As conference play winds down, a pair of 9-win teams lead the games of the week, but they're not a pair of teams you might expect. Here are this week's best NCAA games:
No. 4 Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) vs. USC (7-3, 4-2 Pac-12)
The Cardinal are coming off the biggest win of their season and are looking to transfer that momentum to a big game against the Trojans. Beating USC, however, will be no easy feat. The Trojans are playing their best football of year having won their last three straight and four of the last five. The key matchup will be Stanford’s bruising rushing attack against USC’s staunch rush defense. The Cardinal have the No. 4 rush offense in the conference averaging 205 yards per game but USC’s defense is ranked No. 2 overall in the Pac-12 and No. 2 against the rush, allowing only 112.5 yards per game.
No. 23 Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC) vs. Duke (7-2, 3-2 ACC)
Miami and Duke may have identical records, but their recent results have been far from the same. Miami has lost two straight after starting the season 7-0, while the Blue Devils are bowl eligible for the second straight year and have won their last five straight games. The bad news for Miami is that it won’t have star sophomore running back Duke Johnson, who is out for the year after breaking his right ankle. History is on the side of the ‘Canes in this one, though, as Miami is 8-0 against Duke since joining the ACC.
No. 25 Georgia (6-3, 4-2 SEC) vs. No. 7 Auburn (9-1, 5-1 SEC)
Auburn has completely turned things around this season. The Tigers have tripled their win total from a year ago and are in prime position to challenge No. 1 Alabama in the SEC West thanks to a rushing attack that ranks No. 3 in the country 320 yards per game. On the other hand, things have not been so good for Georgia. The Bulldogs have been plagued by injuries that have slowed them after starting the season with national title aspirations. A win over the Tigers would help turn around a season that has been far from what fans in Athens, Ga., expected.
Small School Game of the Week: Ball State (9-1, 6-0 MAC) vs. No. 15 Northern Illinois (9-0, 5-0 MAC)
Northern Illinois crashed the BCS party last year by making the Orange Bowl and are looking to do it again this year. NIU is led by a fringe Heisman contender in senior quarterback Jordan Lynch, who ranks No. 9 in the country in total offense averaging 335.7 yards per game. Lynch is also as dangerous with his feet as he is with his arm. While NIU has been known as a potential BCS buster all year, the Ball State Cardinals have flown almost exclusively under the radar. But make no mistake, they’re dangerous. Senior quarterback Keith Wenning leads the MAC in passing yards with 316 per game, and he also has a dangerous receiving weapon. Junior wide receiver Willie Snead is tied for No. 3 in the country in receiving touchdowns (13) and is also No. 3 in the country in receiving yards (1175).
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