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Football
Tony's Tip Sheet
By Tony Gerdeman

This is a pretty good week for Saturday night games, as Clemson at Florida State is as close as we are allowed to get to a moderately important SEC game.

Saturday also presents a huge noon matchup between UTEP and Wisconsin. How can one team possibly be worse than the other?!

There are a few more conference games on the schedule this week as well, which is always nice.

Thursday September 20

Teams:  BYU (2-1) at #24 Boise State (1-1)
Time (TV):  9:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest:  3
Cheer For:  BYU

For two schools who are situated together in the middle of nowhere, it might come as a surprise to you that they've only ever played eachother twice before. (Boise State owns both wins, which took place in 2003 and 2004.) Normally, stranded in the neglected pre-Apocalyptic region of the Potato Lands, companionship is sought from all kinds, yet these two highland schools have only reached out to the other just twice. The reason for that is because there has been some bad history between the ruling clans of each school. Many years ago, the Boise State clan tried to broker a deal for some of BYU's wool blankets in exchange for some goat milk, but the meeting turned sour when the BYU clan told Boise State that they could get cow milk from Wal-Mart and goat milk held no real value for them. Boise State 37 – BYU 27

Friday September 21

Teams:  Baylor (2-0) at UL-Monroe (1-1)
Time (TV):  8:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  UL-Monroe

After starting the season with a win against Arkansas, UL-Monroe nearly had their second win over an SEC West team last week with their overtime loss to Auburn. Now they will host a struggling Baylor team – or at least they would be struggling had they bothered to play anybody yet. Wins over SMU and Sam Houston State have the Bears at 2-0, but they have yet to face a foe as talented as UL-Monroe. Seriously. I expect big numbers from Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning, but he will be out-dueled by Baylor quarterback Nick Florence. Baylor 48 – UL-Monroe 38

Saturday September 22

Teams:  Maryland (2-1) at #8 West Virginia (2-0)
Time (TV):  12:00 pm (FX)
Interest:  2.5
Cheer For:  Maryland

This used to be a fun series back when Ralph Friedgen was at Maryland. Though when I think about it, everything was more fun back then. Except for the bobsledding, of course. We were at such a disadvantage with him in our sled. Geno Smith is going to coast to the Heisman trophy because of Dana Holgorsen's offense. West Virginia 63 – Maryland 13

Teams:  UTEP (1-2) at Wisconsin (2-1)
Time (TV):  12:00 pm (ESPN2)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  Wisconsin

Wisconsin had to hang on for dear life last week against Utah State, and that might just be what they do for most of the year. The Badgers needed 37 carries from Montee Ball, whose name is now pronounced “Declining Draft Stock”, to get the 16-14 win. Fortunately for Wisconsin this week, UTEP is pretty darn bad, which should help new Wisconsin starting quarterback Joel Stave find some level of comfort. If Montee Ball needs to carry it 30 more times in this game, the Badgers should just take a break from football for a while. Wisconsin 28 – UTEP 10

Teams:  Central Michigan (1-1) at Iowa (2-1)
Time (TV):  12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest:  1.5
Cheer For:  Iowa

You know, for as terrible as Iowa has been this season, they're only a three-point loss against Iowa State away from being one of the worst 3-0 teams in the nation. Last week against Northern Iowa, Mark Weisman rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-16 in-state victory. Listed as a fullback, I can only assume Weisman won some type of Dr. Pepper halftime contest and was then thrust into playing time. He is the likely starter this week as the Hawkeyes will be without tailback Damon Bullock. I just hope Weisman's wife didn't have plans for him this weekend. Iowa 26 – Central Michigan 17

Teams:  Kentucky (1-2) at #14 Florida (3-0)
Time (TV):  12:00 pm (SECN)
Interest:  1.5
Cheer For:  Kentucky

Kentucky lost to Western Kentucky, and Florida defeated Tennessee last weekend. There hasn't been this much heartache in Tennessee and Kentucky since back when they heard tell of book learnin'. The Wildcats are the worst team in the SEC and it doesn't appear to be close. They lost to Louisville to start the season, and they likely knew they'd lose to Western Kentucky last week as well. That's probably why they went out and scheduled KENT State in week two, because it would be the closest they could come to beating a Kentucky school. By the way, if you hadn't noticed yet, Florida is good again because Urban Meyer's talentless teams have finally been weeded out. I think Will Muschamp declared prima nocta. Florida 38 – Kentucky 7

Teams:  Miami (FL) (2-1) at Georgia Tech (2-1)
Time (TV):  3:00 pm (Gameplan)
Interest:  1.5
Cheer For:  Georgia Tech

The only reason to watch this game would be to enjoy the savage ground-beating that Georgia Tech is going to put on the Hurricanes. You wouldn't be interested in something like that, would you? Oh, you would? We should hang out some time. Georgia Tech 38 – Miami 14

Teams:  Missouri (2-1) at #7 South Carolina (3-0)
Time (TV):  3:30 pm (CBS)
Interest:  2.5
Cheer For:  Missouri

Missouri is 0-1 this season when playing an SEC East team who is ranked #7. With #7 South Carolina on the schedule this week, I don't know how you can go against a trend like that. Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw will get the start, having missed time due to a shoulder injury. Missouri quarterback James Franklin is also battling an injury, and he says he's 90% certain he's going to tough it out. Hopefully somebody is healthy enough to struggle so that we can talk about the stellar SEC defenses on the field. South Carolina 20 – Missouri 16

Teams:  Temple (1-1) at Penn State (1-2)
Time (TV):  3:30 pm (ABC/ESPN2)
Interest:  2.5
Cheer For:  Penn State

The battle to find out who the best team in Pennsylvania is. Like having a taste test to determine the most delicious brand of cow anus. “Do you prefer cow anus 'A' or cow anus 'B'?” “Hmm. It's so close. Can I try them again?” As far as the “victor”, expect Penn State to move to 2-2 because Temple is really, really bad. Penn State 31 – Temple 13

Teams:  Oregon State (1-0) at #19 UCLA (3-0)
Time (TV):  3:30 pm (ESPN2/ABC)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  Oregon State

We know that Oregon State is pretty good because they beat Wisconsin, but are they better than UCLA? The answer is no. However, one of these days UCLA is going to remember that they're UCLA and lose a game that they shouldn't lose. It won't be this week, though, because quarterback Brett Hundley and running back Johnathan Franklin are too good. UCLA 37 – Oregon State 21

Teams:  Eastern Michigan (0-3) at #21 Michigan State (2-1)
Time (TV):  3:30 pm (BTN)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  Michigan State

This will be Michigan State's warmup for Ohio State. Typical Spartan scheduling. At least Ohio State scheduled a team from the Mighty South for their warmup. Michigan State 35 – Eastern Michigan 6

Teams:  California (1-2) at #13 USC (2-1)
Time (TV):  6:00 pm (P12N)
Interest:  3
Cheer For:  California

Well, we obviously know that Cal is one of the best teams in the nation, and now we'll get to see them show it against USC. The Trojans are coming off of a loss to Stanford, which can only be construed as a “Screw You” to Cal from bitter rival Stanford. So much for sneaking up on a team.  Cal should be able to score some points, but I can't see their defense containing the Trojans' passing attack. I'm thinking 400 yards passing for Matt Barkley. USC 45 – California 28

Teams:  #2 LSU (3-0) at Auburn (1-2)
Time (TV):  7:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest:  1
Cheer For:  Auburn

This is going to be ugly. As ugly as most mornings for drunken Auburn fans. Bad news – it turns out that you weren't dreaming about being attacked in bed by a bear last night. LSU 48 – Auburn 0

Teams:  Rutgers (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2)
Time (TV):  7:00 pm (ESPNU)
Interest:  1
Cheer For:  Arkansas

We could be witnessing the darkest day in the SEC's history – a home loss to a Big East team. Pray for Arkansas. Pray for the SEC. Rutgers 14 – Arkansas 13

Teams:  #15 Kansas State (3-0) at #6 Oklahoma (2-0)
Time (TV):  7:30 pm (FOX)
Interest:  4
Cheer For:  Kansas State

Last year Kansas State came into this game ranked tenth in the nation and the Sooners were ranked eleventh. Oklahoma won the game 58-17. I do expect the Wildcats to be a little better prepared than they were last year, but the Sooners have had a bye week to prepare for Kansas State's sleep-inducing offensive attack. Forgive me if I don't buy into Kansas State's ability to win in Norman. If they do, however, Bill Snyder has my coach of the year vote. Provided I can find the time to create a ballot. Oklahoma 37 – Kansas State 20

Teams:  #18 Michigan (2-1) at #11 Notre Dame (3-0)
Time (TV):  7:30 pm (NBC)
Interest:  5
Cheer For:  Michigan

Michigan has a lot of questions to answer, and on Saturday night Notre Dame will come at them like a third-grade teacher with flash cards. That doesn't mean the flash cards will be difficult to answer, though with just a Michigan education you never can tell. The answer to the toughest question, however, will have to come from the Irish. Denard Robinson has five 400-yard offensive performances in his career, and two of them have come against Notre Dame. Do they finally know how to stop him? Robinson is 3-0 against Notre Dame, with all three wins coming by just four points each time. If they can't contain him, then they will need to outscore him, which is certainly a possibility. Michigan has shown themselves to be quite vulnerable against quality offenses, though we don't really know if that describes Notre Dame right now or not. Still, I think the Irish will score enough to win, and keep Denard Robinson from doing the same. Notre Dame 31 – Michigan 24

Teams:  Vanderbilt (1-2) at #5 Georgia (3-0)
Time (TV):  7:45 pm (ESPN2)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  Vanderbilt

Wouldn't it be nice if the loser of Alabama and LSU fell out of the championship hunt, and then Georgia knocked the other out in the SEC Championship Game? Wouldn't that be the best thing in the world? Nothing better than SEC-on-SEC crime. Georgia 41 – Vanderbilt 17

Teams:  #10 Clemson (3-0) at #4 Florida State (3-0)
Time (TV):  8:00 pm (ABC)
Interest:  5
Cheer For:  Clemson

It's the Game of the Year...or at least as close as a non-SEC game could come to being labeled the Game of the Year. Florida State hasn't played anybody yet, and all we know about them is that people who are annually wrong about how good the Seminoles are,  really, really love them this year. The Noles are second in the nation in scoring (58.7) and first in defensive scoring (1.0). Clearly, those numbers are about to change. Clemson comes into this game having not yet unleashed their full offensive capabilities, but that will change this week because they will throw everything they have in their arsenal at the Noles. Receiver Sammy Watkins made his debut last week with four catches and a 58-yard touchdown run, but expect him to double those touches in this game. If quarterback Tajh Boyd can stay upright, then I like Clemson's chances. Clemson 31 – Florida State 27

Teams:  Syracuse (1-2) at Minnesota (3-0)
Time (TV):  8:00 pm (BTN)
Interest:  2
Cheer For:  Minnesota

Minnesota will be without quarterback MarQueis Gray, who suffered a high ankle sprain last week. Max Shortell stepped in and threw for three touchdowns in their 28-23 win over Western Michigan. He'll need a similar performance to keep up with Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, who is passing for 380 yards per game. However, it is hard to shake the Orange's 28-17 performance against Stony Brook last week. Nothing can get you to cling to the Gophers and their backup quarterback like a visiting team who needed to come from behind for a win against Stony Brook. Minnesota 31 – Syracuse 29


Teams:  #22 Arizona (3-0) at #3 Oregon (3-0)
Time (TV):  10:30 pm (ESPN)
Interest:  4.5
Cheer For:  Arizona

The over-under on 50-yard touchdown plays in this game is 3.5. I'm taking the over. Oregon is fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 329 yards per game, and fifth in scoring at 54.0 points per game. However, this will be the closest thing to a legitimate team that Oregon has faced this season. Arizona is 3-0 and owns a 21-point win against #18 Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are averaging 46.3 points per game, and they'll likely need every single one of those points to pull off the upset in this one. I don't see it happening. Oregon 57 – Arizona 31

Teams:  UAB (0-2) at #16 Ohio State (3-0)
Time (TV):  12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest:  5
Cheer For:  Ohio State

UAB likely represents the worst non-conference opponent for the Buckeyes since New Mexico State in 2009, and the worst overall opponent since Michigan in 2008. The line is approaching 40 points, but it wouldn't matter what the line was because the Buckeyes would cover. The line could be a broken down caboose and a three-legged giraffe, and by the third quarter you'd see a sparkling circus train rolling down the ramp and heading out onto the field.

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