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Friday, December 13, 2002
Weekend preview: Can the Irish shuck the Huskers?
By Mike Diegnan
BCSfootball.com
Barring a miracle, knock Alabama off the list of national championship contenders. With No. 1 Nebraska and No. 4 Miami making visits to two of the most difficult venues in the country (Notre Dame Stadium and Husky Stadium, respectively), could another Top 5 team fall this weekend?
Here are five games that should impact the Bowl Championship Series most this weekend:
No. 1 Nebraska at No. 25 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m.)
| Why to watch: |
Who to watch: |
What to expect: |
| Take your pick. First off, everyone wants to know: Are the Irish back? Secondly, any game under Touchdown Jesus is interesting. Another reason is to see just how good these Huskers are. |
Ryan Roberts and Grant Irons: The two defensive ends combined for four tackles (two for loss) against Texas A&M last week, but will need to do more against Eric Crouch this weekend. The bookends will need to contain Crouch from getting to the sideline to limit the Husker option attack. |
A closer game than many anticipate. Notre Dame is not in the same class as Nebraska, but the Irish are not San Jose State either. If ND's defensive line can hold up against the monsters from Lincoln, this game should be a contest late into the fourth quarter. |
No. 2 Florida State at Georgia Tech (ABC, 8 p.m.)
| Why to watch: |
Who to watch: |
What to expect: |
| The No. 1 ranking could be on the line. FSU has lost six first place votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and one in the AP poll since the preseason. In prime time, the 'Noles should return to form. |
Marvious Hester: Georgia Tech is not going to be able to slow down Chris Weinke and his talented group of receivers, but Hester will be asked to contain Marvin "Snoop" Minnis. It will be a tough task for the sophomore, but if Minnis breaks free FSU could be looking at 50 on the scoreboard by the end of the night. |
Bobby Bowden watching the TV. If Nebraska struggles at South Bend, FSU will be shooting for the No. 1 ranking it deserved in the preseason. If that's the case, expect Bowden to have his kids runnin' and gunnin'. |
No. 4 Miami at No. 15 Washington (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
| Why to watch: |
Who to watch: |
What to expect: |
| They won't be wearing fatigues, but the 'Canes look to be back. We thought so last year after their win over Ohio State, but Miami has all the tools back this season and a convincing win over a talented Husky team could be enough to help Miami leapfrog Michigan in the polls. |
Jeremiah Pharms: If the Huskies can't get to Miami QB Ken Dorsey, it will be lights out for Washington. The Husky defense created six turnovers against Idaho last week. With the 6-foot-1, 250-pound outside linebacker chasing Dorsey all afternoon, Pharms will key a defense that must contain Miami's numerous threats. |
Marques Tuiasosopo has probably garnered more media attention this week than he did all of last season. If Washington can limit the attention from Miami's front seven, the son of Manu could create the stir that Michael Vick did in Blacksburg last year. But it seems unlikely that the Pac-10 can pull off upsets of Top 5 teams two weeks in a row. |
Oregon at No. 6 Wisconsin (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
| Why to watch: |
Who to watch: |
What to expect: |
| Amid all the talk about Washington, USC and UCLA, Oregon has become the forgotten team in the Pac-10 despite six consecutive winning seasons. Meanwhile, Wisconsin must stay afloat while Shoegate gets resolved (the Badgers have been passed by Miami in both polls and Florida in the Coaches Poll). |
Jason Nikolao and Saul Patu. Nikolao and Patu must keep Wisconsin QB Brooks Bollinger in check and not allow him to scramble out of the pocket. Bollinger is 8-0 as a starter as he posts big numbers on the ground while throwing for a high percentage. |
Wisconsin won't say who is sitting out until game-time. That means Nick Davis and Jamar Fletcher may return to the lineup. If they don't and coach Barry Alvarez saves them for the Big Ten opener with Northwestern, the Badgers could be facing an early season loss like last year's disaster with Cincinnati. |
La.-Lafayette at No. 8 Texas (12:30 p.m.)
| Why to watch: |
Who to watch: |
What to expect: |
| What will Mack Brown do? He has two of the nation's top quarterbacks, yet hasn't made his decision who will start. A national championship hinges on what he does . |
Major Applewhite and Chris Simms: Brown was ready to make Simms his starter, but Applewhite, last year's Big XII Offensive Player of the Year, has made it impossible to sit him. |
No answers: Expect both quarterbacks to see action and put up tons of points on the Ragin' Cajuns, who gave up more than 30 points in each of their last 10 games last season. |
All game times Eastern
Mike Diegnan is the editor of BCSfootball.com.
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