Week 4 Preview

There is only one top 25 matchup this week, and it is 23Arizona and 5Stanford. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t the possibility for some great games and maybe some stunning upsets.
This week, College GameDay will be coming to you live from Fargo, North Dakota. You read that right. The GameDay crew is headed to Fargo for an FCS game between North Dakota State and Delaware State. Now, I don’t have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with the fact that ESPN is not carrying the game. If GameDay comes to town, the game should be on TV, not just online.

Notable Games
Stanford’s First Test; Newly ranked 23Arizona State visits 5Stanford on Saturday. The Sun Devils are coming off a very controversial win over Wisconsin. Both teams start their Pac12 season this week. ASU was tested last week, but Stanford has yet to prove their rank. Will this Cardinal team have a chance to challenge the high powered ducks? Is ASU good enough to compete for a shot at the Pac12 title? I’m hoping for a good game and I’m glad I’ll be able to watch all of it this week. I am picking Stanford by at least a TD.

Will We See a Repeat of Last Year’s Stunner? No, Auburn did not beat LSU last season. But they did only lose by 2. That was possibly one of the most confusing final scores of last year. LSU got out with a 12-10 win, but over an Auburn team who went 0-8 in SEC play. Is LSU going to come out hot, angry and trying to make everyone forget last year? Or will Auburn show that LSU isn’t top Tiger in the SEC? After Auburn’s performance last week, I am leaning toward LSU. But don’t underestimate Auburn. This game could be closer than you think. I am picking LSU by about 2TDs.

SEC East Matchup; We all heard about what Oregon did to Tennessee(thankfully no one is talking about what Florida State did to Nevada). The Ducks put up a lot of points and then chanted that they wanted ‘Bama. I know I would pay money to see that game, but the last time Oregon asked for the SEC they got it. That didn’t turn out too well for the Ducks. And then we have Florida. They had a bye last week, so they have been under the raider since their disappointing loss to Miami. They beat themselves with turnovers and if they want to stay ranked, they need to make a statement now. Tennessee has shown they can capitalize on turnovers, at least when they get 5 in 6 plays. How will the Volunteers fare against the Gators? The SEC East looks like it might be pretty competitive this year. I believe the deciding factor is that the game is in the Swamp. I am picking Florida by at least a TD.

How Good Is Notre Dame?; This question is serious. Their last 2 games haven’t proven much. That is, except that they are not as good as they were last year. Though they beat Purdue, they didn’t start playing until the 4th quarter. That isn’t going to work with most teams on their schedule. Notre Dame will have to start playing tough the whole game to have a chance at getting to a good bowl game. Michigan State has 3 decisive wins, but has yet to play a ranked team. Notre Dame will be a good measure for Sparty. I am picking Notre Dame by a TD.

The Expectations Were High; “Were” being the operative word. Now, not so much. Kansas State goes to Texas this weekend. Although Kansas State’s loss came to North Dakota State, the 2 time defending champions of the FCS, it will be looked at as an unacceptable loss. Even if it were to be their only loss. Texas on the other hand, might be lucky to make a bowl game. The Longhorns lost to BYU by 19 and Ole Miss by 21. BYU is a hard place to play and that might factor into the loss, but Ole Miss came to Austin. Texas just isn’t that good this year. They are also having some QB troubles. I don’t see Texas’s future getting much brighter. I am picking Kansas State by about a TD.

New Jersey Or Bust! Arkansas heads all the way up to New Jersey this weekend to face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. In my opinion, it would be hard for these teams to be any more alike. Both starting QBs are in question and both have relied heavily on the run game. Rutgers RB Paul James is the nations leading rusher, Arkansas RB Alex Collins is 4th and Jonathan Williams is 7th. So, I’m going out on a limb and say there might be a couple 100+ yard rushers in this game. This game might also have the chance of being the fastest. Neither team threw many passes last week when the starters came out in the 1st. Arkansas will be seeking revenge from last years loss. Rutgers will look to get another win over this SEC team. Defense is the question in this game. Neither have shown much(except sacks for Ark: Chris Smith tied for 1st in NCAA). This could be a make or break game for the Razorbacks. This is their last non-conference game and 6 of their 8 SEC opponents are currently ranked in the top 25, including 4 in a row starting with Texas A&M.

Top 25
3Clemson at NC State (Thursday)
Colorado State at 1Alabama
Florida A&M at 4Ohio State
Florida International at 7Louisville
Bethune-Cookman at 8Florida State
North Texas at 9Georgia
SMU at 10Texas A&M
New Mexico State at 13UCLA
15Michigan at Connecticut
Savannah State at 16Miami(FL)
Idaho State at 17Washington
Maine at 18Northwestern
ULM at 20Baylor
Purdue at 24Wisconsin
Texas State at 25Texas Tech

Other Games
Hawaii at Nevada
Missouri at Indiana
Utah at BYU
Wyoming at Air Force
Western Illinois at UNLV