Noon Football: Auburn Goes to Starkville, UCF at Ohio State, Miami at Kansas State
By Ty Duffy
To Every AP Voter Complaining About Body Bag Games: Stop voting strictly on W-L record.
Auburn at Mississippi State: Counting on Mississippi State can be treacherous. That said, what was supposed to be a strong Auburn front gave up 320 yards on the ground to Clemson. Tackling better would help. Auburn has some playmakers on offense, though Kiehl Frazier completes 40 percent of his passes without cowbells blaring in his ears. Brian VanGorder’s hair remains a massive intimidation factor.
UCF at Ohio State: This is the first ineligibowl of the season, or as AP is referring to it “The Bowl Ban Bowl.” Both teams beat up on MAC opponents last week. Ohio State should be too athletic for UCF, though they started slowly last week and it remains to be seen whether they can cover against a more reputable defense. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles may not get it done on the field today, but he seems to be getting it done off it.
Miami at Kansas State: A young Miami team travels for its second consecutive road game. Miami had a better statistical offense and defense than Kansas State last year, to give you an idea how incongruous last year’s 10 KSU wins were. This should be a battle between Collin Klein’s steady production and Duke Johnson’s playmaking ability. Worth noting: Miami gave up 440 passing yards last week to Boston College (99th in passing offense in 2011).
Penn State at Virginia: This is a train wreck. Rather than shy away, ESPN will be crawling in with a speculum. Not buying Mike Rocco torching an FCS team through the air. Getting out of State College may be the best thing for this Penn State team. PSU’s defense should play better. That said, Penn State’s starting running back is out and the Nittany Lions are starting a former walk on there. Yuck.
Previously: College Football 2012 Week Two Preview: Missouri and Texas A&M Make SEC Debuts
Previously: College Football 2012 Picks: Week Two, Missouri Will Make Strong Opening Statement to SEC
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