Archive: 2009 Week Five NCAA Football Top 25 Previews
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Utah State Aggies (1-2) @ # 20 Brigham Young Cougars (3-1)
Time: 9:00pm EST
Spread: BYU - 24.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Utah State Aggies and the Brigham Young Cougars are both coming off wins in week four, and will meet in a Friday night affair out west. The Aggies picked up their first win of the season knocking off state rival Southern Utah 53-34. The Aggies used 106 rushing yards and 116 receiving yards, along with 3 touchdowns to win the game. Quarterback Diondre Borel completed 15 of 21 passes for 316 yards in the win. The Cougars are coming off a 42-23 win over Colorado State on Saturday. Harvy Unga ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The win for the Cougars came after a week three pasting by Florida State. Both teams play within the Western Athletic Conference, where Boise State and Idaho currently lead with 1-0 records. Brigham Young won this meeting last year 34-14.
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
# 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) @ Kentucky Wildcats (2-1)
Time: 12:21 pm EST
Spread: Alabama - 17
Over/Under:
Preview: The Alabama Crimson Tide will take their perfect 4-0 mark on the road, to Lexington Kentucky to take on the Wildcats. Alabama will be coming in after a 35-7 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Quarterback Greg McElroy threw for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Crimson Tide defense was able to shut down Ryan Mallett, the Razorbacks quarterback. Mallett threw for just 161 yards in the game. Alabama will most likely play this game without linebacker Dont’a Hightower. Hightower injured his leg late in the first quarter in the win. The Wildcats will face the second half of a brutal portion of their schedule that pits them against Florida and Alabama in back-to back weeks. After manhandling Miami Ohio, and then surviving a rivalry game over Louisville, the Wildcats were downed 41-7 by the Gators Saturday. The only positive news for the Wildcats in the four touchdown loss was their defense on Tim Tebow. The Wildcats defense forced Tebow to leave the game after a crushing blow sent Tebow to the hospital. Alabama won this game at home in 2008, 17-14.
# 4 LSU Tigers (4-0) @ # 18 Georgia Bulldogs (3-1)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Georgia - 3
Over/Under:
Preview: The LSU Tigers will look to win their second straight road game on Saturday. After narrowly escaping a road game at Mississippi State, the Tigers remain one of the nation’s few remaining unbeaten teams. The Tigers used three stops just short of the end zone to come away with the win. Quarterback Brandon LaFell had a solid performance, passing for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. Chad Jones also sparked the Tigers with a 93 yard punt return. LSU’s week five opponent will be the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia is coming off a last second win of their home, at home Saturday against the pesky Arizona State Sun Devils. The Bulldogs used two Blair Walsh field goals in the final quarter for the win. Joe Cox completed 17 of 31 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. The last time the Bulldogs and Tigers got together was October 25th, 2008 where the Bulldogs came away with a 52-38 win.
UC Davis Aggies (1-2) @ # 5 Boise State Broncos (4-0)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: N/A
Over/Under:
Preview: The Aggies will have their hands full on Saturday when they travel to the blue turf and take on the Boise State Broncos. UC Davis is coming off a win over Western Oregon, where they scored 29 points. The win for the Aggies came after two straight losses to start the season. Fresno State pounded UC Davis in week one; 51-0, then Montana handed it to the Aggies 17-10 on September 12th. The Aggies offense have just scored 4 touchdowns all season, while the defense has allowed 10. In the win over Western Oregon, quarterback Greg Denham threw for 225 yards and a touchdown, while also running for a touchdown as well. Boise State has yet to be tested, outside of the week one win at home, over Oregon. After the 19-8 win on the first night of the season, the Broncos have outscored Miami Ohio, Fresno State and Bowling Green by a combined score of 148-48. Kellen Moore passed for 247 yards in the win on Saturday. The Broncos offense needed four plays or less in their first six scoring drives Saturday.
# 6 Virginia Tech Hokies (3-1) @ Duke Blue Devils (2-2)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Virginia Tech - 16.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Hokies, after losing in week one to Alabama, have rattled off three straight wins; two straight over ranked teams. The Hokies were impressive on Saturday in their 31-7 win over Miami. The following week Virginia Tech used a last second touchdown to down the Nebraska Cornhuskers 16-15. The Hokies, with the win, moved atop the Atlantic Coast Conference - Coastal Division. The Hokies have allowed just five touchdowns defensively, while putting up 13 on offense. The Duke Blue Devils are coming in week three, fresh off a 49-14 win over North Carolina Central. Duke has started the season with a win, followed by a loss, followed by win, followed by loss. The Blue Devils other win was at Army, while the two defeats were to Richmond and at Kansas. The Blue Devils are averaging just over 370 yards of offense a game, while the defense is allowing just over 330. The last time Virginia Tech and Duke squared off, the Hokies won 14-3, on November 22nd, 2008.
# 8 Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) @ # 17 Miami Hurricanes (2-1)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: Oklahoma - 7
Over/Under:
Preview: In a game between two ranked teams, the Oklahoma Sooners will play at the Miami Hurricanes. Since the opening loss at home to Brigham Young, the Sooners have scored 109 points, while shutting out their opponents. The Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford remains out indefinitely after injuring his shoulder in the first half of the first game. This will be the final non conference game for Oklahoma before starting the Big 12 slate next week. The Hurricanes, after a great deal of positive publicity, fell flat on their face Saturday at Virginia Tech. Freshman quarterback Jacory Harris was ineffective after leading Miami to wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. This will be the fourth straight game against a ranked opponent for the Hurricanes. Currently, no team remaining on their schedule after this week are ranked. The last time these two teams played, Oklahoma blew out Miami 51-13.
# 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) @ Indiana Hoosiers (3-1)
Time: 7:00pm EST
Spread: Ohio State - 16.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Ohio State Buckeyes pitched their second straight shut-out on Saturday over the University of Illinois. The shut-out win for Ohio State was just a week after the 38-0 win at Toledo. The Buckeyes feel they still have a shot at getting into the national title game, despite their week two loss to USC. The Buckeyes on the season are allowing just 99 rushing yards per game. The week five opponent for the Buckeyes will be the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana is coming off a near upset win at Michigan on Saturday. The Hoosiers led late in the game, before Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier led the Wolverines down the field for a game winning touchdown. The Hoosiers won their first three games of the season against Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan and Akron. The last time the Buckeyes and Hoosiers got together, Ohio State won big; 44-3.
# 10 Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0) @ Miami Ohio Redhawks (0-4)
Time: 1:00pm EST
Spread: Cincinnati - 28
Over/Under:
Preview: The Cincinnati Bearcats will put their unbeaten record on the line when they travel to Miami Ohio on Saturday. Cincinnati survived their toughest test thus far on Saturday when they knocked off Fresno State. Tony Pike threw for three touchdowns within the quick striking offense of the Bearcats. In the first three games, Cincinnati scored 145 points. The Bearcats, along with South Florida are the lone unbeaten within the Big East Conference. The Redhawks have struggled to start the 2009 season. Miami played their first two games of the season, without scoring a touchdown. The Redhawks were downed by Kentucky, and then at Boise State. In week three Miami scored 26 points, in a 22 point defeat at Western Michigan. In the most recent loss; to Kent State, the Redhawks were topped 29-19. The Redhawks play within the MAC - East Division. These two teams met up in Cincinnati in 2008, with the Bearcats coming away with a 45-20 win.
Southern Methodist Mustangs (2-1) @ # 11 TCU Horned Frogs (3-0)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: TCU - 27.5
Over/Under:
Preview: Conference USA will take a crack at the Mountain West Conference on Saturday when the Mustangs of Southern Methodist travel to TCU to take on the Horned Frogs. Southern Methodist is coming off their first loss of the season on September 19th at Washington State. The Mustangs had won their first two games of the season, including a 35-33 conference win at UAB. The season opening win for the Mustangs was at home against Stephen F. Austin. The Mustangs have scored 11 touchdowns in three games, while the defense has yielding 8 touchdowns. The Mustangs have yet to see an offense as explosive as Max Hall and the TCU Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs, besides Boise State, look to continue carrying the torch for the non power conference teams. TCU has won their first three games of the year scoring 100 points, allowing just 45. Max Hall, the quarterback, has led the offense to 425 yards per game. The latest win for the Horned Frogs was an offensive struggle, in which saw TCU top the Clemson Tigers 14-10. These two teams met last year, with the Horned Frogs blowing out the Mustangs 48-7.
# 12 Houston Cougars (3-0) @ UTEP Miners (1-3)
Time: 9:05pm EST
Spread: Houston - 16.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Houston Cougars remained unbeaten Saturday as quarterback Case Keenum led them to a late touchdown to knock off their second Big 12 opponent - this time Texas Tech. The win for the Cougars was their third overall this season, after beating Northwestern State and Oklahoma State. Keenum in the win over Texas Tech threw the ball 58 times, completing 38 of them for 435 yards and a touchdown. Keenum is suddenly making progress towards the top of the Heisman candidates. The UTEP Miners have lost three of their first four games to start the 2009 season. The Miners lone win came at New Mexico, in which they were 38-12 winners. The three UTEP losses were to Buffalo, Kansas, and most recently Texas. The Miners have allowed 16 touchdowns on the season, while scoring just 8. Both of these teams will be starting their Conference USA openers. Both the Cougars and the Miners play within the West Division of Conference USA. These two teams met last year, with the Cougars winning 42-37.
Arkansas State Red Wolves (1-2) @ # 13 Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0)
Time: 12:05pm EST
Spread: Iowa - 20
Over/Under:
Preview: The Red Wolves of Arkansas State will look to pull the upset of the week, when they travel to Iowa City on Saturday to take on the red-hot Hawkeyes. Arkansas State is 1-2 on the season, losers of their last two games. After a win over Mississippi Valley State on September 5th, the Red Wolves were downed by 31 at Nebraska, and most recently 30-27 at home, to Troy. The Red Wolves play in the Sun Belt Conference. The Hawkeyes are coming off a big win over the Penn State Nittany Lions. The win, for the second straight year knocked Penn State out of the Top 5. Iowa has now won seven of the last eight meetings with the Nittany Lions. Iowa, along with Michigan and Wisconsin are the lone Big Ten unbeatens to start the season. In the win, Adrian Clayborn sparked the offense with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. This game for the Hawkeyes is a sandwiched game between the road game at Penn State and a home game with the Michigan Wolverines.
# 15 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) @ Illinois Fighting Illini (1-2)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Penn State - 6.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Penn State Nittany Lions will most certainly come to Champaign-Urbana with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. For the second straight year, the Iowa Hawkeyes knocked the Nittany Lions from the Top 5, and possibly once again from a Big Ten title. Penn State was downed 21-10 at home to Iowa on Saturday. The Nittany Lions scored on their first offensive drive, but then were only able to manage a touchdown the rest of the game. The Illini are coming off their second loss of the season, this time a shut-out at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ron Zook, the head coach at Illinois has found himself at the mercy of the media and has been dubbed on the hot seat after the slow start. The offense for Illinois, which was supposed to be a strength has scored just 54 points in three games. The defense for Illinois has allowed a staggering 28 points per game in the first three games. The lone win for Illinois was a 45-17 win over Illinois State. The last time the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Illini met on the football field, Penn State was a 38-24 winner.
Washington State Cougars (1-3) @ # 16 Oregon Ducks (3-1)
Time: 9:15pm EST
Spread: Oregon - 31.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Washington State Cougars left USC with a late touchdown to avoid getting shut-out on Saturday. The loss, despite the margin being 21 was a big of a moral victory after the absolutely shelling they took from the Trojans in 2008. The Cougars are 1-3 on the young season with their lone win coming on September 19th to Southern Methodist. The Cougars have scored just six touchdowns, while yielding 16 on the season. The defense is also allowing over 500 yards of total offense to opponents. The Cougars will continue their toughest stretch of the schedule on Saturday in Eugene against the red-hot Oregon Ducks. The Ducks are coming off a 42-3 pasting over the California Golden Bears. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli quieted the critics in the win, completing all but four passes, for a total of 253 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon has now won three straight games, since losing in the opener at Boise State, and losing running back LaGarrette Blount. The wins for Oregon came over Big Ten foe Purdue, unbeaten Utah, and then California. The Ducks play one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with five ranked teams on their slate. Oregon beat Washington State last season 63-8.
# 21 Mississippi Rebels (2-1) @ Vanderbilt Commodores (2-2)
Time: 7:00pm EST
Spread: Mississippi - 9
Over/Under:
Preview: The Mississippi Rebels had a chance to show the nation how good they were on Thursday night. The Rebels walked away from a conference game at South Carolina extremely disappointed. Mississippi could get nothing going offensively in the game, and took their first loss of the season. Turn-over’s, poor execution and penalties marred the Rebels in the 16-10 defeat. Quarterback Jevan Snead could never get going as well, throwing for just 107 yards and a touchdown. Head coach Houston Nutt will certainly go back to the drawing board for Saturday’s road affair at conference for Vanderbilt. The Commodores have won two of their first four games in 2009, with their latest; a 36-17 win over Rice. The Commodoes have already played two SEC games, losing both, at LSU, and with Mississippi State. Vanderbilt has allowed just five defensive touchdowns on the season, allowing just 106 passing yards.
# 22 Michigan Wolverines (4-0) @ Michigan State Spartans (1-3)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: pick’em
Over/Under:
Preview: This rivalry game will be a barnburner in the Big Ten. Despite the struggles by the Spartans, this game has the potential to come down to the final seconds. Michigan comes into this one with a perfect 4-0 record, and tied in first in the Big Ten. The Spartans have struggled winning just one of their first four games. The Wolverines are coming off a thrilling 38-35 win at home over Indiana, while Michigan State is trying to rebound from their 38-30 loss at Wisconsin. Michigan’s other wins this season have come over Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern and Eastern Michigan. The Spartans lost to in state rival Central Michigan and Notre Dame, after beating Montana State 44-3 in week one. The Spartans have scored 16 touchdowns on the season, but their defense has yielded 12. The Wolverines, behind quarterback Tate Forcier are averaging 420 total yards of offense a game, and 37.5 points per game. Last year when these two teams got together in Ann Arbor, the Spartans came away with a 35-21 win.
# 25 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-1) @ Mississippi St. Bulldogs (2-1)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: Georgia Tech - 4.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after getting embarrassed in front of a national crowd on Thursday night, bounced back well Saturday and downed the North Carolina Tar Heels. Georgia Tech will look to make in two straight when they go to Mississippi State on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets quarterback Josh Nesbitt was solid in the win over the Tar Heels, running for two touchdowns. The story of the game though was the Georgia Tech defense. The swarming Yellow Jackets allowed just one touchdown, as their change from a 4-2-5 defense to a 4-3 scheme paid dividends. Georgia Tech is 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference - Coastal Division thus far. The Yellow Jackets out of conference foe in week five will be the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough 30-26 loss to LSU that saw them get turned away from just outside the end zone three times in the final minute. The loss for Mississippi State was their second of the season. Their first loss was a 49-24 defeat from Auburn. The Bulldogs two wins on the season came over Jackson State and Vanderbilt. Coming into the game with LSU, the Bulldogs running backs, led by Anthony Dixon were averaging 221.7 yards per game. These two teams met on September 20th, 2008 with the Yellow Jackets coming away with a stellar 38-7 win.
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