Welcome to Week 9 of College Football my friends and readers. With the weather getting cooler, you can just wake up and feel football in the air! The Huskers are back in action this week, but there's a number of other games with playoff implications. This post has all of my breakdowns and predictions of the big games this week. Enjoy!
Week 8 Prediction Results: 6-4
Overall Prediction Results: 68-30
North Dakota State at South Dakota State
A powerhouse battle in the FCS is set to take place in Brookings, SD, which has drawn the attention of College Gameday! The Gameday Crew is in my home state of South Dakota for this one and they couldn't have picked a better matchup. These two teams are always battling for the top spot not only in the conference, but often times in the playoffs for the National Championship. The Bison are known for their success, and prove it yet again by bringing in a 7-0 record and averaging just under 40 points per game. Redshirt Freshman QB, Trey Lance, has thrown for more than 1,250 yards with 15 TDs and no interceptions so far this season. He leads a stellar rushing attack that features four players with at least 350 yards or more on the season thus far. Their opponents are averaging just 10 points per game and the Bison have 8 interceptions through seven games. They'll square off against the Jackrabbit attack, led by their own Redshirt Freshman QB, J'Bore Gibbs. Gibbs has 10 TD passes on the season and another 4 on the ground. He's supported by RB Pierre Strong and the Jacks rushing attack. Strong averages 8.3 yards per carry and is not easy to bring down. This has become quite the rivalry in recent years, and there's no way we don't get a show in this year's game. There's state pride on the line in this game, so y'all know where I'm going. SDSU wins a big one at home in a wild game, 31-30. GO JACKS!
#5 Oklahoma at Kansas State
Oklahoma hasn't been tested much other than Texas this season, and this is only their third road game of the year. The first two were at UCLA and Kansas, so it's not like they've been very worried. Overall, the statistics are heavily in their favor, but never underestimate those pesky Wildcats. Bill Snyder may be retired, but K-State is always capable of pulling off some Tomfoolery. The Power Cats are giving up just 18.7 points per game and rank 5th in the nation in Time of Possession. Their best chance of beating Lincoln Riley's offense is to keep them off the field, so expect a grinder in this one. Oklahoma loves to put up points on the scoreboard, but they may have fewer possessions to work with in this one. Still a comfortable win, but I'm not sure they'll quite cover the 24 point spread. Sooners win in Manhattan 35-14.
#13 Wisconsin at #3 Ohio State
Before the Illini upset the Badgers last week, this was shaping up to be the game of the year in the BIG 10. However, the Badgers stumbled and now we must question how much Ohio State will win by. Wisconsin should be competitive in this one, and I'm sure their defense will cause the Buckeyes some headaches, but Justin Fields and crew have been nearly impossible to stop. They're averaging just under 50 points per game and operate with tremendous balance on offense. Their defense is one of the best in the nation, giving up just 230 yards per game on average. Wisconsin relies heavily on their run game, with Jonathan Taylor leading the charge. Taylor has nearly 1,000 yards on the ground this season, with 15 TDs and a 6 yard per carry average. He'll need Jack Coan to step up, because the Buckeye run defense is for real. I think Justin Fields and Ohio State will prove why they are the best team in the nation with this game. Buckeyes 34, Wisconsin 17.
#15 Texas at TCU
The Horns survived a major scare from Kansas last week, but now travel to Fort Worth to take on Gary Patterson and the Frogs. TCU has not been as deadly as recent years so far in 2019, but never doubt his creativity. The Longhorns defense has been torched on numerous occasions this year, so look for TCU to go all out. They'll hang around for a while and could make this game interesting. However, in the end, Sam Ehlinger will be too much. This kid is a gamer and he won't go down easy. Ehlinger makes some key plays late and Texas wins this one 38-31.
#6 Penn State at Michigan State
This is the point in the season where Penn State traditionally flops and loses a couple of games after a very strong start. Their remaining road schedule starts in East Lansing, with Minnesota (surprising all sorts of people) and Ohio State looming in November. However, Penn State is looking to keep pace in the East this year, so this is a game they will need to win. Sparty's defense has been decent, but Lewerke and the offense has not panned out. They average less than 24 points per game, only 117 rushing yards per game, and 72nd in the nation for third down conversions. The Nittany Lions rank 16th in opponent third down conversion rate, which I think will be the telling story. If Sean Clifford can get in rhythm early, Penn State could put get to 30, but I would expect this game to be a grinder. Not a lot of action but gritty defense for sure. Penn State wins an important game on the road because of their third down defense 23-13.
Oklahoma State at #23 Iowa State
A couple of middle of the road Big XII teams square off in Ames as the Cowboys travel to the land of the Cyclones. Oklahoma State fell apart late against Baylor last week, and now have to deal with an Iowa State offense that averages 320 yards per game with their air raid and nearly 40 points per game. Brock Purdy is completing 70% of his passes this season and has 14 TDs and 4 interceptions. He's the key to the Cyclone offense, so look for Oklahoma State to bring pressure and keep him off balance. On the other side, I look back to OSU running back, Chuba Hubbard. The Sophomore standout has more than 1,200 yards with 15 TDs and a 6.5 yard per carry average. Once Mike Gundy figures out this kid needs the ball as much as possible, the Pokes will start winning some games. Iowa State defends their home turf with a 41-27 victory.
#9 Auburn at #2 LSU
The Tigers of the SEC West travel to Death Valley to take on the Tigers of the SEC West. Auburn and LSU clash as battle for the division crown starts to get heated. All eyes are on the Alabama-LSU game in two weeks, but don't forget about Auburn. Their defense is still tough, ranking 23rd in the nation in total defense and giving up just 17 points per game. They'll be up against the spectacular Joe Burrow and the LSU offense. They have been the biggest surprise of 2019, and with good reason. Joe Burrow has led this offense to average well over 500 yards and 50 points per game. Auburn's weakness on defense is their secondary, giving up 225 yards per game on average. I expect Burrow and crew to take full advantage of that. On the other side, we're expecting true freshman Bo Nix to keep pace with a high powered offense in Death Valley? I don't think so. LSU proves why they're a major playoff contender. The HOME Tigers win 46-21.
#8 Notre Dame at #19 Michigan
The Irish and the Wolverines are set to add another chapter in their historic rivalry under the lights in Ann Arbor. Michigan has not looked impressive this season, and Notre Dame is looking for some statement wins as they move into the second half of the season. Both teams play great defense, so I wouldn't expect any flashy scores at the end of this one. Michigan battled back against Penn State last week, so look for them to keep things close again. I think Notre Dame has the edge because of the QB play. Shae Patterson has not lived up to the hype, but Ian Book has been steady all year. He's completing nearly 64% of his passes and has only thrown two picks all season. He'll have to watch out for #44, Sophomore Linebacker Cameron McGrone, but I think Notre Dame should edge this out. Harbaugh never does well against rivals anyway. Irish 26, Wolverines 21.
Indiana at Nebraska
I'm going to be honest, I really don't know what to expect in this game. Indiana has won the games they were supposed to, but haven't been anything flashy. Nebraska is coming off their BYE week, so hopefully they'll be healthy and be ready to roll. The offense has been abysmal over the past few games. I believe the youth and lack of experience is really starting to weigh on this team, but the play calling has not been stellar in my opinion either. The Hoosiers rely heavily on their passing game, averaging over 300 yards per game. The QB-WR Duo of Michael Penix Jr. and Whop Philyor have accounted for 559 yards together. The Blackshirts will have their hands full, but they'll be wearing the alternative Blackshirt jerseys! Nebraska needs to win two more games to become bowl eligible and this one at home is one of their best chances. I'm not quite sure what we'll see tomorrow, but I think Nebraska will come out reset enough to win this game. It won't be pretty at times, but I think the defense steps up big and makes some key plays to swing the game. Huskers top the Hoosiers 27-23.
Now for some quick hit predictions on other interesting games:
UCF at Temple- The Owls will have faced three of the best teams in the American Conference in the past few weeks after this one. They beat Memphis, but couldn't hang with SMU. UCF's offense is getting back on track, and I think they'll have a good performance. Knights 36, Owls 21.
Virginia at Louisville- The Cardinals average as many points as they give up... not necessarily the best strategy. Their offense can move, and they'll put up some points because UVA's defense isn't as good as advertised. Virginia should handle this one without too many headaches. Cavaliers beat the Cardinals 31-24.
Arizona State at UCLA- This is an odd game in the PAC-12, but should be entertaining. The Sun Devils continue to let me down, and UCLA is starting to get things figured out. Bruins won't be able to slow down Eno Benjamin though, and ASU needs to bounce back to keep have a rebound shot in the South Division. Sun Devils win a pesky game 24-13.
Washington State at #11 Oregon- The Ducks defense has been dominant on defense this season, and are coming off a big win against rival Washington. They'll need to focus up quick with Anthony Gordon and the Wazzu Air Raid coming to town, because they've lost the last four to the Cougars. Don't sleep on this one, but Oregon should pull it out. Ducks 36, Cougars 28.
Thank you for reading all of my Week 9 Predictions and GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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