SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT

October 4, 2012

This week it is all about the games. Three to be specific. My games of the week all feature a battle of unbeatens.

It is too early in the season for this weekend to be given a special nickname by ESPN like Separation Saturday or Judgement Day.  However, there is no debating that the three games listed below will not only thin the herd competing for the BCS Championship Game, they will thrust the winners into the nation’s spotlight. 

Thanks to one of the most absurd offensive performances (and equally absurd but in a completely different way defensive performance), Geno Smith and West Virginia are the talk of the college football world. Putting up a ton of points at home against Baylor is nice, but beating undefeated Texas in Austin in your first Big 12 road game is completely different.

Texas is just three years removed from the national championship game. Since Colt McCoy injured his shoulder on the opening drive that night, it has been all down hill. The Longhorns went 5-7 in 2010 and 8-5 last year. They have a chance to enter their annual showdown with Oklahoma 5-0 and ranked in the top ten.

In the SEC, there are two match-ups of note. One will give someone a leg up in the SEC East. For Georgia, it could mean more than that. With a road win Saturday, the Bulldogs should enter the annual clash with Florida with a perfect record. These two games and a road game at Auburn are the only regular season tests remaining for Georgia. A win here puts them in serious national title consideration.

As for the Gamecocks, they still have to visit LSU, Florida and Clemson. A win over Georgia will show them as a legit threat, but a run to the BCS Title Game is less likely.

Speaking of the Gators, no one has two more impressive road wins than Florida winning at Texas A&M and Tennessee in consecutive weeks. Florida has played better each week, and they will also jump into the BCS championship talk with a win over LSU. They have two weeks to prepare, and they only game left in the regular season where Florida will leave the state is a trip to Vanderbilt next Saturday.

LSU has slipped in the polls the last few weeks after struggling to a 12-10 win over Auburn and letting Towson of the FCS hang around last week in a 38-22 victory, If the Tigers can win in the Swamp, the last two weeks become irrelevant. 

What can Geno Smith do for an encore? Are Texas, Georgia and Florida national title contenders? Is South Carolina ready to take the next step as a program and win ten games again? Is LSU still on the level of Alabama? We may not get complete answers to those questions this week, but it’s time for these six teams to show me what they got.

Games of the Week:

 West Virginia @ Texas- This game features the two highest rated QBs in the nation in WVU’s Geno Smith and David Ash of Texas. The Longhorns rank 63rd in total defense. While that doesn’t sound overly impressive, they compare to the ’85 Bears when you realize WVU is ranked 106th. The Mountaineers have scored ten touchdowns in three of their last five games dating back to their Orange Bowl romp over Clemson. The Horns eked out a tough road win over Oklahoma State last week. I think Texas wins a shootout 48-41. 

Georgia @ South Carolina -It’s a big game with big names. Georgia QB Aaron Murray is leading an offense that is averaging over 48 points per game. Defensively, LB Jarvis Jones continues to make game changing plays. The Gamecocks have a defensive star of their own in DE Jadeveon Clowney and one of the best RBs in the nation in Marcus Lattimore. QB play is the key to this game for me. Murray is experienced and has won on the road at Missouri. Carolina’s QB play has been average at best. I like Georgia 31-20.

LSU @ Florida - Mighty LSU has looked human the last two weeks. At Auburn they escaped with a 12-10 win. In the victory, QB Zach Mettenberger completed 15 of 27 passes for 169 yards and fumbled twice. Last week, LSU was out gained on the ground by Towson in a sloppy 38-22 win. Meanwhile, the Gators were less than impressive in week one in besting Bowling Green, but then went on the road and defeated Texas A&M and Tennessee. They blanked Kentucky 38-0 and have two weeks to prepare for the Tigers. The Swamp will be rocking. I smell an upset. I like Florida 21-19.