You really begin to figure things out after about 4 weeks of football.  What we are learning is that there seems to be a clear cut top tier of college football this year.  USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Georiga all have impressive wins over quality programs.  Georgia and Florida’s road gets a lot tougher as they have entered conference play in the SEC.  Oklahoma has to take on TCU this Saturday in Norman, and the Sooner fans recall rather well the upset the Frogs handed them in 2005.  The Frogs have won two in a row in Norman (1996 and 2005), but neither Sooner team was as good as this one.  That being said, this game is between two ranked teams as TCU debuted in the Top 25 at number 24 in the AP and 23 in the USA Today.

The Clash of Mother Nature’s Wrath

Trine vs. Defiance

This is Mike and Mike in the Morning’s pick for the small college football game of the week.  Quarterback Eric Watt passed for 265 yard and 3 touchdown passes as Trine whipped Defiance 42-14.  Trine broke open a close game in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns.

Looking Ahead

Alabama vs. Georgia
The Tide passed their first road test smoking pork on Saturday, and they get a crack at a bona fide top ten football team.  The ‘Dawgs rolled over Arizona State in prime time Saturday night, and now they are cranked up and ready for the SEC and the Eastern Division title.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Is Penn State for real?  Their offense has been off the chart scoring and gaining yards against mediocre teams.  Of course, the Illini haven’t had top level competition either.  This is a chance for one of these two teams to make a step toward filling the possible void left by Ohio State.

TCU vs. Oklahoma
As I mentioned above, the Frogs are now ranked so this makes this game a top 25 match-up.  The Frogs defense has been dominant holding teams to 183 yards per game, but the teams they have played aren’t anywhere near the caliber of the Sooners.  That being said, the Sooners haven’t seen a defense like TCU’s yet either.  And, TCU’s offense does what the coaches want it to do; they hold the ball for 37 minutes a game which is among the tops in the country.  They get smart quarterback play, they use multiple backs, they have good young receivers, and Aaron Brown has returned to the field giving the Frogs a big play threat at any time.

Well I didn’t get the Wednesday Preview done by Wednesday, so now this week it is on Thursday.  So let’s do the preview.

Games to Watch

Trine (Indiana) Thunder vs. Defiance (Ohio) Yellowjackets
Mike and Mike’s Small College Game of the Week
The Clash of Mother Nature’s Wrath
This might be an interesting game to tune in to, although, I don’t know if it’s on TV somewhere.  Someone else thinks that Trine will win the game.  It seems that they have the better record, maybe the better team.  They’ve already won one game 41-13.

Georgia vs. Arizona State
Much of the intrigue left when UNLV upset the Sun Devils in Tempe.  Was Arizona State looking past the Running Rebels?  Maybe.  Georgia’s sloppy performance at South Carolina may have also been due to the ‘Dawgs looking past the Gamecocks to this week.  I think both teams will show up for national TV.  I also think Georgia’s defense will smother the Sun Devils.

LSU vs. Auburn
This one is the one ESPN has decided to go with on Saturday night.  It looks like a good fit, but if you like to see the ball get flung around and wide open offenses, then you better watch Oregon vs. Boise State.  Both defenses look like they are among the top 10 best.  If you like a defensive “slug fest,” well you might want to order a pizza.

Boise State vs. Oregon
Boise still has a good program, and with Oregon being a little vulnerable at the QB spot, this could have upset written on it.  Boise has shown the kind of play over the past couple of years that makes it a difficult team to put away.  Oregon’s offense shouldn’t be quite as effective with a backup QB, but they should run the “zone read” almost to perfection.

Troy vs. Ohio State
I admit it, I want to see how this game turns out.  I think Troy may be the class of the Sun Belt this year, and they have impressive wins over teams that are about the same level of competition as Ohio State.  However, the Men of Troy never struggled.  Ohio State lost more than a game last week, they lost any credibility they had left for being a top level team.  How is the team’s psyche?  I think that this group of Trojans from Troy (Alabama) is a very dangerous team for Ohio State to play after the embarrassment they suffered to USC last week.  Things get real interesting in Buckeye-land if Terrelle Pryor starts and plays most of the game.