Early Game: No. 11 Michigan at No. 13 Wisconsin
This cross-divisional BIG 10 battle between the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines and the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers will be taking place at Camp Randall in Madison, WI. The hometown Badgers are favored by 3.5. The all-time series between these two programs really isn't even remotely close, with Michigan's 51 wins towering over Sconnie's 15. They did finish in a tie all the way back in 1921. With the teams' current coaches, Jim Harbaugh is 2-1 when facing a Paul Chryst led Badger team: in 2016 Michigan won 14-7, and 38-13 last year. In 2017, Wisconsin came out on top 24-10. So with Harbaugh vs Chryst, the home team has won all three times. Good news for the Badgers.
Wisconsin undoubtedly underperformed last season, but it seems like they're back to performing at a high level. They haven't had the stiffest competition, but not allowing a single point (and only 215 total yards) through two games is still wildly impressive no matter who you play. The Badgers beat up on USF 49-0 before rag-dolling Central Michigan 61-0. That's also an average of 55 points scored per game, which is currently tied with LSU for third most in the country. Only Oklahoma and Baylor have higher average points per game. The last time this Wisconsin defense has allowed a touchdown was in a loss to Minnesota to conclude the 2018 regular season (they only allowed Miami a field goal in their bowl game).
The Badgers boast a top-two talent at running back in all of college football, and this will be a big game for Jonathan Taylor's junior campaign. So far, he's averaging 6.8 yards per carry and has five touchdowns with 237 yards. He's also tallied three touchdown receptions with five catches.
Leading up to the season, there were debates of who would be QB1 for the Badgers between junior Jack Coan and freshman Graham Mertz. I assumed Mertz was going to get the nod, as he's the most coveted quarterback recruit to ever play in Madison. Mertz got a few reps in the Central Michigan blowout, but Coan has played really well throughout these first couple of weeks. He's completed 76.3% of his passes (pretty lame compared to his 100% completion rate in 2017, connecting on all five of his throws) with 564 yards, five touchdowns, and most importantly, no interceptions. Coan's completion percentage is currently the seventh highest in the nation.
Much like the Badgers, Michigan has started 2019 with a 2-0 record, yet it's certainly a less impressive rendition of a 2-0 record. The Wolverines did hang 40 on Middle Tennessee State in week one, but they also allowed 21 points to Middle Tennessee State. That's fine, it's early in the season and sometimes good teams need to ease their way into the schedule. That brings us to week two, where Michigan narrowly avoided a home loss to Army. It took a last-second missed field goal, and then overtime, for Michigan to claim a victory. And then they stormed the field. After beating Army. In overtime. Beating Army in OT doesn't make you a bad team; Kyler Murray and Oklahoma did the same thing in 2018. But it's not crazy to be concerned with Michigan's quality of play through two weeks.
Throughout the preseason, all I kept hearing about was how the is the year Harbaugh beats Ohio State, and this is the year Michigan has a high-powered offense. These guys need to get through Wisconsin (and Iowa, Penn State, Notre Dame) before looking ahead to Ohio State, and they'll certainly need this supposedly good offense to show up sometime between now and Saturday at 11 am. Shea Patterson has yet to impress me, and the clock is ticking for the senior. Isn't that why he plays football? To impress me? Sure, he threw for three touchdowns against Middle Tennessee State, but he didn't notch a single touchdown against Army. He's barely cracked the 200-yard mark in both games: 203 vs MTSU and 207 vs Army. He hasn't thrown a pick yet, which is a plus. The kid better hope his linemen step up against the Badger defense, because he's been sacked six times so far, and they haven't faced a defense this good. Patterson should expect to be swarmed on Saturday; Wisconsin's defense has recorded five sacks and four turnovers (three of them INTs).
Statistically, Michigan's pass defense is elite, only allowing 138.5 yards per game through the air. But let's remember they played Army last week, who's quarterback only threw the ball four times (two completions, one pick). They haven't been all that impressive, and have yet to compete against an opponent of the Badgers' caliber. So, will this be the week Michigan pulls it all together? Or will this just be another big game that Harbaugh can't win?
Afternoon Game: No. 8 Auburn at No. 17 Texas A&M
Saturday afternoon in College Station, TX should be a great SEC clash between the No. 8 Auburn Tigers and the No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies. A&M, the home team, is favored by 3.5. Since the Aggies joined the SEC before the 2012 season, Auburn has led the series 4-3 (However, A&M leads the all-time series 5-4, with wins over Auburn in 1911 and 1986). Auburn has come out on top in the last two meetings, edging out a 28-24 win last year.
It's been a few weeks since Auburn has faced a challenge like this one, but it's tough to forget their exhilarating 27-21 win over Oregon on Labor Day Weekend. Since then, they topped Tulane 24-6, before throttling a weak Kent State team 55-16. Auburn has put up an average of 35.3 points per game, and has allowed an average of 14.3 points per game (22nd fewest nationwide).
This trip to Kyle Field will be an absolutely massive test for Auburn's freshman QB Bo Nix. He was initiated into the college football world on the big stage, playing a primetime game at Jerry World against a ranked Oregon team. Although a nationally televised, natural site game is tough for a young buck, I think traveling to College Station for a top-25, in-conference game is far more psychologically challenging. Nix ended up being the man at the end of the Oregon game, but let's not forget he looked shaky throughout everything before that. He threw two picks and completed less than half of his throws. On the year, the freshman has totaled 545 yards and four touchdowns through the air, while rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Auburn's run game has been the real deal in 2019, as they've averaged 281.7 rushing yards per game (11th best), and their team total of 845 rushing yards is the eighth most in the country. The Tigers' leading rusher, JaTarvious Whitlow, has carried the ball 64 times for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Whitlow came up four yards short of eclipsing triple-digit rushing yards in all three games this year: he rushed for 110 against Oregon, 96 against Tulane, and 135 against Kent State.
The Tigers' defensive unit has impressed me so far, holding Justin Herbert and the Ducks to 21 points, and only allowing one touchdown in the two games since. They've also totaled eight sacks on the year, an interception, and a fumble recovery (which came up just short of a scoop-and-score). This Auburn defense has only allowed 3.2 yards per carry through three games.
Jimbo Fisher and his Aggies are 2-1 so far on the year, with two victories over lackluster competition: they beat Texas State 41-7 to open up the season, and then expectedly pummeled Lamar University 62-3 last week. Wedged in between those two blowout wins is a loss, but it's the least concerning loss a team can have, as the Aggies fell short of an upset on the road at Clemson. A&M was never really in control of that game, but they eventually kept it within two scores. They have averaged 37.7 points per game (34th most) and have allowed an average of only 11.3 points per game (13th fewest).
The Aggie defense will look to stuff Auburn's run game on Saturday; they've only allowed 251 total rushing yards through three games (average of 83.7 per game) and two touchdowns. Hell, they held Clemson's Travis Etienne to only 3.3 yards per carry (a total of 53 yards and no touchdowns). They have allowed 554 total passing yards, but 268 of those are from Trevor Lawrence, and they even picked him off in that one. The defensive unit has totaled five sacks so far.
Junior QB Kellen Mond will definitely have to be careful with the football against Auburn, as he's thrown a pick in each game so far. Mond's 747 passing yards fall just outside of the top 30 nationwide. He's averaging 7.7 yards per completion and has connected on 64.9% of his passes. Mond has tossed five touchdown passes on the year. His main target, Jhamon Ausbon, has reeled in 17 catches for 253 yards (14.9 average) and two touchdowns.
Freshman running back Isaiah Spiller has put up some good numbers this season, as he's averaged 8.8 yards per carry, tallying 246 yards and two touchdowns. Spiller certainly was shutdown by a menacing Clemson defense in week two, but in the other two games he's been an absolute stud; against Texas St he averaged 15.1 yards per carry, rushing for 106 yards on just seven carries. Last week against Lamar, he averaged 8.3 yards per rush, totaling 116 yards and two touchdowns.
These teams both seem pretty evenly matched in all facets of the game, with A&M obviously having a rowdy home field advantage. Auburn's one big win is far enough in the past now, that who knows if the momentum from it is still in effect. A&M's one big loss was fortunately out of conference and to the reigning National Champs, so I don't think that will influence their psyche all that much heading into this one. It should be an absolute bloodbath (for like third or fourth place in the SEC West).
Night Game: No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 3 Georgia
The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish head down to Athens, Georgia to take on Kirby Smart's No. 3 Bulldogs on Saturday evening. This will only be the third time these teams have ever met, and the last matchup (2017) in South Bend was a thrilling brawl in which Georgia claimed a 20-19 victory. The first time the Irish and the Dawgs went at it was on New Year's Day of 1981 at the Sugar Bowl, where Georgia won 17-10. Although these two teams have never been separated by more than a single possession, Vegas is highly confident in Georgia remaining undefeated against Notre Dame, as they're favored by 14.5 on Saturday.
The last time Notre Dame lost to a team other than Clemson was a 38-20 loss in the final regular season game of the 2017 season at Stanford. They went on to beat LSU in the Citrus Bowl that year. And then last year, as we all know, the Irish went through their opponents without suffering a loss. That is, of course, until they had to go up against the eventual National Champs in the final four. Notre Dame got absolutely mopped 30-3 by the Tigers, but that outcome didn't look as pathetic after watching Alabama get rocked 44-16 in the championship.
Notre Dame is 2-0 so far this year, beating Louisville 35-17 on Labor Day, and then lighting up the scoreboard in a 66-14 victory over New Mexico. The Irish have averaged the seventh most points per game with 50.5, and have allowed an average of 15.5 points per game (tied with Northwestern for 29th). Through their two games, the defense has recorded three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Ian Book (61.7 completion percentage, 553 yards, six touchdowns, zero picks) and the Notre Dame offense have been productive so far this season, but they'll be going up against a far more athletic group than either of the teams they've faced. The Georgia defense is far more tenacious and will pose a great challenge to ND's ability to move up the field. The Irish really need their playmakers to step up against an extremely athletic group. I do have confidence that the offensive line will do a solid job preventing Book from feeling too much pressure throughout the game.
Georgia has come out to an absolutely steamrolling 3-0 start this year, beating Vanderbilt 30-6 in Nashville, a 63-17 stomping of Murray State (no Ja Morant on the gridiron I guess), topped off by a 55-0 shutout against Arkansas State. The Bulldogs' 49.3 points per game has them tied with Oklahoma State for ninth most in the country. Only two teams have allowed fewer points per game than Georgia's 7.7: Arizona State with 7, and Wisconsin with 0.
Jake Fromm's completion percentage of 75 is the ninth best of any quarterback, and the rest of his numbers are very comparable to Ian Book's: Fromm has thrown for 601 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Definitely expect Georgia's junior running back D'Andre Swift to make some big plays on Saturday night. On 31 carries, Swift has averaged 9.4 yards per carry, totaling 291 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a reception touchdown (two catches for 64 yards) against Arkansas State last week. Notre Dame's rush defense has been more flimsy than their pass defense: the Irish have allowed an average of 230.5 rushing yards per game against running backs that are nothing close to D'Andre Swift.
The point-spread might cause many to feel that this is a major mismatch Between the Hedges, and I must admit that Georgia's athleticism should seriously frighten anyone pulling for Notre Dame in this one. That's honestly the biggest disadvantage for the Irish in general; there's a clear talent gap that has prevented them from truly entering the upper echelon of college ball. But don't completely count them out, especially in terms of covering. The year that Georgia pissed away the National Championship against Alabama, the Irish only lost to them by a single point early in the season. Last year, the main reason Georgia didn't get into the playoff (other than pissing away the SEC Championship against Alabama) was because undefeated Notre Dame deserved the spot over them. So these programs really have been relatively neck-and-neck in recent years, and ND must feel disrespected heading into this one. But then again, the Irish do have to head into a hostile Sanford Stadium against a team that has been on the cusp of the Alabama-Clemson tier, the 1%. The place will be rocking under the lights, and this one could end up having some heavy playoff implications.
The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish head down to Athens, Georgia to take on Kirby Smart's No. 3 Bulldogs on Saturday evening. This will only be the third time these teams have ever met, and the last matchup (2017) in South Bend was a thrilling brawl in which Georgia claimed a 20-19 victory. The first time the Irish and the Dawgs went at it was on New Year's Day of 1981 at the Sugar Bowl, where Georgia won 17-10. Although these two teams have never been separated by more than a single possession, Vegas is highly confident in Georgia remaining undefeated against Notre Dame, as they're favored by 14.5 on Saturday.
The last time Notre Dame lost to a team other than Clemson was a 38-20 loss in the final regular season game of the 2017 season at Stanford. They went on to beat LSU in the Citrus Bowl that year. And then last year, as we all know, the Irish went through their opponents without suffering a loss. That is, of course, until they had to go up against the eventual National Champs in the final four. Notre Dame got absolutely mopped 30-3 by the Tigers, but that outcome didn't look as pathetic after watching Alabama get rocked 44-16 in the championship.
Notre Dame is 2-0 so far this year, beating Louisville 35-17 on Labor Day, and then lighting up the scoreboard in a 66-14 victory over New Mexico. The Irish have averaged the seventh most points per game with 50.5, and have allowed an average of 15.5 points per game (tied with Northwestern for 29th). Through their two games, the defense has recorded three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Ian Book (61.7 completion percentage, 553 yards, six touchdowns, zero picks) and the Notre Dame offense have been productive so far this season, but they'll be going up against a far more athletic group than either of the teams they've faced. The Georgia defense is far more tenacious and will pose a great challenge to ND's ability to move up the field. The Irish really need their playmakers to step up against an extremely athletic group. I do have confidence that the offensive line will do a solid job preventing Book from feeling too much pressure throughout the game.
Georgia has come out to an absolutely steamrolling 3-0 start this year, beating Vanderbilt 30-6 in Nashville, a 63-17 stomping of Murray State (no Ja Morant on the gridiron I guess), topped off by a 55-0 shutout against Arkansas State. The Bulldogs' 49.3 points per game has them tied with Oklahoma State for ninth most in the country. Only two teams have allowed fewer points per game than Georgia's 7.7: Arizona State with 7, and Wisconsin with 0.
Jake Fromm's completion percentage of 75 is the ninth best of any quarterback, and the rest of his numbers are very comparable to Ian Book's: Fromm has thrown for 601 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Definitely expect Georgia's junior running back D'Andre Swift to make some big plays on Saturday night. On 31 carries, Swift has averaged 9.4 yards per carry, totaling 291 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a reception touchdown (two catches for 64 yards) against Arkansas State last week. Notre Dame's rush defense has been more flimsy than their pass defense: the Irish have allowed an average of 230.5 rushing yards per game against running backs that are nothing close to D'Andre Swift.
The point-spread might cause many to feel that this is a major mismatch Between the Hedges, and I must admit that Georgia's athleticism should seriously frighten anyone pulling for Notre Dame in this one. That's honestly the biggest disadvantage for the Irish in general; there's a clear talent gap that has prevented them from truly entering the upper echelon of college ball. But don't completely count them out, especially in terms of covering. The year that Georgia pissed away the National Championship against Alabama, the Irish only lost to them by a single point early in the season. Last year, the main reason Georgia didn't get into the playoff (other than pissing away the SEC Championship against Alabama) was because undefeated Notre Dame deserved the spot over them. So these programs really have been relatively neck-and-neck in recent years, and ND must feel disrespected heading into this one. But then again, the Irish do have to head into a hostile Sanford Stadium against a team that has been on the cusp of the Alabama-Clemson tier, the 1%. The place will be rocking under the lights, and this one could end up having some heavy playoff implications.
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