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| COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW | |
| September 12, 2005 | |
| Jonathan, SCS.com Editor | Contact Jonathan |
> Game of the Week
(6) Tennessee at (5) Florida
Saturday 7:00 PM CST ESPN
Tennessee and Florida go head to head this weekend in Gainesville to renew the annual showdown between the Vols and Gators. For the second time in four seasons, a new coach will be on the sideline for UF. In contrast, Phil Fulmer will be making his fourteenth regular season appearance against his biggest SEC East rival.
After hanging on a for a win over UAB in week one, the Volunteers took last weekend off. Both Rick Clausen and Erik Ainge took snaps under center against the Blazers. Though they threw a combined three interceptions, it was Clausen who came away with the better numbers after the first outing. Touted RB Gerald Riggs, Jr. ran for 110 yards and will have to carry much of the UT offensive load. Scoring just seventeen points against UAB's defense, however, is not a sign of good things to come.
Coach Urban Meyer has gotten the 2005 Gators off to a 2-0 start, and like the team, all-conference QB Chris Leak has put up impressive numbers (70% completion, 5 TD, 0 INT) thus far. Veteran DeShawn Wynn and rookie Markus Manson have handled the running duties, and though both have fared well, the Tennessee defense will provide a much bigger challenge than did either Wyoming or Louisiana Tech.
SCS.com projected these two squads, along with Georgia, to be atop the SEC East standings this fall. This is the first head-on collision between those three teams this fall and will be an early indicator of how the trio stacks up against each other. The Gators have not been challenged yet this season, partly because of their competition but even more so because they have put their opponent away early each of the last two weeks. Though the Vols won't fade as fast, it will be Florida who prevails this weekend, taking an early advantage in the SEC East race.
The Editor Says: Florida 27-13
> Next Five
Oregon State at (3) Louisville
Saturday 11:00 AM CST ESPN
The Beavers survived a scare from Boise State last week and will face an even tougher test this Saturday. After knocking off in-state rival Kentucky in week one, the Cardinals took last weekend off. Though OSU has offensive talent in Moore, Hass, and Bernard, the UL offense is just as good and their defense much better.
The Editor Says: Louisville 34-21
(12) Miami at (15) Clemson
Saturday 2:30 PM CST ABC/GamePlan
This game did not draw much interest in the preseason, but after the Tigers defeated both Texas A&M and Maryland in the last couple of weeks, this looks like a huge game in terms of ACC positioning early in the season. The Hurricanes cannot afford another loss if they want to be in the race. Look for Larry Coker's team to find a way to win.
The Editor Says: Miami 24-17
Oklahoma at UCLA
Saturday 2:30 PM CST ABC/GamePlan
The Sooners have been entirely unimpressive early in the season, losing the opener to TCU and slipping past in-state rival Tulsa late in the game last weekend. UCLA has yet to be challenged this fall but will face one of the leaders in the Heisman Trophy race on Saturday. The OU defense and RB Adrian Peterson will pull the Sooners through.
The Editor Says: Oklahoma 24-16
Alabama at South Carolina
Saturday 2:30 PM CST CBS
Steve Spurrier's tenure is underway. The Gamecocks took care of Central Florida in week one and then just missed pulling the upset on the road at Georgia last weekend. The Tide picked up an impressive win over Southern Miss last Saturday, moving to 2-0 on the season. USC looks ready to compete in the East; this one will tell where Bama stands.
The Editor Says: South Carolina 24-21
Florida State at Boston College
Saturday 6:45 PM CST ESPN
The Seminoles got a huge early edge in the ACC standings when they knocked off Miami in week one before easily taking care of The Citadel in week two. BC picked up a big early win of their own on the road at BYU two weeks ago. If last year's Big East co-champs want to make some noise in the ACC this fall, this is a game they need to win.
The Editor Says: Florida State 27-21
> Predicting the Rest
Utah over TCU
UTEP over Houston
Michigan over Eastern Michigan
Virginia over Syracuse
Maryland over West Virginia
Vanderbilt over Mississippi
Texas A&M over SMU
Duke over VMI
Georgia over LA-Monroe
Toledo over Temple
Missouri over Troy
Air Force over Wyoming
Notre Dame over Michigan State
Auburn over Ball State
Army over Baylor
Ohio State over San Diego State
Virginia Tech over Ohio
Nebraska over Pittsburgh
Penn State over Central Michigan
Washington over Idaho
Iowa over Northern Iowa
Miami (Ohio) over Kent State
Northern Illinois over Tennessee Tech
California over Illinois
Middle Tennessee over Akron
NC State over Eastern Kentucky
Wake Forest over East Carolina
Georgia Tech over Connecticut
Kentucky over Indiana
Texas over Rice
Texas Tech over Sam Houston State
Oregon over Fresno State
UAB over Jacksonville State
Wisconsin over North Carolina
Oklahoma State over Arkansas State
South Florida over Central Florida
North Texas over Tulsa
Washington State over Grambling
Cincinnati over Western Carolina
Kansas over Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss over McNeese State
Western Michigan over Southern Illinois
Memphis over UT-Chattanooga
LA-Lafayette over Northwestern State
Rutgers over Buffalo
Mississippi State over Tulane
New Mexico over New Mexico State
Minnesota over Florida Atlantic
Purdue over Arizona
Arizona State over Northwestern
Stanford over UC Davis
Nevada over UNLV
Southern Cal over Arkansas
The Editor's Records:
Last Week: 51-10 (.836)
To Date: 96-20 (.828)
Game of the Week: 1-1 (.500)
