NCAA Week 6 Top 10

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com.

Penn State's White House

After all the upsets the past weekend, I am glad my Nittany Lions showed up to play Saturday night.  A few things I would like to mention about the White Out game.  It was great to see the stands full almost a half hour before kickoff and everyone singing along to Sweet Caroline during live play was very memorable.  And, for the first time in Beaver Stadium we actually had a slow motion wave and a super fast wave.  The students obviously got it started but it was the Underclassman who lead the charge!  So way to go Freshman and Sophomores and I was really glad to see the Alumni catch on.  The only other place I have seen a slow motion/super fast wave is at the University of Wisconsin.  Actually the Badgers student section doesn’t do just the two speeds, they also split the wave to have two going in opposite directions (they also shout obscenities to each other but that is a conversation for another day).  I think it is a good thing to mix things up and have fun in the stadium, and borrowing things from other stadiums isn’t the worst thing in the world.  But there are some things you shouldn’t do anywhere except at the respective schools saying “We Are” (Penn State), the Tomahawk Chop (Florida State), Jump Around to House of Pain (Wisconsin), scream “War Eagle” (Auburn), Gator Chomp (Florida), Sing Rocky Top (Tennessee), among many others.  My point is each school has something they do that is different and unique, so don’t steal that pride.  Types of waves are fair game and should be enjoyed by all, but give credit to the schools that started them.

Matchup of the Week

So now that the National Championship hunt is wide open, look for a few more upsets this year and some of those early beaten teams to rise back up to the top!  Here is my weekly Top 10 for games on October 4th, 2008.  All game times are EST and prices are lowest available per ticket.

1. Auburn at Vanderbilt – 6:00 PM $115 – Time to see if the Commodores are truly legit.  Auburn could use a big win here on the road if they want to keep their BCS chances alive.  Should be a fun day in Nashville for everyone.
2. Oregon at USC – 8:00 PM $10 – Back to back games against the State of Oregon for the Trojans.  A lot has been said about the upset last week and we don’t need to dwell.  But, if the Trojans get upset at home here the PAC 10 will be truly shaken up.  I don’t think it happens and they rebound in a nice game.
3. Ohio State at Wisconsin – 8:00 PM $59 – Wisconsin almost got away with a comeback at Michigan, but instead were disappointed.  Their reward is to host an Ohio State team dead set to win the Big Ten.  A lot of red will be in the stands, the question is will the one with silver or black trim be happy.
4. Missouri at Nebraska - 9:00 PM $71 – Nebraska couldn’t get it done against Virginia Tech last week and get to host #3 Missouri.  Lincoln might be in a state of depression from back to back home losses.  The crowd will need to help out the Huskers in this one.
   

   Wisconsin's House Of Pain

5. Texas at Colorado – 8:00 PM $90 – The Buffaloes seemed to be an upset special, but with a loss at Florida State last week, I am not as big a believer.  Texas should come in and handle their business, but stranger things have happened this year.  If you aren’t in a local region this game won’t be on TV so you need to head to the stadium to watch the game.
6. Texas Tech at Kansas State – 3:30 PM $28 – The Red Raiders are in the Top 10 and looking to surprise people in the Big 12 this year.  I think the conference is strong and away games are always tough for ranked visiting teams.  Kansas State hasn’t beaten anyone solid this year and have a loss at Louisville.  I think a home win here is a lot to ask for from the Wildcats.
7. Kentucky at Alabama – 3:30 PM $64 – The fist SEC game for Kentucky is a hard one at Bama.  After watching the Tide crush the Bulldogs last week, look for much of the same this week at home in Tuscaloosa.
8. Texas A&M at Oklahoma State – 8:00 PM – Big 12 match ups galore this week.  I think we might have a top 25 exciting game here in Stillwater.  The Cowboys have a night game at home and the Aggies aren’t a big force this year already losing at home to Miami.  Good times if you are a Cowboys fan.
   

   Another Kickoff Return at Purdue?

9. Penn State at Purdue – 12:00 PM $22 – As long as the Nittany Lions are not peaking ahead to Wisconsin next week, the game here at Purdue should be another big win.  This is Penn States second road game, but since Syracuse was practically a home game with 45% of the crowd Penn State fans and the majority of the Syracuse fans leaving at halftime, Purdue will be the first hostile test for the Lions.  Great ticket prices for away fans here, so for all you Lions fans, hope in your RVs for a road trip!
10. Navy at Air Force – 4:00 PM $23 – Last pick of the week goes to the Men and Women who server our country with our service academy match up here.  Navy just came off a big win against Wake Forest last week and although Air Force lost to a ranked Utah team look for them to play tough at home.  This should be an enjoyable game for everyone in attendance!