Week 7 College Football

Since Notre Dame has a bye this week before they face USC on the 22nd, at least I don't have to worry about a Notre Dame loss this week!

And here is your Week 7 College Football Preview:

Michigan vs. Michigan State. Michigan and Michigan State play for the 104th time on Saturday at East Lansing. The rivalry turns family members and neighbors against each other for nearly a week every autumn, and there are plenty of reasons for their hatred. Michigan State is a land grant university which in its early years prided itself on agriculture (and still has an excellent Veterinary program). Michigan, on the other hand, is an internationally recognized academic institution. According to Michigan folklore, Wolverine graduates practice law in Manhattan, Spartan graduates herd sheep in Fowlerville.

Okay ... back to the game! Michigan State has one of the top defensive units in the country this year, and will be ready for Denard Robinson and company. Michigan State has also won the last three meetings, and has the home field advantage on their side. But I wouldn't count Michigan out of this game. The Wolverines are 6-0, and with Robinson at the helm, he alone has been averaging 126 rushing yards per game. The Wolverines also have a wonderful senior wide receiver in Junior Hemingway, who is very skilled at catching the deep jump balls. He averages over 25 yards per catch, which ranks him No. 4 in the nation. My prediction: Watch for the Wolverines' potent run/pass attack to wear out the Michigan State defense, and avenge the last three losses in a VERY close game on Sparty's home turf!

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech. Kansas State, 5-0, looks to remain undefeated as they travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on a 4-1 Texas Tech. The Wildcats come into this game hot, after winning their first five games of the year, while The Red Raiders came close to upsetting Texas A&M at home last week.

The question of the day is, can Kansas State prove the critics wrong again with another win? The Wildcats seem to be defying the odds this year by starting out 5-0 on the season. However, here is still a lot of disbelief in the strength of the Wildcats' program amongst the oddsmakers, as they are a three point underdog this week. Kansas State will have their hands full trying to stop this high-powered Red Raiders passing attack. Being able to shut down their passing attack will eliminate any chances that Texas Tech has at scoring points. Both of these teams have quarterbacks who are absolutely on fire right now, so this game will be another test of strength battle! My prediction: Even though The Wildcats are on quite a tear right now, I still don't think they have what it takes to shut down The Red Raiders high-octane offense. Look for Texas Tech to win by at least two touchdowns.

South Carolina vs. Mississippi St. What a crazy week to be a South Carolina fan. After an awesome performance by the Gamecocks on Saturday, two big events occurred on Tuesday. One, Steve Spurrier, at his weekly presser, lights into Ron Morris of the State paper (author of such Gamecock classics as "It was just Kentucky" and "Auburn loss was because of bad coaching") due to his overtly negative and false reporting. Two, Stephen Garcia is kicked off the team for failing some form of substance test. Wow. Anyone else ready to play some football?

This week, South Carolina gets to travel to the loud environment and irritating (very irritating) cowbells of Mississippi State, a team that (like South Carolina) had huge expectations at the beginning of the season that have yet to be achieved. Heck, Mississippi State had serious problems beating UAB, 21-3. The score was tied at halftime, and UAB is simply terrible. My prediction: I don't see anything stopping South Carolina from absolutely rolling over Mississippi State.

Oklahoma St. vs. Texas. This is a no brainer. Last week, Texas had absolutely every reason to get annihilated by Oklahoma, and they did. You simply cannot expect a young team with two freshmen quarterbacks, two older outstanding running backs, and a so-so defense to handle a team like Oklahoma. This week, it gets worse! Oklahoma State is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and is without a doubt one of the most high powered offenses in the conference. Much too large of a task for Texas. Coming off a very humiliating loss to Oklahoma, it will be literally impossible to stay close, and to do it vs. a team like Oklahoma State, is too much to ask for. Texas will fight to the bitter end, but even home field advantage simply won't be enough to stop the 8 point favored Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Mack Brown is under some major heat right now and this is not a spot to find any relief. My prediction: Oklahoma State, even on the road, should win by at least two touchdowns, as their high powered offense is simply too much for a young Texas team to handle!

That's it for this week ... GO POKES!

Cheers!