Side note: let me rant for a second. Penn State fans seem to be losing sight of a few things in the disappointment of this season. Penn State is a team that is 64% underclassmen, and as much as we want to say that the sanctions had no affect, they did. Penn State has players getting significant (or starting) time that would still typically be waiting in the wings and developing their skills. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury right now. So, before we right off players like Nyeem Wartman and Trevor Williams, it is important to remember that one of them is a RS Fr. (Wartman) that was so much more athletic than everyone he was playing in high school he had to learn almost nothing about pass coverage schemes, and the other was just switched to CB this offseason and is still a true sophomore. Don't forget, these players are going through the same learning process that many great PSU defenders went through, but instead of doing it behind the closed doors of Holuba Hall, they're doing it in front of 100,000 fans and on National TV. Also, remember that both Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman received sparse playing time as Freshman at Penn State, and they are both Pro Bowlers now. Furthermore, recent NFL draft pick Nate Stupar only began starting games in his Junior and Senior seasons, never starting every game in a given season. Long story short: Don't write a lot of these guys off just yet, they have talent but they're still learning, and they still should provide us fans with hope for future defenses.
Nyeem Wartman
Real Game of the Week: Georgia vs. Auburn, even though the Big Ten fan in me wants to make it Michigan State vs. a resurgent Nebraska team. Georgia might be the most talented 6-3 team of all time, with a big-time QB in Aaron Murray, and an absolutely potent rushing attack that is finally healthy. If I had told you 3 months ago that Todd Gurley would only have 600 rushing yards through 9 games this year you would have said I was stupid, but that is the effect injuries has had on this team. Georgia is also hoping to get leading WR Chris Conley back for the game this Saturday, so this team may finally be approaching the talent level that had everyone labeling them a National Championship contender in the preseason.
Auburn on the other hand has somehow pulled off one of the most amazing turnarounds of this season, considering they didn't win a single SEC game last year and they are now the #7 ranked team in the country. They are also the only team left that could potentially unseat Alabama from the SEC and National championship games. Auburn is led by a player who may be having the best season of any running back in college football: Tre Mason. Mason has run for over 1,000 yards and 16 TD's this season. How about his QB Nick Marshall? He has over 700 yards and 7 TD's himself. Ultimately, this game may come down to whether or not Georgia can stop Auburn's rushing attack, and nobody has really succeeded at that all year. If you're looking for a game full of high-level running backs, this is the place to be. If you're looking for a game full of history, these team's are 56-56-8 all time. If you're looking for both, this game is heaven.
Non-BCS Game of the week: Well this game already happened in Ball State vs. Northern Illinois, but I just got the idea to write this column. Unfortunately, that means that the game in this slot is Texas State @ Arkansas State. Texas State needs this game to even stay in the hunt in the Sun Belt, while Arkansas State is sitting one game back of conference leader Louisiana-Lafayette. Arkansas State already lost their matchup with the Ragin' Cajuns, so to keep pace they will likely need to win out and hope La-Lafayette trips up. Who's the player to watch? Arkansas State DT Ryan Carrethers has the most tackles in a single game by any D-Lineman in the country this year, with 16. He is currently projected to go in the middle of the draft, so you will likely see him in an NFL uniform some day.
Also, he's massive...
Ryan Carrethers
Upset Alert: USC vs. Stanford. Since the firing Lane Kiffin, each USC game has looked better and better. It almost feels like a country liberated from it's dictator and finally allowed to move forward, except most dictators don't get called off the team bus and fired on the spot. Stanford is coming off an emotional win over Oregon (again), and you if you follow traditional wisdom that makes them ripe for a letdown. USC QB Cody Kessler has turned into a steady player, with 6 TD's and 2 INT's since the firing. USC does some damage with it's talented stable of RB's, but Silas Redd is out for the game on Saturday. Oddly enough, USC's defense has been a big part of why they've been successful these last few games, and it will be intriguing to see if they can keep that up against the best opponent they have faced this season. On the other hand, Stanford will undoubtedly have the best defense USC has faced, and after dominating Oregon for 3 quarters, it is very hard to imagine any offense having wild success against this Shayne Skov led defense. If USC can move the ball even a little bit, expect a close game.
Game to avoid... If you want to see a score that isn't a "blowout" by the end of the first quarter: Syracuse vs. Florida State. In hindsight, you could potentially have used this distinction for every Florida State game this season. Florida State has about 456x more talent than Syracuse. It's to the point it almost doesn't even feel like a fair fight. To those people saying the Jameis Winston "news" from this week may have an effect... I'm going to avoid that topic altogether for now. Not a lot of facts and a lot of speculation, which usually leads to a lot more bad than good.
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