NCAA Football Week 6 Preview
National Championship Implications Headline October 10th Games
Oct 5, 2009
The SEC continues to dominate the NCAA football world as they have six ranked teams.
South Carolina (no.25), Mississippi (no. 20) and Auburn (no.17) are holding it down at the bottom of the poll, and at the top of the mountain, fourth-ranked LSU, third-ranked Alabama and top-ranked Florida round out the AP 25 Top Five.
However, this weekend will see the fall of at least one SEC powerhouse when Florida heads into a hostile environment in "Death Valley" against LSU. This is the biggest game on the SEC's schedule where the winner of the LSU/Florida game has gone on to win the last three BCS National Championships.
Virginia Tech will have their eyes on the big SEC games as they have hopes of moving closer to their own National Title berth. If LSU and Alabama both lose, and the Hokies win, Virginia Tech would slide into the third spot on the poll, all that they would need is to go undefeated the rest of the way, and hope Florida and/or Texas slips.
Out west in the Pac-10, the soaring Oregon Ducks will try to continue their success against conference opponents when they visit UCLA. The Ducks are looking to crack into the top 10 and make a push at a National Title berth. This Oregon/UCLA matchup will be key for both squads as they are looking to dethrone USC and take the Pac-10 crown.
Iowa could emerge as the dark horse in both the Big Ten and BCS. This week Iowa will host Michigan in a key conference game for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is sporting an upset win against Penn State from two weeks ago, and a victory against Michigan will propel the surging Hawkeyes deep into the top 10.
The key for Iowa in this game is to not believe in their own hype. Play as the underdogs, and to not have their minds on their future games. One game at a time should be their motto if they plan on taking the Big Ten title away from Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
The October 10th weekend is jammed with pivotal games for teams with National Championship aspirations.
NCAA Football Games of the Week
Bronze Pick: No. 13 Oregon Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins
It's good to see the Ducks clicking offensively since the start of Pac-10 play. This is the time of year when quarterback Jeremiah Masoli needs to stay effective and consistent. In his two games against Pac-10 opponents, Masoli has been on fire completing 75 percent of his passes, four touchdown tosses and no interceptions. Boy are the Ducks glad to have Masoli return to normal.
Ducks tight end Ed Dickson has been stellar as well in conference play as he's hauled in 18 balls in the past two games, and averaging 14.7 yards a catch. Dickson has also found the end zone four times against Pac-10 opponents, which makes him and Masoli a force to be reckoned with.
UCLA is coming off a key Pac-10 loss to Stanford on October 3rd, which may hurt the Bruins in the long run. Without the momentum they were carrying prior to the game, the Bruins may be in for a long Saturday this week against the Ducks.
Bruins quarterback Kevin Craft could get the start this weekend in place of injured freshman Kevin Prince. Craft has been effective in gaining yards for UCLA's offense, but has yet to find the end zone this season. The scoring problems could be a huge problem against this hot Oregon team, especially considering that UCLA is ranked near the bottom of division I football in total offense.
This could get ugly early as the Ducks have one of the best defenses in the Pac-10, and are ranked seventh in the nation in total offense.
Ducks win big in Pasadena this week and continue their quest for Pac-10 superiority.
Upset Special
Silver Pick: No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 20 Ole Miss. Rebels
Keeping this simple, yet to the point, Ole Miss wins this game and spoils Alabama's hopes at a National Title.
Yes, Ole Miss hasn't beaten Alabama since 2003, and are sporting a 9-45-2 losing record against the Crimson Tide, but, all the pressure is on Alabama to win this game or else they will tumble down the AP 25. The Crimson Tide have too much to lose, and the Rebels have everything to gain.
Alabama can't hide from the third-ranked curse forever, so this is the week it finally catches up to them.
Gold Pick: No. 1 Florida Gators vs. No. 4 LSU Tigers
So the consensus in the nation is that Florida will not come out of their game against LSU in "Death Valley" alive without starting quarterback Tim Tebow. Well, the truth is, Florida is built tough and is a true NCAA football dynasty.
LSU ranks ninth in the SEC in defense, and are allowing over 300 net yards per game. Definitely not a good stat going into their game against top-ranked Florida.
Florida ranks first in the SEC in total offense, offensive scoring, rushing offense, and third in total defense.
This will be a new look for Florida as John Brantley could get the start in place of the injured Tim Tebow for this battle of the SEC heavyweights.
Tebow is still recovering from a thundering hit he took against Kentucky on September 26th that sidelined the star quarterback with a concussion.
If Urban Meyer keeps Tebow on the bench for this game, Brantley will be ready to lead the Gators.
This season, John Brantley has replaced Tebow in three of the four games the Gators have played. For a back up quarterback, he has been mighty effective completing over 65 percent of his passes, and finding the end zone four times without an interception.
Last year, the Gators thumped LSU in the swamp 51-21, and aside from their loss in 2007 on the road, Florida has been mighty successful against the Tigers in Baton Rouge. Since 1997, the Gators are 4-1 on the road.
No upset here as Florida escapes "Death Valley" with a convincing win against their SEC rivals.
