Games to watch this week - Texas/Oklahoma

Game: Texas vs. Oklahoma

When: 12:00 p.m. in Dallas

Why it matters: Texas has looked solid, but not spectacular this season; it will need to play its best game on Saturday. Colt McCoy has also played very well, but his numbers simply are not as good as they were in 2008. He is still completing 70 percent of his passes, however.

Fozzy Whitaker, one of the top running backs on the Longhorns’ roster, has been injured and may miss the game. His void would be a great one in the Texas backfield.

Oklahoma has struggled through two early-season losses, but neither of them came against Big 12 opponents. The Sooners can still salvage their season with a conference championship, and they only way they can manage that is by upsetting their interstate rivals this weekend.

Player to watch: Sam Bradford returned at quarterback for Oklahoma last week to throw for 380 yards against Baylor. Should he have similar numbers this week, his team will be victorious once again. He will be facing a vaunted pass rush from Texas that includes future first-round NFL draft pick Sergio Kindle.

Coming into the season, the biggest question in Norman was: can the inexperienced offensive line protect its Heisman Trophy quarterback? Well, after failing to silence the doubters against BYU, when Bradford sprained his shoulder, the big boys up front have made great strides toward being a great line.

Their improvement will be put to the test this week more than ever before, and if they can protect Bradford, Oklahoma has a great shot at knocking off the Longhorns.

Who has the edge?

Common sense would say Texas is the clear favorite, and will breeze through the Sooners en route to an unbeaten season. However, do not underestimate what Sam Bradford brings to this offense. Remember, Landry Jones was putting up pretty gaudy numbers while Bradford was absent from the lineup.  There is plenty of talent around Bradford to help lead the Sooners to a win.

DeMarco Murray will have to help Bradford out in a variety of ways, whether it is at receiver or running back. He is the main target for the Sooners, and this is the perfect opportunity for a breakout game for the junior standout.

Oklahoma hardly ever has to embrace the role of underdog, yet all it has been hearing this week is how much better the Longhorns are. That will be the fuel to the Sooners fire; so do not be surprised if Texas’ dream season comes burning down. 

New feature on Fifth Down

Hello all

If you have not noticed, a new interactive poll feature has been added to Fifth Down. Along the right side of the page, please vote in the new polls...this week's question is who do you think will win the national championship? Thanks for reading.

Games to watch this week - USC/Notre Dame

Game: Notre Dame vs. USC

When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Why it matters: Because it’s everything for Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. If the Fighting Irish can not pull off the home upset, the seat beneath Weis will turn blistering hot. The fifth-year coach has yet to beat the Trojans, and quite frankly has only even come close once.

This time around, Jimmy Clausen also has much at stake. He has earned the highest passing efficiency rating in the country against average defenses over the first five games. This is his opportunity to validate his Heisman Trophy campaign, as well as quiet the critics who believe he can’t handle Pete Carroll’s defense.

USC obviously needs this win in order to keep its national championship chances alive. Matt Barkley is making his second key road start early in his career. He is a good friend of Clausen’s, which is no secret, and I'll bet he’d love to upend his elder counterpart from Southern California.

Barkley simply managed the game against Ohio State early in the season, but with a few more games under his belt, you can expect to see a more aggressive offense in South Bend.

Player to watch: Golden Tate has been equally as key to the Irish’s success as Clausen thus far in 2009. In the absence of the injured Michael Floyd, Tate has picked up the slack in the wide receiving corps.  He leads the team with 602 receiving yards, including four touchdowns.

Last time out against Washington, Tate made several huge plays in the second half and overtime to help seal the win.

If he does not haul in several passes, and even make a few special runs in the “Wildcat” formation, the Irish have little chance.

Who has the edge? Notre Dame is a talented football team, no doubt about it. However, as impressive as the offense has looked, they have allowed 30-plus points to Michigan State, Michigan, and Washington. USC has more talent on their scout team offense than all three of those programs combined.

Barkley is no longer a green freshmen whose poise is in question, like he was before the Ohio State game. He is now the unquestioned leader of the offense, and the Trojans’ best option to help win games.

With the exception of the Nevada game, the Irish have played to the level of their opponents every week. I expect Weis and company to challenge a less-than-average Trojan football team, but they just won’t have enough in the tank to hang around for four quarters. 

Games to watch this week - USF/Cincy

This week’s schedule of games may not be feature a top five showdown, but it is rich in meaningful games. The outcome of this weekend’s games will go a long way in shaping the conference races and BCS chase.

Here is the look at the first big game this week.

Game: South Florida vs. Cincinnati

When: Thursday, October 15, 730 p.m.

Why it matters: This matchup continues to fly under the radar, despite pitting two top-25 unbeaten teams from the Big East against one another. Tony Pike, the Bearcat quarterback, will have to get rid of the ball quickly against the Bulls’ vaunted pass rush.

This game has begun to take on the moniker as the de facto Big East championship game, but there is still Pittsburgh sitting atop the conference standings. The winner of this game will have the inside track to an automatic BCS bid, but there is work left to do for both squads.

Player to watch: George Selvie, the Bulls’ All-American defensive end will have his eyes on Pike the entire game. If he’s lucky, he’ll have his hands on Pike much of the game too. Selvie has 20 tackles in five games this season, including two sacks. He will face double-team blocking schemes as usual tonight, but he can still disrupt any offense. The burden of keeping Pike out of a rhythm falls primarily on Selvie.

Who has the edge? The Bearcats are the higher-ranked team, but the Bulls are at home and are hungry. B.J. Daniels will be making his third career start. The freshman replaced Matt Grothe three weeks ago after the senior quarterback was lost for the season with a torn ACL. He has six touchdowns and only two interceptions so far, and will not be fazed by the Bearcats defense.

The Bulls have more to gain from winning this game. If South Florida were to win out this season, that would include a victory over Miami at the end of the season, which could maybe leave them with an outside shot at a national title game. If Cincinnati wins tonight and runs the table, they are not likely to move much farther ahead in the rankings.

That being said, South Florida is my favorite to win a memorable one on Thursday night.

 

Week Six Power Rankings

1.     Alabama

There was no reason to even consider dropping Alabama after its dominating win over Ole Miss in Oxford. The defense, led by Rolando McClain at linebacker, officially ended Jevan Snead’s dreams of a Heisman Trophy.

Snead struggled in his second straight important conference game; completing 11 of 34 passes with no touchdowns and four interceptions.

As Snead’s Heisman hopes walked out one door, in came Mark Ingram’s on the other side. The Crimson Tide running back has been unstoppable thus far, including a 172-yard performance on Saturday. He has 659 yards and seven touchdowns at the midway point of this season.

Even with Ingram’s surprising success, he has surely not had to carry the load for the Tide’s offense. Greg McElroy continues to impress, throwing nine touchdowns and only one interception.

2.     Florida

Don’t let the 13-3 score in the Gators’ win over LSU fool you; the Gators dominated the Tigers in Death Valley Saturday night. They have Brandon Spikes and the rest of the defense to thank for that.

The Florida defense, which features at least nine future NFL players, never allowed the Tigers to sniff the end zone much of the game.

Tim Tebow might not have the same gaudy statistical numbers like he had in 2007 and 2008, but if the Gators continue to win en route to a second straight national title game appearance, the Heisman is his to lose.

3.     Virginia Tech

The Hokies get the nod this week over undefeated Texas for one reason, plain and simple: their schedules. Frank Beamer’s team’s body of work is far more impressive than the Longhorns’. Wins over Nebraska, Miami, and Boston College look much better than wins over Wyoming, Texas Tech, and UTEP.  

Tyrod Taylor is making significant progress as an intelligent passer. Despite criticism from the outside about Taylor’s lack of downfield running this season, Taylor’s pocket presence is what has taken the Hokies to the next level.

4.     Texas

All it will take for the Longhorns to overtake the Hokies in the rankings once again is wins over Oklahoma and Missouri the next two weeks.

Colt McCoy is falling into the same trap as Tebow in the respect that he is simply not living up to last year’s numbers. He took control of the Colorado game in the second half Saturday to help Texas win 38-14. It was another sluggish performance, which could lead to a disappointing loss to Oklahoma this week.

Sam Bradford is back under center for the Sooners, and you can bet your bottom dollar he will have his team ready to avenge last year’s loss.

5.     USC

The game in South Bend this week against Notre Dame is a no-win situation for the Trojans. If they win, the Irish are not a credible enough of an opponent to vault the Trojans past Virginia Tech in the BCS. If they lose to Charlie Weis’ bunch, it will leave the Trojans out of the national title race altogether.

Nevertheless, this is an important game for Matt Barkley, the freshman quarterback who already has one huge road win on his resume. Beating Ohio State and Notre Dame at their houses in his first year on campus would vault Barkley into near legend status already. However, a loss to the Irish for the first time in eight years would make 2009 a sobering year in Southern California.

6.     Boise State

There is nothing new to say about Boise. As long as they run the table, they will play in the Fiesta Bowl. I know it. You know it. Head coach Chris Peterson knows it, and that is the cards the Broncos have been dealt.

7.     Ohio State

The win over Wisconsin on Saturday was most impressive. The Buckeyes welcomed in a red-hot conference opponent with upset aspirations, and shut them up big-time.

Once again, November will be the telling month when Jim Tressel leads his team up against Iowa, Penn State, and of course Michigan. Until then, it’s practically cruise control in Columbus.

8.     Miami

The Canes find themselves in the same position as Boise State. With an easy road the rest of the season, Miami can count on a BCS at-large berth should they win out.

Here is a funny tidbit of information: remember how Harris was talked about as Heisman candidate after the first two weeks? Well, ESPN’s ACC blogger Heather Dinich made a post highlighting five of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, and Harris was not even mentioned. Oh, how the mighty fall.

9.     Cincinnati

Thursday night comes the moment of truth for the Bearcats. Everything is on the line. The Big East, an outside national title chance, and Tony Pike’s reputation as an elite quarterback all rides on the outcome of the South Florida showdown.

The Bearcats are the better team; it’s hard to argue that. But the Bulls are playing so well when it matters most this season, I would never bet against them. Everyone needs to watch this game; it could prove to be one of the year’s best.

10. Iowa

The Hawkeyes came through in the clutch to hold off Michigan last week. They are not as sure of a bet to make it to the Ohio State game unscathed, but they are a strong football team, and have no problem flying under the radar until November.

Despite big wins over Penn State and the Wolverines, hardly anyone is talking about Iowa as a serious threat on the national stage, yet they are still rolling through opponents on a weekly basis.

11. LSU

12. Oregon

13. TCU

14. Nebraska

15. Oklahoma

16. South Florida

17. Notre Dame

18. South Carolina

19. Missouri

20. Pittsburgh

21. Oklahoma State

22. Stanford

23. Georgia Tech

24. Wisconsin

25. Arkansas

Cutcliffe’s rebuilding project picking up speed

David Cutcliffe’s excellent track record is undeniable.  At every stop along his path, the current Duke head coach has improved programs in serious need of revival in convincing fashion.

In the 1990’s, Cutcliffe helped turn Tennessee into a SEC champion in 1997 and 1998 as its offensive coordinator. He mentored Peyton Manning in college, who reportedly has turned into a pretty good NFL quarterback.

After winning his second straight conference title with the Vols, Cutcliffe took over the head job at Ole Miss, winning the Independence Bowl in his first game with the team.

The Rebels had been to three bowl games in the decade, before Cutcliffe led the program to four in six years. He once again developed a number one draft pick, Eli Manning.

The man has made a career of churning out big-time field generals.

After a few years out of the spotlight, Cutcliffe returned to Knoxville and revived a slumping Tennessee offense before taking on college football’s version of “Mission: Impossible.” He took the head coaching job at Duke.

For some reason, the buzz around the country was giving Cutcliffe the benefit of the doubt when he took this job. What he gave the Blue Devils’ program that they had not had in a coach in two decades was credibility. He had won, and won big before. In the Mannings among others, he had produced great quarterbacks.

In his first season in Durham, there actually was a sign of life, finishing 4-8. Duke had only won four games from 2004-07. The offense was great, scoring over 30 points six times.

After the promising season, a bowl game in 2009 was a goal, rather than a dream. Cutcliffe proclaimed his team to be talented enough to play in the postseason this summer, and not everyone laughed in his face. People within, as well as outside, the Duke program believed in him.

Then came the Richmond game. Opening the season at home against an FCS opponent is practically a preseason scrimmage; it is a way to work out the kinks on your football team before hitting the meat of your schedule. Instead, the defending FCS national champion Spiders hit Duke in the mouth and shocked them 24-16.

Duke was once again the laughing stock of the ACC. Thaddeus Lewis, the quarterback who was expected to lead the Blue Devils to the Promised Land, could not carry his offense past the Spiders. Despite throwing for 350 yards, he only led two scoring drives in the entire game.

The following week against Army, Lewis and Duke struggled much of the game again, before rallying late to win 35-19. Sean Renfree, the backup quarterback was beginning to gain support among the Duke faithful as getting an opportunity to lead the offense.

Cutcliffe knew what he was doing, though. He stuck with Lewis as the main man, despite a blowout loss to Kansas 44-16. He allowed Lewis to get back on track against North Carolina Central, who might not even be the top-ranked high school team in the state should they be playing AAA ball instead.

Back to .500 at 2-2, Duke welcomed Virginia Tech into Wallace Wade Stadium. All the Blue Devils did was take an early 7-0 lead against the surging Hokies, and keep the game close all game long.

Lewis tore apart the Hokies top-notch secondary, and Duke simply was overmatched in a 34-26 loss, despite clearly playing more sound football. If there was ever a moral victory, this was it for Duke.

This past Saturday, the erasing of Duke’s bottom-feeder reputation was complete. They demolished the NC State Wolfpack 49-28, forcing several key turnovers and hardly being resisted on offense. Lewis threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns, looking like an All-ACC player all the way.

Any typical Duke team would have put all their eggs in the Virginia Tech basket, making that a one-game season, then folding tent after coming up short. Instead, Cutcliffe has Duke playing like a real football team, responding after a tough loss with a convincing win over an established ACC program.

The offense is one of the four or five best in the conference at least. The defense can hold opponents enough to let the offense outscore them.

Duke’s next three games are all against teams suffering from strugglitis. A home date with Maryland, followed by trips to Virginia and North Carolina are all winnable games for Duke, and they may actually be favored in all three.

Even should the Blue Devils stagnate from here, and not take the next step towards the top of the conference, Cutcliffe has already changed the culture of the program beyond anything it has been since a man named Spurrier walked the sidelines.

With the way his offense is scoring at will, Spurrier’s Fun N’ Gun offense might have to take a backseat to Cutcliffe’s Blue Devil Bombshells. 

Fifth Down goes 14-1 in week six predictions

Mrs. Cleo can take a step back. Harry Houdini is no longer the magician of choice. Fifth Down is the new magical-psychic center of the universe, after correctly predicting 14 of the weekend's 15 biggest matchups.

(For anyone ready to stop reading this blog forever because how I'm a cocky SOB, please note the sarcasm in that introduction)

The only incorrect projection this week was in the Ohio State-Wisconsin game, where I picked the Badgers to pull off the upset in Columbus. Instead, the Buckeyes came out strong, and thanks to a big second half, put the Badgers to rest in a 31-13 win. 

Outside of that incorrect projection, it was a great week. Arkansas upset Auburn, and Tennessee also upset Georgia at home. 

To be pessimistic, its most likely all downhill from here. Oh well, screw it. One good week ain't too bad.

Week six/mid-season awards

Another thrilling week of football saw another top-five team fall by the wayside. We are starting to find out who the real contenders are in college football, and who will be just another 9-3 conference runner-up.  

As we wrap up the first half of the season, here is a special mid-season award presentation by Fifth Down.

The Johnson + Johnson Band Aid Award: Oklahoma Sooners

Talk about down on your luck. Bob Stoops’ team lost the best tight end in the country, Jermaine Gresham, for the year before the season even began. Then, in what is already one of the most infamous plays in program history, Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford sprained his shoulder on a sack in the second quarter against BYU.

The injury kept Bradford out for the rest of that game and up until this past Saturday against Baylor. During that stretch, the once fourth-ranked Sooners lost to BYU and Miami, and have fallen to 20^th in the AP poll.

Bradford looked spectacular in his return, completing 27 of 49 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown. It’s a good thing he had the Baylor game to get back into the swing of things. Next week, the Texas Longhorns come calling for a showdown in Dallas. Even with a banged-up offense, the Sooner defense has looked strong all season, and Bradford gives them a hope against their hated rivals on Saturday.

The Lou Holtz Award for Hope: Notre Dame

There is not a single bum…er…college football fan not screaming at his or her television when prior to the season, Lou Holtz predicted Notre Dame would play for the national championship.

After all, the Fighting Irish hadn’t shown much fight in the past few years, going 10-15 since 2007.

It looks like the crazy prediction might not be too far off the mark. While there is virtually no chance the Irish will play for the BCS championship, they are a last-second touchdown from being undefeated and most likely a top-six-or-seven team.

Jimmy Clausen has finally lived up to his billing as the next great Notre Dame quarterback. In leading the Irish to a 4-1 record, Clausen has thrown for 1,544 yards, 12 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He is the highest-rated passer in the country, and is easily in the mix for this year’s Heisman.

The rubber meets the road this week when the USC Trojans roll into South Bend. The Irish have struggled to beat middle-of-the-road teams like Michigan State, Purdue, and Washington. Still, wins should be taken with no grain of salt these days, and a 4-1 record is something to be very proud of, no matter how it was earned.

Game of the first half of the season: LSU-Georgia

In this one, the teams might have well have traded kneeldowns for 57 minutes, then played the final three minutes. Up until the final moments of the game, neither offense showed any signs of life before breaking out for a flurry of scores.

Trailing 7-6 with 2:53 to play, running back Charles Scott scored from two yards out to give the Tigers the lead. The two-point conversion failed, however, leaving the score 12-6.

Joe Cox and the Georgia offense seemed doomed, having only produced a single touchdown all game before that. Instead, Cox turned into Tom Brady, completing several key passes for a perfectly executed two-minute drill. The improbable drive culminated with a play-of-the-year candidate, a stunning catch by A.J. Green in the back corner of the end zone, for the go-ahead touchdown.

After scoring, Green was called for a disputed unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was enforced on the kickoff. Tigers returner Trinton Holliday took advantage of the penalty and returned the ensuing kick into Bulldog territory. With under a minute to go, the Tigers seemed poised to move the ball into range for the game-winning field goal.

Instead, Scott carried the ball on the second play of the drive and took it to the house for his second score in three minutes, silencing Sanford Stadium in the process. Not only were the two scores by Scott instrumental in defeating the Bulldogs, but they resuscitated a season-long slump Scott was enduring.

There have been quite a few thrilling games already this season, but the pressure and impact of an SEC rivalry game and the controversial officiating makes for an easy choice in this category.

Player of the first half: Toby Gerhart, running back, Stanford

This guy is the best-kept secret in college football. He is the nation’s leading rusher, and is on pace for 1,500 yards with 20 touchdowns. Along with freshman quarterback Andrew Luck, Gerhart has resurrected the Stanford program and brought them back to relevancy in the Pac-10.

Stanford is 3-1 in the conference, having just lost to Oregon State Saturday 38-28. John Harbaugh has the cornerstones for his rebuilding project in Palo Alto with Gerhart and Luck.

Gerhart’s strongest game came against Washington, where he carried the ball 27 times for 200 yards in a 34-14 win. 2008 was Gerhart’s first year as a starter, and he scored 15 times to go along with 1,136 yards. He will easily surpass those numbers, and should Stanford make a run in the conference, he should at least be one of the top choices for the Doak Walker Award, if not the Heisman.

The What Else Is New? Award: California Golden Bears and USC Trojans

We’ve seen this all before. First off, a supremely talented USC team wins a big game early in the season, solidifying themselves as national title contenders. Then, a few weeks later, a mediocre, sometimes even horrible conference team comes from out of nowhere to knock off the mighty Trojans.

It just goes to show that phenomenal recruiting does not win championships. Coach Pete Carroll is a very relaxed coach, whose laid-back practice atmosphere is fun for the players in the moment, but is hardly the best way to prepare the team week in and week out. For that reason, teams that treat the USC game as its Super Bowl come in with much more focus, and shock the world by beating the Trojans.

The list of Trojan beaters includes Oregon State in 2006 and 2008, Stanford in 2007, and now Washington in 2009. Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for Carroll before taking his new job this past winter, bringing former USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt along with him. Combining that familiarity with a solid game plan and an injury to Trojans’ starting quarterback Matt Barkley, and you’ve got yourself an upset.  

Staying in the Pac-10, Jeff Tedford and Cal pulled…well… a “Cal”. After opening the season 3-0 and being ranked fifth in the country, the Bears were embarrassed by Oregon 42-3 on the road. The following week, they once again failed to find the end zone in a 30-3 loss to USC.

In 2007, Cal started the year 5-0 and was considered a national title favorite before falling to Oregon State at home 31-28. They proceeded to lose in the following weeks to UCLA and Arizona State, falling out of the national picture and into Pac-10 mediocrity.

In 2006, Cal was 8-1, 6-0 in the conference, and had re-entered the championship conversation after a season-opening loss to Tennessee in Knoxville. After an upset loss to Arizona and a 23-9 defeat at the hands of USC, Cal was once again fading into the background of college football.

History has once again repeated itself, and the Bears have lost all hope of a BCS bowl. Even should Tedford and company win their remaining games, the images of back-to-back embarrassing losses will linger in the pollster’s minds, and will undoubtedly keep them out of the BCS picture.

If the first six weeks of the season was any indication, the next month and a half of football will leave us with spectacular memories, aggravating penalties, and fantastic finishes that will make us only want more. Never take a single play, quarter, or game for granted, football fans; it will be over before you know it.