Lotsa stuff going on today. We have Cal-ASU and 2 separate Q+As. First, we have a Q+A with our SBN brethren, HouseOfSparky. They got a great blog over there. Second, we got a Q+A with another ASU site, Pitchfork Nation. They have their great answers to our unbelievably awesome questions after the fold.
Also, use this thread as an open thread for the morning and afternoon games. Lotsa action here. LSU at Auburn. Wisconsin at Iowa. Nebraska at OK State. Full schedule after the jump. GO BEARS!
First, House Of Sparky:
5. Is Burfict really playing under control this year or do you get the feeling that at any second he just go on a rampage? Is there an assistant carrying a tranq gun just in case?
6. Is Erickson on the hot seat at all? Knowing his rep, how comfortable are you with him as your coach? Is he really the guy to lead a re-building effort, or is he going through the motions/keeping the seat warm?
I like coach Erickson and the players seem to respect him. He continues to bring it quality recruits to keep us mildly competitive while building a foundation for long-term excellence. If he is a short-term coach, ASU will continue to muddle in the bottom half of the Pac. But if he is serious, which I believe he is, ASU will be back in the 8-9 win range in short time.
Then, Pitchfork Nation.
1. Vontaze Burfict is his second year yet he still shows the same immaturity (headbutting Ryan Katz, for example). Do you have confidence that he can grow up and become a top LB?
Earlier this season, I did. After some solid performances and fairly level-headed play in the Big Sky portion of our schedule, I thought some sense had finally be beaten into him. He took a couple personal foul penalties, but they weren't of the ferocity or frequency we saw out of him last year. But after the Oregon State game, I flatly say no and I don't think Dennis Erickson thinks he can, either. If he did, he wouldn't have actually benched this team's most ferocious competitor.
The problem here is that I don't think anyone has ever actually told him to calm down. Ever since committing to ASU, the kid has been showered with praise about how he was going to be this team's best defender (including from one blogger who will remain nameless...OK, it was me.). When we saw his mean streak last year, we chalked it up to immaturity and assumed he would eventually grow out of it. Who knows? He may still. Hopefully the benching in the Washington game opened his eyes. If it didn't, I fear that he'll never learn.
2. ASU's O-line was the laughingstock of the conference in '07 and '08. Has it gotten any better in the past two years? How well has Threet been protected so far? Can the line withstand Pendergast's blitz-happy schemes?
Let's get one thing straight - the offensive line couldn't have been worse over that time span. That line took "ole-ing" to new heights. In fact, I once advocated to replace our tackles with turnstiles, but that campaign didn't get too far.
Threet is getting good protection from what I've been able to ascertain, but it also helps that unlike his predecessors like Rudy Carpenter and Danny Sullivan, I've really liked Threet's ability to step up in the pocket and avoid pressure himself. Sure, Carpenter got sacked 3,720 times during his career in Tempe, but he didn't really either try to avoid pressure either; he much rather would have fallen down in a heap sometimes.
Once again, this team has seen its annual rash of injuries across the offensive front, but I think since the bar was set so low, I can be cautiously optimistic about the improvement of this unit. Threet has been sacked 16 times in six games, which I think is a fairly promising stat by Arizona State standards. What more, this line is doing a tremendous job opening holes for Cameron Marshall and Deantre Lewis, two fast runners who aren't strong enough to create their own holes like, say, Ryan Torain was.
3. Cal just came off a huge loss to USC. Cal will probably be looking for some therapeutic revenge against Arizona State. Any chance Cal pummels ASU in the manner which Cal has won all its games this year? Or do you think ASU pummels Cal in the manner which Cal has pretty much lost all this year?
I've agonized over this question, and I simply don't know. Really. That sounds like a cop out, but I can never predict how Arizona State will come out against California. Every time I think this team is ready to step up and knock off the Golden Bears, I end up face deep in my palms. My mind keeps wandering back to that 2004 game in Berkeley when the Devils, who had only lost to USC that year on the road, got railroaded in a nationally-televised night game.
Much like last week's game in Washington, this is a bellweather game for both teams. Both Tedford and Erickson need a win here to get closer to bowl eligibility and to keep their fan bases from going absolutely bats**t crazy. However, this might be the most evenly matched Cal/ASU game in years. The 2007 match-up in Tempe SHOULD have been, when ASU was 7-0 and Cal should have been right up there near the top of the standings before...things happened.
This game could go either way. I'm serious. It could be a blowout from the opening kick or it could go to three overtimes mainly because neither team has shown me that they can bring the same, consistent effort on a weekly basis.
4. Most Cal fans probably don't follow ASU Football that closely. Can you please name one player on offense whom we should know about or keep an eye on? We won't ask about defense since we already know who to keep an eye on.
Every year, I develop a man crush. 2007 was the year of Ryan Torain, 2008 saw me fawn over Mike Jones, 2009 was the year of Mike Nixon and this year, I've targeted RB Deantre Lewis as the object of my football affection.
Lewis racked up three straight 100 yard games before his carries were cut last week in Seattle and already has a 100-yard receiving game to his credit as well. The kid can flat out burn and has an explosive first step not seen in these parts since Keegan Herring was a freshman. I love the way OC Noel Mazzone works him in different formations; whether he's catching the ball out of the backfield, lined up in the slot or beside Threet, I think he can break one on any play.
5. Have you driven to the Buffalo Wild Wings where Tuitama works and just heckled him?
I typically don't take any pleasure in heckling a guy when he's down, especially one we beat so badly over the course of his career; there's a reason he's forever known as Tui-trauma in Tempe.
Therefore, no, I have not made the pilgrimage to B-Dubs to partake in a night of wings and beer with Willie. However, if I ever happen to FIND myself in Tucson and craving some delicious Parmesan Garlic wings and a cold Blue Moon...I'd probably make sure Willie was my waiter, shout my order at him in the most obscenely loud, Mike Stoops tantrum-esque fashion, warn him to watch his blind side and ask him if all BWW employees have had 19 concussions.
Here is the schedule. All times are Eastern and you can find more information here.
| Game | Network | Coverage Notes | PPV Info | Time |
| VMI at Charleston Southern |  |
 College Sports Direct |
11:30am | |
| Notre Dame vs. Navy (at East Rutherford, NJ) |
 |
CBSSports.com | 12pm | |
| Michigan St. at Northwestern |  |
 
|
12pm | |
| Syracuse at West Virginia |  |
|
12pm | |
| Iowa St. at Texas |  |
FSN List | 12pm | |
| Penn St. at Minnesota |  |
12pm | ||
| Purdue at Ohio St. |  |
GameFinder | 12pm | |
| Indiana at Illinois | |
GameFinder | 12pm | |
| Ole Miss at Arkansas |  |
   Affiliates |
 DirecTV 791 Dish Network 459 |
12pm |
| Rutgers at Pittsburgh |  |
    Affiliates |
DirecTV 790 Dish Network 458 |
12pm |
| Duke at Virginia Tech |  |
ACC Network Streaming (ACC areas) Affiliates |
Blackout Map DirecTV 788 Dish Network 456 |
12pm |
| Temple at Buffalo |  |
Affiliates |
DirecTV 789 Dish Network 457 |
12pm |
| Delaware at William & Mary |  |
  
|
12pm | |
| Penn at Yale |  |
Stretch Internet | 12pm | |
| Bucknell at Lehigh |  |
Stretch Internet | 12:30pm | |
| Florida Atlantic at Arkansas St. |  |
  College Sports Direct |
Blackout Map DirecTV 792 Dish Network 460 |
1pm |
| Holy Cross at Colgate |  |
Sidearm Showcase | 1pm | |
| Lafayette at Fordham |  |
|
DirecTV 793 Dish Network 461 |
1pm |
| Morehead St. at Butler |  |
MyIndyTV.com | 1pm | |
| Wyoming at BYU |  |
2pm | ||
| Western Illinois at Missouri St. | Mediacom-Springfield | College Sports Direct | 2pm | |
| Murray St. at Eastern Illinois |  |
College Sports Direct | 2:30pm | |
| Appalachian St. at Western Carolina | |
|
3pm | |
| Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston St. (at Houston, TX) |
 |
Affiliates College Sports Direct |
3pm | |
| Northern Arizona at Montana |  |
B2 Networks (FREE) | 3pm | |
| Northern Colorado at Montana St. |  |
B2 Networks (FREE) | 3pm | |
| Youngstown St. at South Dakota St. |  |
College Sports Direct | 3pm | |
| LSU at Auburn | |
CBSSports.com | 3:30pm | |
| Wisconsin at Iowa |  |
 ABC Coverage Map |
3:30pm | |
| Nebraska at Oklahoma St. | |
ABC Coverage Map |
Blackout Map DirecTV 789 Dish Network 462 |
3:30pm |
| Georgia Tech at Clemson | |
ABC Coverage Map |
Blackout Map DirecTV 788 Dish Network 464 |
3:30pm |
| Arizona St. at California | |
FSN List | 3:30pm | |
| Connecticut at Louisville | |
3:30pm | ||
| Houston at SMU |  |
3:30pm | ||
| Western Michigan at Akron |  |
College Sports Direct |
Blackout Map DirecTV 790 Dish Network 463 |
3:30pm |
| Rice at UCF | |
|
3:30pm | |
| Kent St. at Bowling Green |  |
College Sports Direct | 3:30pm | |
| Massachusetts vs. New Hampshire (at Foxborough, MA) |
|
 
|
3:30pm | |
| Georgia St. at Old Dominion | |
Comcast-Atlanta |
3:30pm | |
| Central Michigan at Northern Illinois |  |
College Sports Direct |
Blackout Map DirecTV 791 Dish Network 459 |
4pm |
| Indiana St. at North Dakota St. |  |
College Sports Direct | 4pm | |
| Marshall at East Carolina | |
 
|
4:15pm | |
| UL-Monroe at Middle Tennessee |  |
|
DirecTV 792 Dish Network 460 |
4:30pm |
| Washington St. at Stanford |  |
 |
5pm | |
| Hawai'i at Utah St. | |
|
DirecTV 793 Dish Network 461 |
5pm |
| New Mexico St. at Idaho |  |
 College Sports Direct |
5pm | |
| Illinois St. at Northern Iowa | Panther Sports |
 College Sports Direct |
5pm | |
| Colorado St. at Utah | |
6pm |