As we enter October, the time comes that the elite teams begin to separate themselves. Two of the Big 4 (Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, and Oklahoma) have already lost, with the other two having close calls. Will they pull away and remain dominant, or is it time for the Power 4 to begin to crumble? Only time will tell.
Playoff Predictions:
Alabama
Georgia
Iowa
UC
Heisman Watch:
Desmond Ridder UC QB
Bryce Young Alabama QB
Bijon Robinson Texas RB
Matt Coral Ole Miss QB (heavy favorite)
My Picks:
Last week I was 5/7 (71%)
(8)Arkansas at (2)Georgia: Who would have guessed that Arkansas, who was picked to finish 12th in the SEC, would be a top ten team going into their trip to Athens. Arkansas and Georgia both have top defenses, but this will be the first time Georgia will face a real offensive test. The Arkansas offense is led by KJ Jefferson and Treylon Burks, who have a great connection. I think Georgia will win this game, but I expect Arkansas to keep it very close.
(14)Michigan at Wisconsin: Wisconsin has looked bad so far, especially thier offense, who can not do anything. Since Graham Mertz had his amazing outing in his first start last year, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and last week alone had four turnovers. Michigan meanwhile, has walked through to a 4-0 start behind their strong running game. Rutgers was able to limit the Michigan run game last week, which kept it a closer game. If the Wisconsin defense can step up and stop the run, Michigan could be in trouble because their quarterback has not been asked to do much this far. I know it’s hard to trust Jim Harbaugh on the road in Wisconsin since he’s never won there before, but I do think Michigan is significantly better than Wisconsin and will win this one.
UL at Wake Forest: Wake Forest is a surprising 4-0 team, is in the top five for offensive possession, and should be ranked. Louisville’s defense has struggled and I expect Wake to win big here.
(7)UC at (9)Notre Dame: Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman will face off against their old employer. This game will be UC’s superbowl, and if they can pull this off they may be Playoff bound. I am torn about who to pick, but I will go with UC. UC can not do what they have been recently, starting very slow. Desmond Ridder needs to make sure this UC offense is ready right away. ND has not named their starter qb yet, but the UC defense will need to continue to step up against whoever is under center.
(11)Ohio State at Rutgers: This game will not be the usual cakewalk game against Rutgers. I expect Ohio State to still win, but the defense will need to show some changes if that is going to happen. CJ Stroud and the offense have been solid, but the defense has not backed them up, and that needs to change. Rutgers is outplaying expectations, and I expect them to be a tough out for the Buckeyes.
(6)Oklahoma at Kansas State: Oklahoma is one of the luckiest teams in college football. They have already escaped three games with one score wins that came down to the last play, and now they will face Kansas State’s third string quarterback. I expect the Kansas State defense to force Rattler into at least one turnover, but with their QB situation I think this will be an Oklahoma blowout.
(12)Ole Miss at (1)Alabama: Get ready for another shootout as Lane Kiffin tries to take down his old boss. Kiffin has the Rebels offense rolling, averaging almost 700 yards per game (that’s insane). Matt Coral and Bryce Young are the Heisman favorites, and whoever out-duels the other will almost be guaranteed a trip to New York in December. I want nothing more than to see the Tide go down, but I do not think Ole Miss has a good enough defense to win. I expect a high scoring close game, but yet another Alabama win.
(3)Oregon at Stanford: I am expecting this to be a weird game because the Pac-12 is just such a strange conference. It’s almost impossible to decide who is good because they all produce wildly different results by week. I know Oregon is a top team, but I don’t really trust them. They tend to play down with some of their conference opponents, putting them in risky situations. I believe Oregon will still win here, especially because Stanford has the worst home field advantage, but it will be closer than the spread.
(10)Florida at Kentucky: Despite being 4-0, Kentucky has not lived up to my expectations. I expected their offense to be really good, but they have been barely surviving teams they should beat. Florida, meanwhile, turned it around during the Alabama game and kept the gas on against Tennessee. If Emory Jones keeps playing smart I think Florida will win this game pretty convincingly.
Mississippi State at (15) Texas A&M: Texas A&M got exposed last weekend, just as I predicted them too. Their defense is not good enough to make up for their offensive deficiencies against most teams. However, Mississippi State is a team they can catch because the Bulldogs are so dependent on the air raid. Their offense is very one dimensional, and the Texas A&M defense should figure them out quickly. I believe this will still be close because Texas A&M is not good on offense, but the Aggies should win.
Indiana at (4)Penn State: Indiana and Penn State have switched roles from last season. Indiana has been disappointing while Penn State has been shining. This matchup last season ended in an epic overtime IU win, but I would not expect a close game this time around.
Boston College at (25)Clemson: If Boston College were not without their starting quarterback, Phil Jurkovec, I think they could pull this upset off. However, Clemson is sure to have a bounce-back game, even though their top RB’s are out. I think this game will still be close, but Clemson will finally get the passing game rolling a little bit and win here.
(22)Auburn at LSU: I honestly have no idea what to think about this game. Auburn is confusing and has a bit of a quarterback controversy because Bo Nix has underperformed. LSU has looked better since the UCLA game and Max Johnson has thrown three or more touchdown passes in six straight games. I am picking LSU to win because they seem more consistent.
Be ready to not leave the couch today, with all the amazing ranked matchups. The day starts strong with Arkansas and Georgia and just keeps delivering.
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