Last weekend six teams in the top 25 went down in one weekend for the first time in almost ten years. These games really shifted each conference and the playoff race.
In the SEC, Georgia brought Arkansas back to earth, Kentucky finally got Florida at home, Bo Nix may have gotten Coach O fired, Saban beat yet another former assistant, and Vandy pulled off a win in a battle of the two worst teams in the entire sport.
The ACC frontrunner is… Wake Forest? Yup, the Demon Deacons are 5-0, the only undefeated team in the conference. Clemson’s dynasty has come crashing down, and with how they are playing, there is no way they will make it to Charlotte. The team most likely to meet Wake there is Pitt, but with the ACC, anything can happen.
As I said last week, the Pac 12 is weird, and pretty much blew their playoff hopes this weekend. Oregon got beat by Stanford in OT, and they will need to run the table and get help from others to make the Playoffs. With all their injuries and their tendency to not show up, I don’t see them winning out.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the only undefeated teams left in the Big 12, but really any team still has a shot at making the Big 12 Championship game. The surprising news out of the Big 12 this season is that many of the teams are actually good on defense, and the games haven’t been all shootouts.
UC had arguably their biggest win in program history in South Bend. Although they will be favored in the rest of their games, I am a little scared that they are going to slip up somewhere by looking ahead. If they can stay undefeated, however, they have a legit claim to a playoff spot.
My Playoff Predictions:
Georgia
Alabama
Iowa
UC
Heisman Watch:
Desmond Ridder UC QB
Bijon Robinson Texas RB
Bryce Young Alabama QB
My Picks:
Last week I was 10/13 (77%)
Maryland at (7)OSU: I thought that Maryland was pretty good but then Iowa went and destroyed them. Tualia had five interceptions, and although the Ohio State defense isn’t great, they can likely force some turnovers from him. Maryland is also without their top receiver. If Ohio State plays like they did against Rutgers, they should win big.
(6)Oklahoma vs (21)Texas: The Red River Showdown delivers EVERY. SINGLE. SEASON. I don’t see that trend breaking this year either. I am taking Texas here because I don’t like Oklahoma and Texas can have Bijon Robinson just keep pounding into the end zone for them. I expect Spencer Rattler to play better than normal this season to keep up with Texas, but the Longhorns will win at the end.
(13)Arkansas at (17)Ole Miss: Ole Miss and Arkansas were both humbled in their games last weekend, and now we get to see how they respond. Because they both had bad losses, I find it really hard to pick a winner for this game. Ole Miss is at home and has a more established offense, so I am picking them to win. However, I expect it to be a tight game.
Boise State at (10)BYU: BYU is quietly racking up an impressive resume and could be a threat to UC for a playoff berth. BYU has beaten three Pac 12 teams, including ranked Arizona State, and has many more quality opponents on their schedule. However, their quarterback position has been a revolving door between three different guys with all the injuries they have faced. Boise has struggled this season, and even with BYU on their third string quarterback, I think they should be fine to keep their undefeated streak.
(2)Georgia at (18)Auburn: A week after getting benched, Bo Nix comes out and sprinkles some more magic. Check out this incredible scramble he turned into a touchdown.
Georgia is by far the best team in the country, and they don’t even have a solid qb situation. The defense is just so good that the offense can do whatever and be fine. Weird things tend to happen when UGA comes to Jordan Hare, but in no circumstance do I see Auburn being able to pull off an upset. I expect the Dawgs to win easily here.
(4)Penn State at (3)Iowa: This is my game of the week. Although it is not getting a bunch of hype because the media doesn’t like that it’s not two SEC teams, there are a bunch of storylines here. Neither team was expected to have this record at this point. Iowa has been led by their dominant defense (#2 in the country) who already has 16 takeaways and while many were cautious of their offense, last weekend against Maryland it came to life. Sean Clifford has improved and Penn State has a strong defense to back them up as well. I expect this to be a low scoring defensive battle with Iowa coming out on top.
(9)Michigan at Nebraska: Upset Alert! Despite their loss to Illinois early in the season, Nebraska has been sound on defense and the offense can make plays. Michigan relies almost entirely on their run game, but as Rutgers showed, if you stack the box and force them to pass, it will slow the game down and give the opponents a chance. Because this is a night game and Scott Frost NEEDS a big time win, I think Nebraska will pull the upset here.
LSU at (16)Kentucky: Kentucky needs to avoid a letdown here after their huge win against Florida. LSU will be desperate for a win after losing to Auburn at home. However, Kentucky can beat them if they play smart. They need to avoid penalties and shut down the LSU passing game. LSU can not run the ball, so if they limit the pass, the Tigers will struggle. Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez is fifth in the country in rushing, with 612 rushing yards so far, and Kentucky will use him to take down LSU.
(14)Notre Dame at Virginia Tech: Notre Dame is coming off a loss to UC, where they were outplayed in all aspects. Brian Kelly has yet to publicly announce who the QB will be, but whoever it is will have to survive the hostile environment of Lane Stadium at night. This game will be tight, but I think Notre Dame is the better team and will win.
(1)Bama at Texas A&M: This game was the most hyped up SEC game in the preseason, but after 5 weeks of play, this game is far from it. Texas A&M has lost two in a row, and there is no way they can end their losing streak this weekend. Alabama is too dominant on both sides of the ball, and the A&M offense is stagnant. I think Bama will win big.
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