Full-time conference play begins for most teams this week. Things can get fierce as rivalries surface.
Friday Sept 22
Wisconsin Badgers at Purdue Boilermakers : Both teams have struggled with turnovers this season, but the Badgers seem to have gotten it together. Their pounding ground game will exhaust a thin Purdue bench. WISCONSIN by eight
Boise State Broncos at San Diego State Aztecs : The Aztecs have a good team this year, and the home crowd will give them a boost. This game will be a tough one for the Broncos. BOISE STATE by four
#25 Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans : The other Mountain West game on Friday will not be so close. The Falcons have a strong defense and a bounding ground game. They might look like Wisconsin, except they hold onto the ball better. AIR FORCE by 13
Saturday Sept 23
Top 25
#1 USC Trojans at Arizona State Sun Devils : Best of the conference against one of the worst. Easy pick. USC by lots
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #2 Michigan Wolverines : Rutgers looks pretty good this year, but this is no contest. MICHIGAN by 26
#8 Ohio State Buckeyes at #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : If this game were last week, I'd pick the home team with no hesitation. However, the Buckeyes got their offense straightened out last week, and they have a slightly better defense than the Irish. The real contest here will be how the young players on Ohio State's squad handles a close game, as this one will be. If they step up, this will be an upset. OHIO STATE by three
#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Cincinnati Bearcats : Cincy's defense won't be able to hold back this potent offense. OKLAHOMA by lots
Cal Golden Bears at #5 Washington Huskies : Another one-sided battle in the Pac-12. WASHINGTON by 28
#6 Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears : Tough year for Baylor, and a tough schedule. TEXAS by 24
#7 Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Tigers : Clemson fans are excited for an upset, but I don't think it'll happen. The Tigers still seem to have some problems finding a stable lineup, while the Seminoles are riding high. FLORIDA STATE by 18
#9 UCLA Bruins at #18 Utah Utes : Utah has a history of upsetting higher-ranked teams who come into their stadium, and they have the tools to do it again this year. The Bruins are a good team, and the embarrassed San Diego State, but I think the Utes might surprise. UTAH by three
UAB Blazers at #10 Georgia Bulldogs :This will be an easier game than the Bulldogs faced last week. GEORGIA by 24
#11 Oregon State Beavers at #13 Washington State Cougars : Another close Top 25 matchup in the Pac-23 this week. This time, I favor the tricks of the visiting team to overcome the lower ranked home team. OREGON STATE by six
#12 Miami Hurricanes at Temple Owls : Easy contest. MIAMI by lots
#23 Iowa Hawkeyes at #14 Penn State Nittany Lions : The only Top 25 matchup in the Big Ten will likely result in the Hawkeyes losing their Top 25 ranking. PENN STATE by 18
#15 Kentucky Wildcats at Vanderbilt Commodores : Smooth contest for the Wildcats. KENTUCKY by 24
#16 Auburn Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies : Auburn has been rather wuiet in the SEC, but don't discount them. This game will show what they are capable of producing. AUBURN by 13
#20 Colorado Buffaloes at #17 Oregon Ducks : The Buffaloes rolled their first two weeks, but the surprise is over. The Rams played them tough, and the Ducks will wake them up. OREGON by 16
#19 North Carolina Tar Heels at Pitt Panthers : Pitt is struggling, so the Tar Heels will roll. NORTH CAROLINA by 23
#21 Duke Blue Devils at UCOnn Huskies : This will be an even bigger win. DUKE by lots
#22 Ole Miss Rebels at Alabama Crimson Tide : The Tide still has QB questions, which will impact them. The Rebs have a tough defense, and they should frustrate whoever Coach Saban puts out there. OLE MISS by 13
#24 Memphis Tigers at Missouri Tigers : What I can say for certain is that the Tigers will win. Which Tigers team is more interesting. Missouri proved that they are a strong team last week, while Memphis has lived off close games this season. This game could go either way. MEMPHIS by four
Big Ten
Florida Atlantic Owls at Illinois Fighting Illini : A nice easy opponent. Maybe the Illini can use this game to figure how to reduce their offensive penalties. ILLINOIS by 18
Maryland Terrapins at Michigan State Spartans : Maryland has a recent history of struggling when they hit conference play, but struggles are the basis of the Spartans play this season. MARYLAND by 16
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Nebraska Cornhuskers : Nebraska has stepped up their game this season, and this game will really demonstrate that. NEBRASKA by 23
Akron Zups at Indiana Hoosiers : Akron hasn't started out well, and Indiana has shown power, even in losses. INDIANA by 16
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Northwestern Wildcats : Northwestern is struggling, while Minnesota looks strong. MINNESOTA by 23
MAC
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Northern Illinois Huskies : It's a tough year for the Huskies, and a loss to Tulsa will not help. TULSA by 14
Western Michigan Broncos at Toledo Rockets : Talk about tough seasons, that describes the Broncos' situation as well. TOLEDO by 24
Georgia Southern Eagles at Ball State Cardinals : Battle of the birds and the little red guy wins. BALL STATE by 16
Ohio Bobcats at Bowling Green Falcons : The Bobcats find themselves atop their division, and they will do everything to stay there. They're well-equipped to do that. OHIO by 17
Kent State Golden Flashes at Fresno State Bulldogs : The Bulldogs will rule in this one. FRESNO STATE by 23
Other Games of Interest
Army Black Knights at Syracuse Orange : Despite forcing six turnovers, the Orange had trouble putting away the Boilermakers last week. Army's pounding ground game will not be so forgiving. ARMY by six
SMU Mustangs at TCU Horned Frogs : The Mustangs are a pretty good team, while TCU is getting their feet under them. This will be a close game, but TCU's experience should help boost them. TCU by six
Boston College Eagles at Louisville Cardinals : Louisville has a chance to enter the Top 25 with this win. LOUISVILLE by 23
BYU Cougars at Kansas Jayhawks : Kansas has started 3-0. This game will really prove if the Jayhawks are for real this season. I don't think they'll do it, but this will be a very close game. BYU by eight
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones : Both Teams were surprised last week. At least the Cyclones lost to a more prominent team, and that's why I favor them in this match-up. IOWA STATE by six
Arkansas Razorbacks at LSU Tigers : This could be a close game. LSU isn't quite as strong as usual, and Arkansas is a good team this year, but the difference will be the Tigers defense. LSU by eight
UCF Golden Knights at Kansas State Wildcats : UCF is enjoying their first year in the Big XII, and they face their first conference game. The Wildcats are good, but I don't think they have faced tough enough opposition to prepare for this game. UCF by nine
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