2011 NCAA College Football – Week Four Preview

The bad news is there are no ranked teams in action on Thursday or Friday night to whet the appetite for the weekend action. The good news is there are plenty of good games on Saturday to make it worth the wait.  A few important early conference showdowns and four games between top 25 teams highlight this week’s action.

Missouri at #1 Oklahoma

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 8:00 PM ET on FX]

The top-ranked Sooners look to avoid a letdown after a big win over Florida State last week. It was OU’s first road win over a top five non-conference opponent since 1977. Missouri has put up big offensive numbers (12^th in total offense), but hasn’t played a defense near the quality of the Sooners, who've been almost unstoppable at home, only losing two games in Bob Stoops’ 12 years in Norman.

#2 Louisiana State at #16 West Virginia

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC]

A classic offense vs. defense top 25 showdown on national television. LSU’s defense ranks sixth in the nation and is looking like a legitimate title contending unit. The Mountaineer’s offense hasn’t been consistent, but quarterback Geno Smith has shown signs of the high octane output that made coach Dana Holgerson famous as a coordinator. However, they’ll need to get the running game (currently 107^th in the nation) going if they want to keep the Tigers’ defense on their toes.

#14 Arkansas at #3 Alabama

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on CBS]

Another great offense versus defense battles should be a good one in Tuscaloosa and could be an important battle for the SEC West. Arkansas’ offense hasn’t missed a beat without Ryan Mallett (averaging 47 points and nearly 520 yards per game) but will face a stingy Crimson Tide defense that has only given up three scores this year. In last year’s game, the Razorbacks led 20-7 with 16 minutes left before the Crimson Tide closed the game with 17 unanswered points for the win.

Tulsa at #4 Boise State

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 8:00 PM ET on CBS SN]

Give Tulsa credit—they’re not afraid to take on the big boys, having already played #1 Oklahoma and #6 Oklahoma State before going on the road this week against the #4 Broncos. That big game experience probably won’t be enough to help them against Boise’s Kellen Moore, who is playing as well as any quarterback in America.  The senior quarterback threw for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns in last week’s win over Toledo.  Tulsa may be without starting quarterback G.J. Kinne who suffered a knee injury in the Golden Hurricane’s late-night loss to Oklahoma State.

#5 Stanford Bye

The Cardinal have the week off before hosting the struggling UCLA Bruins on Oct. 1.

South Dakota at #6 Wisconsin

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on Big Ten Network]

Russell Wilson and the Badgers should have no trouble with their FCS opponent this week as they prepare for next week’s big showdown with Nebraska.   Wisconsin has won 31 consecutive regular season non-conference games and has outscored their opponents this season by an average of 45-8.

#7 Oklahoma State at #8 Texas A&M

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on ABC/ESPN2]

While most of this week’s talk around the Big 12 revolved around the ongoing conference realignment drama, this could well be the conference game of the year. Last year was a shootout that decided the Big 12 South, and this year could have a similar result, with the winner hosting legitimate national title hopes going into their game against Oklahoma later in the year.  Both teams rank in the top 20 in offense. OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden is the only player in the country with three 350-yard passing games this year.

#9 Nebraska at Wyoming

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7:30 PM ET on Versus]

The Husker offense finally got into a bit of a groove last week vs. Washington, but Bo Pelini’s defense continues to struggle, giving up almost 25 points per game. However, the Blackshirts could get a boost from the return of All-American cornerback Alfonzo Dennard who missed the first three games of the season with a partially torn quadricep. The Huskers’ biggest obstacle may be not looking ahead to next week’s big game with Wisconsin in Nebraska’s first-ever Big Ten conference game.

#10 Oregon at Arizona

[ Saturday, Sep. 24 at 10:15 PM ET on ESPN2]

Arizona returns home this week, but their season doesn’t get much easier, as they face their third top ten opponent in as many weeks.  Quarterback Nick Foles has been outstanding this season (1,049 passing yards with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions), but is getting no support from a run game (111^th in the nation) or defense (allowed 74 points the last two weeks).  After a slow start in week one, the Oregon offense has stepped on the gas to the tune of 540 yards and 51 points per game. The Ducks have won twelve straight conference games.

#11 Florida State at #21 Clemson

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN]

Florida State will try to recover from last week’s tough loss to Oklahoma, but won’t have an easy time of it. Clemson, who ended Auburn’s 17-game winning streak last week, will try to knock off another top 25 team.  Clemson ranks 9th in the country in total offense but will face a Seminoles defense giving up just 11 points per game. At press time, the status of Seminoles quarterback E.J. Manuel (shoulder injury) was uncertain. Florida State has not beaten Clemson in Death Valley since 2001.

Vanderbilt at #12 South Carolina

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2]

The Gamecocks narrowly avoided an upset by Navy and will face another upstart hungry for a big win.  Vanderbilt’s defense leads the SEC with 12 takeaways, so ball security will be at a premium for South Carolina’s offense.  Through three games, South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore has rushed for nearly 550 yards and 7 touchdowns.

#13 Virginia Tech at Marshall

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on CBS SN]

A tale of two defenses in this one; The Hokies defenders are as solid as ever, ranking 8^th in the nation in scoring defense while Marshall, on the other hand, has gotten off to a 1-2 start thanks to a porous defense giving up almost 33 points per game.  This will be the first time an ACC school as traveled to Marshall.

#15 Florida at Kentucky

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN]

Florida leads the nation in rushing defense and is giving up less than nine points per game, while the Wildcats rank 111^th in total offense.  The Gators have won 24 in a row in this series.

Rice at #17 Baylor

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7:00 PM ET on FSMW/FSSW]

Led by quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Bears are putting up numbers never dreamed of at Baylor—49 points, 554 yards and 346 passing yards per game. Griffin has as many touchdowns as incompletions and is third in the nation in total offense (370 yards per game).  As big of a challenge as the Owls’ defense faces, Rice’s biggest obstacle to victory may be their own offense, which currently ranks 109^th in total yards and 107^th in scoring.

Texas-El Paso at #18 South Florida

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7:00 PM on ESPN3]

UTEP’s defense will be hard-pressed to stop a Bulls offense that seems to be improving every week.  Last week, quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for a school record 382 yards and the Bulls put up a Big East record 745 total yards in their win over Florida A&M.

#19 Texas bye

The Longhorns have a week off before their Big 12 opener at Iowa State next week. Garrett Gilbert, who started 13 games for Texas before being benched during the Longhorns’ win over BYU, had shoulder surgery this week and will miss the remainder of the season.

Portland State at #20 Texas Christian

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 2:00 PM ET; no TV]

After finishing three straight seasons ranked #1 in total defense, the Horned Frogs are struggling this year, ranked 103^rd in total defense and giving up more points through three games this year than they did in their first 10 games last season. Portland State lead the FCS in rushing (348 yards per game), but have lost seven straight against FBS opponents.

San Diego State at #22 Michigan

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 12:00 PM ET on Big Ten Network]

Brady Hoke’s former team will come into the Big House to take on Brady Hoke’s current team.  The Aztecs feature running back Ronnie Hillman, the nation’s second-leading rusher. But he’ll be going against a Wolverines defense that is giving up just 342.7 yards per game, nearly 100 fewer per game than they had given up at this point last season.  Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has accounted for 739 total yards and seven touchdowns in his last two games.

#23 Southern Cal at Arizona State

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 10:15 PM ET on ESPN]

USC quarterback Matt Barkley threw for 324 yards and a career high five touchdowns in the Trojans win over Syracuse but he’ll be facing a defense that held him in check (256 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) a year ago. The Sun Devils have lost 11 in a row to USC.

Western Michigan at #24 Illinois

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 3:30 PM ET on Big Ten Network]

The Illini are riding a lot of firsts right now—they are ranked for the first time since 2008, are 3-0 for the first time since 2001 and have the chance to start 4-0 for the first time since their national championship year of 1951.  Illinois’ defense has been the key to this resurgence, giving up less than 11 points per game and forcing 8 turnovers.  Western Michigan is 0-20 all-time against ranked opponents.

North Carolina at #25 Georgia Tech

[Saturday, Sep. 24 at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN]

The Georgia Tech running game was almost unstoppable against Kansas last week, rushing for 604 yards on just 50 carries for a new NCAA-record average of 12.1 yards per carry.  This week they face a tougher challenge going against a North Carolina defense that gives up just 77 rushing yards per game (16^th in the nation).  Georgia Tech has won 11 of the last 13 in this series, including six in a row at home.