Saturday's Other Interesting Matchups

As compared to last week's slue of great matchups, this week lacks...a lot. There are 3 other games that were not covered in the podcast that readers might find interesting. None are great matchups, but they could go a long way in deciding who is bowl eligible at the end of the year. Iowa State at Texas - Many have forgot about Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns ever since they lost to Ohio State, but they are a team that the nation should still keep an eye on. This is the Big 12 opener for both teams and some people think that this could be the Big 12 Championship game come the end of the year. I think that's a little stretch because I still think Nebraska is the team to beat in the north and Oklahoma and Texas are much closer in talent than people think. Iowa State had a 14-3 lead over the Iowa Hawkeyes late in the second quarter but let the game slip away while Texas manhandled Rice. Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young will be too much on the ground for the Cyclones as the Longhorns win this one by 17. Louisville at Kansas State - The Cardinals are looking more and more like a M.A.S.H unit as they lost yet another high profile player for a long period of time. But I would not worry if I was a Louisville fan because Hunter Cantwell is more than capable to fill in for Brian Brohm and Kolby Smith has stepped in for Michael Bush without missing a beat. The Wildcats under first year coach Ron Prince have started the year 3-0 also. The defense is the strong point for Kansas State as they have not allowed a touchdown in the last 8 quarters of play. I think that streak will end in the middle of the first quarter as Louisville wins this one by 14 plus. Minnesota at Purdue - This the game where Purdue finds out what they are made of, yes they are 3-0 but they have not been tested yet. Last week they defeated Ball State by 10 points, but their defense looked very poor in the contest. QB Curtis Painter has started out the season on a good note throwing for 897 yds and 6 touchdowns but the 5 interceptions should concern Joe Tiller. Minnesota is 2-1 with its only loss was a blowout by California. RB's Daniels and Pinnix both have over 210 yards rushing each and combine for 7 rushing touchdowns. The Gophers rely on a strong ground game to open up the passing for underrated Bryan Cupito. I got bit last time when picking the Gophers but I think they are a safe pick this week with Purdue's struggles on D. Gophers by 6.