Quick Hit Observations from College Football Week 12

USC-Stanford– Raise your hand if you thought Stanford would upset USC again when the score was tied 17-17 at halftime. (Hand raised.)

– Not that a ton of people care about Conference USA, but what a statement by Houston. I don’t know what was more impressive, the fact that the Cougars scored 70 points or that they held Tulsa to only 30 points.

– Iowa’s Shonn Grenne (30 carries, 211 yards in a 22-17 win over Purdue) is a legit Heisman candidate for 2009.

– What happened to Kansas? I realize they didn’t play any of the top teams in the Big 12 last year, but they’re better than 6-5 aren’t they?

– They might have won 34-7, but Penn State’s win over Indiana was the least impressive 34-7 victory in some time.

– One of the more underrated rivalries in college football is Georgia-Auburn. And the Tigers easily have one of the more underrated defenses in the nation.

– Early upset watch for Week 13: Nevada over Boise State. The Wolf Pack’s offense is good enough to keep pace with the Broncos’ explosive attack and Boise hasn’t faced a tough opponent all year. (Unless you consider when they faced Oregon and their fourth string quarterback a tough opponent.)

– Worst…Michigan…season…ever.

– Underrated game of the week: No. 14 Ball State at Central Michigan next Wednesday.

– College football fans were cheated by not getting to see Beanie Wells run for a full season. He was amazing against Illinois.

– How about Troy hanging with LSU in Baton Rouge? Had they not turned the ball over three times, the Trojans could have pulled off one of the best upsets in college football this season.

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Week 4 College Football Primer

Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 4.

Les MilesTop 25 Action:
No. 6 LSU (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 10 Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC), Saturday 7:45 PM ET ESPN
The last time these two teams met in Auburn, JaMarcus Russell and the LSU offense was stuffed by the Tigers’ defense in a 7-3 loss in 2006. LSU hasn’t won in Auburn since 1998 and 11 of the last 18 meetings between these two schools have been decided by a touchdown or less. LSU and its 33rd-ranked offense might have trouble moving the ball against Auburn’s 10th-ranked defense, but the LSU defense should have no issues stopping an Auburn offense that has struggled mightily so far this season. LSU is currently a 2.5-point road favorite.

No. 18 Wake Forest (2-0) at No. 24 Florida State (2-0), Saturday 7:00 PM ET ESPN2
Don’t let Florida State’s gaudy stats fool you – the Seminoles have beaten two FCS teams and have yet to be challenged. They’ll get their first real test of the year when the Demon Deacons travel to Tallahassee this Saturday. While their two wins might have given FSU confidence heading into this game, the Noles are still young at a lot of positions, especially quarterback where sophomore Christian Ponder (396 yards, 6 TDs) is off to a great start this season but has yet to face a real defense. Deacons’ QB Riley Skinner will also look to continue his hot play after amassing 487 passing yards and five touchdowns in Wake’s first two games this season. The Seminoles are currently favored by 4 points at home.

Todd BoeckmanUpset Watch:
Troy (2-0) at No. 13 Ohio State (2-1), Saturday 12:00 PM ET Big Ten Network
OSU head coach Jim Tressel said RB Chris “Beanie” Wells is questionable to play Saturday after missing the past two games with an injured big toe. The Buckeyes also have issues at quarterback, where incumbent starter Todd Boeckman has strung together three poor outings in a row, including a disastrous effort in OSU’s 35-3 loss to USC last week. Tressel appears to be giving freshman Terrelle Pryor more of a role in the offense, which might be aiding in Boeckman’s troubles, as it’s hard for a quarterback to establish rhythm when he’s coming out of the game every other snap. Troy has wins over powder puffs Middle Tennessee State and Alcorn State, but the Trojans are no pushovers. They currently own the top ranked pass defense in the nation and have averaged over 500 yards a game offensively in their two victories. If anyone thinks a smaller school can’t compete with OSU at the Horseshoe, just look at what Ohio was able to do two weeks ago in Columbus when they went toe to toe with the Buckeyes for three and a half quarters. Ohio State is currently a 21-point favorite.

Other notable games:
No. 4 Florida at Tennessee, Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State, Saturday 8:00 PM ET ABC
No. 9 Alabama at Arkansas, Saturday 12:30 PM ET

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