Despite playing with its food a bit against Kent State, Georgia still appears to be the best team in the country overall. Their tight end Brock Bowers is almost impossible to contain. However, if you wanted to make an argument for Ohio State to be No. 1 after their beatdown of Wisconsin, I would listen to that.
Michigan struggled in its first real test of the season, but I think once JJ McCarthy gets used to playing against quality opponents, Michigan will figure it out. They have a strong defense that keeps them in games. Alabama told us nothing in an easy win against Vanderbilt. Tennessee finally took down Florida, giving Josh Heupel his signature win.
Penn State has been quiet, but Sean Clifford is looking much improved now that he has a returning offensive coordinator for the first time in his career. USC barely made it out of Corvallis with a win, but they managed to find a way to stay undefeated, much to the dismay of Sooner fans.
Kansas is not even ranked in the top 25, but as I’ve mentioned, the Jayhawks would be in the top ten if they happened to be in the SEC. Lance Leopold has to be the frontrunner for coach of the year after the turnaround he’s done in Lawrence.
My Playoff Predictions:
Georgia
Ohio State
Michigan
USC
Potential Heisman Candidates:
CJ Stroud QB Ohio State
Brock Bowers TE Georgia
Stetson Bennett QB Georgia (from walk-on to Heisman??)
Jalon Daniels QB Kansas
Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee
My Predictions for this Week:
(1)Georgia at Mizzou: Georgia is 27.5 point favorites, and I doubt that is enough. Missouri is hardly a competent football team, and Kirby Smart will likely be pushing his team even harder after their sloppy game against Kent State. As long as Brady Cook is Mizzou’s starting quarterback, the Tiger’s have absolutely no chance against Georgia.
(7)Kentucky at (14)Ole Miss: This game isn’t getting tons of press, but I think it will end up being super close. Will Levis will make some big plays for Kentucky, but will also turn the ball over with some of his crazy attempts. Kentucky is getting their top running-back back from his suspension and I would guess they will attempt to run the ball more. Ole Miss officially named Jaxon Dart the starter, but with their running back Zach Evans they will likely run the ball a lot as well. I would expect the team total in this game to go under. Kentucky is a seven point underdog, but I am picking them to not only cover the spread, but win outright.
Purdue at (21)Minnesota: Purdue is 2-2, but could just as easily be 4-0. Minnesota is the clear favorite to win the Big 10 West, but this will be their first real test. Their quarterback Tanner Morgan, who like Sean Clifford has been in college forever, has the fifth best quarterback rating in the country. However, Purdue has a good man behind center as well with Aiden O’Connell already throwing over 1,000 yards through four games. Purdue is 12 underdogs which I think gives way too much credit to Minnesota. Although I think Minnesota will win, Purdue should definitely cover the spread.
(4)Michigan at Iowa: Kinnick Stadium is where top five teams go to die. The Hawkeyes are 5-1 in their last six games against top five teams and will look to carry on this streak against Michigan. This will be the biggest road environment JJ McCarthy has played in. Luckily he has his strong running back group to help the offense. Iowa finally was able to score a little bit last weekend, however, two of them were defensive scores. If there is a situation where Iowa keeps this game close, it will be because of their special teams, defensive scores, and their punter. I don’t see a scenario where Iowa is able to even score a touchdown on the Wolverine defense, so I think Iowa’s luck at home is going to come to an end.
(9)Oklahoma State at (16)Baylor: In a rematch of last season’s Big 12 championship game, Oklahoma State will be out for revenge. Oklahoma State has the edge in the quarterback comparison. Spencer Sanders is having his best season yet, while Baylor’s Blake Shapen hasn't been bad, but has shown nothing out of the ordinary. Oklahoma State’s defense has taken a bit of a step back since defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Ohio State. However, I think they are better than Baylor and will win this game.
(2)Alabama at (20)Arkansas: The Arkansas over Alabama pick is becoming very trendy, which scares me because Nick Saban will use this to fire up his team. There is some hope that Alabama could lose because the Tide’s weakness, their secondary, does not match up well with Arkansas's explosiveness in the passing game. However, the Texas A&M defense was able to shut down this offense so I would expect Alabama to do the same. I would love it if Arkansas could get this upset, but I have a feeling it won’t be a particularly close game.
(17)Texas A&M at Mississippi State: I know Texas A&M beat Arkansas last weekend, but I thoroughly believe they are a fraud. The Aggies offense is stagnant, and they only won last weekend because of a 95 yard fumble return and Arkansas crazy missed kick. They can’t score a bunch of points, which will be a problem against the Mississippi State air raid. Even if the Bulldogs defense isn’t great, I think they can score more than Texas A&M.
(10)NC State at (5)Clemson: Whoever wins this game has the easiest path to the ACC championship game. I had been a big Clemson doubter, but their overtime win at Wake Forest last week was impressive. They showed fight and DJ Uiagalelei finally showed some improvement. The Wolfpack had lots of preseason hype, but haven’t exactly lived up to it. The effects of Hurricane Ian will be rolling through South Carolina, so weather may have an impact on this game. For some reason I have a gut feeling that Clemson is going to win pretty easily, so I am picking the Tigers here.
(15)Washington at UCLA: The Huskies and Bruins are both undefeated and looking for a win to boost their path to the Pac 12 championship game. Washington is favored, even on the road, in large part because of the tiny crowds UCLA continues to draw. Michael Penix Jr. is finally healthy and has the Huskies rolling. UCLA can have a good offense when everything clicks and I think this will be a high scoring game. The teams will likely go over the point total and I think Washington will win.
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