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| COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW | |
| October 24, 2005 | |
| Jonathan, SCS.com Editor | Contact Jonathan |
> Game of the Week
(4) Georgia vs Florida (in Jacksonville)
Saturday 2:30 PM CST CBS
The unbeaten Georgia Bulldogs, ranked fourth in this week's SCS.com Fab 15, venture over to Jacksonville to take on Florida for the first time since Urban Meyer took over as the Gator head coach. UGA broke a six-game losing streak to UF last year, but a loss to Auburn later in the year kept the Dawgs out of the SEC Championship Game. With no blemishes to this point, a victory over Florida on Saturday keeps Georgia in the hunt not only for an early-December trip to Atlanta but also a BCS and possible Rose Bowl appearance in January.
The Bulldogs' most impressive win to date came on the road at Tennessee earlier this month. RB Thomas Brown, who dashed for 94 yards and a TD that day, combines with fellow RB Danny Ware to average 115 yards on the ground each night out. QB D.J. Shockley has taken over as the leader of the offense and become a true SEC starter in 2005. The senior has thrown a dozen touchdowns and just four picks on the season but is likely out with a knee injury on Saturday. Taking his place will be backup QB Joe Tereshinski. The junior took over early in the second quarter against Arkansas last week, completing 5 of 9 passes for 91 yards, but he did throw an interception and the Dawgs barely survived 23-20 against the Hogs. The UGA defense is ranked number five in the nation, allowing less than 14 points and 300 yards per game.
That defensive unit will have to be ready when Chris Leak and the Gators hit the field. Though the junior has had a disappointing season thus far, he is still one of the most dangerous signal-callers in the SEC. Leak has tossed ten TDs on the season and averages 225 passing yards per contest. RB DeShawn Wynn has emerged in recent weeks but is only averaging 60 yards per game on the ground. WR Andre Caldwell was lost for the season due to injury in September, but Chad Jackson has stepped up as Leak's favorite target. The junior has hauled in 52 passes for over 550 yards and a half-dozen scores on the season. The Gator defense is ranked fifth in the conference and eleventh nationally. That squad allows just 16 points and less than 275 yards per game.
The Gators have been fairly unimpressive so far this season and have dropped two of their last three games. Coach Urban Meyer's offense has yet to take flight, which is surprising considering the hype surrounding QB Chris Leak. All UGA has done this year is win, though it hasn't been pretty all the time. A backup QB will make things even tougher for coach Mark Richt and the Dawgs, but look for UGA to (just barely) make it two straight over the Gators.
The Editor Says: Georgia 16-13
> Next Five
(13) Boston College at (3) Virginia Tech
Thursday 6:45 PM CST ESPN
Coastal leader Virginia Tech takes on Atlantic co-leader Boston College on Thursday night. The Eagles' lone loss came at home to Florida State in mid-September, and in their two previous road tests at BYU and Clemson, BC has allowed just a combined 16 points. They'll make VT work for it, but Vick's squad moves to 8-0 on the season.
The Editor Says: Virginia Tech 23-13
Ohio State at Minnesota
Saturday 11:00 AM CST ABC/GamePlan
The Gophers gave away a crucial game against Wisconsin two weeks ago and after a week off, return to the field this Saturday with a chance to eliminate OSU from the Big Ten race and at the same time keep themselves above .500 in league play. Problem is, the Buckeyes' defense, the best in the league, can control Maroney and Russell.
The Editor Says: Ohio State 28-24
Nevada at Boise State
Saturday 2:00 PM CST
These two squads, along with Fresno State, are 3-0 and tied atop the WAC standings heading into the final week of October. Both Boise State and Nevada have dropped two non-league games this season, and three of those four defeats came at the hands of BCS conference teams. The Broncos have the home field and a slightly better team.
The Editor Says: Boise State 34-27
(8) UCLA at Stanford
Saturday 5:30 PM CST FoxSportsNet Regional
Stanford? Don't look now, but the Cardinal are 3-1 in PAC 10 play and a game back of co-leader UCLA. The Bruins have yet to lose this season, while Walt Harris' squad is on a three-game win streak, picking up victories over Washington State, Arizona, and Arizona State in the month of October. In a close game, which streak will end?
The Editor Says: UCLA 37-27
Michigan at Northwestern
Saturday 6:00 PM CST ESPN
The Wildcats may be the hottest team in the Big Ten right now, winners of their last three over Wisconsin, Purdue, and Michigan State and tied atop the conference standings. Michigan is all but out of the race for the league title, while the 'Cats could take a huge step towards that same goal with a home victory on Saturday evening.
The Editor Says: Northwestern 44-31
> Predicting the Rest
New Mexico over Colorado State
Wisconsin over Illinois
Michigan State over Indiana
Georgia Tech over Clemson
Wake Forest over Duke
NC State over Southern Miss
Nebraska over Oklahoma
Syracuse over Cincinnati
Auburn over Mississippi
Texas Tech over Baylor
Miami (Ohio) over Temple
Missouri over Kansas
Ohio over Buffalo
UCF over East Carolina
Toledo over Central Michigan
Western Michigan over Kent State
Colorado over Kansas State
TCU over San Diego State
BYU over Air Force
Southern Cal over Washington State
Texas A&M over Iowa State
Miami over North Carolina
Florida State over Maryland
Penn State over Purdue
Rutgers over Navy
Alabama over Utah State
Bowling Green over Akron
Oregon State over Arizona
Northern Illinois over Ball State
Troy over LA-Lafayette
UTEP over Rice
Middle Tennessee over Florida International
Arizona State over Washington
Fresno State over Hawaii
Kentucky over Mississippi State
Louisiana Tech over San Jose State
Marshall over Tulane
Texas over Oklahoma State
Tennessee over South Carolina
LSU over North Texas
New Mexico State over Idaho
> The Editor's Records
Last Week: 45-9 (.833)
To Date: 332-105 (.760)
Game of the Week: 5-3 (.625)
