(Deadline to pick for Week 6 is Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8:55 p.m. EDT)
Nebraska at Missouri (Oct. 8, 9:00 p.m)
Nebraska and Missouri become entangled in battle on Thursday night as the Tigers play host to the No. 23 Cornhuskers. While Nebraska is the only ranked team of the two, Missouri comes in with a better record at 4-0. The Tigers haven't exactly run over juggernauts thus far but a Week 1 win at Illinois and last week's 31-21 win in Nevada both prove this is a team to be reckoned with. Nebraska has been absolutely dominant in wins over FAU, Arkansas State and Louisiana but the only game played against a good team, at Virginia Tech, resulted in a 15-16 loss. With their first Big 12 test against an undefeated team looming, we'll find out more about Nebraska's prospects for making a BCS bowl game with this contest. The last time these two teams played came last season in Lincoln. That game was a blood bath as the Tigers, then ranked No. 4 in the nation, dominated the Huskers from start to finish and won 52-17. Of course, the first touchdown scored in that game was a 58-yard pass from Chase Daniel to Jeremy Maclin. Both All-Big 12 players are now in the NFL. Instead, the Tigers are led by QB Blaine Gabbert, who has thrown for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns with no picks thus far, RB Derrick Washington and receivers Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, who have combined for 44 catches and 785 yards on the season with nine touchdowns. Nebraska is led by QB Zac Lee, RB Roy Helu and a plethora of receivers. Helu is among the Big 12's leaders with 464 yards and five touchdowns with an average of 116 yards per game.
Jeff's breakdown: The Huskers are going to want to exact some revenge for the beating a better Missouri team put on them last year and for the one-point loss that has them inches away from being 4-0 and probably ranked near the Top 10. Missouri may be undefeated and playing at home, but they only managed to defeat Bowling Green 27-20 at home in Week 2 and have yet to really be tested. We think Bo Pelini's Huskers will have them failing their first test and believe Nebraska will be challenging for Big 12 supremacy with a big win on Thursday night.
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M (Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m)
In the Big 12 South opener for both teams, No. 14 OSU (3-1) travels to College Station to face the 3-1 Aggies. Last season, the teams met in Stillwater and it was the then-No. 21 Cowboys dominating the game from start to finish with a 56-28 win. The Cowboys return all three big offensive stars from that game as QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter and WR Dez Bryant are all back. Robinson threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more in last year's game and Bryant was the recipient of all three TD passes. Unfortunately, Bryant missed last week's win over Grambling with a hamstring issue and Hunter has missed the last two weeks with a leg injury and is questionable to return against A&M. The Aggies' QB Jerrod Johnson has been impressive this season with 11 TD passes and no interceptions, plus four more rushing TDs, but the running game lacks and the team is without a standout receiver now that Jeff Fuller is injured for the year. Still, the team went 3-0 after wins over New Mexico, Utah State and UAB. The first time they faced a tough SEC defense, last week at home against Arkansas, they got murdered, 47-19. Now, they face their first ranked opponent and it seems, a very uphill climb.
Jeff's Breakdown: The good news for Oklahoma State is that both Hunter and Bryant used the bye week to get healthy and we expect both to play on Saturday. Hunter is a little more of a question mark but Bryant is a go. The combination of Robinson and Bryant should come up big once again for coach Mike Gundy and, if anything, their absence gave the 'Boys a chance to find new playmakers like freshman RB Jeremy Smith, who was removed from his redshirt and rushed for 160 yards against Grambling. With A&M coming off an embarrassing loss to Arkansas in which they allowed 47 points, we just don't see them having much of a chance against Gundy's Cowboys.
Utah at Colorado State (Oct. 10, 6:00 p.m)
The Rams play host to their second Mountain West foe on Saturday having lost their first divisional contest at then-No. 19 BYU, 42-23. After winning their first three weeks at Colorado, against Weber State and against Nevada, they've now lost two straight and are coming off an embarrassing loss to FCS Idaho. Utah, which lost in Week 3 at Oregon to snap the nation's longest winning streak at 16 games, is coming off a bye week after beating Louisville rather handily on Oct. 26. Utah (3-1) and CSU (3-2, 0-1 MWC) last met last season at Utah and the Utes won easily 49-16. Led by a balanced offensive attack, the Utes outgained the Rams 549 yards to 298. Utah lost top RB Corbin Louks from that game to a transfer and now his former backup, Matt Asiata, who scored twice in last year's game, is also gone with a torn ACL. That leaves Utah with Eddie Wide as the only healthy option with extended carries this season but Wide is also banged up with a hip injury. Coming off the bye, Wide should be ready to play, however. No matter, QB Terrence Cain should be able to hook up with WR David Reed, who leads the team with 360 yards receiving, at will against a CSU secondary giving up 261 yards passing per game.
Jeff's breakdown: Utah may have lost once this season but this is a team expected to do big things in the Mountain West. The Rams, well, not so much. Colorado State lost last week at Idaho and the Vandals do not hold a candle to Utah, with or without a standout running back carrying the ball. Utah's injured tailback situation could come back to haunt them later in the year but on Saturday at Colorado State, the Utes will be just fine. We simply cannot pick against them when their opponent just fell to an FCS school.
TCU at Air Force (Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m)
The last time the Falcons of Air Force played against TCU was last season in a game absolutely dominated by the Horned Frogs, 44-10. That game wasn't even a contest but something tells us the 2009 matchup will be a little different. Air Force comes into the game with the No. 12-ranked defense in the country and is ranked inside the top 10 in scoring defense, allowing just under 13 points per game. Granted, they are 3-2 with close losses at Minnesota and Navy (they fell on a last-minute field goal last week). TCU, on the other hand, comes in ranked No. 10 in the nation with a perfect 4-0 record. Still, two wins over ACC teams Virginia and at Clemson aren't exactly impressive. While TCU comes in undefeated and ranked, it is Air Force, at 2-0 in the Mountain West, that sits atop the conference and the Horned Frogs will want to get a piece of that action.
Jeff's breakdown: Can you say defensive struggle? The Falcons aren't the only solid defense in this game. TCU owns the nation's No. 7 total defense and this game should prove a battle of inches and field goals. Both teams come in relatively healthy. This game will be won on the ground and Air Force is a ground team but TCU is allowing just 47 rushing yards per game and is the top overall rush defense in the nation. That puts them over the top and we like the Frogs in a closely-contested low-scoring affair.
Florida at LSU (Oct. 10, 8:00 p.m)
The defending national champion Gators travel to the Bayou for a primetime game at No. 4 LSU. The last time the teams met, last season, the Gators went away huge victors as they dismantled a down Tigers team, 51-21. Last season's game was the first home game following Florida's loss to Ole Miss -- the Tim Tebow vow game -- and the Gators were not to be denied against an LSU team in a rebuilding mode. LSU (5-0, 3-0 SEC) looks rebuilt now and is coming off a 20-13 win at then-No. 18 Georgia. It was the first win in Georgia in the Les Miles era and it signifies the Tigers are ready to compete with Alabama for the SEC West crown once again. They will have to go through Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC) first and the Gators are coming off a bye week they used to get Tebow healthy after he was knocked out of the Kentucky game and suffered a concussion. Tebow's health is still the biggest story heading into the game and the Gators have spent a lot of time getting John Brantley ready to take the snaps. LSU is led by QB Jordan Jefferson, who has been very solid after winning the job over Jarrett Lee. Jefferson has thrown for 920 yards with seven touchdowns and two picks and has rushed for over 100 yards on the year. Last week's win over Georgia was a defensive struggle, but in the end, RB Charles Scott led the way with 95 yards and two scores. Jefferson has Scott, along with WRs Terrence Toliver and Brandon LaFell, who have combined for all seven of Jefferson's passing TDs, as his main weapons. Florida will lean on RBs Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody to take some of the pressure off Tebow.
Jeff's breakdown: While this is a different LSU team than the one Florida dismantled last season, the situation for the Gators is similar. It was a loss that fired them up in their win last year but it will be Tebow's health they rally around in Baton Rouge. We fully expect Tebow to play in the game and the fact that LSU must prepare for both QBs actually is a detriment. The Tigers have not been very good against the rush and the Gators will look to option, delay and hand the ball off for big yardage on Saturday night. Because the game is in the Bayou in a stadium littered with purple and gold we feel this game will be much closer than last season's. That said, we like Florida and a healthy Tebow to keep it rolling as the No. 1 team in the land.
Michigan at Iowa (Oct. 10, 8:05 p.m)
The Wolverines are coming off a loss to Michigan State that knocked them out of the Top 25, while the Hawkeyes enter their second Big Ten test at 5-0 and ranked 12th in the nation. The last time these two teams met was back in 2006 when the Wolverines won the game 20-6. Those were two very different teams then. Michigan is now coached by offensive-minded Rich Rodriguez who has the team back to respectability after a year as a laughing stock. They come complete with a flashy new freshman quarterback in Tate Forcier, a solid ground game including Carlos Brown, Brandon Minor and dual-threat Denard Robinson and thus far, have been able to spread the ball around to an abundance of capable receivers. Big Blue has a win over a ranked opponent as they beat Notre Dame in the second week of the season, but a close victory over a mediocre Indiana team followed by their first loss has the people of Ann Arbor wondering just how improved is the team after a year in which they went just 3-9. They'll find out quickly against a Kirk Ferentz-led undefeated Iowa team with a lot of muscle. The Hawkeyes are coming off a questionable squeaker of their own as they defeated Arkansas State, 24-21, last week but that might have been a bit of a wake-up call if they went into the game feeling too high after their major upset of then-No. 5 Penn State in Happy Valley a week prior. Led by their 32nd-ranked defense, the Hawkeyes are currently on a nine-game winning streak since last season and is off to its best start since 1995. They've won 41 of their last 49 games at home dating back to 2002. However, among Iowa's losses over that time is a 2005 loss to the Wolverines.
Jeff's breakdown: Michigan is the more talented offensive group but hasn't faced a defense yet like Iowa's. The Iowa lines, both offensive and defensive, are the key to its success and the Wolverines just don't have the bodies to match. Michigan managed just minus-3 yards rushing in the first half against MSU and finished with 251 yards of offense, well under their average of 422.2. The Spartans' defense isn't close to as good as Iowa's and under the lights in Iowa City on Saturday night, we think the Wolverines' youth will be served against a much tougher and more experienced Hawkeyes team.
Alabama at Mississippi (Oct. 10, TBA)
Ole Miss came within four points of completing a daily double of epic proportions last season. The upstart Rebels defeated eventual National Champion Florida and lost 24-20 to Alabama as they narrowly missed beating the SEC East and West's champions from last year. The Tide was 6-0 and ranked No. 2 coming into last year's game and took a big halftime lead before the Rebels made it a game late as 'Bama held them off. Jevan Snead, Dexter McCluster and company used the win over the Gators and the game against the Tide to propel themselves to a Top 10 ranking to open 2009. They have not played with the same reckless abandon this season, however, as they were exposed as weak offensively in a 16-10 loss at South Carolina on Thursday night. Coming off a win over Vanderbilt last week, Mississippi is looking for their first big game of the season and now would be a great time for it. Alabama comes in unbeaten and ranked No. 3. They handled the Hokies at Virginia Tech in the season's opening week and have back-to-back convincing SEC wins over Arkansas and at Kentucky. Alabama's 14th-ranked offense is led by junior QB Greg McElroy, who has nine TD passes and only one interception thus far. Mark Ingram leads a talented RB corps and Julius Jones is just the biggest name amid a fabulous receiving unit. And if that offense isn't enough, Alabama backs it up with the nation's second-best defense, allowing just 222 yards per game.
Jeff's breakdown: This game is going to be a real SEC defensive battle. The Rebels are no slouches as they have the 6th-best scoring defense in the country. They should use their home-field advantage and be able to limit the scoring in this one. Alabama is not putting up a big number against them. We definitely like Ole Miss to play their best game of the season. Snead needs a breakout performance after looking very ordinary against the Gamecocks. This one might be a nail biter but in the end, Alabama will be too good as they continue on their road to the SEC Championship game and maybe more.
Auburn at Arkansas (Oct. 10, TBA)
Both Arkansas and Auburn are coming off their respective biggest wins of the season as the Razorbacks won at Texas A&M in a rout and the Tigers finished off the Vols in Tennessee. But while Arkansas comes into the game at 2-2 and already with losses against two ranked SEC opponents at home against Georgia and on the road at Alabama, Gene Chizik's Tigers are a tidy 5-0 and ranked 17th in the nation. Last season, an Auburn team that finished 5-7 and coached by Tommy Tuberville lost at home to Arkansas 25-22. These aren't those same Tigers. Chizik brought in offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and the high-scoring genius has Auburn the 5th-best offense in the nation scoring almost 42 points per game. Arkansas, led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, is no slouch offensively, too. They are ranked 18th in total offense and outside scoring just 7 points in that loss at Alabama, have hung at least 41 points on the board every week.
Jeff's breakdown: This is an intriguing battle for the SEC. Normally known for its defense, this conference matchup pits two offensive juggernauts whose defenses are lacking just a bit. Arkansas is giving up 405 yards and 29 points per game to rank 97th nationally in total defense and Auburn isn't much better. The Tigers are giving up 344 yards and almost 24 points per contest to rank 53rd. Arkansas is looking for its first SEC victory and has been playing good football while Auburn, at 5-0, might be ripe for an upset. In a game featuring two high-flying offenses in Razorbacks' country, we think the home team could be dancing when it's over.
Boston College at Virginia Tech (Oct. 10, Noon)
In a battle of teams that moved from the Big East to the ACC, the No. 5 Hokies (4-1, 2-0 ACC) host Boston College (4-1, 2-1) on Saturday. Boston College is coming off a huge win over Florida State at home while Tech actually suffered a bit of a scare in a 34-26 win at Duke in what could have been a letdown game after a huge win over Miami the week prior. Virginia Tech has largely been the best the ACC has to offer in recent years but the Eagles have always played them well. Since joining the ACC, BC and Tech are 3-3 against each other. However, while Tech has beaten them twice in ACC Championship games, the Eagles have won the last three games during the regular season. This game will have a lot of heartfelt emotions behind it as the Hokies plan to help raise money for cancer awareness by selling wristbands during the game in honor of BC linebacker Mark Herzlich, who recently found out he may have beaten his bout with cancer. BC used that news to rout FSU early last week and hold on for the victory. The Eagles have found what they hope will be their permanent solution at QB as freshman David Shinskie has come on in the last two games to throw for 431 yards and five touchdowns against Wake and the 'Noles. The Eagles are allowing just over 15 points per game while Tech is giving up over 18 per contest but the Hokies' offense has been far superior led by Tyrod Taylor and freshman running back Ryan Williams.
Jeff's breakdown: Boston College might be the trendy pick because of Herzlich, the big win over FSU and the favorable history, but their lone loss of the season was a 25-7 game at Clemson, a team which just fell to lowly Maryland. Virginia Tech has done nothing but roll since losing to Alabama in the opening week of the season. The Eagles have either played close or lost to every decent team they've met this season and with a freshman QB leading a weak offense against one of the historically best defenses in college football on the road, we don't see this one as favorable for the Eagles, especially as the game falls on Virginia Tech's homecoming.
Connecticut at Pittsburgh (Oct. 10, TBA)
The last time the Panthers played the Huskies was December of last season. That game wasn't even close. Pittsburgh ran away with it, in East Hartford yet, 31-10. Quarterback Bill Stull threw for two touchdowns and RB LeSean McCoy ran for another in that game as then-No. 23 Pitt won handily. This year's version of the Panthers (4-1, 1-0 Big East) are without the All-American McCoy and are unranked coming off a win over so-so conference rival Louisville. The win is big because it comes following their first loss of the season, a disappointing 38-31 loss at N.C. State. Of course, UConn (3-1, 0-0) is also missing an All-American from last year's game as RB Donald Brown is playing for the Colts in the NFL. The Huskies are 3-1 and have yet to play a conference game. They have won back-to-back games in a close one at Baylor and a laugher over FCS Rhode Island. However, they struggled the week before that as they lost 12-10 at home against North Carolina. Coming off a bye, UConn is currently having QB issues as they seem to have settled, begrudgingly, on Cody Endres, who starts against Pittsburgh but by no means has the job permanently. Pittsburgh, who thought it might have a problem with Stull, has been very happy with his production as he is coming off a game he threw for 242 yards with three touchdowns and now has 11 TD passes on the year compared to just one interception.
Jeff's breakdown: The Pittsburgh defense came up big against Louisville with six sacks and is probably playing its best football right now and that should prove the difference for coach Dave Wannstedt's team. Playing a home game, we like Pittsburgh to win this game in a defensive battle. Stull and company will be able to score just enough points to improve to 2-0 in the Big East standings.
Georgia at Tennessee (Oct. 10, 12:21 p.m.)
Saturday will mark a new low in this longtime SEC rivalry. When the 'Dawgs and Vols meet on Rocky Top it will be the first time in 72 years -- since 1937 -- that neither team is ranked in the Top 25. Georgia (3-2, 2-1 SEC) is coming off a 20-13 home loss to LSU, the first time they fell to the Tigers at home in the Les Miles era. Saturday will be the first game the Bulldogs play as an unranked team since the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Tennessee (2-3, 0-2) is just looking for its first SEC victory after consecutive conference losses at No. 1 Florida and to Auburn sandwiched between a too-close-for-comfort win over Ohio. The Vols' other loss was to UCLA in Knoxville as Lane Kiffin's first season as head coach has gotten off to a rocky -- and not in a good way for Tennessee -- start. That season-opening 63-7 win over Western Kentucky seems like ages ago as the Knoxville faithful are clamoring for some signs of life. Last season, a No. 10-ranked Georgia team left Tennessee winless after three SEC games for the first time in 20 years when they won at home, 26-14. One year later and you can say the Vols are up and the Bulldogs down. Georgia lost RB Knowshon Moreno and top NFL draft pick Matthew Stafford, who had a career-best game against the Vols last season, and seems to be focusing their entire offense around receiver A.J. Green. Tennessee has shown toughness in a gritty ground game led by Montario Hardesty but the quarterback play of Jonathan Crompton has the folks around town cringing and Kiffin wishing he was still coaching Mark Sanchez or Matt Leinart at USC.
Jeff's breakdown: Georgia is definitely worse than the last time they beat Tennessee and the Vols are undoubtedly better under Kiffin. Unfortunately for Tennessee, the result doesn't make Rocky Top a better team in a head-to-head battle. Georgia was one questionable penalty away from beating LSU and actually rising in the Top 25. They feel robbed and are ready to prove they belong back in the rankings. Tennessee has already lost twice at home against unranked teams and we think they'll make it a third against a team that probably should still be.
Georgia Tech at Florida State (Oct. 10, TBA)
Few teams head into Saturday in as much turmoil as the Florida State Seminoles. With word penetrating the media that people close to the program are going to ask coach Bobby Bowden to step down at the end of the season, coupled with the fact that the 'Noles are 2-3 for the first time since 1983 and have almost no remaining hope of competing for an ACC Championship, it could be one down atmosphere at Doak when the Yellow Jackets come to town. Florida State is coming off a road loss to Boston College. They were getting blown out early and managed to rally from a 21-6 deficit but eventually dropped the game in overtime, but that was a game they were favored to win. Florida State has never been 0-2 after two ACC games before. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, sits at 4-1 and 2-1 in conference after easily handling then-No. 22 North Carolina and dismantling Mississippi State at home in consecutive weeks. The Jackets' lone loss came on the road to an upstart Miami team that has since climbed the polls. Tech is led by the dual-threat ability of QB Josh Nesbitt, their All-American RB Jonathan Dwyer and flashy WR Demaryius Thomas. The Tech defense has been solid as Florida State has faltered and is allowing over 400 yards of offense per game.
Jeff's breakdown: The Seminoles will be the softest defense Tech has seen in a while as both Miami and the Tar Heels have proved much more stout. Quarterback Christian Ponder is struggling to put up any kind of solid offensive production and the running game has been really bad with the team going back to Jermaine Thomas as starter. With the turmoil surrounding the program and Tech's momentum, it is hard to think the ‘Noles have a chance in this one. However, playing in front of the home crowd, which will probably be sentimentally behind Bowden, something is pulling us in the direction of picking Florida State. They still have talent and that could be enough against a Georgia Tech team that knows it is meeting a program on the ropes.
Houston at Mississippi State (Oct. 10, 12:30 p.m.)
Mississippi State has been mediocre for a long time. So long, in fact, that the last time they played against Houston, the Kevin Kolb-led 3-3 Cougars dominated the 2-4 Bulldogs at home back in 2005. Four years have passed and Houston has been a ranked team for much of the year while MSU is still bad at 2-3 and 1-2 in the SEC. The Bulldogs only two wins came over FCS Jackson State and at Vanderbilt and have lost their last two contests against ranked opponents at home against LSU and Georgia Tech. Houston would have been MSU's third-straight ranked opponent, except the then-No. 12 Cougars were drubbed last week 58-41 at conference rival UTEP. The Miners entered the game at 2-2 and were considered heavy underdogs. Despite Case Keenum's school-record 536 yards passing and five touchdowns, Houston's defense, ranked 110 out of 120 FBS schools, just could not stop the UTEP running game. That should be good news for MSU dual-threat QB Tyson Lee and RB Anthony Dixon, who ran for 106 yards and 2 TDs against LSU. Houston has already beaten a top-ranked team at Oklahoma State earlier in the year and owns the No. 1-ranked offense in the nation. They are coming off a loss and are looking to rebound and add to Mississippi State's current two-game losing streak.
Jeff's breakdown: Houston will score against the Bulldogs. There is no doubt about that. That said, MSU's defense is without a doubt the toughest they've faced to this point. The Bulldogs' offense is prime to gain big chunks of ground yardage and should run all over the field against the Cougars. We know Houston was the trendy pick as the darlings of the non-BCS conference schools but the fact remains that their defense has gaping holes that a solid SEC school like MSU should be able to run through. This year's Bulldogs team is better than the one that faced Houston back in '05 and, at home, will have enough defense to put down Keenum and company for the second straight week.
Oregon at UCLA (Oct. 10, TBA)
Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac-10) and UCLA (3-1, 0-1) seem headed in different directions after last Saturday's games. Oregon dominated Washington State 52-6 last week and have won four straight -- including convincing wins over ranked opponents Utah and California -- since a season-opening loss at then-No. 14 Boise State that saw them lose star RB LeGarrette Blount to a possibly season-long suspension. Coincidentally, LaMichael James is helping the team forget about Blount, though he's questionable for the game against the Bruins with an ankle issue. UCLA comes home after losing at Stanford last Saturday. UCLA has featured a top 20 defense thus far this season and is allowing just 15.5 points per game. Their offense has been one of the worst in the country, however. Wins over the Bruins and the following week against Washington would put Oregon in the Pac-10 driver seat going into the game against USC and that is big motivation to continue on the winning track. However, Oregon is dealing with some injuries. Joining RB James on the injury report is QB Jeremiah Masoli. He's listed as probable with a knee injury but will definitely not be at 100 percent for the game. UCLA also has some injury news regarding their quarterback. Only, the news for the Bruins is very positive. UCLA may regain the services of Kevin Prince, who went 2-0 in the season's first two weeks but had his jaw broken during the win at Tennessee. Prince is finally practicing and hopes to make his return on Saturday.
Jeff's breakdown: Oregon beat UCLA last season but the game is in Pasadena this time. The Ducks have the momentum but the injuries they are dealing with weighs heavy, especially if UCLA does indeed get Prince back. UCLA's offense is far better with Prince under center. That is still up in the air, though. If he returns, we like the Bruins to keep the game close and pull out a gritty victory to even their conference record. Without Prince, however, Oregon moves to 3-0.
Wisconsin at Ohio State (Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m.)
Last season, the No. 14-ranked Buckeyes invaded Madison with a dual-threat backfield of Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells and ran all over the No. 18 Badgers to win a close one, 20-17. This season, undefeated yet unranked Wisconsin hopes to return the favor in Columbus as they descend upon No. 9 Ohio State (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten). The Badgers enter the game largely untested as they've yet to face a ranked opponent. They are 2-0 against Big Ten teams but narrowly defeated both Michigan State and Minnesota in games that could have gone either way. For their troubles, Wisconsin stands just outside the rankings as the top team receiving votes. The Buckeyes have steamrolled since dropping their second week game at home to then-No. 3 USC, 18-15. The Trojans have since lost but that doesn't change the fact that OSU was not a favorite for that game. The Buckeyes have displayed excellent defense in shutting out Toledo -- a very high-scoring team -- and Illinois in consecutive weeks and they had little trouble with Indiana last Saturday. Wisconsin definitely poses the first true test since the USC game for the Buckeyes. OSU is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in both total and scoring defense and are among the best against the run. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been uncharacteristically good offensively and poor defensively. Their best defensive effort was holding FCS Wofford to 14 points. Led by Scott Tolzien and John Clay, the Badgers actually rank inside the top 20 in scoring offense.
Jeff's breakdown: On the arms and legs of Pryor, Ohio State has scored at least 30 points in three straight games and four of five on the season. At home against a Wisconsin defense that has struggled, the Buckeyes should have no trouble scoring or moving the football. The Badgers will be able to stay with them offensively for a while but, in the end, Wisconsin should fail its first true test of 2009.
