Penn State - USC: Where do I begin? Well, this seems like a good way to start.
Go to ESPN's USC schedule page, and look at the glossary.
Neutral location? Yeah, right.
First of all, Joe Paterno is pretty darn good at keeping a bunch of college kids focused whilst in a warm weather environment during late December / early January. Penn State is 9-2 in bowl games since joining in the Big Ten. To be blunt, I don't feel as though USC will beat Penn State like USC beat Ohio State. Saying that makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Only two teams have really challenged USC with a game over the course of this season: Oregon State and Stanford. Both of those teams were able to establish run games before USC could get up on them by multiple scores. So, if Penn State wants to keep it close, they need to establish a running game.
Oregon State also controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes. Stanford controlled the ball for nearly 31 minutes. Also, during the 1st quarter of the USC - tOSU matchup, Ohio State was able to put together a reasonably nice time consuming drive with Redshirt Freshman Daniel "Boom" Herron at running back. Of course, when USC realized that Terrelle Pryor was only going to run and that Boom was only going to plow forward and not go to the outside, USC was able to bring the house and tOSU was pretty much done.
So, not only does Penn State need to establish a run game, they also need to control the football. The Spread HD stands for "High Diversity", not for the level of quality of the television that Jay Paterno uses to call plays whilst using a hybrid of Penn State's playbook and Purdue's playbook on NCAA Football 2009 for the Xbox 360. High Diversity is what Penn State needs in order to control the ball and keep USC's offense off of the field.
Now, on that note, Penn State is absolutely loaded with options to throw at USC. Penn State has two quality running backs that they can throw at USC. Evan Royster is a 1200+ yard back who went above 20 carries only once all season long. Stephon Green is a speedy change-of-pace back. Penn State also has 3 quality receivers and a QB that can either get the ball to them or run the ball for a few extra yards when no one is open. Penn State should have enough balance to be able to challenge USC's defense.
As for Penn State's defense, they are the only defense to ever shut down Beanie Wells. Ever. Yeah, it was a conservative gameplan. But, Beanie often runs for 130+ yards whilst The Vest is in conservative mode. They are a normal, efficient Penn State defense. And, if Penn State's offense does the job, the defense will easily be able to do it's job.
That's my argument for Penn State. If I had to pick a spread, I'd say USC by 6 at this point. But, I really feel as though Penn State has a shot. JoePa won't let Penn State get blown out on a big stage.
Michigan State - Georgia: I saw a Mark Dantonio interview on SpartanTailgate.com about this game. Dantonio stated that to win this game, Sparty needs to play up to the competition. He says that they didn't do this against Ohio State or Penn State.
Last year, none of the pundits gave Michigan State a chance in hell against Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl. Boston College and Matt Ryan were portrayed in the media as if they were in a bowl game that was significantly below what the team deserved. Ringer and Caulcrick were able to combine for 160 rushing yards. Matt Ryan was flustered, completing only 22 passes on 47 attempts with an interception. But, BC's ball-hawking defense was able to grab four Brian Hoyer interceptions, and a 10-3 nearly BCS Boston College team beat a 7-5 Michigan State team, 24-21.
On both sides of the ball, MSU has more resolve and the will to win than ever before. MSU's defense is tougher than last season's defense. They went back to basics, and they do enough to get the Ws. On offense, Javon Ringer has stepped it up a notch. Also, wide receivers Blair White, Mark Dell, and B.J. Cunningham have proven to adequate replacements for the absence of Devin Thomas. However, Brian Hoyer, who has been on "game manager" duty all season, has thrown 4 interceptions over his last two games (8 total interceptions this season).
I can't see MSU winning this thing. Then again, I thought MSU was going to get crushed last year. No matter what, Dantonio will have the MSU boys going full steam ahead, since he is just that kind of coach. This would be a huge win for the Big Ten. But, I'm afraid that BigWoof31 will probably be celebrating a victory on New Years Day.
Iowa vs. South Carolina: Hey guys, Iowa is pretty good this year. They suffered losses at Pitt by 1, vs. Northwestern by 5, at Michigan State by 3, and at Illinois by 3. They are 12 points away from being undefeated in regulation. And, Shonn Greene is an incredibly prolific back with some NFL potential. As for South Carolina, I really don't know what to think of them. Good defense, yes. Messy QB situation. Lack of running game. Some solid wide receivers. I'd go with Iowa on this one.
