The Obstructed NCAA Preview for Week 8
Things are heating up in the college football world. After this weekend, we will definitely see an unbeaten in Tuscaloosa fall, whether that is the visiting team or the home team. And right now it is the game of the season in college football until Michigan and Ohio State play in the last weekend with both undefeated from all likelihoods.
Last week I went 10-2 with my picks so I am now 56-27 so far (had I put in the Virginia Tech/Syracuse game I would have been 10-3, but thought it was an easy W for the Hokies. Oops). So onto this week.
MIAMI @ VIRGINIA TECH, 7:30, THURSDAY, ESPN: Always a fun game to watch since their Big East days. Before last week's game it looked like the Hokies would have been rolling to the ACC Championship game with the Heels and Canes struggling. And they crashed in Syracuse. Maybe it is those growing pains that Justin Fuente will have in his first year. The Hokies still fought and clawed their way back in game last week but too little too late. Miami on the other hand blew another home game to North Carolina and was unimpressive in the process. The one thing that Mark Richt has struggled throughout his coaching career is when his teams have adversity they do have issues rebounding on. And now they are at Virginia Tech on a Thursday. To me this doesn't bode well for Miami's defense nor Brad Kaaya to get out of it. I like the Hokies in this one. MY PREDICTION: VIRGINIA TECH 30, MIAMI 20
BYU @ (14) BOISE STATE, 10:30, THURSDAY ESPN: An old Mountain West "rivlary" game. The Cougars and Broncos are probably the two best "non-power 5 conference" teams (alongside Houston). The Broncos have quietly gone undefeated as many (myself included) thought those days of ruling the roost are over. Nope. They are back. BYU has come off two straight wins against power 5 schools (albeit Michigan State and Mississippi State right now as both have fizzled out) and a 3rd power 5 to start the year (Arizona, but also fizzled out). Ironically this might be the Cougars biggest game to date. If they can move the ball on the Broncos, they could stun. But they really need to make some key stops. If Boise State can jump on BYU early, it could be another win for the Broncos on the blue. If not, BYU might leave Boise with a W. MY PREDICTION: BOISE STATE 31, BYU 28
NORTH CAROLINA STATE @ (7) LOUISVILLE, 12:00, ABC: We saw what happened to Louisville after they lost the heartbreaker in Clemson 2 weeks ago. They pretty much scuffled the whole time through against Duke. North Carolina State NEARLY pulled off the big upset in Clemson last week and was heartbroken as well. So do the Wolfpack recover from that game and put up a fight with Louisville or do they scuffle like Louisville did while the Cards rebound? I think the Cardinals probably are in an angry mood as many are going "yeah, there went your chance of sneaking in the playoff, even if Clemson is there." So this game could get a bit ugly. Unfortunately. MY PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE 49, NC STATE 24
(10) WISCONSIN @ IOWA, 12:00, ESPN: The 4-2 team is #10 and the 5-2 team is unranked. But it also goes with the territory. The 4-2 team lost both games to two top 5 teams by a touchdown or less. And the 5-2 team lost to a MAC school and an average Northwestern squad. That will do it. The Badgers might have lost to both Michigan and Ohio State, but many have been very impressed on how they played. Iowa plays Iowa football so it is the "take it for what it's worth" style. It works though and it is a game that Wisconsin probably doesn't want to deal with given they played two very physical teams previously. I will call an upset here as Iowa stuns the Badgers. MY PREDICTION: IOWA 13, WISCONSIN 6
COLORADO @ STANFORD, 3:00, PAC12: Probably the biggest surprise is going up agianst the biggest disappointment in the PAC-12. The Buffaloes have been a strong team this year while Stanford has slipped a bit despite beating an uninspired Notre Dame squad last week. If McCaffrey doesn't play, even if the game is in Stanford, this could be a problem for the Cardinal. Colorado has shown to play some defense and can move the ball pretty well. That might pose a bit of a problem for Stanford. If McCaffrey plays however, I like Stanford on this one. I think he tries to give it a go before the PAC-12 North is completely a lost cause. MY PREDICTION: STANFORD 20, COLORADO 13
TCU @ (12) WEST VIRGINIA, 3:30, ABC/ESPN2: The Mountaineers are turning heads in the college nation especially with the fact they are undefeated and really the Big 12's last major hope (sorry but Baylor will get pounced in Oklahoma and possibly later in West Virginia) for a playoff spot (to which I will get to in a future post about the Big 12 again). TCU has not looked like the same TCU we are accustomed to, being average on offense, turnover prone, and average on defense. How they escaped KANSAS is a head-scratcher. But I don't see the Frogs beating West Virginia, especially not after the way they've played and if they can hold Texas Tech to under 20 points, West Virginia can hold anybody down. No trap game, though it does look appealing. MY PREDICTION: WEST VIRGINIA 44, TCU 20
(6) TEXAS A&M @ (1) ALABAMA, 3:30, CBS: Obviously this is the game of the week. The Aggies and Crimson Tide have started to build a rivalry (at least what Texas A&M fans believe since the 2012-13 seasons). And this game is the biggest it has been since the 2013 showdown. The Aggies have found a formula to win games not by offense, but by defense. That said, they still have issues of mental lapses on both sides of the ball and at times play 3 quarters of games. You have to play all 4 quarters and Alabama is a team that makes the best second half adjustments (see Tennessee last week). If the Aggies are down at halftime, I don't see them coming back out to win this game. If they jump on Alabama early, it will be close. My guess the game is going to be close, but Alabama pulls away late. MY PREDICTION: ALABAMA 34, TEXAS A&M 24
MEMPHIS @ (24) NAVY, 3:30, CBS SPORTS: Hey, Navy is here! And Memphis isn't too bad since Fuente left! Yeah. I think Navy wins this one because it is too complex for Memphis to handle. Sorry Tigers fans. MY PREDICTION: NAVY 41, MEMPHIS 31
EASTERN MICHIGAN @ (20) WESTERN MICHIGAN, 3:30 AMER: I think the one surprise isn't Western Michigan is here than it is Eastern Michigan that is 5-2. 5-2? Dang, Michigan State might be the WORST program in the state right now! Anyway, EMU had a nice win over Ohio last week, but even Ohio isn't Western Michigan. MY PREDICTION: WESTERN MICHIGAN 35, EASTERN MICHIGAN 20
(17) ARKANSAS @ (21) AUBURN, 6:00, ESPN: Well, not since the LSU game has Auburn really been challenged. They have curb-stomped everybody, but with it being a weak schedule to this point, you really don't know what the Tigers are still. Mississippi State was a weak squad so we'll see. As for Arkansas, they had a nice win against Ole Miss so that motivation really could carry them through this game. I am not sold on Auburn despite how well their defense is and I think Arkansas has been in bigger games than Auburn at this point. MY PREDICTION: ARKANSAS 38, AUBURN 28
(2) OHIO STATE @ PENN STATE, 8:00, ABC: This game is always a tough game especially in Happy Valley. However, Penn State has really been weak this year despite being over .500. They just do not have the horses to compete with Ohio State for four quarters. That said, the crowd will be nasty and you do wonder a game like Ohio State played last week could be a bit of a drainer. This might be closer than some imagine, but I like the Bucks in this one. MY PREDICTION: OHIO STATE 41, PENN STATE 31
(23) OLE MISS @ (25) LSU, 9:00, ESPN: LSU looks to have figured out their offense, but now they play a quality team with it in Ole Miss. Ole Miss could be 3-4 after this week so they need this W too. But LSU still has a great shot at playing in the SEC Championship with Alabama rolling into town in 2 weeks so they will be up. I just think the Rebels offensive firepower might be too much for Orgeron at this point and think LSU's offense will put some points up, but it won't be as easy as it has. MY PREDICTION: OLE MISS 38, LSU 31
WASHINGTON STATE @ ARIZONA STATE, 10:00 PAC12: Well, you might throw out the defenses in this one. It will be who can get a few more big stops. My guess is Washington State given Arizona State does struggle on that side a bit more than the Cougars do. MY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON 45, ARIZONA STATE 28
Have a good time watching the games
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
