Welcome back college football fans. No your eyes didn’t decieve you, there was no week 10 preview due to travel and sickness but I am back and better than ever this week. After going 4-1 in week 9(come on Mizzou!), my season record is at 35-11. We have a huge weekend of games with BCS implications all over the country so lets get to it.
#3 Oregon Ducks at #5 Stanford Cardinal
This is a game I have had circled on my calendar since the season started. Last year Stanford ended Oregon’s run to the National Championship by beating them 17-14 in Eugene. Oregon is arguably as good as they have ever been this year and seems to be on a mission led by their Heisman front runner QB Marcus Mariota who has yet to throw and INT. Stanford has played well since their surprising loss to Utah but will need every bit of their traditional grind it out offense to keep the Ducks off the field. Stanford’s defense has lost some of its magic from last year giving up 20 points per game in conference so far this year which is up from last year. I think the Ducks have something to prove and like De’Anthony Thomas said, they will hang 40 on Stanford. The Ducks get the win by 14.
#13 LSU Tigers at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide
It always seems like when these two teams meet, the stakes are high. This game is no different. Believe it or not the voices of people saying Alabama isn’t a legit #1 are getting louder and louder. I think people still hold the A&M win against Alabama because you will hear that their defense isn’t really that good. Guess who ranks #1 in the SEC in scoring defense only allowing 9.8 points per game? Alabama. The Tide also happens to be #2 in scoring offense in the SEC but LSU isn’t far behind. These LSU/Bama games are typically close but Alabama is favored by 11 in this one. For LSU to win, they must pressure AJ McCarron with their defense that is 5th in the conference in sacks. The problem is Alabama’s offensive line is the best in the conference having giving up the least amount of sacks. I don’t totally dismiss LSU’s chances but I also don’t think Bama covers the spread. I say the Tide rolls but by 6.
#10 Oklahoma Sooners at #6 Baylor Bears
I think it’s safe to say this is the biggest game in Baylor history. At least they are treating it as such. They are doing a blackout in the stands and wearing all black uniforms and they also released their own hype video for the game. They know the stakes are really high for this showcase game against the Sooners. After getting torched by spread offenses last year, Bob Stoops changed his defense to a 3-3-5 look to get more speed and defensive backs on the field and it has worked for them. They rank 10th nationally in total defense and have already played Texas Tech’s spread and defeated them. However, this Baylor offense is a whole different beast. Bryce Petty has been on fire this season and has all the weapons at his disposal that are needed to execute Art Briles’ system perfectly. This one comes down to the OU running game which has been suspect at best. They will be needed to keep Baylor off the field because the Bears are going to get their points. I think we are about to see Baylor’s coming out party on national television and they rout Oklahoma.
BYU Cougars at #24 Wisconsin Badgers
Because of the big 3 games of the weekend, this game is getting overlooked and fans around the country should check this one out. Both BYU and Wisconsin are having very good seasons that are flying under the radar. They both also are the only two teams in the country that have 2 rushers to average over 100 yards per game. This is going to be a smashmouth old school game. BYU QB Taysom Hill who you might remember as the QB with two knee braces running all over Texas, will have a huge game. The key here is if All-American LB for the Badgers, Chris Borland is able to go. Without him, they will have a hard time containing Hill. I’ll take BYU in a slight upset by 7.
Houston Cougars at #21 UCF Knights
I’m going a little off the board by highlighting an AAC game but this one is huge for the conference. First off, we know UCF can get fired up to play primetime games like they did when they upset Lousiville so they will be ready for the night game in Orlando. Secondly, this game is huge for the standings in the conference. A win by UCF puts them in the driver’s seat to get the conference’s bid for a BCS game. A win by Houston puts them in the driver’s seat and makes their game with Louisville on November 16th that much bigger. The number that jumps out to me in this game is 29. That’s how many takeaways the Cougars have this season which leads the nation. I like UCF’s QB Blake Bortles and think he is the best QB you have never heard of but even though he only has 4 INTs on the season, it will be the fumbles that cost UCF this game. Houston pulls off the upset by 3.
