Class D Preview

Instead of making a really detailed preview of each class I am going to highlight my top two choices in each bracket, and highlight their path to the Breslin Center.




Favorite: Cedarville Trojans
It seems like Cedarville teams have been dominant for the past decade in Class D. They can always score a ton of points in the standard UP way, and usually have one main guy capable of hanging 30 on almost anyone. This year's squad is no different. The Trojans have scored over 70 points in every game, and Joey Duncan has been on a mission for his senior campaign. However, this year the UP is oozing with talented Class D teams that will push Cedarville before they even can think of crossing the bridge.


Where they could stumble:
Considering that 10 of the 13 top teams in the AP poll are on the Trojan's half of the bracket nothing is guaranteed, but it does help that 5 of these teams will be in the same Negaunee regional. The winner of the potential Regional Semifinal between Powers North Central and Munising (Munising's only loss is at North Central by 2) will meet Cedarville in the quarterfinals.




Top Challenger: Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
OLL is looking to be the 8th straight private school to win the Class D crown. The Lakers are led by two wing athletes: 6'3" senior Nick Robak and 6'4" junior Andrew Kline. A matchup with any of the UP powers would be fun to watch, as both teams would like to extend pressure for the full court and outshoot each other from behind the 3 point line.


Where they could stumble:
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist will be a stiff regional finals test for OLL. ICB might have been the 2nd best Class D team in the state for the past 3 seasons, but just couldn't find a way past the loaded Southfield Christian teams. While the reigning Class D POY (Evan Kraatz) has graduated, it is his younger brothers turn at the helm. As usual they have played a much tougher schedule than OLL up to this point with losses to Southfield Christian and Allen Park.




Player to Watch:
Brandon Childress, Baldwin, is the best player in Class D and is headed to Central Michigan in the fall. If he gets hot for a couple of weeks, don't be surprised to see Baldwin in the semi-finals.

Takeways from the Legends Classic

Michigan fell just short of another preseason tournament trophy for the second straight year. John Beilein has built this program to a point where there are no ‘moral victories’ anymore, and it is just another realization about how far it has come (and how vast of a difference there is between Michigan football and basketball right now). However for some reason I am struggling to temper my excitement about Team 99 after the young Wolverine’s let a win slip away.

Maybe it was the way this game eerily resembled the 2013 matchup with Charlotte, with the major difference being that Villanova will be at or around a top 10 team all season. Maybe it is the pride I feel from this team, mainly filled with new faces, getting punched in the mouth and responding with a fierce and explosive comeback when Dan Dakich exclaimed that Michigan had quit. Maybe it is the overwhelming trust that I have in this coaching staff to continue to develop this basketball team to reach their potential. Maybe it is just because today is the last work day of a short holiday week, my house regained power before temperatures reached the 40s, I am excited to stuff my face for the next 4 days, and I have had a lot of coffee today (thanks to the late game last night... I echo Coach B’s anger about it). Whatever the reason, I am extremely hopeful and excited about yet another Michigan basketball team.

1.Ricky Doyle has moved to the forefront of the center rotation

After watching practice earlier this month I thought Ricky Doyle would be the starting center by the B1G season, but after the two games in New York big number 32 needs to be in the starting rotation by Saturday. He is starting to feel comfortable on the offensive end by using his huge body to screen, collect critical offensive rebounds, and even throw in a few slip screens for good measure. On defense he is starting to understand positioning better, and is far and away the best hedger on the team right now. Doyle is the prototypical center in Beilein’s pick and roll heavy offensive scheme.

2. I think the Points per Possession (PPP) difference will be on par with last season

Last year the Wolverines bested their 2013 record setting offense by scoring 124.1 points per 100 possessions or 1.24ppp. However the defense regressed to 1.02ppp. While it is a tall task for this year’s Michigan team to even come close to last year’s offensive production I think the .22ppp difference will still be there. So far this year, Team 99’s defense has actually been a strength. The offense has yet to find a consistent rhythm, but is still averaging 1.09ppp, while the defense is yielding only .925ppp (numbers have been updated after 2 very solid high major opponents). The 2014-2015 number would be lower too if Michigan was limiting offensive rebounds better. Their ‘first shot’ defense has been superb thus far, and I expect the defensive rebounding to improve.

3. Backcourt is top 5 in the country

Dick Vitale released his top 6 backcourts in America, but somehow missed Michigan. As I watch college basketball from around the country I am hard pressed to find 3 better backcourts than the one Michigan currently boasts (let alone 6). Derrick Walton, Caris LeVert, and Zak Irvin are all future NBA players. Couple that with a veteran back-up point guard in Spike. The Wolverines could be the class of the country with their 1-3 positions. Try to find a back court that you trust more in regards to scoring, leading, setting up teammates, defense, and rebounding… It’s ok, I will wait…

4. Derrick Walton is the best all-around PG in the B1G

To go along with the above statement, I believe Derrick Walton is the best overall point guard in the B1G (and it is not really all that close). I thought he would be by the end of the year, but I am confident in saying that today. Not only does Walton run the offense smoothly and confidently, he is able to flip a switch into aggressive scorer mode. Derrick also plays good defense, usually on one of the opponent’s better players, and he is the best at high pointing a rebound on the team right now. The added strength and increased jumping ability has really shown in the rebounding department, as well as finishing through contact.

5. Kam Chatman showing signs of confidence and understanding

I am not saying that Chatman is the best freshmen in the conference, or even on the team, but he did show some glimpses of what his role can be on this team. His on ball defense has been better than expected, he transitions from pulling down a rebound to leading the fast break with no hesitation, and his court vision is a major plus. I know he is still struggling with his jump shot, but I was really impressed that even through this shooting slump Kam called for the ball on 4 different occasions (that I saw) in 4 different positions (transition, post, left corner, right corner) and didn’t hesitate to shoot 2 corner jump shots in the 2^nd half against Villanova. His shot can only improve under this coaching staff, and if he can improve even to GRIII levels this offense will be even more terrifying.

6. Rotation is solidifying

A big discussion in the preseason was what the rotation would look like. Coach Beilein kept insisting that none of the freshmen would redshirt this season, however he usually likes to run a very short bench. We are starting to get a better picture of how minutes will be distributed. Derrick, Spike, Caris, Zak, Kam, Mark, and Ricky are mainstays. The last 1-2 spots will fight over 5-10 minutes a game and be dependent on the situation.  Max, DJ, and Aubrey are the main candidates for this playing time.

7. Caris will be in discussion for B1G POY

Frank Kaminskey and Wisconsin have been unanimous choices to win POY and the conference, but Caris LeVert will have a say in that outcome. There have been times this year that he has been able to take a game over by scoring, but I have been even more impressed by his impact when not scoring. LeVert’s added strength has made him a plus defender and more willing rebounder. He is starting to look more comfortable initiating the offense and running pick and roll sets. He is also a very capable passer. When he is able to initiate a play, it leaves two of the best spot up shooters free (Walton and Irvin).  Caris is going to flirt with a triple double, especially during the nonconference season. Coach Beilein calls it pace. Both Trey and Nik had it, Caris is next in line.

8. Upper classmen in John Beilein’s system are a beautiful sight

Villanova’s biggest strength is their experience. Their starting five is all upperclassmen. Each player is so familiar with Coach Wright’s system that they don’t have to waste time thinking while trying to play, the schemes are just so engrained that is has become second nature. Now, just look at Michigan. Two of the most reliable players on the roster are Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht, both upperclassmen.

Spike isn’t trusted with so much playing time because his athleticism forces him onto the floor. It is because he knows his role perfectly. He executes the complex offense, doesn’t turn the ball over, and doesn’t get rattled in any circumstance since he has seen every situation before.  It is really fun being able to see this coaching staff develop players into early-entry NBA draft picks, but it is intriguing to consider the NCAA installing the 3 year rule like football.

9. Big Three = Big Time NBA players

I know I have discussed Derrick in more detail already, and mentioned that Michigan’s backcourt are NBA players. However, I just wanted to give specific examples, just from last night, at why I believe all three can be first round draft picks.

Caris had back-to-back possessions where Michigan ran a straight NBA style isolation, and he converted over good defensive positioning both times. The first was an unorthodox twisting fade away from the right baseline, and the second was a shot fake and spin for an open short look. At the time I noted that the offensive set seemed different for Michigan, and then realized that it was very unusual. Sure, Stauskas had plenty of plays called for him, but each one involved a screen. This is partially due to the fact that Nik is one of the best pick and roll players I have ever seen, but also due to his lack of true first step separation ability. The coaching staff trusts Caris to flat out beat whoever is in front of him one-on-one. When he converts like last night, how can you blame them?

Derrick also had two possessions where NBA scouts would have to take notice. The first was when he called for a screen, went the opposite way, and then pulled up for a contested, unbalanced elbow jumper. He was confident in this shot because he knew the defender was not going to stop as quickly as him, nor could he elevate with Derrick. The second was without the use of any screen. It was just a matter of Derrick dribbling and shooting where he wanted. He drove to the right baseline, then used a behind the back/ step back move to create space to knock down a 16 footer. Because he dictated where the defender went (not vice-versa) he was able to have the upper hand on two well defended possessions.

Finally, Zak also had two opportunities during the huge second half run. The first was immediately after Michigan came out of their 3^rd timeout in 18 seconds. They looked lost, and could have been on the verge of packing it in. Coach Beilein drew up a play for Zak (even though he was shooting poorly up to that point). He took the inbounds pass and drove his defender to a spot he felt comfortable (free throw line) and just elevated over him to snap a 10+ minute scoring drought. That is a lot of trust from the coaches to call his number at time in the game. The second came when Zak used a high ball screen and drove all the way to the hoop with his left and finished over the late rotating help defense. For being just a jump shooter last year, there was no hesitation in this drive and a quick understanding that the defense was out of position. If he can do this regularly 20 points per game might not be out of reach.

10. Team 99’s ceiling is extremely high

All of this to say that I am very excited about Team 99. I think Villanova is a very experienced and skilled basketball team that plays in a weak conference. This means they should be in or around the top 10 all season and be in the running for another top 3 seed. On a day that the Wolverines went 10+ minutes with scoring they had this victory in their grasp, but couldn’t finish. I also think that Michigan’s ceiling is much higher than Villanova. How much better can such an experienced team really get? Team 99 is already a solid tournament team, but just think of all of the ifs that can make them even better.

I know this is a really long post about a lot of positive points from a team that just lost, and I know there are countless areas that need to improve. However, New York provided a learning experience that the coaching staff will undoubtedly use to make a good team get better. It is going to be another fun ride this year!

Michigan Basketball Open Practice Thoughts

 

Another football season is almost over, and with it another blog absence. Last year I forced myself to get through most of the atrocious season, and this year I stopped caring before the leaves changed. However, as the football team blindly stumbles to a finish it brings the start of the basketball season.  Coach Beilein held an open practice for Team 99, and I was lucky enough to attend. Even though many writers have posted their opinions of the 60 minute practice, I wanted to throw out some of my impressions.

 

First thing that I noticed was just how much I enjoyed sitting with a friend listening to John Beilein coach the game that I love. This was not just a shoot around or midnight madness type event. The B1G’s best coach used the hour to actually coach and try to make his team better. From running ‘warm-up’ drills that had most of the team reaching for towels to sending a few players up the stairs for playing ‘pretty’ basketball.

The practice started with a series of drills and then ended with a few minutes of light scrimmaging.  While there may be questions about the team’s physicality or defense, there is absolutely no question about their athleticism. It seems like Michigan is preparing to run a 9 man rotation with Biefeldt and likely MAAR inserted in times of foul trouble or injury, with 10 of those 11 players being extremely athletic. Right now it appears to be Coach Beilein’s most athletic roster since coming to Ann Arbor. Athleticism doesn’t equal wins (just ask Kentucky), but this program has been rebuilt.

Some quick individual notes:

Aubrey Dawkins will play valuable minutes for this year’s team.  I really don’t understand how his major offer was Dayton until Michigan came calling late in the recruiting period. He jumps out of the gym, runs well, has a very repeatable/smooth release that is unblockable thanks to his jumping ability, seemingly has a high IQ being the son of a coach, and has a very solid 6’6” frame.  He is light years ahead of where Caris LeVert was at this point of their freshman seasons. Of course I need to note that Dawkins took a prep year, while Caris is extremely young for his age so NBA scouts would look at both of them as ‘sophomores’. I am going to go out on a limb and say, with this coaching staff, Dawkins has the ability to develop into an all-conference type performer that will get a shot in the NBA. Not bad for another late recruiting find.

A lot of players worked extremely hard this summer with Strength Coach John Sanderson. Derrick Walton, Zak Irvin, Spike Albrecht, Caris LeVert, DJ Wilson, and Ricky Doyle all have different bodies than they did in April.  Most notably Derrick, Zak, and Spike put on a lot of muscle which should help them withstand the physicality of the B1G schedule.

Kam Chatman looks very comfortable with the ball in his hands. This should add another dimension to Michigan’s fast break game as the Wolverines will likely have 4 players on the floor that can handle the ball and push the tempo. Having this versatility should create a lot of open transition threes (remember most of Irvin’s shot attempts?). Of course he is still a freshman and will likely be looking to add 15 pounds of muscle next summer, but he will be your starter at the 4 spot from day 1.

The Center position still looks up for grabs. Mark Donnal got the run with the first team last night but is still struggling with his confidence, especially when catching the ball in the post. Ricky Doyle seemed to be dealing with some sort of minor injury, and was only able to participate in roughly half of the practice. However, when healthy Doyle offers a much bigger body which will really help in the pick and roll game, but will likely be limited by conditioning (think freshman McGary). DJ Wilson also got some playing time at the 5, and immediately his length impacts the game. He is the lone true rim protector on the team, but his strength will be put to the test against some of the bigger players in the conference. Each player brings a different specialty to the table, and all three will see the floor this season.  All Michigan needs is a passable center that can hold his own on the glass and is not a complete defensive liability, and I think these guys will be able to offer this by the end of the season.  But watch out when these guys feel comfortable in their roles because John Beilein’s last two offenses have been some of the best college basketball has seen the past 20 years, and that is without a center that can stretch the floor.

Coach Beilein ended practice by pointing out this team’s potential, and said ‘watch this team grow.’ I don’t know what Team 99’s ceiling is or how they will finish in the B1G, but I do know  they will continue to improve and it will be another fun ride.

Utah Preview

Utah visits Ann Arbor this weekend, likely, as the best opponent to play in the Big House this season. Although this game doesn’t mean too much for the Wolverines, getting a little winning streak going can’t hurt the confidence of a young team. Regardless if this game doesn’t factor into the B1G Championship it is a very intriguing matchup on paper and should be one of the best games around the country this week.   

When Michigan has the ball…
Utah’s defense is extremely untested so far on this young season. The Utes have played two cupcakes and have dispatched with them as expected. Even though Utah has been known to have a stout front 7 the past few years, this year’s squad seems undersized and vulnerable to be overpowered by competent offensive lines. The jury is still out on whether Michigan fits into that category, but so far results tend to be leaning towards yes.  While the Utah run defense will not be the most formidable the Wolverines will face this season, consistent offensive line push would be another step towards separating from the 2013 disaster. I expect Michigan to be able to run the ball reasonably well.  Since Utah’s base defense is the 4-2-5, the offensive line could be confused in their blocking schemes in the beginning, but by the 2^nd half Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith should have room to run.  Perhaps the most interesting matchup when Michigan has the ball will be how the Wolverines block Nate Orchard.  A 6’4” 255 pounds DE/LB hybrid type player, Orchard is Utah’s version of Jake Ryan. We have seen the terror Ryan can cause while rushing the passer. If Cole and Braden can hold up to the speed rushes on the edge Devin should be able to keep his eyes downfield where big completions await (even if Funchess is kept on the sidelines again). Utah’s coaching staff knows their weakness is in their man coverage in the secondary and will try to bring many different look blitzes at the young offensive line and Gardner. This should be a great stepping stone test for the big uglies up front as Michigan State week gets closer.  The line will need good communication to stop free blitzers on Devin, and if this can happen Michigan should top 30 points. If Gardner is getting flushed from the pocket consistently.. well we all know what can (and probably will) happen.

When Utah has the ball…
Michigan should be able to move the ball reasonably well against Utah, but the most anticipated matchup comes when Michigan is on defense. Utah is scoring nearly a point a minute en route to their 2-0 start. Yes the competition has been lacking, but nearing a 60 point average is impressive. The Utes will run a high tempo spread offense (think 2013 Indiana). Remember how the Wolverine’s defense looked in that one? Utah has two receivers that complement each other really well. Dres Anderson is one of the best receivers in the country and is the definition of speedy deep threat, and Dawan Scott is an under-rated possession receiver. After the cornerbacks continually got beat by Notre Dame’s 2^nd and 3^rd options, these two should terrify any Michigan fan. It will be interesting to see how the Wolverines adjust their coverage. Press coverage was drastically reduced last week against an inferior opponent, so look for Michigan to drop more into zone coverage to try to have turnover prone Wilson orchestrate long drives down the field. The pass rush has been consistent so far this season, but has yielded little results in the score book. Look for the sack numbers to increase this week as Utah wants to run long routes with Anderson and Scott down the field. I expect Frank Clark to finally break into the sack column, and possibly for one of the inside guys to join him as well.  I am very excited to see how the young corners (Peppers and Lewis) match up with two of the best receivers they will see all season. The Peppers hype could reach even more insane proportions if he holds his own tomorrow.

Even though portions of the Miami game were frustrating, I didn’t think the Wolverines came out flat. Beating a bad MAC team by 50+ would have been more enjoyable, but I do think the Maize and Blue got better last weekend.  At this point that is a bigger win than the one on the scoreboard. This week will offer a good measuring stick to see if the embarrassment in South Bend was a fluke or this Wolverine team really has no chance of beating the other two rivals later on this year.

Around the Country: Week 4

I have learned my lesson, after two completely embarrassing weeks of Big Ten football I will refrain from including any B1G games in this weekend’s preview.  This week shifts its focus mainly to the SEC, where I would guess that it will stay for most of the remaining weeks. Say what you want about the media’s SEC infatuation, but I don’t remember the league producing a game like Penn State and Rutgers (which featured such hilariously terrible football that you couldn’t turn away from). Anyways, moving on to this weekend; you will notice that there aren’t any noon games to really keep an eye on again. Hopefully some will be coming soon.

Florida @ Alabama 3:30 CBS

I know, I know, I know… Florida almost (should have) lost at home to Kentucky last weekend.  They have yet to show any improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Side note: Michigan fans should take a moment to realize just how good our situation is. The Wolverine quarterback could be Jeff Driskel, who was higher rated than Devin and has been playing all 4 years. Yet, he still has no idea how to play the position.  Alabama has been less than impressive so far this year, and it looks like Lane Kiffen doesn’t really know how to utilize Blake Sims.  The Tide should be settled on one signal caller moving forward, which could help with offensive continuity.  If Alabama starts getting their offense comfortable and confident this game could be a laugher by halftime. I know the Tide have some inexperience questions about the backend of their defense, but seriously, do you expect Driskel and the Gators to capitalize? I’m going to take: what is no, Alex for $10000.

Mississippi State @ LSU 7:00 ESPN

The Tigers are tough to beat at home, especially when they get to play in Death Valley at night.  LSU has loads more talent that Miss St, but their offensive skill players are very inexperienced.  If the Bulldogs can rattle the young quarterback early, it could be the recipe to remove the crowd as a factor. I expect LSU to win this game, but I do think it will be closer than rankings would suggest.

Oklahoma @ West Virginia 7:30 FOX

It’s the second week in a row that the Sooners are featured in my weekend preview. Last week’s surgical disassembly of Tennessee was not as impressive as I expected, but this week Oklahoma has to travel to Morgantown to play one of the positive surprises of this young season.  West Virginia held their own against Alabama in the season opener, and overcame multiple turnovers and special teams gaffs to beat rival Maryland last weekend. Clint Trickett is gaining confidence with each throw and the Mountaineers might have enough weapons on the outside to test the Sooner secondary.  If you remember, the last time these two teams met in West Virginia it resulted in one of the best games of the 2012 season (OU won 50-49). I think the Sooners eventually wins this game, but they will be tested more than last week.

Miami (OH) Preview

Michigan comes back home after an embarrassing showing last week at Notre Dame. Luckily for the Wolverines they get to face one of the worst teams in college football. However, unluckily for them there is absolutely nothing the coaching staff or players can do tomorrow that will make fans forget South Bend or even regain any optimism about the remainder of the year.  I wish I could give them the benefit of the doubt (like when the basketball team lost at Penn State in 2013 or when they forgot to show up at Iowa in 2014), but at this point I am running out of hope that this regime is able to turn the program around.  


When Michigan has the ball…
There aren’t really any particular matchups that are intriguing this week, but there are definite areas that I would like to see Michigan improve upon.  The first thing is the general game plan. In the past cupcake games under Brady Hoke the Wolverines have come out in MANBALL formations and run an extremely vanilla set based on the power run game. That is fine and all, but this Michigan team will not be successful against real opponents using this mindset. However, the Wolverines do seem to have something in a pass-to-run offense. I am looking for a similar game plan to App St (start with short passes to attach the edges and then attack over the middle).  Moving to specific position improvement, the first priority tomorrow has to be improving the running back’s pocket presence. As MGoBlog said, last week might have been the worst running back game that they have witnessed. Both Green and Smith repeatedly left chunks of yards on the field by not hitting the designed hole and instead trying to gain yards by running over offensive linemen engaged in blocks. I am just looking for one of the backs to look more comfortable in the zone running scheme. Yes, Miami is horrible and likely both backs will be over 100 yards again, but I really want to see confident runs and the use of the holes the offensive line will create.  Finally in the passing game, of course an easy answer would be Devin Gardner remembering to throw the ball to the team with the winged helmets. However, even before bad Devin surfaced last week I think the bigger problem is ball distribution.  I understand Funchess is the best receiver on the team (possibly in the country), but Michigan is chocked full of athletic receivers that had quite the recruiting hype and a true slot ninja. If Funchess is 100% tomorrow he could have 20 catches for 1000 yards and 17 touchdowns, but I would rather see some of the younger guys feel a part of the game plan and gain some confidence. If Michigan is going to make any noise in the B1G they will need to use more than 1 receiver. Yes, I want to see Minitron unleashed again tomorrow, but at this point, even if Funchess is 100% it might be better for this team moving forward if he didn’t play just to force Gardner to create some chemistry with someone else.

When Miami has the ball…
Again this section isn’t so much about specific matchups with the RedHawks, but more how the ravaged defense responds to their first (albeit massive) bout of adversity. Similarly to the offense, it will be interesting to see the defensive game plan tomorrow. Will Mattison just scrap all of the offseason work of being more aggressive, mainly with press coverage, or will he run it out there again looking for any improvement? I know this game doesn’t require the full arsenal of players, but if Taylor and/or Peppers are able to play it would be really nice seeing them back on the field. Both need more reps in this new defense, and I don’t know how much more Hollowell I can stomach.  The defensive line looks to be very good. They were consistently beating their man against one of the best offensive lines the Wolverines will face this year. It will be fun to see Frank Clark actually get to a quarterback tomorrow. I also thought the linebackers looked much more comfortable last weekend, but it will be important to continue to get Jake Ryan snaps in his new position.  The big area to watch is the secondary, particularly the cornerbacks.  Michigan will likely be in their Nickel package all afternoon again, but which cornerbacks see the most snaps? If Taylor and/or Peppers is back I would like to see more of them and Jourdan Lewis on the field. I know Countess will still see a lot of snaps, but he just isn’t able to be a physical, press type cornerback.  So much for giving Charles Woodson’s number to a player who doesn’t fit in the new defensive system at all.  The other thing I want to see are some turnovers. The defense was supposed to carry the team in the beginning of the year while the offense caught up, but so far that hasn’t been the case. There is no way that a defense full of this many talented players should go two games without forcing a turnover, and if they really aren’t that good than how haven’t they at least lucked into one yet?

Michigan football is a funny/frustrating thing. It took me all offseason to get the turd flavored season cleaned out of my mouth, then teased me with some improvements and optimism in week 1 only to take this new hope and proceed to torture it for 60 minutes as if I was being questioned by Jack Bauer. The Penn State game broke me last year, but a lackluster performance tomorrow could just get me there a few weeks quicker this year.

Around the Country: Week 3

There is an immense drop off of marquee games this week compared to last, but even during ‘down weeks’ college football is known to entertain.  This week will travel coast to coast, but will only cover two time slots again.  Hopefully with the non-conference season coming to a close soon there will be a few noon games to actually pay attention to.

Georgia @ South Carolina 3:30 CBS

Both teams had impressive opening weekends. Georgia flexed their muscles against a young Clemson team as star running back Todd Gurley vaulted into many Heisman discussions. The Dawgs comfortable victory also put them in a similar breath as Florida State as favorites to nail down a playoff spot. On the other hand, South Carolina was impressively embarrassed at home against a Texas A&M team breaking in a new quarterback.  The Gamecocks were again tagged as an SEC power, one with national title aspirations but the beat down they took in week 1 abruptly ended those conversations. USC desperately needs a win tomorrow to keep their season on the ledge of disappointment, still leaning towards utter failure. There was a ton of issues in the backend of South Carolina’s defense that I doubt have been patched, and I think Gurley is hands down the best back in college football and should break the slump of running backs going in the first round of the NFL draft. Look for the Gamecocks to put up a better fight, but the Dawg’s to ultimately escape with another building block to the final four.

Minnesota @ TCU 4:00 FS1

In the first interesting B1G game the Gophers travel to Texas for a game that is pretty underrated. I think Coach Kill would love to model the Minnesota program after what Coach Patterson is doing at TCU (play hard nose defense and run the ball).  Minnesota can definitely run the ball, but they are still a work in progress in the other areas.  The Gophers are reportedly going to be without their challenged starting quarterback so now all of the work load falls on rising star running back David Cobb instead of just 90%.  Minnesota can make a statement tomorrow evening with a win, and put themselves in the discussion for B1G West contender, however I think the Horned Frogs defense will be too athletic and able to key on the Gopher run game too much for Minny to get any consistent offense established.

Illinois @ Washington 4:00 Fox

The Illini have been the door mat of the B1G for a few years now, and it didn’t look like that would change this year. However, with the addition of Oklahoma State transfer Wes Lunt Illinois looks to have a dangerous offense. They aren’t extremely talented yet and will likely still struggle in the B1G, but the Huskies pass defense is one of the worst in the nation.  They have surrendered over 700 yards in the air in just two weeks. While the B1G was busy getting steam rolled on national television last weekend they have an opportunity to stop the embarrassment tomorrow. Two wins from Illinois and Minnesota aren’t likely, nor will they change the overwhelmingly negative perception of the conference but it should stop the flood of bad publicity… at least for a week.

Tennessee @ Oklahoma 8:00 ABC

This game being featured here seems like a stretch. Oklahoma is a legitimate playoff contender, while the Volunteers are still in rebuild mode.  Let’s get this prediction out of the way quickly. I don’t think the outcome will ever be in question as I expect the Sooners to dominate every aspect of this game. But the reason that it intrigues me so much is that Oklahoma is ranked in the top 5, but seem to be flying under the radar. Nobody is really talking about the Sooners, and I think that will change tomorrow night as Coach Stoops will be looking to make another statement at the expense of a big bad SEC school.