I like illinois, partly cuz i haven't seen tosu juggernaut in action and partly because, unlike the rest of the big10, i think illinois has the athletes to compete with osu.
I need to find out about Longshore's ankle, but if its improved I like Cal. sc's offense is shit and this is DJax's last chance at beating sc. And playing at home in a game that is like their superbowl, Cal needs this game bad.....but if Longshore's ankle isn't better and it'll be more of the same from the ASU and wazzu games, I can't make a play on Cal. I'm probably going to watch the first half to see how he looks and then possibly make a second half play if he's back to normal.
no doubt that Vandy is the smart play but I can't go against Woodson.
gotta go with McFadden. the arkansas offense seems to be finding its rhythm.
i do like OSU. not sure if im gonna hit it, I try my best to stay away from big 12 games. I like the over more than either side.
I was never sold on BC and I'm glad they're done at #2, but Ryan is a top 5 QB and i love fading friedgen. If i touched this, itd have to be BC, but I doubt I will.
wisky-um and auburn-uga - no clue on either game.
as for the UCLA game, I was beginning to think I was the only person on this forum that will be on UCLA..... I'm a UCLA fan, so fwiw, heres my take on the game (damn, this shit got long as fuck,)
im not sure if you saw rashaan play vs. zona, but the kid is legit. He moved to WR cuz long-term thats where he has the most potential. He's that kind of athlete. And hes got a gun (contemplated pitching outta HS) with touch, so he's pretty accurate with the deep ball. The problem is hes awful with the short passes and the offense is based on that, so its not a good match.
but if the coaching staff is smart about the way it uses him, and lets him take shots downfields, he's definitely capable of completing those shots. Norvell isn't a bad OC. With Olson at QB, the only pass he could complete downfield consistently was the fade route, so we ran a ton of fades, probably more than the previous couple years combined in just 4 or 5 games. So I'm opitimistic they put rashaan in position to succeed.
Some backround on UCLA at the Rose Bowl: they've lost twice in two years. the first loss was vs. wazzu the week after ND shit on the teams soul the previous week and with 40,000 in the stands, it was pathetic. the second loss was this year vs. ND, which im not gonna excuse but I will discount. If Dorrell chooses to play the NFL athlete over a walkon at QB, he doesn't go down as the only coach to lose to ND this season.:hang:
but they're definitely a different team at home than they are on the road.
what I like about UCLA's D in this matchup is that ASU's offense is balanced, and I'm pretty sure they run more of a pro-style O like Cal and usc.....than a spread O. UCLA matches up much much much better vs. this style than the spread. Part of it is that Walker, the DC, came from the NFL so he's not too familiar with the spread....and also he's only got 3 quality CB's to work with.
I don't see ASU being able to run the ball consistently.
UCLA got lit up on the ground vs. wazzu two weeks ago, but that was without Christian Taylor, the MLB who is the most important player on the defense.....unless its out of a spread offense with a mobile QB, like Oregon, no team will have that much success running the ball. The thing with this defense, is that it isn't all world talented, but if the offense does its job and doesn't go 3 and out every position, the defense will hold up, and with Osaar getting positive yards with his feet rather than take the sacks, like olson would, the offense should be able to move the chains.
carpenter scares the shit out of me tho. He actually verballed to UCLA first, before switching to ASU.......a move I really wasn't that bummed about at the time, but looking back now pisses me off. Dixon is the better college QB, but theres no doubt in my mind that Carpenter ends up being a great NFL QB. He's accurate, great arm, great touch, throws a catchable ball, has great vision, and is tough as fuck. plus, he's kinda similar to Big Ben in that he's not the greatest athlete but hes dangerous when he breaks out of the pocket and hits receivers deep down field.
Erickson has the huge edge over Dorrell, but for as bad Dorrell is (very)....he's defeated coaches much better than himself before....Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, Jeff Tedford (3 times)........all at the Rose Bowl.
GL this week.
