Conference play is starting this week for many teams. Of course, that doesn't matter much for Notre Dame, but for Indiana and Ball State, conference play is a chance to play the most important games. Ball State sees its schedule get easier after playing a pair of Big Ten schools, while Indiana sees its schedule get much tougher as a hot Michigan team comes to town. Louisville is the exception this week, as they get one final non-conference match against Arkansas State before beginning Big East play. Purdue is idle as they look to figure out what to do after yet another injury setback.
#19 Michigan (4-0, 0-0) at Indiana (3-0, 0-0) 3:30pm ESPNU
The Hoosiers get a rare showcase national game against the Wolverines, and it is the first serious test for an Indiana offense that has put up some big numbers against weak competition. The Hoosiers have not started 4-0 since 1990 and haven't won a Big Ten opener since 2000. Their last win over Michigan came in 1987, when the Hoosiers topped the Wolverines 14-10 in Bloomington and came within a game of the Rose Bowl.
This will likely be a high scoring affair. Indiana is giving up 177 per game on the ground, and Michigan comes in averaging 331 per game, good for second in Division I-A. Both offenses have averaged 41.3 points per game, while the defenses have struggled. Michigan's Denard Robinson is expected to play after suffering a minor knee injury last week. Even without him, the Wolverines racked up an astounding 721 yards of offense last week against Bowling Green.
Indiana's Ben Chappell is slowly gaining a reputation as one of the nation's best quarterbacks. He nearly led the Hoosiers to an upset last season in Ann Arbor, but a controversial interception gave Michigan its only Big Ten victory of 2009. Even though Michigan won 36-33, the Wolverines have still wont he last 16 meetings with IU by an average of 21.5 points. An Indiana victory is possible only if the defense improves. It would also likely result in Indiana's first national ranking in almost two decades.
Ball State (1-3, 0-0) at Central Michigan (2-2, 1-1) 3:30pm
After a very rough non-conference season the Cardinals finally open MAC play against perennial power Central Michigan. The Chippewas challenged Northwestern last week, while Ball State was pounded 45-0 at Iowa. Few positives came out of the drubbing at the hands of the Hawkeyes. The passing game netted only 56 yards and the running game netted exactly the same. Defensively the Cardinals surrendered over 500 yards. Ball State managed just eight first downs a week after challenging Purdue. They must now get an offense going that ranks 115th nationally in passing.
Ball State must slow down Ryan Radcliff, who has already thrown for more than 1,100 yards and five touchdowns. Paris Cotton also provides a nice element on the ground with 342 yards rushing for Central Michigan.
Louisville (1-2) at Arkansas State (1-3) 7pm
The Red Wolves should be fired up against a Cardinal squad that has had a rough beginning to the season. Louisville has been competitive in 7-point losses to Kentucky and Oregon State, but a 23-13 win over I-AA Eastern Kentucky was hardly inspiring. A week off has allowed them to adapt to a knee injury suffered by wide receiver Doug Beaumont.
Fortunately, Arkansas State is one of the bottom feeders of Division I-A. The Red Wolves are giving up almost 35 points per game. This is only their second home game and first one against a major conference team, so the fans will be fired up in what is likely the biggest home game of the season for Arkansas State. Quarterback Ryan Aplin has thrown for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns, so he will test the Louisville secondary.
Notre Dame (1-3) at Boston College (2-1) 8pm ABC
Our own Matt Grecco will have a more in depth look at this game later this week, but the Fighting Irish come in struggling to stop teams not named Purdue. Since beating the Boilermakers (who have not looked good so far) in week one, Notre Dame has given up 24, 28, and 37 points in consecutive weeks. With a home game against a decent Pittsburgh team next week and remaining games against Navy, Utah, and USC a bowl game could be in jeopardy with another loss.
Dayne Crist and the offense have been fine. Crist has already thrown for 8 touchdowns and Armando Allen has 302 yards rushing. The defense has been unable to get a stop when it needs to. Even against Purdue they were helped out by a pair of turnovers in Irish territory. Boston College's offense was shut out last week at Virginia Tech 19-0, but the Eagles have a solid running back in Montel Harris (306 yards, 1 TD). He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield, and he ran for 1,457 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
I-AA games:
Quincy at Indiana State (1-2)
The Sycamores have been up and down so far. Their opening win over St. Joseph's College was a 57-7 blowout, but they have since suffered consecutive 40-7 losses to Western Illinois and Cincinnati. This week they face another non-D-I foe in Quincy, and it could allow for the first multiple victory season for the Trees since going 4-7 in 2004. Senior running back Darrius Gates and freshman Shakir Bell have both been positives for the Sycamores so far.
Campbell (1-3, 0-1) at Butler (2-2, 0-1)
Butler's Pioneer League title defense got off to a poor start with a 24-0 loss at San Diego last week. Now they face Campbell, with one of the coolest names in all of college athletics: the Fighting Camels. Campbell has been one of the worst teams in the Pioneer League the past two years, but they are improving. They recently challenged I-AA power Georgia Southern in a 24-21 loss.
Valparaiso (0-4, 0-1) at Dayton (3-1, 1-0)
The Crusaders nearly broke a 12 game losing streak against Drake last week, but a failed two-point conversion in the closing minutes led to a 21-19 loss. Sean McCarty caught an eight yard TD pass from Nate Goergen with 6:43 left, but the two-point attempt failed and Drake was able to hold on for the win. They now face a Dayton team that leads the Pioneer League in offense.
Week 5 College Football Preview
Conference play is starting this week for many teams. Of course, that doesn't matter much for Notre Dame, but for Indiana and Ball State, conference play is a chance to play the most important games. Ball State sees its schedule get easier after playing a pair of Big Ten schools, while Indiana sees its schedule get much tougher as a hot Michigan team comes to town. Louisville is the exception this week, as they get one final non-conference match against Arkansas State before beginning Big East play. Purdue is idle as they look to figure out what to do after yet another injury setback.
#19 Michigan (4-0, 0-0) at Indiana (3-0, 0-0) 3:30pm ESPNU
The Hoosiers get a rare showcase national game against the Wolverines, and it is the first serious test for an Indiana offense that has put up some big numbers against weak competition. The Hoosiers have not started 4-0 since 1990 and haven't won a Big Ten opener since 2000. Their last win over Michigan came in 1987, when the Hoosiers topped the Wolverines 14-10 in Bloomington and came within a game of the Rose Bowl.
This will likely be a high scoring affair. Indiana is giving up 177 per game on the ground, and Michigan comes in averaging 331 per game, good for second in Division I-A. Both offenses have averaged 41.3 points per game, while the defenses have struggled. Michigan's Denard Robinson is expected to play after suffering a minor knee injury last week. Even without him, the Wolverines racked up an astounding 721 yards of offense last week against Bowling Green.
Indiana's Ben Chappell is slowly gaining a reputation as one of the nation's best quarterbacks. He nearly led the Hoosiers to an upset last season in Ann Arbor, but a controversial interception gave Michigan its only Big Ten victory of 2009. Even though Michigan won 36-33, the Wolverines have still wont he last 16 meetings with IU by an average of 21.5 points. An Indiana victory is possible only if the defense improves. It would also likely result in Indiana's first national ranking in almost two decades.
Ball State (1-3, 0-0) at Central Michigan (2-2, 1-1) 3:30pm
After a very rough non-conference season the Cardinals finally open MAC play against perennial power Central Michigan. The Chippewas challenged Northwestern last week, while Ball State was pounded 45-0 at Iowa. Few positives came out of the drubbing at the hands of the Hawkeyes. The passing game netted only 56 yards and the running game netted exactly the same. Defensively the Cardinals surrendered over 500 yards. Ball State managed just eight first downs a week after challenging Purdue. They must now get an offense going that ranks 115th nationally in passing.
Ball State must slow down Ryan Radcliff, who has already thrown for more than 1,100 yards and five touchdowns. Paris Cotton also provides a nice element on the ground with 342 yards rushing for Central Michigan.
Louisville (1-2) at Arkansas State (1-3) 7pm
The Red Wolves should be fired up against a Cardinal squad that has had a rough beginning to the season. Louisville has been competitive in 7-point losses to Kentucky and Oregon State, but a 23-13 win over I-AA Eastern Kentucky was hardly inspiring. A week off has allowed them to adapt to a knee injury suffered by wide receiver Doug Beaumont.
Fortunately, Arkansas State is one of the bottom feeders of Division I-A. The Red Wolves are giving up almost 35 points per game. This is only their second home game and first one against a major conference team, so the fans will be fired up in what is likely the biggest home game of the season for Arkansas State. Quarterback Ryan Aplin has thrown for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns, so he will test the Louisville secondary.
Notre Dame (1-3) at Boston College (2-1) 8pm ABC
Our own Matt Grecco will have a more in depth look at this game later this week, but the Fighting Irish come in struggling to stop teams not named Purdue. Since beating the Boilermakers (who have not looked good so far) in week one, Notre Dame has given up 24, 28, and 37 points in consecutive weeks. With a home game against a decent Pittsburgh team next week and remaining games against Navy, Utah, and USC a bowl game could be in jeopardy with another loss.
Dayne Crist and the offense have been fine. Crist has already thrown for 8 touchdowns and Armando Allen has 302 yards rushing. The defense has been unable to get a stop when it needs to. Even against Purdue they were helped out by a pair of turnovers in Irish territory. Boston College's offense was shut out last week at Virginia Tech 19-0, but the Eagles have a solid running back in Montel Harris (306 yards, 1 TD). He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield, and he ran for 1,457 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
I-AA games:
Quincy at Indiana State (1-2)
The Sycamores have been up and down so far. Their opening win over St. Joseph's College was a 57-7 blowout, but they have since suffered consecutive 40-7 losses to Western Illinois and Cincinnati. This week they face another non-D-I foe in Quincy, and it could allow for the first multiple victory season for the Trees since going 4-7 in 2004. Senior running back Darrius Gates and freshman Shakir Bell have both been positives for the Sycamores so far.
Campbell (1-3, 0-1) at Butler (2-2, 0-1)
Butler's Pioneer League title defense got off to a poor start with a 24-0 loss at San Diego last week. Now they face Campbell, with one of the coolest names in all of college athletics: the Fighting Camels. Campbell has been one of the worst teams in the Pioneer League the past two years, but they are improving. They recently challenged I-AA power Georgia Southern in a 24-21 loss.
Valparaiso (0-4, 0-1) at Dayton (3-1, 1-0)
The Crusaders nearly broke a 12 game losing streak against Drake last week, but a failed two-point conversion in the closing minutes led to a 21-19 loss. Sean McCarty caught an eight yard TD pass from Nate Goergen with 6:43 left, but the two-point attempt failed and Drake was able to hold on for the win. They now face a Dayton team that leads the Pioneer League in offense.
Sep 29 10:40a by Travis Miller - 0 comments