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Unbeatens face stiff challenges
Posted: Friday November 12, 1999 02:57 PM
Well, its that time. Time to get all upset over the BCS. How could undefeated Virginia Tech rank behind one-loss Tennessee? Or how could undefeated Kansas State fall in behind Florida with one loss? Well, settle down, after Saturday, there will be only one undefeated contender and that's Florida State. I know it's not what the folks in Blacksburg want to hear, but the Hokies will lose to Miami this weekend. I know Tech has won the last four meetings between these two, but Tech has never beaten Miami. Miami has beaten Miami, with sloppy play. Larry Coker, the offensive coordinator at Miami, told me Tech is the best 8-man defense in college football. That's great against the run, but even West Virginia had some success passing against the Hokies last week, plus Tech has yet to see a wide reciever like Miami's Santana Moss. But the real reason that Virginia Tech will lose is pressure. For the first time Tech is supposed to win, and with all the distraction about the BCS, look for the 'Canes to solve BCS problem number one. In BCS problem number two Kansas State travels to Lincoln to play Nebraska. Despite their 9-0 record, the Wildcats find themselves fifth in the BCS. The big question is this: can the Wildcats score on Nebraska's defense? K State's offensive coordinator, Ron Hudson, told me his offense has looked good against ballclubs with 500 records, but struggled last week against a physical Colorado defense. Well, Nebraska is much more physical than Colorado. BCS problem number two solved. Nebraska wins at home. Another undefeated team looking for respect is Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are only 10th in the BCS. The reason? They haven't played anyone, until now. State travels to Alabama and Bulldogs defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn has a unique philosophy, he told me to win today you have to defend the pass first, and deal with the run second. That's the problem, though. Alabama can do both, and I expect Tide running back Shaun Alexander to have success against Dunn's blitzing defense. This game will be close for a half, in the end Mississippi State loses its first game. With a college football insider, I'm Trev Alberts Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for CNN/SI and appears on CNN's College Football Preview, Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. ET.
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