Not as many exciting games as last week, but we do see several matchups of ranked teams. Of course, we also have the Red River Rivalry, where rankings really don't matter.
Thurs Oct 7
#9 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Arkansas State Red Wolves : Lost in the conversation about Cincinnati is another highly-ranked Power 5 team, the highest rank a Sun Belt team has ever achieved. At this point, it looks like Coastal Carolina will coast (pun intended) to an unbeaten season. COASTAL CAROLINA by 16
Houston Cougars at Tulane Green Wave : Houston should easily demolish the Green Wave, who themselves near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference. HOUSTON by 20
Fri Oct 8
Temple Owls at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats : The Owls beat Memphis, but they have struggled overall and find themselves horribly overmatched here. CINCINNATI by 18
Stanford Cardinal at #22 Arizona State Sun Devils : This won't be an easy game for the Sun Devils. The Cardinal can be a tough team (just ask UCLA), very tenacious and clever. For the Sun Devils to win, they have to ensure they don't make any serious ball-handling mistakes. Even one turnover might be enough for Stanford to win. ARIZONA STATE by four
Sat Oct 9
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #24 Texas A&M Aggies : This will likely be the Aggies last week in the Top 25 for a while, as I don't see them getting past Alabama. ALABAMA by 16
#2 Georgia Bulldogs at #17 Auburn Tigers : After the bruising administered to the Razorbacks last week, what chance does Auburn have? GEORGIA by 20
#3 Penn State Nittany Lions at #5 Iowa Hawkeyes : This could be the most interesting game of the game (sorry, Texas and Oklahoma). The two best defenses in the Big Ten, and the best defenses outside of Cincinnati and Georgia, play each other in a potential preview of the Big Ten title game. I think Penn State has the better talent, but their offense is still a bit inconsistent. Worse, it can be tough to come into Iowa City and win, even though we don't to think of Kinnick Stadium as a traditional home field advantage. I give the slight edge to Iowa, who will likely play mistake-free football this time. IOWA by two
#4 Michigan Wolverines at Nebraska Cornhuskers : The Cornhuskers have improved since their first week loss to Illinois, but their defense is not capable of stopping Michigan. Can their offense outscore the Wolverines? I don't think so, but they may keep it close for three quarters. MICHIGAN by ten
Maryland Terrapins at #7 Ohio State Buckeyes : Ohio State is another team who has sharpened their play since an opening week loss, and now both their offense and defense are firing at high caliber. Maryland's offense, on the other hand, has gotten a bit shaky. OHIO STATE by 14
#8 Michigan State Spartans at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : After a strong non-conference performance, the Scarlet Knights are sputtering in conference play. This game won't be any different. MICHIGAN STATE by 12
#25 Oklahoma Sooners vs #10 Texas Longhorns : And now we come to the most highly-touted game of the day! The 2021 edition of the Red River Rivalry finds the Longhorns coming in strong while the unbeaten Sooners really have not been impressive, barely scraping by with their victories. Of course, nothing will wake up a team more than an intense rivalry game, so this game may be closer than you might expect. Still, I have not been impressed by the Sooners' play so far this season, so I think Texas has all the tools to win this one. TEXAS by six
LSU Tigers at #12 Kentucky Wildcats : The Wildcats take their newly-minted ranking for a stroll against the Tigers. LSU has not had a good time so far this season. Their offense has sputtered and their defense is slow. Neither are conducive elements to produce a victory here. KENTUCKY by eight
#13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Virginia Tech Hokies : The Hokies had an extra week to prepare for the Irish, but the worst thing for them may have been Cincinnati's victory. After that game, the Irish are burning for a win, and they will do everything they can to beat Virginia Tech. It may be close at the half, but watch the Irish pull away in the second half. NOTRE DAME by 13
#14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Syracuse Orange : Would it surprise you to know that the only unbeaten team in the ACC is Wake Forest? That's true. The Demon Deacons might be equally surprised, so it becomes an interesting question to see how long they can maintain it, as this is not a normal position for the Demon Deacons to be in. They should keep that winning streak going here, as Syracuse has not been great this season. The Orange can surprise, though, so Wake Forest should not get overconfident. WAKE FOREST by 12
#20 Arkansas Razorbacks at #16 Ole Miss Rebels : The two casualties of playing the top two teams in the country last week now face each other in what could be considered a "consolation" game. There may be no consoling Arkansas, who were so soundly spanked by Georgia last week. They desperately want a strong win to help ease the pain of that, but that desperation might be their undoing, as they let their emotions get the best of them. I predict at least two unsportsmanlike penalties for roughing the passer, and likely a targeting penalty besides. All of those will help Ole Miss advance. OLE MISS by nine
#18 SMU Mustangs at Navy Midshipmen : Lost in the commotion over Cincinnati's success is the fact that SMU is unbeaten as well. Navy is struggling, so SMU will continue that winning streak. SMU by 13
Boise State Broncos at #19 BYU Cougars : Despite high expectations, the Broncos find themselves staring down at a losing record. That won't get any better this week, as BYU has a very good team. BYU by 16
#21 Oregon State Beavers at Washington State Cougars : I've picked two Cougars teams to win, but that stops here. While the Beavers often lose at least one conference game they should win, I don't see that loss happening here, as the Cougars don't really have much to threaten them with. They do like to play close games, so they'll keep this one close, too. OREGON STATE by eight
Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers at Illinois Fighting Illini : I was so exciting that Illinois finally won their second game of the season last week. Unfortunately I don't see a third one coming. Despite their struggles, the Badgers still have a better team than Illinois, especially on defense. WISCONSIN by 11
Other Games of Interest
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Libery Flames : Liberty doesn't get much attention, but maybe they should this season. They have faced some tough competition and come out on top, amassing a 4-1 record. The Raiders can be tough, but they are having some problems on the line this season. I see Liberty achieving their first 5-1 record since moving up to FBS. LIBERTY by 13
UTSA Roadrunners at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers : The Hilltoppers are often a tough team to beat at home, but it should be easier to do this year. Their defense is only a shadow of their typical self, susceptible to the kind of dynamic plays seen by UTSA this season. UTSA by 15
Wyoming Cowboys at Air Force Falcons : Even I have been remiss in highlighting the Cowboys, a "come from nowhere" 4-0 team whose defense has helped support a sputtering offense. However, a two-point win against hapless UConn last week was not impressive, and now they face the power of the Air Force Academy. The Cowboys defense won't hold against the Falcons, and that unbeaten record will be a thing of the past. AIR FORCE by nine
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