Non-BCS Football Week 3 Breakdown
Boise St. versus Toledo
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Okay, at first sight it would certainly appear that Boise State is going to run away with this game. In all actuality they probably will. However, if you watched Toledo play Ohio State last week, you saw that the Rockets held their own. They had a shot to win that game in the Horseshoe. They outgained the Buckeyes, and went 3-for-5 on 4th down conversions. Toledo hurt themselves tremendously by giving up over 100 yards off of 14 penalties. Toledo can’t afford to do that against the big and bad Buckeyes, let alone Boise State. Still, they were leading in the second half before Ohio State iced it late in the 3rd quarter.
Boise State has again started the season hot and is ranked in the top ten in just about every poll. They handled Georgia pretty convincingly in what was essentially an away game. Toledo has proven that it is scrappy and won’t quit just because they are lining up against a ranked opponent. But Joe Bauserman of Ohio State is not Kellen Moore of Boise State. Moore is cool and calm under center, and he is one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He could pick apart Toledo before too long.
Central Florida versus Florida International
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Two small-school programs in the talent-rich Florida are actually about to butt heads to remain undefeated. It’s not like both have won their games against “nobodies” either. Florida International, long an afterthought at the Division I level, has really started to become a team to be reckoned with. They beat Louisville last weekend on the road. Yes, Louisville starts a freshman at quarterback and they aren’t expected to be very good this year but FIU is at least beating big-name programs in Division I now. Several years ago you couldn’t say that.
Central Florida is off to a great start. Through two weeks they are averaging 46 points a game and are first in the nation in points allowed. That’s right. In two games, they have allowed three points. Wow. One of those opponents was Boston College, who is generally sound fundamentally. The result of this game will depend on if the Central Florida defense continues to hold the offense out of the end zone.
Houston versus Louisiana Tech
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If only to see Houston continue their aerial assault, you’ll tune in. Surprise, surprise Case Keenum and the Cougars lead the nation in passing yards per game. They average 43 points per game so far, and are looking to increase that average against Louisiana Tech.
Though Tech is not considered much competition for a team like Houston, the Bulldogs have been occasionally successful battling early season big-program opponents (most recently Mississippi State in 2008). They will most likely not be much of a threat in the WAC. Louisiana Tech has been to one bowl game in the last five years. But if they can solve Houston’s passing attack, they can provide a blueprint for Cougar opponents for the rest of the season.
Utah versus BYU
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All of a sudden this in-state rivalry has a little more juice to it. BYU has gone independent and Utah has joined the Pac-12. The implications for Utah in this game are tremendous. They come off of a tough loss to USC in a game they could have won. With USC on post-season probation, Utah has an opportunity to take hold of the Pac-12 South if they win enough ball games. Beating BYU would be a good start.
BYU gave Garrett Gilbert and Texas all it could handle last weekend. The Longhorns had to win late after pulling Gilbert in favor of their two backups quarterbacks. It’s never easy to win in Austin and BYU came as close as possible without actually doing it. That won’t make things easy for the Utes. Utah needs to win the Holy War this year. They have two wins in the last eight games of the series. One was last season. Let’s see if they can build a streak.
Navy versus South Carolina
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South Carolina has had some compelling tests early in the season, and this is another one of them. South Carolina has passed all of these tests with flying colors. However, they haven’t faced a run offense like the one that Navy runs yet.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo has found another quality triple-option quarterback in Kriss Proctor. Last week against Western Kentucky, Proctor only threw for 100 yards, but the offense racked up 410 rushing yards. Granted, Western Kentucky does not boast an SEC defense. South Carolina had a bit of difficulty early with East Carolina’s offense. How will they fare against the triple-option? It remains to be seen. A healthy dose of Marcus Lattimore on offense should pave the way for a Gamecocks victory.
