Another weekend of football is upon us and I am beyond excited to see my Huskers get back to work on their undefeated season. I have another great selection of games to give predictions on, so I hope you're all ready to sit back and relax with some football tomorrow! Here are my picks for week 7, enjoy!
#20 West Virginia at Texas Tech
This is an interesting match-up in the Big XII because WVU looks to continue their unbeaten season while Texas Tech looks to get back into the Big XII title chase. I honestly don't expect the ball to touch the ground much in this game, because we are going to be watching two of the best passing attacks in the nation. The Mountaineers average 318 passing yards per game, and the Red Raiders average a national best, 554 passing yards per game. Obviously TTU has the advantage based on the numbers, but WVU's more balanced offense could cause issues for the Red Raider defense. I would bet on a lot of points in this one, because both teams score a lot, but also give up a lot of scores. Turnovers will play a huge factor in a game like this, because one extra possession could put the game away with an extra score. I would like to see the Mountaineers continue their winning streak and compete for a Big XII title, but a road trip to Lubbock will not be easy. Patrick Mahomes already has 20 passing TDs on the season for the Red Raiders, and this will be West Virginia's first road game of the year. Expect a shoot out, and it could go either way, but I'll give the edge to the home team. Red Raiders 57, West Virginia 49.
#1 Alabama at #9 Tennessee
The Crimson Tide survived their trip to Arkansas, but now have to go back on the road, and this time up to Knoxville. Tennessee is coming off of their double OT loss at Texas A&M, and are looking to get back on track towards the Playoff. The Vols' ability to fight back into games after sub-par first half performances has been incredible all season long. Sadly for them, their magic came to an end in College Station. Tennessee should get RB Jalen Hurd back for this game, which will be a big factor as they look to control the clock and keep the ball away from the Tide. Alabama's defense is only giving up an average of 70 yards rushing per game, so Tennessee will have their work cut out for them when running the ball today. This will be the toughest test yet for Bama, especially with Tennessee's comeback ability. I think this game will be very similar to the Texas A&M-Tennessee game last week. Turnovers and QB play will be my key factors to watch in this game. Joshua Dobbs had two interceptions last week, including the game ending one in double OT. Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has done very well at taking care of the football so far this season, only throwing two picks thus far. We'll see which QB rises to the challenge and to the top of Rocky Top. I would love to see the Vols pull the upset and cause all sorts of havoc in the top 10, but I think Alabama is too strong on defense to allow a big comeback. They lead the SEC in sacks with 24, and the Vols lead the SEC in giving up sacks with 12. Protecting Joshua Dobbs will be important, but difficult. If Tennessee wants to win this one, they will need to keep it close all game long. I'll stick with the Tide in this one 35-23, but it will be tighter than the score says.
Stanford at Notre Dame
Normally, this is one of the biggest games to watch, and often has playoff implications attached to it. This year, it's not quite the case with these teams. Both the Fighting Irish and the Cardinal have struggled tremendously through the first half of the season, and this rivalry game is being looked at as a key win to get to a bowl game for both teams. Stanford has given up over 40 points in its last two games, and star RB Christian McCaffrey has hardly been a factor in any game this season. For Notre Dame, their entire season has had a number of issues. Lots of turnovers on offense are causing field position issues for a defense that gives up over 400 yards and nearly 30 points per game. You never know how to predict a rivalry game, but with how these teams have played this season, I'm not really sure how to look at this game. Defense is the biggest question mark for both teams, so whichever one steps up will be the winner. Notre Dame will have better weather this week, and since they're at home, I'll give them the edge in this game. You could probably toss a coin on this one, but I'll go with the Irish in a 30-24 win.
North Carolina at #16 Miami
These two ACC Coastal foes square off in Miami, both coming off of some devastating losses. The Tar Heels enter this game after the 34-3 beat down they suffered to the Hokies at home last week. UNC QB Mitch Trubisky threw his first two picks of the season last week, so look for him to try and get back on track against the Hurricanes. Speaking of the Hurricanes, their undefeated season came to an end last week when arch-rival Florida State blocked the game-tying PAT with just over a minute left. Miami struggled to move the ball last week, coming away with only 276 total yards, and they lost the Time of Possession battle by nearly 14 minutes. Even with the offensive struggles, Miami played a pretty good game last week, holding FSU to only 20 points, but most of those points were given up in the second half, allowing FSU to complete their comeback win. The Tar Heels' numbers against VT were very similar to Miami's against FSU (131 total yards, lost the TOP battle by 20 minutes). Jumping back to the match-up between UNC and Miami, I think the big key to the game is going to be penalties and the rushing attacks. Both teams have struggled with penalties (Miami had 10 last week and UNC had 8), allowing teams to continue their long drives (big reason both teams are losing TOP battles). My other key is the rushing attacks, we know that both Trubisky and Kaaya will be playing their best, so I'm looking at the running backs. Elijah Hood is one of the best kept secrets in the country, but part of that is because the Tar Heels are not using him nearly as much as they should. UNC's struggles stem from a lack of a rushing attack, so look for Hood to start getting more carries if they want to win. Miami's running back Mark Walton has nearly 500 yards on the ground this year and 8 TDs. With UNC giving up nearly 230 yards rushing per game, expect Walton to have a big game and lead the Hurricanes to victory. I'll take Miami in this one, 35-17.
#12 Ole Miss at #22 Arkansas
This is one will be a fun one to watch in the SEC West. Arkansas has struggle to run the ball this season, which has caused issues when facing their top tier opponents. Ole Miss has struggled to hold late leads and are trying to get back into the division title chase. Defense will be a big factor in this game, because the Hogs have had difficulties stopping high-powered offenses, and the Rebels have struggled to maintain their leads late in games. Turnovers are key in this one, because the Razorbacks will not be able to keep it close if they give Chad Kelly too many opportunities. Ole Miss averages nearly 500 yards per game and 42 points, while the Hogs are around 450 and 35 respectively. I would imagine a good amount of points are going to be scored in this one, so look for another shootout down in the SEC. I'll stick with Chad Kelly and the nearly unstoppable Rebel offense, but if Arkansas gets the ball moving on the ground, this could turn into a tight one. Rebels 42, Razorbacks 31.
Arizona State at Colorado
This is one of my highlight matches to watch out West. Huge divisional implications in the PAC-12 South. These two teams sit atop the division (also tied with Utah), so this will be a big game to get a step up. I would expect a lot of points in this game as well, because both teams have tremendous talent on offense. Arizona State is averaging 435 yards per game and 40 points, Colorado is averaging 505 yards per game and 39 points. The big question in this game is Colorado's run game against Arizona State's rush defense. The Buffs are averaging nearly 200 yards on the ground per game, but the Sun Devils are only giving up 90. A steady run game is key to winning the TOP battle, so look for that to play a big factor. Turnovers are key too, because with how much these offenses score, you don't want to give them an edge. I'll go with the Buffs because I have them as my dark horse in the South, plus they're at home. Last time the Sun Devils went on the road, they lost to USC 41-20. I've got the Buffaloes in a barn-burner, 45-37l
UCLA at Washington Sate
Another big game in the PAC-12 takes place up North on the campus of Wazzu. The Cougars look to continue their conference win streak so they can compete with the arch rival Huskies. UCLA has struggled through this first half of the season, mostly because their stellar offensive attack has not been so stellar. Coming into the season, they were predicted to have one of the top offensive attacks in the nation, but they're only averaging 26.8 points per game. With QB Josh Rosen being a game time decision, I don't see the Bruins standing much of a chance. The Cougars are averaging nearly 44 points per game and 530 yards of offense. QB Luke Falk has over 1800 passing yards and an impressive 16:4 TD to INT ratio. I don't think UCLA's struggling offense will be able to keep up with the Cougars, and that bodes well for the winner of ASU-Colorado. I'm going with Wazzu 38-21.
#2 Ohio State at #8 Wisconsin
The big game of the week takes place up in Madison, WI. The match-up between the Badgers and the Buckeys not only has BIG 10 implications, but also has Playoff implications on both teams. Wisconsin looks to get back into the picture after their tough loss at the Big House a couple weeks ago. This time they're at home, and they get one of the best offensive attacks in the nation. JT Barrett leads the Buckeyes into Camp Randall with a 64.2% completion rating, but he will be facing off against one of the best defenses in the country. He struggled through the air against the Hoosiers last week, only completing 9 passes for 93 yards, but he had over 100 yards rushing. The Badgers only give up 90 on the ground and 12 points per game, so expect a hard-nosed, low scoring affair in this one. The Badgers can slow down anyone, but they cannot move themselves on offense. They only average 26 points per game, which is why I believe that if any team gets 2, maybe 3 scores or more, they will beat Wisconsin. The Badgers just aren't built to hang in higher scoring matches because their offense is so sluggish. Looking at the Buckeys, their offense is one of the most efficient in the nation. As a Husker fan, it would help a lot if the Badgers lost, so Nebraska could have an extra game on them, but either way, the Huskers have to play both of these powerhouses on the road. Camp Randall at night is never an easy task, but I think JT will sneak out with the victory. A couple of key scrambles to keep drives alive could be the difference in this one. Like I said, if you score 2-3 times against the Badgers (not an easy task), you probably have enough points to beat them. Could go either way, but I'll go with the Buckeyes in a tight, 20-16 victory.
#10 Nebraska at Indiana
The Huskers come out of their BYE week and head to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers. There has been a lot of talk about upsets and Nebraska not deserving their #10 ranking this past week, so here are my thoughts on both. First off, with the ranking, they never mean that much to myself, but I'm not upset with the ranking. It's always fun to see your team in the top 10 (I personally see us around #12 still) but two spots really don't make that much of a difference at this point in the season. Looking over to the game, the upset potential is there, but I don't think that it's quite as likely as a lot of people are saying (not just because I love my Huskers, I have facts and reasoning to back it up).
Indiana is never an easy team to play, especially in Bloomington, because they have one of the best offenses in the nation. They consistently push the pace of the game and put up a lot of points on the board. This year, they're numbers don't quite reflect that offensive power, but they are never one to overlook. Nebraska is still a little banged up, but do return a number of key players for this game. I think the Hoosiers will hang around for a while, just like they did at Ohio State last week, but in the end Nebraska will wear them down and take over in the 4th as they have done all season long. Indiana's defense has improved drastically since the last few seasons, and new D-Coordinator Tom Allen has the Hoosiers competing in every game. They held OSU to 93 passing yards last week, but the problem was the rushing attack. JT Barrett alone had 137 yards, and Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong loves to run. I expect Tommy to be used a lot on the ground today, keeping the ball away from Indiana's offense. He won't have Devine Ozigbo, but Terrell Newby looks to carry the load while Mikale Wilbon and Tre Bryant mix in to give Newby some breaks. I don't expect Nebraska's offense to slow down much in this game, but they need to come out sharp. The last few games have taken a couple of quarters for the Huskers to wake up. When Indiana averages over 450 yards per game, you don't want to fall behind. Turnovers are key, because Nebraska is finally positive in the turnover margin in a season. Look for the Blackshirts to come after Richard Lagow and cause him to throw under pressure. RB Devine Redding will be a player to watch, but Nebraska's steady run defense should contain him. Nebraska improves to 6-0 and wins this game 35-20.
Some other interesting games to watch today are NC State at Clemson and Northwestern at Michigan State! I hope you all enjoyed my picks and have a wonderful Saturday of football! GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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