The No. 3 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame:

Record: 12-0

Wins over currently ranked opponents:

·         24-17 vs. No. 7 Michigan 

·         31-21 @ No. 22 Northwestern

·         36-3 vs. No. 20 Syracuse (at Yankee Stadium)

Average points per game: 33.6 

·         Most points scored in a single game: 56 @ Wake Forest

·         Fewest points scored in a single game: 19 vs. Pitt

Average points allowed per game: 17.3 (Ninth best in country)

·         Most points allowed in a single game: 27 @ Wake Forest

·         Fewest points allowed in a single game: 3 vs. Syracuse

Key Players:

Ian Book, Junior, QB

The perception of Notre Dame’s season indulged in a big time upswing when Ian Book took over for Brandon Wimbush at quarterback. This team clearly has talent, but Wimbush just couldn’t really be trusted at times. With Book under center, the Irish offense seems to induce much more confidence out of spectators. Book’s numbers aren’t near the top nationally, but that’s partially because he didn’t record any stats in the first two games of the season, and even in the third he only had three passing attempts. Book was also out against Florida State due to injury. Still, he’s thrown for 2,468 yards and 19 touchdowns, with six interceptions on 280 attempts. His completion percentage of 70.4 is the fifth best in the country.

Dexter Williams, Senior, RB

For the first four games of Notre Dame’s season, senior running back Dexter Williams was suspended. But he certainly made his presence known when he suited back up in a 38-17 win over Stanford, when he rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown. In just eight games, Williams has tallied 941 rushing yards and twelve touchdowns on the ground, while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He’s also dabbled a bit in the passing game, recording 13 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Williams has eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark in half of the games he’s played: 161 yards on 21 carries against Stanford, 178 yards on 17 carries at Virginia Tech, 142 yards on 23 carries at Navy, and 202 yards on 20 carries against Florida State.

Julian Love, Junior, CB

Julian Love has anchored the Fighting Irish defensive backfield, and is undoubtedly the most outstanding corner to come out of Notre Dame in recent memory. The First Team All American racked up 47 total tackles this year, with three of those being for loss. In Notre Dame’s regular season finale at USC he totaled twelve tackles. He has one interception and three fumble recoveries in the turnover department. In 2018, Love had 15 pass breakups, bringing his career total to 38, which is in a career in Notre Dame football history. 

Jerry Tillery, Senior, DT

Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who was originally recruited as an offensive tackle, is physically horrifying as he stands at 6 feet 7 inches, 305 pounds. Things turned out well for Tillery since switching to the defensive side of the ball, as he was named a Second Team All American this season. This regular season, he had 30 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He recorded 48 total quarterback pressures. In Notre Dame’s thrashing of Florida State in South Bend, Tillery used his height and long arms to block an extra point, which was then scooped up and ran back for two points by Julian Love.

Te’von Coney, Senior, LB

The Notre Dame defense was led in tackles by senior linebacker Te’von Coney, as he recorded 107 of them. Nine of those were tackles for loss, with 3.5 being sacks. He came down with one interception, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups on the year. Coney’s performance has been good enough to make him a Third Team All American. He stands at 6 feet 4 inches, 240 pounds, and is a very explosive player. He had double-digit tackle totals in five of ND’s dozen games: 10 vs. Michigan, 14 vs. Ball State, 14 at Navy, 10 at Northwestern, and 12 vs Syracuse.

Other notes:

·         

• Notre Dame is the first team outside of the Power Five conferences to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. The value of conference championships regarding playoff spots has been up for debate lately, and the 12-0 Irish are the second team to enter the playoff without a conference championship on the resume (Alabama last year was the first). It shouldn’t really shock anyone that Notre Dame is the inaugural non-P5 playoff team, as they have much higher of a profile than Group of Five teams such as, I don’t know, UCF as a definitely random example, or other Independent teams such as BYU and Army. If there was one team to break the apparent “P5 rule” the majority of people would have bet the house on it being the Irish.

·         

• Head Coach Brian Kelly seemed to be under some fire after Notre Dame’s 4-8 season in 2016. But what a turnaround it’s been, as the Irish finished last year with a 10-3 record, topped off by a Citrus Bowl victory over LSU. And then this year obviously has been so far, so good. Kelly earned this year’s honor of The Associated Press college football Coach of the Year, as well as the 2018 Home Depot College Football Coach of the Year award. He’s clearly done an excellent job, leading his squad to the playoff with zero regular season losses. I do think Kelly is at a slight disadvantage when it comes to recruiting for a school like Notre Dame. Sure, there’s a wildly rich history of football in South Bend, Indiana. But it’s still South Bend, Indiana. They don’t have the recruiting tools that some of these massive public universities have, whether it be pool parties, generally nice weather, wild nightlife scenes, etc. And you may think the Irish are at an advantage by being able to pitch a great education to recruits. But guess what? Any recruit that is planning a road to the NFL will not really be too concerned with the quality of their potential degree. So for Brian Kelly to get his guys a spot in the final four is impressive to say the least.

·        

•  It’s probably a bit stale to bring up, but it’s absolutely noteworthy that the last time the Fighting Irish were on a stage this big, after an undefeated regular season, things did not go well. Alabama absolutely wiped the floor with the Irish in a 42-14 thrashing. I’ve written before how the focus on that game really should be more about how good ‘Bama was, rather than about how poorly ND performed. It’s also completely erroneous to say that ND didn’t belong in that national title game. Ohio State was undefeated that season, but was on a postseason ban. Oregon looked to be a national title contender all year until losing to Stanford, preventing them from playing in the conference championship. So it came down to a one-loss Oregon team without a conference championship, or an undefeated Notre Dame team. They deserved to be there, but Alabama was just so clearly superior to anyone that could’ve showed up on that field. Luckily for the Irish, their return to the national spotlight does not include Alabama for now. But if they plan on shining in the spotlight and beating Clemson, Alabama will most certainly be the next challenge. But for now, all focus is on the No. 2 Clemson Tigers.

via GIPHY

College Football Playoff team profiles: No. 2 Clemson

(Profile on No. 1 Alabama)

It's no coincidence that the closest program to Saban's Alabama is ranked right behind them at the No. 2 spot. Next up, the Clemson Tigers:

Record: 13-0 (ACC Champions)

Wins over currently ranked opponents:

• 28-26 @ No. 19 Texas A&M
• 27-23 vs. No. 20 Syracuse

Average points per game: 45.4

• Most points scored in a single game: 77 vs. Louisville
• Fewest points scored in a single game: 27 vs. Syracuse, 27 @ Boston College

Average points allowed per game: 13.7 (Second best in country)

• Most points allowed in a single game: 35 vs. South Carolina 
• Fewest points allowed in a single game: 3 @ Wake Forest

Key Players:

Trevor Lawrence, Freshman, QB

All eyes have been on the true freshman out of Cartersville, Georgia ever since he took the Tigers' starting job under center from Kelly Bryant, who had led them to the playoff just last year. (Bryant has since announced that he is transferring to Missouri). And since taking over the title of QB1, he's been good enough to make someone inexplicably do a poorly executed imitation of some Southern accent and say, "that's a damn good quarterback." If that numerical stat doesn't persuade you of Lawrence's ability to perform on the field, he's completed 65% of his 326 passing attempts. He's racked up a total of 24 touchdowns and 2,606 yards through the air, with only four picks

Travis Etienne, Sophomore, RB

Travis Etienne has undoubtedly been Clemson's most exciting player on the offensive side of the operation. The sophomore is hands down one of the best running backs that college football has had to offer this year. He's ran the ball for 1,463 yards (5th most in the country), 21 touchdowns (3rd most), while averaging 8.3 yards per carry (5th best) on 176 carries. Etienne posted three rushing touchdowns in three straight games ('Cuse, Wake, NC State). He tallied triple digit yardage on the ground in seven games this season. One of those was a clutch 203 yard performance in a narrow win against Syracuse, amidst QB troubles with Trevor Lawrence going down with an injury in Clemson's first game without Kelly Bryant. Travis Etienne is a certified stud, and he's been the most impressive part of the Tigers' productive offense.

Tee Higgins, Sophomore, WR

Trevor Lawrence's top target this season has been Tee Higgins, the king of the fine town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In his sophomore campaign, Higgins has caught the ball 52 times for 802 yards, finding the end zone ten times. Throughout the regular season, he went off gaining over 100 yards in three different games: three receptions for 123 yards @ Texas A&M; eight receptions for 119 yards vs NC State; six receptions for 142 yards vs South Carolina. Higgins can be a really exciting receiver to watch as he's proven the ability to make catches that validate the price of admission.

Christian Wilkins, Senior, DT

Clemson's defensive line is like the Monstars from Space Jam, so it's tough to say which one of them has been the most outstanding. But I'd bet the majority of people would make an argument that the highlight of one of college football's most noteworthy units is Christian Wilkins. The Springfield, Massachusetts/Suffield Academy product was named as a First Team All American and the winner of the Campbell Trophy (top scholar athlete). Wilkins has 52 total tackles, 36 of those being solo and 16 assisted. Of those, 13.5 were tackles for loss, five being sacks. Against NC State, he blocked a field goal. The big guy also has two rushing touchdowns, each of them being a one yard plunge over the goal line. After registering six points against South Carolina, Wilkins struck the Heisman pose. Big guy Heisman poses are the apex of big guy touchdowns. Wilkins is most certainly a first round NFL talent.

Clelin Ferrell, Junior, DE

At some point in time, Clemson got very greedy in their recruiting when it came to talented defensive linemen, and that has certainly paid off. Clelin Williams is also a First Team All American. He stands at 6 feet 5 inches, 260 pounds and won the Ted Hendricks Award for the best defensive end in the country. He notched 47 total tackles (24 solo, 23 assisted), with 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. On top of that, he recorded 13 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Much like Wilkins, you'll be seeing this guy on Sundays. 

Other notes:

• Trevor Lawrence has looked great at quarterback so far, but is now put to the true test. The main reason that starting him over Kelly Bryant made sense is that Bryant was good enough to make the playoff, not good enough to win a championship. And in a program like Clemson's, that's just not good enough. So Trevor Lawrence has gotten to the playoffs, it's time to see if he is more of a Kelly Bryant, a Deshaun Watson, or somehwere in between.
• Clemson's season has been terrific. There's no arguing that. Undefeated, conference champions. But some people remain a bit skeptical on the Tigers due to the ACC being absolutely putrid. And it's true; the current state of the conference does not even slightly resemble the emerging power it seemed to be a few short years ago. But this Clemson team is talented enough that I wouldn't let a weak conference schedule determine their quality level.
• The Tigers' matchup against Notre Dame will be the fourth ever game between the to programs. The last time they played in 2015, we were gifted a classic that involved hurricane weather and the denial of a game-tying two point conversion. The Tigers have won the last two meetings (2015, 1979) while the Irish one the inaugural battle between the two schools (1977).

via GIPHY

College Football Playoff team profiles: No. 1 Alabama

The few weeks in between the official announcement of college football’s final four, and the actual playing of those games, seems to last an eternity. But fortunately for us all, the fifth edition of the College Football Playoff is right around the corner. Since it feels like it’s been awhile since we’ve seen any of these teams play, I’ll be doing a profile on each team’s season so far. We’ll start with the No. 1 seed, reigning National Champion, Alabama Crimson Tide:

Record: 13-0 (SEC Champions)

Wins over currently ranked opponents: 

•  45-23 vs. No. 19 Texas A&M
• 39-10 vs. No. 23 Missouri
• 29-0 at No. 11 LSU
• 24-0 vs. No. 18 Mississippi State
• 35-28 vs. No. 5 Georgia (SEC Championship Game)

Average points per game:  47.9 (second most in country)

• Most points scored in a single game: 65 @ Arkansas
•  Fewest points scored in a single game: 24 vs Mississippi St
• Alabama scored 50 points or more in eight games this season

Average points allowed per game: 14.8 (fourth best in country)

• Most points allowed in a single game: 31 @ Arkansas
• Fewest points allowed in a single game: 0 @ LSU, 0 vs. Miss St

Key Players:

Tua Tagovailoa, Sophomore, QB

After his second half heroics in last season’s national title, the world of college football had nothing but the highest of expectations for the ‘Bama QB. And since then, Tua has done nothing but lived up to those expectations. In 2018, Tua finished second in Heisman voting and was named a Second Team All American. He put up some crazy numbers throughout the year, and the dominance of his team actually took a toll on his final stats, as Tua rarely played at all in the fourth quarter. To put it in perspective, the other two quarterbacks seated at the Heisman ceremony, Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, totaled 785 and 962 total snaps on the season, respectively. Tua was on the field for 575 snaps. The Hawaiian native threw for 3,353 total yards (14^th most in the country) and 37 touchdowns (tied with Will Grier for 3^rd most). He had a completion percentage of 67.7 (11^thbest nationwide). He has only thrown four interceptions on 294 attempts.

Jerry Jeudy, Sophomore, WR

As a First Team All American, Alabama’s star receiver Jerry Jeudy has rightfully turned many heads throughout the season. Jeudy racked up 1,103 receiving yards in 2018, which only 18 receivers topped this year. His average yards per catch came out to 18.7, and he found the end zone 12 times (7^th most in country). Jeudy’s stellar play earned him the honor of the 2018 Biletnikoff Award.

Quinnen Williams, Sophomore, DT

Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams really burst onto the scene this year, as heading into the season most of the attention was on Raekwon Davis when discussing the Alabama defensive line. But Williams clearly stole the spotlight as he was named a First Team All American and Outland Trophy winner. Williams stands at 6 feet 4 inches, 289 pounds. Throughout this season, he has tallied up 66 total tackles (42 solo, 24 assisted), with eight of those being sacks. Williams’ really showed up in the Tide’s shutout of LSU in Death Valley, recording ten total tackles that evening. He also had eight total tackles against Georgia in the SEC Championship.

Jaylen Waddle, Freshman, WR

Although Jerry Jeudy was Tua’s top target this season, freshman Jaylen Waddle put in his fair share of work as well. The Houston, Texas product reeled in 41 receptions for 803 yards, averaging 19.6 yards per catch. He also caught seven touchdown passes, and also found the end zone on a 63 yard punt return. Waddle only returned 15 punts this season, but totaled 226 return yards. The only freshmen in Alabama football history to record more reception yards than Jaylen Waddle are some recognizable names: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Amari Cooper. Sure, Waddle is still a young gun, but I wouldn’t blame you for already looking ahead to seeing this kid on Sundays.

Deionte Thompson, Junior, Safety

Alabama’s defensive backfield is highlighted by their First Team All American safety, Deionte Thompson. The Orange, Texas native measures in at 6 feet 2 inches, 194 pounds. Throughout the 2018 season, he had 71 total tackles (42 solo, 29 assisted). He has been disruptive in the passing game, tallying five pass breakups and two interceptions. On top of that, Thompson has forced four fumbles and recovered one.

Other notes: 

• Yes, Jalen Hurts came in for Tua in the SEC Championship and saved the day, much like the National Championship but with reversed roles. Yes, Tua underperformed in the SEC Championship prior to that point. Yes, Tua’s ankle could play a factor in the semifinal game against Oklahoma. But I think we’ve seen the last of Jalen Hurts taking snaps for Alabama. This is a definite reflection of Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe circa the 2001 AFC Championship in Pittsburgh when Brady went down with an injury. The old vet stepped up in the clutch, no doubt. But the young guy’s minor injury won’t prohibit him from finishing what he set out to do: win a championship.
• Alabama is the only team to have appeared in every College Football Playoff. This year’s semifinal against Oklahoma will be the first time the Tide take on a Big 12 opponent in the playoff. After that game is done, ‘Bama will have faced at least one opponent from every Power Five conference in the College Football Playoff.
• Even if you hadn't watched college football all year, you'd probably guess that 'Bama is in typical form. The notions of supremacy have been on full display this season. So far, at least. To nobody's surprise, the Crimson Tide are heavy favorites to win this year's College Football Playoff.

via GIPHY

Mid week ramblings: week seven

First things first: Texas is back and Notre Dame is a playoff team. Both of those statements are true in the moment, but the validity of both is temporary until proven otherwise. Let's start with Texas being back; they obviously aren't back to the glory of Vince Young and Mack Brown, but they're as good as they've been since Brown was the head coach. It's only Tom Herman's second year leading the Longhorns' charge, and he's certainly pulled this program out of the miserable pit that it had resided in recent years. Now, all of this hype and excitement does not mean Herman's job is finished in Austin. Those boosters and fans are expecting rings during his tenure. But the current hoopla is definitely warranted, as Texas is ranked No. 9 in the country after beating three ranked opponents (at the time of their meeting) this season: No. 22 USC, No. 17 TCU, and No. 7 Oklahoma. This isn't an overhyped fluke in the slightest. The Longhorns are back for now, and it feels great to say. Looking ahead to the remainder of their schedule, the legitimacy of Texas will still be challenged. The biggest threats in the upcoming weeks are Oklahoma State in Stillwater, No. 6 West Virginia, and Texas Tech in Lubbock. Those three matchups come consecutively after this weekend's game against Baylor. The road that lies ahead is not an easy one, but in this moment, right here, right now, Texas is back.

In 2017, Notre Dame was very much in the playoff conversation up until mid November, when they got absolutely thrashed in Miami by the 'Canes 41-8. For now, the No. 5 Fighting Irish are a serious playoff contender with a 6-0 record and three wins in top 25 matchups (No. 14 Michigan, No. 7 Stanford, No. 22 Virginia Tech). The difference between Notre Dame's seat at the playoff discussion table this year compared to last season, is that due to the opponents that lie ahead, 2018's seat seems to be far more stable. The Irish have gotten through the toughest part of their schedule with a "zero" in the loss column, and they'll be favored in each of their remaining games. This Saturday they host a .500 Pitt team, and the Irish are favored by 20.5 points. The following week they host Navy, which won't result in a loss but could be a game that bangs them up a bit. Then we get to November, which seems a tad sketchy to me. Don't get me wrong, the Irish will be favorites in these games, but if a slip up does occur, I think November is the most threatening month of that possibility. November 3rd Notre Dame makes the quick trip to Evanston to take on Northwestern. The Wildcats just took down Michigan State and completely blew a lead over Michigan in the prior week. Northwestern can give good teams a hard time. The last two times these teams have faced off (2014, 1995), the Wildcats have come out on top in close ones. After Northwestern, the Irish face off against two traditional powerhouse programs that are currently in shambles: Florida State and USC. But sandwiched in between those two is the Shamrock Series game against Syracuse at Yankee Stadium. Between Syracuse's ability to compete and the uniqueness of the game's setting, it just gives off a vibe that even in the case of a Notre Dame win, the flow of gameplay might be thrown off a bit. Having said all of that, the Irish should win out, causing a whole flurry of playoff debates, which is what we live for. Everything has been clicking with them since Brian Kelly named Ian Book as the starter. After serving a four game suspension to start the season, running back Dexter Williams has certainly made his presence and value known since returning. The defense looks great and Julian Love just keeps making big plays. All is well in South Bend, and all is projected to remain that way. Also, I can't mention ND's Shamrock Series game at Yankee Stadium without mentioning their atrocious uniforms for that night:

That's not me being some anti-New York guy just hating the getups for having Yankee pinstripes. I couldn't care less about that. It's the fact that they're hideous that really grinds my gears. I mean, honestly, who gave this the green light? Some guy whose job it was to make them look cool? Something doesn't add up. As a matter of fact, of all the Shamrock Series uniforms, only a coupletwotree have been anywhere from decent to good. Don't mess with the classics unless you can make it look sick, which they've failed to do on multiple occasions.

Some other much more concise thoughts before this week's "games to watch" post:

• It's just beating a dead horse at this point, but Alabama and Tua Tagovailoa are still seemingly unstoppable in 2018. Tua's current odds to win the Heisman are at -150 (next best odds: Dwayne Haskins +450) and the Tide's odds to win the National Championship are at -200 (next best odds: Clemson +750).
• After the loss to Texas last weekend, Oklahoma fired defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. It's about time. 

Remember, Mike Stoops returned to Norman after Bob Stoops allowed Brent Venables to leave for Clemson.

Hurts to miss that one.

— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) October 8, 2018

• There are eleven remaining undefeated teams this year: two from the SEC ('Bama, Georgia), two from the ACC (Clemson, NC State), one from the Pac 12 (Colorado), one from the BIG 10 (Ohio State), one from the Big 12 (West Virginia), and three from the AAC (Cincinnati, UCF, USF).
• Boston College will be wearing throwback uniforms on Saturday against Louisville to honor the Doug Flutie days. If their quarterback isn't wearing that jersey in the manner of a sports bra like Flutie used to, it'll be a disappointment.

👀 @BCFootball will be wearing some “new” threads this weekend...

📝: https://t.co/warHoqb5gS#WeAreBC🦅 pic.twitter.com/QmU2t6IthB

— BC Eagles (@BCEagles) October 9, 2018

College football games to watch: week six

The Early Games

For the 113th time, the Texas Longhorns (no. 19) and Oklahoma Sooners (No. 7) will battle it out in the Red River Showdown with the College Gameday boys in town. The Longhorns' recent (and impressive) win streak has made this matchup more interesting than it has been in recent years; the last time these two faced off with both teams being in the top 25 rankings was 2012. And this is a rivalry between two blue chips that are used to having both teams ranked when they meet. Before the Texas-being-bad streak of 2013-2017, we'd have to go back to 2005 to see a ranked vs. unranked Red River Rivalry game. But even though Texas hasn't enjoyed their usually typical level of success lately, they've still showed up to play and compete with Oklahoma in the last few meetings. In the previous five games between these two teams, each game has ended with a one-possession point differential. The unranked Longhorns came out on top in two of those, and lost the other three by five points each. Oklahoma heads into this one currently favored by eight points, which is the highest amount of points for this one to still be in the one-possession range. Both teams are 2-3 against the spread this year. Texas has done a great job rebounding from the week one loss to Maryland, and the Oklahoma offense is firing on all cylinders. Kyler Murray has successfully made everyone sad that he's pursuing a professional baseball career, because watching him play football is pure beauty. This will be the Longhorns' third ranked opponent in four weeks, and the Sooners have not faced a team in the top 25 yet this season. If Texas can pull this one off, could I maybe, potentially contemplate saying that the Longhorns...are...back? We'll see if that's a possibility when this one ends early Saturday afternoon.

Although it's not expected to be a competitive game, I'm going to be checking in on Maryland vs. No. 15 Michigan at the Big House. I've been pretty dismissive of Michigan, but their only loss being to Notre Dame is now looking to be more of a resume booster than the immediate tarnish of a fulfilling season it once seemed to be. And coincidentally, since Michigan seemed to be counted out to a certain extent, I haven't been tuning in as intently for their games in recent weeks. Now it's not like Harbaugh and his boys can ride the wave of having one loss in South Bend until the end of the year, flipping that into a playoff berth (in the scenario that ND runs the table and gets into the CFP). After Saturday's matchup against the Terps, Michigan is looking at three straight games against ranked opponents: at home vs. No. 16 Wisconsin, on the road at No. 20 Michigan State, and then back to Ann Arbor to host No. 11 Penn State. Despite an upset scare/a comeback that shouldn't have been necessary last weekend against Northwestern, Michigan is expected to handle Maryland with ease as 17.5 point favorites. And if they do effectuate the Vegas prognosis (and assuming that their next three opponents win until their respective meetings), we'll be looking at three straight weeks of Michigan featured in the weekly "games to watch." And more importantly, the more that Notre Dame's stock rises, so does Michigan's. Which means if you're obsessive over deciphering, analyzing, and projecting any and all aspects that could influence playoff scenarios that may or may not happen, familiarizing yourself with Michigan is in your best interest. Toss this one on the second or third screen for the early games, or just switch to it intermittently during the Red River commercial breaks.

The Afternoon Games

Saturday's afternoon platter is highlighted by a top-25 SEC matchup between Coach O's No. 5 LSU Tigers and the No. 22 Florida Gators in Gainesville. LSU has not lost a game yet this season, and have two wins over teams that were ranked in the top ten at the time of their meeting (Miami was No. 8 and Auburn was No. 7). Florida hopped back into this week's rankings after beating Mississippi State last week 13-6, knocking the then No. 23 Bulldogs out of the top 25. Florida's lone loss to Kentucky isn't looking as bad as it did at the time, as Benny Snell and the No. 13 Wildcats have been rolling. The last time a regular season battle between LSU and Florida has been decided by double digits was in October of 2011, when "Moves Like Jagger," "Party Rock Anthem," and "Pumped Up Kicks" were some jams topping the Billboard charts. Between the traditionally close games and these two teams obtaining loads of momentum, Vegas is predicting this to be a tight one, as LSU is favored by 2.5 points. The Tigers' defense has looked very legit this year so far, but concerns have been raised about their production on the offensive side of the ball. However, the offense looked better than they have all season last week as they thrashed Ole Miss 45-16. Whether that's an outlier of a performance, or the unit is starting to click, we'll have a better idea on Saturday. The Swamp should be an especially hostile environment on Saturday afternoon, which could potentially disrupt quarterback Joe Burrow and the flow of the offensive unit. The Gators defense has allowed only 14 points per game, which is the 9th best in the nation.

The latest AP top-25 had a few new appearances in there, with the No. 21 Colorado Buffs being one of them. You know how everybody has those "college football is better when (insert team) is good" takes? For whatever reason, I feel that way about Colorado. I inexplicably have a strong desire for them to be a successful football team. Why? I have no clue. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for black and gold uniforms. Maybe it's because Ted Johnson and Chauncey Billups are by boys. Whatever it is, I'm digging the sight of them in the top 25 and I hope their stock continues to rise. But unfortunately for the undefeated Buffs, they can't waste time relishing in the fact that they're currently in the rankings, because Herm Edwards and his Sun Devils come to Boulder on Saturday. Arizona State is 3-2 so far this year with a win over Michigan State and a seven-point road loss at Washington. Colorado's opponents so far haven't been the mightiest of FBS teams (Colorado State, a rather pathetic Nebraska squad, the abomination that is Chip Kelly and UCLA), but for what it's worth one of their victories came against Keith Foulke's favorite team the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Colorado enters this Pac 12 South showdown favorited by 2.5. They are 3-1 against the spread this season, while ASU is 4-1 against the spread. Of the eight times these two teams have met, Colorado has only come out on top one time (2016).

The Night Games

No. 6 Notre Dame has officially entered the playoff discussion, as they've got nothing but wins in the rearview and winnable games up ahead. The Fighting Irish seemingly have only a few glaring challenges left on their schedule, starting with Saturday night's trip to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the No. 24 Virginia Tech Hokies under the lights. The Irish are currently favored by six points over the Hokies. Notre Dame is really firing on all cylinders now that they've implemented junior Ian Book under center. After starting the season with three close victories, ND and their new QB1 really shifted gears by slapping around Wake Forest and Stanford. Virginia Tech's one loss was beyond embarrassing two weeks ago, a 49-35 upset by Old Dominion. They did rebound nicely by handling No. 22 Duke 31-14 in Durham, knocking the Blue Devils out of the rankings. The initial starting quarterback for VTech, Josh Jackson, suffered a broken fibula in their one loss on the year. In the win over Duke, junior quarterback Ryan Willis lit it up by completing 17 of 27 passes for 332 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. After Virginia Tech on Saturday night, Notre Dame's biggest remaining threats that could end their playoff hopes are probably Navy in South Bend and Syracuse at Yankee Stadium. The Irish obviously can't look past the Hokies, as the crowd should be wild as usual (Enter Sandman is a top three college football entrance tradition) and Notre Dame's only other road game this season was two weeks ago at Wake Forest.

The SEC gives us two games in the night slot that are intriguing.  No. 13 Kentucky is rolling and running back Benny Snell is putting up numbers that put him in the Heisman conversation. The Wildcats travel to College Station to battle it out with Texas A&M, who we've seen can compete with top tier talent. The Aggies are favored by six at home. Mississippi State was knocked out of the rankings when they lost two straight to Kentucky and Florida. The Bulldogs host No. 8 Auburn on Saturday night. Auburn is favored by four points in this one.

College football games to watch: week five

The Early Games

In a pretty juiced up slate of games presented to us this weekend on the amateur gridiron, we have the pleasure of seeing a top-25 matchup to inaugurate our Saturday. The No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers trek down to Lubbock, Texas to take on Kliff Kingsbury (now that's a cool guy) and his No. 25 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kliff Kingsbury's tenure at Texas Tech hasn't been entirely glamorous, but they've picked up steam in the weeks following a 20 point loss to Ole Miss on opening weekend. Since then, they've: thrashed an FCS opponent 77-0, scored nine touchdowns to beat Houston 63-49, and knocked No. 15 Oklahoma State out of the rankings in a 41-17 beatdown on the road. And now, they get to prove the authenticity of these last three weeks, as they take on a team that has yet to be challenged. West Virginia has only played three games, as their matchup with NC State was canceled due to the hurricane. In those three games, they've outscored their opponents (Tennessee, Youngstown State, Kansas State) 127-37. Early Heisman hopeful Will Grier has been lighting it up, as expected, and a top-25 win would certainly help his Heisman campaign. And it'd help the resume of West Virginia as they've done what they need to do so far in order be a part of the Big 12 contenders discussion. Everyone expected their offense to thrive, but the Mountaineers defense has been impressive. Look, I know they haven't played anyone that you could argue is legit, but they've still only allowed an average of 12.3 points per game. They're tied for No. 1 in that category with Utah. The Texas Tech offense, on the other hand, has the fifth most points per game with 52. Also, the Red Raiders' true freshman quarterback Alan Bowman has the second most passing yards in the country with 1,557. According to OddsShark, West Virginia is currently favored by 3.5 points. The Mountaineers are 3-0 against the spread, while Texas Tech is 3-1 against the spread.

In the 2017 regular season, the Clemson Tigers only suffered one loss, and that was a 27-24 stunner that came courtesy of Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Now Clemson, who is ranked No. 3 in the country, hosts a 4-0 'Cuse squad that has looked impressive so far. Through four games, Syracuse has outscored its opponents (Western Michigan, Wagner, Florida State, UConn) by a total of 198-80. They're 3-0-1 against the spread, and their senior quarterback Eric Dungey is a legitimate dual-threat. Although Syracuse has shown a noteworthy run game, this Clemson defense is a unit that can absolutely stunt any momentum your offense had going. Especially on the ground. The Tigers enter this game as 24 point favorites, and are 1-3 against the spread. Clemson enters this one with a new QB1, as Dabo Swinney announced he is going with freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence as his starter. He's earned the job, and now it's time for the young buck to take control of the team. A lot of people have a lot of thoughts on the situation of Dabo giving the Lawrence the nod, causing Kelly Bryant to announce that he is transferring. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the situation. At least Dabo was straight forward with him, which still gave him time to sit out and transfer. Before Kelly Bryant goes feeling bad for himself, he should be thankful he's not Jalen Hurts.

Bryant transferring isn’t him “giving up on the team.” It’s a two way street. If you’re best isn’t quite good enough, bounce to a program where your best is more than enough. He’s already got a ring as a backup. Now he’s focusing on his career.

— Caleb Blackmur (@CalebBlackmur) September 26, 2018

The Afternoon Games

Sandwiched in between some great early games and a plethora of night time entertainment is a mediocre slate of afternoon games. If you haven't realized by now, I am enamored with the Texas Longhorns' quest for their old ways. And this week, the No. 18 Longhorns hit the road to take on Kansas State. The Wildcats are 2-2 so far, although both of their losses have come to ranked teams: No. 23 Mississippi State and No. 12 West Virginia. Texas has some hefty momentum rolling, coming off of three straight wins against Tulsa, USC, and TCU. This will be the Longhorns' first away game of the season, and of all the places to be travelling to, Manhattan, Kansas is not the ideal destination for them. The last time Texas traveled to Kansas State and headed home with a victory was 2002. The Longhorns enter Saturday's game favored by 8.5. Neither team has a winning record against the spread, with Texas being 2-2 and Kansas State is 1-3. If the Longhorns don't end that losing streak in K-State's house, they'll be dealing with some serious scaries looking ahead to their matchup with rival Oklahoma next week.

If you're looking to watch some hard-fought, closely-matched football on Saturday, the No. 2 Georgia vs. Tennessee is not for you. But if you want to merely observe how far behind Tennessee is from the rest of the SEC, this might be the one for you. I'm personally interested in Jeremy Pruitt's tenure in Knoxville and how much he can improve the program that is in complete shambles. I like Pruitt and hope he can turn this thing around; it's just an incredible challenge as the Vols have dug themselves way too deep of a hole in recent years. In a Q&A after the loss to Florida, Pruitt told reporters that he is honest with recruits in saying, "This will probably be the worst year with me being the head football coach, because it's the first year." I love the honesty from him here. I feel like so many coaches, and fans of their teams, think a turnaround effort can be executed in just a couple of weeks or months. But Pruitt understands and transparently conveys that this is a process; you've got to build your way up. So as the Vols travel to Athens, Georgia for their first SEC road game, it's probably not going to be close at all. The Bulldogs are favored by 31.5 points. They have yet to score fewer than 40 points in a game this season. This game isn't a potential upset, that just won't happen. But it could be a game that, a few seasons down the road, people look back at to compare the "then and now" of Jeremy Pruitt's time at Tennessee.

The Night Games

The evening slate is absolutely loaded, so let's start off with the same game the College Gameday crew will start our day from. The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes play the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. This top 10, in-conference battle under the lights should be absolutely extraordinary. Although the Buckeyes are the road team in an extremely hostile environment, they are favored by three points. Both teams come into this one as 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread. After a week one overtime scare from Appalachian State, Penn State has been steamrolling opponents, outscoring the competition of the last three weeks 177-40. Nobody has scored more points in the country than these two teams: Penn State has scored the most with 222 total points (55.5 points per game) and Ohio State is right behind them with a total of 218 points (54.5 points per game). This BIG 10 matchup clearly features a ton of offensive power, and Ohio State's defense will be missing a key piece as defensive end Nick Bosa is out after having surgery on a core muscle. Both quarterbacks in this game are awesome. I could never really get behind Trace McSorely being something special, but he keeps on proving me wrong over and over again. On the other side, Dwayne Haskins is just about as legitimate as an early Heisman contender can get, as he's put up insane numbers: he has the second best completion percentage in the country with 75.7, the second most passing touchdowns with 16, the third best passer efficiency rating with 207, and the tenth-most passing yards with 1,194. The current over/under for this game is 71, which seems like more of a Big 12 line than that of two BIG 10 teams.


Count your blessings folks, because we get to witness two top-ten matchups under the lights on Saturday. It could've been nice if these heavyweight bouts were spread out a bit, having one in the currently lackluster afternoon slot, but I won't complain about top teams battling it out in prime time. No. 7 Stanford travels to South Bend as they take on No. 8 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are favored by 5.5 in this one. The last time Notre Dame beat Stanford was in 2014, when the Irish won 17-14 at home. Although Stanford handled Notre Dame last season 38-20, every meeting between these two team from 2012-2016 ended as a one-possession point differential. This game being in South Bend is huge for ND, as the home crowd should be a zoo and the Irish haven't beat Stanford out West since 2007. One of Notre Dame's glaring weaknesses in 2018 has been the play of quarterback Brandon Wimbush. However, coach Brian Kelly assigned junior QB Ian Book as the starter. Regardless of who is under center for ND, this Stanford defense is capable of causing major disruptions. Also, keep an eye on Stanford's running back Bryce Love, who hasn't necessarily put up his expected numbers so far this year, but he's still an incredible talent that is due for a breakout performance in the spotlight. It will be extremely difficult for the Cardinal to play a second-straight ranked matchup on the road, but playoff implications are on the line for both teams in this one.

Yet another top-25 matchup on Saturday night will take place in Seattle, with the No. 11 Washington Huskies hosting No. 20 BYU. Entering the season, the Huskies were highly regarded as a playoff contender and the Pac 12 favorite. Those two accolades are still very much in sight for Washington, but they definitely haven't looked as dominant as many had foreseen, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Which is why I am a little stunned that Washington is favored by 17 points in this one. The only time this year they've really lit up the scoreboard was against North Dakota, a game they won 45-3. But in the three games the Huskies have faced Power Five opponents (Auburn, Utah, Arizona State), they've scored an average of 21.3 points per game. Not that their offense has been non-existent, but that's a lot of points to be favored by for a team that hasn't been entirely explosive offensively. I guess that line is really counting on the Washington defense to completely shut down BYU's offense, which is very possible seeing as they've allowed 12.8 points per game (tied for fourth fewest in the country). Against Power Five opponents (Arizona, Cal, Wisconsin), BYU has allowed an average of 21.6 points in three games. BYU has proven that they are not afraid of going on the road to play a higher ranked team, as they went into Madison, Wisconsin two weeks ago and stunned the Badgers 24-21. BYU was unranked, while Wisconsin was No. 6 at the time. Washington has only covered the spread once this season, while failing to do so in the other three weeks. BYU, on the other hand, goes up to the Pacific Northwest with a 3-1 record against the spread.

One final ranked matchup for week five comes to you courtesy of #Pac12AfterDark. The No. 19 Oregon Ducks are looking to bounce back after blowing a lead to Stanford last Saturday night, which they'll have to do on the road against the No. 24 Cal Golden Bears. Cal has gone 5-7 in three of the last four seasons, and head coach Justin Wilcox is really looking to turn things around in his second year in charge. Their most significant win in 2018 was the 21-18 victory over BYU in Provo, Utah. They've also beat UNC 24-17 and Idaho State 45-23. They've allowed an average of less than 20 points per game, but Justin Herbert and the Ducks' offense are much more talented than anything Cal has faced yet this year. Oregon has scored an average of 46.5 points per game, but they've also failed to come out on top in their only Power Five matchup of the year. The Ducks are currently favored by 1.5, but I wouldn't be surprised if that line changes a bit between now and kickoff. Oregon has yet to cover the spread this season, and Cal is 1-1-1 against the spread. This is the second of three-straight ranked opponents for Oregon, as they host No. 11 Washington next week.

College football games to watch: week four

The Early Games

For being a top-ten, undefeated team (with a win over a ranked opponent), Notre Dame sure is getting a lot of heat. But when you look at their other two wins over Ball State and Vanderbilt, they've won by a single possession in each of the victories against inferior opponents. I won't sit here and tell you that Vanderbilt is as terrible as they were not too many years prior, but Notre Dame, as No. 8 in the country, should win at home by more than five against the Commodores. And they certainly should win by more than eight when hosting Ball State. So now the Irish will travel for the first time this season to take on a 2-1 Wake Forest team. Wake Forest's sole loss came to Boston College last Thursday night, a team that now sits at No. 23 in the rankings. Between Notre Dame's shakiness in the last two weeks, Wake Forest looking not terrible, and the Irish being in an away stadium for the first time, you can see why people's "upset radar" might be going off for this matchup. I don't think the Deamon Deacons will pull it off, but any game becomes substantially more intriguing even if the grand minority deems it a potential upset.

The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs visit the 3-0 Missouri Tigers as heavy favorites. Although Georgia outweighs Mizzou in many (probably all) aspects, Drew Lock could maybe, possibly, potentially play a perfect game and keep this one relatively close against a stacked Georgia team. Lock has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark already this season, which only six other quarterbacks can boast about so far. He is also tied with Dwayne Haskins for the fifth most TD passes in the country with eleven. Even if Georgia does blow the doors off of Mizzou, it's still not the worst thing in the world to watch top talent obliterate everything in its way. But who knows, as Mizzou has covered the spread the last three times they've played each other. Georgia is currently favored by two touchdowns.

Is Boston College for real this year? There have been many down years for the Eagles since the likes of Matt Ryan and BJ Raji were gracing Alumni Stadium with their presence, but some folks are saying that it's starting to look like BC is back. So far in 2018, they've stomped fellow Bay State opponents Umass and Holy Cross, winning 55-21 and 62-14, respectively. And as I had mentioned above, BC edged out Wake Forest last Thursday 41-34 for their first conference win of the year. Now they take on a winless Purdue team in West Lafayette, Indiana. Now, Purdue's 0-3 record isn't quite as putrid as it looks, as through three games they've lost by a combined total of eight points. Purdue could come into this one with a chip on their shoulder, with a feeling that their record is an inaccurate portrayal of them as a football team. Or, this could play out in the way you'd expect an undefeated ranked team playing a winless team inevitably would. Regardless, my main interest in this one is to see how legit BC is. Sure, they have a handful of challenges that lie ahead on the schedule which will bring far greater jeopardy than Purdue. But winning two straight road games against Power Five teams and starting 4-0 would deservedly turn some heads, and give further support for their presence in the top 25. For what it's worth, BC is currently favored by 6.5 points, and they've covered the spread in all three games this year. Purdue is 0-3 against the spread so far.

The Afternoon Games

I know many of you may find this statement shocking, offensive, and bold. But I don't care. I'm going to come out and say it. Alabama has, by far, looked like the best team in the country this season. Wow, felt good to get that off my chest. Look I know it isn't easy to be entirely intrigued by Alabama, once again, dismantling each and every opponent, every single week. And now with the addition of Tua under center, the once pretty-much-unstoppable force of Saban and his Tide are now seemingly-completely unstoppable, in the most literal sense. But the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies are Alabama's biggest test so far this year. And from the minute sample size we have obtained through just a few games, we can conclude that A&M can hang with the big dogs. The Aggies came up a hair short against No. 2 Clemson in week two, when College Gameday came to College Station. A&M surprised 'Bama once upon a time in 2012, and it'd take a big surprise for the Crimson Tide, favored by 26 in this one, to take a loss at home.

No. 17 TCU luckily only dropped two spots in the rankings after blowing a lead to No. 4 Ohio State last week. The Horned Frogs now travel to Austin as the Longhorns are looking to win a third straight, after losing to Maryland opening weekend for the second consecutive year. Texas is riding high after thrashing USC and knocking them out of the rankings. As of right now, TCU is favored by a field goal. Beating a ranked team for the second straight week sure would alleviate some of the pressure Tom Herman is feeling from Texas fans and boosters. After TCU this Saturday afternoon, three of the next five opponents on the Longhorns' schedule are ranked in the top 25 (No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 12 West Virginia), so if Herman wants to really turn this season around, he'll need to gain as much momentum as possible with a win at home against TCU.

The Georgia Tech game could be a solid triple  option to check in on, as they host No. 3 Clemson on Saturday. I, along with the masses, do not think this will be a close game. But can't complain about an in-conference matchup featuring a top-three team. Georgia Tech's offense could potentially execute some exciting plays for big yardage. And it's always worth observing the quarterback play in these early Clemson games, as it seems Trevor Lawrence stock has done nothing but rise since he arrived.

The Night Games

College Gameday will set up shop in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday as the No. 20 Ducks host No. 7 Stanford. The Pac 12 is such an intriguing conference to me; it has a somewhat mysterious feel to it. Yeah, it's mostly due to West Coast game being on later for the Midwest and East Coast spectators, but that unique aspect keeps me interested at least. So it's nice to see this foreign conference get the Gameday crew to shine the spotlight on Autzen Stadium for a top-25 matchup. I'm sure Willie Taggart is absolutely beaming that he took that dream job down in Tallahassee. The Ducks have been blessed with Justin Herbert as their quarterback, and if Oregon is going to pull this off, it's going to take an excellent performance by him under the home-field lights. Herbert is tied for the second most touchdown passes in the country (most of any Power Five quarterback) right now, tossing for six points twelve times. He also does have four picks so far on the year, and through three weeks Stanford's defense has allowed an average of 7.7 points per game, which is less than any other team. Right now Stanford is favored, and the spread seems to be varied between 1.5 and 2.5. Stanford is 2-1 against the spread, and Oregon has yet to cover this season.

Some more Pac 12 action will happen in true #Pac12AfterDark fashion as Herm Edwards and his 2-1 Arizona State Sun Devils travel up to Seattle to face the No. 10 Washington Huskies. When ASU hired Herm Edwards as head coach, it was written off as a disaster immediately. Although it's only been three games with him in Tempe, he's partially silenced some of the doubters by upsetting Michigan State in week two. That momentum halted last week in a 28-21 loss to San Diego State. But who knows, Herm could throw some schemes at Washington quarterback Jake Browning and really throw him off. If there's one major downfall to this Washington team, it's Browning's poise. As you probably know, Washington's sole loss came to No. 9 Auburn on Labor Day Weekend. The Huskies enter this game as heavy 17.5 point favorites and have only covered once so far in the 2018 season.

One of the earlier night games shouldn't be close by any means, but No. 5 Oklahoma hosting Army on Saturday is worth watching because Sooners' Kyler Murray has proven to be simply extraordinary.  The Sooners have been booming all-around, and their quarterback is playing like he'll be in New York City for the Heisman ceremony. As I said, this isn't projected to be a battle for the ages, as Oklahoma is favored by 31 points. But Oklahoma is not showing any signs of a hangover from last year's talent and success, and their return to the College Football Playoff keeps looking more likely.

College football games to watch this weekend

As we clock out of work on Friday after yet another long week, we've got an excellent slate of games to watch in week three. A few games in the Carolinas/Virginia area will be cancelled/postponed due to Hurricane Florence, but precautionary action in the wake of a natural disaster is a far greater concern than getting in a football game. So let's take a look at your best options for each time slot.

The Early Games

These early games admittedly are not the most fascinating group of the day, but I won't sit here and complain. In the 2017 regular season, Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners only suffered one loss, and that was to the Iowa State Cyclones. Iowa State pulled off that upset in Oklahoma's house, and now it's time for Kyler Murray and the No. 5 Sooners to head up to lovely Iowa to prevent that from happening in consecutive years. Iowa State only has one game under their belt this season, as their opening game was cancelled due to lightning. The one game that they have played this season was a 13-3 loss against in-state rival Iowa. I think there is little-to-no chance of Iowa State pulling this off again, but at the very least you'd get to watch a wildly explosive Oklahoma team take on an in-conference opponent.

Florida State vs. Syracuse is an unranked, lowly matchup, so I wouldn't blame you for not wasting anytime with this one. But it would be worth something to see the Seminoles lose to 'Cuse, even if you couldn't necessarily define that one as "an upset," seeing as the 'Noles are nowhere close to being their usual selves. I mean, seriously, this team has not looked good for a second yet this season. Not only did they get pounded by Virginia Tech on Labor Day, but they had to stage a fourth quarter comeback in order to beat Samford. No, not Stanford. Samford. Syracuse has started 2018 with two wins and no losses, and I think it's likely that the Florida State Seminoles will leave the Carrier Dome with another conference loss.

There are some people out there that believe an upset is brewing in Toledo, Ohio as the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes hit the road for some MACtion. Look, I know Miami was very underwhelming in the season opener against LSU, but I don't think the 'Canes will be taken down by Toledo. I understand that Miami has some problems regarding quarterback play, and they've lost four of their last five games. The U is obviously not as BACK as we thought they were at one point last season. But I think them being upset by Toledo is simply a fantasy for upset addicts. I'll be shocked if the 'Canes enter week four with two losses.

The Afternoon Games

The earliest of the noteworthy afternoon games, which will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Central Time, features No. 8 Notre Dame hosting Vanderbilt. Vandy is not the most impressive SEC team in any sense, but watching the Irish take on an SEC opponent will always garner some attention. And although Notre Dame opened the season by knocking off Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines under the lights, the Irish beating Ball State 24-16 in week two rightfully raised some eyebrows. ND enters the game as 13.5 point favorites, and it'd take an abysmal effort to lose to the Commodores. But crazier things have happened.

The headliner of the afternoon games comes from a conference you may have heard of called the SEC, as No. 7 Auburn hosts No. 13 LSU. If I were an unoriginal moron who has a knack for dad jokes, I'd say "I think the Tigers are going to win this one!" But I'm cool. I'm original. And I am hip. No  Minimal dad jokes allowed in this arsenal of knee slappers. But seriously, this is one of those games you'd expect to see in the last three or four weeks of the regular season. Two traditional SEC powerhouses, both ranked in the top 15, going at it in week three. LSU came out hot and beat Miami in week one, followed by a 31-0 shutout victory over Southeastern Louisiana. Auburn opened up the season in a great 21-16 win over Washington, and then obliterated Alabama State 63-9 in week two. I'd say both teams have had similar seasons thus far, considering the small sample size we have to deal with. Auburn is currently favored by 10.5 points over LSU. Both teams are 1-1 against the spread. When it comes down to it, with each team having an impressive opening win, followed by an expected execution, each team's resume is comparable. But Auburn's opening win was against a much better team, which makes me like Auburn in this one. It certainly also helps that they'll be playing at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Another great, and somewhat unorthodox, top 25 matchup this weekend will be between No. 17 Boise State and No. 24 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This will be the first time ever that these two teams meet. In fact, it's the first time the Broncos have faced a Big 12 team in the regular season. Boise State playing a Big 12 team from Oklahoma strongly strikes a nostalgic sense in most college football spectators, bringing back memories of the Statue of Liberty play leading to a bowl upset. But that was a long time ago, and these OK State Cowboys aren't quite those vintage Sooners. And to add to that, Boise State has built quite a reputation since then. Although they've only faced far inferior opponents with Troy and UConn, the Broncos have averaged 59 points per game through the first two. Similarly, the Cowboys have averaged 56.5 points per game so far, shooting down Missouri State and South Alabama. Oklahoma State is currently favored by three points, and ESPN's matchup predictor has the Cowboys with a 54.2% chance to win. If Boise State truly wants to be a disruptive group-of-five squad, they'll obviously need to leave Boone Pickens Stadium with a win. It's a damn shame we won't get to watch this one of Boise's Smurf turf.

The Night Games

Alabama taking on Ole Miss brings back a few great memories of recent matchups to remember, but I'm sorry to break the news: We will not be seeing the Rebels take down Saban in 2018. Ole Miss has some exciting offensive players (not named Swag Kelly), and has exceeded expectations through two weeks. But what this game really comes down to, is we get to watch the best team in the country take on an opponent that could maybe, possibly, give Alabama some competition for like...a quarter and a half....tops. This won't be close, but there are more reasons to watch the Tide this week than in previous weeks. 'Bama is currently a 21.5 favorite in this one.

The evening games are headlined by a top 25 matchup between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 15 TCU at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas. Another unnecessary neutral site game. I understand that TCU's campus is about 20 miles away from the Cowboys' Stadium, but there are just way too many college games being played there. Let the student section stumble from the dorm to the tailgate to the stadium, rather than hop on shuttles to experience the mega-commercialized version of football. I'd love to see TCU come out on top in this one, seeing as tOSU is one of the few programs I have genuine disdain for. And who doesn't love a good upset? I do think TCU will be competitive with the Buckeyes for a good portion of the game. But I'm ready to give up on waiting for this Ohio State downfall. I don't see them losing this game. They may get brought down by someone this season, but mark my words it will not be the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University.

Saturday night will be capped off by some classic Pac 12 After Dark, with a nice 10 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff in Salt Lake City, with No. 10 Washington visiting the Utah Utes. The Utes are everyone's go-to trap game in the Pac 12, and it seems people are singing that tune a little extra this year. Utah is not ranked, but a lot of people like them to make some noise in the conference this year. And that, my friends, is a paradox in the world of trap teams. They're a trap when you don't expect it, build up a reputation as a trap opponent, and then the hype defeats the purpose of them being a trap. The Huskies are favored by five points, but I think the hype surrounding Utah will light a fire under Washington, causing them to light the Utes up. Well, at least by more than five.

Let's have ourselves a weekend. May your Saturdays be filled with buffalo chicken dip, UberEats, and a million ice-cold Miller Lites.