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OU has work cut out against Huskers
The buzz in the heartland has already begun even though Oklahoma doesn't play Nebraska until October 28. The obvious question is whether the Husker pass defense, which ranks in the bottom half of the nation, can slow down Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel. But let's not forget the big picture. Nebraska has more talent and even if the Sooners win this game, they're probably going to have to beat Nebraska again in the Big 12 Championship Game. Texas proved last season that's not easy to do.
Tide starting to rollThe Alabama we expected to see earlier this season finally showed up last week. The Crimson Tide humiliated Mississippi after two weeks of work on blocking and tackling. In the opener against UCLA, Alabama gave up more than 100 rushing yards after the first hit. Against Ole Miss, the first hit was usually the last hit. On offense, after a month of using two quarterbacks, the starting job belongs to Andrew Zow now that Tyler Watts has undergone knee surgery. Zow responded against Ole Miss with the best game of his career. Yet for or all of the turmoil in Tuscaloosa, the Tide are leading the SEC West. Now comes a trip to archrival Tennessee, which has had similar struggles and, after two weeks of practice, will give freshman Casey Clausen his first career start. That's a tall order against a much improved Alabama defense.
Rough going for MidshipmenIt's been a tough year for Navy, which is 0-6 for the first time since 1992. The problems began last spring, when starting quarterback Brian Madden suffered a knee injury that ended his season. Though his replacement, Brian Broadwater, is a senior, as are six other offensive starters, penalties and turnovers have plagued Navy. The Middies are averaging only 8.8 points per game. But things aren't as bad for Navy as they appear. For one thing, there's not much razzing at the Pentagon. Army is 0-6, too. For another, Navy could be Rutgers. The Middies are favored to beat the Scarlet Knights on Saturday by nine points. Nine points? It's got to be the first time a team has even been favored to win by more than it scores. Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers the college football beat for the magazine and appears each Saturday on CNN's "College Football Preview." Click here to send a question to Ivan's college football mailbag.
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