Working out the kinks
FSU, Nebraska defenses need fine tuning after close wins
Posted: Thursday September 03, 1998 04:18 PM
It's pretty clear after watching both Nebraska and Florida State last week that both teams have some work to do, if they want to be in Arizona in January.
Don't get me wrong it's all there. Both teams have ample talent. However, it was evident that progress will need to be made.
Florida State and Nebraska depend heavily on getting pressure up front to play that
in-your-face, man-to-man defense. The defense wasn't so in-your-face last week.
Louisana Tech's Tim Rattay had all day to throw, and Branndon Stewart of Texas A&M never was
hurried to get rid of the ball. The key here though is both teams escaped
unscathed. Can this week's top teams do the same?
National title hopes could end prematurely
It's the first week in September, and teams with legitimate shots at the title are already facing off this week.
Washington goes to Arizona State, which could determine the Pac-10 title. What is the Pac-10
thinking? This can't be positive for a conference, to effectively end the race before it ever begins. With ASU not playing UCLA this year, this could be the best game.
Will Notre Dame spoil Michigan's chance at defending their
title? How about Colorado State? With a big win at Michigan State, and a
likely win against Colorado this week, the Rams could go undefeated and
stake their claim for the national title. It's a reach but it could happen.
Both Ohio State and West Virginia have legitimate chances at the title this
year. After this week, dreams will be over for one of these teams. Don't be surprised if West Virginia upsets this Buckeye team. I know that Ohio State is loaded, but West Virginia is loaded with offensive stars
that you may have never heard of.
West Virginia coach Don Nehlen told me this week, "I have no question about our ability to move the football,
but defensively I just don't know what I got."
Game of the Week
Michigan at Notre Dame
This game is huge for Notre Dame. I talked to Greg Madison, the Irish defensive
coordinator, this week, and he told me, "With the off field distractions
we've had this year, we've been ready to play this game yesterday, last
week, last month!"
He feels that except for two plays last year they outplayed Michigan, even though they lost 21-14. Look for Notre Dame to come out much more physical. They have a new weight program and now virtually every player is five to 10 pounds heavier. They expect that to turn into increased physical play. I like Notre Dame in somewhat of a surprise.
Enjoy the games and let me know how I did.
Trev Alberts, the 1993 winner of the Butkus Award, is a college football analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. His column appears every Thursday exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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