AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 21
Friday, November 21, 2008
Oklahoma will knock off No. 2 Texas Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s three weeks to go in the regular season and I have the feeling we have several more surprises left.
If No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas Tech both win out and finish 13-0, we’ll have a BCS national championship game that most folks will be able to live with. The Big 12 and the SEC have been the two best conferences in the country this season, so matching the undefeated champions would seem to make sense. Shoot, that game might even make the President elect happy and re-think his idea of an eight-team playoff.
Maybe not.
I got bit again by that whacky ACC last week with a 1-3 record. I know somebody has to win that league but for the life of me I can’t predict who. Georgia Tech is back in the mix in the Coastal Division after thumping Miami last night and sending a message to the boys in Athens wearing the Red and Black. The message: “We’re serious about this game and you’d better be, too.”
The other miss was Kentucky-Vandy. The Commodores won that one on the road and became bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. I’m telling you, if Clemson was smart they would hire Bobby Johnson. The only team to beat Vanderbilt (6-4) by more than 10 points this season was Florida (42-14) and right now the Gators are the best team in the land.
Last week’s 6-4 record gives us a mark of 76-44 for the season. So without further ado let’s go to the pre-Thanksgiving edition of the Fearless Friday Forecast.
1. Texas Tech (10-0) at Oklahoma (9-1): My man Mark Schlabach tells me that Texas Tech is the real deal and will win this game despite the fact that Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is 59-2 at home in Norman. I see an Oklahoma team that is averaging more points per game (51.4 to 47.9) than Texas Tech with a quarterback (Sam Bradford) who has thrown for more touchdowns (38) than anybody in the country. Texas Tech has been a fun team to watch this season but I don’t see them winning on the road in a game with this much at stake. Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 40.
2. Tennessee (3-7) at Vanderbilt (6-4): Now that Vanderbilt is heading to a bowl, they would like to put a little icing on the cake by beating Tennessee for the state championship. The Volunteers have had a week off to regroup and hopefully play one inspired game for their outgoing coach, Phillip Fulmer. Now that quarterback Chris Nickson is finally healthy, Vanderbilt looks much more comfortable on offense. Tennessee’s offense is anything but comfortable. In fact, it’s painful for others to watch and doesn’t figure to get better against a pretty good Vanderbilt defense. Vanderbilt 17, Tennessee 14.
3. Ole Miss (6-4) at LSU (7-3): One of two things is going to happen with LSU today against Ole Miss. Either the Tigers are going to use last week’s scare by Troy as a wakeup call, or they are just going to mail it in because the SEC championship is now off the table. This game comes down to the quarterbacks. If LSU’s Jarrett Lee continues his fourth quarter performance from last week, when he completed 11 of 14 passes, the Tigers will win. If Jevan Snead of Ole Miss gets hot, he can roll up some yards against a suspect LSU defense. LSU wins a hard fought game at home. LSU 24, Ole Miss 20.
4. The Citadel (4-7) at Florida (9-1): The only thing that is remotely interesting about this game is how long Tim Tebow stays on the field. The Gators need to keep winning impressively but they also want to get rested up for next week’s trip to Florida State. Florida puts this one away early in the second quarter and the drumbeat for Florida State and Alabama starts. Florida 65, The Citadel 0.
5. Clemson (5-5) at Virginia (5-5): Clemson is playing to get bowl eligible. Dabo Swinney is playing for a job. Clemson was pretty impressive last week in a 31-7 win over Duke. Quarterback Cullen Harper is starting to regain last year’s form with 785 yards passing in his last three games. Virginia will be favored a home but I’ve just got a hunch that the Tigers are going to pull the upset. Clemson 20, Virginia 17.
6. Florida State (7-3) at Maryland (7-3): Maryland is 5-0 at home this season and a victory over the Seminoles, combined with a Boston College loss to Wake Forest, will put the Terps in the ACC championship game. Maryland can still clinch the Atlantic Division by winning Saturday against Florida State and on Nov. 29 at Boston College. The key comes down to Maryland QB Chris Turner. If he doesn’t make a bunch of mistakes, the Terps will win. Maryland 24, Florida State 17.
7. Pittsburgh (7-2) at Cincinnati (8-2): Cincinnati impressed me by going on the road the last two weeks and beating West Virginia (26-23) and Louisville (28-20). The Bearcats are now in control in the Big East if they can beat Pittsburgh and Syracuse (2-8). Obviously Pittsburgh, with running back LeSean McCoy (115.89 ypg) provides the biggest challenge over the next two weeks. Cincinnati has never been to a New Year’s Day bowl in its history. Beat Pittsburgh, and the Bearcats will probably spend the Holidays at the Orange Bowl. Cincinnati 28, Pittsburgh 20.
8. Michigan State (9-2) at Penn State (10-1): Joe Paterno, 81, will not play for the national championship this season. But the Nittany Lions can take their coach to the Rose Bowl with a win today at home against Michigan State. No one will say it, but this could very well be Paterno’s last regular season game as the head coach at Penn State. Penn State 24, Michigan State 13.
9. BYU (10-1) at Utah (11-0): Utah doesn’t have very much on the line today, just the Mountain West championship, a berth in a BCS bowl, and a payday of $4.5 million. A loss probably puts the Utes into the Las Vegas or Poinsettia Bowl and Boise State, if it goes undefeated, gets the BCS berth. Brian Johnson is a very good run/pass threat and will take advantage of a BYU defense that has given up 145 points in its last five games. Utah 38, BYU 17.
10. Oregon State (7-3) at Arizona (6-4): If Oregon State can win at Arizona on Saturday and beat Oregon on Nov. 29, the Beavers will go to the Rose Bowl instead of Southern Cal. Arizona has played everybody tough at home, losing to Southern Cal (17-10) and Oregon (55-45). Oregon State has won five straight games in Tucson. On Saturday the Beavers will make it six. Oregon State 31, Arizona 20.
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
