The Crier

The Rundown

The Crier’s own Andy Griesbaum tells you what to look for this week in college football.

Andy Griesbaum · Sport · Sep 28, 2007

Our weekly football pick ‘em is finally up and running, and it looks like we chose a good week to begin. On the national front, there are two match ups between top-25 teams this weekend, both of which have major implications for conference championships. Furthermore, Michigan should have an easy win coming to them in Evanston on Saturday.

Three Games to Watch:

1) (6) California at (11) Oregon If you like high-powered offense, this is the game to watch this week. Oregon’s Dennis Dixon and California’s Nate Longshore are going to duel it out against two relatively equal pass defenses (Oregon 245.0 ypg vs California 258.5 ypg). Look for Oregon wide receiver Cameron Colvin to bust out. Due to a season ending injury to starter, Brian Paysinger, Colvin is in the lineup after a career performance last week, hauling in 8 catches for 136 yards and a TD. Also, a quick shout out to my high school buddy (and former teammate) Jairus Byrd, Oregon’s starting left cornerback. Wolverine fans might remember this budding star’s name being repeatedly read over the loudspeaker during the game in week 2. Oregon’s cornerbacks have not allowed a single passing touchdown against them this year, but will get a big challenge from Cal’s wide receiver trio of DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins, and Robert Jordan.

2) (22) Alabama at Florida St. Both of these teams have something to prove. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide contained Heisman front-runner Darren McFadden and upset Arkansas in Week 3, then turned around and dropped (literally) a game to Georgia at home in week 4. Florida State’s head coach Bobby Bowden, an Alabama native, is playing the Tide for the first time and seeking to reestablish the Seminoles as a national power. That will be hard if his quarterback, Drew Weatherford, has the same kind of game as last week. Weatherford went 8-for-18 against Colorado, a team that does not even compare to ‘Bama. Look for a defensive struggle on both teams.

3) (13) Clemson at Georgia Tech Georgia Tech could use this game to reestablish their season. After two consecutive ACC losses to a good Boston College team and a not so good Virginia team, Tech has a legitimate shot at upsetting the incoming Clemson Tigers. Their blitzing packages have accounted for the 8th most sacks in the nation, which is not good news for Clemson quarterback, Cullen Harper. He’s surprised everyone in his first year, throwing for 12 touchdowns without an interception. Watch for Clemson running back James Davis to have a big game this week. His homecoming to Atlanta could be a big one, last year he rushed for 216 yards and 2 TDs against Tech.

Upset of the Week:

The Illini head coach Ron Zook has a legitimate shot at leading his team to a victory over Penn State this week. Their QB/RB combination of Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall are underrated and overlooked, but have the potential to give the Penn St. defense significant trouble. Besides, Penn State just looked awful last week against the Wolverines. You saw it too, right?

Top 5:

1. LSU
2. Oklahoma
3. USC
4. West Virginia
5. Florida