Friday Preview Week 4

Much like on Thursday, there is only one Friday game this week in 1-A. What I am saying is, go support your local High School team, but don't forget to set your DVR for the Friday night tilt, so that you can then come home and watch football into the wee hours of the night. Let's take a look at what's going to be on our plate...

#18 TCU at #35 SMU
If you live in the Dallas metroploitan area, all that you are hearing on local radio this week (other than how badly the Cowboys are sucking) is how great this game can potentially be. I know people who have kids in both schools...what do you do?  And here I thought that the civil war ended in 1865...This is the "Battle For the Iron Skillet". Who's making pancakces?

TCU is intent on breaking into the vault that is the BCS again this season, and they seem to be well on their way to doing just that. According to Yahoo Sports, this is the highest ranked opponent to march into SMU's field in 28 years. Ed Wesley is coming off of a game against Baylor in which he rushed for 165 yards and Andy Dalton completed a school record 21 of 23 passes. Dalton is averaging 208 yards per game, but would love to seperate his TD/Pick ratio of 4-2 this week. Wesley is rushing for 128 yards per game and has hit the end zone 4 times in 3 games. Dalton has completed passes to 12 different receivers this season. TCU defensively is giving up only 12.6 points per game.

SMU is having a nice season at 2-1. Much is expected after a Hawaii Bowl birth and subsequent demolision of Nevada, 45-10 in 2009. June Jones still has much to do in getting fans back into Ford Field, as the locals still have not gotten back on the wagon that's hitched to the Mustangs. One thing changes that...consistet winning over a long period, which is something that SMU can do. The Mustangs are coming off of a 35-21 win over Washington State last week, which avenges an upset loss in Pullman last season. If SMU were to pull an upset here, it would be the biggest win in years for a program damaged for decades by the Death Penalty that killed the program. Kyle Padron has an 8/3 TD/Pick ratio working for him, along with a 214.3 yards per game average going on. 225 lb. Zack Line is a beast in the backfield, and is generating plenty of rushing gains as well. Darius Johnson, Cole Beasley, and Aldrick Robinson are the leading receivers, and have caught all 8 of Padron's TD passes.

Vegas Line: TCU -18
I pick: The spread can be a scarry thing. I feel badly for SMU right now, because I have to go with TCU here. The Frogs are an established power and will not let anything derail their mission of at least getting to the Utah game undefeated. SMU will be very good, good enough even to reach the CUSA title game in December. They are just not to the level of TCU yet.

There will be no 1-AA games on the slate this week on Friday night. The New England area will host both of the offerings from D2 on Friday night, as New Haven visits Bentley and Merrimack takes a trip to take on Stonehill.

Enjoy your Friday Football!!!