Week 2 Preview

Week two is upon us. We have gotten a glimpse at almost every team, but we haven’t been able to get a feel on all of them. Some teams start conference play this weekend, giving us some interesting matchups. This week also has the first top 10 matchup of the 2015 season. It is so nice to have college football back.

Notable Games
7Oregon at 5Michigan State Neither of these teams were outstanding in their opening games. I think Oregon will have the edge in this game because of their offense. Michigan State was only able to score 37 points on Western Michigan while Oregon scored 61 points. This is the season’s first top 10 matchup. It should be a great game and a great atmosphere. Duck QB Vernon Adams needs to have another good game to give his team the chance to win on the road. I am picking Oregon.

14LSU at 25Mississippi State This will be our first look at LSU since their game got canceled last weekend. This is a huge game in the SEC West. It will be interesting to see how LSU’s defense works after losing their DC to Texas A&M. Mississippi State has been picked to finish last in the SEC West this season but they are still ranked in the top 25. I am interested in seeing how Dak Prescott does without a lot of his weapons from last season. I just don’t think the Bulldogs have the personnel to win this game. I am picking LSU.

Toledo at 18Arkansas (Little Rock) Arkansas should have another good game against Toledo this week. I would like to see a little more from the running backs in this game. That being said, I wouldn’t be angry if Brandon Allen threw for 300+ yards and 4TDs. Alex Collins had more than 100 yards rushing, but 70 of those yards came on a play that didn’t really matter. There are a few things that need to be tuned up from last week, hopefully the Hogs will be mentally up for this game.

19Oklahoma at 23Tennessee This is a huge game for both teams. Oklahoma handled Akron 41-3 last week and looked good. Tennessee allowed 30 points to Bowling Green last weekend in their 59-30 win. This is the home opener for the Volunteers and it should be crowded at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee’s defense will really be tested against this Oklahoma offense. Tennessee was picked as a frontrunner in the SEC East and will need to play much better defense if they want to contend in conference play. I am picking Tennessee.

20Boise State at BYU BYU gave us a great finish last week to kick off the 2015 college football season. In that victory they lost starting QB Taysom Hill for the season. Boise State only scored 16 points in their win against Washington last week. I was unimpressed with that showing, especially since all 16 points were scored in the first half. Will BYU be able to compete without their senior QB? And can Boise State find some offense? We should get answers to both of these questions during this game. This has the potential to be one of Boise State’s toughest games of the season. I am picking Boise State.

UCF at Stanford Both of these teams had lackluster performances in losses last week. Stanford only scored 6 points against Northwestern last week and UCF gave up a lead and lost 14-15 to FIU. Can either of these find an offense? This might be a very low scoring game. I think Stanford has the better team with more experience, but it will be interesting to see where both of these teams are mentally. I am picking Stanford.

Kentucky at South Carolina This was an interesting game last season. South Carolina only put up 17 points against North Carolina and needed a couple key INTs to win the game. Kentucky came very close to being upset by Louisiana Lafayette. They allowed 33 points, including 23 consecutive points in the second half. Was North Carolina’s lack of offense due to South Carolina’s defense? Will South Carolina be able to score enough points to overcome Kentucky? South Carolina will be looking to avenge last year’s loss. This should be a good game. I am picking South Carolina.

Top 25
Hawaii at 1Ohio State
Middle Tennessee at 2Alabama
Stephen F. Austin at 3TCU
Lamar at 4Baylor
Jacksonville State at 6Auburn
Idaho at 8USC
9Notre Dame at Virginia
10Georgia at Vanderbilt
South Florida at 11Florida State
Appalachian State at 12Clemson
13UCLA at UNLV
Tulane at 15Georgia Tech
Ball State at 16Texas A&M
Fresno State at 17Ole Miss
21Missouri at Arkansas State
22Arizona at Nevada
Utah State at 24Utah (Friday)

Other Games
Minnesota at Colorado State
Louisiana Tech at WKU
San Diego State at California