Week of Oct 17 Preview

Last week was pretty interesting. Texas A&M upset Florida, Missouri came up with a huge goal line stand to beat LSU, SEC referees got a HUGE win over an immensely improved Arkansas team and Oklahoma tried to lose to Texas but ended up coming out on top in the fourth overtime. This week two SEC games have been postponed due to the coronavirus and Nick Saban may or may not be able to coach for Alabama against Georgia. There aren’t a ton of great looking games this weekend, but sometimes those are the weeks where the most chaos happens.

My Record: 5-1 last week, 19-11 overall (stupid Texas A&M and Florida)

Notable Games
3Georgia at 2Alabama
This game got even more interesting this week. Alabama head coach Nick Saban tested positive for the Coronavirus, and as of right now (10:30 am on Fri 10/16) he will be unable to coach the game. There is a possibility that his first test was a false positive and if he has three negative tests, he will be allowed to coach the game. So that is a bit up in the air. I still think Georgia is the better team in this matchup. The Tide defense was beyond unimpressive last weekend against Ole Miss and gave up 48 points. Their offense did score 63, but Georgia has the best defense in the SEC while Ole Miss has the worst. This should be a great and close game, but I don’t know if Alabama can outscore Georgia. It goes against my philosophy to pick against Nick Saban, but I think Georgia might be the more complete team in this game.
I am picking Georgia

Kentucky at 18Tennessee
Kentucky is coming off a win over Mississippi State, but it wasn’t very good. Though their defense played very well. The Wildcats picked off Miss State QBs 6 times and recovered a fumble. Tennessee played a strong first half against Georgia but fell flat in the second half and allowed 27 unanswered points. The biggest issue Tennessee had against the Dawgs was not being able to run the ball. The Vols ended the game with -1 rushing yards on 27 carries. They will have to do better to win this game, especially since the Wildcats held Kylin Hill to just 17 yards on 7 carries last week. This game might be a bit closer than expected, but I think the Vols will get the win.
I am picking Tennessee

Boston College at 23Virginia Tech
This has the potential to be an interesting game. Boston College is coming off an overtime upset of Pittsburgh last week and only lost to North Carolina by 4 the week before. Virginia Tech seemed to be out of their game against UNC at the half last week but scored 23 points in the 3rd quarter to make it a game. I think both of these teams are pretty good, meaning this game should be close. The Hokie QB situation isn’t great, but I would expect Hendon Hooker to be the leader this weekend. Boston College can be sneaky, but I think this game being Blacksburg helps Virginia Tech.
I am picking Virginia Tech

Army at UTSA
Army had a weird win against The Citadel last week. The Black Knights had the ball for less than half of the game and only rushed for 153 yards. That is extremely uncharacteristic for Army. UTSA had a great game against BYU last week and only lost by 7. They also played UAB close. The Roadrunners seem to play up to their competition and teams that do that can be dangerous. I think Army will win this game, but I think it will be a close one.
I am picking Army

UCF at Memphis
At the beginning of the season, this game had the potential of being extremely important in the AAC race and possibly feature two top 15 teams. Unfortunately, UCF has lost their last game to Tulsa and Memphis lost their last game to SMU. While this game doesn’t carry the same weight as I had hoped it would, it should still be a fun one to watch. Both teams can score and play decent defense, so I don’t expect a blowout. This game could come down to the team that has the ball last and is able to get into field goal range.
I am picking UCF

Marshall at Louisiana Tech
This is another interesting game to me. Marshall is favored by 13.5 points in this game. I think that is a lot, but I also haven’t had much of a chance to see these teams play. The Thundering Herd is 3-0 with big wins over Appalachian State and WKU. They have only allowed 21 total points this season while kicking butt on offense. Louisiana Tech is 3-1 with their only loss coming to BYU, but their defense hasn’t been as stout. Marshall should win this game comfortably, but Louisiana Tech can be feisty.
I am picking Marshall

Ole Miss at Arkansas
Arkansas should be 2-1. Everyone who has seen the play knows that there was a “clear and immediate recovery” of the football after Auburn QB Bo Nix essentially lateraled the ball on a spike attempt after fumbling the snap. But that is over and done with and the rule has since been clarified. The team did seem to have an off game, and that could have been because of injuries to some key players. It is looking like the Hogs will get some of those players back. Ole Miss plays offense and that is about all they do. They scored 48 points on Alabama last week, but they gave up 63. I think this game will be tough for Arkansas if the offense plays how it has been. To beat Ole Miss the Hogs will probably need to score at least 40 points and I’m not sure they can do that. They have proven me wrong before, and I know they will come out swinging. I really wish I could go see a game in person this season, because Sam Pittman has given us Hog fans so much to cheer about.

Top 25
1Clemson at Georgia Tech
3Georgia at 2Alabama
Louisville at 4Notre Dame
5North Carolina at Florida State
6Ohio State OFF
7Oklahoma State at Baylor Postponed to Dec 12
8Cincinnati at Tulsa Postponed to Dec 5
9Penn State OFF
LSU at 10Florida Postponed to Dec 12
11Texas A&M at Mississippi State
12Oregon OFF
Pittsburgh at 13Miami
14Auburn at South Carolina
15BYU at Houston (Friday)
16Wisconsin OFF
17SMU at Tulane (Friday)
Kentucky at 18Tennessee
19Michigan OFF
20Iowa State BYE
Coastal Carolina 30 21Louisiana 27
22Kansas State BYE
Boston College at 23Virginia Tech
24Minnesota OFF
25USC OFF