Desert Sapper's Blogistan

OU Football and my world

2007/9/30

Week 6 Games and Notes

@ 09:43 AM (26 months, 2 days ago)

Wow...Just WOW

5 top 10 teams bit the dust in what could easily be remembered forever as 'Upset weekend'.  First, West Virginia dropped to USF in Tampa Friday night.  Then OU lost at Colorado on a last second field goal.  Meanwhile, Texas was getting thumped by K-State in Austin, Rutgers was getting beat by the Terps in Piscataway, and Florida was falling to Auburn in Gainesville.  Never did I expect to see such upheaval in one weekend.  This is why we all love College Football.  There's nothing else like it on earth.

We begin with the Red River war, which took a huge hit this weekend when both teams, who would have been in the top 10 going into Saturday, lost (Texas by 20 points at home to K-State!.  Yet, this is still OU-Texas, and it does still mean a great deal (hey, the loser is 0-2 in the Big XII).  Granted, it may not launch the winner into a champioonship driver's seat of any kind, but it is going to be exciting, emotions will run high, and the game will be for more than bragging rights.  Will Stoops regain his dominance of the series, or will Mack run his streak to three games?
 
Nebraska, after struggling mightily for the third straight week, visits Columbia to face the unbeaten Tigers.  Mizzou wants hop into the driver's seat in the Big XII North, but Bill Callahan better win quick.  His seat is engulfed in flames right now.  Will the hungry Tigers stake their claim, or will Big Red jump in front of the North yet again?
 
Kentucky is rolling right now.  Andre' Woodson is apparently the real deal, and he has been demonstrating his prowess weekly.  His 301 yards and 5 TDs last week came against Florida Atlantic.  South Carolina is not Florida Atlantic, especially not on Defense.  The Cocks have been powerful on D, wrecking everybody but LSU along the way.  Will UK emerge with a big win in South Carolina, or will the ol' ball coach show everybody how it's done?
 
Florida's trip to Red Stick was supposed to be the be all-end all game of this weekend.  Unfortunately for the Gators, Auburn proved how beatable a defending National Champ can be.  That won't diminish from how much is on the line in this game, however.  Especially for the Bayou Bengals.  National Title hopes are still on the line for them, and the BCS championship is in their backyard this year.  Will LSU emerge as the dominant team in the SEC, or will Tim Tebow will a victory over the staunch Tiger D?
 
Purdue (5-0) is like Rodney Dangerfield.  They get no respect (not even from me, apparently).  They have slammed every patsy they've played, to include Notre Dame last week (although the Irish got closer than anybody else to beating the Boilermakers).  If it's respect that Purdue wants, it can earn that respect this week against the Buckeyes.  Ohio State is emerging as a Top 10 team again, spanking Minnesota last week.  The Bucks must visit West Lafayette to remain atop the Big 10.  Will Purdue climb into the ranks of the respected, or will Ohio State show why it is the top team in the Big 10 right now?
 
All of these questions and more are bound to find an answer this weekend, so stay tuned.
 
My Top 10:
1.LSU
2.USC
3.Ohio State
4.Cal
5.Kentucky
6.USF
7.BC
8.Wisconsin
9.Mizzou
10.OU
 
My Website

2007/9/25

CFB Week 5

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@ 08:11 PM (26 months, 7 days ago)
Oklahoma faces its first road test a week before the traditional showdown in the Cotton Bowl.  Colorado may not be fully back to where they were under Gary Barnett, but coach's son Cody Hawkins is certainly doing his fair share of bringing the Boise State offense to Boulder.  The Sooners, of course, have proven to be the most dominant offensive team in college football through the first four games.  Will Dan Hawkins' Boise trickeration rear its head against the mighty OU juggernaut, or will Boomer Sooner ring loudly in Colorado?

Who in the preseason would have thought that West Virginia and South Florida would mark a meeting of Big East heavyweights?  Probably nobody.  The Mountaineers and their powerful ground game must make the journey to face the same team that knocked off the Auburn Tigers two weeks ago.  Last week, the Bulls stomped a Butch Davis-coached North Carolina Team.  Will the Bulls reign in Tampa, or will Steve Slaton and Pat White declare themselves the class of the Big East once again?

The mighty Cal Bears, who have been touted as 'the only team that can take down USC in the Pac-10', must make the dreaded trip to Autzen stadium to battle the surprisingly tough Oregon Ducks.  The Bears' marquee win was over the Vols in week 1 and the ducks stomped Meechigan in the big house.
Neither victory seems all that impressive in retrospect, but each of these teams is averaging more than 40 points/game.  The Ducks average nearly 50 points.  Will the fluorescent yellow and green ducks have the last quack orm will canard be on the menu for the Bears?

K-State travels to Texas in a repeat of the game that began the Longhorn slide at the end of last season.  You can bet Mack's gang will have it out for the Wildcats.  After dropping the season opener at Auburn, the cats have stomped their last two opponents (one was Division FCS Missouri State, but still).  Texas struggled in their season opener with Arkansas State and against TCU (before pulling away).  Then they nearly got beat by the Central Florida Knights on the road before stomping a mudhole in the Rice Owls. Which Texas team will show up, and will the K-State Wildcats be ready?

The Spartans are 4-0 as they travel to Camp Randall Stadium to take on the equally undefeated Wisconsin Badgers.  Will Wisconsin prove its mettle and stay perfect, or will Michigan State start a new chapter in the Big 10?

2007/9/24

Week 4

@ 06:26 PM (26 months, 8 days ago)
Franchione and company have racked up a 3 game winning streak to start the season, while Miami lost in Norman to the Sooners in week 2.  Don't count these Canes out, though, especially not at home.  A&M rallied to beat Fresno in week 2, but has blasted both ULM and Montana State (I know).  This game could get interesting if the Aggies get rattled in the Orange Bowl.  Will Miami get back on track, or will A&M pull out a big one in Coral Gables?
 
South Carolina surprised everyone when they beat UGA in Athens.  Defense has been the big surprise for these Gamecocks.  Everyone knew they would be good, but I doubt many saw them eating up the Dawgs.  LSU, on the other hand, has been everything everyone in Baton Rouge expected and hoped for.  They have positively dominated opponents on both sides of the ball.  Will Early Doucet's absense make a difference, or will the Tigers Geaux, Geaux, Geaux?
 
Both Penn State and Michigan buried Notre Dame.  Michigan got off to a Rocky start (losing to App State close and Oregon bad), while the Nittany Lions have stomped all three of their opponents (FIU, Buffalo, and the aforementioned ND).  Will the Lions exploit a questionable Wolverine secondary, or will the Blue rule the Big House once again?
 
The Red Raiders of Texas Tech have been averaging 51 points a game (no surprise against SMU, UTEP, and Rice), but they have a point differential of 30.  The Oklahoma State Cowboys, in contrast, have not lived up to their billing as the 'greatest offense in the world', getting punked by UGA and Troy.  Granted, Troy is not the joke many think they are, and it was in Athens, but still.  Will Mike Gundy's offense regain its reputation, or will the Red Raiders fly all over Boone Pickens Stadium in a display of Mike Leachian O?
 
UK shocked many when they beat Louisville last week.  Senior QB Andre Woodson has passed for 743 yards and 9 TDs (with 0 INTs) in three games.  He is showing himself to be the real deal.  Arkansas got stunned at Bama last week.  Darren McFadden, however, is looking to reestablish his Heisman hype.  Will Woodson pass all day, or will D-Mac show off the arm and legs that have made him so famous?
 
Stay tuned, sports fans.  All these questions and more get answers in Week 4.

2007/9/11

Week 3 Games and Notes

@ 06:09 PM (26 months, 21 days ago)
BC visits the ATL to take on a good Georgia Tech team.  BC is coming into A-town after smacking down former coach Tom O'Brien and his NC State Wolfpack.  The seven turnovers the Eagles caused and RB Andre Callender's 158 yards and 2 TDs made it look easy.  Meanwhile, the Yellowjackets are fresh off a tune-up game against Samford (a Baptist school from Birmingham, AL) after drubbing the Notre Dame Fighting (heh) Irish in South Bend.  In the Samford game, RB Tashard Choice had 110 yards rushing IN THE FIRST QUARTER.  I know, it was against a FCS (formerly I-AA) school nobody outside of the deep south has ever even heard of, but still.  So, will the Ramblin' Wreck, stick it to the Eagles, or will the boys from Beantown squash the flying stingers in the ATL?
 
Tennessee travels to Gainesville to battle the #5 Gators.  The defending national champs have yet to face a challenge, beating Western Kentucky (yawn) and Troy (eh) in consecutive weeks.  Their defense has seemed mildly questionable at times, and Tim Tebow has lived up to his billing as the next Alex Smith (2005 Draft Pick #1) Tennessee lost at Cal by two TDs (payback for the beatdown they put on to start last season) and clobbered Southern Miss in Neyland.  Tennessee is very talented (as always) and so is Florida.  Can Timmy Tebow put on a brilliant show of superhuman strength, or will the Vols reign in the Swamp?
 
USC must venture into Lincoln, which has sold out its last 283 games (dating to a 1962 game against Mizzou) to face the sea of red.  So the boys of Troy can expect a record crowd (something tells me everybody in the state of Nebraska tried to get tickets to this one), a fired up team, and a lot of noise.  Sam Keller, who by many accounts should have been the starter at Arizona State last year, looks poised.  The Husker D looks like it is on its way back to mid-'90s black shirt form.  On the other hand, Nebraska nearly lost to Wake Forest and their second string QB last week.  USC played a very controlled brand of bland football against the Idaho Vandals two weeks ago.  It was a blowout (38-10), but not as impressive as most thought it should have been, especially coming on the heels of Oklahoma's 79-10 crushing of North Texas on Fox Sports Net.  USC was everyone's golden team coming into the season.  Will the Trojans march into Lincoln and solidify their top spot, or will the Huskers rekindle their golden years with a victory over #1?
 
Arkansas, whose late run for the SEC West crown had people buzzing in the post-season, must visit the resurgent Crimson Tide, whose $5M purchase of former Dolphins coach Nick Saban had people buzzing in the offseason.  Arkansas has only played one game.  They buried Troy, and Heisman candidate Darren McFadden showed off his legs and his arm.  The Tide smacked Western Carolina in the mouth, then nearly let their game against the Vandy Commodores slip away last week.  Can Arkansas prove that last season was no fluke, or will the Tide Roll?
 
The Buckeyes visit the Huskies in what could be a memorable matchup.  Ohio State beat Jim Tressel's old school Youngstown State (a FCS squad) pretty good, then their offense scored every point in their game against Akron last week.  Yeah, Akron's Brion Stokes tackled Ohio State RB Chris Wells in the end zone for the Zips' only points, but the Ohio State D didn't give up any points.  Not very impressive from a team that took it all the way to the BCS Championship Game a year ago.  The Huskies, on the other hand, buried Syracuse there in week 1 and ended the longest winning streak in the nation last week by beating Boise State.  Is Ty Willingham's Washington for real or will the Bucks dominate in Husky Stadium?
 
All these questions and more will be answered this week, sports fans...so stay tuned.

Week 2

@ 06:08 PM (26 months, 21 days ago)
This week should be interesting.
 
OU hosts Miami for the first meeting between the two teams since the 1988 National Championship Orange Bowl that pitted #1 OU against #2 Miami (Switzer vs. Johnson).  Although both teams dominated their competition last week (OU beat UNT 79-10 and Miami beat Marshall 31-3), only OU is ranked this time.  Miami's 7-6 record may be the biggest factor in them not being ranked, but Coach Randy Shannon looks to right the Hurricanes rather quickly with a bevy of talent and a hard-nosed approach to competition.  Although it is unclear how good these two teams truly are, it should be an exciting game.  Can the Hurricanes rekindle their prior dominance or will the Sooner Schooner run roughshod over the U in Norman?
 
Va Tech visits LSU for what should be a classic defensive battle.  Both teams are loaded and ranked in the top 10.  The Tigers smacked down Mississippi State last week 45-0 and the Hokies (in a game that was colored by a pre-game homage to the victims of the massacre) beat the ECU Pirates 17-7.  LSU is looking for a crystal football, but will Beamer ball prove to be too tough a test? 
 
Oregon travels to Michigan in the first game post-apocalypse.  After the Wolverines lost in the Big House to "lowly" (FCS back-to-back champion) Appalachian State, everybody and their brother was calling for Lloyd Carr's job.  Oregon pulled an upset in Autzen over Meechigan a few years ago that knocked them out of the top 10.  This will be the true test for the Wolverines as they try to rebound.  Can they find the motivation to overcome their funk, or will the Mighty Ducks pull off upset #2 against the Big Blue?
 
The TCU Horned Frogs travel down to Austin in a battle that once figured heavily in the race for the Southwest Conference.  Now the Longhorns, who barely pulled off a win over the Arkansas State Indians last week, are looking to make a statement.  But TCU is not a team to be taken lightly.  They blanked Baylor 27-0 without standout Defensive End Tommy Blake.  Coach Gary Patterson has built a Tier-II dynasty in Dallas, and could boost his team up with another win over a Big XII Powerhouse (the Horned Frogs beat Oklahoma in Norman in the 2005 Season opener).  Will Texas and Sophomore QB Colt McCoy show TCU what a BCS powerhouse can do, or will the Frogs hop into the upper half of the Top-25?
 
South Carolina and Steve Spurrier travel down to Athens for a game against Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs.  UGA manhandled Oklahoma State last week 35-10, while the Gamecocks just barely pushed Louisiana-Lafayette out of Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC.  The Ragin' Cajuns gave 2nd String QB Chris Smelley and 3rd String QB Tommy Beecher a run for their respective money.  UGA, on the other hand, put the O-State Cowboys away early in the second half, behind the passing of Sophomore QB Matt Stafford (18/24, 234 Yds, 2 TDs).  The UGA Defense was solid, sacking Cowboy QB Bobby Reid 5 times.  Will the return of Gamecock starting QB Blake Mitchell be enough, or will the Bulldogs eat SC for lunch?
 
All these questions and more will be answered this weekend, sports fans.  Stay tuned.