I hope everyone is ready for another great week of College Football. Not a whole lot of big match-ups this week, but there are some great rivalry games! We all know there's nothing better than a rivalry game, because anything can happen. I'm posting my predictions tonight since Nebraska has an 11 a.m. game and I am needed at 8 a.m. to give tours to the recruits. Enjoy and GO BIG RED!
Penn State at Pitt
I am very upset that this is an 11 a.m. game. I really wanted to see this historic rivalry renewed after a 16 year pause. I know this game will be played with a lot of emotion, especially with both teams coming off of solid wins in week one. This game is going to be a tough, hard fought, close finish. I think both teams have a decent shot at knocking off the other. Pitt should have a decent ground attack with James Conner picking up speed, especially since Penn State's defensive line is so young. However, the Nittany Lions will also bring a strong offensive attack, mostly lead by RB Saquon Barkely. Neither team has a very impressive passing attack, so look for them to grind it out and control the clock. I'm going to take Penn State in this one, I think thier offense is just a little more powerful than the Panthers. Nittany Lions 27, Panthers 24.
Georgia Southern at South Alabama
I know this game probably isn't very high on any watch lists, but I think this is an interesting match up. South Alabama came away with a very impressive upset over Mississippi State last week, proving they won't be a slouch in the Sun Belt this year. Georgia Southern didn't have many issues with Savannah State last week as they shut out the Tigers 54-0 while racking up 420 rushing yards in the process. South Alabama should put up more of a fight, especially after racking up 379 total yards on the Bulldogs last week. The Jaguars look to avenge the 55-17 beat down they suffered last season, and since they're playing at home, there could be some upset vibes going on. I think a win like the upset last week motivates South Alabama, and they're going to pull another upset on Georgia Southern this week! Jaguars 37, Eagles 35.
Arkansas at #15 TCU
Neither one of these teams looked very impressive in their openers as they both had to squeak out wins against lesser teams. Arkansas was held to only 106 yards rushing by Louisiana Tech, and it took TCU a 4th quarter rally to hold off the Jackrabbits from South Dakota State. I anticipate the Razorbacks will have a little more offensive success against TCU as most teams in the Big 12 lack a very good defense. The Horned Frogs gave up 461 yards a week ago, but used thier speed to finish out the game strong. I have a feeling that's how this game will play out too. Arkansas will hang around and probably impose thier will early on, but Kenny Hill's ability to make plays outside of the pocket and hit the long ball are not to be over looked. Another big 4th quarter and the Horned Frogs walk away 2-0. TCU wins this one 44-31.
Iowa State at #16 Iowa
This probably won't be a very sensational game to watch, but the rivalry factor always makes it interesting. ISU Head Coach Matt Campbell's opening game was ruined with an upset by the Panthers of UNI. The Cyclones certainly don't want to go 0-2 against the football teams in the state of Iowa, so look for some extra effort against their rivals. As much as I would love to see a Cyclone upset, it won't happen. Iowa is too consistent to slip up against Iowa State. I doubt thier win will be very impressive, but they will capitalize on the Cyclone's mistakes and come away with another mediocre victory. I'm sorry to my Hawkeye friends, but I won't really be impressed with a victory unless they out-right dominate the Cyclones. Iowa 31, Iowa State 20.
BYU at Utah
The Battle for the Beehive Boot picks up again as the Cougars travel up North to take on the rival Utes. BYU came away with a narrow, 18-16 victory against Arizona last week, and looks to keep momentum going as they head up to Salt Lake City. Utah looked good in thier opener against Southern Utah, but nothing too impressive against thier FCS foes. Rivalry games like this always turn out to be a good one, so look for some highlights after this one is over. Taysom Hill looks to lead the Cougars to a successful year in his last go around, and two big road wins to start would be an impressive start. Usually I'd give the edge to the home team, but I think Utah has too much to replace on offense to keep up with BYU this year. Cougars win the Beehive Boot 33-28.
Virginia Tech vs. #17 Tennessee
The first ever College Football game to be played in a NASCAR stadium... I hope the fans all bring binoculars! I'm sorry, but I can't even imagine how hard it will be to see the game from the grandstands in this setting. Nonetheless, we still have two teams playing football, and the two teams provide us with an interesting match-up. Justin Fuente leads the Hokies in thier first real challenge after the Frank Beamer era. Tennessee is coming off a near devastating (and hilarious) upset at the hands of Appalachian State. They've all "moved on" and are now focused on bouncing back against the Hokies. Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd look to power the Vols offense that really struggled a week ago. The Hokies defense is known for thier strategic blitzes and speed off the edge, so I'm interested to see how it continues under Fuente's leadership. After last week, I'm sure Tennessee will mess up this season, but I think they'll be motivated enough to take this one. Offense gets back on track, and I don't think the Hokies can keep up with the scoring. Vols win it 38-21.
Wyoming at Nebraska
The Cowboys ride into Lincoln on a high note after upsetting Northern Illinois in a 3OT thriller last weekend. However, thier task against the Huskers will be much tougher. Nebraska looks to balance out thier offense a little more from last game after running the ball for around 80% of the game. I anticipate Nebraska to take more shots downfield and to roll Tommy out on some bootlegs. I think the heavy focus on the running game will be very helpful for the Huskers to start using play-action. I expect the offense to have another impressive outing, but hopefully it's consistent throughout the entire game instead of just a couple of quarters. The defensive side is where most of my concerns lie. Wyoming has a very efficient offense with a very balanced attack. Sophomore QB Josh Allen and RB Brian Hill look to lead the Cowboys against a young Blackshirts defense that is still trying to find its groove. The Linebackers should keep the run game at bay (Nebraska only gave up 31 rushing yards to Fresno State), but the defensive line and secondary are my issue spots. The front four took a hit this week as DT Mick Stoltenberg will undergo a knee scope and miss this weeks game. That means red-shirt freshman Carlos Davis will get his first start in Mick's place. An already young and thin defensive line just got younger and thinner for this game. They held thier own against the run last week, but Wyoming will attack them with a number of different looks. With all that being said, the passing game is my biggest worry for our defense. The defensive line failed to put a lot of pressure on Fresno State's QBs last week, causing our struggling secondary to stay in coverage much longer than needed. The front four will really need to step up thier pressure throughout the year if our secondary is going to improve. I think the Cowboys will cause some headaches early on, but once the defense settles in, I don't think they'll have too many issues. Look for more outside blitzes from the safeties and corners to throw off Josh Allen. Huskers win 45-21.
I hope you all enjoyed my picks for this weekend! Let me know if there's any other games you'd like me to analyze. I also want to send a shout-out to former Husker FB Andy Janovich who scored a TD on his very first NFL carry last night while also DESTROYING top rated NFL linebackers with his blocks! GO BIG RED!!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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