It's a bye week for many top teams, but there are still some interesting games on the plate.
Thurs Oct 14
Navy Midshipmen at Memphis Tigers : This is an important game for both teams. Neither of them are having the type of season that they typically enjoy. A win here could help one of them start to get back on track. So who will that be? Navy is struggling to move the ball, while Memphis' defense makes frequent mistakes. Still, those mistakes will be less noticeable against a team that cannot exploit them. MEMPHIS by eight
Fri Oct 15
Marshall Thundering Herd at North Texas Mean Green : Marshall has slipped after the season so strongly, but North Texas is really having a tough year. This game could mark a comeback for the Herd. MARSHALL by 11
Cal Golden Bears at #11 Oregon Ducks : Did Oregon really need an extra week to prepare for Cal? This one should be fairly easy. OREGON by 16
San Diego State Aztecs at San Jose State Spartans : A strong win here could launch the Aztecs into the Top 25. SAN DIEGO STATE by 20
Sat Oct 16
Top 25
#10 Kentucky Wildcats at #1 Georgia Bulldogs : Kentucky may score more points against this top-ranked Bulldogs defense than any other team so far this season, but I don't think they are strong enough to pull off the upset. GEORGIA by 14
Purdue Boilermakers at #2 Iowa Hawkeyes : Most of the rest of the ranked Big Ten rest this week, but Iowa doesn't get a breather after their exciting win over Penn State last week. Or, actuallly, since they are playing Purdue, maybe they do. IOWA by 20
UCF Golden Knights at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats : I'm sure when this game was scheduled, they figured it would be a nice challenge for a likely unbeaten UCF team. Surprise! UCF is in the midst of a rebuilding year while the unbeaten Bearcats chase a possible playoff spot (highly likely at this point, since three of the Big Ten teams in front of them will have to bow out at some point). CINCY by 21
#7 Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs : The Tide are hungry for a win after their upset loss to the Aggies, and they get a great chew toy in the Bulldogs, who are struggling to stay upright after the departure of their coach. ALABAMA by 26
#8 Michigan State Spartans at Indiana Hoosiers : This game seemed a lot closer (and a possible Hoosier win) when I considered it in my preseason preview column. My, how times have changed. MICHIGAN STATE by 17
#12 Florida Gators at LSU Tigers : Not a good year for LSU, who right now have a NEGATIVE point differential against FBS teams. That negative will get bigger this week. FLORIDA by 21
#15 Arizona State Sun Devils at Utah Utes : Utah pulled off a fine showing last week, but the Sun Devils have power. If they can beat Oregon, this could be the Sun Devils year to win the Pac-12. ARIZONA STATE by 16
#16 Ole Miss Rebels at Tennessee Volunteers : Tennessee started the year well, but they have foundered in SEC play. On the other hand, the Rebs have looked good, even against Alabama. OLE MISS by 20
TCU Horned Frogs at #17 Oklahoma Sooners : Now we see if the Red River Rivalry comeback was due to the team gelling or due to the emotion of the rivalry. TCU can play tough. I think Oklahoma will win, but if I am right, and the comeback against Texas was NOT completely due to the latent talent of the Sooners finally coming out, then this will be a very close game. OKLAHOMA by three
Oklahoma State Cowboys at #19 Texas Longhorns : The Cowboys picked the wrong time to come to Austin. The Longhorns just lost a crucial rivalry game against the other team from Oklahoma, and they want to take it out on someone. That "someone" will be the Cowboys. Expect a lot of tough tackles and a few injuries as Texas chews up yardage and chews up bandages. TEXAS by nine
#20 Texas A&M Aggies at Missouri Tigers : This should be an easy win for the Aggies, unless they get careless and are still celebrating their upset over Alabama. TEXAS A&M by 18
#21 Auburn Tigers at #24 Arkansas Razorbacks : Unless this is a really tight game, this will likely be the last week in the Top 25 for one of these two. Arkansas battled Ole Miss hard last week to make up for their total destruction against Georgia. Auburn is playing better, too, and their defense is waking up. We saw what a good defense can do against Arkansas. AUBURN by nine
#22 BYU Cougars at Baylor Bears : Whoops, here's my first outright upset pick. BYU hasn't really been tested, and Baylor is being ignored by the national analysts. They want attention, and beating a ranked team is a good way to get it. BAYLOR by six
#23 NC State Wolfpack at Boston College Eagles : Both teams took a week off last week to prepare for this game. Both teams are 4-1. The Wolfpack have the better offense while the Eagles have the better defense. Defense usually wins these battles, but I like the tenaciousness of the Wolfpack, although this game could go either way. NC STATE by two
Big Ten
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Minnesota Golden Gophers : Minnesota hasn't quite lived up to expectations this season, but I expect they should be able to hold back Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won't make it easy, though, and may take the lead at some point. Nebraska has a problem with turnovers, though, and Minnesota will look to take advantage of that. MINNESOTA by six
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Northwestern Wildcats : Definitely a down year for the Wildcats. RUTGERS by 13
Army Black Knights at Wisconsin Badgers : Army comes to Camp Randall with the type of hard-corps running attack that used to epitomize Wisconsin. Their defense should know how to stop it, but are they capable of actually doing so? I'm not sure this team is, even if they did shut out Illinois last week. ARMY by 13
Other Games of Interest
Yale Bulldogs at UConn Huskies : Ah, an FCS team. This is an opponent UConn can beat, right? Not this year. YALE by eight
Pitt Panthers at Virginia Tech Hokies : Both of these team are teetering on the brink of the Top 25 rankings. A strong finish might push the winner over the edge. I think this will be a close game, though, so the winner might still find themselves outside the cherished land. VIRGINIA TECH by four
Iowa State Cyclones at Kansas State Wildcats : The Wildcats excellent non-conference record is withering under the strength of the Big XII conference. The Cyclones have proven not be the Top 25 team national analysts predicted, but they are still a strong team, one strong enough to continue the downward spiral of the Wildcats. IOWA STATE by nine
Air Force Falcons at Boise State Broncos : The Broncos can be tough at home, but they have also been very inconsistent this season, and quite penalty-prone. The Falcons play error-free ball, and that should make the difference here. AIR FORCE by eight
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