College Football Week 4 Preview

Fresno State @ Cincinnati, Saturday 12pm
Mike: I think I’ve made it clear I’m a fan of Cincy this year. This game will wrap up a rough stretch for Fresno St. Wisconsin, Boise St, and Cincy. They certainly have what it takes to be #2 in the WAC but they aren’t the giant killer of years past. This will be a game of who can score faster. Cincy is the highest scoring team in the nation and 6th in total yards (5th in passing yards). Fresno is no slouch though, just in a different manner. They have the 4th ranked rushing offense. I guess I should know who Ryan Mathews is, he is the nation’s leading rusher. With offenses like this I see a tight game, but tight being about 2 TDs. Pick: Cincinnati
Evan: I’m not a fan of Cincy, I never have been, I never will be. At the same time, Fresno State has already screwed me over once this year. I have no interest in this game, so I’m just going with the masses. Pick: Cincy
Matt: I have nothing against Cincy or Fresno. I would enjoy rooting for both of them, but obviously, I can’t here. This should be a good, high-scoring game. I think Cincy has more offensive firepower, though. Pick: Cincinnati
Ahad: I am going to stick with Cincy, they have done right by me so far. Pick: Cincy

South Florida @ Florida State, Saturday 12pm
Mike: South Florida wants into the Flordia football rivalries. And why not? You could argue they’ve been the 2nd best team in the state the last few years. This is their first meeting with FSU. Later this year they will also play Miami (they met once before, in 2005). Problem is, apparently FSU is back. With all these ESPN-types claiming this team and that team is back, FSU might be the first one I believe, even with the loss (playing Miami the first week is always a toss-up). I didn’t even watch them against BYU after flipping it on and seeing the score. Florida State is all warmed up for the season while USF has played, umm, Western Kentucky? Florida State should roll. It isn’t an even matchup before taking away USF injured starting QB. Pick: Florida State
Evan: Contrary to what Mike says, this was a big matchup before Grothe went down. USF has been looking forward to this matchup for over a year. I really think if Grothe was playing this would be a game to watch, but with him gone the Bulls have no chance. Pick: FSU
Matt: Grothe is still around? What is he in, his 5th, 6th year? I don’t think the Bulls would have a chance in this game even if Grothe were playing. SF hasn’t played anybody yet while FSU has played Miami and BYU, so FSU has an edge in already playing some competitive football. FSU is just too talented and too fast for the Bulls: Pick: Florida State
Ahad: With Grothie out, I don’t see this being a close game. FSU had a strong game last week and will look to continue that momentum. Pick: FSU

Miami (FL) @ Virginia Tech, Saturday 3:30pm
Mike: Game of the Week? Really not sure why Game Day isn’t here. Yes they’ve already been to a VT game, but not to Blacksburg. There are no other games on VT’s schedule that they’d care to attend. I’m not sure where to go with this one. I don’t have a lot of faith in VT putting up too many points. I’ve never been completely sold on Taylor against good defenses and Miami’s is pretty good. The matchup will be about VT containing Miami on offense. Miami should be able to move the ball well enough on the ground. Pick: Miami
Evan: Miami is playing well, I just wonder if all those young players think they’re awesome now and then they don’t take VaTech seriously. The game is in Blacksburg, but it’s not at night, which is when Miami loses in Blacksburg. Pick: Canes
Matt: Game Day SHOULD have been here. I don’t know why they picked State College, although State College is an awesome host for such a great show. After watching Miami dismantle Georgia Tech last week, I thought they looked scary good. They have such fast, athletic players everywhere on the field. Heck, their coaching staff is probably just as fast. They are still young though, lacking a lot of big game experience, which I think will cause them to lose a game or two, with this maybe being one of them. Va Tech is tough on D, but have been struggling on offense. They will need to score some points to keep up with Miami. Va Tech gets some scoring help from its defense and special teams to sneak out with a win. Pick: Va. Tech
Ahad: This is clearly the best matchup of the week. Miami has played well so far and VTech has had their struggles on offense. The difference will be which QB shows up and I go with Harris. Pick: Miami

California @ Oregon, Saturday 3:30pm
Mike: Just when I decided Cal was good and everyone had counted Oregon out after the Boise St fiasco, this game pops up for me to have to pick. I haven’t gone through, but I’m pretty sure I’m always wrong in games when the Ducks are involved. Here’s the thing. Have you heard of this Jahvid Best guy? He’s ok. He runs good. What has Oregon given up on the ground this year? 164 (Boise St), 170 (Purdue), 119 (Utah). They played some pretty good teams, so those numbers aren’t awful. However, none of those teams have Best playing for them. Pick: California
Evan: Cal is my pick to win the Pac 10 this year, they need to beat Oregon to accomplish it. Pick: Cal
Matt: I am still not sold on Cal being the best team in the Pac 10, but I do think they are better than Oregon. Pick: California
Ahad: I don’t know what to think about Oregon. If they don’t win, another fan might send a bill to the coach asking for reimbursement. Pick: Cal

Iowa @ Penn State, Saturday 8pm
Mike: I’m a little concerned about Sean Lee being injured. If he was in there last year, Penn State wins this game. Without Greene, Penn State can focus a little more on Iowa’s passing game that burned them at the end of last year. Of course they’ll need to, the secondary is inexperienced. So even up there. Penn State’s offense isn’t what it was last year, but oddly its the offensive line being the issue, not the WRs as most would have expected. Why did Penn State lose this game last year? They weren’t paying attention to Iowa and they were ill prepared for the weather. This year, white out, revenge on their mind, win. Pick: Penn State
Evan: Penn State has revenge on their mind. Pick: Penn State
Matt: I hope both Lee and Bowman can make it back for this game. Hull (and his mustache) and Stupar have been very solid so far as fill-ins, but the competition is better now. If I recall correctly, we lost this game last year because we didn’t score touchdowns in the red zone and settled for field goals. I knew as we kept kicking short FG’s that it would come back to haunt us. The PSU O-line needs to step up and protect Clark and created holes for Royster and Green. If they can do that on a consistent basis, they should be fine offensively. They just need to win the battles in the trenches and pressure Stanzi. It will be a close one (again), and certainly not another 6-4 fiasco, but Penn State gets it’s revenge. Pick: Penn State
Ahad: The injuries at linebacker are a concern for PSU. Iowa will try to run the ball and control the clock, which is wear the LBs will come into play. PSU needs to be more balanced on offense. The O-line needs to play a lot better. In fact, the entire team needs to have its best game of the season. The home field advantage will help PSU win in a close game. Pick: PSU

Average Games
Buffalo @ Temple (Saturday, noon, ESPN+) – This could decide the MAC East. Could, but what do I don’t about the MAC.
Rutgers @ Maryland (Saturday, 3:30, TV? ESPN360) – This line opened with Rutgers favored by 3, now its even. Still, isn’t Maryland better than that? They did lose to MTSU.
Pitt @ NC State (Saturday, 3:30, ESPNU) – Pitt should be on their way back and NC State played South Carolina tight. With my Pitt curiosity, that’s enough.
Notre Dame @ Purdue (Saturday, 8, ESPN) – The way Purdue put up points on Oregon, I feel this could be a similar game.

Standings
Mike 9-6 (4-1)
Evan 9-6 (4-1)
Matt 8-7 (4-1)
Ahad 8-7 (3-2)