Week 9(ish) Predictions

      Hello football fans and welcome to week 9! This would've been week two for the Huskers, but after a Covid-19 outbreak for the Badgers, the game has been cancelled, leaving HuskerNation in a frustrated state yet again. This fire was stoked more by the BIG 10's denial of the Nebraska proposal to play Tennessee Chattanooga in place of the cancelled Wisconsin game. Unfortunately, thanks to some handy data analysis from my colleague Matt Waite, it may have been a good thing for the Huskers to avoid those pesky Badgers. Not saying I don't want Husker football, I just know it usually doesn't end well when Nebraska and Wisconsin meet. Matt crunched the numbers and the data says the prediction model still favors the Badgers, even with just running the ball. Check it out here and get a glimpse of what our Sports Media students learn in Matt's data analysis classes! Now, onto the predictions for the week!

Week 8(ish) Record: 10 - 4

Overall Record: 10 - 4

Boston College at #1 Clemson

     The Tigers will be without star QB Trevor Lawrence as he tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week. The Eagles have struggled to replace AJ Dillion at running back this year, but Sophomore QB Phil Jurkovec has the passing attack humming with an average of 278.5 yards per game. Nonetheless, the Tiger defense and my man Travis Etienne should handle this game just fine and Clemson wins 38-21.

Michigan State vs. #13 Michigan

     The Wolverines looked really good last week, dominating Minnesota on the ground in the season opener. Sparty did not fare so well in Mel Tucker's debut and fell to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Rivalries are always tricky, but Michigan shouldn't have any issues in this game. I don't think Mel Tucker was the right move for Sparty. Wolverines win it 35-14.

#16 Kansas State at West Virginia

     The Wildcats are sitting atop the Big XII conference and have a big date with the Cowboys from Stillwater looming next week. This is an easy trap game to fall into as the Mountaineers come in with 24th best run defense in the nation and are looking to bounce back from a close loss to the Red Raiders. Could be a tight game in this one, but I like K-State to make it through unscathed. Wildcats win 31-28.

Memphis at #7 Cincinnati

     The Bearcats dominated SMU last week to take a commanding lead in the American Conference. However, there's no days off in this conference as the Tigers roll into town behind senior QB Brady White and his 17 TD passes. I would expect some points in this game, but Cincy shut down the Mustangs' passing attack last week, and I expect their defense to step up again. Also, can someone please add Desmond Ridder to their Hesiman list?! Bearcats 37, Tigers 28.

Purdue at Illinois (Purdue Cannon Trophy)

     The BIG 10 season is rolling and the Boilermakers are looking to make a push for the West Division crown. Illinois is looking to get back on track, and they have a talented enough offense to do it. Brandon Peterson has experience and weapons to use, but execution was an issue against Wisconsin last week. As for the Illini defense, they may have to deal with the return of Rondale Moore. Purdue also has a new weapon in 6'3 230 RB Zander Horvath. Look for him to have a big game and the Boilermakers to win the cannon and go 2-0 to start the season. Purdue wins 31-21.

#17 Indiana at Rutgers

     The Hoosiers are coming off of one of their biggest upsets in school history with one of the most insane finishes you will ever see. They have a sneaky trap game against the Scarlet Knights before hosting Michigan next week, and Rutgers would love to upset them. Ex-Husker Noah Vedral leads the way for Rutgers, but the feature QB to watch will be Michael Penix Jr. Hoosiers win big 35-17.

LSU at Auburn

     The annual battle of the SEC West Tigers doesn't have as much kick as previous years. Both teams have really struggled this year and neither look to be much of a threat to Bama down the road. This one is a toss up, but I'll go with LSU since Bo Nix has been god awful in his sophomore year. LSU wins a very messy game 38-33.

Northwestern at Iowa

     The Wildcats are another team that could get a major leg up in the division with a win, and they travel to Kinnick stadium to square off against the Hawkeyes. Iowa snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week after giving up a late score to Purdue, losing that game 24-20. The Wildcats are led by ex-Hoosier Peyton Ramsey at QB, and he had that offense cruising to 45 points. I don't think they'll score quite as much, but they will win this game and their defense will be a big reason why. Wildcats make me happy and knock Iowa down another peg with a 31-20 victory.

Texas at #6 Oklahoma State

     The Longhorns are looking to fight their way back into the Big XII Championship picture, but that only happens by going through the undefeated Pokes. Oklahoma State has been tremendous on defense this year, giving up just an average of 12 points per game. They shut down the Cyclones and Brock Purdy last week, but the Horns and Sam Ehlinger will be a different task. They should be up to it and Chuba Hubbard should take advantage of his opportunities for a big day. Pokes win 34-28.

Virginia Tech at Louisville

     The Hokies were knocked off by Wake Forest last week while the Cardinals got back on track with a big win over the Seminoles. Hendon Hooker threw three picks (to the same WF player) last week, and will need to be sharp in this one to avoid more turnovers. Neither defense is great, but the Hokie defense has to deal with my hidden gem of the season, Javain Hawkins. Hawkins has just under 700 yards on the ground so far this season with 6 TDs and a bruising 6 yard per carry average. He has another big night and Louisville knocks down VT in a surprising 38-35 win.

Mississippi State at #2 Alabama

     This marks the first ever meeting between legendary coaches Mike Leach and Nick Saban. The Tide have been rolling, but now will be without Jaylen Waddle for the rest of the year. On defense, they haven't been their dominant selves, giving up an average of 427 yards per game, 280 of which come through the air. Speaking of the air raid, there's no way you can't mention the Pirate himself. Leach's offense is all about picking apart opposing secondaries and KJ Costello looked like the man for the job in game one against LSU. He's thrown 10 picks on the season already though, and that won't work against Bama. The Tide roll again 45-21.

Arkansas at #8 Texas A&M

     The Aggies have a chance to run the table with the rest of their schedule and make a push for the CFP. They'll need impressive wins to make that happen though, and there's not many teams better for that to happen against than the Hogs. Feleipe Franks hasn't been the same as he was when he was a Gator and the Razorback offense won't have much room to work in this one. Aggies win 42-28.

#15 North Carolina at Virginia

     The Heels are still looking to get back on track since that big upset from FSU, but the Cavaliers are not the easiest 1-4 team. The team is young, but they've put up points and can hang around in games. Sam Howell should take care of business eventually though, and UNC wins 36-28.

#3 Ohio State at #18 Penn State

     There's no White Out this year, but Happy Valley will still host a good game between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions. Penn State fell to the Hoosiers on the final of overtime last week, despite out-playing 
Indiana on offense. The Buckeyes rolled Nebraska after a sluggish start and will look to continue their dominance with Justin Fields and the deadly downfield passing. The rushing attack was rusty for the Buckeyes, and this bodes well for the Nittany Lions who have a brutal pass rush with Shaka Toney. He'll be up against one fo the best offensive lines in the nation, and I don't think Sean Clifford can keep up with the production of Fields. Clifford played very well against Indiana, but he doesn't have enough weapons to help him out. Justin Fields is phenomenal yet again and the Buckeyes win 43-28.

Thank you for reading my game day predictions and I hope you all have a fantastic Saturday of CFB!

#CFBKnowItAll

Alex Fernando

Week 8(ish) Reflections

      Alrighty Football Fans, it's that time of the week to give my reflections on the Husker game and the previous week of all CFB in general. This post will cover all of that and highlight some key happenings from the weekend I believe everyone should know about. Read on to see my full analysis of Nebraska vs. Ohio State!

     The Buckeyes did exactly what was expected of them by blowing out Nebraska 52-17 last Saturday on the opening weekend of BIG 10 football. To be honest, the game played out exactly as I had imagined, with the Huskers showing a strong, first-half performance, only to completely implode upon themselves in the second half, especially the predictable third quarter crash and burn. It's a narrative we've come to know all too well as Husker fans, falling apart with inconsistency and dumb mistakes. The offense showed improvement, followed by immediate regression while the strengths of the defense looked weak and the weaknesses of the defense looked strong. It's a perplexing team to watch at times, as you never know what you're going to see game in and game out. For those new to the blog, I have my analysis break down into three key sections: GOOD, EXPECTED & BAD.

GOOD - The run game and stopping the run. Nebraska came into this game really needing to establish a rushing attack, something not always well done in 2019. Against the Buckeyes last year, the Huskers finished with 187 on the ground, compared to 210 this year. Martinez led the Huskers in carries with 13 for 85 yards and the other three Huskers who carried the rock were Luke McCaffrey, Dedrick Mills and Ronald Thompkins. There was good success with the ground game, with Martinez breaking off a 39 yard rush and McCaffrey with a long of 47. Ohio State was thrown off with McCaffrey lined up at running back, just as I was. My biggest caveat with the rushing attack was the lack of carries by Mills. I appreciate Martinez and McCaffrey running the ball, but I believe they should be compliments to Mills' rushing and he should have the bulk of the carries. On the defensive side, the Blackshirts' front seven played much better than expected, giving up just 215 on the ground to the Buckeyes and recording 3 sacks on Justin Fields. This was a week point for the Huskers last season, and while they'll need to do better than 215 yards if they're going to win, they were able to disrupt some plays int he backfield and that's a step forward from a year ago.

EXPECTED - Game flow and the Nebraska offensive play calls. As I mentioned earlier, this game played out exactly as I had predicted, and if Kade Warner could catch a wide open TD pass my score prediction of 52-21 would've been spot on. The Husker offense was wildly inconsistent while continuing to put their defense on the field only to get pummeled by the Buckeye o-line and watch Justin Fields play pitch and catch with his wideouts. Dumb penalties and negative yards on first down doomed the Husker offense on more drives than not, and the fumble by Martinez all be took them out of the game. On the offensive side, there were some good takeaways (like the running game), but the play calling was subpar in my opinion. It doesn't seem like Frost has moved away from his three core plays, and they're becoming far too predictable in year three. Play #1 is a QB draw which yields good success twice, maybe three times per game and the rest of the time musters about 3-4 yards. Play #2 is a simple stretch handoff to the left or right with Mills or now McCaffrey in the mix. This typically has minimal success of 4-5 yards with the lack of stellar blocking up front and more often than not ends up as a loss for the Huskers. Last but not least, the #3 play that Scott Frost loves to run is a Run-Pass Option (RPO). The RPOs can be effective if used supplementary, but the Huskers seem to center their entire offensive scheme around them. The purpose of RPOs is to put the defense between a rock in a hard place of sorts. If they come up to attack the run then there are high percentage routes downfield to throw to and if they stay back in coverage then the offense can run for a short gain. However, when they're overused, much like the Huskers have done in many games, then they become extremely predictable for a variety of reasons. Reason #1 is that it takes away 1/2 to 2/3 of the field. RPOs will move the offense to one side or the other so that the run play has some direction, especially when the QB is rolled out. This typically will force the receivers to run routes to that side. This means there is less field for the defense to cover, making their scheme easier to focus on the direction of the play. Predictability reason #2 is the routes I mentioned. It's clear neither Martinez or McCaffrey are trusted to throw the ball downfield as the Huskers refuse to complete passes longer than 7 yards. With RPOs, the routes have to be shorter no matter what. The wideouts don't have much time to run their routes as the defense will be able to press up and attack what they may believe to be a run. If it turns into a pass then the QB has less time to make reads due to the pressure. This brings me to my final predictability reason, #3 is the functions of the defense. RPOs are often easily countered by man coverage, or even some tight zones. Because half of the field is taken away, they know where to funnel all the traffic to, so if the pass is made there is lots of coverage to either knock the pass down or to make the tackle. Additionally, if the QB decides to hand the ball off or run himself, then the increased pressure and push from the defense should limit it to a short gain of just a few yards. Again, these plays can be effective if run sparingly, but the lack of creativity in spreading the field really hurt the Husker offense in this game. I was able to predict a large number of where the RPOs were going, so you know the Buckeyes were able to as well.

BAD - The Husker secondary. What was supposed to be a strength of the Blackshirts this year, the secondary was picked apart quite easily by the Buckeyes. Justin Fields finished the game 20/21 with 276 yards and 2 TDs. WRs Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave led the way with 129 yards and 104 yards respectively, and both had substantial room to work as the Huskers sat in a deep zone coverage for practically the entire game. The zone coverage was expected as Nebraska wasn't going to put much pressure on Fields and they wanted to limit the deep ball. However, the 10+ yard cushions that were given to receivers combined with poor tackling made the 9 yard completions turn into 20+ yard plays more often than not. In addition, you have not one, but two Huskers ejected for targeting who will now miss the first half of the Wisconsin game this coming Saturday. The second targeting call was definitely questionable, but the one on Cam Taylor-Britt was just stupid by him. The Buckeye player was falling to the ground and Taylor-Britt thought a headbutt for some helmet to helmet contact wouldn't do anything but intimidate a clearly superior team. A boneheaded play which should not be made by a veteran player. There's a lot of work to be done before this unit is the strength of the defense it was supposed to be this year.

Quick hit thoughts from the rest of CFB:

- Indiana had one of the craziest finishes I've ever witness to beat the Nittany Lions and I couldn't have been any more excited to pick that upset. They have a few things to work out on offense, but watch out for the Hoosiers!

- Wisconsin's stud Freshman QB Graham Mertz threw for 5 TDs in his debut while breaking multiple Badger passing records in the process. Luckily for the Huskers he's just tested positive for Covid-19 and won't be available for 3 weeks. Obviously I wish him a speedy recovery, but I am somewhat relieved he won't be tossing the ball all around Memorial Stadium this Saturday. Nonetheless, this kid is good and I do not look forward to him lighting up the Huskers for another 3 years after this.

- Purdue had some late game heroics to beat the Hawkeyes who looked very lost on offense. The Boilermakers have a problem for opposing defenses in Junior RB Zander Horvath, a 6'3, 230 lbs. beast of a man who averaged 6.1 yards per carry against a typically stout Iowa defense.

- Michigan looked very strong in their opener against Minnesota, especially on defense where they sacked Tanner Morgan 5 times. The Wolverines also racked up 256 yards on the ground. We'll see how that momentum carries through the rest of the season where they are somewhat written out of championship contention already.

- Mel Tucker's debut for Sparty was spoiled by ex-Husker Noah Vedral and Greg Schiano with Rutgers. Peyton Ramsey looked pretty good in that Northwestern Purple, racking up a couple TDs in his Wildcat debut. Man it's good to have BIG 10 Football back.

- Bama didn't miss a beat against the Vols, but lost star wideout Jaylen Waddle for the season on the opening kickoff.

- The Irish looked impressive, rolling Pitt in a 45-3 route. They have another tune up game on the road against Georgia Tech before hosting Clemson in South Bend on November 7.

- Oklahoma State held off the Cyclones and look to be the Big XII's best shot at a playoff team if they can run the table.

- Cincinnati flexed their muscles on Saturday night with a dominating performance against SMU. The Bearcats rushed for 313 yards with 179 and 3 TDs coming from start QB Desmond Ridder. This man needs to be in some Heisman conversations and this team is still my dark horse to sneak into the playoffs if there's enough craziness.

- Miami survives a scare from Virginia and Wake Forest upset #19 Virginia Tech after a freshman walk-on DB picked off 3 passes from the Hokies. As usual, out side of Clemson (and this year Notre Dame) the ACC is absolutely crazy.

Thank you for reading my reflections on the past week of college football and be sure to watch for my Week 9(ish) predictions later this week. GO BIG RED!

#CFBKnowItAll

Alex Fernando

Week 8(ish) Predictions

      I know we're already halfway through the season with many teams in college football, but does it really count until the Huskers kickoff? Not quite for me 😜, so here we are at the "real" start of the 2020 football season... in week 8ish! There have been some crazy upsets and big blowouts so far this season, now throwing the BIG 10 (and soon the PAC-12) back into the mix should make for a lot more excitement. This post has all my predictions for the games to watch this week and of course my Husker prediction! I'll have a reflection post on the Huskers next week. I hope y'all are ready for some football, enjoy!

#23 NC State at #14 North Carolina

     This in-state rivalry looks to be a bit more competitive than the 41-10 beatdown by the TarHeels. Both the Wolfpack and the TarHeels are led on offense by standout sophomore QBs, but one name rings a bit louder. That would be Sam Howell of UNC, who's thrown for over 1,100 yards in their 4 games, completing nearly 65% of his passes with 9 TDs and 4 picks. The opposing QB, Devin Leary, has just 890 yards on the season, but 8 TDs compared to just 2 interceptions, and a 12% increase in his completion percentage. I doubt there will be much defense in this one, especially after UNC allowed 31 points to FSU last week in the upset loss. The Wolfpack are giving up nearly 270 through the air this season, and as I've said previously, Sam Howell is a baller. TarHeels bounce back for a 37-21 win.

Georgia Southern at #25 Coastal Carolina

     This game may not be very high on most lists this weekend, but if you're flipping through the channels, pause and watch this Sun Belt showdown for a bit. Georgia Southern lost by one to a very good Louisiana team a couple weeks ago, giving their only blemish of the season. Despite that, they are once again one of the most feared rushing attacks in the nation averaging over 280 per game on the ground. Senior RB J.D. King leads the way with 423 yards, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry. He'll look to hold the rock as long as possible in order to keep it away from the red hot Chanticleer offense. Coastal Carolina is averaging 40.8 points per game and are extremely balanced on offense with 11 TDs both through the air and on the ground so far in 2020. Freshman QB Grayson McCall has been cooking with 930 yards and just 1 interception to compare with his 11 TDs. His favorite target is 6'2 Javon Heiligh, who should have a big day against the Eagles secondary. I've got Coastal Carolina winning this one 31-21.

#3 Notre Dame at Pitt

     The Panthers host the Irish in an ACC showdown featuring two stout defenses. The Irish give up just an average of 11.5 points per game with Pitt giving up 20.3. The Panthers have been on the wrong side of some close losses in the last few weeks, and will look to pull another major upset on a top ranked team. They've upset a ranked team as an unranked opponent each of the last 4 seasons. Notre Dame comes in with a powerful rushing attack led by Sophomore RB, Kyren Williams. Williams has rushed for 486 yards and 4 TDs so far this season, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He'll have a thick wall to break through as Pitt ranks first in rush defense giving up just 61 yards per game on average. This turns the focus to the two QBs, Ian Book of the Irish and Kenny Pickett of the Panthers. The two seniors aren't separated by much statistically, and certainly won't wow anyone with their numbers. However, I believe this game will come down to which QB makes fewer mistakes. Pickett did not make the trip to Miami, so if he's still injured it will be up to Freshman QB Joey Yellen. I like the Irish in this one, especially if Pickett can't go. Notre Dame 27, Pitt 14.

#17 Iowa State at #6 Oklahoma State

     They Cyclones and the Pokes square off in Stillwater with a game that weighs heavy in determining the Big XII Championship later this season. Both teams are unbeaten in conference along with Kansas State, but the Cowboys have yet to face much competition in 2020. That doesn't mean their games haven't been close. They were practically outplayed in their opener against Tulsa, but still came away with a 16-7 win. Iowa State looks to be a bit tougher than the Golden Hurricanes, ranking 25th in total defense. Oklahoma State ranks 6th in that category and both teams will be looking to cause pressure in the backfield as the Cyclones have 13 sacks on the season thus far and the Pokes have 12. Veteran QB Brock Purdy leads the ISU offense, but the real motor is Sophomore RB, Breece Hall. Hall has 8 TDs on the ground this season with 531 and a 5.7 yard per carry average to go with it. He'll try to keep pace with 2019 Rushing Champion, Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard will look to find his stride after a bit of a slow start to the season. This game looks to be a tight one, but I'm going with the road team! I think Matt Campbell has something special cooking with the 2020 Cyclones. Hard fought game and a 34-30 upset for Iowa State.

Penn State at Indiana

     The first BIG 10 game on my slate lands us out in Bloomington, IN for a showdown between the Nittany Lions and the Hoosiers. Tom Allen and the Hoosiers turned some heads last season going 8-5 with some narrow losses, included a 7 point loss to the 9th ranked Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. Indiana returns 17 starters from last season, including 9 from their defense that ranked 36th in total defense in 2019. On offense star QB Michael Penix Jr. is healthy and returns top wideout Whop Philyor to throw to downfield. The Nittany Lions return 8 starters on offense and 13 overall from last season. Penn State struggled on offense at times in 2019, eventually finishing the season ranked at 56th. Indiana has a chance to make a big statement to start the BIG 10 season, especially playing at home. This is my bold upset pick of the week, and I think Indiana pulls one over on Penn State. Hoosiers surprise everyone and win 36-31.

Iowa at Purdue

     Another BIG 10 game taking place in the state of Indiana will feature the Hawkeyes and the Boilermakers. It's been recently announced that Purdue will be without All-American wideout Rondale Moore yet again as he's battled injuries since his dynamic freshman season. This sets Iowa up well for a victory, but they still have to hold down the Purdue air attack which ranked second in the BIG 10 last year. The Hawkeyes return a lot of firepower on offense, but lose a three year starter at QB in Nate Stanley as well as OT Tristian Wirfs. Sophomore RB Tyler Goodsen will be a focal point of the offense, supported by senior wideouts Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Iowa has been a steady and consistent team under Kirk Ferentz, which means they should make few mistakes and handle Purdue in the opener. Hawkeyes win this one fairly easily 31-21.

#9 Cincinnati at #16 SMU

     A top ranked battle in the American Conference will take place in Dallas as the Bearcats face off against the Mustangs. Both Cincy and SMU have been on the rise the last few seasons, and now they're both looking to take over the top spot in the American Conference. Ex-Longhorn QB Shane Buchelle has been torching opposing secondaries this season, throwing for more than 1,700 yards and 12 TDs with just 2 picks. The Mustang offense has been nearly impossible to stop this year, averaging 42.6 points per game. They'll be up against the 12th ranked defense when the Bearcats coming to town though. Cincy gives up just an average 12.3 points per game and barely over 300 total yards. On offense, the Bearcats have struggled a bit to start the season, but still have start talent with Desmond Ridder at QB. Either one of these teams could be the dark horse to make a push for the playoffs this year, but I picked Cincy to be that team and I'm sticking with it. Bearcats win 34-31.

#18 Michigan at #21 Minnesota (Battle for the Little Brown Jug)

     College Gameday awaits the Wolverines and Gophers as they battle for the Little Brown Jug up in Minneapolis. Minnesota had one of their best years since the early 20th century last year, and will look to finish the job and win the West Division in 2020. The Gophers did lose some fire-power in Rodney Smith and Tyler Johnson from last year, but return most of their offense including all five starting linemen, Junior QB Tanner Morgan and All-American wideout Rashod Batemen. Their defense has to replace 6 starters, but have good depth. Michigan will be breaking in a new QB as well as multiple other positions on both sides of the ball. There's always talent up in Ann Arbor, but Harbaugh has struggled to meet expectations as of late. This is a game where he could make a statement for the Wolverines, but I think it will be the Golden Gophers making the statement. Minnesota wins the BIG prime time opener and the Little Brown Jug by defeating Michigan 38-24.

Nebraska at #5 Ohio State

     The two programs who fought the hardest for the BIG 10 to have a season in the first place get to square off in the opening weekend as my very own Huskers travel to the Horseshoe to take on the Buckeyes. Everyone around Husker nation is just excited to have football back, but an upset win over the Buckeyes would make it that much sweeter. There's a lot of hype around the 2020 Huskers, primarily with the offense. Adrian Martinez returns (healthy) for his Junior year campaign, and he brings along an experienced offensive line and talented playmakers with him. Sophomore WR Wandale Robinson is the focal point of those playmakers, but I would expect a heavy dose of Dedrick Mills for Nebraska who will try to establish a steady rushing attack. With a young group of receivers, the Huskers will look to spread the ball, but the two headed rushing monster of Martinez and Mills should be the focus of the Big Red offense in 2020. As for the Blackshirts, the strength lies in the secondary. After ranking 30th in pass defense a year ago, Nebraska will look to continue their strong performance against the air raid. The front seven however, that's a different story. The entire defensive line is being replaced, and while some have game experience, most will be hitting opponents for the first time. They'll be up against one of the best offensive lines in the nation with the Buckeye front five, which means pressure will be hard to come by. Nebraska has really struggled to pressure and contain opposing QBs in recent years, and I think that could be the primary issue in the game against the Buckeyes. Heisman favorite Justin Fields leads the Ohio State offense and is usually good for at least 5 TDs on his own each time he steps on the field. Last season he accounted for 51 TDs a year ago and with a shortened season the Buckeyes will be looking for a lot of style points to impress the playoff committee throughout the year. I think Nebraska takes a step forward and moves the ball well against the Ohio State defense, but ultimately the Buckeyes have a lot more talent than the Huskers can keep up with. Combined with the incredible coaching from Ryan Day, Ohio State should flex their muscles in the second half of this game. Husker offense looks much improved, but the Buckeyes roll to a 52-21 victory. I'm rooting for the upset though, GO BIG RED!

Quick Hit Predictions

Baylor at Texas - Things are a mess in the Big XII, but the Bears and Longhorns will try to straighten some things out in Austin. Baylor had a covid scare and haven't played since their overtime loss to West Virginia three weeks ago. Texas fell short in a wild 4OT thriller in the Red River Rivalry two weeks ago, but look set to bounce back against the Bears. Sam Ehlinger has a big day and the Horns Hook 'Em for a 45-31 victory.

Oklahoma at TCU - The Sooners are looking to fight back into the Big XII championship picture as they travel to Fort Worth to take on the Frogs. TCU QB Max Duggan is a do it all kind of guy for them, but I don't think he alone will be enough to keep up with the dynamic Sooner offense. Boomer Sooner as Spencer Rattler throws for 4 TDs in a 44-34 win.

#2 Alabama at Tennessee - I never really expect any upsets when it comes to the Vols against Bama, but it's always fun to throw this rivalry in the mix. Tennessee QB Jarrett Guarantano threw two pick-sixes last week against Kentucky and the Bama defense would love to do it again. This is more of a "can UT cover the spread" game, and I'm here to tell you no. Jaylen Waddle will catch 3 40+ yard TDs and the Tide will roll as usual 56-21.

Florida State at Louisville - The Seminoles are coming off a major upset over #5 UNC last week, but now travel to Louisville for a possible trap game against the Cardinals. U of L has not impressed this season, but RB Javian Hawkins is one to watch if you find yourself on this game. He's averaging 5.2 yards per carry and will look to run his way through an FSU defense that gives up nearly 200 yards on the ground each game. I think the Cardinals take this one on the back of Hawkins 38-31.

Hawai'i at Fresno State - One game that might fly under the radar is this rivalry out in the Mountain West. The Rainbow Warriors have to replace star QB Cole McDonald while the Bulldogs have to replace Head Coach Jeff Tedford who resigned at the end of last season due to health reasons. You can flip a coin on this one, but I'll give the nod to Fresno State. 36-31.

Thank you all for reading my predictions and let me know what your thoughts on some of the big games of the weekend are! I hope you're all ready for a full slate of football now that the BIG 10 is back and the PAC-12 is following. As always, GO BIG RED!

#CFBKnowItAll

Alex Fernando

College Football in a Pandemic

     Hey Hey Football Friends! Did ya miss me? I do apologize for the mid-season dive into CFB, but as you all know, 2020 has been quite the year and it has been difficult to find time to write. Nonetheless, with Husker Football starting back up this week, there's no way I could stay away from the keyboard and the mic to give you all my thoughts on the CFB season thus far and an outlook on what the Huskers will do in 2020. I've laid out some quick hit thoughts of the season thus far below and have my preview of the abbreviated Husker season. I hope you all enjoy and are ready for Husker Football!

NOTE: Full disclosure, I do not think football should be taking place with the current state of our nation due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. I wish this would've been handled better so football would be able to be played under safer circumstances. However, I am very excited that football is still happening and am proud that there are safety protocols in place not only for the athletes but all of the staff and other team members that make a CFB season happen in the first place. I have loved watching games thus far and I have been anxiously awaiting kickoff for the Huskers. I'm very glad we can still play football in some ways and I hope the safety protocols in place are enough to keep everyone safe and the season moving along!

Quick Hit Thoughts on the CFB Season Thus Far:

• Clemson looks as dominant as ever. It should come as no surprise to anyone, and I'm sure many of you know my appreciation for Clemson over the past half-decade, but this Clemson team has something to prove and they have not missed a beat all year. As usual with the state of the ACC, other than a couple bumps for a few quarters with Notre Dame they should have an easy path to the playoffs yet again.

• Alabama is once again ruling the SEC West with little competition. Lane Kiffin gave them a scare a couple weeks ago, but Auburn doesn't look like they'll do much damage this year, they've already beaten the Aggies and LSU has fallen off the face of the Earth after winning it all back in January.

• Over in the SEC East, Georgia let a solid lead slip away quickly to the Tide this past weekend, but have a prep game against Kentucky before facing off with Florida in a game that will practically decide the East crown on November, 7. They will need to boost up their offensive attack if they're going to keep up with the high-powered Gator offense.

• Speaking of Florida, the Gators are trying to recover from a Covid outbreak after Dan Mullen suggested adding a 90,000+ crowd to the swamp would be a good idea. Kyle Trask has been the QB to watch this season (not name Trevor Lawrence) and is throwing the ball very well with nearly 1,000 yards on the season thus far, a 71.8% completion rating and a staggering 14 to 1 TD to INT ratio. I actually like Florida a bit in their upcoming matchup with the Bulldogs, but we'll see what happens with the Covid situation. Should be a good game no matter what!

• Swinging over to the Big XII, if you haven't heard, Oklahoma and Texas have been losing... a lot! This obviously brings me nothing but joy, and it has made for a very unique race in the conference. Currently Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State sit atop the conference standings and are the only Big XII teams to be ranked (#17, #20 and #6 respectively). Things should shake up quickly in the next few weeks as the Pokes play ISU, Texas, K-State and the Sooners in their next 4 games.

• North Carolina was ranked #5 last week but were upset by the Seminoles of Florida State. This gives me two things to highlight: It's always a good day when Mac Brown loses, but Sam Howell is a baller bringing them back from a 31-7 halftime deficit AND College Football really needs the BIG 10 and PAC-12 back so we don't have teams like UNC ranked 5th.

• UCF has lost their dominance in a far more competitive American Conference. The Kinghts are 2-2 so far this season and were just knocked off by Memphis for the first time in their last 14 meetings. However, the Tigers are not the tops of the American Conference either. The two teams to watch are #16 SMU and #9 Cincinnati. Best yet, they square off this weekend.

• Speaking of both Cincinnati and SMU, they're both included in my list of surprise teams of the 2020 season. SMU has been on the rise since Sonny Dykes arrived in Dallas, but I think Cincy is the real story. They're my dark horse for a potential playoff spot this season, especially with how bad the Big XII is looking. They'll need some help, but Desmond Ridder at QB can really make this team hum. A couple other surprise teams are BYU and Coastal Carolina out of the Sun Belt. Neither team will make much national impact, but they're playing some good football, so if you seem them on TV, don't change the channel too fast!

• Last but not least I have my Heisman frontrunners through the first seven weeks of the season and a few honorable mention athletes who are just really fun to watch. Obviously Trevor Lawrence is going to top this list, followed by Kyle Trask at Florida and D'Eriq King from Miami. Jaylen Waddle, the speedster from Alabama is one who should be considered and rounding out my top five is Sam Howell. Yes, UNC did lose, but as I said before, Howell is a baller! I'm sure Justin Fields will shake things up this time next week. As for my honorable mentions and players you should keep your eyes on, Javian Hawkins tops the list. The RB from Louisville doesn't have much help, but still ranks 4th in the nation in rushing and averages 5 yards per carry. Clemson RB Travis Etienne has always been one of my favorites, and star wideout for the Tigers Amari Rodgers will not disappoint. I'll give a quick shoutout to Zach Wilson of BYU as well. He's quietly completing 78.7% of his passes for more than 1,600 yards with 12 TDs and just 1 pick.

Huskers Season Prediction

     It's football time Husker fans, and we've been waiting long enough! The third year reign of Scott Frost and company has high hopes after a rough 2019 season that ended with a 5-7 record and no bowl game for the third straight year. The 2020 Huskers have a revitalized offense with youthful talent on the outside and rugged experience up front on the line. Adrian Martinez is back and healthier than ever for his Junior year campaign and hoping to quickly forget about the struggles he had last season. He'll need to impress quick though, as fan-favorite Luke McCaffrey is breathing down his neck for the QB1 spot. The offense should take a step forward in 2020 after ranking 55th in total offense and 72nd in scoring offense a year ago. The run game should be boosted by experience on the o-line and a locked and loaded RB with Senior Dedrick Mills. Mills finished with just 745 yards on the ground in 2019, but did average 5.2 yards per carry. He'll be complimented by a new crowd of wideouts, led by Sophomore stud Wandale Robinson and Junior Captain, Kade Warner. Robinson and Warner have the most game experience out of the receiver corps, but the youthful talent I mentioned earlier should be on display early and often as the freshman duo of Alante Brown and Zavier Betts look to turn heads with their speed on the edge. JUCO star Omar Manning joins the ranks as the big man with a 6'4, 225 frame the Huskers have desperately needed down the field. I think we'll see some of that tempo Frost ran down at UCF and this offense will move the ball. Scoring with the red zone opportunities will be crucial to success in 2020, as the defense is the weaker of the two units and won't be able to slow down every opponent. The Huskers are going to rely on a lot of speed and will hopefully find more success in a previously non-existent downfield passing game.

     On the defensive side of the ball, things could be a bit rocky for the Blackshirts. Senior Captain Dicaprio Bootle leads an experienced secondary which looks to be the strength of the defense. Cam Taylor-Britt and Braxton Clark bring more experience to the safety position for a group that ranked 30th last year. Unfortunately, the total defense for the Blackshirts ranked 64th in 2019 and that was primarily due to issues in the front seven. The Huskers bring back some experience on the defensive line and linebackers, but have really struggled to get pressure on opposing teams and slowing down the run game. Damion Daniels and Ben Stille lead the D-line push and will hopefully help plug up some of those holes vacated by Darrion Daniels and the Davis twins. Last year, the Husker ranked 94th in rush defense and only recorded 27 sacks over the course of 12 games last season. If Nebraska wants to make a push for the BIG 10 West Division crown, stopping the run will be crucial. Opposing teams scored an average of 27.8 points per game against the Huskers in 2019, and BIG 10 opponents scored an average of 30 per game. The last piece of the puzzle on defense is the linebackers. This is a thin group without much experience, so they'll have their hands full again this year. Collin Miller leads this group and will hopefully help the Blackshirts force some more turnovers in 2020.

     Last but not least with have Special Teams. This unit has been a dumpster fire at times during the first couple seasons with Frost, and I'm anxious to see what changes have been made during the offseason and fall camp. Based on last year, the kicking job is wide open, so there's honestly not much to tell here. I'm just as interested as all of you to what will happen. However, I do hope someone has learned how to field a punt and moreover block on punt and kick returns. This will be a very intriguing unit to watch throughout the season.

     Looking at the abbreviated schedule, this will be a tough run for everyone in the BIG 10. Eight straight weeks with no breaks and strict covid rules could shuffle a lot of things up. There's a lot of hype around the Huskers and I do believe this team will take a much needed step forward this season. However, they're still a very unpolished team that has only won nine games in two season under Frost with some fairly pathetic performances in a handful of games. My record prediction is 3-5 for the primary eight games. There's could be some argument for 4-4, but I've got to see a couple games first. We'll have to see who the opponent is on the last game before I call that one, but look for games to be kept a little closer this year. I think the offense will tick up and move the ball well. However, even with strength in the secondary there will be too many holes in the defense to keep up with some of the high-powered offenses Nebraska is set to face. Hopefully this team surprises me and the Huskers take a big leap this year. No matter what I'm yelling GO BIG RED every Saturday for the rest of the year and rooting for my favorite Huskers to win big. 'Skers by 90 as they say and onto Husker football in 2020!

#CFBKnowItAll

Alex Fernando