| Posted : Thursday, November 29 2007 / 6:22 AM |
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Week 15 predictions
Week 13 was the week that 2 ships passed going the opposite directions. Austinwolv had a great week going 5-1 while SeminoleDynasty finished up 3-3. For the year now AW is 46-26 while SD is 46-32. This is the final week before the bowls. Austin will try to continue his hot run while SD will try to turn things around.
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Week 13 was the week that 2 ships passed going the opposite directions. Austinwolv had a great week going 5-1 while SeminoleDynasty finished up 3-3. For the year now AW is 46-26 while SD is 46-32. This is the final week before the bowls. Austin will try to continue his hot run while SD will try to turn things around. For week 14 the MP prognosticators have chosen Army vs Navy, Boston College vs Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, LSU vs Tennessee in the SEC Championship game, Oklahoma vs Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game, Tulsa vs Central Florida in the Conference USA Championship game, and Central Michigan vs Miami of Ohio in the MAC Championship game.
MAC Championship Game
Central Michigan vs Miami of Ohio
Dec. 1, 11am ET ESPN2
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Central Michigan comes into the MAC Championship game at 7-5. They made it in as West champs with a 6-1 conference record. They've won 3 of their last 4 with the loss a 3 point defeat to Eastern Michigan. They are coming off a 35-32 victory over Akron last Friday. The Chippawa offense is ranked 27th in the nation in scoring averaging 33.7 points per game. They also rank 22nd in total offense averaging 447.6 yards per game. Their leader on offense is quarterback Dan LeFevour who ranks 22nd in passing yards per game at 264.6. His leading target is wide out Bryan Anderson who is tied for 26th in the nation in yards with 969 yards this season. Antonio Brown is one to watch in the return game as he averages 27.7 yards per kickoff return with 1 touchdown and 12.4 yards per punt return.
Their defense has been their weak link. They've given up 30 or more points in 10 of their 12 games this season. They average allowing 38 points per game which puts them in the worst 7 in the nation in scoring defense. They give up an average of 462.3 yards per game as well which is also in the back of the pack in the country. Their defense will have to play their best if they want to come away with the conference title.
Miami of Ohio makes their way into the MAC Championship game with a record of 6-6. They are the East champs with a 5-2 record. The RedHawks are coming off a 38-29 loss to Ohio this past weekend. The RedHawk offense is one of the 15 worst in the nation in scoring. They average 20 points per game. They also average 371.9 yards per game. They are led by Daniel Raudabaugh whose stats aren't eye catching. He's thrown 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and averages 217.7 yards per game. Return specialist Jamal Rogers is one to watch though as he is one of the nations best averaging 22.6 per return on kickoffs with a long of 90.
The Miami defense is middle of the pack. They allow 24.8 points per game and 369 yards per game. They will have to play at their best against a strong Chippawa offense if they want to have any chance in this game. Turnovers, short fields for their poor offense will have to be the keys for them to win and even stay in this one.
I think Central Michigan will run rough shot over the RedHawks. Their offense is much better while their defense while one of the worst will face one of the worst offenses. The Chippawa defense did have to face teams like Kansas, Clemson, and Purdue.
Central Michigan 45 Miami of Ohio 13
Austinwolv's add:
CMU wins the MAC title, as they are a team that was left in good hands by former coach Brian Kelly and has been playing solid football for a couple seasons now, not fearing games against larger programs. They have weapons at their disposal that Miami-OH just won't be able to answer. Miami-OH only stays in this one if they can create some turnovers.
CMU 38, Miami 23
Army vs Navy
Dec. 1, 11am ET CBS
Austinwolv's take:
One thing both of these service academies can say this year is that they are better than Notre Dame. Score one for our military guys who bust their butts for the love of the game.
Navy has had themselves a memorable season as they beat ND already. With a potent rushing attack that leads the country and helps to put up 40 points per game, Navy can get it done against an Army defense that near the worst in the country. Army gives up 30 points per game, while allowing an average of 228 yards per game on the ground. That spells trouble for Army.
The other aspect in Navy’s heavy favor is that the Army offense is not very productive. They only score 18 points per game with the #115-ranked offense in the land. They are #111 in rushing. Look for Army to go to the pass where they get roughly 190 yards per game out of the 280 total offense yards they average per game. Considering Navy is ranked #109 against the pass, that is the hole that Army will need to depend on.
Army is on a 5-game skid, while Navy has won 3 straight and is bowl-eligible.
I expect Navy to control the ball and the clock on the ground for this game and roll to a fairly easy victory.
Navy 38, Army 14
SeminoleDynasty's add:
I agree with Austin all the way here. Navy is actually not that bad a team compared to Army. Army has scored 17 points or less 7 times this season and failed to score 10 or more 4 of those. With Navy able to run the ball and Army not stopping it well, I think Navy will run away with this one.
Navy 38 Army 10
CONFERENCE USA Championship Game
Tulsa vs Central Florida
Dec. 1, 11am ET ESPN
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Tulsa comes into this game on a 5 game winning streak with a record of 9-3. They were the West champions with a 6-2 record. They beat Rice last week 48-43. The Golden Hurricane offense is one of the best in the country. They are 9th in scoring averaging 40.7 points per game and ranked 1st in total offense averaging 548.6 yards per game. Their leader quarterback Paul Smith is 3rd in the nation in passing yards per game at 360.6. He also thrown 39 touchdowns to 16 interceptions on the season. He also has a quarterback rating of 164.9 which puts him in the top. He's not the only star of the offense as running back Matt Forte is 2nd in the nation in rushing yardage with 2,127 yards as well as 2nd in rushing yards per game at 177.2. The top receiver on the team in Brennan Marion who averages 95.7 yards per game. His 1148 yards receiving puts him in the 15 receivers in the nation.
On defense, Tulsa ranks near the bottom in the country. They give up 34.7 points per game and 471.8 yards per game. Their offense has to bail them out often.
Central Florida will make their way to the C-USA Championship game with a 9-3 record. They were East champs with a 7-1 record. The Golden Knights are coming off a 36-20 win over UTEP last weekend. The Knights met Tulsa earlier in the year and whipped up on the Hurricanes 44-23. They have a winning streak to match Tulsa in 6 straight. Their offense is high octane as well. They rank 13th in the nation in scoring with an average of 37.9 points per game. However, they are 33rd in total offense averaging 425.7 yards per game. They are led by the leading rusher in the country in running back Kevin Smith. Smith has rushed for 2164 yards on the year ranking him 1st in the land as well as averaging 180.3 yards per game which also places him 1st in the country.
On defense the Knights are middle of the pack. They give up 28.1 points per game and 371.8 yards per game. This should be a shoot out with these 2 poor defenses.
I do see another high scoring game between these two teams. Once again I see the Golden Knights coming out on top thanks to their defense being a tad better. Their offense will move the ball behind Smith and eat up some clock.
Central Florida 41 Tulsa 30
Austinwolv's add:
Defense wins championships, so the fact that both offenses are productive and have weapons means that a defense will need to step up. Central Florida has a better chance of that and thus is my pick.
UCF 42, Tulsa 28
ACC Championship Game
Boston College vs Virginia Tech
Dec. 1, Noon ET ABC
Austinwolv's take:
BC comes into this game on a 2-game win streak, having beaten a solid Clemson team two weeks ago and then a downtrodden Miami-FL program last week. BC of course relies heavily on QB Matt Ryan’s arm to move the ball, as they are #7 passing team in the country, whereas they are #25 in total offense yards at 440 yards per game. They’ll have a tough match-up against a tough VT defense that sits as the #4 defense nationally, giving up only 285 yards per game. The Hokies are giving up just under 200 yards per game through the air.
Virginia Tech is quietly running to a 10 win season thus far and is on a 4-game win streak. However, only their win over then-#16 Virginia looks good, as the rest of the wins were over mediocre teams. The Hokies have gotten better as the season has worn on, mainly on the strength of their defense. The offense is still lacking as VT needs to play from ahead on the scoreboard, as they lack firepower to make big comebacks. The offense only puts up 335 yards per game, which puts them at #97 nationally. The Hokies can reasonably run the ball, going for 137 yards per game. However, that plays into BC’s strength, as the Eagles have the #2 rushing defense nationally, only giving up 66 yards per game.
VT comes into this game with a lot of momentum, but they will be tested by Matt Ryan and a sound rush defense. These teams played to a 14-10 BC victory earlier in the season, and I don’t think VT will contain BC’s offense that well again.
Boston College 27, VT 19
SeminoleDynasty's add:
I'm going the other way on this one. VT is playing sound football lately and it comes when running back Brandon Ore is running his best of the season. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a double threat in running or passing, but Sean Glennon has handled the passing game well recently. I like Virginia Tech's defense to do what it did back in October, but this time not allow Ryan to win it in the last 2:30 minutes of the game.
Virginia Tech 24 Boston College 13
SEC Championship Game
LSU vs Tennessee
Dec. 1, 4pm ET CBS
Austinwolv's take:
LSU needs to come into this SEC title game with pride as their main motivator after screwing their national title game hopes last week against Arkansas. For that loss, the worst part was literally getting run over by Darren McFadden and Co., as stud Glenn Dorsey was hurting.
LSU still sports the 3rd best defensive unit in the country at only giving up 279 yards per game, but obviously the Tigers have shown some vulnerability on the ground, as the team gives up 104 yards per game on average rushing. In terms of scoring, the team gives up more points than expected at 20 per game, which puts them #22 in the country.
That sets up a interesting match-up with a Vol offense that is #22 in the country in scoring at 35 points per game, which is higher than their middle-of-the-road #53-rated offense that puts up 404 yards per game. Naturally, Tennessee relies on Erik Ainge to move the ball, as they average 255 yards per game through the air.
The Vol defense has been the weak link for this year’s 2007 team. They give up 29 points per game and just over 400 yards per game, which both line up to put them ~#70 in the country in those categories. They are not very good, giving up both rushing and passing yards at 158 and 245 per, respectively.
This is good news for a LSU offense that has been both potent and stalled at times. The Tigers sport the 24th-ranked offense at 446 yards per game, while they score relatively easy. LSU averages 40 points for game and is quite adept on the ground, averaging 220 yards. This helps out the passing game, providing balance.
LSU had themselves a shootout last week and has to prove that was an aberration against a Volunteer team that can also score easily. If LSU comes out with pride, expect them to take this game, as the Volunteer defense can be exploited.
LSU 34, Tennessee 28
SeminoleDynasty's add:
I too like the Tigers in this one, but I think they beat up on the Vols. LSU has more talent, but they have been inconsistent this year at times. I look for them to put on a show in this big game and come away with the SEC title.
LSU 37 Tennessee 20
BIG XII Championship Game
Missouri vs Oklahoma
Dec. 1, 8pm ET ABC
SeminoleDynasty's take:
Missouri comes into this game the #1 team in the land with a record of 11-1. They are the North division champs with a 7-1 record. They are coming off a 36-28 win over then #2 Kansas last weekend. The Tigers only defeat came at the hands of the Sooners earlier this season losing 41-31. Missouri's offense is one of the nations most feared behind quarterback Chase Daniel. Mizzou ranks 6th in scoring offense averaging 41.9 points per game as well as ranking 5th in total offense averaging 507.3 yards per game. Daniel is one the nations best quarterbacks. He ranks 6th in the nation in passing yards per game at 329.2 yards. He also has 33 touchdowns compared to 9 interceptions. Wide out Jeremy Maclin is a triple threat. He is the teams leading receiver, 2nd leading rusher, and leading return man. He has 954 yards receiving with 9 touchdowns along with 309 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. He also has 3 touchdowns on returns with 1 on kickoffs and 2 on punts.
On defense the Tigers are lacking. They give up an average of 23.4 points per game and 380.8 yards per game. They have played some outstanding offensive teams this season though in Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas.
Oklahoma comes into this game as the #9 team in the nation with a record of 10-2. They are the South division champs with a record of 6-2. The Sooners are coming off a 49-17 win over rival Oklahoma State this past weekend. The Sooners are just as good as the Tigers offense. They are ranked 3rd in the nation in scoring with an average of 43.8 points per game. They also rank 17th in total offense averaging 457.6 yards per game. They will be without 2nd leading rusher DeMarco Murray for this game. The Sooners are led on offense by quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford has 32 touchdowns through the air compared to 7 interceptions on the season while completing 70% of his passes.
On defense the Sooners are one of the best in the nation. Their defense is ranked 11th in scoring giving up 18.3 points per game. They also rank 19th in total defense giving up an average of 324.6 yards per game.
I see this game coming down much like the 1st one. Oklahoma's defense will make some key plays and force Daniel into some mistakes. The Oklahoma offense will get some easy points thanks to those mistakes and take the Big XII championship.
Oklahoma 37 Missouri 23
Austinwolv's add:
Allen Patrick and OU ran the ball straight down OKST last week, and we should expect to see more of the same against Mizzou this week. One would think OU will try to control the ball and keep Chase Daniel off the field. The Tigers will need to create some turnovers to get more possessions, but as Nole mentioned, Bradford has been taking care of the ball. Missouri had 4 turnovers to OU’s 2 in the earlier game this season, so if Mizzou can win the turnover battle and not leave their defense in bad field position, the Tigers have a great chance to win the Big12. I’m going to gamble and say that the Tigers secure the football this time around.
Mizzou 38, OU 37
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