NON-BCS Football Week 6 Breakdown
Air Force v. Notre Dame
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The service academies love getting a shot at the Golden Domers. They play every year. It’s guaranteed like death and taxes. Notre Dame has not always swept the floor with the academies either. They used to dominate Navy, but the Midshipmen broke their futile attempts at victory a few seasons ago. This year’s Air Force team is no easy task for the boys in South Bend.
Air Force is coming off of an epic game against Navy in Annapolis. The Falcons had the game in hand most of the way through before Navy stormed back from 18 points down. After Navy’s final touchdown, Air Force got lucky with a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct call against Kriss Proctor of Navy, which forced the extra point attempt back to the 35-yard line. With a chance to tie, Air Force blocked the kicked and won the game by a single point, 35-34. It was a real battle between two top-5 rushing attacks. They won’t see the same sort of thing in South Bend.
Notre Dame has been trying to find its way for much of the first part of the season. Brian Kelly finally decided that Tommy Rees was the man to lead his offense for the Irish. He has a star in Michael Floyd to play catch with. Floyd has 31 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards in his career – and he’s a junior. Notre Dame’s schedule was by no means considered easy this year, but many have thought this could be a breakout year for the Irish after years of disappointment. After a horrendous first two weeks, Kelly & Co. have been finding ways to win. Can they defend the run against a strong Air Force squad? They make a statement if they do.
Southern Mississippi versus Navy
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Another service academy takes on a challenger that has beaten bigger teams this year. Ok, perhaps it’s a stretch to say that Southern Mississippi beating Virginia is a win against a “bigger team.” But it is a win against a bigger conference. It was one that the Golden Eagles needed. Right now, their record puts them in a great position in Conference USA, at 4-1. However, other than Virginia, they have only beaten some piddly opponents in Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana, and Rice. That is not exactly a Murderer’s Row. The defense has led the way, and on the other side, quarterback Austin Davis is lighting people up through the first five weeks. They will be playing a hungry Navy team who feels like it got hosed out of a chance to win last week against rival Air Force. The Midshipmen prove that they can jump out to a lead and also storm back late from being down and out. It will be no surprise to Southern Miss that Navy is going to run – they are second to last in the land at passing the ball. The Golden Eagles just need to be able to thwart the triple-option to get the W.
Marshall versus UCF
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This is a juicy early in-conference matchup for Conference USA. Neither team particularly stands out as a team to beat at this point, but it will be a good Litmus test for Central Florida, who will be playing their first game of the conference season. Marshall, who statistically is awful at scoring, has already beaten Southern Mississippi, which is certainly considered a challenger for the Eastern crown. They also beat a Big East foe in Louisville to bolster their record. However, they had a head-scratching 44-7 loss to Ohio in a game that wasn’t competitive at all. Marshall so far has been a team that plays up to better competition and down to lesser opponents.
Central Florida is looking to go above .500. Much like the Thundering Herd, they are trying to get off to a fast start in the C-USA East. Both of their losses this season have been by a touchdown. They have been in competitive games against solid competition. Their defense is still top-5 in the country in points allowed, which bodes well for them in a matchup against a team that has trouble finding the endzone. Marshall has been tested by a higher level of competition with the likes of West Virginia and Virginia Tech. UCF’s toughest out was BYU, a game they ended up losing. None of that may make any difference on Saturday night, but we will see who has the grit to pull this one out.
Wyoming versus Utah State
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How else will the Aggies find a way to lose this year? They all but had Auburn beat in Week 1 until they allowed an onside kick recovery. They lost a nail-biter in overtime to Colorado State in Week 3, and last week they allowed BYU to score on a 96-yard drive with 11 seconds left to lose the game. Wow. Talk about a lack of luck or execution or what have you. Those are some heartbreakers. Despite being 1-3, the Aggies on some level have to feel good that they are in a position to win these games against solid competition. Of course, the players and coaches take no solace in that. Once this team figures out how to pull out wins instead of give them away, they can do some damage. They already run the ball better than most of their counterparts.
Wyoming is coming into this game at 3-1, led by freshman quarterback Brett Smith. They have not beaten anyone of significance, and their lone loss has come from Nebraska by 24 points. If there was ever a moment for Utah State to turn around their misfortune against a team that’s winning, it would be this moment. A full four quarters of football and a good scheme against a freshman signal-caller should spell success for a Utah State team dying to churn one out.
TCU versus San Diego State
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This won’t be the automatic victory that every game was last year for the Horned Frogs. With Andy Dalton gone and a lot of turnover on defense, this team is a shell of its former self. They are ranked 90th in total defense this season. They were ranked first by the end of the Rose Bowl last year. After a disappointing loss to Southern Methodist last week, the Horned Frogs know they are in for a test against San Diego State. The Aztecs were one of the teams that kept it close last year, only losing by five points. The Aztecs have a solid team, and a decent defense. They’ve been able to put up points in the 40+ range several times already this season. They’ll press TCU and see if they can force the Frogs to play from behind. TCU could use a victory over a good team to restore its confidence. This is proving ground for Gary Patterson’s team.
