Here’s my analysis of this week’s top games.
In this week’s slate, a dark horse has a chance to emerge as a Group of 5 front-runner, and two SEC West powers tangle. Here are my thoughts.
#17 Boise State @ Oklahoma State
Courtesy: Joe Jaszewski/The Idaho Statesman via AP
Since the Chris Peterson era, this game is undoubtedly the most important regular season game that Boise has played. Early hopes of a possible New Year’s’ Six berth or, perhaps, even more, is brewing for these Broncos. But in their way is a road game against a Power 5 opponent that’s a contender to go to its conference championship game.
For BSU, senior QB Brett Rypien has been flat-out stellar in the first two games–going 41/56 passing for nearly 700 yards, 7 TDs, and 0 INT. He leads an electric offense but so does Oklahoma State–thanks to the return of Justice Hill.
Bar none, this would be Bryan Harson’s best win as the head coach of the Broncos. I could bring BSU into the conversation as a top 10 team. One thing is for certain, though. After this game, we’ll have a pretty good idea of who’s best in the Group of 5.
#13 West Virginia @ NC State
WVU finally has to play a challenging opponent. They weren’t tested against Tennessee (new coaching staff) or Youngstown State (had already lost to Butler, for Pete’s sake).
Expect Will Grier to excel again. But also expect NC State to score its fair share of points, too, thanks to stud senior QB Ryan Finley, whose numbers are quite similar to Grier’s. The Wolfpack also has a dangerous receiver in Kelvin Harmon, whose bound to give the largely untested WVU secondary some trouble.
A close game is in store in Raleigh. It should be tons of fun to watch as two senior quarterbacks duke it out.
USC @ Texas
Neither of these two teams has lived up to expectations. SC had trouble with UNLV and then got manhandled in Palo Alto. Texas … oh dear …where do I begin? UT loses to Maryland for the second year in a row and needed to clutch it out against Tulsa – YES, TULSA! – at home, no less.
But despite all of that underperformance, this game remains significant. Remember the ’06 Rose Bowl?
If nothing else, watch this game to see if there’s any chance one team might be relevant by year’s end.
For Texas, a win would also improve Tom Herman’s situation. ‘Horns fans seem to be getting an altogether familiar feeling….
#4 Ohio State vs. #22 TCU
As Urban Meyer sits out one more game, fans will get to see a really fun matchup. OSU’s QB Dwayne Haskins has emerged to be better than expected and the Buckeyes are now the favorite to win the B1G.
TCU, on the other hand, lost a lot of talent but did retain several key components defensively, including Ben Banogu and Ty Summers (both are on the Bednarik Watch List). And QB Shawn Robinson, while not perfect, has had his share of shining moments in the first couple games.
With somewhat of a home-field advantage for TCU (in Jerry World stadium) the Frogs will have a golden opportunity to snag one from the Bucks.
Are the Buckeyes the best team in the Big Ten? Is TCU a Big XII contender? We’ll know more after Saturday.
GAME OF THE WEEK
#14 LSU @ #6 Auburn
Two SEC West rivals that have defied early-season expectations will clash in Jordan-Hare. Ed Orgeron has done a fantastic job bringing the Bayou Bengals back to relevancy, and Auburn has impressed with a win over Washington, a top 5 team.
LSU’s Joe Burrow (photo, CBS Sports)
Joe Burrow’s arrival in Baton Rouge has done wonders for the offense–even though his numbers have been deceivingly mediocre. Bottom line is that he’s managing the LSU offense. And senior RB Nick Brossette has absolutely torn apart the competition (125 yards, at an almost 6 YPC, and TDs against Miami’s vaunted defense).
Auburn has been great, thanks to the play of Jarrett Stidham and the return of much of a rock-solid defense. But the running game has been suspect and that deficiency could be this team’s downfall. Conversely, LSU’s offensive line has been equally, if not more, suspect (giving up 2 sacks per game v. Auburn’s average of forcing 4.5 sacks per game).
I think this game will be tighter than many expect (AUB -10). Look for it to come down to the final possession, which is nothing new when LSU and Auburn get together.
