College Football Week 11 Preview and Predictions

Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel will have to play the best game of his young career if the Aggies hope of upsetting Alabama. (Brett Davis)

5. #2 Kansas State (9-0) @ TCU (6-3) - 7:00 PM EST, FOX

Kansas State continues to roll through their schedule raking up big win time and time again. However, they may be without their Heisman favorite quarterback when the travel to Fort Worth to take on TCU. Collin Klein suffered an apparent head injury during the third quarter of the Wildcats' 44-30 win over Oklahoma State last week. Head coach Bill Snyder has been mum on Klein's status, but he will certainly have his team well-prepared and ready to play. TCU has had their ups and downs this season, but come into Saturday's showdown off their best win of the season. The Horned Frogs went into Morgantown and beat West Virginia 39-38 in double overtime. Freshman quarterback Trevone Boykin came up with big throws junior wide receiver Josh Boyce and senior tight end Corey Fuller when he need to. TCU will need another big game out of Boykin and his offense if they hope to upset Kansas State.

Prediction: Kansas State 38 TCU 27

4. #21 Mississippi State (7-2) @ #7 LSU (7-2) - 7:00 EST, ESPN/WatchESPN

Mississippi State used a cupcake schedule to start the season 7-2. Their last two games have exposed this reality as the Bulldogs got blown out by Alabama and Texas A&M. Junior quarterback Tyler Russell had 15 touchdown passes to only one interception in the first seven wins, but had only own touchdown and two interceptions in the two losses. The Bulldogs defense has struggled as well. They gave up 38 points in each of the loss and a combined 1,107 yards. LSU comes into this game off an emotional loss to rival Alabama. The Tigers need to put the loss behind them because they are still in the BCS picture. On offense, LSU has began to find its identity. Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger has steadily imporved and freshman tailback Jeremy Hill has emerged as the team's top back. The Tigers defense continues to be their foundation.

Prediction: LSU 24 Mississippi State 10

3. Penn State (6-3) @ #16 Nebraska (7-2) - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2

Penn State doesn't have a postseason to play for, but they can play spoiler to some conference rivals. The Nittany Lions have gotten much better from the start of the season having won six of seven. Senior quarterback Matt McGloin has surprisingly emerged as one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks. Freshman tight end Kyle Carter has been his top target, but is questionable to play after missing last week's game due to injury. Junior wide receiver Brandon Moseby-Felder stepped up to fill the void and may need to do so again this week. Nebraska is in the Big Ten Legends division driver seat, but was lucky to beat Michigan State last week. Junior quarterback Taylor Martinez is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country. In the win over the Spartans, he had four combined touchdowns, but also three interceptions. Sophomore running back Ameer Abdullah has had three straight 100-yard rushing games.

Prediction: Penn State 27 Nebraska 24

2. #11 Oregon State (7-1) @ #14 Stanford (7-2) - 3:00 PM EST, FOX

These are very similar teams. Both have strong, physical defenses and have had surprising replacement quarterbacks emerge to play well. Oregon State surprisingly started the season 6-0. Last week, the Beavers rebounded from a tough loss at Washington to beat Arizona State at home. Junior quarterback Cody Vaz was called into duty when Sean Mannion was injured. This big game will be just the fourth start of his collegiate career. Similarly, Stanford freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan will make his first career start in this game. He played well last week coming in for Josh Nunes, but that was against Colorado's defense.

Prediction: Stanford 20 Oregon State 17

1. #15 Texas A&M (7-2) @ #1 Alabama (9-0) - 3:30 PM EST, CBS

Alabama is coming off a physical, emotional win over rival LSU. Now, they must focus on not having a letdown against one of the SEC's best offenses. Texas A&M has a solid first year in the SEC largely due to the phenomenal play of freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. His 2,527 passing yards are second most in the SEC, and he leads the conference in rushing with 922 yards. His 31 total touchdowns tops the league as well. However, Manziel did only rush for 27 yards and had three interceptions in the Aggies loss to LSU. He will have to play much better if they hope to had top ranked and undefeated Alabama. The Crimson Tide's defense is vicious, and they have a Heisman caliber quarterback as well in AJ McCarron.

Prediction: Alabama 27 Texas A&M 24

"We Are": Penn State Hockey Off to Good Start

Penn State's Casey Bailey scores the first D1 goal for the Nittany Lions.
(Photo from: http://pennstate.247sports.com/Article/Penn-State-Hockey-Earns-Split-95911)

Penn State didn't have to wait long to get it's first-ever win at the Division I level.

The Nittany Lions were on the verge of a winless weekend in the school's first season playing at the top  level of college hockey. After a 3-2 overtime loss to American International on Friday night, Big Blue found itself once again locked into a five minute overtime period.

The result this time would be different for Penn State, thanks to David Glen's second goal of the game. The PSU left winger cradled a pass from Kenny Brooks on the right wing, firing the puck past goaltender Ben Meisner from just outside the left hashmark and into the top of the net. Penn State mobbed a pumped-up Glen along the sideboards, celebrating the program's first win at the Division 1 level.

                                  Penn State earned an overtime win with this goal by David Glen.


Confidence was running over into this past weekend for the Nittany Lions--perhaps a bit too much. Surprisingly, especially after the big overtime win against American International, Penn State was shut out by Division III opponent Buffalo State. Reality check, anyone? The loss was probably enough for head coach Guy Gadowsky to choke on his spearmint gum.

Credit to the Nittany Lions, though. They went back to Division I opponents with a road game against RIT on Saturday night--the RIT Tigers, of course, coming off a huge upset of #3 Michigan the weekend before. The Tiger offense managed to shut down the Big Blue Machine on offense, allowing just 22 shots.

But you know what they say--champions find a way to win. Sophomore goaltender PJ Musico stepped up to the plate and rebounded from the previous loss, stopping 40 of 42 shots for the Nittany Lions. And despite only managing 22 shots, Penn State still found the back of the net three times, upsetting the RIT Tigers 3-2 in their own building.

Penn State is off to a great start in their first season at the NCAA Division I level.
(Photo from: http://thankyouterry.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-snails-pace-of-ticket-sales.html)

Nobody is claiming that Penn State will have a championship season...or even make the NCAA tournament for that matter. That's going to be a long-time coming, and there are multiple kinks for Guy Gadowsky to get out of the system. One big question for Penn State is how their defense will hold up once they get into the heart of the schedule--five of the eight Nittany Lion defenders is an underclassman. This will bode well for Penn State's defensive future (Musico is also an underclassman at goalie for PSU), but could prove costly during this first season at this level.

One positive for Penn State, however, is that the offense is already finding ways to score, averaging just under a respectable three goals a game. Impressively, Penn State has put up an incredible number of shots on their opponents--American International's Ben Meisner faced 63 shots on Friday night alone. The Nittany Lions are averaging 41 shots per game in their first four games.

Keep that up, and Penn State will be making some noise in the NCAA.
The Nittany Lion is on ice and ready to roar.

And the white and blue faithful are screaming out, with frosty breath, that "We are...Penn State."

BCS Bowls Burst on the Scene Among a Full Slate of Monday Matchups

There are six big bowl games being played on Monday, January 2, 2012. Here are some previews and predictions. Games are listed in order in which they will take place chronologically.

TicketCity Bowl - #19 Houston (12-1) vs. #22 Penn State (9-3) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPNU

This bowl game isn't where either of these teams hoped they would end up. As a result, motivation might be a struggle for both teams. The Houston Cougars were 12-0 entering the Conference USA Championship Game. All they needed was to win the game, and they would get the berth to a BCS bowl. However, Southern Miss pulled the upset, so the Cougars have to settle for this bowl. Normally, a nine win season for a Big Ten team would earn them one of the conference's more desired bowl games. Unfortunately for Penn State, many bowl committees passed them up because of the scandal that devastated the program. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the Nittany Lions, they did. The team has ruled out starting quarterback Matt McGloin, with a concussion from a fight with a teammate in their locker room. Houston is of course known by their record-setting quarterback Case Keenum. He will have a tough matchup against a Penn State defense that ranks #5 in the nation against the pass. Prediction: Houston 27 Penn State 16

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl - Ohio State (6-6) vs. Florida (6-6) - 1:00 PM EST, ESPN2

In most seasons, this matchup would most likely be a regular season headliner or BCS bowl, but this year isn't a typical year for either team as both finished a disappointing 6-6. Ohio State lost their last three games of the season. In fact, the Buckeyes finished with a losing record in Big Ten play for the first time since 1999. Florida lost six of their last eight. The storyline of this game is that it pits coach Urban Meyer's former team against his future team. While he will have no actual role in the game, most of the talk surrounding the game will be about him, rather than the mediocre football being played on the field. Prediction: Florida 27 Ohio State 24

Outback Bowl - #17 Michigan State (10-3) vs. #16 Georgia (10-3) - 1:00 PM EST, ABC

Both of these teams look to bounce back from disappointing losses in their respective conference championship games. Michigan State lost a hard fought battle against Wisconsin 42-39. Georgia, which entered their game with #1 LSU on a ten game winning streak, saw their streak snapped as they were manhandled by a far superior Tigers team, 42-10. The quarterback matchup should be a good one. The Spartans' Kirk Cousins finished his senior season strong, throwing 13 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions during a five game span. The Bulldogs' sophomore quarterback, Aaron Murray, had a strong season as well, but struggled against LSU's stringent defense to end the season. While both of these offenses are capable of putting points on the scoreboard, I expect this game to be a lower scoring one because of the dominance of both of these defenses. Both finished in the top five in of the FBS in total defense. Prediction: Georgia 20 Michigan State 10

Capital One Bowl - #20 Nebraska (9-3) vs. #9 South Carolina (10-2) - 1:00 PM EST, ESPN

South Carolina is one win away from its winningest season in school history. In order to achieve that, they are going to have to overcome a few things. One would be their own history in bowl games, having lost their last three. They are also going to have to slow down Nebraska's challenging offense, led by dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead. The Huskers' offense won't have an easy task themselves either as they match up against a Gamecocks defense that ranks #4 in the FBS in total defense and is led by first-team All-American defensive end Melvin Ingram. Nebraska has to be a little disappointed on not making it to a BCS bowl in their first year in the Big Ten, but overall it was a solid year for the team. They would love to cap it off with a bowl win. Prediction: South Carolina 20 Nebraska 17

Rose Bowl - #10 Wisconsin (11-2) vs. #5 Oregon (11-2) - 5:00 PM EST, ESPN

Both these teams are familiar to BCS games in recent years, but both are looking for their first win. Wisconsin was in the Rose Bowl last year, but lost to an undefeated TCU team. Oregon is making their third straight BCS bowl game appearance. The Ducks lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl two years ago and to Auburn in the BCS title game last season. This year's matchup might result in the highest scoring Rose Bowl ever. Both offenses rank in the top five in total offense in the nation and neither have scored less than 27 points in a game all season. Both offenses feature standout quarterbacks and running backs. Wisconsin's quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, completing 72.5% of his passes while throwing 31 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. The Badgers' running back Montee Bell finished the season as a Heisman finalist with a total of 1759 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. Oregon's quarterback Darron Thomas finished with 2493 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. The Ducks' explosive running back LaMichael James averaged 7.4 yards per carry, while rushing for 1646 yards and 17 touchdowns. This one seems set to be a shootout. Prediction: Wisconsin 38 Oregon 35

Tostitos Bowl - #4 Stanford (11-1) vs. #3 Oklahoma State (11-1) - 8:30 PM EST, ESPN

The Tostitos Bowl this year is all about teams trying to prove a point. Stanford wants to showcase quarterback Andrew Luck and let everyone know that they have a complete football team. Luck is being hailed as the greatest quarterback prospect since John Elway. Oklahoma State wants the NCAA and viewers to realize that the BCS is a screwed up system and that they should be playing in the national championship game. This game obviously features two prolific, high scoring offenses. The Cardinal offense revolves around Luck, who threw for 35 touchdown passes during the season, and tight end Coby Fleener, who is the most productive tight end in the nation. The Cowboys offense features quarterback Brandon Weeden, who threw for 34 touchdown passes, and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who caught 113 passes for 1336 yards and 15 touchdowns. If you thought that wasn't enough offense, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle also ran for 1193 yards and 23 touchdowns. You thought the Rose Bowl was going to be high scoring, but this one might be even higher scoring. It might me a shootout between the bowls to see who can score the most combined points. Prediction: Oklahoma State 48 Stanford 31

College Football Week 12 Preview & Predictions

5. #16 Nebraska @ #18 Michigan - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

The Big Ten Legends Division is down to three contenders with one clear favorite. Both Nebraska and Michigan are 8-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. They sit a game behind Michigan State who is 8-2 as well, but are 5-1 in conference play. The Spartans play Indiana at home (12:00 PM EST, Big Ten Network). If they win, Michigan is out. Therefore, Michigan needs a win over Nebraska and an Indiana win over Michigan State to stay alive in their pursuit of this year's Big Ten Championship. Nebraska needs either a win over Michigan or an Indiana win over Michigan State. To say there is a lot riding on the outcome of this game, is an understatement. This one should be fun. Prediction: Nebraska 20 Michigan 17

4. #17 Wisconsin @ Illinois - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN2/ESPN3

Now, it's time to watch what happens in the Big Ten's other division. In the Leaders Division, Wisconsin is in the same position as Michigan and Nebraska. Wisconsin (8-2, 4-2) sits one game behind Penn State (8-2, 5-1). After two heartbreaking losses, the Badgers responded by beating Purdue and Minnesota by a combined margin of 104-30. Illinois started the season 5-0, but upon examining their schedule, that was more or less just an illusion. The Illini have now lost four in a row. Head coach Ron Zook is back on the hot seat. How will his players respond for him? Prediction: Wisconsin 38 Illinois 13

3. #21 Penn State @ Ohio State - 3:30 PM EST, ABC Regional/ESPN/ESPN3

Penn State and Ohio State were once considered to be the epitome of what a football program should be. When these two teams played last year, the game featured the two winningest active coaches in Division I football. The NCAA is still in the midst of an investigation into Ohio State players trading memorabilia for cash and receiving discounted tattoos. Head coach Jim Tressel became history. Penn State is still shell shocked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal that has disgraced and torn apart a tight-knit community. Head coach Joe Paterno was fired and his legendary career is forever tarnished. Saturday there is football to be played. A game that is very important for both teams. Ohio State is bowl eligible, but might have to play a MAC school if they don't win one of their final two games. Penn State still sits in first place in the Big Ten Leaders Division. They control their own fate in their path to the Big Ten Championship Game. Penn State needs to do something they haven't done very much of in the past, win at the Horseshoe. They've only one once in Columbus since joining the Big Ten. This game should feature heavy running approaches and strong defenses. Prediction: Penn State 14 Ohio State 13

2. #5 Oklahoma @ #22 Baylor - 8:00 PM EST, ABC Regional/ESPN3

Without even playing last week, Oklahoma returned to the BCS National Championship picture. Two previously undefeated teams ahead of the Sooners, Stanford and Boise State, both lost. Now, the Sooners have two of their final three games against ranked opponents. If they win out, they definitely have a case for playing in the BCS National Championship Game. Their first game is against Baylor. The ranked Bears will be pumped for this showdown as they have a great chance to beat their rival Oklahoma for the first time ever. Last week, Baylor rallied and survived an overtime bout with Kansas 31-30. With Robert Griffin III at quarterback, the Bears should be able to score against the Sooners defense, but the question is whether or not their defense will be able to do enough to slow down Sooners quarterback Landry Jones. Prediction: Oklahoma 35 Baylor 31

1. SMU @ #11 Houston - 3:30 PM EST

Thanks in large part to Boise State's loss last week and College Gameday's first visit to campus, the spotlight is fully on Case Keenum and the Houston Cougars. Keenum is the NCAA all-time leader in total offense (18,434 yards), passing yards (17,537), and passing touchdowns (144). This Saturday he looks to add two more accomplishments to his resume. He needs seven completions to become the all-time leader in that category. If he passes for 300 yards or more, he will tie former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang's record of 36 games. Additionally, if Houston wins out they will get the automatic bid to a BCS bowl game that Boise State vacated with their loss. SMU has lost three out of their last four, but won against a ranked TCU team earlier this year. Prediction: Houston 70 SMU 21

If you want to learn more about Houston, watch this video preview of their game this Saturday: http://www.cbs.com/sports/video/?pid=BQ83j5A3rSkGt81qEtipkZubz19w_4Uy&vs=Default&play=true

College Football Week 11 Preview & Predictions

5. #19 Nebraska @ #12 Penn State - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN

Nebraska is traveling to without a doubt the most hostile environment in college football right now, a very unhappy Happy Valley. Two weeks ago, Nebraska looked dominate against Michigan State in 24-3 win. Then, last week in typical Big Ten fashion they choked and lost to a backup quarterback led Northwestern team. Penn State is adrift with scandal, the firing of their president and one of the most legendary coaches in the history of sports, and rioting students. Meanwhile, the football team is the only Big Ten team who remains undefeated in conference play. The question is can interim coach Tom Bradley rally the troops and get his team to focus on what they've been doing best, winning football games. Prediction: Penn State 27 Nebraska 10

4. #17 Michigan State @ Iowa - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN2

The Big Ten has some very intriguing games this weekend. Last week, Iowa was coming off a humiliating loss to Minnesota 22-21. In order for them to have a chance at a Big Ten championship, the Hawkeyes would most likely have to run the table the rest of the way. Last week, they accomplished step one in a hard-nosed win over Michigan 24-16. Michigan State survived the upset bug who paid them a visit last week in the form of the Golden Gophers. Iowa sits a game behind the Spartans in the Legends Divisions standings. If Iowa can pull the upset at home again this week, they will have completed a miraculous comeback that will amazingly propel them into first place in the division. Prediction: Iowa 21 Michigan State 20

3. #20 Auburn @ #15 Georgia - 3:30 PM EST, CBS

Many people said Georgia was no longer a contender after they started the season 0-2. Now, the Bulldogs have rolled off 7 victories in a row and control their fate atop the SEC East. They can clinch the division with a win over Auburn and a Florida win over South Carolina (12 PM EST, CBS). The Dawgs will also be welcoming back standout freshman runningback Isaiah Crowell back from a one-game suspension. Auburn is rested and healed coming off a bye. Before that, the Tigers bounced back from a pounding at the hands of LSU to win 41-23 over Ole Miss. Prediction: Auburn 23 Georgia 20

2. TCU @ #5 Boise State - 3:30 PM EST, Versus

These two Mountain West heavyweight fighters have had some great bouts over the past few years. TCU's only losses this season are a 2 point loss the opening week to Baylor and a overtime loss to SMU. This year's version of the Horned Frogs does not have nearly as talented of a defense as past years. They are also missing Andy Dalton, who is now a leading candidate for NFL Rookie of the Year as the starting quarterback for the surprising Cincinnati Bengals. TCU has won 4 straight games and 21 consecutive against MWC opponents. However, the Horned Frogs will have a tough time pulling the upset on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium. Boise State hasn't lost a conference home game since 1998 (That is 13 years ago!). The Broncos are led by star quarterback Kellen Moore. Interestingly enough though, Moore hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in either of his last two games against TCU. Prediction: Boise State 41 TCU 24

1. #7 Oregon @ #4 Stanford - 8:00 PM EST, ABC

While last week's game of the week featured a defensive battle, these week's game of the week will almost certainly showcase an offensive explosion. In last year's matchup, Oregon came out victorious 52-31, largely due to LaMichael James, who ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford has won 17 consecutive games since (the nation's best winning streak) and will counter with this year's Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck, who NFL scouts say might be the best prospect since Payton Manning came out of Tennessee. The offensive matchup should be a stellar one. Stanford's 48.2 ppg vs. Oregon's 46.0 ppg. Oregon's 510.67 ypg vs. Stanford's 505.78 ypg. The Cardinal are 9-0 (7-0 Pac-12), while the Ducks' (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) only loss was a week one loss to #1 LSU. Will Andrew Luck's senior year run of luck continue, or will he be out of luck against the Ducks? Prediction: Stanford 48 Oregon 45

Things are Becoming Very Interesting in the Big Ten

The Big Ten might not be the best conference in college football, but it might be one of the most interesting and exciting.

Just when everyone thought that Michigan State looked like the cream of the crop in the Legends division, Nebraska's defense said not so fast. After beating Michigan and Wisconsin (in stunning fashion) the past two weeks, Michigan State's offense was stymied. Nebraska pulled off the victory 24-3 in front of an excited home crowd.

Michigan's Toussaint had a career day as his team beat Purdue 36-14. Penn State held on against Illinois for a 10-7 victory to give coach Joe Paterno his record 409th win.

One the main questions going into the week was how would Wisconsin respond from last week's heartbreak. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass and two point conversion to give the Badges a 29-26 lead with 1:18 left. However, Wisconsin's defense let them down as they allowed inexperienced freshman quarterback Braxton Miller to complete a 40 yard game-winning touchdown pass to give Ohio State the upset win. Perhaps Wisconsin should look into purchasing some Prevacid, as they are suffering some heartburn once again.

So where do we stand now. The Legends Division standings have a 3-way tie at the top with Michigan, Nebraska, and Michigan State all holding a 3-1 conference record. Penn State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) now holds a commanding lead in the Leaders Division. The next closest teams are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Purdue, who all have a 2-2 conference record. The Nittany Lions are off next week and control their own fate from here on out.