Archive: 2009 Week Eight NCAA Football Top 25 Previews
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Saturday, October 24th, 2009
# 1 Florida Gators (6-0) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-4)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: Florida - 22
Over/Under:
Preview: The Florida Gators cannot be too pleased when they travel to Mississippi State on Saturday evening. The Gators, after their win, were knocked down from the Associated Press # 1, down to # 2, below conference rival Alabama. The Gators were unimpressive in their 23-20 win. Caleb Sturgis nailed a 27 yard field goal with just nine seconds left to seal the game. With the win, Urban Meyer tied Frank Thomas, of Alabama as the fastest coach to reach 50 wins. Meyer did it in 59 games. Quarterback Tim Tebow threw for 255 yards in the win. On the season, Tebow has thrown for 1032 yards and 8 touchdowns. For the Bulldogs, Saturday’s 27-6 win over Middle Tennessee State snapped a three game losing streak. After winning the opening game of the season over Jackson State, the Bulldogs were downed at Auburn. The Bulldogs came back with a win at Vanderbilt, before losing three straight to LSU, Georgia Tech and Houston - three ranked foes. This game for the Bulldogs is a stretch of the next three games in which Mississippi State will take on both Florida and Alabama; the Associated Press’ top two teams.
Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) @ # 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Alabama - 15.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Alabama Crimson Tide took the spot at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 after their 20-6 win over South Carolina. Week 8 will feature Lane Kiffin and his Tennessee Volunteers traveling to Alabama in a key SEC tilt. The Volunteers are coming off a bye week, following their 45-19 blasting of the Georgia Bulldogs. The Volunteers are looking to get back to .500 within SEC play, as they have losses to Florida and Auburn. On the year, Tennessee has scored 192 points, while allowing 117. Quarterback Johnathan Crompton has completed 102 passes for 1210 yards and 3 touchdowns. For the Volunteers to extend their winning streak, they will have to beat the hottest team in the country. The Crimson Tide have won all seven of their games this season, allowing just 81 points. The Virginia Tech Hokies scored 24 points on the Crimson Tide in week one, but since then no team has put up over 20 points. The last time the Crimson Tide allowed a touchdown was in the October 3rd game at Kentucky. In the latest win over South Carolina, running back Mark Ingram rushed for 246 yards, a career high.
# 3 Texas Longhorns (6-0) @ Missouri Tigers (4-2)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: Texas - 13.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Longhorns come into this affair coming off their hard fought rivalry win over the Oklahoma Sooners. In the win, Colt McCoy was quiet, but got the job done in the 16-13 w in. The Texas defense was able to pick off two Landry Jones passes, including an Earl Thomas interception late in the game. Both teams combined for 228 yards and 8 turnovers in the rivalry game. The Longhorns lead the Big 12 with a 3-0 mark, just ahead of unbeaten Oklahoma State. Texas has out scored opponents 252 - 88 on the season. For Missouri, the Tigers are coming off two straight losses. A weeknight loss to Nebraska was combined with this weekend loss to Oklahoma State. On Saturday night, the Tigers turned the ball over three times, and was not able to slow down the Cowboys offense - yielding 33 points. The Tigers are 0-2 in the Big 12 - North.
# 4 Boise State Broncos (6-0) @ Hawaii Rainbows (2-4)
Time: 11:05pm EST
Spread: Boise State - 24
Over/Under:
Preview: The Boise State Broncos take their 6-0 record to Hawaii to take on the 2-4 Rainbows. The Broncos are coming off the very unimpressive 28-21 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. In the win for Boise State, quarterback Kellen Moore threw for just 187 yards, while Doug Martin led the ground game with 112 yards. The Broncos have out scored opponents 229 - 93 on the season. Boise State is tied with Idaho and Nevada; all unbeaten in Western Athletic Conference play. Hawaii is among a group of three teams within a WAC win. The Rainbows picked up non conference wins over Central Arkansas and Washington State to start the season. The Rainbows have lost four straight since; @ UNLV, @ Louisiana Tech with Fresno State, and most recently at Idaho. The Rainbows have allowed 178 points in six games this year, and the typical high powered offense has scored just 142. Starting quarterback Greg Alexander will be sidelined for this one, and the remainder of the season with a left knee injury.
Louisville Cardinals (2-4) @ # 5 Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Cincinnati - 18
Over/Under:
Preview: The Louisville Cardinals will look to head to Cincinnati and knock off the unbeaten Bearcats. Louisville comes in with a 2-4 record overall, 0-2 in the Big East Conference. The Cardinals are coming off a 38-25 loss at the hands of the Connecticut Huskies. In the loss to Uconn, the Cardinals made a late run, outscoring the Huskies 12-7 in the final quarter, but it was not nearly enough. The Cardinals two wins have come over Indiana State and Southern Miss. The Bearcats are coming off the 34-17 win over the South Florida Bulls. Cincinnati leads the Big East, tied with the Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers. Back-up quarterback Zach Callaros ran for 132 yards, replacing Tony Pike. Pike has thrown for 15 touchdowns on 1633 yards on the season. Marty Gilyard leads the receiving core for Cincinnati, catching 43 passes for 592 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Bearcats next three games are all against unranked opponents.
# 6 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0) @ Michigan State Spartans (4-3)
Time: 7:00pm EST
Spread: Iowa - 1.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Iowa Hawkeyes will put their unbeaten record on the line when they travel to East Lansing Michigan to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Iowa has won their first seven and climbed into the top 10 in the Associated Press poll. The Hawkeyes used Amari Spievey for two interceptions for the 20-10 road win at Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten with a 3-0 record, the lone remaining unbeaten conference team. Ricky Stanzi has completed 126 of 213 passes for Iowa, for 1577 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Hawkeyes just have one remaining ranked team on their 2009 schedule; that is November 14th at Ohio State. Michigan State comes in looking for their fifth win of the season and creep even closer to bowl eligibility. The Spartans are near the top of the Big Ten standings, with their 3-1 record. Their lone Big Ten loss came on September 26th at Wisconsin. Kirk Cousins, the Michigan State quarterback has thrown for 1283 yards and 9 touchdowns on the season. Michigan State has scored 205 points and allowed 151 defensively.
Oregon State Beavers (4-2) @ # 7 USC Trojans (5-1)
Time: 8:00pm EST
Spread: USC - 20.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The 4-2 Oregon State Beavers will take their two game winning streak on the road to the Rose Bowl to take on the USC Trojans. Oregon State is coming off a 38-28 win over Stanford, which followed a 28-17 win at Arizona State. The Beavers two losses on the season came to Cincinnati and Arizona, in back-to-back weeks. Oregon State has scored 173 points in six games, while allowing 138. Jacquizz Rodgers has been outstanding for the Beavers, rushing 128 times, for 697 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. On Saturday, Rodgers rushed for 189 yards and 4 touchdowns, and added 82 more yards receiving. The Trojans will come into this one flying high after heading east to South Bend and knocking off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In the win, the Trojans stuffed Jimmy Clausen and the Irish offense twice late in the game to seal the win. Matt Barkley, the Trojans freshman quarterback set a career high, throwing for 380 yards and two passing touchdowns. USC has now beat Notre Dame eight straight times. The Trojans are still trying to catch the Oregon Ducks at the top of the conference standings. USC will play at Oregon next week, in a game that may decide the Rose Bowl representative.
# 8 TCU Horned Frogs (6-0) @ # 16 Brigham Young Cougars (6-1)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: TCU - 2
Over/Under:
Preview: In a game featuring two Top 20 teams, the TCU Horned Frogs will travel to Brigham Young to take on the Cougars. TCU comes in with a perfect 6-0 record, while the Cougars have one loss, coming on September 19th at Florida State. Both teams come in at the top of the Mountain West Conference, along with the Utah Utes, who are 2-0. TCU has been winning games with their defense, allowing just 82 points in 7 games, while the Cougars are scoring points in a hurry. BYU has put up 270 points thus far in 2009. Max Hall, quarterback for BYU has thrown for over 2000 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Andy Dalton leads the Cougars offense, throwing for 1223 yards and 8 touchdowns. In the latest win for TCU, their defense allowed just 10 first downs, and a measly 182 total yards. BYU is coming off a tight match in which they came away 38-28 victors over San Diego State.
Auburn Tigers (5-2) @ # 9 LSU Tigers (5-1)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: LSU - 7.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Auburn Tigers, losers of two straight games will look to snap that streak when they play on the road Saturday evening. Their test will be against the LSU Tigers, who are coming off their bye week, following a loss. The Tigers are led offensively by quarterback Chris Todd, who has thrown for 12 touchdowns, and just under 1500 yards. The Tigers two losses came at Arkansas and with Kentucky, following five wins to start the season. The loss ended a streak of 20 straight wins for Gene Chizik on the Auburn sidelines, a record dating back to 2004. Both teams play within the SEC - West, where they are trailing the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tigers played Florida close, but were not able to put points on the board; falling 13-3. The loss snapped a six game winning streak to start the season. The Tigers are scoring just 23 points per game, but allowing 14.5.
Clemson Tigers (3-3) @ # 10 Miami Hurricanes (5-1)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Miami - 6
Over/Under:
Preview: The Tigers are coming off a game in which they snapped their two game losing streak. Clemson blitzed Wake Forest in a 38-3 win at home. C.J. Spiller ran for 106 yards in the game. On the season, Spiller has rushed 94 times for 466 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Tigers are in the mix in the Atlantic Coast Conference - Atlantic Division as Boston College, Wake Forest and Maryland, along with Clemson all have two losses. Two of Clemson’s three losses came against ranked foes; Georgia Tech and TCU. For Miami, the Hurricanes are looking to continue making their move in the Coastal Division of the ACC. The Virginia Cavaliers lead the division with a 2-0 mark, while the Hurricanes are in a mix of teams with one loss. The Hurricanes are led by freshmen Jacory Harris, who has rushed for 1518 yards and 11 touchdowns. In the win over Central Florida, Harris passed for 293 yards and a touchdown. Running back Javarris James topped the 2,000 yard rushing mark for his Hurricane career.
# 11 Oregon Ducks (5-1) @ # Washington Huskies (3-4)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Oregon - 7.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Oregon Ducks will look to stay red-hot on Saturday when they play in a big Pac Ten road game. Oregon has won five straight games, since their opening season loss at Boise State. The Ducks are averaging 32.5 points per game on the season, while the defense has been solid, allowing just 16.3. The most recent win for Oregon, came on October 10th against UCLA, in a game they trailed 3-0 at halftime. Oregon scored the first 21 points of the second half, scoring them all in the first four minutes. Oregon scored on a kick-off return and an interception return during that streak. The Ducks currently lead the Pac-Ten, as the only unbeaten team. Washington is 3-4 overall, but boast an upset win over the USC Trojans. On September 19th the Huskies upset USC 16-13, but since that point, the Huskies have lost three of four, including their last game on October 17th at Arizona State. Washington is having difficulties stopping teams from reaching the end zone, giving up nearly 28 points per game.
# 12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-1) @ Virginia Cavaliers (3-3)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Georgia Tech - 4
Over/Under:
Preview: In a key Atlantic Coast Conference game, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will take on the Virginia Cavaliers. While Georgia Tech sits at # 12 in the latest BCS standings, the Cavaliers lead the Coastal Division of the conference. Georgia Tech comes in 6-1 overall, and 4-1 in the ACC, while Virginia is 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets have reeled off four straight since their loss at Miami, while the Cavaliers have won three straight. Virginia is coming off a 20-9 road win at Maryland last week, following the 40 point blowout win over Indiana. The Tigers have scored 227 points on the season, while Virginia has put up just 145. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets have yielded 182 points and the Cavaliers have allowed 112. Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt is the key player in this affair. On the season Nesbitt has thrown for 894 yards and 4 touchdowns, while rushing for 625 yards and 9 touchdowns.
# 13 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1) @ Michigan Wolverines (5-2)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Penn State - 4.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The Penn State Nittany Lions will look to climb back up the Big Ten standings on Saturday when they play in the Big House, in Ann Arbor Michigan. Penn State sits tied with three other teams for second place in the conference, with just one loss. Those teams trail the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are 3-0 in conference play. Penn State has won three straight games; at Illinois, with Eastern Illinois and with Minnesota. The Nittany Lions quarterback Darryl Clark has thrown for over 1650 yards and 13 touchdowns. Penn State on the season has allowed just 61 points in 7 games. The Wolverines will be coming into this game after their blow-out win over Delaware State. The Wolverines scored early and scored often, pouring 63 points on. The Wolverines quarterback Tate Forcier has had a solid freshman season, compiling 1027 yards and 9 touchdowns thus far. The Wolverines two losses came at Michigan State and at Iowa. Michigan has scored 261 points in 7 games this season.
# 15 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1) @ Baylor Bears (3-3)
Time: 12:30pm EST
Spread: Oklahoma State - 10
Over/Under:
Preview: The Oklahoma State Cowboys, despite missing their top playmaker - Dez Bryant have shown they can still be a force in the Big 12 conference, and possibly in the country. The Cowboys are coming off a 33-17 win over the Missouri Tigers. The win for Oklahoma State moved them to 2-0 in conference play. The Cowboys play in the South with Texas and Oklahoma. Texas is the other undefeated team in the Big 12 - South. Quarterback Zac Robinson has thrown for just under 1300 yards and 9 touchdowns through the first six games. In the win over Missouri, Hubert Anyiam caught 10 passes for 119 yards and the go ahead touchdown. The Cowboys will host Texas next week. The Bears are looking to stay above .500. After winning three of their first four games on the season, Baylor has dropped two straight. The most recent loss for Baylor was a 24-10 decision at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones. The other two losses for Baylor came at home against Connecticut and on the road at Oklahoma. The Bears are 0-2 in conference play.
Southern Methodist Mustangs (3-3) @ # 17 Houston Cougars (5-1)
Time: 7:30pm EST
Spread: Houston - 16.5
Over/Under:
Preview: In a Conference USA tilt, the Southern Methodist Mustangs will head to Houston to take on the Cougars. Southern Methodist is 3-3 overall, and 2-0 in conference play, while the Cougars are 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Conference play. Both teams play in the West Division of the conference, where Tulsa and the Mustangs are tied at the top. The Mustangs are coming off a 38-35 loss to Navy, while the Cougars picked up a blowout win over Tulane. Case Keenum, Houston’s quarterback has excellent numbers, compiling 2464 yards and 19 touchdowns. In Keenum’s career, 19 times he has thrown for 300 yards or more in a single game. The Cougars are averaging 40.8 points per game on offense. Houston’s lone loss came on October 3rd at UTEP. In that game Houston allowed 58 points defensively. Southern Methodist’s quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has thrown for over 1600 yards and completed 12 touchdown passes.
Air Force Falcons (4-3) @ # 18 Utah Utes (5-1)
Time: 4:00pm EST
Spread: Utah - 10
Over/Under:
Preview: The Air Force Falcons will look to pick up their second straight win on Saturday when they travel to Utah. Air Force is coming off a 10-0 blanking of Wyoming. The three losses for Air Force came at Minnesota at Navy and home with TCU. In conference play, the Falcons are 3-1, trailing Brigham Young, TCU and Utah. The Falcons are winning games with their stellar defense. On the season Air Force is averaging allowing 11.9 points per game. The most the Falcons have allowed in one single game this season was on September 12 at Minnesota when they yielded 20 points. Utah has won three straight games, following their September 19th loss at Oregon. The Utes are scoring 28.7 points per game, while allowing 18. Utah is led by quarterback Terrance Cain and his 1336 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Utes are at the top of the Mountain West Conference, tied with Brigham Young and TCU.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3) @ # 19 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-2)
Time: 12:00pm EST
Spread: Ohio State - 18
Over/Under:
Preview: The Golden Gophers of Minnesota will look to pick up their fifth win of the season on Saturday when they play on the road at Ohio State. Minnesota is coming off a 20-0 blanking at the hands of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Golden Gophers are looking to grab at least two more wins in 2009 to become bowl eligible. Following this game, Minnesota hosts Michigan State, Illinois and South Dakota State before finishing the season at Iowa. Minnesota’s top offensive threat Eric Decker has caught 47 passes for 731 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ohio State will welcome the Gophers to town with a big of a chip on their shoulder. The Buckeyes were defeated on the road at Purdue on Saturday 26-18. Ohio State’s quarterback Terrelle Pryor has struggled taking care of the ball on the season. Pryor has thrown eight interceptions on the season, and fumbled several others. The Buckeyes are scoring 28 points per game on offense, while their defense is allowing just 14.
South Florida Bulls (5-1) @ # 20 Pittsburgh Panthers (6-1)
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Spread: Pittsburgh - 7
Over/Under:
Preview: The South Florida Bulls look to bounce back from their 34-17 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday. Their task will be a difficult one as they will play at Pittsburgh, who is coming off a big win over Rutgers. South Florida and Pittsburgh are both competing at the top of the Big East Conference. The Bulls are 1-1 in conference play, while the Panthers are tied with Cincinnati and West Virginia, all without a conference loss. South Florida is led by back-up quarterback B.J. Daniels, who replaces Matt Grothe. Daniels has thrown for 810 yards and 7 touchdowns thus far in 2009. The Bulls are averaging 33.7 points per game, while the defense is allowing just under 14 per game. The Panthers are 6-1 overall, and 3-0 in conference play. The lone Panthers loss came on September 26th at North Carolina State. Since that game, Pittsburgh has rattled off three straight wins, at Louisville, with Connecticut and at Rutgers. Bill Stull has been solid at quarterback for the Panthers, throwing for 1409 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Panthers are scoring 33.3 points per game, and allowing 18.6 per game.
UCLA Bruins (3-3) @ # 22 Arizona Wildcats (4-2)
Time: 6:30pm EST
Spread: Arizona - 8.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The UCLA Bruins will look to snap their three game losing streak when they play at Arizona on Saturday evening. The Bruins have fallen to Stanford, Oregon and California in their last three games. Those losses came after a 3-0 start in which the Bruins knocked off San Diego State, Tennessee and Kansas State. UCLA, along with Washington State have yet to win a Pac-Ten game. The Bruins are struggling offensively, scoring just 21.2 points per game. Arizona, moved into the Top 25 with their 43-38 win over Stanford. The win for the Wildcats was their fourth on the season. Arizona has lost at Iowa and at Washington on the season. The Wildcats are scoring right at 30 points per game, led by quarterback Nick Foles. Foles has thrown for 1152 yards and 9 touchdowns. In his most recent game, Foles completed 40 of 52 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns.
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-5) @ # 24 South Carolina Gamecocks (5-2)
Time: 7:00pm EST
Spread: South Carolina - 12.5
Over/Under:
Preview: The struggling Commodores of Vanderbilt will look to go on the road and pull an upset of Steve Spurrier and his South Carolina Gamecocks. The Commodores have lost three straight since their September 26th win at Rice. Vanderbilt in those three losses have just scored 30 points. On the season the Commodores have scored just 123 points, while allowing 128. The Commodores are the lone SEC team that has yet to win a conference game. The Gamecocks are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC. Their two losses on the season have come at Georgia and at Alabama. The Gamecocks in the loss to Alabama were only able to muster two field goals. The positive news for South Carolina was they were able to force the Crimson Tide offense into four turnovers. Stephen Garcia, the quarterback for Spurrier’s crew has thrown for just under 1500 yards and 9 touchdowns. South Carolina has scored 170 points and allowed 130 on the season.
Oklahoma Sooners (3-3) @ # 25 Kansas Jay Hawks (5-1)
Time: 3:30pm EST
Spread: Oklahoma - 7.5
Over/Under:
Preview: One thing you very rarely will see in college football is the Oklahoma Sooners with a chance to fall below .500 mid-way through the season. That is what the Sooners are looking at when they play at Kansas on Saturday. Oklahoma has lost three games on the season, starting the season with a loss at BYU, and then another road loss at Miami, and then most recently to the Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma will be playing without their Heisman quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford reinsured his shoulder in the loss to Texas. Landry Jones will take over the position behind center for Bob Stoopes squad. Jones on the season has thrown for 1111 yards and 11 touchdowns. Oklahoma’s defense is allowing just under 10 points per game. The Jay Hawks’ Big 12 North chances took a huge hit on Saturday then they fell 34-30 to the Colorado Buffaloes. The loss was the first of the season for Kansas. The loss also placed the Jay Hawks in a four way tie in the Big 12 North; along with Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas State; all with one loss. Todd Reesing is putting up superb numbers for the Jay Hawks, including 1980 yards and 15 touchdowns. Kansas as a team is scoring 233 points, while their defense has yielded 124. In the loss to Colorado, the Jay Hawks rushing offense accounted for -7 yards.
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