Week 3

Texas A&M vs Notre Dame – Last season these two teams opened up their schedules against each other with the Irish coming out the victor, much to the disappointment of The Daughter. Now they will face again only this isn’t their first game. Texas A&M has had two tune up wins against UTSA and Utah State, now playtime is over. Last season the biggest weakness for the Aggies was both their lines, and they let ND control the pace of the game. This year the linemen should have their sea legs and will be more of a force than they were last year. Texas A&M is going to do everything they can to run the ball, run the ball and keep running the ball. The more successful they can rush the better it will be. Now glory-hogging QB Marcel Reed will not be a fan of this approach but his got to accept his role of just handing off the ball. If the Aggies get into a situation where they have to throw the ball for success it’s not going to go well. The defensive line must be the disrupters. Every time the Notre Dame QB drops back to pass, there must be pressure, but more importantly they have to be very, very stingy against the run. In their game against Miami the Irish had a devil of a time running the ball and they had to pass WAY more than they wanted. ND wants to run, with RB Love being back the more success he has the more the Irish will smile. In their only game this season, against the Hurricanes, the Irish were getting beaten all over the field. The score gives the impression that they were able to mount a comeback, but the reality is, Miami took their foot off the gas pedal and it nearly cost them the game. Texas A&M has the strength, and personal to manhandle ND, they’ve just got to want it more. The Aggies are still looking for that one big win to catapult them into playoff consideration, winning this game would do it. Not to mention the happiness it would cause The Daughter. This game is more than likely going to be a slow, defensive battle, with scores coming at a premium, the more they have to duke it out the better for the Aggies. A&M is the pick to win, not only because of the influence of The Daughter but because they honestly will win it.

Georgia vs Tennessee – Georgia against tennessee has been on a run for eight years. The Vols have not even come close to beating the Dawgs as all those victories have been double digit wins. UGA hasn’t looked like the all dominate team in their two tune up games. In what should have been an absolute dominate win over Austin Peay, they just didn’t do it. They won the game true enough, but it didn’t look good. The Bulldogs defense is crushing it. They don’t allow teams to run on them, pass on them or sneak by them in anyway. Look for that defense to completely take control of UT’s offense. This will be their first big test of the season, and knowing HC Kirby Smart he is going to have that defensive lined up and ready to play, if they do what they are capable of doing the tenn offense is going to have a poor day. The UGA offense needs work, they haven’t passed the eye test yet and if they want to stay in the playoff conversation that offense has got to get on fire. This would be the perfect game for that to happen.

tennessee was not able to shut down Syracuse in their opening game, they won the battle of the orange teams but they allowed Syracuse to keep it interesting. So far UT’s defense has been fairly good against the run, but their secondary has given up a whole bunch of yards through the air. The high task is going to be if they can get any pressure on QB Gunner Stockton. The UGA offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack yet. If they allow UGA’s QB to keep a clean jersey all game long this game could get away from them in a very fast way. So to counter that, tenn is going to do their best to run the ball like Army runs the ball, which means every single play is a run. They have to be successful in the rushing attack. The more they hold on to the ball the better. Rush the ball, and milk the clock is going to be UT’s plan. QB Joey Aguilar is not an all-star passer, but what he does do extremely well is that he doesn’t make mistakes, safe, short throws are his strength, if the game starts to get away from them and they have to try and mount a passing comeback it will not go in their favor. Georgia is far more the elite team, even if they’ve had trouble getting the kick starter going. Tennessee wants so badly to make the leap from mediocre to elite and winning this game would help them to achieve that. The Bulldog’s defense is going to rule this game, it’s doubtful the Vols have an answer. Georgia is the pick to win and it’s not just because I hate tennesse, which I do, UGA just has too much for the ugly orange team to handle.

Wisconsin vs Alabama – There is an outside shot that the Badgers could actually win this game. Last year all the odds were against them, and Alabama rolled all over them. Now for this upset to happen there has to be a couple of things, first backup quarterback Danny O’Neal has to have the game of his life. He is filling in for the starting QB, Edwards who got banged up. O’Neal is not a dangerous runner but he can make very good decisions when passing the ball. Secondly, the Badgers have got to get their running game going like they did just a couple of years ago. Wisconsin use to have one of the most dangerous running attacks, they were completely one-dimensional and no one cared. If they can resurrect that type of an attack they have a better than outside shot of pulling off the victory. Next the defense has to be as brilliant as they have been against Miami University and Middle Tennessee, this defense has to be the real deal and not just look good in tune up games. Wisconsin has not been able to be the powerhouse they once were, even though they’ve shown flashes that they can be. They are the underdog in this game and they need to use that mentality to their advantage.

As for Alabama, “will the real Alabama team please stand up?” After two games no one knows what the real Alabama team is. Is it the weak, confused, non-spirited team that played against Florida State or is it the dominate one that played against outmatch ULM last week? Is the Crimson Tide only good against subpar teams can they actually play well against quality opponents? NOBODY KNOWS!!!! This would be a great week for them to put away some doubts. The defense has to stop the run, they have to become so stingy and so determined that if the Badgers get one first down it should anger them to the point they attack the ball carrier like Viking Berserkers. The offense of the Tide last week was perfect. QB Ty Simpson went 17 for 17 for 226 yards, three TDs through the air and one with his legs. If he is able to turn in another solid performance Bama will run away with this game. However if the Alabama offense plays like they did against Florida State, they might as well just gift wrap the victory and personally hand it to Wisconsin. Also, should Alabama lose this game, or even if it’s close, look for the calls of hiring Lane Kiffin to grow so loud, the current HC DeBoer won’t be able to finish the season, and yes it’s that serious. Remember us Alabama fans are the most spoiled and arrogant fanbase in the world and we have no desire to relive the 90’s. Alabama is going to win, and it better be a big victory.

Short Smokes

Oregon is one of if not the best team in the nation and they are going to crush Northwestern

Clemson still has plenty of questions about them and it’s highly possible Georgia Tech could win this game

Oklahoma should have very little trouble against Temple…should

The Michigan Cheaters might not be able to recover from their loss and allow Central Michigan to win

Nebraska  is a yawn of the game against Houston Christian

Memphis  is going to be upset by Troy

Auburn is going to beat South Alabama but they still won’t be good

Penn State continues to play cupcakes as they host Villanova

Texas Tech is on a roll and Oregon State is not going to stop them

USC vs Purdue  is going to be closer than most people think

The Backyard Brawl will have Pitt once again beating West “by golly” Virginia

Iowa State is starting to believe they can beat anyone and Arkansas State is going to suffer because of it.

South Florida is very capable of upsetting Miami and they just might do it Saturday

Arkansas vs Ole Miss is going to a very interesting and enjoyable game to watch

Florida started off the season very well only to falter, against LSU its doubtful they’ll be able to regain their footing

Can Vanderbilt actually upset South Carolina? Yes, they can, it might not happen but they can do it.

Utah will actually be tested against Wyoming

Look for Tulane to upset Duke, the Green Wave is rolling

In a late game worth staying up for Minnesota travels out west to take on the hippies of California

If one is fighting insomnia Boston College will be playing Stanford and Texas State will be playing Arizona State in the late, late games.