Top 5 Football Week 9 Breakdown
The biggest game in college football this season… is one week away. While most everyone eagerly awaits the big showdown between # 1 Alabama and # 2 LSU, let us not forget there are a few nice matchups on this week’s canvas. The clock is winding down to the final month of the regular season so most of these matchups have a bearing on what the conference-title picture… or at least the participants in a conference championship game… will look like.
#5 STANFORD AT #22 USC (8 p.m. Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum in Los Angeles, California)
Could this be a potential preview of the Pac-12 Conference championship game? There would be a chance if USC were eligible, but they will have to play spoiler instead. Stanford (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12) hasn’t lost a game yet and it enters this contest a half-game ahead of Oregon in the Pac-12 North Division standings. USC (6-1, 3-1) is tied with Arizona State for first place in the Pac-12 South. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck continues his march to a possible Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft. Luck threw for just 169 yards and two touchdowns last week, but Stanford’s running game took over on the way to 615 total yards and a 65-21 victory over Washington as the Cardinal remained undefeated. Stanford’s triple-pronged attack of rushers, Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney and Anthony Wilkerson will be hard to stop for USC. The Trojans burned Notre Dame 31-17 in a non-conference showdown a week ago to extend their winning streak to three games. Matt Barkley passed for 224 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
#8 OKLAHOMA AT #14 KANSAS STATE (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas)
The Big 12 Conference’s marquee game of the week carries more meaning to it for Oklahoma, now that the Sooners are fighting mad and wanting to wreak havoc on the next opponent. Oklahoma endured a long weather delay and lackluster play in a 41-38 upset loss to Texas Tech, a loss which likely knocked the Sooners out of the national championship picture barring a huge upheaval in the final month. Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1) had a furious performance from quarterback Landry Jones, who threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns, and Kenny Stills caught two of those touchdowns on the way to an eight-catch effort for 135 yards. The Sooners enter this game tied for third place with Texas A&M, one game behind Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Kansas State (7-0, 4-0) toppled Kansas 59-21 in the in-state battle for Kansas supremacy. Collin Klein ran 13 times for 92 yards and four touchdowns, and he passed for 195 yards and another score while only missing seven of his 19 throws. If Oklahoma pulls off the win, the Big 12 could be a royal mess heading into November.
#9 MICHIGAN STATE AT #12 NEBRASKA (Noon Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska)
Fresh off one of the biggest plays in Michigan State football history, the Spartans can’t rest on their laurels just yet. Michigan State’s “Hail Mary” play from quarterback Kirk Cousins to wide receiver Keith Nichol cemented MSU’s 37-31 victory over Wisconsin in a game that changed the Big Ten Conference picture. Or did it? The Spartans have another big test before the schedule eases slightly, and Nebraska will be loaded for bear in its first meeting with Michigan State. This is a battle for first place in the Big Ten’s Legends Division. Michigan State (6-1, 3-0 conference) is tied with Nebraska and Iowa with identical 1-0 records in the Legends, so a Spartan loss would greatly jumble the Legends standings. Cousins threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns in the miracle victory, and B.J. Cunningham caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Nebraska (6-1, 2-1) comes off a 41-14 victory over Minnesota. Although Taylor Martinez had a ho-hum day at quarterback (13-for-22, 162 yards, one touchdown), the Cornhuskers racked up 515 yards total offense on the way to victory.
ILLINOIS AT #18 PENN STATE (3:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania)
This matchup lost a little of its luster a week ago when Purdue jumped in and surprised Illinois with a 21-14 upset loss, throwing into turmoil the Big Ten Leaders Division race. Penn State (7-1, 4-0) has a 2-0 record in the Leaders Division and is a half-game ahead of Wisconsin, while Illinois (6-2, 2-2) is only 1-2 in the Leaders Division and may be out of the division-title hunt. Nathan Scheelhaase was hassled all day by the Purdue defense, as he overcame four QB sacks and threw for 217 yards and no touchdowns. He did rush for one touchdown, however, as did Jason Ford (10 carries, 83 yards). Penn State comes off a 34-24 win over Northwestern, where Silas Redd had 18 carries and 164 yards to go with one rushing touchdown. Gerald Hodges had 14 tackles in the game, including eight solo stops, and he also returned an interception 63 yards.
#19 WEST VIRGINIA AT RUTGERS (3:30 p.m. Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey)
By rights, these teams should both be ranked, but coaches have largely overlooked Rutgers this season. The two teams enter the game with identical 5-2 overall records, and Rutgers (2-1) is a half-game behind Cincinnati in the Big East Conference picture. West Virginia (1-1) is one game behind Cincinnati, and the Mountaineers are in a five-way tie for third place with Syracuse, Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh. A win by West Virginia would untangle that tie a bit, but it could make the top of the standings worse down the line (Cincinnati is off this week). West Virginia lost 49-23 to Syracuse on Oct. 21, as quarterback Geno Smith threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked four times and picked off twice. Rutgers also lost last week, on the same night, when it fell 16-14 to Louisville despite Mohamed Sanu’s 128 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Week 9 Football Breakdown Page
