The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 28, 2004 -11 Key games ready to shake up AP PHOTO By Daniel Bromwich and Ian Robinson , For the Daily Entering the heart of the college football schedule, week six features two big SEC games between top-25 teams, and two games between traditional rivals that should be fun to watch. No. 8 AUBURN (4-0) AT No. 10 TENNESSEE (3-0), SATURDAY, 7:45, ESPN Auburn and Tennessee come into this game with opposite situations at quarterback. Tennessee is pla- tooning two true freshmen quarterbacks, while Auburn is starting senior Jason Campbell. Auburn is a popular pick to win the SEC and Campbell's performance is critical in making that become a reality., Campbell lost three road games to SEC opponents last year and this is his first major road test of the year. Tennessee's youthful duo of Brent Schaffer and Erik Ainge has been sur- prisingly effec- tive in the team's first three games. Despite the inex- perience of the quarterbacks, the team is still unde- feated, includ- ing a bigP home victory AP PHOTO against Flor- Air Force s ida. Anthony' While Ten- Butler as the Big House" - Neyland Stadium. Look for missed extra point to be a factor in this game just as has in so many others this year. Auburn 24, Tennessee 23 a it No. 13 LSU (3-1) AT No.3 GEORGIA (3-0), SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., CBS At the beginning of the college football season, many experts would have deemed this weekend's game between defending national champion LSU and Geor- gia the "game of the year." The two were ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the nation prior to the season, but both teams have failed to live up to expectations so far this year. LSU already lost to conference rival Auburn and needed unranked Oregon State to miss three missed extra points, including a game-ending one in overtime. After barely squeaking by the Beavers, people already started jumping off the Tiger bandwagon. The loss to Auburn only confirmed some pollsters' thoughts. Georgia was unimpressive in its season-opening win over Division I-AA Georgia Southern, allowing the Eagles to remain within two scores deep into the third quarter. Heisman hopeful David Greene has not been able to get on track yet, completing barely 50 percent of his passes, and the Bulldog offense has not been able to put points on the board. Georgia managed just 13 points against a Marshall team that tradi- tionally plays very little defense, and the Bulldogs have managed just three offen- sive touchdowns in their last two games. Georgia has been forced to win games with its defense, which is ranked 12th in the nation. LSU has also been winning with its defense, and it has had to, as its offense has not been able to get going. The starting quarterback spot is still up for grabs, and leading passer JaMarcus Russell has completed less than 50 percent of his passes. The Tigers' offense is ranked fifth in the SEC, something LSU coach Nick Saban has to consider unacceptable for a team trying to defend its national title. The game should be close, with both teams struggling to establish any sort of offense against these tough defenses. Expect a lot of turnovers and an overall sloppy game. Georgia is coming off a bye week, which may have helped Greene find his groove, and it has had more time to prepare for this game than the Tigers have. A low-scoring affair is in order, and an extra point will be the difference - just because. Georgia 13, LSU 12 NAVY (4-0) AT AIR FORCE (2-2), THURSDAY, 7:30 P.M., ESPN Air Force hosts Navy this week in the first leg of the competition for the Commander-in- Chief's Trophy. This year's game has more interest than normal because Navy is enter- ing it with a 4-0 record behind its quarterback Aaron Polanco. After,.beating Vanderbilt 29- 26, the Midshipmen finally received votes in the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since 1996. A win over the Falcons might actually earn them a ranking. Polanco ran for 85 yards and threw for 176 yards last week against the Commodores. Navy also runs behind its Doak Walker Award candidate, fullback Kyle Eckel. Last year, Eckel ran for a career-high 176 yards against Air Force. Air Force is coming off of a tough 49-35 loss to conference rival Utah. Freshman quarterback Shaun Carney leads the Falcons. Last week, the Falcons amassed 302 rushing yards, headlined by Carney's 95. Both of these programs run an option-style offense, so expect a hard-nosed, physical battle. This game will answer the question that many are asking themselves: "Is Navy for real?" The answer is "I don't know." But the Navy running game is seen as one of the best in the country, and Air Force will not be able to contain Eckel, just like it could not contain him last year. Navy 20, Air Force 16 COLORADO (3-0) AT MISSOURI (2-1), SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., ABC League play begins in the Big 12 for both Colorado and Missouri at Faurot Field. The Buffaloes come into the game with a surprising 3-0 record, having beaten in-state rival Colorado State, Pac-10 power Washing- ton State and patsy North Texas. The Buffaloes were not picked by many to be a factor in the Big 12 this year, but their fast start has turned some heads. The offense has been scoring plenty of points, aver- aging 33 per game. Colorado has already scored six rushing touchdowns this year. Quarterback Joel Klatt is fourth in the conference in passer rating, and tail- back Bobby Purify has rushed for four touchdowns in three games. The Colorado defense is also stingy, allowing just over 100 yards per game on the ground, but will have a tough time against quarterback Brad Smith and Missouri, which is averaging just under 200 rushing yards. is on pace to grab a couple of career mile- stones, for both rushing and passing. He has passed for close to 5,000 yards in his career, and is 82 rushing yards short of 12th place on the NCAA's all-time quarterback rushing yardage list. Tailback Damien Nash is also tough to stop, averaging 12 points per game on his own. This game should be a high-scoring, enjoyable event, typical of a Big 12 game. Even though Colo- rado is coming off of a bye and has played well thus far this year, Smith should be too much for the Buf- faloes to handle. Missouri 38, Colorado 21 BADG ERS Continued from page 104 Still, the Wolverines continue to train vigorously, hoping - without much passion - that David could possibly beat Goliath. "It's a long shot of us beating Wisconsin. at the Big Ten, but any- thing can happen," freshman Mike Woods said. Senior speed demon Nate Bran- nen has seen his squad fall to its conference rivals all three of his years at Michigan and doesn't seem too confident in his team's chances this season. "It's unlikely we'll beat Wiscon- sin this season - they're ranked first in the country," Brannen said. "If we race well and snag the team title, it'd be great. "But they'll win unless they lose it for themselves." But some of the runners seem to be more optimistic than others. Sophomore Todd Iacovelli is looking to make his mark on the team and on the nation by becom- ing a legitimate contender for Michigan. "It's important for us to finish high in every meet, not just the Big Ten Championships, but we can't control what other teams do," Iacov- elli said. "We have a solid core of people all working hard. "And with that, good things will happen." The Wolverines look ahead to the Big Ten Championships and will test their skills at their first scored meet of the season this Friday at the Great American Cross Country Fes- tival in Cary, N.C. SCHICK Continued from page 10 teams to forfeit the games due to fan rioting. But recent events have increased not only in frequency but ferocity. Houston Rockets' Vernon Maxwell attacked a fan who was heckling him about his deceased daughter in 1995. New York Giants fans pelted San Diego Chargers players with snowballs in 1995, injuring an equipment manager. The aftermath was 175 fans were ejected and 14 arrested. And in two successive seasons, Chicago White Sox fans attacked the Kansas City Royals' first base coach in 2002, then an umpire in 2003. Most recently, it appears that a college football rivalry might have played a part in a player's death. Idaho cornerback Eric McMillan was murdered following an alterca- tion last Monday after the Vandals game against Washington State., While the detoils are still unclear, police believe the suspects were Cougars fans and attacked McMil- Ian simply because he was playing for the wrong team. McMillan's murder is the most recent and most tragic example of fans taking their passions for their teams to the extreme. While players and coaches love it when the crowd creates a hostile emvi- ronment for the opposing team, it shouldn't make the players afraid to play on the road. Brian Schick can be reached at bschick@umich.edu. U 1 Merrill Lynch ml.com/careers SHARE OUR PASSION MERRILL LYNCH PRESENTATION UNIVERSITY of MICHIGAN students are invited to attend: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 5:00-6:30 pm D1273 Whether you look at us in terms of people, culture, products or our virtually limitless possibilities, Merrill Lynch defines "exceptional" in every sense of the word. It's a source of pride for all of us who work here. And a source of exceptional careers for those eager to share in our passion for doing great things. Attend our presentation. And let's explore the possibilities together. Full-time opportunities: Accounting & Finance .