2006
CFB
USC-UCLA
LA Times
After hinting for more than a week that sophomore Ben
Olson may return as the starter at quarterback against No. 2 USC on Saturday at
the Rose Bowl, UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said Wednesday
that he was sticking with Patrick Cowan. Cowan will be making his seventh
consecutive start since Olson sustained a torn knee ligament against
on Oct. 7. He helped the Bruins defeat
and has played well in late-season wins over
six games,” Dorrell said. “He has a good feel of what
we’re doing. He understands the speed of the game a little bit better at this
point in time given that one has had a long time off and he’s been playing.
They are all strong factors.” Cowan has passed for more touchdowns and yards
this season, but Olson has completed a higher percentage of his passes. In the
end, the determining factor is that the coach wants to make sure that Olson,
who has not played in a game since returning to practice in late October, is at
full speed. Olson started the first five games of the season and was 3-1 in
games he finished. Dorrell said the decision does not
mean Cowan will start against
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Florida-Arkansas
WholeHogsSports
coach
broken by LSU, are hungry to erase the taste of defeat and have practiced like
it. “ When you win for 10 straight weeks, ” Nutt said, “ you’re not used to
that feeling that we’ve had. You don’t want to get used to losing ever. So we
were a little bit more hungry when we came to practice this week. ” Joe Duffy’s
sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com
Rutgers-West
Virginia
NY Post
It’s hard to believe, but it’s nearly December and the
biggest game in
two nights away. The 13th-ranked Scarlet Knights (10-1) will play 15th-ranked
for a chance to clinch at least a share of the Big East championship and the league’s
BCS bid.
If
likely will wind up playing the ACC champion, either Georgia Tech or
2. Lose, and they will play a Big 12 entry – either Texas Tech or
in
forensic handicapping and part of OffshoreInsiders.com
Associated Press
The Scarlet Knights, who have not defeated the
Mountaineers since 1994, have lost in each of their 14 trips to
East team that Schiano has not defeated as coach of
the Scarlet Knights. His team is
all-time against the Mountaineers, including an 80-7 rout in 2001.West
is the only Big East team that Schiano has not
defeated as coach of the Scarlet Knights. His team is
an 80-7 rout in 2001. The Mountaineers are second in the nation with 312.1
rushing yards per game, and third with 38.7 points per contest. The Scarlet
Knights, however, are holding opponents to 243.5 total yards, good for third in
the nation, and 98.8 yards on the ground.
also allowing just 12.3 points per game, ranking it fifth in the country.
Army-Navy
Belvoir Eagle
The Army-Navy Classic returns to the city of
for the 80th time, pitting the 3-8 Black Knights opposite the 8-3
Midshipmen. Meineke Car Care Bowl-bound Navy can
clinch its fourth straight Commander in Chief’s Trophy title with a victory
over Army. The Black Knights will be looking to earn their first CIC title since 1996 with a win. Army will also be out to
avenge four consecutive losses to its arch rival, with Navy outscoring the
Black Knights by a combined 176-54 margin the last four years. The Midshipmen
can equal their longest winning streak in the series with a defeat of Army on
Saturday. Army must find a way to control’s Navy’s
top-rated rushing attack, which averages 333.2 yards per game. Saturday’s match
up will feature two of the nation’s least-penalized clubs. While Navy ranks
fifth nationally, averaging just 4.09 penalties per game, Army stands sixth at
4.18. Navy (35.27) and Army (37.09) list eighth and 12th,
respectively, in penalty yards per contest.
Connecticut-Louisville
Herald Tribune
Brohm threw four touchdown
passes last Saturday against
in a 48-24 victory,
second straight since the upset loss to
tightened the Big East race. The Huskies, coming off a 26-23 loss to
last Saturday, have dropped two straight and four of five. Approved sportsbooks are at www.linetrackers.com
Stanford-California
Sarasota
No. 21 Cal (8-3, 6-2 Pac-10) will be looking for their
fifth straight victory over Stanford (1-10, 1-7). The Bears haven’t done that
in their four straight wins over the Cardinal, outscoring them
126-32. While the Bears appear to be focused on knocking off their rival, they
will also be trying to end a two-game losing streak that cost them a chance at
their first Rose Bowl appearance in 48 years.
fell 23-9 to then-No. 3 USC on Nov. 18, one week after losing
24-20 to