We have an interesting batch of matchups this week, including a rare Friday Big Ten contest.
Thurs Sept 16
Ohio Bobcats at Louisiana Ragin Cajuns : While Louisiana has not proven to be quite as good as the preseason hype, this game shouldn't challenge them much. My God, Ohio lost to Duquesne, for heaven's sake! LOUISIANA by 16
Fri Sept 17
#22 UCF Golden Knights at Louisville Cardinals : It's been a rough start for the Cardinals, and unfortunately this game won't improve things any. UCF by 20
Maryland Terrapins at Illinois Fighting Illini : Illinois hasn't been hurt too bad by the injury to their starting quarterback. No, they've been hurt by a lack of defense, which just opens the door to dynamic Maryland to light up the scoreboard. MARYLAND by 17
Sat Sept 18
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #7 Florida Gators : One of only two contests featuring ranked teams, this one should be interesting. Florida will likely challenge early, and keep it close for nearly three quarters. Alabama will wear them down, however, and stretch their lead in the fourth. ALABAMA by 13
South Carolina Gamecocks at #2 Georgia Bulldogs : Easy game for the Dawgs. GEORGIA by 20
Kent State Golden Flashes at #3 Iowa Hawkeyes : Kent State is probably hoping that Iowa will be so hyped from their defeat of Iowa State last week that they are ripe for a letdown. Their coach won't allow that. IOWA by 23
#4 Cincinnati Bearcats at Indiana Hoosiers : What happened to Indiana's vaulted offense in Week 1? Yes, they scored a lot last week, but ANYONE can against Idaho. Cincy's defense might be even tougher than Iowa's, which will make this a tough game for Indy. CINCINNATI by 20
Fresno State Bulldogs at #5 UCLA Bruins : Fresno State has been punishing in their two home games, but they aren't so sharp away from home. Throw in UCLA's extra week of preparation, and this one doesn't look good for the Bulldogs. UCLA by 17
#6 Auburn Tigers at #11 Penn State Nittany Lions : Here's our other battle of ranked teams, and this one should be even more exciting than Alabama's. Most of the national analysts, with their bias against the Big Ten and favoritism of the SEC, don't give Penn State a chance. While I am picking Auburn, this one is an Upset Alert. Auburn is used to being the defensive bully in the room, as they usually have one of the toughest defenses in the SEC. However, on the defensive side of the ball, Penn State is the better team. The Lions offense this year is very good, too, so they have the tools to have the White Out wash over the Tigers. AUBURN by three
Stony Brook (FCS) Seawolves at #8 Oregon Ducks : Long Island-based Stony Brook travels all the way across the country to play the Ducks. Enjoy the trips, guys, because you'll get killed on the field. OREGON by 31
#9 Michigan State Spartans at Miami Hurricanes : How the hell is Miami ranked in the national polls? They were thoroughly embarrassed by Alabama and nearly lost to Appalachian State. Well, this loss should wipe them off the rankings. MICHIGAN STATE by 16
Northern Illinois Huskies at #10 Michigan Wolverines : Washington proved easy for Michigan last week. Northern Illinois won't be too much of a threat. MICHIGAN by 17
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #12 Ohio State Buckeyes : The Buckeyes get an easy opponent to work out their defensive woes. OHIO STATE by 26
Delaware (FCS) Blue Hens at #13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights : Delaware is actually a good FCS team, so in previous years this might be prone for an upset. This year, however, Rutgers has one of the oldest and most experienced teams in the conference, and has their talent firing on all cylinders. No upset here. RUTGERS by 23
Georgia Southern Eagles at #14 Arkansas Razorbacks : Easy win for the Razorbacks, so long as they don't get overconfident and look past them. ARKANSAS by 23
#15 Virginia Tech Hokies at West Virginia Mountaineers : The Mountaineers tend to play the Hokies tough, but they are just overmatched this season. VIRGINIA TECH by 14
Purdue Boilermakers at #16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : Purdue can sometimes challenge the Irish, but not this year. Purdue has looked good so far, but they seem to lack that spark. Of course, nothing can fire up a team more than facing the Irish. This game might push Purdue to the next level, which could make this an interesting game. NOTRE DAME by13
Nevada Wolf Pack by #17 Kansas State Wildcats : The Wildcats get a fairly easy opponent this week. They need a great game to eliminate the near FCS upset they faced last week. KANSAS STATE by 21
#18 Arizona State Sun Devils at BYU Cougars : BYU hasn't looked as sharp as I thought they might, while the Sun Devils have certainly shown the talent we saw developing back in 2019. Arizona State can sometimes be their own worst enemy. If they can avoid mistakes, they should take this game. ARIZONA STATE by 16
#19 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Buffalo Bulls : The Bulls have faltered this season, while Coastal is showing the power of the Sun Belt, and ensuring that everyone in America knows who the Chanticleers are. COASTAL CAROLINA by 16
New Mexico Lobos at #20 Texas A&M Aggies : The Aggies get an easy opponent. TEXAS A&M by 23
Tennessee Tech (FCS) Golden Eagles at #21 Tennessee Volunteers : Don't expect an upset in this cross-state battle. TENN by 26
Furman (FCS) Paladins at #23 NC State Wolfpack : Another easy FCS v FBS matchup this week. NC STATE by 26
Western Michigan Broncos at #24 Pittsburgh Panthers : If Pitt can prevent a letdown after their fabulous upset last week, they should send the Broncos packing. PITT by 20
East Carolina Pirates at #25 Marshall Thundering Herd : The Pirates are suffering from a down year, which makes life easier for Marshall. MARSHALL by 18
Big Ten
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Oklahoma Sooners : The old Southwest and Big XII rivalry gets renewed! This used to be a thrilling game, but Nebraska has really slid since those days. OKLAHOMA by 17
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Colorado Buffaloes : Ooh, this might be an exciting game! Minnesota certainly proved they have the offensive chops, but their defense has holes. That might open the door for Colorado to engineer an upset. MINNESOTA by six
Northwestern Wildcats at Duke Blue Devils : Neither team has looked stellar so far this season, but Duke lost to Charlotte, so I really have to give the edge to the Wildcats. NORTHWESTERN by three
Other Games of Interest
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Memphis Tigers : The Bulldogs get to improve their standing with a nice win over the normally-competitive Tigers. MISSISSIPPI STATE by 13
Florida International Panthers at Texas Tech Red Raiders : The Red Raiders prevented a shocking upset last week, but it must have given them a scare. That should inspire them to be better this week, so I expect the Panthers won't be able to pull off an upset. TEXAS TECH by eight
Virginia Cavaliers at North Carolina Tar Heels : The Cavs have shown that the Illinois defeat was not a fluke, and a defeat of highly-touted (but underachieving) Tar Heels team. VIRGINIA by 11
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boise State Broncos : The Cowboys have been unimpressive. While Boise hasn't exactly been their usually strong self, they have enough talent to beat the Cowboys. BOISE STATE by 13
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