Week 6 Preview: Diminished Weekend

KENTUCKY!!! @ South Carolina: So many times, the 'Cats have come so close to beating this team, usually at Commonwealth. A "W" here means first place in the high-powered SEC East, with home games against Florida and Tennessee to come. Woodson finally threw a pick last week, but still fired a career-high five TD passes. Unfortunately, the defensive talent skies upward this Thursday night in Columbia. On the plus side, the 'Cocks don't boast a top SEC offense. Can UK, once more, outscore a ranked opponent on the road? I say, yes. UK 34 SoCaro 27

Florida @ Louisiana State: No longer #3 @ #2. I thought I had this game figured out last week: LSU would control FLA's high-scoring attack, Flynn would make enough plays, and the Gators unbeaten streak would end at the Rouge. Alas, Auburn got there first. Why does this matter? Well, entering last weekend, Florida did NOT have to win this game in order to compete for the national championship; they've could've won the SEC East and beaten LSU in a rematch for the conference title. Now, this is a must win for the until-the-AUB game best coach in the country. Can the Gators count on six turnovers this time? Uh, no. LSU 30 FLA 14

Ohio State @ Purdue: Of all the projected "Separation Saturday" matchups, this is the only one to materialize with both squads still without a blemish on their records. The Buckeyes and Boilermakers have cruised early, yet scheduling has played a role. PUR has beaten no one of consequence, whilst OSU is helped by a respectable Washington team that stayed with USC for four quarters. The matchup is clearly Ohio State's defense versus a turn-back-the-clock (as in 2000 or early 2004) Purdue offense. Joe Tiller has never had much luck in Columbus, yet has won two of the last three in West Lafayette, and OSU needed a 4-1 TD pass in the closing seconds to win here in 2002. The questions: Is Boeckman ready? Can OSU's defense force turnovers? Yes and yes. OSU 24 PUR 21 (OT)

Wisconsin @ Illinois: All of a sudden, a much more intriguing game. The Illini stymied Penn State late and ended the Nittany Lion's conference title hopes. They are young but fast. WIS earned some points for holding off a game Spartan team last week, yet, they're vulnerable. Illinois has the defense to thwart Bucky's ground attack and force Tyler Donovan to win the game. Can he? Does Illinois move to (gasp) 3-0 and stay in first place? Not quite. WIS 17 ILL 13

Oklahoma v. Texas: Yawn. Who cares about this game now? It's not even for first place in the Big 12 South. Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford looked atrocious last weekend, but the Sooners appear to be a much better team than the Longhorns. OU, in the words of one columnist, stopped playing after fifty minutes in Boulder, whereas Texas broke down on special teams and turned the ball over at will. Bradford will bounce back, McCoy, err, well... OU 49 TX 10

Virginia Tech @ Clemson: The Tigers lost a lot of credibility in their 3-13 kicking meltdown loss in Atlanta. The weak ACC, sans BC (maybe), remains up for grabs, though. Clemson is a very good home team and the Hokies struggled to get past UNC last Saturday. Nonetheless, VT is a better team and Frank Beamer's crew will make the natives in Death Valley a bit more restless. VT 27 CLEM 20

Nebraska @ Missouri: For years, the black helmets have teased. For years, they've been exposed. As ugly as the Huskers have looked in the last few weeks, if they win in Columbia, they take a big step in claiming the Big 12 North. On the other hand, with COL and K-ST manning up last week, that division suddenly seems a trifle stronger. Look for a big day for Sam Keller as NEB gets back on (something of a) track, rolling to victory. NEB 45 MIZZ 23

Does this mean you have to rank them in the next poll?--ed No comment.

Cincinnati @ Rutgers: Are the Bearcats for real? Did Ohio State pick a good year to avoid the rompers from the 'Nati? The answer to the second one is yes. The first? Dominance looks good, but have they played anyone? Rutgers hasn't either, yet they were felled by the Terps--no the 2001 Orange Bowl participants didn't sneak back into Piscataway--when the Big East seemed theirs for the taking. RUT hosts WVA and LOU doesn't scare anyone, so a win here could lead them to a BCS game... where they'd get housed. RUT 23 CIN 20

Notre Dame @ UCLA: (Giggling) You may recall the Brady Quinn-led comeback to beat the Bruins in South Bend last year. You may also know that Quinn now totes a clipboard for the 2-2 Cleveland Browns--two more wins than the Irish currently possess. As ever, the second LA team remains an enigma: they looked great in three games and hideous in one. Seriously, 20 returning starters and a 6-44 loss in Salt Lake City, and not to Meyer's 2004 team??? Questions remain: will ND be favored against the Dookies later this year, and will USC go for 70? UCLA 28 ND 19

Heisman opportunity:

Andre' Woodson, UK: 275 yards pass, 2 TDs, 40 yards rush, TD
Tim Tebow, FLA: 250 yards pass, TD, 70 yards rush

A possibility exists that both top SEC signal-callers will exit the race after next weekend, which would boost the chances of both Mike Hart and Darren McFadden. H20 will get a little boost from breaking UM's all time rushing record. Yet, if both win, a showdown looms in Lexington this month.