Games To Watch: Week
When it rains, it pours. Mother nature loves to rain on everyone’s parade…and the field. To add on to its misery, Hurricane Florence will make landfall around the south and east coast areas with games already cancelled or rescheduled for a later time or date. I pray that everyone out there stays safe and seeks shelter.
As for last week, the storms didn’t prevent some non-conference and non-Power 5 teams from upsetting Power 5 teams. A few managed to end their drought this past weekend (Kansas – road losing streak, California – short road losing streak, and Kentucky – 31-game losing streak to Florida). Clemson escaped a thriller in Aggieland while Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State took care of business once again. People! I would strongly think about giving the AAC and the Mountain West a bit more attention. Most of the teams from both conferences are competing. USF, Houston, Cincinnati, ECU, and Colorado State handled business against the Power 5 so far. Eastern Michigan also won 2 games against Power 5 teams in 2 straight seasons (Rutgers 2017, Purdue 2018). Coach Chris Creighton is finally taking his program somewhere.
My Top 5 Games To Watch includes a make-or-break season and potential upsets for four of five games. You probably won’t believe my upset pick, but I’m going for it anyway after looking things over. Someone will be out and on the edge of elimination from a playoff run, and it’s only Week 3.
UPSET) VANDERBILT (2-0) at #8 NOTRE DAME (2-0) - 11:30AM PT/2:30PM ET [NBC]
Notre Dame's past two games were somewhat disappointing. Michigan's Shea Patterson struggled to battle past Notre Dame’s defense, but they managed to be a score away from forcing overtime. Last week was questionable. How do you let Ball State fight back in the 4th quarter? What’s up with Brandon Wimbush? He threw three interceptions against them. Something ain’t right with this offense.
So why is this an upset game? The #8 Irish are slowly looking overrated after two games, while Vanderbilt's last two games were no joke. They have a solid and experienced defense, a strong run game, and a quarterback manager. Since Derek Mason became Vandy’s head coach, they upped their competition on the road and it's slowly improving, despite some losses. The Irish can’t slip up against an SEC opponent. Their loss leaves them on a thin line before it eventually breaks. Notre Dame's quarterbacks are the deciding factor of their season.
4) #4 OHIO STATE (2-0) vs #16 TCU (2-0) at ARLINGTON, TX - 5PM PT/8PM ET [ABC]
Without Urban Meyer in two games, the Buckeyes are 2-0. But, it was against Oregon State and Rutgers. Urban Meyer will serve his third and final suspension…against #16 TCU...in Arlington...Texas. You can say that it's a neutral game, but the reality is that it’s partially a home game for TCU. They're 21 miles away from Fort Worth for gosh sakes, and this is where the Buckeyes will truly be tested. There's plenty of experience on their defense, quarterback Dwayne Haskins played well his first two games and of course, JK Dobbins and Mike Weber are good running back duos. But can they handle the hostilities and TCU’s defense without Meyer's presence? TCU did struggle early against SMU before Kavonte Turpin's touchdown return sparked the team quickly. TCU relies on special teams and offensive big plays to give the Frogs the edge. It'll be tough against the Buckeye's front four defense led by Nick Bosa. They can't continue playing with screens and short passes unless they can spice things up. Shawn Robinson must be confident in the pocket and choose when to run or he'll be on the ground for most of the game. Ohio State's season is probably determined by this game alone. TCU’s win boosts their confidence going into the Big 12 conference, but Ohio State has won 3 out of 4 meetings against them.
3) #10 WASHINGTON (1-1) at UTAH (2-0) - 7PM PT/10PM ET [ESPN]
In 2016, Utah nearly spoiled Washington's playoff run. At that time, Washington was primed with a solid defense and they had Myles Gaskins, Jake Browning, and a good receiving corp. Now Washington still has players that made the playoffs in the past with the same quarterback and running back. Their defense looks fresh but should still be one of the best. However, the offense struggled against Auburn's defense despite having opportunities.
The Utes are looking for a big victory in a wide-open Pac-12 South. One of my favorite receivers, Britain Covey, returns and is heaven to the passing game. He leads the team with 15 receptions and 208 yards. Running back Zack Moss must have a big day for Utah to have a chance for an upset. I don't see any doubt that their defense won't get the job done. Linebacker Chase Hansen is scary good and will make an impact on defense. He has 16 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception returned for a score. Utah has one win all-time against Washington, and that was three seasons ago. And those last three were fairly close with the last two being decided by one score. Washington’s loss would eliminate them from playoff contention.
2) #17 BOISE STATE (2-0) AT #24 OKLAHOMA STATE - 12:30 PM PT/3:30 PM ET [ESPN]
Oklahoma State hasn't played a ranked non-conference team in a regular season since 2014 against #1 Florida State. They're starting over with a new quarterback but have a series of receivers and All-Big 12 running back Justice Hill. Even though they're home, it's a trap game nonetheless. Boise State is tricky but approaching them with less mistakes could prove successful. For Boise State's last 9 regular season games against ranked Power 5 opponents, they won 5 of them. But they lost the last three to them since 2012. They have nearly every starter on defense and could cause trouble to Oklahoma State's offense. They forced three fumbles this season and senior defensive back Tyler Horton returned two of them for scores. Boise State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Indiana, and Minnesota are the only teams throughout history to be undefeated against two of three Oklahoma teams. Boise State could be the only team in school history to go undefeated in the state of Oklahoma. The win should slightly boost their chances for a say at a playoff spot, but Oklahoma State must do more damage to the top Big 12 teams to give them a shot.
1) #12 LSU (2-0) at #7 AUBURN (2-0) - 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [CBS]
This is possibly the 3rd biggest game of the conference behind Alabama vs. LSU and the Iron Bowl. It's also the battle of the transfer quarterbacks (Joe Burrow - Ohio State, Jarrett Stidham - Baylor). Since 2013 when Gus Malzahn became Auburn's coach, the home team has won. The last two games were also decided by a touchdown. I've asked this question a few times, but has LSU found their quarterback? Joe Burrow thus far has been the game manager. He gets the ball in the right spot and he has the backs to help him roll through the opposing defenses. With just enough pace, this team could break down good defenses. Auburn has a quarterback, but do they have a legit run game to challenge LSU's defense? Their first game against Washington's defense was difficult. They netted 147 rushing yards total, but it was a trying effort. It's most likely a defensive battle since this is a defensive and heavy-run game unless Stidham and Burrow take plenty of shots downfield. The winner could battle Bama for the top spot in the West in NOVEMBER.
UNDERRATED TEAMS RESULTS WEEK 2: 26-16
AAC: 1-1
ACC: 2-0
BIG TEN: 0-2
BIG 12: 2-0
C-USA: 1-1
INDEPENDENT: 0-1
MAC: 1-1
MWC: 2-0
PAC-12: 1-1
SEC: 2-0
SUN BELT: 1-1
BIG WINS: DUKE
BAD LOSSES: MICHIGAN STATE, ARIZONA
