Week 9 Preview

Last week saw the SEC implode on itself. Will we get another week of excitement in another conference? There are some chances for huge upsets this week as well as opportunities for some major blowouts. It should be another great week of college football.

Notable Games
Can Tennessee Roll the Tide? Tennessee was able to beat South Carolina last weekend in Knoxville. Unfortunately for the Volunteers, they must travel to Alabama to play the top ranked Crimson Tide. Alabama beat Arkansas 52-0 for the second year in a row. I think Tennessee has the ability to play with Alabama for a quarter or 2, but will get worn out. I think Alabama won’t have too much trouble, but they can’t sleep on Tennessee. I am picking Alabama by 2TDs or more.

Is UCLA Overrated? In my opinion, the answer to that is yes. I have yet to see UCLA play like the 12th ranked team in the country. Gameday comes to Eugene this weekend for this game, and it might be another blowout. Maybe not as bad as last week’s Florida State Clemson game, but I don’t see it being too close. Oregon has consistently shown explosiveness and power, scoring an average of more than 57 points per game. I don’t think Oregon will score that many, but they are going to score. Oregon also needs some style points to regain their spot at 2 in the BCS rankings after being jumped by Florida State last week. I am picking Oregon by 2TDs or more.

Decider of the SEC East Crown? The surprise of the SEC, Missouri, welcomes South Carolina into Colombia this week. This game could be the decider of who gets to play Alabama in the SEC Championship. With Georgia on the decline, Missouri is the team to beat, and South Carolina is the team who needs to beat Missouri. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers will be able to convert in the red zone this week after settling for 5 field goals within the Florida 26 yard line. South Carolina needs a major win after falling to Tennessee last week. This win will be even harder to come by with starting QB Connor Shaw out for the game. Dylan Thompson will start for the Gamecocks. The SEC East is Missouri’s to lose, and I don’t think they will give it away. I am picking Missouri by less than a TD.

Top 15 Big 12 Match-Up 10th ranked Texas Tech travels to Norman to face the 15th ranked Sooners on Saturday. Texas Tech has been very successful and is undefeated. Oklahoma has been underwhelming, even though they are 6-1. They do not have the ability to score a lot of points that they have had in past years. Texas Tech, on the other hand has been putting up points and looking good doing it. Even though this game is a home game for Oklahoma, I find it hard to pick against the Red Raiders. I am picking Texas Tech by less than a TD.

Can The Aggies Get Back On Track? Texas A&M suffered a loss to Auburn last week at Kyle Field and will be looking for redemption when the Vanderbilt Commodores come to town this weekend. Vanderbilt was able to upset shorthanded Georgia last week and is looking to continue their momentum. Auburn is a good team, compound that with the Aggie’s lack of defense and I don’t find it hard to believe that Auburn was able to win. I don’t think Vanderbilt has the firepower to beat Texas A&M, but they will score. The question of the night will be how Johnny Manziel’s throwing shoulder is after he hurt it last week. I am picking Texas A&M by 2TDs or more.

Battle For Nevada Heads North Last year’d game saw the Rebels of UNLV lose a 17 point halftime lead. This year, the rivalry goes to Reno. This is anything but friendly competition. I have experienced it first hand on the basketball side, and it is not pretty. There is something different about this game though because UNLV has the better record going into this game. Will UNLV finally be able to beat Nevada in football after having the Fremont Cannon reside in Reno for 8 straight years? I think the Runnin’ Rebels have a chance. Being a native Las Vegan, I am rooting for the Rebels, but I have family that lives near Reno, and I know they are pulling for the Wolf Pack. I hope it’s a good game. I am picking Nevada by a TD or more.

Can USC Get A Statement Win? Utah goes to USC this weekend after a disappointing loss last week. We all remember when Utah upset Stanford. Utah hasn’t shown that they can play on the road yet, and I don’t think they will be able to change that this weekend. Since firing Lane Kiffin, USC is 1-1 including last week’s loss to Notre Dame. I think they get this win at home and continue to put the past behind them. I am picking USC by a TD.

Top 25
North Carolina State at 2Florida State
Penn State at 4Ohio State
6Stanford at 25Oregon State
Wake Forest at 7Miami(FL)
8Baylor at Kansas
9Clemson at Maryland
Florida Atlantic at 11Auburn
Furman at 13LSU
Duke at 14Virginia Tech
17Fresno State at San Diego State
Eastern Michigan at 18Northern Illinois
19Oklahoma State at Iowa State
20Louisville at South Florida
24Nebraska at Minnesota

Other Games
Houston at Rutgers
West Virginia at Kansas State
Texas at TCU
Northwestern at Iowa
North Texas at Southern Miss
Mississippi State 28 Kentucky 22(Thursday)

Related articles

• SEC Week 9 Preview (whentheleavesturnorange.com)
• SEC Week 9 Predictions (schufootballreport.wordpress.com)