Happy Gameday Football fans, and welcome to CHAIR WEEK! There is a fabulous slate of games today and the Huskers and Gophers get to kick it off at 11 AM in the Battle for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy. I've got all the breakdown and predictions for you, so read on and GO BIG RED!
Week 6 Record: 6 - 5
Overall Record: 62 - 39
UCF at #3 Cincinnati
The Bearcats have a 23-game win streak at home on the line as they host the Golden Knights of UCF. Cincy nearly lost their undefeated season in this game a year ago down in Orlando. This one could be fairly lopsided at the end of the day, as I think Cincy is going to roll. This team is ready to compete at the top level and won't be stopped any time soon. Senior QB Desmond Ridder is having a Hesiman-caliber season with more than 1,300 passing yards and a 12:2 TD to INT ratio along with 3 more TDs on the ground. He is extremely efficient with the ball and has a lot of weapons to utilize. Running Back Jerome Ford is a very difficult to bring down, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. I think Cincy comes out an flexes their muscles today. Gus Malzahn will certainly have UCF's offense moving, but they won't be a match for that Bearcat defense. Cincy extends their streak to 24 games at home with a 35-20 victory.
#12 Oklahoma State at #25 Texas
The Longhorns are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Sooners last week, and now they host the other Oklahoma team with the undefeated Pokes. Oklahoma State hasn't been flashy, but they've played very good defense to hold off their opponents. Texas has a much more dynamic offense though, especially when they give the ball to Bijan Robinson. The young stud at running back for the Horns has nearly 800 yards on the ground this season with 8 TDs. He's also a fantastic receiver out of the backfield and has been proven to be a useful outlet for Texas QB Casey Thompson, who by the way had 5 TDs against the Sooners. Oklahoma State has a lot of offense to slow down with Texas, and I'm not sure they have quite enough to keep up. They rank 8th in the Big XII in total offense, which means they probably can't keep up with Texas in this one. Hook 'Em as the Longhorns win in the battle of ugly orange teams. Texas 34, Oklahoma State 21.
Auburn at #17 Arkansas
The Tigers travel to take on the Hogs after a beat down from Georgia at home last week. Arkansas couldn't quite complete a 2-point conversion for the victory over Ole Miss and lost 52-51. Auburn's defense will be challenged with Arkansas today, as the Hogs have been very dynamic on offense. Statistically these teams stack up fairly well, so I'm looking to the QB battle and who can take care of the ball. Bo Nix is a tremendous athlete, but does not have many weapons to spread the ball to. KJ Jefferson has quickly become one of college football's favorite players this season, and his rushing ability completely changes how you defend the Arkansas offense. Watch the QB battle in this one, they will make some plays. I'm going with the home team Hogs though. Arkansas wins 33-28.
#11 Kentucky at #1 Georgia
The Wildcats are 6-0 for the first time in more than 70 years and the Dawgs are now ranked #1 in the nation. This game gives the winner a lead to the SEC Championship and the East Division Crown. Kentucky has a tremendous amount of weapons on offense, but the SEC's leading receiver is none other than ex-Husker Wan'dale Robinson. The Speedster has 527 yards and 4 TDs on the season and will be looking to find the crack in this unbelievable Georgia defense. The Dawgs give up just 5.5 points per game on average and barely over 200 yards. They have 22 sacks on the season, but the Wildcat pass rush is something to watch as well. If they can get pressure on the Georgia QB(s) then this game could get interesting. I still haven't been sold on Georgia's offense, but I think they make another statement today. Dawgs knock off the Wildcats 27-21.
Purdue at #2 Iowa
The Boilermakers are on the hunt for an upset as they travel to Iowa City to take on the second ranked Hawkeyes. Iowa leads the nation in turnovers and their defense has been tremendous all season long. The offense is a different story however, but they still keep finding a way to win. Purdue comes in off of their BYE week, and has a stingy defense of their own. They've given up just an average of 15.4 points per game this season, but they don't get many turnovers. The Boilermakers have won 3 of the last 4 against the Hawkeyes, and while I don't feel like Iowa's offense warrants the #2 ranking, they make too few mistakes to lose this game. I'm always rooting against Iowa, but they'll win this game 28-20..
#19 BYU at Baylor
The Cougars were upset at home by Boise State last week, but now have a chance to bounce back against a very good Baylor team. These future Big XII opponents could start an intriguing rivalry with the game today. The Bears offense is led by Gerry Bohanon at QB with more than 1,300 yards, 11 TDs and zero interceptions so far this season. He has a lot of weapons at his disposal, but the most underrated weapon of Baylor is their defense. They rank 16th in the nation for opponent third down conversion, allowing just 30.23% to be converted. The Cougars are in the middle of the pack in terms of converting third down, but the big question is on if they can protect Jaren Hall. The Sophomore has already missed a couple of games due to injury and his lack of rushing against Boise State quickly became an issue. Baylor is sneakily working toward that Big XII Championship and this is a game that helps boost their confidence for more conference games later this year. The Cougars will put up a fight, but I've got the Bears winning this battle. Sic 'Em 33-24.
TCU at #4 Oklahoma
The Sooners have a new QB1 in Caleb Williams and it could quickly take this team to new heights. Spencer Rattler has struggled all season and after a horrendous start to the Texas game last week, Caleb Williams came in and led the comeback victory. He now faces a TCU squad that has really struggled to slow down opposing offenses. This is the perfect stage for a break out performance and to put the QB battle in the rear view. The Texas game was a good showing, but Oklahoma has the best shot to make the playoffs out of the Big XII other than their in-state rivals, the Pokes. To make matters worse for the Horned Frogs, QB Max Duggan and RB Zach Evans are both questionable with injuries. Oklahoma wins this one 40-24.
#22 NC State at Boston College
The Wolfpack and BC square off to keep pace in the ACC Atlantic Division. NC State upset Clemson while the Eagles fell short, but this should be a great game to watch. Statistically, there are not many differences between these teams. The RB battle will be fun to watch as both teams get a big push on the line of scrimmage. This is certainly a tough prediction, but I like Boston College at home. Golden Eagles win a close one 26-24.
#18 Arizona State at Utah
The Sun Devils could practically wrap up the PAC-12 South Division with a win in Salt Lake City tonight, but the Utes are never an easy team to beat. They lost a couple of tough ones to BYU and San Diego State, but still remain unbeaten in PAC-12 play. Cameron Rising has been playing very well at QB for the Utes, taking over the last couple games and racked up 4 total TDs against USC last week. The Sun Devils have a very tough defense though, and I like the style of football they're playing. I went against them once and won't be making that mistake again. Arizona State wins a big one on the road 31-30.
Nebraska at Minnesota (Battle for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair)
IT'S CHAIR WEEK! The best trophy in sports is up for grabs as the Huskers travel to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers. Nebraska is coming off yet another heartbreaker after losing to Michigan at home in the final minutes of the game last week. Minnesota is coming off their BYE week, but have lost their top two running backs for the season. Tanner Morgan has not been impressive and the Blackshirts should be able to handle the Gopher offense quite easily. On the other side of the ball, Nebraska needs to come out hot on offense. Minnesota has the 5th best rush defense in the nation, so it could be tricky for the Huskers to move between the tackles. Martinez needs to be a factor running out on the edges and the Huskers need to utilize their talent and speed on the sidelines with the passing attack. Road games are never great and the Huskers haven't won in Minneapolis since 2015, but I've got a good feeling today. Nebraska FINALLY takes back the chair and wins this one 38-21. GO BIG RED!
Quick Hit Predictions:
#21 Texas A&M at Missouri - Little bit of a hangover for the Aggies, but they win 33-21.
Pitt at Virginia Tech - The Hokies have a good defense, but not good enough to stop Kenny Pickett. Panthers win on the road 38-28.
#10 Michigan State at Indiana - Sparty needs more impressive BIG 10 wins and they can get one today if they get their ground game going. Indiana will put up a fight, but Sparty wins 24-17.
#5 Alabama at Mississippi State - You don't want to face Saban after a loss. The Pirate doesn't stand a chance and the Tide Roll 45-17.
#20 Florida at LSU - No shoe throw today, Gators chomp the Tigers 33-21.
#13 Ole Miss at Tennessee - A little Homecoming for Lane Kiffin won't slow him down, and the Rebels rack up the points in Rocky Top. Rebels 42-20.
Air Force at Boise State - The Broncos just had a big upset on BYU, but now they get a stingy defense with Air Force coming to the Smurf Turf. That won't matter, go Broncos as they win 34-17.
Hawai'i at Nevada - No upsets today for my Wolfpack, Carson Strong should have a big day. Nevada wins 44-28.
Thanks for reading my Gameday predictions and GO BIG RED! Time to get the Chair!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
No comments:
Post a Comment