WEEK TWELVE - Preview

Tulane (-5) over UAB
Tulane running back Andre Anderson must be licking his chops. UAB allowed Southern Miss to put 70 points on the board the last time they took the field, and that included a big performance by USM on the ground (463 rushing yards, 4 players over 80 rushing yards). Anderson averages a Conference USA best 123.4 rushing yards per game and he’ll look to improve on that number. I like UAB quarterback Joe Webb, but he simply doesn’t have enough help to keep this game close.

Nebraska (-6½) over Kansas State
The Blackshirts are back! As a result, the Big Red defense will play their best game of the season against the lifeless Wildcats.

Stanford (+22½) over USC
USC has been playing great defense lately, allowing a paltry 13 points over the last five games. That doesn’t mean the Trojans have been pounding people though - quite the contrary as a matter of fact. Disregarding the games against Washington and Washington State (who hasn’t beaten up on those two this year?), USC’s margin of victory in Pac-10 play is an underwhelming 15 points per game. Considering Stanford was able to pull the upset last year in the Coliseum, I have a feeling this game will go down to the wire.

Other games I like, but don’t feel good enough about to give them “Lock” status:
Rutgers (+7½) over South Florida
Texas (-13) over Kansas
New Mexico State (+15) over Fresno State
Oklahoma State (-17½) over Colorado
Utah (-28) over San Diego State
North Carolina (-2½) over Maryland
Texas A&M (+8) over Baylor

News & Notes

*Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger is going to be out for at least the next 4-6 weeks. Granger’s foot was injured when he was gang tackled by three Washington offensive linemen in a dirty retaliation attempt [YOUTUBE LINK], and might have to miss the season. Nice job Huskies.

*Texas tight end Blaine Irby will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating his knee against Rice. The injury looked like it could be much more serious (don’t watch the replay if you’re squeamish), so the fact there is no ligament damage is surprising. The offense will miss his playmaking ability because no other tight end on the roster possesses his skills in the passing game.

*South Florida linebacker (and J.Pike Fave) Brouce Mompremier was cleared to return home and will miss at least the next 2 games. He was airlifted to the hospital after a collision with teammate Carlton Williams against Florida International left him motionless on the field.

*The biggest injury update of the week is that Faulk Trophy candidate Dante Love’s football career is probably over. The Ball State wide receiver suffered a cervical spine fracture and a spinal cord injury during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Indiana. Love was injured in a helmet-to-helmet hit that left him briefly unconscious. We wish him all the best in his recovery.

*North Carolina has lost their starting quarterback for at least 6 weeks. T.J. Yates suffered an ankle fracture against Virginia Tech. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time with a trip to Miami scheduled for this weekend. Mike Paulus and Cameron Sexton will fill in, but don’t bring the same confidence and sturdy leadership to the position Yates does.

*More bad news for Kansas State. Not only do the Wildcats look every bit as bad as they did in 2007 – now starting running back Leon Patton is off the team. Ron Prince kicked the senior off the team after he was accused of child abuse. Patton allegedly shook a little baby.

*Another preseason Faulk Trophy candidate will be out for the rest of the season. New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie tore his right ACL and MCL in the first half against Tulsa.

*Virginia coach Al Groh finally kicked quarterback Peter Lalich off the team. Lalich violated his alcohol-related probation by getting caught drinking. He later lied about it to the press proving he’s not the smartest cookie in the jar. Virginia’s woeful season will continue.

Big XII Preview

Favorites

North: Missouri
Gary Pinkel has the best collection of athletes he’s ever had at Missouri, so it’s time for the Tigers to take the next step. The defending North champs return an array of playmakers, including Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, and William Moore, that are among the elite in all of college football. If Missouri doesn’t win the division it would be a huge disappointment.

South: Oklahoma
“Big Game” Bob has taken some lumps lately in bowl games. Somehow he gets a pass though because Coach October has done a great job in Big XII play over that same stretch, winning five out of nine conference titles. OU is once again the consensus favorite to win the South because of some key returnees on offense. But there are sizeable holes on defense (just ask Pat White) that make them more vulnerable than you might think.

Sleepers
North: Nebraska
New head coach Bo Pelini will turn this program around sooner than you think. There is talent on hand and nobody will be taking the Cornhuskers seriously after the debacle last season. Nebraska also has the benefit of hosting Missouri and Kansas so a run at the Big XII title game isn’t out of the question.

South: Texas
It’s hard to refer to Texas as a “sleeper”, but the Longhorns aren’t getting a lot of respect from the national media despite a strong finish to the 2007 season. Oklahoma is justifiably getting most of the preseason hype, but even Texas Tech has been a trendy pick to contend in the South ahead of Texas. The Red River Rivalry will once again determine the South champ though, and Texas has the athletes to pull it out.

On the Rise: Iowa State
Gene Chizik quietly did a good job laying the foundation in 2007. He injected some enthusiasm back into the program that had waned in recent years. This offseason he placed a big emphasis on getting stronger as a team, and that will also pay dividends on the field. Defense is Chizik’s specialty so you can expect improvement on that side of the ball. With four starters returning on the offensive line and a pair of gifted young quarterbacks, the offense might even be a little more potent in 2008 than it was last season.

Declining: Kansas State
Signing 19 junior college players and paying Fresno State to get lost in favor of a 1-AA cupcake on the schedule (too bad Texas wasn’t available) sends a pretty clear signal that Ron Prince thinks his days are numbered. Will these stopgap measures work, or will they just make a bigger mess for the next coach to clean up? Looks like a sinking ship to me.

PROJECTED STANDINGS & RECORDS

North
1. Missouri	11-1 (7-1 conference)
2. Nebraska	8-4 (4-4)
3. Kansas	8-4 (4-4)
4. Colorado	6-6 (4-4)
5. Iowa State	6-6 (3-5)
6. Kansas State	5-7 (2-6)
South
1. Texas	11-1 (7-1)
2. Oklahoma	11-1 (7-1)
3. Texas Tech	8-4 (4-4)
4. Texas A&M	6-6 (3-5)
5. Oklahoma State	6-6 (3-5)
6. Baylor	2-10 (0-8)

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Offense: Chase Daniel (QB, Missouri)
Defense: William Moore (DB, Missouri)
Special Teams: Jeremy Maclin (KR, Missouri)

NATIONAL AWARDS CANDIDATES
Justin Brantly (P-A&M) – Sproles/Sauerbrun
Ian Campbell (DE-KSt) – Arrington
John Chiles (QB-Tex) – Frazier
Perrish Cox (KR-OSU) – Sproles/Sauerbrun
Michael Crabtree (WR-Tech) – Bo Jackson
Chase Daniel (QB-Miz) – Bo Jackson, J.Pike’s Fave
Auston English (DE-Okl) - Arrington
Mike Goodson (RB-A&M) – Bo Jackson, Sayers
Graham Harrell (QB-Tech) – Bo Jackson
Jeremy Maclin (WR-Miz) – Bo Jackson, Sproles/Sauerbrun
William Moore (DB-Miz) – Arrington, Deion
Joe Mortensen (LB-Kan) - Arrington
DeMarco Murray (RB-Okl) – Sayers, Sproles/Sauerbrun
Brian Orakpo (DE-Tex) – Arrington
Zac Robinson (QB-OSU) - Frazier
Gold Wrenches:
Oklahoma offensive line
Texas offensive line
Oklahoma defensive line
Texas Tech offensive line
Texas defensive line
Nebraska offensive line
Colorado defensive line