Games to Watch Week 6 #Washington@Stanford

Whew, this blog is getting out LATE on a Wednesday night! I have had internet troubles all week and have not been able to do the same amount of research and reading as usual, hence the late blog tonight and a delay on the third part of my SEC Defense piece. I think all the problems are fixed now and the 3rd part should hopefully be up on Friday or early Saturday!

Now, before I move on to what to watch for this weekend I have some things to get off of my chest. And since you are reading this blog AND if you are a faithful follower I feel you are interested enough to share my pain. HA HA. Before I go on, please remove all the kids from the room because parental guidance will be needed.

As a sports blogger I am a member of other blog sites and a frequent reader of such places as SBNation and Bleacher Report. I have found 2 extremely different communities within these two. And right now I would like to talk about the community I have found at SBNation. I am a follower of many blogs of many different college football teams. I am writing a college football blog, I want to share in the conversations that are interesting about the teams that interest me. If a team was on my "Teams to Watch List" I am interested in them for example. What I have been met with on SBNation is nothing short of frustrating. Early on when I was full of piss and vinegar about the B10 (which I still am) I got warned by two B10 blog sites, trying to have what I felt were honest conversations about the B10 and Ohio State being over-rated. Yes, I got warned and the next time I got warned it would be banishment. Then I got into some asinine conversations with some Pac12 editors when I took some of their teams to task. So right away I figured...oh wow, watch what you say for real or you can't participate, some of these places can't take anything but the praise. So I don't join a conversation or participate unless I have something positive to say, I'll be goddamned if I get labeled a troll. Now we come to present day. I was wrong about Alabama. I admit that. They are showing true heart and soul and refusing to lose. So I put an Alabama praising piece on Roll Bama Roll. I got some nice feedback from some Bama fans and then I also got their editor calling me a kiss-ass. What the fuck people?? Are you fucking kidding me right now? What the fuck do you want? You're either a troll or a kiss-ass. Now before I go any farther I want to say that I have had one consistently good experience on SBNation and that is with the good people of LSU on www.andthevalleyshook.com. We started out rocky on an mis-understanding with some fans but that is a blog that is honest about their team; they are not afraid to call it like it is and I enjoy my interactions on there. I also enjoyed my interactions with the FANS on Roll Bama Roll. So everything I say from this point on is directed directly at the editors on SBNation except at andthevalleyshook, and NOT at the fans of any of the blogs. But to put it simply: FUCK SBNATION. You pompous assholes think you are so high and mighty and God's gift to college football. Understand something here you sons of bitches, I don't get paid for what I write, I have a job where I work 50 or more hours a week and I do this for fun because I love the sport. And I don't cover one team, which would be a hell of a lot easier on me if I did. Those of you who really know me, know who I would cover if I did only cover 1 team that and that team wouldn't be very fun at all. I do this for the love of the sport and the debate that goes along with it! There is nothing like it in America. And if this gets me banned by any of the SBNation editors reading this, then FUCK YOU TOO. I don't give a flying fuck what you think. If you want the truth I will give you the truth: The B10 sucks ass, Ohio State is the biggest most over-rated piece of shit in the country, Alabama's offense fucking sucks, Alabama's offensive line fucking sucks, and Oregon would whip Alabama's ass in a national championship game. How's that for ass-kissing? Okay, now lets talk about some football. And if you want to express your feelings no matter what they are, take it to Bleacher Report or you can leave your comments here. Parental advisory is now over. Thank you.

#UCLA(13)@Utah on Thursday

Team with the most to lose: UCLA - They are number 13 and like Oklahoma next week they can smell the Top 10. Even closer within their grasp is a berth in the Pac12 Championship game. A loss against Utah could be devastating. This is the Bruins' Pac12 opener and they would essentially fall 2 games behind Utah in the standings because in the event of a tie, the head to head would go to the Utes.

Team with the most to gain: UTAH - They are riding high and are looking to get higher. They barely lost to Oregon State and then beat BYU on the road. This team has talent and could be a surprise team of this year. A win against UCLA puts them in the driver's seat on this side of the conference and starts getting them national recognition. And any team that climbs the ladder in the Pac12 this year is worth every bit of praise they can get.

Top 25 Impact: Medium to High

Prediction: UCLA - after going to Lincoln and coming from behind, the road does not faze this young squad


#Maryland@Florida State(8)

Team with the most to lose: Florida State - After a sub-par performance against BC, the Seminoles come back home and hopefully they are awake when they take the field. They have got to stop playing down to their opponents, and if they think they can play down to Maryland they might be in for a devastating surprise. The Coaches have been DEATH on Top 10 teams that lose this year, and those Top 10 teams have lost to to other Top 10 teams! What do you think would happen to FSU if they lose to Maryland? The question of going un-defeated the rest of the season would not even be a debate, it would be a dire necessity.

Team with the most to gain: Maryland - Who saw this coming? The Terps are 4-0 and with a win over Florida State they put themselves in a position to WIN their side of the ACC conference. The rest of their schedule does not look overly tough and all they would need after a win against the Seminoles would be a win against Clemson, who the Terps get at home this year. Scary thought. Give'em an inch and they take a mile. But is Maryland for real? Who have they played? They beat West Virginia who just beat Oklahoma State....Other than that....it's not THAT impressive, but I have seen worse opening schedules in the B10.

Top 25 Impact: High for both teams

Prediction: Florida State

#Illinois@Nebraska(25)

Team with the most to lose: Nebraska - The Coaches' giveth, the Coaches' taketh away. Such is the life of a team on the fringe of the Top 25. Nebraska gets in by some divine intervention and then have to play Scheelhaase. This should be interesting. Scheelhaase is streaky but the Illinois wins and losses are directly tied to his play as I have shown before. If he gets rolling against that black (and blue) shirt defense this could be a long day for the Huskers and probably an even bigger drop in polls, and it could be a while before they get another sniff.

Team with the most to gain: Nebraska (Coach Pelini specifically) - They have the talent on offense to play with anybody in the country and their side of the conference only has Michigan and Michigan State to contend with. The last thing Nebraska wants is to be trailing in the standings. Illinois is a beatable team from a talent perspective and the game is in Lincoln. The Huskers need to prove themselves after blowing it against UCLA and the road to redemption starts here. Just don't tell them it's a "big game." This is also the hardest game the Huskers have the next 3 weeks before they get to Northwestern, get those W's everywhere you can.

Top 25 Impact: Low to Medium

Prediction: Nebraska

#UNC@Virginia Tech

Team with the most to lose: UNC - Talk about a season that is going no-where fast. The Tar Heels are 1-3 and aside from their game against Mid Tennessee, have scored 10, 20, and 31. And when they scored 31 they gave up 55 to EAST CAROLINA. The run game is non-existent and Renner has had to shoulder the entire load with mixed results at best. They are already 0-1 in conference play and Virginia Tech is 1-0. A loss here and UNC can probably kiss all those ACC championship game dreams good-bye.

Team with the most to gain: Virginia Tech - They had nothing to lose before the season started so I couldn't put them in that category! In round two of "Who saw this coming?" did you know that Va Tech has only lost once this season, and that was to Alabama. They already have an ACC win over Georgia Tech and with a win on Saturday and a potential Yellow Jacket upset over Miami, the Hokies will be looking pretty good. The ACC schedule for them won't be tough the next 3 weeks and then they get Miami; not a bad place to be. And if the wins start rolling in, so do the Top 25 votes. The defense has been tough all year, allowing only 15.8 points a game. They allowed East Carolina only 10 points instead of 55. But the offense is worrisome.

Top 25 Impact: Low to Medium

Prediction: Virginia Tech

#Georgia Tech@Miami(14)

Team with the most to lose: Miami - All that good will and momentum that has been building since the Florida game will come to a halt with an ACC opening loss to Georgia Tech. Miami is starting to look like the cream of this side of the ACC conference and to prove it they need to beat Georgia Tech. The Miami offense has been rolling the last 2 games against sub-par opponents and will have a better test against Georgia Tech. From what I have seen, Georgia Tech is inconsistent at best against (at home) against poor offenses like Virginia Tech and was down right bad at times against North Carolina. Miami is better offensively than both of those teams. The question is, can Stephen Morris complete a game after going out early in the last 2?

Team with the most to gain: Georgia Tech - They were supposed to be large and in charge on this side of the conference, but with a loss to Virginia Tech at home and a shaky win against UNC also at home, I am not so sure about this team. The triple option is not working like it has in years past and the quarterback play is not good. Why worry about the pass when the quarterback can't get it to the receivers? The Georgia Tech offense fumbles too much, has false start penalties, and the whole team seems un-disciplined. However, a win against Miami and they can start righting the ship. All they would need would be two ACC losses by the Hokies and no more ACC losses themselves, not impossible odds. But if they drop to 0-2 in conference play I wouldn't place any bets on them.

Top 25 Impact: Medium

Prediction: Miami

#Ole Miss@Auburn

Team with the most to lose: Ole Miss - This game may only seem important to me, but I am very interested to see how the young kids on Ole Miss are mentally after Alabama completely dominated them last week. Auburn has a fired up offense and is capable of getting stops on defense. The Rebels are on their second road game in a row and are facing their first adversity of the season. With a long SEC schedule left to play out, it is far from over for the Rebels, but a second loss in conference to a team on their side and Ole Miss is out of it.

Team with the most to gain: Auburn/Ole Miss - Take your pick. Both teams have lost to two of the usual power-houses in the SEC, and they both need a win over the other to make sure at the end of they they don't miss out on a bowl game. Ole Miss has the easier schedule down the stretch as Auburn has to end the season with Georgia and Alabama. Auburn also has a scrimmage next week against W. Carolina before they travel to College Station where you know they will score some points, so their chance to put some distance between themselves and the Rebels early is a great proposition, especially since Ole Miss has a date against LSU in two weeks. Neither one can afford to lose this game. I expect a shoot-out with neither defense being able to get a lot of stops.

Top 25 Impact: Medium (it's in the SEC so it could affect the whole conference, which affects the whole country)

Prediction: Auburn

#Arkansas@Florida(19)

Team with the most to lose: Florida - Is that loss to Miami fully behind them? Can they start moving forward and up? This game is a huge measuring stick for Florida. Arkansas is not a slouch and proved last week that they can hang with anybody. Florida cannot afford a second loss on the season if they want to play for a national championship as we all know. And this would be a loss at home to an un-ranked team. Is Florida's offense ready to show that they can put up some points on a quality team? The Hogs are only giving up 22 points a game and that is much lower with the A&M game taken out of the equation. Florida is only averaging 23.8 points a game against defenses worse than the Hogs.

Team with the most to gain: Arkansas - As far as the national picture goes, the Hogs are out of it, but they can still salvage a great year and get into a great bowl game. But they have to beat Florida. This would be huge for their confidence, set the tone for a great season to come, and really give them something to build off of. It will come down to the Hog offense against that Florida defense. Neither of them has played a unit like the other. However, Florida dominated Miami, who has a more dynamic offense than Arkansas. Turnovers will be key.

Top 25 Impact: Medium

Prediction: Florida

#TCU@Oklahoma(10)

Team with the most to lose: Oklahoma - After coming off a huge win on the road against the Irish the Sooners return home to resume B12 play against TCU (whom I thought was one of the best teams in the B12 to start the year). Oklahoma has found a way to win all year, however they did struggle against the West Virginia D who just beat Oklahoma State. But, the Sooners had Knight at quarterback instead of Bell. Now it's Bell's team and the offense has been completely different. The schedule after TCU is light until they get to Texas Tech who will probably be un-defeated in conference play by the time they meet. That's where Oklahoma wants to be for sure.

Team with the most to gain: TCU - Can they get back into the race? The defense still looks good, but can we say the offense got better with a win over SMU? I don't think so, they benefited from 5 SMU turnovers, a kick return for a td and a pick-6. The offensive yardage was atrocious for a team that got 5 turnovers. Oklahoma will test TCU on all fronts, they will block the run and dare Boykin to beat them. But if TCU can find a way to pull this one out they are right back in the thick of things as Texas Tech still has to play Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this year and TCU still has Oklahoma State. The State game is very winnable for a defense like TCU's and they could probably score on that Cowboy defense. So the door is wide open for the Frogs to hop through with a win in Norman.

Top 25 Impact: Medium to High

Prediction: Oklahoma

#Arizona State(24)@Notre Dame

Team with the most to lose/gain: Arizona State - Can they put 2 big wins together back to back? Can they win a big one on the road? This is not a conference game so the focus may not be there, but could you imagine a Sun Devil team with only a loss to Stanford and the hardest teams on the schedule left to play are UCLA and Washington? Those teams aren't soft by any means, but Sun Devils would be poised to make a statement nationally with victories in at least one. It doesn't look as good with a loss to Notre Dame on your resume. The Sun Devils start slow and finish strong, so the question is, can they keep from falling behind on the road? Notre Dame's defense is having major issues this year, but this team is still capable of winning if they could get ahead by multiple scores. The Irish may be infuriated after losing to Oklahoma last week and could play some inspiring ball early which could spell doom for the Sun Devils. Arizona State has made it back into the Top 25 and would love to stay there. This team is turning the corner before our eyes but still needs that signature road victory to come around, then watch the voters do the same.

Top 25 Impact: Medium

Prediction: Arizona State

#Ohio State(3)@Northwestern(15)

Team with the most to lose: Ohio State - They must go un-defeated for any shot at the national championship game. They must beat the teams that are worth a damn on their schedule or people might start to think they are over-rated....

Team with the most to gain: Northwestern - The rubber meets the road for the Wildcats this Saturday. It's time to see if they can cash the checks that I have been writing for them. Their defense hasn't been particularly strong against dynamic offenses so far in giving up 30 points to Cal and 27 yo Syracuse. They are 97th in the country in passing yards allowed and 21st in rushing yards allowed, but only 3.7 yards a rush. Teams have been playing from behind on the Cats which will lead to skewed stats; look for Ohio State to control the game early with their running game. The NW offense is averaging 5.3 yards a carry and is ranked 18th nationally in rushing. Wisconsin is ranked 6th at 300 yards a game and Ohio State held the Badgers to 104, BUT if you read my post last Saturday, the Buckeyes could not deal with the vaunted aerial assault of Joel Stave and Jared Abbrederis. Northwestern isn't much better with their average passing yards a game but have more accurate quarterbacks. The Wildcats have had 2 weeks to prepare for the Buckeyes and need a win here and next week against Wisconsin. If both of those happen, give the B10 crown to the Cats. Their isn't a team in the B10 that would be able to beat them this year. However, they have been slightly turnover prone and that would kill them in this game. Ohio State got by Wisconsin last week at home, but this time they are on the road in a sure to be very hostile environment. The focus and heart had better improve from what they showed against the Badgers. They are ranked better in passing yards allowed than the Wildcats but are giving up a better passer rating. This game will come down to the execution of the small things, turnovers, and special teams. Northwestern was a few plays short of winning these types of games last year; Urban Meyer knows how to prepare a team for games like this. Can Northwestern NOT turn the ball over and will the Wildcat fans be able to will their team to victory?

Top 25 Impact: High

Prediction: Ohio State

GAME OF THE WEEK:
#Washington(18)@Stanford(5)

This is the game I will have a detailed break-down of on Saturday night!

Team with the most to lose/gain: Washington - If Stanford loses this game they still have a game against Oregon to make it up in. If Washington loses this game, all the critics win and the Huskies are buried in the polls. Sure they still have a game against Oregon as well, but if you can't beat Stanford, how the hell are you gonna beat Oregon? Washington looks poised to take that step into being a major Pac12 player. Their defense showed what it was capable of against a dynamic Arizona offense in the rain last week. This game propels the Huskies to the top of the list right below Oregon with a win. A loss and they stay somewhere in the middle perception-wise. There is something wrong in Stanford. I have not been able to catch up on all my Stanford tape lately so I cannot quite put my finger on it. The offense seems to be putting up the yards, but the defense does not seem as dominating. They have had a tendency to start slow except for the last 2 games as well. Washington's offense is as explosive as it gets, they can run, they can pass, and seem to score at will sometimes. However, I don't like using a running back 40 times in a game the week before you play Stanford. Washington's defense has been stout this year, if maybe a tad soft against the run when you consider who they have played, but the passing D is awesome. Stanford has been giving up the pass yardage this year and Price looks like the real deal for the Huskies. Washington's entire season hangs in the balance of what happens this week and next. Stanford seems to have a let-down every year somewhere along the way.

Top 25 Impact: VERY HIGH

Prediction: Washington

Please leave any comments or email me. I am also on twitter, Aubrey Mos @simplyNCAAF

And if you have any interest on who the next baseball commish should be, check out this blog by my buddy James Holland: http://shutdowninning.com/7/post/2013/09/holland-in-2015.html

And if you have had too much sports check out my other friend Sara: http://saravstheworld.wordpress.com/

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