College Football Week 7 Games to Watch

Ken — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:21:55 +0000

Michigan has a big game against Michigan State; N.C. State is idle.

Games to Watch on Saturday

At noon, obviously the UM-MSU game is the game to watch, and this week's Game of the Week; it's on ESPN. #11 Michigan is 6-0 and #23 Michigan State is 4-1; this game is crucial in the Big Ten Legends division, and it's the last chance for Michigan's seniors to get a win against the Spartans. Oh sure, you could watch #20 Baylor play #21 Texas A&M on FX, but you won't unless you live in Texas. There are several other games involving teams who have something to prove: Penn State playing Purdue on BTN, North Carolina playing Miami FL on ESPN3.com (WRAL locally), and #15 South Carolina playing Mississippi State on the SEC Network (WNCN's alternate feed, if you get it). Oh, ESPN2 has Indiana against Wisconsin; the only question in that game is whether Wisconsin will score more than 70.

At 3:00 Florida State plays Duke on ESPN3.com. Heather Dinich at ESPN called this one an upset win for Duke, but I doubt it. At 3:30, your best bet is probably #6 Oklahoma State against #22 Texas on ABC/ESPN, an important Big 12 game. #1 LSU plays Tennessee on CBS, but Tennessee football just isn't very exciting these days. Ohio State plays #16 Illinois on ABC/ESPN; Ohio State is suffering badly lately but this one might be stay pretty close, as I'm sure Ron Zook will find a way to screw things up.

6:30 brings us Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest on ESPN3.com. This should be an interesting game; I think Wake Forest is for real this year, and VT is vulnerable. Florida plays #24 Auburn on ESPN at 7:00; Northwestern plays Iowa on BTN.

ABC is choosing to air NASCAR instead of football in primetime, so the evening matchups are not spectacular. If you wait until 10:15, you can watch #9 Oregon playing #18 Arizona State on ESPN in a key Pac-12 game.

Michigan Game Prediction: Michigan 24, Michigan State 17. This game is extremely hard to predict, but this game always comes down to rushing, and Michigan has the edge in that department this year. I think Denard Robinson will be careful to avoid interceptions, that MSU will have trouble establishing a running game, and the Michigan defense will get two sacks and two interceptions. I also think Kirk Cousins will pass for over 250 yards, with over 100 going to B.J. Cunningham. But in the end, barring major mistakes, Michigan should be able to churn out a victory. Some may point to MSU's highly-rated defense, but that defense has racked up statistics against inferior competition to date. MSU may be the best defense Michigan has faced, but Michigan is the best offense MSU has faced too. It'll be a great matchup.