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Edwards' Cougars could run table

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Posted: Friday September 24, 1999 06:12 PM

Oh, the BCS.

I know its only September, but I already see a team that will be snubbed in the national title picture. It's a team that has already won a national championship, and has a coach that is well respected nationally.

You guessed it -- BYU and LaVell Edwards. With a win this week, the Cougars will have beaten Washington, Colorado State and Virginia heading into the heart of conference play. With no one capable of beating BYU in that conference, look for the Cougars to finish undefeated and be rewarded with a fantastic visit to the Liberty Bowl.

Wisconsin, a team that still has plenty of BCS hopes despite losing to Cincinnati last week, hosts the Wolverines of Michigan on Saturday. Badgers' head coach Barry Alvarez told me not to read too much into the loss. Wisconsin rushed for 400 yards and dominated the line of scrimmage but was penalized for 170 yards after being the least-penalized team in the Big Ten the last four years.

The game against Michigan will come down to Wisconsin's ability to complement the power running game of Ron Dayne. Alvarez says the Badgers will use more play-action to loosen up the Wolverines' aggressive defense.

Also, Alvarez says it doesn't matter what Wisconsin's record turns out to be -- if Dayne breaks Ricky Williams' Division I rushing record and doesn't win the Heisman, it's a fraud. With Michigan this week and Ohio State next week, Dayne has a chance to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

How about Arkansas at Alabama, where the wide open SEC West could begin to take shape.

Arkansas head man Houston Nutt told me that on film, this Alabama team has it all -- great athletes, depth and a legitimate Heisman canidate in Shaun Alexander. But even Nutt admitted something is missing. The Crimson Tide have been overwhelmed with off-field distractions, and looked uninspired last week in a loss to Louisiana Tech. Expect much of the same; I like Arkansas.

The best matchup of the week may be when Colorado travels to Washington. Former Colorado head coach Rick Neuheisel, now head man at Washington, will face an emotional bunch of Buffaloes that felt betrayed when Neuheisal bolted Boulder for $5 million dollars in Seattle.

New Colorado head coach Gary Barnett also inherited better players than Neuheisel did. Colorado wins.

 

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