WEEK TEN - Preview

West Virginia (-3½) over Connecticut
Connecticut is actually a pretty tough team to beat on their home field. But without their top two quarterbacks the Huskies are vulnerable. West Virginia finally seems to be putting things together, so I expect them to stay hot and win by a touchdown or more.

Michigan (+1½) over Purdue
Purdue stinks. Curtis Painter is injured and might not play, but that doesn’t matter. Michigan has the defense to keep Purdue off the scoreboard and quarterback Steven Threet has improved enough to manufacture enough points to win outright.

Georgia (+5½) over Florida
I’m a little surprised the spread is this much in favor of Florida. Mark Richt wins the coaching battle here, and Knowshon Moreno will carry his team to victory over the speedy Gators. Texas (-6) over Texas Tech Like taking candy from a baby. Texas has won by an average of 18 points in the last five meetings. Texas Tech is the same old Texas Tech, but this might be Mack Brown’s best team yet.

Western Kentucky (-16½) over North Texas High School’s Varsity Football Team
How hilarious is it that a team with exactly zero wins over Division 1-A opponents is favored by 16½ over NTHS? The Hilltoppers are only averaging 10.5 points per game against D1-A competition for goodness sake! Take Western Kentucky anyway - they’ll win by 17.

Other games I like, but don’t feel good enough about to give them “Lock” status:
Central Michigan (+2½) over Indiana
Kansas State (+11½) over Kansas
Arkansas State (+23½) over Alabama
Missouri (-20) over Baylor
Iowa State (+31) over Oklahoma State
Washington (+43) over USC
New Mexico (+7½) over Utah

News & Notes

*After losing wide receiver Dicky Lyons for the season a week ago, Kentucky received some more bad news. Three of the Wildcats best players are injured and will probably miss the game with Florida this Saturday. Defensive tackle Myron Pryor and linebacker Micah Johnson are hobbled by high ankle sprains, and running back Derrick Locke is out for the season with torn knee ligaments.

*Northwestern senior middle linebacker Malcolm Arrington will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Arrington was third on the team in tackles.

*Talented linebacker Brian Toal’s career at Boston College is apparently over. The senior, who redshirted last year due to a shoulder injury, broke his right fibula and will be out for the year. It’s an unfortunate end to an injury plagued career.

*Oklahoma wide receiver Maunel Johnson is out for the season with an apparent arm injury. Johnson was the Sooners leading receiver, and he had scored seven touchdowns in the last three weeks.

*In case the anti-Curtis Painter bandwagon wasn’t full enough already, apparently we can now count Purdue running back Kory Sheets as a member. Here are some of his comments after the loss to Northwestern:

"In my eyes, I need some help. I can't do it all by myself. Everybody's coming up to me, 'Sheets, get the offense going.' I do something good and then something bad happens. I need some help."

"If they want to ask more of me, they just have to put the ball in my hands a little bit more, and they're going to get a lot more out of me. They put the ball in my hands, I feel we'll be a lot more successful."

When asked about Purdue's quarterback situation, since Curtis Painter was yanked in games against Penn State and Northwestern, Sheets said: "You need somebody in there who's going to be consistent. Right now, Painter hasn't been consistent and they're trying to find out if Joey (Elliott) can be consistent, but he got hurt. If they don't have consistency at quarterback, and I'm being real consistent, I think they have to start looking at me for some answers, and giving me the ball and letting me carry the team, instead of keep putting it in Painter's hands."

Finally, when asked if Painter was the guy who can lead this team to victory, Sheets paused and said, "No comment."

I definitely don't condone players airing their grievances to the press, but in this case Sheets is pretty much dead on. Sheets is an underrated, underused talent that could take some heat off the lousy quarterback situation if the coaching staff gave him the chance. I’m just not sure this is the way to go about getting more carries. The only certainty in West Lafayette right now is that Joe Tiller is going to end his career on a losing note.

News & Notes

*NEWSFLASH: Auburn fires offensive coordinator Tony Franklin!

Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin Wednesday, less than one full year after hiring him. Let's be honest though, Franklin's offense has been awful this season, and it didn't even look like it was heading in the right direction. I'm usually against teams firing coaches without giving them a reasonable amount of time to prove their worth, but in this case I also have to admit it immediately makes Auburn a better team. Hopefully this means we'll see more of Kodi Burns now because Chris Todd has had more than a fair shot at the job.

*The Arizona State/USC game Saturday might have a different look to it. Both quarterbacks, Rudy Carpenter and Mark Sanchez, are nursing injuries and may not play. Carpenter sprained his ankle against Cal a week ago and is still in a boot. If he can't play he'll be replaced by big armed, but inexperienced Danny Sullivan. Sanchez suffered a bone bruise in his left knee and is also considered "day-to-day". Interestingly, Mitch Mustain will start in his place after being elevated above Aaron Corp a week ago for his performance in practice. Could we have our first real Mitch Mustain sighting Saturday night? Tune in to find out.

*Wake Forest kicker/punter Sam Swank strained his right quadriceps in practice Monday and is questionable for the big Thursday night contest against Clemson. Swank is one of the better kickers in the nation, so he could be missed in what is expected to be a close game.

*Purdue head coach Joe Tiller has joined B.Pike on the anti-Curtis Painter bandwagon. Tiller benched Painter in the fourth quarter of the Boilermakers' 20-6 loss to Penn State, and had some harsh criticism for his senior quarterback. "We need to make throws and they need to be in an area where we can catch the football, not at the ankle level or behind or on a deep throw two yards over the top of his head," Tiller said. "Our accuracy perhaps is the thing that right now is hurting us the most." Ouch. Painter is still slated to start against Ohio State this Saturday, but he'll be on a much shorter leash than usual.

*Nick Stephens will get the start at quarterback for Tennessee against Georgia this week. The sophomore from Flower Mound, TX did just enough in the 13-9 win over Northern Illinois to stay a step ahead of Jonathan Crompton on the depth chart.

News & Notes

* Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn named JC transfer Dax Crum the starting quarterback. That leaves Karsten Sween, who started for the Cowboys the past two seasons, relegated to backup duty. Which begs the question: what the hell kind of name is “Dax Crum”?

* USC’s Matt Sanchez and Joe McKnight each suffered minor injuries in practice. Both are expected to be fine for the regular season, but this offense has been slipping recently, and these are two first time starters who could use the repetitions to gel with the rest of the offense.

An interesting side note to the Sanchez injury – redshirt freshman Aaron Corp is taking the snaps with the first team offense in his place instead of the highly touted Mitch Mustain. I’m guessing Pete Carroll is going to receive an angry call from Momma Mustain soon.

* Virginia Tech lost another wide receiver when Frank Beamer suspended Zach Luckett from the team indefinitely. The Hokies top four receivers from last season all graduated and the top three heading into ‘08 have all been lost due to injury or suspension. Now Poly must rely on true freshmen to get the job done. Tyrod Taylor better be ready to take over the QB job full time because he’s the only playmaker left on this depleted offense.

* Colorado named Demetrius Sumler the starting running back ahead of stud true freshman Darrell Scott. Sumler is a fine player, so all this means is the Buffs will have excellent depth in the running game.

* Tennessee tight end Brandon Warren has been cleared to play this season after transferring from Florida State. Two years ago Warren was one of the most impressive freshmen in the country, and he’ll make an immediate impact at Tennessee.

This news couldn’t come at a better time for the Vols either. After losing tight ends Chris Brown and Brad Cottam to the NFL draft, projected starter Jeff Cottam injured his knee in practice and will be miss the first half of the season.

* Purdue running back Jaycen Taylor tore up his knee and will miss the 2008 season. Kory Sheets will take over full time, but he doesn’t have quite the same ability Taylor does.

* SMU senior quarterback Justin Willis has been demoted to third string on new head coach June Jones’ depth chart behind somebody called Bo Levi Mitchell. Willis has started for the Mustangs the past three years so the move comes as a surprise.

* As expected, UCLA has named Kevin Craft the starting quarterback. Craft, a transfer from San Diego State, got the nod in large part because Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan are the two most injury-prone players to ever play major college football. But Craft can play a little bit too, so expect him to have a fine season playing for Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow.

* Ralph Friedgen has changed his starting quarterback again. Chris Turner, who played well in spots last season, has been replaced in the lineup by injury-plagued Jordan Steffy. Josh Portis, a transfer from Florida, is expected to see action as well. Friedgen said Portis has as much athleticism as any player he’s ever coached, so expect him to contribute a highlight reel play at some point this year.

* In another quarterback competition that went as expected, Cal has named Kevin Riley the starter over Nate Longshore. Long”spare” has been playing mediocre football for far too long, and Riley proved in the Bears’ bowl win over Air Force that he has what it takes to succeed in Jeff Tedford’s offense.

* Oregon quarterback Nate Costa suffered an injury to the same knee that caused him to miss all of last season. As of now the severity of the injury is unknown, but I have a hunch that Justin Roper is warming up in the bullpen already. Get your panic buttons ready Duck fans.

* Miami has suspended projected starting quarterback Robert Marve for the season opener against Charleston Southern. That means true freshman Jacory Harris will have the first shot at filling the ballerina slippers of Kirby Freeman and Kyle Wright.

* Gene Chizik has chosen a winner in the heated quarterback competition at Iowa State. Austen Arnaud will get first crack at the job. Phillip Bates will see the field though - he played wide receiver last season and has too much athleticism to keep on the sidelines.

* N.C. State redshirt freshman Russell Wilson was tabbed by head coach Tom O’Brien as the starter for the Thursday night opener against South Carolina. Wilson beat out incumbent Daniel Evans, Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck, and Justin Burke, who is transfering to Louisville.

* Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone tore up his knee and will sit out the season. The Domers were already thin at tight end, so it will be up to incoming freshmen to handle an important position in Charlie Weis’ offense.

Big Ten - Best QBs

1. Kellen Lewis, Indiana

Yes, Indiana is home to the best quarterback in the Big Ten. Others may get more accolades for playing on better teams (Todd Boeckman), but Lewis does more for his team than anyone else. In leading the Hoosiers to their first bowl game in 14 years, Lewis led the team in both passing (3,043 yards) and rushing yards (736 yards), and accounted for 37 of the 46 offensive touchdowns Indiana scored in 2007. He served a suspension over the summer for violating team rules, but was reinstated a couple weeks ago. Just in time to pick up where he left off as one of the most dangerous single players in the conference.

2. Isiah "Juice" Williams, Illinois

Possessor of one of the strongest arms in the nation, Juice earns this ranking based mostly on his potential. Up to now he hasn't displayed the consistency desired from a quarterback, but he has flashed moments of brilliance that make you realize he has the potential to be one of the best in the nation. Seriously, he could throw a football through Javorskie Lane's gut - his arm is that strong. That arm paired with legs that carried him to 755 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns (not to mention an upset victory over Ohio State late last season) could make for a deadly combination ..... IF he can take the next step and develop some consistency in '08.

3. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State

Well, Boeckman has a lot more talent around him, but he's no schmoe. After hiding in Troy Smith's considerable shadow for the first three years of his career, Boeckman took over the offense in 2007 and steadily guided Ohio State to yet another national championship game. He doesn't have any flashy skills that will blow you off your couch, but he's solid and does everything Jim Tressel asks of him.

4. C.J. Bacher, Northwestern

An underrated signal caller on an often overlooked team. Bacher can play though, so don't be surprised if Northwestern nabs an upset victory or two this season.

5. Curtis Painter, Purdue

Yawn. So they like to pass a lot. Big deal.

OTHERS TO WATCH:

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

If you don't know by now, you better axe somebody. Or something like that. This kid was the top recruit in the country and chose Ohio State over a chance to play right away at Michigan. Only Jim Tressel knows how much he'll see the field in 2007, but expect to find out about his athleticism long before you know anything about his arm.

Eddie McGee, Illinois

If for any reason the Juice can't go (injury, etc.), the Illini are in good hands. McGee saw the field a little bit in 2007 and proved he has plenty of skills of his own. A multi-dimensional threat out of the quarterback position, he's not as talented as Juice is, but he seems more polished at times.