Week 2 Predictions

     Hello readers, I hope you're all ready for another great weekend of football! There are a lot of great match-ups this weekend, so here are 8 of my big games to watch and their predictions! Remember to tune into KRNU2 online every Tuesday from 7-8 pm to listen to my College Football Radio show, The Second String! Enjoy the predictions and please comment if you have any other games you'd like me to weigh in on!

Iowa at Iowa State (Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy)

     Saturday kicks off with a classic rivalry in the Mid-West. Iowa's defense looked much better than I imagined they would be last week when they held Josh Allen and Wyoming to just 3 points and just 233 total yards. Wadley ran for 116 yards but that was the primary highlight for the Hawkeyes as they only gained 263 total yards and lost 4 turnovers to the Cowboys. They Cyclones aren't too much to shake a stick at either, but I like to point out this game simply because of the rivalry. This game almost always comes down to the wire, and with two young teams, I expect it to be close. Watch ISU WR Allen Lazard closely in this one, I expect him to cause more headaches than anyone else for the Hawkeyes secondary. Iowa always seems to get around my picks, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the road. Stopping Akrum Wadley will be tough for the Cyclones, so Iowa probably wins this one. Close game, fun rivalry, probably not that impressive of a game though. Hawks 27, Cyclones 22.

Indiana at Virginia

     This game is one that I think has potential to be very good this afternoon. Most people probably wouldn't think to watch this game, but I like the match-up because the Cavaliers are on the rise. They may not turn a lot of heads, but this Virginia team has a solid offense lead by Senior QB Kurt Benkert, and could potentially cause some upsets this season. Bronco Mendenhall will look to right the ship in his second season as head coach, and I think Virginia could be dangerous under him. Indiana is a very similar team because they too aren't the strongest in their conference by any means, but have some very athletic play makers that should garner some national attention. Plus, first year head coach Tom Allen is one of my key new coaches to watch this season. He did wonders for the Hoosiers last year as their defensive coordinator, bringing them from the 121st ranked total defense in 2015 to the 45th total ranked defense in 2016. They started strong in 2017, but couldn't hold down the Buckeyes in the second half, so they'll definitely be looking for some vengeance. Again, I just really like this match-up and think it could be a really fun game to watch. I'm going to ignore the fact that Indiana refuses to start anyone at QB other than Richard Lagow, but with Diamont retiring from football at the end of last year, I guess he's their best choice. No matter what, I think this game comes down to defense and I'm giving the nod to Indiana. The Hoosier defense is lead by one of my top Linebackers in the nation, Tegray Scales. He racked up 12 tackles in the opener against Ohio State and causes havoc for every opposing OC and QB. Look for him to have a big game and lead the Hoosiers to a solid win on the road. Cavs fight tough, but Hoosiers win it 31-20.

#23 TCU at Arkansas

     The Horned Frogs travel to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks. Both teams won easily last week against Division 2 opponents, so this will be the first real test of the season for each team. QBs Kenny Hill and Austin Allen looked good last week, but will be playing much faster defenses this time around. Kenny Hill lead the Frogs to 542 total yards last week while passing for 4 TDs. He has a lot of weapons to utilize within Gary Patterson's system, so look for TCU to spread the ball around and keep Arkansas on their heels defensively. The Razorbacks will look to do what they normally do, run over, around and through anyone who stands in their way. Freshman RB Chase Hayden had 120 rushing yards on 14 attempts last week for the Hogs. He seems to be one of the feature backs, but did split carries with Sophomore Devwah Whaley and Senior David Williams. TCU was 74th against the run last season giving up 188 yards per game, so we'll see if they've improved at all. In the end, I think this game will come down to QB play and offensive fire power. I lean towards TCU with that because the Frogs can strike so quickly. I think Kenny Hill outplays Allen and the Horned Frogs win a tight one on the road. TCU 41, Arkansas 37.

#13 Auburn at #3 Clemson

     One of the big ranked match-ups of the weekend is a battle between Tigers. Auburn travels to Death Valley, SC to take on the reigning champs. This game features two dynamic QBs and some great defense. Ex-Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham leads Gus Malzan's high powered offense and has a lot of weapons at his disposal. Junior RB Kerryon Johnson rushed for 895 yards and 17 TDs a year ago, and is off to a solid start in 2017 with 136 yards from week 1. He'll be a key factor in today's match-up to take pressure off Stidham and keep the Clemson defense from blitzing so much. On the flip side, Junior QB Kelly Bryant will be making just his second start for Dabo, but will be a handful for Auburn to deal with. I thought he commanded the offense well in his debut, and his ability to run the ball will be crucial to Clemson's success this year. As usual, the Tigers (the ones that wear purple and orange) are quite formidable on defense. I expect them to get after the QB and cause lots of problems for Stidham early on in the game. I like the match-up on the outside too, Auburn has a lot of speed at receiver, so Clemson's secondary will be challenged. In the end, I think the home field advantage will be too much and Kelly Bryant will show why he's ready to fill Deshaun Watson's shoes. Clemson wins 38-27.

#15 Georgia at #24 Notre Dame

     The Bulldogs lost star QB Jacob Eason for the time being, so true Freshman Jake Fromm will get the start on the road in South Bend. Fromm looked solid as he took over last week for Eason, but this will be a much tougher opponent and a much tougher crowd. Look for the Bulldogs to heavily favor the ground game in this one, especially since Notre Dame gave up an average of 182 yards per game last season in 2016. Keeping 3rd down manageable will be crucial if Georgia wants to pull out a win in this game. Looking to the side of the Irish, Junior RB Josh Adams is the name to know. He carried the ball 19 times for 161 and 2 TDs last week against Temple, and looks to test Georgia's defense, especially with his speed. The Irish will have their own run defense to be in charge of however as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and crew are coming to town. I think this one will be a hard-nosed, ground and pound battle, heavily dependent on the trenches. Whichever line gets the most push late in the game. I think it's close, but I'll give the nod to Notre Dame for my uncle. Wouldn't be surprised either way, but the Irish beat the Bulldogs 24-20.

#14 Stanford at #6 USC

     Ten years removed from one of the most incredible upsets in College Football History, these two Pac-12 Titans are set to clash again. The Cardinal jumped onto the national stage after upsetting the Trojans at home in 2007, but now everyone knows their name. Both of these teams are lead by high powered offenses, specifically in the ground game. Stanford's Bryce Love has been doing his best Christian McCaffrey impression by rushing for 180 yards on just 13 carries thus far. With the Trojans giving up 263 yards rushing to Western Michigan last week, it could be fun to see how much Love is able to run around the Coliseum tonight. On the other side, Ronald Jones II is back looking to improve on his Sophomore year numbers, and already has 159 and 3 TDs to show for it. Oddly enough, Trojan QB Sam Darnold didn't look the most impressive last week, throwing two picks. He'll have his hands full with a very tough Stanford defense that loves to take advantage of mistakes. His opponent, Senior QB Keller Chryst already looks improved from last year, but USC's defense isn't no slouch. I think this game comes down to who commits the turnovers and who can get the most stops, because these offenses will be rolling! I honestly expect quite a few points early on in this contest. Great game for Saturday night, and I'm going with the Cardinal. I think Bryce Love will be too much for USC to handle and Stanford comes away with a 33-23 win.

#5 Oklahoma at #2 Ohio State

     The big game of the week takes place in Columbus, OH as the Sooners travel to take on the Buckeyes. Two of the most dynamic QBs and offenses in all of college football face off as the Sooners look to avenge last year's blowout loss in Norman. Baker Mayfield is arguably the most athletic QBs in the nation, and will likely cause all sorts of headaches for a Buckeyes defense who gave up 420 yards passing to Richard Lagow and the Indiana offense last week. Mayfield will be looking for those holes the Hoosiers found last week, so Ohio State's secondary better be ready. The big target to watch is Junior TE Mark Andrews. He's a nightmare for defenses at 6'5, 254 and soft hands. Andrews caught 7 passes for 134 yards and 1 TD last week, and is definitely Mayfield's favorite target. Ohio State's young safeties will have to play really well to hold down Andrews tonight. On offense for Ohio State, JT Barrett will need to take care of the ball because OU's young, but talented defense will be looking to create lots of turnovers. Barrett struggles throwing the short and mid-range passes, and with expected pressure from the Sooner defense, that's where I see a couple of picks happen. Rising star RB JK Dobbins will probably be leaned on heavily as he rushed for 181 yards on 29 carries last week in his debut. This will be a high scoring game, and Mayfield will keep the Sooners in it, but in the end, I don't think their defense can make the key stops against the Buckeyes. Ohio State wins a good one at home 40-34.

Nebraska at Oregon

     The first big road test for the Huskers comes against the revived Ducks out in Oregon. I have a lot of family ties with this game as my Great-Uncle taught at U of O and one of my cousins went to school there. However, my Huskers are coming to town, and that's not good news for them! Yes, Oregon has a lot of speed, just like normal, and yes, they did score 77 points last week. The Huskers, and Blackshirts especially, will have their hands full this afternoon. My biggest key to the game is containment on the edge and fighting off blocks. Last week, the secondary really struggled against blocking on the edge, and the containment of the quick passes. I know Husker fans weren't very impressed last week, nor was I, but you can't judge everything off of the first game. There are a lot of new people playing in new positions with a new system. There's no way to have a solid performance with that. I'm excited to see what adjustments are made and how our team comes out against that speedy duck offense! On the other side, Tanner Lee and the offense looked really good last week. Tre Bryant is clearly the number one back carrying the ball 31 times for 192 yards in week 1. I personally would like to see the touches spread out just a little bit more, hopefully saving Bryant's body for the inevitable bumps and bruises that will come with BIG 10 play. We'll see if Wilbon and Ozigbo get some touches today. Looking back at Lee, making reads and hitting his spots will be crucial this week. He got away with a couple close passes last week against Arkansas State, but I can assure you Oregon's defense won't be dropping as many picks. Wideouts will have much tighter coverage on them, so hopefully we'll see more route patterns, that was something I thought lacked a week ago. The O-line will be tested with more speed and a possible new starter. RT David Knevel has been in a boot all week, so redshirt FR Matt Farniok will likely get the start, I'm excited to see how he does! Finally, the Huskers will need a healthy dose of Special Teams if they want to win this one in Autzen. JD Spielman will be looking to run another one back, and Drew's leg could be the deciding factor! Kick and Punt Coverage needs to improve drastically from a week ago. I've got my Huskers winning a fun one in Eugene. Nebraska 40, Oregon 36.

     Some other interesting games to watch this week are Pitt at #4 Penn State, a great rivalry with the Battle for the Beehive Boot (Utah at BYU), and Boise State at #20 Washington State. I hope you all have a great Saturday and enjoy some fantastic College Football! GO BIG RED!

#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando