College Football Week 4
Posted: September 20th, 2018, 12:52 pm
[font=Calibri]Through 3 weeks:[/font]
[font=Calibri]Local Games: 5-0[/font]
[font=Calibri]Five Others to Watch: 9-6[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Local Games:[/font]
[font=Calibri]Illinois vs No. 10 Penn State – Friday 9:00 pm FS1 (PSU -28)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Penn State plays a Friday night game on the road to open conference play. Tommy Stevens has been cleared to play and we should expect a few wrinkles in the gameplan to force Ohio State to spend some time preparing for next week. Illinois is slowly making strides in my opinion. I really hope they stick with Lovie Smith and give him a full 5 or 6 years to see what he can do. He has a few 4 star recruits committed for next year and this year’s team already won as many as they did last year. Still have a ways to go, though. I look at this Illinois rebuild much like I did Penn State’s rebuild in basketball. If you expect someone to come in and change the culture in 2 or 3 years, you are sadly mistaken.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My Prediction: Penn State 48 – Illinois 13[/font]
[font=Calibri]North Carolina vs Pittsburgh – 12:20 ACC Network (Pitt -3)[/font]
[font=Calibri]North Carolina has looked atrocious through the first 2 games. Hurricane Florence forced their game last week against UCF to be cancelled. They lost to a mediocre Cal team in week 1 and then were blown out by ECU in week 2. You never know after an event like a local hurricane how a team will respond. I also don’t know how much I can trust Pitt, yet. They did get a little more balanced in their attack last week, which I like. You know Pitt will be able to somewhat run the ball. If they can get a passing attack, then I think 7 or 8 wins may be within reach.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My Prediction: Pitt 23 – North Carolina 21[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Five Others to Watch:[/font]
[font=Calibri]No. 1 Alabama vs No. 22 Texas A&M – 3:30 CBS (Alabama -26)[/font]
[font=Calibri]I know A&M played Clemson tight but this is a test. On the road to play with what I think is the best Alabama team Nick Saban has ever assembled. Joel Klatt was discussing how this team is averaging 21 more points a game than their 5 previous Saban National Title teams have averaged. The only kink in Alabama’s armor during Saban’s tenure was they could get in trouble if they either got behind early and had to go one dimensional passing or if they got in a true defensive slugfest. Well, Tua Tagovailoa takes both of those concerns away. I think A&M can hang tough for a quarter or so just because they have been in a big game once this year but no chance down the stretch. I do like Kellen Mond as a quarterback, though.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Alabama 45 – Texas A&M 16[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Kentucky vs No. 14 Mississippi State - 7:00 pm ESPN2 (Miss State -9.5)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Both teams have a road win against a formidable opponent with the Wildcats being Florida in The Swamp and Mississippi State going to Manhattan, KS (the little apple) to beat Kansas State. I really don’t think Florida or KSU will be very good this year. I do think both Kentucky and Mississippi State can challenge for 2[sup]nd[/sup] in their respective divisions. Neither team is going to compete with Georgia or Alabama but both have good quarterbacks in Nick Fitzgerald and Terry Wilson. Mississippi State is huge on the defensive front but Kentucky has one of the best backs in the country in Benny Snell Jr. That will be a good matchup to watch[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Miss State 31 – Kentucky 23[/font]
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[font=Calibri]No. 20 Oregon vs No. 7 Stanford - 8:00 pm ESPN (Stanford -2)[/font]
[font=Calibri]You get to watch 2 of the best players in college football in Stanford’s Bryce Love and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Bryce Love hasn’t really gotten off to the start many have thought he would but still appears on some (way to early) Heisman watch lists. Herbert looks like he may go 1[sup]st[/sup] overall in the 2019 NFL draft. It has been a while since Oregon has had a game of this magnitude on their campus after they have been stuck in the mud since pretty much the Chip Kelly days. I really expect a rocking atmosphere and that will help the Ducks.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Oregon 28 – Stanford 24[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Iowa vs. No. 18 Wisconsin – 8:30 Fox (Wisconsin -3)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Can we call this game what it is? The B1G West championship. I don’t think either one of these teams can run their remaining schedule without a loss considering Wisconsin has to go to the Big House, Happy Valley, and most likely have dreaded Northwestern nooner. Iowa also has a trip to Penn State and I don’t think they are offensively efficient enough to win all 5 of their remaining B1G road games. So with that said the loser of this game is really behind the 8-ball especially if they can’t run the B1G table rest of the way. Neither team can really stretch the field and have game managers at QB. They both have some dogs in the trenches. I personally love football games like this where a turnover or untimely penalty or missed kick will probably make the difference. Wisconsin’s loss last week may help the Badgers because now it takes away the possibility of the patented top 5 Kinnick Stadium upset.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Wisconsin 7 – Iowa 6[/font]
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[font=Calibri]No. 10 Washington vs Arizona State – 10:30 pm ESPN (Washington -17)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Man, that Herb Edwards hire looked like a homerun until he lost last week to a team in the Mountain West in San Diego State. I still am impressed with the collection of work through 3 weeks for the Sun Devils. I think they have a good shot to win the dreadful PAC12 South. Washington just is in a different league right now. They have a guy that should be more discussed nationally in Jake Browning under center and they went into a hostile Utah blackout last week and won pretty convincingly.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Washington 36 – Arizona State 16[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Local Games: 5-0[/font]
[font=Calibri]Five Others to Watch: 9-6[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Local Games:[/font]
[font=Calibri]Illinois vs No. 10 Penn State – Friday 9:00 pm FS1 (PSU -28)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Penn State plays a Friday night game on the road to open conference play. Tommy Stevens has been cleared to play and we should expect a few wrinkles in the gameplan to force Ohio State to spend some time preparing for next week. Illinois is slowly making strides in my opinion. I really hope they stick with Lovie Smith and give him a full 5 or 6 years to see what he can do. He has a few 4 star recruits committed for next year and this year’s team already won as many as they did last year. Still have a ways to go, though. I look at this Illinois rebuild much like I did Penn State’s rebuild in basketball. If you expect someone to come in and change the culture in 2 or 3 years, you are sadly mistaken.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My Prediction: Penn State 48 – Illinois 13[/font]
[font=Calibri]North Carolina vs Pittsburgh – 12:20 ACC Network (Pitt -3)[/font]
[font=Calibri]North Carolina has looked atrocious through the first 2 games. Hurricane Florence forced their game last week against UCF to be cancelled. They lost to a mediocre Cal team in week 1 and then were blown out by ECU in week 2. You never know after an event like a local hurricane how a team will respond. I also don’t know how much I can trust Pitt, yet. They did get a little more balanced in their attack last week, which I like. You know Pitt will be able to somewhat run the ball. If they can get a passing attack, then I think 7 or 8 wins may be within reach.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My Prediction: Pitt 23 – North Carolina 21[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Five Others to Watch:[/font]
[font=Calibri]No. 1 Alabama vs No. 22 Texas A&M – 3:30 CBS (Alabama -26)[/font]
[font=Calibri]I know A&M played Clemson tight but this is a test. On the road to play with what I think is the best Alabama team Nick Saban has ever assembled. Joel Klatt was discussing how this team is averaging 21 more points a game than their 5 previous Saban National Title teams have averaged. The only kink in Alabama’s armor during Saban’s tenure was they could get in trouble if they either got behind early and had to go one dimensional passing or if they got in a true defensive slugfest. Well, Tua Tagovailoa takes both of those concerns away. I think A&M can hang tough for a quarter or so just because they have been in a big game once this year but no chance down the stretch. I do like Kellen Mond as a quarterback, though.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Alabama 45 – Texas A&M 16[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Kentucky vs No. 14 Mississippi State - 7:00 pm ESPN2 (Miss State -9.5)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Both teams have a road win against a formidable opponent with the Wildcats being Florida in The Swamp and Mississippi State going to Manhattan, KS (the little apple) to beat Kansas State. I really don’t think Florida or KSU will be very good this year. I do think both Kentucky and Mississippi State can challenge for 2[sup]nd[/sup] in their respective divisions. Neither team is going to compete with Georgia or Alabama but both have good quarterbacks in Nick Fitzgerald and Terry Wilson. Mississippi State is huge on the defensive front but Kentucky has one of the best backs in the country in Benny Snell Jr. That will be a good matchup to watch[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Miss State 31 – Kentucky 23[/font]
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[font=Calibri]No. 20 Oregon vs No. 7 Stanford - 8:00 pm ESPN (Stanford -2)[/font]
[font=Calibri]You get to watch 2 of the best players in college football in Stanford’s Bryce Love and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Bryce Love hasn’t really gotten off to the start many have thought he would but still appears on some (way to early) Heisman watch lists. Herbert looks like he may go 1[sup]st[/sup] overall in the 2019 NFL draft. It has been a while since Oregon has had a game of this magnitude on their campus after they have been stuck in the mud since pretty much the Chip Kelly days. I really expect a rocking atmosphere and that will help the Ducks.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Oregon 28 – Stanford 24[/font]
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[font=Calibri]Iowa vs. No. 18 Wisconsin – 8:30 Fox (Wisconsin -3)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Can we call this game what it is? The B1G West championship. I don’t think either one of these teams can run their remaining schedule without a loss considering Wisconsin has to go to the Big House, Happy Valley, and most likely have dreaded Northwestern nooner. Iowa also has a trip to Penn State and I don’t think they are offensively efficient enough to win all 5 of their remaining B1G road games. So with that said the loser of this game is really behind the 8-ball especially if they can’t run the B1G table rest of the way. Neither team can really stretch the field and have game managers at QB. They both have some dogs in the trenches. I personally love football games like this where a turnover or untimely penalty or missed kick will probably make the difference. Wisconsin’s loss last week may help the Badgers because now it takes away the possibility of the patented top 5 Kinnick Stadium upset.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Wisconsin 7 – Iowa 6[/font]
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[font=Calibri]No. 10 Washington vs Arizona State – 10:30 pm ESPN (Washington -17)[/font]
[font=Calibri]Man, that Herb Edwards hire looked like a homerun until he lost last week to a team in the Mountain West in San Diego State. I still am impressed with the collection of work through 3 weeks for the Sun Devils. I think they have a good shot to win the dreadful PAC12 South. Washington just is in a different league right now. They have a guy that should be more discussed nationally in Jake Browning under center and they went into a hostile Utah blackout last week and won pretty convincingly.[/font]
[font=Calibri]My prediction: Washington 36 – Arizona State 16[/font]
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