Light week due to a severe lack of interesting games. I'll finish this up tomorrow when ABC releases its games, but here's what I'm thinking.
Saturday, 2:30PM: #9 LSU at #3 Alabama / #16 Ohio State at #11 Penn State
SEC
This one has serious national championship implications, which kind of depresses me, since neither of these teams is all that good. Alabama's defense has been impressive but, unfortunately for the Tide, its defense seriously outshines its offense. QB Greg McElroy is a decent replacement for John Parker Wilson, but that isn't saying a whole lot. LSU has looked a little closer to form in the last few weeks, but are still missing the kind of talent they've had in the past.
Prediction: I would expect a relatively low-scoring game, which means it should come down to mistakes. Mr. McElroy unfortunately leads the field here. Geaux Tigers.
Big Ten
This game means more to Penn State, which can all but secure a BCS berth with a win here. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a lot to prove in the midst of an up and down season and questions about its coach, its quarterback, and its offensive scheme. A big win on the road would do a lot to quiet the critics.
Prediction: Last year's game was close, but as I remember was played in the rain, which greatly favored the Buckeye's run-heavy offense. This year, OSU will have to play fair, square, and Beanie-free. Penn State should be embarassed if they can't pick up this one.
*I wish I could record three games at once so I could catch Oregon at Stanford on Comcast Sports Net.
Saturday, 7PM: Connecticut at #5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati's quest to stay unbeaten (and be horribly disappointed come bowl selection time) runs into a Connecticut team that is reeling after a teammate's murder and a season-ending injury to QB Cody Endres. The Huskies are only 4-4, but one of those wins was over Baylor when the Bears still had QB Robert Griffin and all losses came by four points or less. They're a serious underdog here, but then again, the Bearcats have everything to lose.
Prediction: I'm headed to a Cincinnati game next weekend and I wholeheartedly expect to see one of the nations few remaining undefeated teams.
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As it turns out, Penn State is embarrassed (or if they're not, they should be), and LSU may or may not have lost if either the refs or the replay officials actually knew how to recognize a fair-and-square interception when they saw one. As you know, it makes me nuts when refs decide games instead of letting the teams play to the finish, and I'm hot about this one, both as a Tigers fan and as someone who would have won a bet had Bama won by just 3. Grrr!
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