Week 7 in College Football is upon us and as we trudge through October, the stakes are getting higher each week. There are still a lot of one-loss teams in the Hunt for the playoffs, while the undefeated look to remain that way as conferences tighten up. This post will have all of my predictions on the interesting games of the week. There are a few potential upsets and some juicy, top 25 match-ups. I hope you all have as much fun watching football this weekend as I will, enjoy the predictions!
Week 6 Prediction Results: 8-4
Overall Prediction Results: 33-33
#14 Florida at Vanderbilt
The Gators are coming off of a major upset against LSU at home and have a big SEC East showdown with rival Georgia in 2 weeks. Headed into a BYE week, this is the perfect trap game for the Commodores to pull off a major upset. Vandy is a stingy team with a talented, experienced QB. They've struggled to keep up with teams since the Notre Dame loss, but this team is more than capable of an upset. After the Kentucky loss, Florida was more or less written off from Playoff and SEC contention. They've risen from the dead with big wins at Mississippi State and home against LSU in the past two weeks. The Gators offense hasn't been anything extraordinary this season, but Feleipe Franks has managed his game well, throwing for 1,122 yards with 13 TDs compared to just 4 picks so far this year. The true strength of the Gators is with their defense. They give up only 14.8 points per game and are second in the nation with a +11 turnover margin. This defense flies to the ball and puts a lot of pressure on opposing QBs with a variety of pressure packages. Dan Mullen should have this team ready to go, and I think they show up with a strong performance headed into their BYE week. The Gators haven't lost in Nashville since 1988, so there's some history on the line too. Might not be a flashy win, but Gators take care of business up in Nashville with a 30-14 victory. GATOR CHOMP!
#2 Georgia at #13 LSU
Staying with the SEC, there's a top 15 match-up taking place on the Bayou. LSU hosts the Bulldogs of Georgia as they look to bounce back from a road loss to the Gators. I tried to trust the Tigers, I thought they had proven their offense had taken a step forward under transfer QB Joe Burrow. I was wrong. Burrow completed less than 54% of his passes against the Gators and threw 2 interceptions, including the game clinching pick-6. Georgia's defense ranks 12th in takeaways (+6) and 6th in total defense, so I expect similar numbers from Burrow. The key to watch is LSU's defense against Jake Fromm and a dynamic Georgia offense. The Dawgs average just under 43 points per game and have an extremely balanced attack rushing for 245 on average and throwing for 240. They have so many weapons on their offense, including back-up QB Justin Fields. Fields has had opportunities to be used in this offense along with Fromm, and that QB-duo could cause headaches for a stout Tiger defense. Both QB's bring a change of pace, especially with Fields' rushing ability. Look for the use of both QBs in order to come out of Death Valley alive. Jake Fromm is still QB 1, but utilizing Fields on certain plays could really stretch out the LSU defense. Look for a steady dose of Elijah Holyfield too. I think the Dawgs keep rolling and take care of business on the road. Tough atmosphere, but Georgia wins 30-17.
#7 Washington at #17 Oregon
Out to the Pacific Northwest, the Pac-12 North division title is likely up for grabs between Oregon and Washington. Stanford is still in the mix, but after a beat down loss to Utah last week, the Cardinal have a lot to fix before they roll through the rest of their conference schedule. As for the Ducks, their overtime loss to the Trees could more or less be erased with a victory at home against the Huskies. Senior Justin Herbert is arguably the top QB for next year's draft, and he'll be faced with his toughest challenge yet. The Huskies give up only 13.7 points per game and just over 300 yards on average. They rank 12th in total defense in the nation and will be looking to slow down the speedy Oregon attack. The Ducks average more than 500 yards on offense per game, so it's a bit of a "speeding car vs. a brick wall" type of scenario in this match-up. Oregon is always tough at home and probably should've had the upset against the Cardinal earlier this season. This is a very difficult prediction to make because Oregon has showed the upset potential, and Autzen Stadium is never a good place for top ranked teams to play. The Ducks are also coming off of a BYE week, giving them extra time to prepare. The Huskies need this win to stay in the hunt for the CFB Playoffs, and I picked them to win the North this year. This one will be a really great game to watch, but I've got the Huskies edging out the Ducks. Their experience will pay dividends in this crucial road game, and with a nearly 4 difference on time of possession, I think that could make the difference. Last time Browning was in Eugene, he gave the Ducks the famous "point" as the Huskies put up 70 on them. Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin show why they are still one of the best duo's in CFB and Washington fights off the Ducks for a 27-25 victory.
Duke at Georgia Tech
The Blue Devils have disappeared since their loss to the Hokies after starting off the season 4-0, but they now travel to Atlanta to take on the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech. As always, Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets are going to run the triple option and run it well. They lead the nation with 373 yards per game on the ground and dominate time of possession with more than 32 minutes. The Blue Devils are coming off a BYE week following their loss, so you know they'll be ready to play. They give up just 123 yards per game on the ground, so we'll see how they handle the triple option. The best strategy against a team like Georgia Tech is to keep the ball out of their hands. I expect Duke to try and establish a ground game of their own, and try to keep it out of the hands of Georgia Tech. This is a tough road game for the Blue Devils and I'm just not sure they have the offense to keep up with Georgia Tech's pace. I'm taking the Yellow Jackets in this one as they win 45-28. Duke fooled us early, but they're still a basketball school.
#15 Wisconsin at #12 Michigan
A top 15 match-up in the BIG 10 has huge conference implications and possibly even some playoff effects. The 1-loss Badgers take on their mammalian cousin, the 1-loss Wolverines. With early losses in the season, both of these teams have strong cases for CFB Playoff contention if they win out. Wisconsin has a bit of a cushion having already beaten Iowa, giving them a 2 game lead in the division with the tiebreaker, but Michigan could put a chink in that armor with a win tonight. The Wolverines are trying to keep pace with Ohio State as they move into the meat of their schedule. Michigan hosts Wisconsin this week, travel to rival Michigan State next week and then have a BYE before hosting Penn State. If they want any chance at winning the division and possibly making the playoffs, they can only afford 1 slip up (BIG 10 title contention in mind) at most during that stretch. This is an interesting match-up because it throws one of the nation's best rushing attacks against the nation's top defense. This will be a hard-nosed, grind-it-out game. Michigan's defense gives up just 230 yards per game, so Wisconsin will need to get creative in order to spring Johnathan Taylor. Honestly though, for the Badgers to win this game, Alex Hornibrook needs to have the game of his life. Wisconsin's O-line is one of the best in the business, hands down, but Michigan's pass rush is tops as well. They will put a lot of pressure on Hornibrook, who typically is not the most accurate QB to begin with. I'm not sure he's going to be enough in this one, but I really don't want to trust Harbaugh to get a "big win", because that probably won't work out. Ugh, I'll trust my gut I suppose. Michigan wins this one with big defensive plays 24-20.
#19 Colorado at USC
Battle for control of the Pac-12 South Division will take place as the Buffs take on the Trojans in the Colosseum. Utah still may have something to say about the South Division title later this year, but as of right now, USC and the Buffs have the inside track. Colorado is in the toughest part of their schedule as they follow their trip to LA with a trip to Seattle. However, focusing on this game first will be crucial, because USC's defense is hungry for an upset. They've played better in recent games, but the Buffs offense is one of the best in the nation. They rank 18th in total offense in the nation and average nearly 500 yards of offense. The Buff's passing attack is led by the QB-WR duo of Steven Montez and Laviska Shenault Jr. Montez has thrown for over 1,400 yards with 11 TDs and 2 picks. He's also completing a national-best 75.2% of his passes. Shenault Jr. leads the nation with 141.6 yards per game and 6 TDs receiving. The Trojans will have their hands full with him as they give up an average of 218 yards per game through the air. I really like how well Colorado is playing this year and I think they'll take care of business this week. USC has some growing pains to go through with JT Daniels, and won't quite have enough to pull off the win today. They're favored at home, but I think Colorado will win this one. Buffaloes 35, Trojans 23.
#6 West Virginia at Iowa State
A blackout game in Ames is set as the #6 Mountaineers roll into town. Iowa State is coming off the heels of a big win on the road at Oklahoma State where 3rd-string QB, Brock Purdy, came in to throw for 318 yards, rush for 84 and account for 5 total TDs. Those Cyclone 3rd-stringers are absolute ballers I guess! Will Grier of West Virginia is a baller too, but he threw three redzone picks last week...against Kansas! To be fair, the Jayhawks actually rank 1st in the nation in turnover margin, but for a Heisman hopeful, that's not a performance you can afford to have too often. Iowa State is always upset-minded, but I think WVU will be ready to bounce back this week. The Cyclones do give up nearly 230 passing yards per game though, so Grier and company will have a lot of opportunities downfield. I'm sticking with the Mountaineers in this game, but they need to start stepping it up as their schedule gets tougher. WVU 39, ISU 20.
Nebraska at Northwestern
The Huskers travel to Northwestern to take on the rival Wildcats in the Battle of the NUs. This is always one of my favorite games of the year because these two teams are always fighting until the end. Last year's showdown went to Overtime and I expect another close one today. The Wildcats are coming off their best game of the year having knocked off Sparty on the road 29-19. Nebraska is trying to avoid their worst start in school history as Scott Frost is still looking for his first win. Once this team gets a victory, things will start to change very quickly in my opinion. Northwestern will have a heavy focus on the passing game as Clayton Thorson will be looking to torch the horrendous Blackshirt secondary. Thorson is completing nearly 63% of his passes and often plays quite well against the Huskers. The biggest issue is his ability to scramble out of the pocket. While not the best runner, Nebraska often makes him look like he was born for it. In the last 3 meetings, Thorson has 178 total rushing yards against the Huskers and 4 TDs on the ground. Nebraska will need to get pressure on him to ensure he doesn't make back-breaking conversions with his legs. David Blough hurt the Huskers on the ground earlier this season. For the Huskers, the offense flows through Adrian Martinez. Northwestern has a very experienced defense, especially with their linebackers and secondary. Martinez will be an important weapon in this game as Frost will look to spread the ball around yet again. I've really liked how the Nebraska offense has played in recent weeks, and I think this game will be a big step forward! Martinez leads Nebraska to their first victory of the season and the Huskers stay perfect in Evanston. Nebraska 26, Northwestern 24. GO BIG RED!
Now for some quick hit predictions for some other interesting games:
Iowa at Indiana- The Hawkeyes take their 4th ranked defense in the nation to Bloomington to square off against the Hoosiers. Indiana put up 20 on the first half against Ohio State last week, but Iowa's defense might not even allow that. Peyton Ramsey for Indiana will have some success early on, but I don't think it will last. Even though I hate to admit it, this Hawkeyes team plays some really good football. Nate Stanley has a big game and Iowa takes care of business on the road. Hawkeyes 30, Hoosiers 17.
Michigan State at #8 Penn State- Sticking with the BIG 10, we look to Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions host Sparty. It's hard to know which Michigan State team will show up, but you always need to be ready to play when they come to town. Sparty has won 4 out of the last 5 against Penn State. I don't think Trace McSorely could possibly lose two home games in a season, let alone a career, so I'm going with the Nittany Lions. McSorely could still be invited to NYC for the Heisman Ceremony. PSU 37, MSU 21.
#22 Texas A&M at South Carolina- Both teams are coming off of big wins last week as A&M knocked off my bandwagon team, the Kentucky Wildcats in Overtime and South Carolina beat Missouri on a last second field goal (I'm perfectly okay with that one). Ranked teams on the road are never in a good spot, but I think A&M has what it takes. They'll get enough pressure on Jake Bentley in this game to make the difference. Kellen Mond could struggle a bit, but Trayveon Williams and the Aggie ground game will get the victory. Aggies beat the Gamecocks 38-33.
UCLA at Cal- The Bruins travel to Berkeley to take on the Golden Bears. Cal is coming off back to back losses to Oregon and Arizona while Chip Kelly and the Bruins are still looking for their first win. I said Cal was my dark horse for upsets in the Pac-12 this season, but that hasn't quite panned out yet. If they can keep the turnovers to a minimum today, they should get back on track. UCLA has to wait one more week for their victory. Golden Bears beat the Bruins 30-20.
Hawai'i at BYU- The Cougars stout defense has disappeared over the past two weeks as they've given up 35 points to Washington and 45 points to Utah State. Tanner Mangum has been under constant pressure, and missing Squally Canada has really hurt their run game. The Rainbow Warriors are a very quiet 6-1 out in the middle of the Pacific, and Cole McDonald has 2,100 passing yards to go along with his 24:2 TD to INT ratio. Hawai'i and BYU are big rivals, so this should be a fun game to watch, but I like the Rainbow Warriors in this one. BYU's struggles continue at home and Hawai'i wins 40-28.
Thank you for reading my Gameday predictions and enjoy your Saturday of College Football! Be sure to let me know if you have any comments or questions and GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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