Week 5

LSU vs Ole Miss – In the second biggest SEC showdown the Rebels will be hosting the Bayou Tigers which should be a great game. They aren’t exactly traditional rivals but they have been upsetting each other’s playoff ambitions for the past couple of years. Ole Miss has had two, hold on for dear life wins against Kentucky and Arkansas, but they gave Tulane a good walloping last week. Once again, the Rebs will be led by QB Trinidad Chambliss, he threw for 353 yards against Arkansas and over 300 years against Tulane. The Ole Miss offense under HC Lane Kiffin likes to take long shots down the field and they play a very up-tempo offense, that usually keeps defensives on their heels and prevents substitutions. LSU’s defense has a very bad history of struggling mightily against offenses that play in a hyperdrive mode. What the Rebels need to do besides going at warp speed is to make sure they are not one dimensional and only have the passing game to carry them. If they can get the run game established as even a little bit of a threat it will help them out tremendously. If they can’t, there is a very real possibility that the attacking Mississippi offense will stall. The defense is not terrible this year, they weren’t terrible last year either, but they needed to improve and this year they may have that improvement. It won’t be easy for them, LSU’s offense has performed very well lately, so the Rebels have their work cut out for them. It’s doubtful they will be able to shut the Tigers down, but if they can continue to create turnovers and stall the Tigers enough, they’ll give themselves a good chance to pull out the win.

LSU has also been relying on their star QB Garrett Mussmeier and so far, that has paid off. He was good enough to get this team past Florida, and he was cool and calm against Clemson. But like the Rebels this Tiger team cannot rely on the passing game alone. They have got to start running the ball and they have to do it effectively. The Rebel defense has been allowing other teams to average almost five yards per carry so if LSU can become more balanced, they’ll tear through the Ole Miss defense. The strength of the Tigers has been their defense, which as been a force. It’s been great on third downs and fantastic against the run, where they have struggled has been putting pressure on opposing QB’s and allowing teams to move the ball through the air. This game has all the makings of a good ole fashion barn yard shoot out. Whoever makes the least mistakes will have the advantage. Both teams will score into the 40’s and it may come down to whoever has the ball last will win. Most of the odd makers are picking LSU, but my brother graduated from Ole Miss and family is thicker than odds so CSF is going to pick the Rebels but its going to be a close game.

Oregon vs Penn State – Penn State needs this game WAY more than Oregon. For the past couple of years, the Nittany Lions have not been able to win the big ones. They should have beaten Ohio State last year, but failed, they sometimes get past Michigan but not lately. So far, they’ve played three light and breezy tune up games but now they’ve got to toughen up. So far, against cupcakes, the Nittany Lion ground game has been great, but they didn’t set the world on fire with their passing game, as QB Drew Allar has misfired a bit. To be able to get past the Ducks that has got to be improved. The best thing PSU can do is to pound the ball like a wrecking ball against the Oregon defense. The more success they have in the ground game the better. The Ducks, defense has not been challenged, so there is no telling how they will do against a determined infantry attack. The longer the Lions have the ball the weaker the Duck’s defense will become. Penn State’s defense has also appeared to be stellar in their first three games, but let’s be honest if they weren’t it would be news all over the world. Now once again, they are going to be tested by what has been the number one offense in the nation. The Blue and White defense has to slow the Quack Attack, and the best way to do it is to take away the rushing game. It’s doubtful they will be able to completely shut down this offense, but if they can take away the rush, and make Oregon rely solely on the passing game, which isn’t a great option, they will be able to keep the Ducks from running away with the game. Oregon on the other hand has been performing like they believe they are the number one team in the nation. They just haven’t beaten Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Northwestern but embarrassed them. Their offense has been razor-sharp without a hint of a hiccup. Their strength has been their front line. This O-line has dominated their opponents and completely controlled the pace of the game. QB Dante Moore has been acting like a superstar. Their biggest weakness so far has been their defense, now saying it’s a weakness does not mean they have been playing poorly, they haven’t. They’ve actually have been playing top-notch, but they haven’t been actually tested either. It’s still a question if this defense can stop a hardcore ground game, like Penn State is going to unleash on them. If there is any way they lose this game, it will be because the defense is out on the field way too long and that will allow the Quack Attack not to be able to get into a rhythm. The Ducks will be coming into Happy Valley under “White Out” conditions, yet the pressure will not be on them, it’s all on Penn State. Oregon is the pick to win, but this game should be a hard-fought game, if it’s not the Ducks will run away with it.

Alabama vs Georgia – NO one does college football better than Alabama vs Georgia. Six of the last seven games between these two have been some of the greatest and most thrilling games in college football history. Alabama has been the victor most of the times, which means Georgia wants this. Yet because the way the Crimson Tide started the season, they desperately need this game. Since that horrible, HORRIBLE, start against Florida State the passing game of the Tide has been unstoppable. QB Ty Simpson has been putting on a clinic of how to pass the ball. He’s completing over 85% of his passes and that’s been short shots, long balls and everything else. The best part of this passing game has been no one has come close to putting pressure on the QB because that Bama offensive line has also stepped it up which has also made the rushing attack to become a threat as well. The Tide defense, which was completely confused against FSU, has also shown signs of recovery, but that has been against ULM and Wisconsin, now they get the Bulldogs and this defense better play so well that St. Saban is proud of them, which he hasn’t been so far. UGA has not been able to establish the run so far and that should play right into this defensive’s wheelhouse. If they can shut the run, it’ll stall and might even shut down the Dawgs attack. Another aspect of this defense in the last two games has been their ability to put pressure on the QB with their front four, and let’s be honest if tennessee can do that, then this Bama defense darn well better be able to do it as well.

Georgia was supposed to come into this season as a force to be reckoned with, but so far, they’ve played like it.  QB Gunner Stockton is not better than Carson Beck was last year, but he’s been good enough. He was good enough to pull a win out up at UT. But let’s be honest the Dawgs won that game because there was a great deal of luck that fell in their favor. The only way they’ve been able to move the ball has been through the air, because their running game has not been effective. It wasn’t that great last week, it appeared to be too simplistic. If they want to win this game, they are going to have to get that run game going. It has been good enough for them to own the time of possession battle when it matters so they can run, some of the time. The passing game has been their strength, and they have plenty of talent at the receiver positions, so look for UGA to pass the ball as much as they can. The UGA defense hasn’t been putting pressure on opposing QB, and they need to prevent Bama QB Simpson from getting into a rhythm. The more third-and-long situations they can create the better. The biggest weakness of the Dawgs so far has been their secondary. The Vols lit the passing game up, they had receivers wide open for most of the game. HC Kirby Smart saw this and has a former DB himself he’s not going to stand for them to have a weak secondary two games in a row. UGA has the homefield advantage, they have been the better team so far this year, and that escape last week might have ignited a huge fire under them. This team is very dangerous, and if they’re able correct their mistakes from last week, they can turn out to be an outstanding team. As an Alabama fan, I am very nervous about this game. Alabama cannot afford to lose this game they started off the season so poorly they don’t have any room for mistakes. Georgia on the other hand didn’t play their best last week in their first big test, but it would take a fool to underestimate them. This game is going to be a hardcare, head knocking game, but Alabama is the pick to win, and yes that’s because I’m an Alabama fan. Hopefully I won’t be crying at another loss Saturday night.  

Short Smokes

Georgia Tech has been a surprise this season and they won’t sneak up on Wake Forest but it won’t matter, Yellowjackets win

Illinois has got to improve after last week, and this game against USC is the perfect opportunity, but the Trojans are gonna win

Notre Dame has got their hands full and against Arkansas it might be too much for them, as the Hogs are better than their record

Minnesota should win, should, against Rutgers

Syracuse has been on a tear and Duke isn’t going to stop them

Pitt needs to recover and Louisville will be the perfect opportunity

Kansas is going to run all over Cincinnati

K-State is playing terrible so UCF will win

Vanderbilt is 4-0 and after beating Utah State they will be 5-0!

Ohio State just might be in trouble against Washington, the Huskies are the pick to pull the upset

Auburn got robbed last week against Oklahoma, and they want revenge but A&M is too tough for them

Indiana looks to be unstoppable and its doubtful Iowa will stop them.

UCLA has given up on their season so Northwestern has a lay up of a win

The hippies of California shouldn’t have much trouble against Boston College

Oklahoma State fired HC Gundy which means they’ve given up on their season too, which is great new for Baylor

Utah is tougher than they appear, and West “By Golly” Virginia is going to find that out.

tennessee is going to lose two in a row as they take on Mississippi State

Arizona and Iowa State is going to be another great game, but I’m going to miss it as it on the same time Alabama vs Georgia, but the Cyclones should walk away with it

How is Memphis at 4-0? They’ll be 5-0 after beating Florida Atlantic

Missouri has a cupcake against Massachusetts 

Washington State runs away against Colorado State

Stanford is not having a good season, and San Jose State is going to take advantage of it

Kentucky and South Carolina another exciting game, look for the Wildcats to escape with the win

The late game will feature BYU vs Colorado, the Buffs want revenge in the worst way, but they’re not going to get it as the Morman Cougars will run away with game.