Gators and Bulldogs Gather for Cocktails

The big news in college football this week had Texas overtaking USC for the top spot in the BCS rankings following its blowout win over previously unbeaten Texas Tech.The Longhorns aren’t likely to hold their razor-thin lead over the Trojans very long; the real story was a separation between those two teams and everyone else, a list that includes four other major-conference unbeatens.Texas (visiting Oklahoma State) and USC (hosting Washington State) are both huge favorites Saturday. Also expected to win are no. 5 Alabama, which hosts Utah State, and no. 6 UCLA, visiting Stanford. Saturday’s focus will be on the ‘World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” and a pair of contests that will help sort out the crowded Big Ten race. Locally, Rutgers will have a chance to turn the page on decades of futility when it welcomes Navy to New Brunswick.NO. 4 GEORGIA (7-0, 5-0) VS. NO. 19 FLORIDA (5-2, 3-2)Saturday, at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m., CBSGeorgia is perhaps the least appreciated of the remaining undefeated teams, but the Bulldogs’ hopes of delivering a statement performance on the national stage took a hit when senior quarterback D.J. Shockley limped out of last week’s 23-20 win over Arkansas with an injured knee.The good news for Georgia is that Shockley may miss only one game.The bad news is it’s the biggest game of the year so far.A win for Georgia in the annual “Cocktail Party” would clinch the SEC East title and a spot in the league championship game.To get there, the Bulldogs will turn to quarterback Joe Tereshinski, a third-generation Georgia player. Coach Mark Richt won’t ask Tereshinski to win the game – he’s likely to hang that task on his defense and running game. But each of the last three meetings between these rivals has been decided by seven points or less, so the green Tereshinski may have to make a play for Georgia to win.Florida is hoping that a week off has allowed its quarterback, the suddenly maligned Chris Leak, to heal from a variety of minor injuries. Leak has struggled with the running aspect of coach Urban Meyer’s spread-option offense, especially against better defenses.He’ll see another stout unit in Georgia, which allows fewer than 300 yards of offense per game.The same is true for Florida, which is hoping to keep things close long enough for Tereshinski to make a mistake. Given the skill level of the two defenses, this could be another of the low-scoring, field-position battles that have been so common in the SEC this season. If Georgia hopes to move up in the national rankings, they’ll need to do more than just grind out a narrow win over a Florida team that has already lost twice.NO. 13 OHIO STATE (5-2, 3-1) AT NO. 20 MINNESOTA (5-2, 2-2)Saturday, 12 p.m., ABCIf you enjoy battles of strength against strength, you won’t want to miss this one. Minnesota has the nation’s most prolific rushing offense, at 299 yards per game, while Ohio State has the stingiest run defense, at 63 yards per contest. As an added bonus, the winner remains in the thick of the Big Ten race.As is often the case when teams’ best units cancel each other out, this game is more likely to be determined by the other matchup: Ohio State’s offense against Minnesota’s defense. The last time Minnesota faced a scrambling quarterback like the Buckeyes’ Troy Smith, they allowed Penn State and 1174 2174 1293 2185quarterback Michael Robinson to put up 44 points. If Smith is able to break free for long runs against the Gophers, it could be another long day, because Laurence Maroney and the offense aren’t likely to put up their usual numbers against the stout Buckeye linebacking crew, led by A.J. Hawk.NO. 25 MICHIGAN (5-3, 3-2) AT NO. 21 NORTHWESTERN (5-2, 3-1)Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPNNorthwestern being the higher-ranked team in the Michigan game happens about as often as the White Sox winning the World Series. Still, the Wildcats have had nearly as much success against the Wolverines as any team in the Big Ten, with three victories since 1995.This game could end up echoing Northwestern’s 54-51 thriller over the Wolverines in 2000.Like that contest,this one will take place in Evanston, where the Wildcats and their version of the spread-option offense are averaging 39 points a game. Quarterback Brett Basanez has been the equal of any signal-caller in the conference this season, and he’s backed by standout freshman running back Tyrell Sutton, who has earned praise as “this year’s Mike Hart.”The real Mike Hart could be a key factor.Michigan’s offense looked lost without its diminutive sophomore tailback early in the season, then regained its footing when he returned from a hamstring injury. But Hart injured his ankle against Iowa last week and is a question mark heading into this game.Michigan’s defense has struggled with the spread-option for years, and must avoid its tendency to go conservative. In each of their last two games – wins over Penn State and Iowa – the Wolverines ran the ball with good field position and three-point leads in the fourth quarter. That kind of restraint will be wasted on Northwestern’s defense, which ranks dead last in the NCAA in yards allowed. With or without Hart, Michigan must keep attacking against a Northwestern team that is likely to put up plenty of points.NAVY (4-2) AT RUTGERS (5-2)Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (broadcast at 11:30 p.m. on FSNY)This game may lack the cachet of the day’s other big matchups, and to see it you’ll either have to take a drive down the New Jersey Turnpike or tune into the late-night replay on FSNY. But on the heels of the Red Sox and White Sox winning the World Series, can there be any doubt that Rutgers is going bowling this season? A win over Navy would make the Scarlet Knights eligible for their first bowl appearance since 1978, making this perhaps their biggest game since they won college football’s first ever game over Princeton in 1869.If Rutgers is to finally get over the bowl hump, they’ll have to do it with Ryan Hart back at quarterback. Hart has a bushel of school records, but lost his starting job to freshman Mike Teel before coming off the bench for an injured Teel to rescue Rutgers at Connecticut last Saturday.Navy comes in on a four-game winning streak and routed Rutgers by 33 points last year, but the Middies rely almost exclusively on the run, which is the strength of Rutgers’s defense. Jaded RU fans will be wary, but all the elements are there to end decades of frustration – including an expected near-sellout crowd for homecoming. If Rutgers wins, the goalposts likely won’t survive the celebration.Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.

Gators and Bulldogs Gather for Cocktails

Gators and Bulldogs Gather for Cocktails

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