The MAC is getting most of their games out of the way on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've had trouble picking the MAC, so I will skip down to Thursday.
Thurs Nov 4
Georgia State Panthers at #23 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns : While they have not gotten the attention of Coastal Carolina, the Ragin Cajuns have put together a strong string of performances this year, and are certainly in the running for the division title. Their streak should continue here. LOUISIANA by 16
Fri Nov 5
Virginia Tech Hokies at Boston College Eagles : After a phenomenal non-conference record, the Eagles have failed to win an ACC game. Will that cycle of frustration sop here? Certainly the Hokies have been a disappointment this season as well, but they have the talent to beat BC, unless they make too many mistakes. VIRGINIA TECH by six
Sat Nov 6
Top 25
Missouri Tigers at #1 Georgia Bulldogs : Georgia continues their behemoth-like slaughter of the SEC. GEORGIA by 24
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #2 Cincinnati Bearcats : This is a chance for the Bearcats to get some "style" points (read: run the score up on an opponent). Tulsa's defense can be tricky, though, so I think Cincy will still underperform. CINCY by 16
#3 Ohio State Buckeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers : Penn State played the Buckeyes close for the first half, but I believe that I predicted that (take THAT you moronic national analysts!). Nebraska won't be that tough a fight. OHIO STATE by 23
#4 Michigan State Spartans at Purdue Boilermakers : Purdue shocked Iowa, but now teams are gunning for them. The Spartans defense has a great field sense, and will frustrate the Boilermakers offense. Can Purdue slow the Spartans' ground game? For a while, yes, but I think Sparty will start to exhaust them and really pull away in the fourth quarter. MICHIGAN STATE by 16
LSU Tigers at #5 Alabama Crimson Tide : LSU is having a tough year. Facing Alabama won't make it any easier. ALABAMA by 24
#7 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at North Carolina Tar Heels : Wake will continue to prove they are the quality team of the ACC this season. They don't win big, but they win. WAKE FOREST by nine
Navy at #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : Here's the question: can the ground-pounding physical assault of Navy's running game wear down the defense of the Irish enough to pull off the upset? I think the Irish bench has enough strength to support them. NOTRE DAME by 11
#9 Oregon Ducks at Washington Huskies : Of all of the teams in the Pac-12, Washington might be the most disappointing this season. OREGON by 24
Indiana Hoosiers at #10 Michigan Wolverines : The Wolverines need a great game to bounce back from the final minutes loss to Michigan State last week. Indiana's offense is good, but their defense isn't, so this looks to be an offensive showdown. I favor the Wolverines, who have the better defense. MICHIGAN by 16
#11 Oklahoma State Cowboys at West Virginia Mountaineers : You can never get too complacent placing the Mountaineers, but the Cowboys have the strength to pull this one out. Besides, I still like the idea of an unbeaten Oklahoma State team facing an unbeaten Oklahoma team. OKLAHOMA STATE by 13
#12 Auburn Tigers at #16 Texas A&M Aggies : Would you believe that this is the ONLY matchup of Top 25 teams this weekend? Wow. How about the fact that this is the first upset I am picking this week? That's right, I think the extra week that A&M enjoyed will give them the time to heal up and plan a sneaky attack against Auburn. TEXAS A&M by three
#13 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Georgia Southern Eagles : No flies on the Chanticleers. COASTAL CAROLINA by 18
#14 UTSA Roadrunners at UTEP Miners : UTEP has stepped back a bit after a tremendous start, but they can still be dangerous. The Roadrunners have a strong offense, but the Miners defense might keep them in the game, allowing for a potential game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Still, the Roadrunners find ways to win, so if you leave them more than 60 seconds, they might still pull it out. UTSA by four
#15 Baylor Bears at TCU Horned Frogs : TCU just doesn't have the might they used to, and losing Coach Patterson may deflate the players. BAYLOR by 23
#17 Houston Cougars at South Florida Bulls : The Bulls defense is starting to find themselves again, but their offense is still in Limbo. HOUSTON by 20
#18 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins : Penn State wants to beat up on someone after their fourth quarter collapse against Ohio State. The Terrapins become tackling dummies. PENN STATE by 20
#19 Iowa Hawkeyes at Northwestern Wildcats : Two teams with strong defenses face off, so don't expect much scoring. While the Wildcats offense is better, Iowa's defense is much better. IOWA by six
#20 SMU Mustangs at Memphis Tigers : The Mustangs lost for the first time all season last week, so they want to get back on the winning track. Normally the Tigers can be a tough opponent, but they are not having a normal year. SMU by 18
#21 NC State Wolfpack at Florida State Seminoles : The Seminoles have managed to win a couple of ACC games, but they are still shadows of their former selves. Not an obstacle at all for NC State, who face unbeaten Wake Forest next week. NC STATE by 23
Illinois Fighting Illini at #22 Minnesota Golden Gophers : Illinois seems to engineer one upset a year. They used it against Penn State. MINNESOTA by 16
Liberty Flames at #24 Ole Miss Rebels : It's "bounce back" week for Ole Miss, but they may miss the mark. The Flames are a good team. They haven't had the level of competition that Ole Miss has, so I'll favor the Rebs, but Liberty could prevail in this one. OLE MISS by three
Tennessee Volunteers at #25 Kentucky Wildcats : The Wildcats need a victory (and a strong one at that!) to remain in the Top 25. They're going to get pressure from the teams below them, and Tennessee won't make it easy on them, either. The Wildcats should win, but will it be a strong enough victory? KENTUCKY by nine
Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : The Badgers still have a shot to win the division (something they have done more times than any other team in this division, and as many times as Ohio State has done), and they want it. Rutgers has trouble getting out of their own way sometimes, a situation Wisconsin will be quick to take advantage of. WISCONSIN by 13
Other Games of Interest
Army Black Knights at Air Force Falcons : The Air Force Academy has won more Commander-in-Chief trophies than any other service academy, and they are fighting for another. They won't find Army so easy as previous years, but I think the Falcons will still prevail. AIR FORCE by six
Pitt Panthers at Duke Blue Devils : Pitt leads the Coastal division, so all they have to do to reach their first ACC Championship Game is to win out. This will be the first step. PITT by 17
Appalachian State Mountaineers at Arkansas State Red Wolves : The Red Wolves find themselves in an unusual place -- the bottom of their division. The Mountaineers find themselves in a familiar place -- atop theirs. APPALACHIAN STATE by 20
Idaho State (FCS) Bengals at BYU Cougars : A late season FCS v FBS bout really is not in doubt. BYU by lots
Marshall Thundering Herd at Florida Atlantic Owls : A nice easy game for the Herd. MARSHALL by 23
Boise State Broncos at Fresno State Bulldogs : Boise State is not having a great year, but never discount this team! They will fight Fresno State hard; not hard enough to win, but perhaps hard enough to prevent an impressive enough victory for the Bulldogs to vault into the Top 25. FRESNO STATE by 7
Texas Longhorns at Iowa State Cyclones : Texas has been floundering since their loss to Oklahoma, but they might still give the Cyclones some fits. I think the home team will pull this one out, but it'll be a bit too close for comfort. IOWA STATE by six
San Diego State Aztecs at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors : The Aztecs will enjoy their trip to the islands, and cap it off with a win. SAN DIEGO STATE by 15
No comments:
Post a Comment