Mark Blaudschun
By Mark Blaudschun
FWAA.com
After one of the wildest Saturdays in my 44 years of covering college football, this should be a
much quieter weekend – mainly because some top teams are off...Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame
But we carry on with a sampler of interesting matchups.
BYU at UCF: BYU gained credibility and improved poll status with its pulsating win over Notre
Dame last weekend. Now it's letdown Saturday against a pesky UCF team that cannot be
disregarded. Cross country trip, early Saturday start (for BYU) and a decent opponent playing at
home.
BYU used a lot of energy and emotion in holding on against Notre Dame. But now it hits the
road for an early (for the Cougars) start against a UCF team that has always relished the
underdog role. This is definitely a "Watch Out" game for BYU.
Texas Tech at Cincinnati: Texas Tech is getting better every week and may indeed again be
the best team in a top-heavy Big 12. On paper, Tech looks better and is better than Cincinnati.
But it's a road game against a quality opponent. Interesting and perhaps dangerous.
Indiana at Michigan: Indiana lost last week, which was headline news. It lost to Ohio State,
which stung even more.
Normally, facing Ohio State and Michigan in back-to-back weeks would be heavy lifting.
But this is not your father's Michigan team; these Wolverines can lose to anyone on any given
Saturday.
Let's see what Indiana has in its tank, and let's see if Michigan can gain some serious respect.
A win does that, and it virtually wipes out Indiana's goal of making a return appearance in the
final Big Ten championship game. Good start to the day for college football fans.
Texas A& M at Alabama: A&M has a chance to put a three-game losing streak on Alabama's
resume, which hasn't happened since 2007, Nick Saban's first season in Tuscaloosa.
That's not going to happen. A&M looks like a below-average team with lots of problems, and
Alabama can still salvage its season by running the table the rest of the season. The journey
starts on Saturday.
Ole Miss at Texas: Texas is in more trouble than Alabama. The Longhorns have lost back-to-
back games to Oklahoma and Florida. Quarterback Arch Manning is having all sorts of
problems proving he should be a starting QB, much less a Heisman candidate.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is also dealing with job security issues, and Ole Miss is just the
team good enough to increase the pressure on Manning and Sarkisian.
The Rebels are coming off a one-sided win against a decent Missouri team. Now, they go to
Austin, and the eyes of Texas are indeed upon them to see what they can do against the Longhorns.
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