Gonna pick a few more games between unranked teams this week since quite a few top 25 teams (Auburn included) have this coming weekend off...
Toledo at Cincinnati (at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio)
Finally the opener has come for ex-Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville and his Cincinnati Bearcats. Instead of playing on campus at Nippert Stadium though, the Cats will be playing this game as well as all home games in 2014 at the home of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium. Similar to how old Big East foe and now ACC member Pittsburgh plays their games at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In regards to this game, former Notre Dame and highly touted high school QB Gunner Kiel will be under center for the Bearcats. He'll look to keep pace with a high powered Toledo team looking to avenge a 49-24 loss to Missouri. I think the Rockets will show better in this one but come up short. Kiel should light it up in his Bearcat debut and that should be just enough for them to win their season opener.
My Call: Cincinnati 41, Toledo 34
Ohio at Marshall
Marshall may have the best QB in the nation a number of people don't know about in Rakeem Cato. In 2012, he threw for over 4200 yards on 39 TD passes against just 9 interceptions. In 2013, he added 3916 yards passing while throwing for 37 TDs against just 11 passes and he added nearly 300 yards and 6 TD rushes on the ground. He's off to a solid start in 2014, throwing for over 500 yards and 5 TDs against no interceptions his first two games. He'll look to keep that going against an Ohio team that's struggled a bit out of the gate this year offensively but has generally been solid under former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich. I've got the Thundering Herd here. They'll ride Cato's arm and legs (when necessary) to a 3-0 start.
My Call: Marshall 35, Ohio 21
Boise State at Connecticut
That's more like it for Boise State. After slumping to a 35-13 loss in the season opener to Ole Miss, they bounced back in a big way on their home blue turf in their Mountain West Conference opener, pounding Colorado State 37-24 in a game that wasn't as close as that score indicates. Given UConn's struggles to beat Stony Brook, I think the Broncos should be able to keep things rolling. They'll do a little bit on the ground and a little in the air while that defense holds the fort down.
My Call: Boise State 24, Connecticut 10
West Virginia at Maryland
First game that leaves me a bit flabbergasted in regards to who to pick. West Virginia looked much improved in a solid effort during a 33-23 loss to Alabama while Maryland cruised over James Madison before struggling to a 24-17 win on the road against South Florida. I took this route with my Pittsburgh/Boston college selection last week and it worked well, so I'll try it again here. When in doubt, go with the team you believe has the guy who can come up with the big play on offense when needed. The Terps appear to be the team who has that guy in WR Stefon Diggs. He's been injury prone during his time at Maryland, but if he can get over that, he's got legit NFL talent. Not only legit NFL talent, but very high potential NFL talent.
My Call: Maryland 30, West Virginia 27
Kansas at Duke
If we were talking basketball, you wouldn't get a much higher profile matchup than this. However, we're talking football here. The Duke football program is currently having a resurgence under head coach David Cutcliffe while KU's program has been floundering the last five years under the guidance of three coaches, the last three years under Charlie Weis. I don't see the Blue Devils having much of a problem here. They should cruise as their offense rolls up big numbers against a KU defense that can't keep up.
My Call: Duke 38, Kansas 17
Arkansas State at Miami (FL)
While nobody would confuse Arkansas State for a "measuring stick" type of game, it comes somewhat close here for the Hurricanes after they lost by a fairly wide margin against Louisville in the first week and cruising to a win over Florida A&M in the second. The Canes will have to avoid the potential of overlooking the Red Wolves since they travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers next weekend. I think they will. It may not always be impressive, but the big thing for Miami will be scoring more points than Arkansas State. Duke Johnson leads the way.
My Call: Miami 35, Arkansas State 20
NC State at South Florida
I wish one of these teams would have looked good in their first two games this season. Neither did, USF struggled to beat Western Carolina while losing to Maryland while NC State struggled to beat the likes of Georgia Southern and Old Dominion. Looking at how awful Western Carolina was as an FCS program a year ago, I'll give NC State more of the benefit of the doubt. Old Dominion at least went 8-4 against their soft schedule a year ago while Georgia Southern of course went into Gainesville a year ago and took down Florida. Granted that was a very down Gator team, but still impressive for a team of their stature. Western Carolina was just awful even by Southern Conference standards a year ago. With this in mind, give me the Wolfpack to win.
My Call: NC State 28, South Florida 24
Arkansas at Texas Tech
Seeing how UTEP was able to run wild on Texas Tech (granted in a 30-26 Tech win) and how Central Arkansas was able to hang with Texas Tech in what was a 42-35 Tech win, it makes you wonder if the Red Raiders are due for a very down year or are very simply playing down to the level of their first two teams of competition. We should get a better idea of that this week when SEC member Arkansas makes the trip into Lubbock. The Razorbacks have to be licking their chops seeing UTEP's rushing totals against that Tech defense; the Miners rushed for 277 yards and 3 scores on 52 carries in spite of getting very little from their QB. Arkansas has an excellent two-headed monster rushing attack with sophomore Alex Collins and junior Jonathan Williams. Collins rushed for just over 1000 yards a year ago while Williams added 900 yards of his own. Those two should be able to gash that Tech defensive front. The Red Raiders will counter with their passing attack and I'm sure what will be a hurry up type of offense which Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema is known for hating. Whoever wins this game will better dictate the tempo of it. In what may be a stupid pick for me, I'll take Arkansas. Both defenses will struggle in this one, but I'm liking that rushing duo of Williams and Collins to control the tempo just enough to allow the Razorbacks to escape with a win.
My Call: Arkansas 41, Texas Tech 38
Iowa State at Iowa
Weird 0-2 start to the season for Iowa State. They got thoroughly manhandled by North Dakota State (granted NDSU is a terrific FCS team) before giving #20 Kansas State everything it wanted before falling 32-28. It's also been a bit of a strange start for in-state rival Iowa; granted they're off to a 2-0 start. The Hawkeyes struggled with Northern Iowa in a 31-23 victory while they needed two late TDs to rally past Ball State for a 17-13 victory. Where does that leave us for the battle of the CyHawk Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of this game? Most likely in a very tight game that I could see going either way. Iowa State is more desperate, but Iowa is at home. In a throw the dart and pick type of call, I'll go with the Hawkeyes.
My Call: Iowa 21, Iowa State 20
Minnesota at TCU
Another Big 10 (Minnesota) vs. Big 12 (TCU) matchup taking place here. The Gophers have gotten a couple pretty easy home wins over Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee while TCU got an easy victory of their own in their season opener against Samford. Thus far, the transition for TCU from the Mountain West to the Big 12 hasn't been easy. They went 7-6 in the first year before really falling off in 2013 to a 4-8 record. Given that TCU is in the stronger conference and is at home, I think the pressure is more on them to win this one than the Gophers. And I'll say they get it; not by a lot, but in some cases, it doesn't matter whether you win by a lot or a little. This is one of those cases.
My Call: TCU 27, Minnesota 21
Illinois at Washington
A couple of teams that have struggled to get their first two wins square off in Seattle. Illinois needed to rally tin the 4th quarter to beat Youngstown State by a 28-17 score and needed to do the same in a 42-34 win over Western Kentucky. As for Washington, they had a fight for their lives in Honolulu in an ugly 17-16 win over Hawaii while seeing their secondary get torched in what was a 59-52 win over a solid FCS Eastern Washington squad. I'm thinking that gives us another high scoring affair here. Maybe not to the tune of 59-52, but one that I'll take the Huskies in. Their offense looked a lot better with dual threat Cyler Miles under center and I'm expecting that to be enough here.
My Call: Washington 48, Illinois 38
UT-San Antonio at Oklahoma State
These two teams met in San Antonio a year ago. Oklahoma State cruised to a 56-35 victory in a game where the Roadrunners got a lot of points in garbage time to make that game closer than the score would indicate. If this game were also being played in San Antonio, I think it would have the potential to be interesting for quite a while. UT-San Antonio hung right in there with Pac 12 foe Arizona last Thursday night, proving they want to show they belong. That won't be as easy a task to accomplish in Stillwater, even if this Okie State team isn't quite as good as they've been the last few years or so. Cowboys come through with the victory pulling away about mid-way through the third.
My Call: Oklahoma State 41, UT-San Antonio 20
Wake Forest at Utah State
Chuckie Keeton and Utah State took out some frustrations on hapless Idaho State after getting trampled by Tennessee in Knoxville in a game where most expected them to be far more competitive while the Demon Deacons will look to keep the momentum going after a 23-7 win over Gardner-Webb. All in all, I've got to roll with the Aggies. They've got the best player on the field for either team and also have the better team overall.
My Call: Utah State 31, Wake Forest 17
Kentucky at Florida
Conference opener for both these teams. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has done a solid job of recruiting to Lexington to try making the football team relevant while Florida coach Will Muschamp is coaching this year in order to save his job. For the latter to happen, these are the types of games the Gators need to win as schedules in the SEC only get tougher as the weeks go by. They'll get it. Jeff Driskel should be solid throwing the ball while the defense keeps the UK offense at bay as Florida gets that win they need before entering a real grind of seven games; 5 of those against currently ranked teams (at Alabama, home to Mizzou, South Carolina and LSU and the yearly neutral site game against Georgia) and one of those in Knoxville against rival Tennessee who is looking better in the second year of the Butch Jones era.
My Call: Florida 35, Kentucky 13
Nebraska at Fresno State
Shaky second win for Nebraska as they needed an amazing 59 yard catch and run from star running back Ameer Abdullah in order to put away FCS foe McNeese State. It's just been shaky period for Fresno State as they've been blown out twice on the road to start the year; first in L.A. against USC and then in Salt Lake City against Utah. Being at home on a Friday night should rev up the Bulldogs some, but I'm still liking Nebraska in this one. Just let Ameer Abdullah take care of things and they should be fine even on the road.
My Call: Nebraska 34, Fresno State 23
Nevada at Arizona
Can Nevada make it two in a row over the Pac 12? They took down Washington State in Reno, shutting down Mike Leach's Washington State Cougars in what was an ugly 24-13 win. They did a solid enough job defensively but are gonna need more than 24 to take this one on the road in Tucson. Not gonna happen. Arizona got all they wanted in San Antonio last week from a good looking Roadrunner program, but they'll feel more comfortable in their home environment and have an easier time of it as a result.
My Call: Arizona 37, Nevada 17
Penn State at Rutgers
Went through the college football predictions for each game over on bleacher report and realized I stupidly missed this game as I was looking over notable games to make predictions on. My bad! Anyway, this is not only the Big 10 opener for both teams, but it's also the Big 10 debut for Rutgers against a fellow Big 10 squad. After nearly 20 years as a part of the old Big East and one year in the newly named American Athletic Conference, the Scarlet Knights have moved onto greener pastures. They were joined in this move by the University of Maryland. The Terps, of course, moved from the ACC. I foresee a loss for the Knights in their first ever Big 10/Big 10 matchup. Nittany Lions QB Christian Hackenberg should have a big game through the air as he helps lead his team to a 3-0 start. The Lions are now bowl eligible this year after the NCAA immediately decided to lift all sanctions against them after the Jerry Sandusky saga. They also get their full allotment of scholarships to hand out beginning for the 2015 recruiting class. The PSU program had been in the third year of a four year punishment where they were banned from bowl games and were limited in the number of scholarships they could give out for yearly recruiting classes. State College celebrated when hearing the news and the team will celebrate with them after a win in this one.
My Call: Penn State 35, Rutgers 24
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Top 25 Predictions
After going 27-4 in the first week, I went 27-5 this past week. That runs my record to 54-9 on the season. Not too bad. I'm shooting for an undefeated week though. Let's see if this is it! No Auburn game this coming week as they get Saturday off before traveling to the 'Little Apple' (Manhattan, Kansas) for a Thursday night showdown with the Kansas State Wildcats., That'll shorten this week's blog as well as my research some. As with all weeks, I use the AP Poll to get my top 25 rankings. Here we go with my picks:
Wyoming at #2 Oregon
New Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl proved his worth as a coach in the FCS rankings, winning three straight FCS titles with North Dakota State before taking on the job of attempting to resurrect the Cowboy program. It's gotten off to an okay start for him as he's won his first two at Wyoming in close fashion against Montana and Air Force. Going to Eugene to take on an Oregon team that impressively ran Michigan State off the field in the last 30 minutes of that Spartans/Ducks game is a whole different animal, though. Bohl will very likely bring a lot of success to Laramie, just not here. Too much speed and talent to deal with in this one.
My Call: Oregon 55, Wyoming 10
Southern Miss at #3 Alabama
We got a matchup here that would be more exciting if Southern Miss alum Brett Favre and Alabama alum Joe Namath got together for a game of beer pong. In all seriousness though, it's quite sad because Southern Miss was once a bowl regular; having only missed bowl season once from 1997 through 2012. Keeping the margin of victory for Alabama under 30 would be somewhat of a moral victory for the Golden Eagles here if they could pull it off. They won't. Expect something closer to the 49-0 pounding they took from Mississippi State they took the first game of the season.
My Call: Alabama 48, Southern Miss 0
Tennessee at #4 Oklahoma
After a couple of decent wins in Knoxville to open up 2014, now we get to see how far the Tennessee football program has come to this point under head coach Butch Jones. Having a senior QB under center in Justin Worley will help the Vols, but only so much. They've got a lot of talent, but are not quite ready to win a game of this magnitude on the road. Trevor Knight and that OU defense will prove to be a bit too much for this young team. Given how Coach Jones is recruiting though, it may only be a couple years before we're at the point where Tennessee can win a game like this.
My Call: Oklahoma 38, Tennessee 20
#6 Georgia at #24 South Carolina
Beating a solid East Carolina team doesn't fully make up for the throttling South Carolina took from Texas A&M in the first week, but beating rival Georgia would certainly help do the trick. Will they do it? Probably not. If ECU can average over six yards per carry on the Gamecock defense (and no disrespect to ECU's running game), I can only imagine what Todd Gurley will be able to do. Hutson Mason is not Kenny Hill and I do think South Carolina will score some points here against a not so great UGA defense, so I do believe they won't take the butt kicking they took from Texas A&M, but I just don't think they'll have enough on the defensive side of the football to pull it out.
My Call: Georgia 42, South Carolina 31
Rice at #7 Texas A&M
Speaking of which... the Aggies get basically what amounts to another tuneup game. This may not quite be as bad for Rice as it was for a Lamar team that got punished by a 73-7 final score, but it sure won't be pretty. Another big game for 'Kenny Trill' is in store while more action in garbage time for true freshman QB Kyle Allen is also in store.
My Call: Texas A&M 63, Rice 14
#8 Baylor at Buffalo
Bryce Petty wasn't missed in Baylor's dominating win over hapless Northwestern State as backup redshirt sophomore QB Seth Russell put up 438 yards passing and six total TDs. I can't imagine they'd need him this week either against a Buffalo team that's given up 67 combined points to the likes of Duquesne and Army, games which the Bulls managed split. In a matchup of a Big 12 team against a Mid-American team, make it 3 for 3 for Baylor. They'll score plenty against a Buffalo defense that can't keep up and while the defense may give up some points, it'll give up plenty less than the total number of points that high-powered Bears offense puts on the board.
My Call: Baylor 55, Buffalo 17
#9 USC at Boston College
How do you allow a team to get inside your 30 yard line nine times in a game, only score 13 points and win? Ask USC. They did all of that in Palo Alto and managed a 13-10 victory over Stanford thanks to some stout defense in their own territory as well as another clutch late kick from Andre Heidari (he made a 48 yarder in 2013 to beat Stanford). While I wouldn't be shocked if USC had a bit of a letdown after such an emotional victory when you factor in a long trip to the East Coast, the late heroics shouldn't be necessary in this one. It won't always be pretty, but it'll be plenty effective in what should be a fairly easy win in Chestnut Hill.
My Call: USC 31, Boston College 10
Louisiana-Monroe at #10 LSU
In a matchup of in-state schools, the Warhawks will make the trip from Northern Louisiana down to the Southern part of the state in Baton Rouge to take on Les Miles' Tigers. They're in a situation a bit similar to that of Wyoming; coming off a couple close wins at home by a touchdown apiece over Wake Forest and Idaho. Like Wyoming, this will be a completely different animal to try and take down. And they won't do it. LSU will get up big early and then put it on cruise control in a game where they can win by as many as they please.
My Call: LSU 52, Louisiana-Monroe 13
Purdue v #11 Notre Dame (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana)
Am I convinced the Irish are the eleventh best team in the country? Not really. A win over a Michigan program that isn't anywhere near what it once was , in my opinion, doesn't prove quite as much as the AP Poll voters want to believe it does, even if it was in impressive 31-0 shutout fashion. Now they get to take on a Purdue team that's given up an average of 36 points per game to the likes of Central and Western Michigan; games that they split, losing the most recent one to Central Michigan by a 38-17 score. Expect another easy victory for Notre Dame here. Only question in my mind is how many points do they wish to make it by?
My Call: Notre Dame 41, Purdue 7
#12 UCLA vs. Texas (at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas)
After the Bruins have looked less than stellar in two closer than expected wins over Virginia and Memphis while the Longhorns took it on the chin in a 41-7 stomping via BYU, I really haven't the faintest idea of what to expect in this one. The Longhorns should come out ready and motivated to play in this one after taking such a beating, but I'm going to take UCLA based on the fact that I do believe they have the better talent and team. I am far from sure it will play out this way though given the state of their beat up offensive line which has struggled mightily to protect QB Brett Hundley, which is why I am calling a close, low scoring game which could very easily go Texas' way.
My Call: UCLA 21, Texas 17
Louisiana-Lafayette at #14 Ole Miss
The Rajin' Cajuns have been the class of the New Orleans Bowl of late, winning that bowl game the last three years. However, they head to Oxford coming off a 48-20 loss to Louisiana Tech at home. Tech running back Kenneth Dixon ran wild in that one, so this could be a chance for a struggling Rebel ground game to get things going. Even if they don't, QB Bo Wallace should be able to handle things just fine here and so will a strong defense. Easy win for the Rebs as they get to 3-0.
My Call: Ole Miss 38, Louisiana-Lafayette 7
Army at #15 Stanford
Some of our future troops actually put together a pretty solid effort against Stanford a year ago at West Point in a 34-20 loss. This year they'll try their luck on the road against a Cardinal team that's undoubtedly licking their wounds from a game they feel like they should have won against Pac-12 rival USC. Army runs that interesting triple option offense which isn't always easy to prepare for in just one week, but I don't see Stanford losing two in a row on The Farm. They'll bounce back with a strong effort; putting Army away fairly early in the second half.
My Call: Stanford 42, Army 14
#16 Arizona State at Colorado
Pac 12 opener for both in Boulder. The Sun Devils will look to move to 3-0 while the Buffaloes will look to move to 2-1 after an exciting 41-38 victory over UMass. I just don't see how Colorado can keep up with ASU for a full 60 minutes. They couldn't do it against Colorado State and gave up 38 to UMass, so I'm thinking Taylor Kelly, D.J. Foster and Jaelen should have their ways even on the road. I expect this game will go somewhat similarly to the New Mexico game for ASU which they won 58-23; just maybe with a smaller margin of victory.
My Call: Arizona State 45, Colorado 27
East Carolina at #17 Virginia Tech
What do you do for an encore if you're Virginia Tech after going up to Columbus and beating Ohio State in impressive fashion? Try following it up at home with what would be a solid win over a Pirates team that has come close to winning this matchup the last two times they met. Virginia Tech won in 2011 by a score of 17-10 and a year ago by a score of 15-10; both games were played in Greenville. This one will be in Lane Stadium. Quite honestly, I'm expecting a very similar type of game. ECU will make this interesting but come up a little short as the Hokie defense will hold the fort down long enough to come away with the victory.
My Call: Virginia Tech 24, East Carolina 17
Central Florida at #20 Missouri
Another interesting matchup as the Knights will try going into Columbia to take down a ranked SEC team. If only they still had Blake Bortles, I think they'd have a really solid chance of pulling it off. But alas, he's now a Jacksonville Jaguar and true sophomore Justin Holman is now the guy under center. Good news for UCF is they have had an extra week of preparation and to rest up after a tough loss to Penn State in Ireland. Bad news is I see them heading for another tough loss in this one...
My Call: Missouri 30, Central Florida 23
#21 Louisville at Virginia
Does a near upset of UCLA do something for Virginia's confidence as another ranked opponent comes into Charlotesville? Yeah, I'm not so sure. While I can't imagine Louisville will score three defensive touchdowns in part to UVA mistakes, at the same time, I can't imagine the Cardinals offense will stumble the way UCLA's did. Virginia looks better overall, but need wins in order to save Mike London's job. They'll come up a little short here.
My Call: Louisville 34, Virginia 24
Kent State at #22 Ohio State
Back to the drawing board for the Buckeyes as they looked very lethargic in a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech this past Saturday night. I'd have been right about them winning if QB J.T. Barrett would have been able to avoid making mistakes, but he threw three interceptions and we know what happened. Ohio State won't be able to cure all of what ails them in a week (or maybe even this season), but it shouldn't have much of an issue gaining some confidence back against fellow Ohio school Kent State. Only way it would be an issue is if in their primes Jack Lambert and James Harrison were suiting up, but they're not. Buckeyes roll.
My Call: Ohio State 38, Kent State 7
Houston at #25 BYU
Fantastic start to the season for BYU beating both UConn and Texas on the road. They finally get to open up at home against a Houston team that struggled against UT-San Antonio in a 27-7 loss before bouncing back with a 47-0 win over Grambling State. That Cougar defense and Taysom Hill should be able to control things in this one on a Thursday night.
My Call: BYU 31, Houston 10
Wyoming at #2 Oregon
New Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl proved his worth as a coach in the FCS rankings, winning three straight FCS titles with North Dakota State before taking on the job of attempting to resurrect the Cowboy program. It's gotten off to an okay start for him as he's won his first two at Wyoming in close fashion against Montana and Air Force. Going to Eugene to take on an Oregon team that impressively ran Michigan State off the field in the last 30 minutes of that Spartans/Ducks game is a whole different animal, though. Bohl will very likely bring a lot of success to Laramie, just not here. Too much speed and talent to deal with in this one.
My Call: Oregon 55, Wyoming 10
Southern Miss at #3 Alabama
We got a matchup here that would be more exciting if Southern Miss alum Brett Favre and Alabama alum Joe Namath got together for a game of beer pong. In all seriousness though, it's quite sad because Southern Miss was once a bowl regular; having only missed bowl season once from 1997 through 2012. Keeping the margin of victory for Alabama under 30 would be somewhat of a moral victory for the Golden Eagles here if they could pull it off. They won't. Expect something closer to the 49-0 pounding they took from Mississippi State they took the first game of the season.
My Call: Alabama 48, Southern Miss 0
Tennessee at #4 Oklahoma
After a couple of decent wins in Knoxville to open up 2014, now we get to see how far the Tennessee football program has come to this point under head coach Butch Jones. Having a senior QB under center in Justin Worley will help the Vols, but only so much. They've got a lot of talent, but are not quite ready to win a game of this magnitude on the road. Trevor Knight and that OU defense will prove to be a bit too much for this young team. Given how Coach Jones is recruiting though, it may only be a couple years before we're at the point where Tennessee can win a game like this.
My Call: Oklahoma 38, Tennessee 20
#6 Georgia at #24 South Carolina
Beating a solid East Carolina team doesn't fully make up for the throttling South Carolina took from Texas A&M in the first week, but beating rival Georgia would certainly help do the trick. Will they do it? Probably not. If ECU can average over six yards per carry on the Gamecock defense (and no disrespect to ECU's running game), I can only imagine what Todd Gurley will be able to do. Hutson Mason is not Kenny Hill and I do think South Carolina will score some points here against a not so great UGA defense, so I do believe they won't take the butt kicking they took from Texas A&M, but I just don't think they'll have enough on the defensive side of the football to pull it out.
My Call: Georgia 42, South Carolina 31
Rice at #7 Texas A&M
Speaking of which... the Aggies get basically what amounts to another tuneup game. This may not quite be as bad for Rice as it was for a Lamar team that got punished by a 73-7 final score, but it sure won't be pretty. Another big game for 'Kenny Trill' is in store while more action in garbage time for true freshman QB Kyle Allen is also in store.
My Call: Texas A&M 63, Rice 14
#8 Baylor at Buffalo
Bryce Petty wasn't missed in Baylor's dominating win over hapless Northwestern State as backup redshirt sophomore QB Seth Russell put up 438 yards passing and six total TDs. I can't imagine they'd need him this week either against a Buffalo team that's given up 67 combined points to the likes of Duquesne and Army, games which the Bulls managed split. In a matchup of a Big 12 team against a Mid-American team, make it 3 for 3 for Baylor. They'll score plenty against a Buffalo defense that can't keep up and while the defense may give up some points, it'll give up plenty less than the total number of points that high-powered Bears offense puts on the board.
My Call: Baylor 55, Buffalo 17
#9 USC at Boston College
How do you allow a team to get inside your 30 yard line nine times in a game, only score 13 points and win? Ask USC. They did all of that in Palo Alto and managed a 13-10 victory over Stanford thanks to some stout defense in their own territory as well as another clutch late kick from Andre Heidari (he made a 48 yarder in 2013 to beat Stanford). While I wouldn't be shocked if USC had a bit of a letdown after such an emotional victory when you factor in a long trip to the East Coast, the late heroics shouldn't be necessary in this one. It won't always be pretty, but it'll be plenty effective in what should be a fairly easy win in Chestnut Hill.
My Call: USC 31, Boston College 10
Louisiana-Monroe at #10 LSU
In a matchup of in-state schools, the Warhawks will make the trip from Northern Louisiana down to the Southern part of the state in Baton Rouge to take on Les Miles' Tigers. They're in a situation a bit similar to that of Wyoming; coming off a couple close wins at home by a touchdown apiece over Wake Forest and Idaho. Like Wyoming, this will be a completely different animal to try and take down. And they won't do it. LSU will get up big early and then put it on cruise control in a game where they can win by as many as they please.
My Call: LSU 52, Louisiana-Monroe 13
Purdue v #11 Notre Dame (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana)
Am I convinced the Irish are the eleventh best team in the country? Not really. A win over a Michigan program that isn't anywhere near what it once was , in my opinion, doesn't prove quite as much as the AP Poll voters want to believe it does, even if it was in impressive 31-0 shutout fashion. Now they get to take on a Purdue team that's given up an average of 36 points per game to the likes of Central and Western Michigan; games that they split, losing the most recent one to Central Michigan by a 38-17 score. Expect another easy victory for Notre Dame here. Only question in my mind is how many points do they wish to make it by?
My Call: Notre Dame 41, Purdue 7
#12 UCLA vs. Texas (at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas)
After the Bruins have looked less than stellar in two closer than expected wins over Virginia and Memphis while the Longhorns took it on the chin in a 41-7 stomping via BYU, I really haven't the faintest idea of what to expect in this one. The Longhorns should come out ready and motivated to play in this one after taking such a beating, but I'm going to take UCLA based on the fact that I do believe they have the better talent and team. I am far from sure it will play out this way though given the state of their beat up offensive line which has struggled mightily to protect QB Brett Hundley, which is why I am calling a close, low scoring game which could very easily go Texas' way.
My Call: UCLA 21, Texas 17
Louisiana-Lafayette at #14 Ole Miss
The Rajin' Cajuns have been the class of the New Orleans Bowl of late, winning that bowl game the last three years. However, they head to Oxford coming off a 48-20 loss to Louisiana Tech at home. Tech running back Kenneth Dixon ran wild in that one, so this could be a chance for a struggling Rebel ground game to get things going. Even if they don't, QB Bo Wallace should be able to handle things just fine here and so will a strong defense. Easy win for the Rebs as they get to 3-0.
My Call: Ole Miss 38, Louisiana-Lafayette 7
Army at #15 Stanford
Some of our future troops actually put together a pretty solid effort against Stanford a year ago at West Point in a 34-20 loss. This year they'll try their luck on the road against a Cardinal team that's undoubtedly licking their wounds from a game they feel like they should have won against Pac-12 rival USC. Army runs that interesting triple option offense which isn't always easy to prepare for in just one week, but I don't see Stanford losing two in a row on The Farm. They'll bounce back with a strong effort; putting Army away fairly early in the second half.
My Call: Stanford 42, Army 14
#16 Arizona State at Colorado
Pac 12 opener for both in Boulder. The Sun Devils will look to move to 3-0 while the Buffaloes will look to move to 2-1 after an exciting 41-38 victory over UMass. I just don't see how Colorado can keep up with ASU for a full 60 minutes. They couldn't do it against Colorado State and gave up 38 to UMass, so I'm thinking Taylor Kelly, D.J. Foster and Jaelen should have their ways even on the road. I expect this game will go somewhat similarly to the New Mexico game for ASU which they won 58-23; just maybe with a smaller margin of victory.
My Call: Arizona State 45, Colorado 27
East Carolina at #17 Virginia Tech
What do you do for an encore if you're Virginia Tech after going up to Columbus and beating Ohio State in impressive fashion? Try following it up at home with what would be a solid win over a Pirates team that has come close to winning this matchup the last two times they met. Virginia Tech won in 2011 by a score of 17-10 and a year ago by a score of 15-10; both games were played in Greenville. This one will be in Lane Stadium. Quite honestly, I'm expecting a very similar type of game. ECU will make this interesting but come up a little short as the Hokie defense will hold the fort down long enough to come away with the victory.
My Call: Virginia Tech 24, East Carolina 17
Central Florida at #20 Missouri
Another interesting matchup as the Knights will try going into Columbia to take down a ranked SEC team. If only they still had Blake Bortles, I think they'd have a really solid chance of pulling it off. But alas, he's now a Jacksonville Jaguar and true sophomore Justin Holman is now the guy under center. Good news for UCF is they have had an extra week of preparation and to rest up after a tough loss to Penn State in Ireland. Bad news is I see them heading for another tough loss in this one...
My Call: Missouri 30, Central Florida 23
#21 Louisville at Virginia
Does a near upset of UCLA do something for Virginia's confidence as another ranked opponent comes into Charlotesville? Yeah, I'm not so sure. While I can't imagine Louisville will score three defensive touchdowns in part to UVA mistakes, at the same time, I can't imagine the Cardinals offense will stumble the way UCLA's did. Virginia looks better overall, but need wins in order to save Mike London's job. They'll come up a little short here.
My Call: Louisville 34, Virginia 24
Kent State at #22 Ohio State
Back to the drawing board for the Buckeyes as they looked very lethargic in a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech this past Saturday night. I'd have been right about them winning if QB J.T. Barrett would have been able to avoid making mistakes, but he threw three interceptions and we know what happened. Ohio State won't be able to cure all of what ails them in a week (or maybe even this season), but it shouldn't have much of an issue gaining some confidence back against fellow Ohio school Kent State. Only way it would be an issue is if in their primes Jack Lambert and James Harrison were suiting up, but they're not. Buckeyes roll.
My Call: Ohio State 38, Kent State 7
Houston at #25 BYU
Fantastic start to the season for BYU beating both UConn and Texas on the road. They finally get to open up at home against a Houston team that struggled against UT-San Antonio in a 27-7 loss before bouncing back with a 47-0 win over Grambling State. That Cougar defense and Taysom Hill should be able to control things in this one on a Thursday night.
My Call: BYU 31, Houston 10
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