Saturday games haven't even started yet and not 1, but 2 top ten teams have fallen already this weekend! The slate of games looked a bit lackluster heading into Week 7, but that's when the best upsets tend to happen! Just last night, #2 Clemson fell to Syracuse on the road and #8 Washington State was demolished by a sneaky Cal team up in Berkeley. I have to eat my words a little bit because I've been talking up the Cougars quite a bit, especially on my radio show. However, that's the beauty of College football, a team can look Playoff bound one week and then look absolutely atrocious the next. Regardless of what I thought of Wazzu before, they're done now, and the Cougars and Tigers might not be the only top ten teams to fall today! Let's get to my game predictions!
#6 TCU at Kansas State
The Horned Frogs are coming off of a big win against WVU at home and are the front runners to win the Big XII. Plus, with Clemson and Wazzu losing, the door has been opened a bit wider for them to jump fully into the Playoff Picture! Could they be in jeopardy of falling into a trap game up in Manhattan? Jesse Ertz leads the Wildcat offense with 930 pass yards and 336 rushing yards. He doesn't have many weapons to attack the TCU defense with, so most of the production will probably fall on Ertz yet again. I think TCU sees their opportunity to fully take over the Big XII conference and will be able to key in on Ertz to shut him down. Their offense might be a step slow after the big game last week, so turnovers will be crucial to watch in this one. K-State sticks around for a while, but I've got the Horned Frogs winning 35-24 in the end.
#17 Michigan at Indiana
The Wolverines fell to their "Little Brother" last week at home, and now they have to go on the road to Bloomington where the Hoosiers are looking to end a 30 year drought against the Wolverines. Michigan's offense is absolutely horrible, but their defense should keep them in striking distance for every game. However, defense is only going to get you so far with the high powered offenses left on the schedule. Indiana has changed QBs (THANK GOODNESS), and their offensive production has picked up. I think this will end up being a low scoring game though, because Michigan's defense will be coming after the young QB early and often in this game. Peyton Ramsey will need to keep up his efficiency to beat the Wolverines in this one, but through a couple of games he's throwing an impressive 68.5% completion rating. On the other side, Michigan's porous offense has to face off against a better than people think Hoosier defense. Their defense is lead by LB Tegray Scales, who became the Hoosiers first All-American Linebacker since 1987. Be sure to watch out for #8 in Crimson because he'll be coming after O'Korn in this game. The Wolverines struggle mightily on the offensive line and the lack of a productive rushing attack will force O'Korn to drop back and try to pass against a defense that has recorded 14 sacks thus far on the season. The last couple seasons have been tight games between these too, and the Hoosiers could definitely pull this upset at home! Michigan has too many issues and with Penn State looming in the distance next week, they may forget about Indiana. I think they bounce back from the loss to Michigan State, but I'll say the Hoosiers keep it close. Michigan 20-14.
#10 Auburn at LSU
The Tiger Rivalry takes place down in Death Valley this year. Auburn walks in with one of the best defenses in the nation, giving up just 13 points per game and 287.5 total yards on average. LSU is coming off a narrow win in the swamp, basically saving their season. This will likely be a low scoring game, because LSU only give up 18.8 points on average. Auburn has a very dynamic offense with Jarrett Stidham at QB, but the best defense they've faced this year was Clemson, and those Tigers held them to 6 points and Stidham had just 79 yards passing. Will Auburn struggle against another Tiger defense today? It's definitely possible, but they have more weapons than Florida used against LSU. Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson has 504 yards rushing on the season thus far, but an Nation-leading 12 TDs! LSU will be challenged by Auburn's run game, especially because Troy and Mississippi State ran all over the Purple & Gold. I think Auburn wins in another close fight between the Tigers, but LSU doesn't have enough to break through that defense. The AUBURN Tigers win this one 19-13.
Georgia Tech at #11 Miami
If you're looking for an upset pick this week, Georgia Tech is a good one to consider! The Canes are coming off a huge win at their arch rival Florida State, where they snapped a 7 game losing streak. Now they return home and have to face one of the top rushing team in the nation as the Yellow Jackets walk in averaging an insane 396 yards on the ground per game. Yes, they run the triple option, but they've been running it well. I'm still scratching my head (I'm sure they are too) as to how they lost that opener to Tennessee. The Yellow Jackets are one of the most experienced teams in the nation, and their defense is only allowing 260 yards and 19 points per game on average. The Canes lost their best offensive weapon in RB Mark Walton for the season after an injury last week, and WR Ahmmon Richards is questionable with a Hamstring injury. This will hurt the Canes' offensive production greatly, and against a team like Tech, you need to score when you can. They lead the nation in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of nearly 37 minutes per game. Miami won't have the ball much in this game, so they'll need to make the most of their opportunities. Paul Johnson and the Jackets haven't won in Miami under his watch, so we'll see what they can do today. I want to see the upset, but Georgia Tech disappointed me once this year... can I really pick them again? Yes, yes I can. Watch out for the Ramblin' Wreck in the ACC Coastal! Georgia Tech finally beats the Canes 30-21.
Red River Rivalry
#12 Oklahoma vs. Texas
The Red River Rivalry is upon us yet again! As a Husker, its my natural instinct to hate both of these teams, but no matter what I feel, this always turns out to be a great game. One of the most classic rivalries in all of College Football is set to take place this afternoon in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma is trying to recover from the stunning loss to Iowa State at home last week while Texas looks to remain undefeated in conference play and keep pace with TCU in the race for the Big XII. The QB battle will be one to watch in this game as Baker Mayfield looks to recover from being swarmed last week for 2 sacks and lots of pressure. The other QB in this game is young Sam Ehlinger for the Longhorns. Ehlinger is just a Freshman, but he's playing phenomenally, throwing for 900 yards so far this season with 5 TDs and 3 picks. He also rushed for over 100 yards on the ground last week at K-State, so watch out for his dual threat ability. I would love to see OU go down yet again, but after the shock last week, it'd be hard to pull the upset. However, Texas' passing attack has been deadly over recent weeks with Ehlinger in, and OU has given up over 800 yards passing over their past two games. I think this one could turn into a shootout down south! I would love to say Hook'em (in context of course, not for any other reason), but I think Mayfield shows his Heisman caliber and pulls this one out. Boomer Sooner wins the Red River Rivalry 37-33.
#9 Ohio State at Nebraska
The Huskers are coming off a big loss at home to Wisconsin a week ago, and now we get Ohio State. This does not look or sound fun at all. I'm optimistic for the Huskers to upset, but I'm not necessarily confident. Ohio State has started hitting their stride on both sides of the ball while Nebraska still can't figure out any rhythm on offense. If Nebraska is going to win this game, they need to capitalize on their opportunities. Last week against Wisconsin, the Badgers made more mistakes than they had all season, but Nebraska did not take advantage of them. Much like Wisconsin, Ohio State does not make many mistakes. Nebraska needs to keep pace if they have a shot in this game. No matter what, Lincoln is never an easy to play at, especially at night. Besides, last time OSU came to town, the Huskers had their largest comeback in school history to win 34-27 in the rain. It's supposed to rain today, so we'll see what happens! Hopefully Nebraska can just beat them outright. It'll be tough, but I'll take my Huskers in the upset! 30-28 Nebraska! GO BIG RED!
Here are some Quick Hit games to watch that could get interesting:
#24 Texas Tech at West Virginia- The Red Raiders have one of the highest scoring offenses over the past few season when they face anyone not named WVU. The Mountaineers have TTU's number and I think they'll keep it. WVU bounces back from the loss at TCU last week and wins a shootout in Morgantown. The teams are a little chippy before the game too, so you know this will be a good one! WVU 38, TTU 34.
Baylor at #14 Oklahoma State- Another Big XII game with a potential for a lot of points. We know the Pokes are going to score as Mason Rudolph looks to continue his insane year with nearly 2,000 passing yards already. The spread is 27 on this game, but I'm going to take the under on that. Zach Smith and the Baylor offense isn't what it used to be, but they can still put up points and OSU gives up an average of nearly 370 yards and 26 points per game. Bears keep it closer than 27 easy in my book. Pokes still win it though 44-28.
#25 Navy at Memphis- The Midshipmen are back in the rankings but I'm not sure it will last long. QB Riley Ferguson has that Tigers offense humming as they put up 70 last week on UConn. This looks to be a higher scoring game though, as Navy puts up an average of 37.2 points per game and the Tigers defense isn't the best, giving up 35.2 per game. Navy is favored by 3.5, but I've got Ferguson leading the upset! Memphis wins 38-35.
Utah at #13 USC- Possible trap game for the Trojans? The Notre Dame Rivalry looms in the distance and Darnold played better last week. Utah is coming off their first loss of the season to Stanford last week, and their offensive struggles could carry over. If they win, it'll be because of their defense. The Utes have 9 picks so far this season, so Darnold will really need to take care of the ball. I think USC has their mind right after the Wazzu upset and they're able to take care of Utah today. Trojans beat the Utes 33-17.
#21 Michigan State at Minnesota- Tough, defensive game. I don't see many points in this game, but Lewerke and Michigan State should be fine. Their defense is too much to handle for the Gophers and Minnesota struggles a little too much on offense. I'm sticking with Sparty in a solid performance today. Michigan State wins on the road 23-10.
#5 Washington at Arizona State- The Huskies haven't won in Tempe since 2001! This could be a difficult road test as Washington is somewhat cruising right now. They're playing very good football and Jake Browning has looked better than ever. The biggest change for Washington is the emergence of their rushing attack under Myles Gaskin. If they can get him going early on, ASU won't have a shot. The 18 point spread is dangerous (other top teams found that out), but I think the Huskies should be fine. They get their first win at ASU in 16 years! Huskies 39, Sun Devils 17.
Thanks for reading and get ready for the upset tonight! GO BIG RED!!
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