Archive: 2009 Week Eleven NCAA Football Top 25 Previews
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Thursday November 12, 2009
# 24 South Florida Bulls (6-2) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: South Florida - 1
Over/Under:
Preview: A pair of 6-2 Big East teams will meet up at Rutgers Stadium on Thursday night. Both teams are in the middle of the pack in the conference race, trailing Cincinnati and Pittsburgh; both 5-0. The Bulls are led by quarterback B.J. Daniels and his 64 of 122 passes since coming in for Matt Grothe. Daniels also leads the team in rushing yards with 519 yards and 4 touchdowns. South Florida is coming off their 30-19 win over West Virginia. The win for the Bulls snapped their two game losing streak, where they fell to both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Bulls have outscored opponents 246 - 131 on the season. Rutgers also have taken their two losses to the Bearcats and Panthers. The Scarlet Knights have won their last two games; at Army and Connecticut. Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage has completed 94 of 168 passes for 8 touchdowns on the season. The Scarlet Knights have out scored opponents 231 - 140 on the season.
Friday, November 13, 2009
# 25 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) @ # 5 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: Cincinnati - 10
Over/Under:
Preview: Another huge Big East game will take place, this time on Friday night. The West Virginia Mountaineers will invade Cincinnati and look to knock the Bearcats off the ranks of unbeaten, and eliminate them from the national title hunt. West Virginia has two losses on the season; at Auburn and at South Florida. The Mountaineers are led by running back Noel Devine and quarterback Jarrett Brown. Devine has rushed 167 times for 1010 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown has thrown for 1661 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. West Virginia is coming off a 17-9 win over Louisville. The Bearcats come in perfect on the season; 9-0. Cincinnati’s latest win was a 47-45 nail bitter over the Connecticut Huskies. Zach Collaros has taken over for Tony Pike at the quarterback position and led the Bearcats with 555 passing yards against Uconn. The Bearcats are tied with Pittsburgh at the top of the Big East standings, hoping to remain that way for the December 5th trip to Pittsburgh.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
# 1 Florida Gators (9-0) @ South Carolina Gamecocks (6-4)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Florida - 15
Over/Under:
Preview: The nation’s number one team will head on the road, and take on their former coach Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Florida is 9-0, out scoring opponents 315 - 91 on the season. The Gators have won eight of their nine games by double digit outcomes. Tim Tebow is looking to garner yet another Heisman trophy this season. On the year, Tebow has thrown for 1531 yards and 11 touchdowns, and also rushed for 578 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Gators have already wrapped up the East Division of the SEC, but a win over the Gamecocks would end their conference season perfect. South Carolina comes into the game 6-4 on the season, and coming off two straight losses. The Gamecocks have been downed at Tennessee and Arkansas to drop their conference record to 3-4 on the season. South Carolina is bowl eligible currently, but hope for one win, out of this game, and a home game with Clemson to be certain. Quarterback Stephen Garcia has thrown for 2,421 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. South Carolina has won all five of their home games played this season.
# 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-5)
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Spread: Alabama - 12.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Alabama Crimson Tide look to finish out their regular season portion of the schedule unbeaten as they play their tenth of twelve games. The Crimson Tide will head to Mississippi State to play a SEC - West foe. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 24-15 win over LSU in which sealed the deal to play in the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide are on a crash course to play Florida for the right to enter the national title game. Alabama has been led by running back Mark Ingram who ran for 144 yards in the win, and has rushed for 1148 on the season. The Crimson Tide have allowed just 106 points in nine games this season. The Bulldogs are looking to climb back to .500 on the season, and possibly garner a bowl position. The Bulldogs are coming off a 31-24 road win at Kentucky. The week before that, the Bulldogs were 29-19 losers to Florida. The Bulldogs have won just one game in five tries at Davis Wade Stadium.
# 3 Texas Longhorns (9-0) @ Baylor Bears (4-5)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Texas - 24
Over/Under:
Preview: The Texas Longhorns lost a position in the BCS Standings, despite their 35-3 blasting of Central Florida. The Longhorns are not concerned with the rankings, as they feel, if they can win out, they will play in the national title game. Texas takes on Kansas and Texas A+M after this trip to Waco. The Longhorns have out scored opponents 369 - 112 on the season. The offense has been led by quarterback Colt McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley. McCoy has tossed 17 touchdown passes on 2447 yards, while Shipley has caught 6 touchdown passes, and 1050 yards. The Bears are 4-5, and looking to climb back to .500 on the season. The Bears will travel to Texas A+M and host Texas Tech after the Longhorns leave town. The Bears are coming off a 40-32 win at Missouri, which snapped their four game losing streak. The Bears are 2-3 when playing at home this season.
# 16 Utah Utes (8-1) @ # 4 TCU Horned Frogs (9-0)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: TCU - 16
Over/Under:
Preview: The Mountain West Conference title is on the line when the Utah Utes meet the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. The Utes are looking to dethrone the Horned Frogs from the national title picture. Had the Utes not lost on September 19th at Oregon, the Utes would be meeting with the Horned Frogs in a battle of two top ten teams, and possibly for a BCS bowl game. The Utes are coming off a 31 point beat down of New Mexico on Saturday. The win for Utah was their sixth straight. The Utes are led by quarterback Terrance Cain. Cain has tossed for 1624 yards and 11 touchdowns. Back-up quarterback, and freshman Jordan Wynn played on Saturday, throwing for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Horned Frogs have moved up to # 4 in the BCS Standings, following their 55-12 beat down of San Diego State. Andy Dalton has been sensational behind center for the Horned Frogs on the season, throwing for 1881 yards and 16 touchdowns. Dalton threw for 239 yards and rushed for 44 in the win over the Aztecs. The have won seven of nine games by double digits this season. Following the visit from Utah, the Horned Frogs will travel to Wyoming and host New Mexico to conclude the regular season portion of their schedule.
Idaho Vandals (7-3) @ # 6 Boise State Broncos (9-0)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Boise State - 31
Over/Under:
Preview: In a battle of two bowl eligible Western Athletic Conference teams, the Idaho Vandals will play the Boise State Broncos. The Vandals have lost two of their last three games, including a 31-21 home loss to Fresno State. The loss for Idaho dropped them to 4-2 in conference play and 7-3 overall. Idaho is led by quarterback Nathan Enderle and his 2,404 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back DeMaundray Woolridge has also assisted the offense, rushing for 652 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. The Vandals are averaging 30.8 points per game offensively. Outside of the two conference losses this season, Idaho has fallen at Washington in their second game of the season. Boise State is battling with Nevada at the top of the conference. The Broncos are coming off their 45-35 win over Louisiana Tech. The Broncos are out scoring opponents, on average, 41.4 - 16 on the season. Kellen Moore, Boise State quarterback has completed 181 of 268 passes for 2259 yards and 27 touchdown passes. The Broncos are in search of a BCS bowl game, coming in 6th in the newest rankings.
# 7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1) @ Duke Blue Devils (5-4)
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Spread: Georgia Tech - 10.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Yellow Jackets improved their season long winning streak to seven on Saturday, with a 30-27 win over Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets used a Josh Nesbitt run in overtime to seal the victory. Georgia Tech with the win put some cushion between them and Miami for the hunt to win the Atlantic Coast - Coastal Division. With a win, Georgia Tech will be playing in the ACC title game against either Clemson or Boston College. The Georgia Tech offense is averaging just under 35 points per game this season. For Duke, one more win will make them bowl eligible. The Blue Devils will travel to Miami and host Wake Forest after the Yellow Jackets leave town. Duke is coming off a 19-6 loss at the hands of the Tar Heels of North Carolina on Saturday. The loss for the Blue Devils snapped their season high three game winning streak. The loss also dropped them to 3-2 in conference play, trailing one loss Georgia Tech. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has thrown for 2,428 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-6) @ # 8 LSU Tigers (7-2)
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Spread: LSU - 24
Over/Under:
Preview: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are coming in with a three game losing streak, including losses at Utah State, Idaho and at home to Boise State. The Bulldogs will have to run the table to become bowl eligible this season. Louisiana Tech’s latest loss was a 45-35 loss to Boise State, in which they scored 28 points in the second half. The Bulldogs are 2-4 in Western Athletic Conference play. Despite the sub .500 record, Louisiana Tech has out scored opponents 251 - 235 on the season. The LSU Tigers can boast two of the “best losses” in the country. The Tigers have blemishes to both Florida and LSU on their resume. LSU was unable to slow down Julio Jones, and offense was shut down in the final quarter of the 24-15 loss to the Crimson Tide. LSU is 4-2 in the SEC - West, trailing only Alabama.
Stanford Cardinals (6-3) @ # 9 USC Trojans (7-2)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: USC - 11
Over/Under:
Preview: The Stanford Cardinals will look for their second straight conference upset. The Cardinals are coming off their 51-42 home win over the Oregon Ducks, which knocked the Ducks out of the ranks of unbeaten in the Pac-Ten. The Cardinals are 5-2 in conference play, trailing 5-1 Oregon and 4-1 Arizona. Toby Gerhart has been the Stanford work horse this season. Gerhart has rushed 233 times for 1217 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season. The Cardinals three losses have all come on the road; at Wake Forest, Oregon State and Arizona. Stanford has out scored opponents 306 - 221. In quite the contrast, a defensive minded USC team will look to stay alive in the Pac-Ten race. The chances are slim for USC, with their 4-2 record, but with Trojans wins, and some miracles, USC hopes to play in another Rose Bowl. The Trojans are coming off a very tough 14-9 win over Arizona State on Saturday. USC has yielded just 162 points on the season, with 83 of them coming in back to back games, against Oregon State and Oregon. Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley has completed 125 of 221 passes this season, for 1839 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Trojans will play all the rest of their games at home, a place where they have won all three of their games played.
# 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1) @ # 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2)
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Spread: Ohio State -17 (@ Oddsmaker Sportsbook)
Over/Under:
Preview: The Iowa Hawkeyes lost their shot at a national title, when the Northwestern Wildcats came into Iowa City and downed them 17-10 on Saturday. The Hawkeyes still are looking for a Big Ten title, and a Rose Bowl appearance. A win this weekend would put them one step closer to that goal. The Hawkeyes are 9-1 on the season, and 5-1 in Big Ten play. Iowa will be playing in this game without quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who missed most of the game against Northwestern with an ankle injury. Stanzi has been excellent this season, completing 154 of 275 passes for 2186 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Hawkeyes have out scored opponents 241 - 159 on the season. Iowa is a perfect 4-0 on the road, with wins at Iowa State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Buckeyes picked up a huge road win at Penn State to keep their chances for a return trip to Pasadena alive. Ohio State is a road loss at Purdue away from being in national title contention. Outside of that loss, the Buckeyes lost a home game to USC 18-15. In the win over Penn State, quarterback Terrelle Pryor passed for 125 yards and rushed for 50 yards. The Buckeyes have allowed just 112 points in nine games this season.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-3) @ # 12 Pittsburgh Panthers (8-1)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: Pittsburgh - 7
Over/Under:
Preview: With their 23-21 loss at home to Navy, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish once again put their head coach Charlie Weis on the hot seat. For the second straight time, the Midshipmen won in South Bend. Now the Fighting Irish will look to avoid a late season slide, when they head east to take on the red hot Pittsburgh Panthers. Notre Dame’s remaining schedule includes a home game with Connecticut and a road game at Stanford. The Irish were unable to stop the option, as Navy picked up over 400 total yards in the game. Pittsburgh looks to continue their way up the BCS ladder, winning five straight games. The Panthers lone loss came on September 26th at North Carolina State. Pittsburgh will head out of Big East play, where they are a perfect 5-0; tied with Cincinnati. The Panthers and Bearcats will play in the final game of the season; December 5th. The Panthers are 5-0 when playing at home this season.
Arizona State Sun Devils (4-5) @ # 13 Oregon Ducks (7-2)
Time: 10:20 pm EST
Spread: Oregon - 17
Over/Under:
Preview: Coming off two straight losses by a combined seven points, the Arizona State Sun Devils will face the daunting task of playing in Eugene against the Ducks. The Sun Devils are 4-5 on the season, and losers of three straight games. The Sun Devils turned the ball over four times in their 14-9 loss to USC on Saturday. The last Arizona State win came on October 17th when they downed Washington 24-17. The Sun Devils have a trip to UCLA and a home game with rival Arizona remaining after leaving Eugene. The Ducks, despite the loss, are still in line to win the Pac-Ten title. Oregon and Arizona both have one conference loss, and the two teams will meet up on November 21st. In the most recent loss to Stanford, the Ducks could not stop running back Toby Gerhart, as he rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks, one of the top scoring teams in the nation, have scored 327 points, or an average of 36.3 points per game.
# 14 Miami Hurricanes (7-2) @ North Carolina Tar Heels (6-3)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Miami - 3.5
Over/Under:
Preview: In an Atlantic Coast Conference game featuring two bowl elgible teams, the Miami Hurricanes will travel to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Miami is coming off a 52-17 blasting of Virginia, in which placed them 4-2 within conference play. The Hurricanes are looking to beat North Carolina and Duke, and hope for a Georgia Tech loss to Duke, in which would allow them the ACC - Coastal title. The winner of the Coastal title will play the winner of the Atlantic title, which will be either Clemson or Boston College. The Hurricanes two losses this season came at Virginia Tech, and home to Clemson. North Carolina picked up a rivalry win 19-6. The win was the second straight for the Tar Heels; the other a 20-17 win at Virginia Tech. This will be the final home game for North Carolina; as they will play at Boston College and North Carolina State to end the season.
# 15 Houston Cougars (8-1) @ Central Florida Knights (5-4)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Houston - 5.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Houston Cougars picked up one of the wildest wins of the weekend; 46-45 over Tulsa. The win for Houston kept them in a tie for first place in Conference USA - West Division with Southern Methodist. The Cougars boast a 38-15 win over the Mustangs on the season. Houston will need this win, plus two home wins over Memphis and Rice to seal the deal in the conference. The Cougars are led by dynamic quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum threw for 522 yards in the win, and has tossed for 3815 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season. The Knights of Central Florida will play their second straight game against a Top 15 team, after their 35-3 loss at Texas. The Knights are 5-4 overall, and 3-2 in Conference USA - East. The Knights trail East Carolina, who is 4-1, and are tied with Marshall, Southern Miss and UAB.
# 17 Arizona Wildcats (6-2) @ California Golden Bears (6-3)
Time: 10:20 pm EST
Spread:
Over/Under: Arizona - 1
Preview: The Pac Ten is on the line for the surprising Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is tied in the loss column with the Oregon Ducks, after their upset loss to Stanford. The Wildcats are coming off a 48-7 win over the Washington State Cougars on Saturday. The Wildcats two losses on the season have come at Iowa, and at Washington. Arizona is led by quarterback Nick Foles. On the season, Foles has tossed for 1535 yards and 12 touchdowns. For the California Golden Bears, they will be without their top offensive threat Jahvid Best. Best left the loss to Oregon State. Best has rushed for 867 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Kevin Riley, the Bears quarterback has put up solid numbers, completing 145 of 261 passes for 2005 yards and 14 touchdowns. For the Bears, this will be the final home game, where they have won three of five games. California will finish the season at Stanford and Washington.
Indiana Hoosiers (4-6) @ # 18 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Penn State - 26.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Indiana Hoosiers will play the roll of the spoiler when they head to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Indiana, at 4-6, would need a win over Penn State, plus a home win over Purdue to finish at .500. Indiana has lost three straight games, and six out of their last seven overall. Indiana is 1-5 in Big Ten play, tied with last place, with Michigan. The Hoosiers could not stop Wisconsin’s Montee Ball in the 31-28 loss, as he rushed for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns. Indiana has won just one of five games on the road this season; that was September 19th at Akron. Penn State fell short on Saturday; in a 24-7 loss to Ohio State. The loss cost the Nittany Lions a shot at a Big Ten title as well, now with two losses, trailing both Ohio State and Iowa. Penn State was unable to slow down Terrelle Pryor in front of 110,033 fans; the fourth largest crowd in Beaver Stadium.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-3) @ # 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2)
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Spread: Oklahoma State - 3.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Red Raiders are already bowl eligible, but are seeking to pad a few more wins to their postseason resume. The first task for Texas Tech is a trip to Stillwater, where the 7-2 Cowboys will await them. Texas Tech is coming off their bye week, following a 21 point beat down of the Kansas Jay Hawks. The Red Raiders are 3-2 in Big 12 - South play, just one game behind second place Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders have put up 362 points on the season, an average of 40.2 points per game. Oklahoma State is coming off a 34-8 road win at Iowa State. The win for the Cowboys was their seventh of the season, and fourth in conference play. The Cowboys have used Zach Robinson’s arm for 1832 yards and 14 touchdowns, even despite not having top play maker Dez Bryant, due to NCAA violations. The Cowboys are averaging 34.1 points per game, and the defense is yielding 21 per game.
Michigan Wolverines (5-5) @ # 20 Wisconsin Badgers (7-2)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Wisconsin - 9
Over/Under:
Preview: Rich Rodriguez and his Michigan Wolverines have now found themselves in a must win situation late in the season. After starting the season 4-0, Michigan has lost five of their last six games. The Wolverines last two losses came at Illinois, and at home to Purdue. Michigan is tied in last place in the Big Ten, with Indiana. The Wolverines will end the season with a rivalry game at home with Ohio State, so things do not appear to be ending easily for the Maize and Blue. Wisconsin, at 7-2, are on the outside looking in, within the Big Ten. The Badgers are 4-2 and tied for third place with Penn State, trailing Ohio State and Iowa, who are both 5-1. The Badgers will finish the season at Northwestern and Hawaii, so this game will be the final home game for Wisconsin. The Badgers have won two straight games; 37-0 over Purdue and the 31-28 road win at Indiana. Wisconsin has won five of six games at Camp Randall Stadium.
# 21 Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3) @ Maryland Terrapins (2-7)
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Spread: Virginia Tech - 17
Over/Under:
Preview: The Virginia Tech Hokies will head to conference foe Maryland and look to pick up win # 7 on the season. The Hokies are coming off a non conference loss; 16-3 to East Carolina on November 5th. The Hokies are 3-2 in ACC - Coastal play, trailing Georgia Tech (6-1) and Miami (4-2). Virginia Tech is led by dynamic quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who has thrown for just over 1450 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Hokies host North Carolina State and play at Virginia to finish their 2009 season. Maryland would love nothing more than to spoil the party for the road Hokies. Maryland has lost four straight games, and six of their last seven. The most recent loss was a 38-31 road loss at North Carolina State. Maryland has been out scored 291 - 204 on the season.
# 22 Brigham Young Cougars (7-2) @ New Mexico Lobos (0-9)
Time: 2:00 pm EST
Spread: BYU - 27
Over/Under:
Preview: In one of the more lopsided match-ups of week 11, the Brigham Young Cougars will travel to New Mexico to take on a winless Lobos team. Brigham Young, with losses to Florida State and TCU is on the outside looking in, behind TCU and Utah in the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars are coming off a 52-0 beat down of Wyoming on Saturday. The Cougars have relied on their offense through much of the season; scoring 329 points, for an average of 36.6 points per game. Quarterback Max Hall has been the leader of the offense, throwing for 2543 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Lobos are 0-9 on the season, and have been out scored by a total of 191 points. New Mexico’s closest games came on September 26th against New Mexico State and October 31st at San Diego State. In each of those games, the Lobos lost by just a field goal.
Washington Huskies (3-6) @ # 23 Oregon State Beavers (6-3)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Oregon State - 11
Over/Under:
Preview: The season has not been a full out success for the Washington Huskies at 3-6, but despite the record, Washington has been a far cry more successful than a year ago. The Huskies, after going winless last season have won three of nine games this season, including upset wins over USC and Arizona. The other win for the Huskies came 42-23 over Idaho. Washington has lost their last three games; at Arizona State, with Oregon and at UCLA. The Huskies have been out scored 262 - 220 on the season. Washington has yet to win on the road this season. Oregon State, with their 31-14 win at California on Saturday became bowl eligible. Quarterback Sean Canfield passed for 342 yards on 29 of 39 passing in the win over the Bears. Running back Jacquizz Rodgers has been exceptional for the Beavers, rushing for just under 1000 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
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