Ten to Win: USC's hold over the Irish to continue

USC quarterback Matt Barkley has faced tough road challenges before and come out on top. (Icon)

 

“Ten to Win” went 7-3 last week to up the season record to a respectable 39-21. Let’s see if we can better that this week. There are some tasty games on the menu, and for a change the top games are not in the Southeastern Conference, although there are a couple of big ones in the SEC again.

 

Oklahoma vs. Texas in Dallas: The Red River Rivalry is a great one and this one matches two of the nation’s top two quarterbacks, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma against Colt McCoy of Texas. Both quarterbacks were expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy again after finishing 1-2 last season, but Bradford got hurt and McCoy hasn’t had the one big explosive day to move him to the front of the race. Since the Sooners have two one-point losses, this game loses some of its luster, but the intangibles around this one are huge. Oklahoma wants to get even for the Texas win last season, and Texas wants to get even for Oklahoma getting the Big 12 South championship game slot over the Longhorns. Statistically these teams are pretty close except for one thing—Oklahoma gives up just 8.4 points per game and Texas 15. But statistics don’t mean much in this game, heart does and Oklahoma has a little more going for it in terms of making up for games lost when Bradford was out and, of course, that 45-35 loss last year.

 

USC at Notre Dame: This is supposed to be Jimmy Clausen’s statement game for his Heisman Trophy candidacy and Charlie Weis’ statement game for his coaching era. Of course, all that hinges on beating the Trojans, which the Irish haven't done lately. USC has a seven-game winning streak in this classic rivalry, but Notre Dame has its best chance to break that streak this year. Clausen comes in leading the nation in passing efficiency and the Irish are 4-1, but they have been the masters of the last-minute theatrics this season, swiping last-minutes wins from Michigan State, Purdue and Washington after losing in the final minute to Michigan. Southern Cal has lost its game it was not supposed to (It happens every year) but the Trojans come into Notre Dame with a strong rushing attack led by Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford. The Trojans have averaged 5.5 yards per rush. Freshman Matt Barkley has been adequate in the passing game. Notre Dame has Clausen and receiver Golden Tate to cause USC some problems, but to do that Clausen has to have time to throw. The key to this game might come down to whether the offensive line for Notre Dame can protect Clausen. If so, Notre Dame has a chance. If not, it will be same song, eighth verse. USC has won big games on the road in the past; this will be one more.

 

Arkansas at Florida: A lot of people are looking at this as a chance for Arkansas to prove the Razorbacks are an elite team in the SEC West. Arkansas is coming off two impressive wins over Texas A&M and Auburn, but Florida is a different animal. Remember Alabama came out and socked Arkansas in the mouth and stayed in quarterback Ryan Mallett’s face the whole game. The result was a 35-7 Alabama win. Florida will come out and sock Arkansas right in the face. I don’t necessarily expect another 35-7 beatdown, but the Gators are not going to be caught unfocused like Auburn. Florida will have a little more Tim Tebow available this week, but he will probably play a secondary role like he did against LSU. It won’t matter. The Gators will eat up the Hogs.

 

South Carolina at Alabama: This one is being billed as Steve Spurrier against Nick Saban, but that’s hardly fair. It’s a ranked South Carolina team playing a ranked Alabama team on the Crimson Tide’s home turf. South Carolina has quietly posted a 5-1 record and except for a great play by Georgia’s Rennie Curran at the goal line in the final seconds, the Gamecocks would be 6-0 and ranked higher than their current No. 22. South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia is having a fine year as is wide receiver Moe Brown. But they will be going against an Alabama team that is seventh in the country against the pass and seventh against the run. SC is tough against the pass as well, they are ranked sixth nationally, and linebacker Eric Norwood has 28 career sacks, tied for eighth-best in SEC history. Alabama is second in the nation in total defense, but South Carolina is 14^th. This should be a good defensive struggle. Garcia is a stronger passer than Greg McElroy, but Mark Ingram is Alabama’s trump card. He can run, block, catch passes and lineup in the Wildcat formation. South Carolina can’t match that.

 

Texas Tech at Nebraska: It’s tough to beat the Cornhuskers on their home turf, and the Red Raiders have a tough time beating any ranked team on the road. They have lost to five consecutive ranked teams on the road. Taylor Potts may return at quarterback for Texas Tech, but Mike Leach could decide to stay with Steven Sheffield, who threw seven touchdown passes last game. The players may lean toward keeping the hot hand at the throttle, but it might not matter. Nebraska’s defense will have its hands full either way. The best thing for Nebraska would be to grind out yardage with Roy Helu Jr. and keep the explosive Red Raider offense on the sidelines. Can they do it? That will be the key to the game for Nebraska. For Texas Tech, it’s just scoring more than the Cornhuskers and to heck with defense. I’m going to call the upset here.

 

Iowa at Wisconsin: Pretty good matchup at Camp Randall Stadium with the Hawkeyes coming in undefeated and the Badgers with only the one loss. Wisconsin brings a strong running game into this meeting behind stalwart John Clay, and Iowa is only sixth in the league against the rush. Iowa is getting a lot of love nationally because of its schedule and some narrow victories on it, but they are still victories. Wisconsin lost to Ohio State last week and gave up three touchdowns on two interception returns and a kickoff return. Don’t look for that to happen again. The Big Ten’s last undefeated team will fall this weekend.

 

Missouri at Oklahoma State: Missouri has won four straight games in Stillwater, but that streak should end Saturday. Even without suspended Dez Bryant and hobbled Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State has still managed to keep the offense rolling. Keith Toston has filled in nicely for Hunter and Zac Robinson has spread the ball around to other receivers. Missouri relies on quarterback Blaine Gabbert to move the football, but will he be able to do it enough against the Oklahoma State defense? With the game at Stillwater, you have to lean slightly toward the Cowboys.

 

Kansas at Colorado: Mark Mangino’s team is undefeated, and hardly anybody talks about the Jayhawks. Unfortunately, beating quarterback-challenged Colorado won’t change that. Kansas still has a tough gauntlet to run to get to the Big 12 Championship Game, but don’t forget about “The Fighting Manginos” as TV analyst Tim Brando likes to call them. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing is fifth in the nation in passing and will likely improve that number this weekend.

 

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: This is likely the battle for the ACC Coastal Division title and it is a tough game to figure. Both teams bring high-scoring offenses into this one and both have great quarterbacks, but Virginia Tech has the better defense. Georgia Tech has a slight edge on offense and both coaches are wily veterans. With Georgia Tech holding the home field advantage, I’m, going to go with Georgia Tech. (But I don’t think I’ve been right on a Virginia Tech game since Moby Dick was a minnow.)

 

Cal at UCLA: Cal was once the darling of the Pac-10, but Jeff Tedford’s team has slipped out of the national limelight with some embarrassing defeats. Rick Neuheisel is trying to bring the Bruins back into the limelight, but they are not there yet. One of these teams will get its first conference win. It should be Cal.