
On a short week on the road usually spells trouble for the visitor. BC has played well with Ryan, but they will only go as far as Ryan takes them. He is bound to have a bad game and this one looks like the one where it could possibly happen. I believe the Hokie fans will be up for this one and the best coached special teams in the country will make some plays. Look for this to be a close one with the Hokies getting the close win at home.
Virginia Tech 27 Boston College 21
West Virginia @ Rutgers
Oct. 27, Noon ET ABC
SeminoleDynasty's take:
West Virginia will come into this one ranked #6 and 6-1. They beat Mississippi State 38-13 last week. The Mountaineers have one of the best offenses in the country behind quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. They are ranked #7 in scoring offense averaging 42.1 points per game and #12 in total offense gaining 481.3 yards per game. West Virginia is definitely a running team gaining over 2100 yards on the ground compared to 1240 through the air.
On defense the Mountaineers are ranked 11th in scoring defense averaging 16.6 points per game given up. They also rank 4th in total defense giving up an average of 254.7 yards per game. West Virginia gives up less than 100 yards on the ground per game. This should come up huge against a strong Rutgers running game and Heisman contender Ray Rice.
Rutgers is coming off a huge 30-27 win over then #2 South Florida. Rutgers is now ranked 25th with a record of 5-2. The Scarlet Knights are 21st in scoring offense with an average of 36.1 points per game and 13th in total offense with an average of 476.9 yards per game. The Knights are led by Heisman contending running back Ray Rice.
On defense the Knights are 22nd in scoring defense averaging 18.6 points per game given up and 18th in total defense giving up an average of 306.1 yards per game. In their 2 losses, the Knights pass defense let them down badly so holding the running game of West Virginia and keeping them from getting any key passing yards will be key.
My thoughts are these two teams are very close to one another. West Virginia has played well on the road this year while Rutgers has lost twice at home. West Virginia's defense is a little better and they have more play makers on offense than Rutgers. I like West Virginia in a close game.
West Virginia 28 Rutgers 24
Southern California @ Oregon
Oct. 27, 3pm ET FSN
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Southern California will come into this one ranked 9th in the country with a record of 6-1. The Trojans are coming off a 38-0 win over Notre Dame. USC is led by QB John David Booty, but he should miss his 2nd game in a row with a broken finger. Mark Sanchez started in his place against the Fighting Irish and should get the start again. Sanchez has plenty of skill position players to get the ball to. Fred Davis, Stafon Johnson, and Chauncey Washington along with a host of others should get their hands on the ball in this big showdown. Southern Cal averages 34.6 points per game and 434.7 yards per game.
The Trojan defense has been a strength ranked #10 in the country in scoring defense with an average of 16.6 points per game given up. They also are 3rd in total defense, giving up an average of 252.1 yards per game. The Trojans give up 64.1 yards on the ground per game. They will need to continue to bottle up the run against Oregon's Jonathan Stewart.
Oregon is ranked #5 in the nation with a record of 6-1. Oregon beat Washington last week 55-34. Oregon is led by running back Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Dennis Dixon. These two form an explosive duo. Stewart averages 134.3 yards on the ground per game though he isn't much of a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball. Dixon will look for receiver Jaison Williams who is his top receiver. The Ducks rank #2 in scoring offense averaging 46.6 points per game as well as #2 in total offense averaging 550.9 yards per game.
The Ducks defense hasn't been quite as solid. They have given up 22.6 points per game and 396.3 yards per game. They aren't very selective on giving yards up through the air or on the ground. They will have to force some turnovers for the Ducks to be effective at home in this game.
I see Southern Cal taking this one due to their defense getting key stops. Oregon will get their points, but not enough against the Trojans even though the Ducks are playing at home. Sanchez will make just enough plays against the poor Oregon defense.
Southern California 37 Oregon 27
Kansas @ Texas A&M
Oct. 27, 7pm ET ESPN2
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Kansas is one of the handful of remaining undefeated teams left. Kansas is currently ranked 12th with a record of 7-0. The Jayhawks are actually in the lead in the Big 12 South division. They haven't won a conference championship since 1968. Kansas is coming off a 19-14 win over Colorado this past weekend. The Jayhawks are led by quarterback Todd Reesing who averages 257.9 yards per game and has a quarterback rating of 149.4 on the year. He's also thrown 17 touchdowns compared to 4 interceptions. He has two strong runners behind him in Jake Sharp and Brandon McAnderson. Both average over 70 yards per game on the ground. On the year the Jayhawks are one of the best overall offenses. They rank #3 in scoring offense averaging 45.9 points per game and rank 10th in total offense averaging 489.7 yards per game.
The Jayhawk defense has been just as impressive. They rank #2 in scoring defense giving up an average of 10.1 points per game and rank #5 in total defense giving up 256.1 yards per game. They've also racked up 14 interceptions on the year. They will need to keep this up if they want to get that 1st Big 12 championship in Lawrence.
Texas A&M comes in unranked with a record of 6-2 on the year. The Aggies are coming off a 36-14 win over Nebraska this past weekend. Texas A&M is led by quarterback Stephen McGee who is a dual threat. He averages 142.4 yards through the air and 88.9 yards on the ground per game. He leads the team in both catergories. Texas A&M averages 32.1 points per game and averages 414.9 yards per game.
The Aggie defense gives up 22.8 points per game and 400.4 yards per game. That 400.4 is a ton per game to give up. You can't continue to rely on a defense that gives up that kind of production for the opposing offense.
Kansas will have a tough time playing in the home of the 12th man, but with how poor the Aggie defense is I see the Jayhawks magical run continuing. The Jayhawk defense has been impressive and if they can contain McGee, they shouldn't have too much problem quieting the home crowd.
Kansas 23 Texas A&M 17
Ohio State @ Penn State
Oct. 27, 8pm ET ABC
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Ohio State is the #1 team in the land right now with an 8-0 record. The Buckeyes barely beat Michigan State 24-17 last Saturday. The Buckeyes offense is led by running back Chris Wells. Wells averages 107.9 yards per game on the ground. Their offense averages 34.3 points per game and 415 yards per game.
The Buckeye defense has been key for them this year ranked #1 in scoring. They average 7.9 points per game and 208.5 yards per game which is also #1 in the country. Their run defense gives up 62.4 yards per game which is outstanding.
Penn State is ranked #24 with a 6-2 record. Penn State beat Indiana 36-31 Saturday. The Nittany Lions offense averages 33.1 points and 405.9 yards per game. Penn State is led by quarterback Anthony Morelli and running back Rodney Kinlaw. The Lion offense will need to have a balanced attack and keep their defense fresh if they want to pull the upset.
The Lion defense is ranked #4 in scoring giving up 15 points per game. They also rank 7th in total defense giving up 279.5 yards per game. Penn State's run defense has been just as tough giving up only 79.8 yards on the ground and will need to bottle up Chris Wells in this one.
Ohio State has been sloppy on offense recently giving up 4 turnovers against Purdue and then 3 that led to points last week against Michigan State. If they do that this week, their defense will once again have to come to the rescue. Penn State will need big games from their offense and defense to win this one in Happy Valley. Ohio State seems to have a lot of luck and a great defense going for them right now. I think their luck holds up one more week and they pull out the close win in Happy Valley.
Ohio State 17 Penn State 10
California @ Arizona State
Oct. 27, 10pm ET FSN
SeminoleDynasty's take:
California is ranked 18th in the country with a record of 5-2. The Golden Bears are coming off a 30-21 loss to UCLA this past weekend. The Bears offense are ranked 26th in the country in scoring offense with an average of 35.1 points per game. The Bears average 415.3 yards per game. They are led by quarterback Nate Longshore, running back Justin Forsett, and wideout DeSean Jackson. These 3 form a potent offense for the Bears.
On defense the Bears aren't much to look at. They have given up an average of 26.1 points per game and 379 yards per game. They will need to raise the bar for themselves if they plan to keep the Bears in this match-up.
Arizona State is another one of the last remaining undefeated teams with a 7-0 record. They are ranked #7 in the country. The Sun Devils offense is ranked 12th in scoring offense averaging 37.7 points per game. They also rank 27th in total offense averaging 437.3 yards per game. They are led by quarterback Rudy Carpenter and running back Ryan Torain. Those two will pack a punch for the Sun Devil offense in this game.
The Sun Devil defense is one of the best in the nation. They are ranked 5th in scoring defense giving up 15 points per game as well as 15th in total defense giving up 304.3 yards per game. They should help contain the triple punch of the Cal Bears offense and allow the Sun Devils to keep marching on.
I like the Sun Devils at home. Their defense has the athletes to slow the Cal offense down just as the UCLA Bruins did last week. With Carpenter and Torain moving the ball on a poor Cal defense, I think this one will be a bigger margin than most.
Arizona State 31 California 13
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