3 posts tagged “national championship”
Longhorns -3 1/2 vs. Red Raiders
Number one ranked Texas has run the gamut of tough Big 12 games against top teams (Missouri) and undefeated teams (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State) to increase their standing at the top of the polls. They will conclude this brutal stretch by traveling in-state to Lubbock to take on the surprising and undefeated Texas Tech Red Raiders. After this game the Longhorns can recoup against Baylor and Kansas before tackling arch-rival Texas Tech in the final game of the regular season. Texas has won three straight over top-11 teams and hopes to make it four straight this week. Make no mistake; if Texas (8-0, 4-0) escapes their schedule undefeated, there is no question who the top team in the country will be.
Last week the Longhorns dispatched the previously undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys 28-24, while Texas Tech continued their assault on weaker conference foes by decimating Kansas 63-21. The Jayhawks victory marked the first time all season that the Red Raiders played another Top 25 team.
While Texas' tough stretch may be ending, Texas Tech's march of terror is just beginning. After the Longhorn's leave town, the Red Raiders (8-0, 4-0) will look forward (or not) to welcoming Oklahoma State next week and traveling to Oklahoma to play the Sooners on November 22 before finishing the season out with cupcake Baylor the following week. Even though their nonconference and early conference schedule was fairly easy, as with Texas, if Texas Tech wins out, they should be playing for the National Championship. This will be their second of four consecutive games in teams in the Top 25 and their number six ranking is their highest since 1976.
The Red Raiders have gotten to their perfect record by displaying a very good offense which is second in the nation with 556.9 scrimmage yards per game and third with 48 points per game. Meanwhile the Longhorns offense is not too shabby either. They are ranked ninth in the nations with 486 scrimmage yards and just trail Texas Tech in points per game with 45.
The edge in defenses may go to Texas Tech as the Texas secondary is giving up 265.5 yards per game and ranks ninth from the bottom in the nation. So expect a shootout since the Longhorns' boast Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy.
Texas leads the one-sided series 42-14. Texas Tech has not won since 2002.
Crimson Tide -6 vs. Volunteers
Tennessee's miserable season took a week off last week as the Volunteers looked more like the Volunteers with a 34-3 route of Mississippi State. If the home standing Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) can see its way to upsetting second ranked Alabama and beating the Crimson Tide for the third time in a row at Neyland Stadium, it will go a long way to hitting the reset button their season and starting a late season push for a good bowl game.
Alabama (7-0, 4-0) will put their undefeated record on the line as they take on Tennessee Saturday night. The Tide knows that their destiny is in their own hands. This week's BCS rankings set them at number two as well and if they win out, they most certainly will play for the National Championship. On paper, Alabama should easily beat Tennessee, but as we all know games are not played on paper.
Alabama has not exactly routed their last two opponents. Last week, they allowed Mississippi to climb back into the game late before holding on to a 24-20 victory. Two weeks before that game, the Tide edged Kentucky 17-14.
Alabama will be missing a key defensive cog this week as nose guard Terrence Cody nurses a sprained knee. This will hurt the Tide, but they have had several impact players which has allowed their defense to become the 14th best in the nation. It should prove as a good matchup as the Volunteers rank last in the SEC in offense by averaging 19 points per contest.
Tennessee's strong point this season has been their defense as well, particularly Eric Berry. The sophomore cornerback returned a 72 yard interception for a touchdown and with the pick he became the All-time SEC interception returner leader with 397 yards.
The Crimson Tide lead the series 45-38-7, including last year's 41-17 rout last season. However Alabama has not posted a victory in Knoxville since 2002 and have not beaten Tennessee twice in a row since 1992.
Bulldogs -21 1/2 vs. Warriors
The Western Athletic Conference may crash the BCS party soon.
Boise State threw open the door with their outstanding play, including their 43-42 barnburner win over Oklahoma in a BCS bowl in 2006. Hawaii made quite a bit of noise last year, and Fresno State has been consistently good. The quality of competition in the WAC may rival that of any other BCS conference.
This looks to be quite another good matchup, as most of the college games around this time are, with conference play beginning. Hawaii has sputtered a bit, losing to San Jose State 20-17 last week, while Fresno took out UCLA, 36-31.
Looking here, Fresno has the edge in nearly everything, but there is one seemingly unsurmountable edge that the Bulldogs may have: big-game experience. Simply, Fresno State has faced more quality, tough opponents during this season, and played very well against them: The Bulldogs’ only loss, a 13-10 setback, was to Wisconsin, who many people picked to win the Big Ten and push for a national championship bid. They rang up wins over a tough Rutgers squad and, of course, UCLA, to ready them for the rigors of the WAC.
Look for the Bulldogs to start the conference season out on top, as they roll to 4-1 overall with a victory over the Warriors.
