Baseball Pennant Races and Big College Football Weekend

One of the big matchups this weekend is a game where the SEC meets the Big 12 as Georgia takes on Oklahoma State. It's not only a clash of conferences but styles. Georgia is a power running team with a great offensive line and excellent running back depth, while the Cowboys are your modern spread attack passing show.

A flashy offense gets all the headlines and clips on ESPN, but don't ignore the importance of the men in the trenches. Georgia has a star in offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant, who opened holes for Knowshon Moreno before he jumped to the NFL. Note that the Bulldogs are 34-8 SU/25-17 ATS on the road under Mark Richt.

A very good Georgia defense has to deal with Cowboy senior QB Zac Robinson (3,064 yards, 25 TDs and 10 picks last fall), senior RB Kendall Hunter (1,555 yards, 6.5 ypc) and speedy senior WR Dez Bryant (1,480 yards, 19 TDs). That offense dazzled with 41 points, 256 yards rushing and 233 passing per game!

If you're a fan of the MAC or Ball State, you might want to watch some NFL action tonight. The 49ers are playing at San Diego and QB Alex Smith (thumb) is out. So quarterback Shaun Hill will start and go 10 to 12 plays, but the rest of the game will be run by rookie QB Nate Davis, drafted out of Ball State.

San Francisco will also be without WR Arnaz Battle (shoulder), DE Jay Moore (groin), C Cody Wallace (viral meningitis) S Michael Lewis (concussion), RB Frank Gore (healthy scratch), and WR Isaac Bruce (healthy scratch). San Francisco is 2-9 SU, 5-6 ATS its last 11 preseason road games and this is their second straight road game, after a win at Dallas last week.

In baseball pennant races, the NL East is over. As if getting ace lefty Cliff Lee wasn't enough for the defending champs, now Pedro Martinez of the Phillies beats Tim Lincecum last night! Pencil them in to go to another World Series. By the way, the Phillies are 16-6 since getting swept by Florida at home last month.

I would say that there is some pressure on Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis this season, and this weekend. Jimmy Clausen and the 23rd-ranked Irish take on Nevada this weekend, a good chance to get the offense going.

"Where Clausen went from the USC game last year, from that time until right now, I think he has put himself in a position to be really good," coach Weis said. "That's what I'm expecting. I'm expecting him to be really, really good." "His expectations are high," Clausen said, "and mine are higher than his."

However, Weis has not been known for defense while at Notre Dame (or anywhere else he's been). This is a terrific Nevada offense, led by 6-foot-6 junior QB Colin Kaepernick, who ran for 1,130 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. A close game by the Wolfpack or (heaven forbid) even an upset would send shock waves through Notre Dame football. The last time they had a dejected shock wave was - just 3 games ago, when Syracuse pulled a 24-23 shocker at Notre Dame as a 24-point dog. It only takes one upset early on for a promising season to turn sour fast. It might not be this game, but rest assured there will be more than one surprise along with stunning upsets over the next few weeks. Just don't be too shocked when they happen, because that is a huge part of September football.

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