Shane O Mac's Games of the Week (Week 4)

Shane O Mac’s Games of the Week (Week 4)

Well, it is time for Week 4 and this should be the last week of cupcake games for most teams. But in college football every game is important. This week is no different and these are games to watch in Week 4 and we start at 3:30 in the SEC.

(1) Alabama (3-0 1-0 SEC) at (10) Arkansas (3-0 1-0 SEC) (3:30, CBS)

CBS gets their 2nd SEC game of the week and this could be the toughest game of the year for the Crimson Tide. Quarterback Greg McElroy and running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson lead the Tide into this game. What makes this game a challenge for the Tide is that it’s in Fayetteville and the environment will be hostile. Also, if you forgot the quarterback for the Razorbacks is Ryan Mallett. Oh, yes that Ryan Mallett who used to play for Michigan. He already has over 1,000 yards passing with 9 TD’s compared to only 2 INT’S. For people to say that Arkansas has no chance in this game is very foolish. They beat a very talented Georgia team, without A.J. Green, but it was in Athens. This is obviously isn’t easy. But their facing the number one team in the country who has made every team they have faced looked bad with a very balanced attack. Arkansas is tough on defense by only allowing 11.5 points per game (5th in the country). This game is obviously the game of the week and I can’t wait for this one. I want to see if Richardson and Ingram can run on this defense, and if the Razorbacks can get something done against the top team in the nation. Watch for this game to be closer than the experts think.

(12) South Carolina (3-0 1-0 SEC) at (17) Auburn (3-0 1-0 SEC) (7:45 ESPN)

Ok, you must be asking yourself why is there two SEC games in here, well that answer is easy. The rankings don’t lie and neither do the records. The SEC is obviously the strongest conference from top to bottom every year, but this year there are some conferences knocking on the door. This is another battle of undefeated teams and one team is good at rushing and one is good on defense. Something has got to give and I like Auburn at home. 259 yards rushing per game is no joke and with a explosive quarterback like Cameron Newton at the helm for the Tigers this game might not be close. But not if the ole’ ball coach has something to say about it. Their 9th in the nation in points against with 12.7 and it helps to have running back Marcus Lattimore in the backfield. Anything could happen. Also, if or when the Gamecocks get through this game they will take their (4-0) record back home in Columbia against the Tide. Oh, jeez what a game that would be!

(16) Stanford (3-0 1-0 Pac-10) at Notre Dame (1-2) (3:30, NBC)

I don’t know if South Bend is ready for this one. The Legends Trophy is on the line and Andrew Luck comes into this one with one of the most explosive and talented offenses of the country. Last week they put up 68 points last week against Wake Forest and that pushed them all way up to 3rd in the country in points per game (51). None of the Cardinal’s games have been even close, but this could be their first real test. Notre Dame has a good defense, but it didn’t seem like it against Michigan or Michigan State. The special teams defense got embarrassed in front of the nation last week in their primetime debacle in East Lansing with that last play of Overtime. This week the Fighting Irish are trying to save face and this might be the team to do it against. Their at home, they average over 300 passing yards per game and 2 out of their 3 games have been within one score. They could be easily 2-1, but they keep the opposing team in the game. This game used to be dominated by Notre Dame, but on this Saturday in South Bend, karma could be a….well, you can finish that one.


(22) West Virginia (3-0 0-0 Big East) at (15) LSU (3-0 2-0 SEC) (9pm, ESPN)

Death Valley is the site of this interesting game between powers of the Big East and SEC. Both teams are undefeated and this game has the talent to make it game of the year. Two out of the three LSU games have been conference games and they dominated both with their offense and 5th ranked defense. West Virginia has a running attack with Noel Devine (354 yards, 2TD), but the stout LSU defense will look to stop that. The noise in this place will be tremendous because not only is this game in Death Valley….it's a night game in Death Valley. West Virginia’s defense isn’t that bad either. Their 9th in the nation with allowing 12.7 points per game. Their game against Marshall was memorable with them coming back from 15 points down in the 4th quarter and eventually winning in overtime. LSU had that tough game against North Carolina way back in the opening week of the season. That game was overshadowed by the toughness of North Carolina playing without most of their starters, but people forgot what really happened, LSU won. This game will be no different. I think West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith will have all that he can handle and not be ready for this raucous primetime SEC game. LSU will have their hands full with Devine, but their defense will be able to take care of him. Look for this game to be out of reach for the Mountaineers by the 2nd quarter.

(24) Oregon State (1-1 0-0 Pac-10) at (3) Boise State (2-0 1-0 WAC) (8pm, ABC)

This game is for real. Oregon State seemed to buy into the “blue turf” hype and literally painted their practice field blue. The Rodgers brothers have combined for over 300 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. Will it be enough for the 15th ranked defense of Boise State? College Gameday is in Boise for this one and I never thought I would ever see the day. It will be 5am in Boise when Gameday kicks off at 9am EST. The fans will be out of control all game long and look for that to rattle Beaver quarterback Ryan Katz a little bit. I am excited about this one. I’m excited to see how Boise State reacts not only to the primetime game but how they perform at home in plain, little Idaho. Austin Pettis and Titus Young lead a group of senior receivers. Kellen Moore is getting more hype after his performances in the first two games, especially against Virginia Tech. It seems the coaches aren’t impressed by the Broncos schedule but I believe if they do beat Oregon State soundly they will be up there with the huge teams. But after this game they really don’t have a challenge until November 26th when they travel to Nevada who are playing great as well. Oregon State seems to be stuggling on both sides of the ball. When you look at their rankings: 98th in passing (162 yds), 89th in rushing (125 yds), 64th in offensive points (28) and 88th in points against (29) it seems like the Broncos will pass all over the Beavers defense. This will be a shootout offensively…..for 1 half. The Broncos throw and rush a lot. A very balanced attack…15th passing and 22nd in rushing. The stats say that the Broncos will lay the smackdown on the Beavers…BUT…the Rodgers brothers will make things interesting because Ryan Katz doesn’t throw the ball much. He only has 301 yards passing all season through two games. Overall, this game doesn’t seem to be close when you look at the stats, but we will see how it ends on the blue turf in Boise in primetime on ABC.

Other games to keep an eye on:

Kentucky (3-0 0-0 SEC) at Florida (3-0 0-0 SEC) (7pm, ESPNU) - John Brantley plays his first conference game in the Swamp and he hasn’t looked good in his first three games. Both teams are undefeated and need to prove themselves.

Ohio (1-2 0-1 MAC) at Marshall (0-3 0-0 C-USA) (7:00pm) - Well, you might be asking yourself why this game is on here? It might be because I have a big heart for the Thundering Herd. After that heartbreaking (and that’s putting it lightly) loss to West Virginia two weeks ago I just have felt bad for them. They had the game won, but blew it at the end and to put more salt in the wound…they were at home. They lost to Bowling Green last week and are winless so far. Let’s see if they can get the ball rolling against Ohio in Huntington…the scene of the crime against the Mountaineers.

(5) Oregon (3-0 0-0 Pac-10) at Arizona State (2-1 0-0 Pac-10) (10:30pm) - 1st Conference game for both of these teams. The Sun Devils are coming off a tough loss to Wisconsin just a week ago and they are coming out swinging against the Ducks. The Ducks are 2nd in rushing yards (380.7), 1st in offensive points (63) and points against (4.3). Are you serious 4.3 points per game!! I’m looking for this game to be a shootout…and the Sun Devils will put up a little more than 4.3 points.

That concludes week 4 in my games of the week. Enjoy it everybody!!