Article Data Imported from Previous NDL SiteThe UnTouchable Report (Weeks 9-10)
Article By: The UnTouchable Report
A rundown of the week's hottest games.
....................WEEK 9....................
#1 Wisconsin Badgers 6-0 (2-0 B1G) dcane7 
#3 Michigan State Spartans 5-0 (1-0 B1G) Weasel
Two weeks ago we had a 1 vs. 2 matchup and now we have a 1 vs. 3 matchup with a new #1 and a #3 that was previously outside the Top 10. This late in the season, watching games like these unfold are extremely exciting. But this game is far from a preview of the Big 10 title game in a few weeks. Although I have no doubt in my mind Wisconsin will represent the Leaders, a little team from the Twin Cities is making some noise in the Legends division. The Golden Gophers upset the Badgers in NDL Cup 24 and although coaches may not be playing at their full potential, it still makes for an interesting story.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Both these teams are going to rely heavily on their run game to set the tempo of the game. The Spartan offensive line is one of the best in the country making way for RB Edwin Baker to rush for nearly 7 yards per carry and giving up just 6 sacks to QB Kirk Cousins all season. Although Baker is getting the ball 60% of the time on offense, Cousins is the real playmaker of the team. This is evidenced by a 75% completion rate and a 10-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio as well as the fact that the Spartans rank 7th in the NDL in offensive touchdowns per game (3.6) while being 4th-worst in time of possession (8:42). The Badgers defense (averaging a 6th-best 3 interceptions per game) will look to slow down Michigan State and control the pace of the game in their favor. Wisconsin will only turn to QB Jon Budmayr if their RB duo of James White and Montee Ball aren't picking up first downs themselves. The Badgers rank 10th in rushing offense and White is the workhorse of that offense, leading the league with a whopping 26 rushes per game.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION
Dcane will be in the Big 10 Championship no doubt but he will show up there with at least one loss because I just don't see a defense that gives up over 175 pass yards per game slowing down Kirk Cousins anytime soon.
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#5 Auburn Tigers 6-0 (3-0 SEC) bigred 
#11 LSU Tigers 4-1 (2-0 SEC) nole4real
Another day, another high-profile SEC West football game. What's new? This time we've got two inaugurals squaring off for sole possession atop unquestionably the toughest division in the league. Bigred is only 2 wins away from matching his best season with the Tigers (he's now in his 4th season) and is on pace to beat that record. The Navy Blue Tigers have already knocked off South Carolina and #18 Arkansas while the Gold Tigers have only beaten one team with a winning-record. Both teams still have huge games on the horizon but won't want to look past this one.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Rueben Randle is the name you'll want to keep an eye on for the LSU Tigers. The wide receiver leads the team in receptions (18) and receiving yards (464) and has taken off from the backfield a handful of times for another 70 yards. It seems as if Nole has settled on QB Zach Mettenberger with Jordan Jefferson ready for the call any time Nole blames EA for Mettenberger playing bad. The Gold Tigers have 4 receivers with over 230 yards receiving while RB Michael Ford figures to play a minor role in their gameplan. LSU ranks 4th in total offense and will waste no time putting points on the board. Auburn QB Barrett Trotter continues to impress with 12 touchdowns on the season and throwing just one interception in 90 pass attempts. He's hit 6 different receivers at least 5 times with TE Philip Litzenkirchen and RB Michael Dyer the favorite targets. Dyer will get
at least two screen passes thrown his way while carrying the bulk of the load on the ground. The Navy Blue Tigers have turned the ball over just
once the entire season and that factors into their conference-leading time of possession of over 15 minutes per game.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION
LSU is turning the ball over nearly twice a game while Auburn has given the ball away just one time this season. The Navy Blue Tigers have been more impressive all around this season and Bigred steals one in Baton Rouge.
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Others to watch for:
#21
USC Trojans 4-2 (3-1 PAC-12)
sammy33 @ #14
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1
wj5811
---WJ has the Irish thinking BCS for the first time in years. If they can knock off the Trojans, they'll definitely make a case for it.
#15
Nebraska Cornhuskers 4-2 (0-2 B1G)
uf83198 @ #25
Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-0 (1-0 B1G)
JohnnyP
---The Gophers are off to a hot start but can they beat a tough Nebraska team still searching for their first conference win?
#19
UCLA Bruins 3-0 (1-0 PAC-12)
UclaMac @
Arizona Wildcats 2-1 (1-0 PAC-12)
outlaw
---The Wildcats are still celebrating their win against USC
in LA and another upset here will propel them to the top of the PAC-12 South.
....................WEEK 10....................
#8 Florida Gators 4-1 (1-1 SEC) Daw1git 
#6 Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 (3-1 SEC) TheRealDray
Shifting gears to that "other" SEC division, this game won't necessarily produce the East's representative in the SEC Championship, but both coaches would like to think so. Dray has built a solid dynasty in Athens and is on pace to finish with his first-ever 10-win season. The Bulldogs dropped their only game pretty soundly to South Carolina but their 6 wins have come against teams with a combined record of 3-33, including an "initiation" beating of his own son to begin the season. Florida's wins haven't been all-too-impressive either with their only loss coming against then-#1 Alabama. Daw1git has
never had a season with a losing record and this one doesn't figure to be his first.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
We've talked about Florida QB Jeff Driskel before so it shouldn't be any surprise what to expect from the league's most productive offense. The Gators lead the league in total offense (446 YPG), passing yards (414 YPG), and offensive touchdowns per game (4.8). Five different Gators are double digits in receptions and Driskel has connected with a total of 10 receivers this season. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out against the league's 5th-ranked pass defense in Georgia. The Bulldogs are allowing just 111 passing yards per game (albeit to inferior quarterbacks) and picking off opponents nearly 2.5 times per game. The Bulldogs have a core of backs that will play integral roles in the game including QB Aaron Murray, who is no stranger of taking off from the pocket. Murray likes to find TE Orson Charles the most as he by far leads the team in receptions and yards but has yet to snag a score this season. Georgia's offense is almost a perfect 50-50 split between rushing and passing.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION
The Bulldogs are currently sporting the worst strength of schedule among teams who have played more than two games. Florida's isn't the best but Daw1git's proven track record of dominance will propel him to a blowout in this one.
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#13 Missouri Tigers 4-1 (2-0 Big 12) Black Crowes 
#9 Texas A&M Aggies 5-0 (2-0 Big 12) plasma1896
Season 22's national champion vs Season 23's national champion runner-up. Black Crowes, a 20-season NDL vet, has an overall career winning percentage of 60.2%. Crowes was virtually shut down in last season's title game, losing 21-3 to Oregon. Plasma, a 17-season NDL vet, decisively won the national championship two seasons ago with Stanford against Michigan State 31-3. He settled for the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season after shocking everybody and leaving Stanford for Florida State. Now in College Station, Plasma's got some hurdles to jump before reaching the promise land again. Oh, and his overall career winning percentage? 60.9%. You can't get any more evenly matched than this.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
When you look at the statistics of the Missouri Tigers, they don't look all-too impressive for a Top 25 team. The only thing that sticks out is that they're turning the ball over less than once per game. QB James Franklin is less-than-stellar completing less than half his passes and producing all 4 turnovers for the Tigers this season. Mizzou will use a lot of motion in their spread offense. Four receivers have taken handoffs from the backfield this season and three of them have at least 8 carries so far. RB Devion Moore gets the majority of the handoffs but is hardly productive at 3.8 yards per carry. That won't bode well against a stifling Aggie defense that allows a 4th-best 7.8 points per game. The Aggies lead the Big 12 in points for, points against, and total offense. They've also got the conference-best run game with 147 yards per game on the ground which helps them lead the league in time of possession (18:26). RB Christine Michael will get the ball early and often from QB Ryan Tannehill with Cyrus Gray poking his head into the game a handful of times on third down or goal line situations.
THE UNTOUCHABLE PREDICTION
Does anybody remember Texas' 29-0 whooping they handed Missouri last season? This one won't be quite as bad but has the makings to get pretty ugly.
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Others to watch for:
#3
Michigan State Spartans 5-0 (1-0 B1G)
Weasel @ #15
Nebraska Cornhuskers 4-2 (0-2 B1G)
uf83198
---After the showdown with Wisconsin the Spartans turn right back around and head to Lincoln for an important divisional game.
Army Black Knights 4-1
matt32 @
Air Force Falcons 4-2 (1-2 MWC)
heavelygifted
---With Army at 4-1, Air Force at 4-2, and Navy at 5-2, the Commander-in-Chief Trophy might actually have some relevance this year.
TCU Horned Frogs 5-1 (2-0 MWC)
chuskerpride @
Wyoming Cowboys 4-1 (1-0 MWC)
knappy83
---Wyoming is off to a suprising 4-1 start but hasn't played anyone the likes of TCU yet. Can they upset the Horned Frogs and claim first-place in the Mountain West?
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