Football Future-see 2014: Week Five

Record
Week 1	8-2
Week 2	5-0
Week 3 Week 4 Week 5	2-3 4-1 2-3
Total	21-9	0.700

Week Four was good for the Right Wing. In fact, I was an LSU-didn’t-show-up-for-three-quarters game away from perfection. Georgia dominated Troy, as expected. Auburn barely escaped Kansas State, but they still won. Alabama pulled away from Florida. Florida State took overtime but defeated Clemson. Yeah, it was just LSU that messed the whole thing up. Now, at 19-6 on the year, we start getting into more conference play and some higher profile games. This is especially true next week. This week we have two Thursday games, one of which is the only Top 25 match-up on our slate this week. Georgia is there again, facing rival Tennessee. Mizzou visits South Carolina and Ohio State hosts Cincinnati. Enjoy. 

The Games: 

Texas Tech at 24 Oklahoma State (Thursday, 7:30pm, ESPN) 
Ever since taking Florida State to the limit in a Week One loss, Okie State has rolled, albeit against inferior competition. Texas Tech had steamrolled their first two opponents, but then ran into the buzzsaw that was SEC bottom-feeder Arkansas. The Razorbacks rolled up 438 rushing yards and 49 points on the Red Raiders, leading to the Lubbock team bringing in a defensive coordinator. Oklahoma State has the advantage here, with home field and more staff stability. The Red Raider defense will be tested, and I believe Oklahoma State will find enough holes to pull away in the second half. Cowboys win. 
Final Score: Oklahoma State 35, Texas Tech 21 
CORRECT: Oklahoma State won 45-35

11 UCLA at 15 Arizona State (Thursday, 10:00pm, Fox Sports 1) 
The only Top 25 game on our slate this week features two PAC-12 South teams in a battle for supremacy. UCLA, though ranked #11, has thoroughly underwhelmed this season, barely skating past Virginia, Memphis, and Texas. While those schools are not exactly the “little sisters of the poor,” they’re not exactly powerhouses at the moment. Arizona State, meanwhile, has looked better against worse competition, soundly defeating Weber State, New Mexico, and Colorado. It’s not a stretch to call this one an upset. Sun Devils win a close game. 
Final Score: Arizona State 27, UCLA 23 
INCORRECT: UCLA won 62-27 (I might be wrong, but at least I correctly predicted ASU's point total)


Tennessee at 12 Georgia (Saturday, 12:00pm, ESPN) 
Last year, this game is when the wheels came off the bus for Georgia. Injuries kept piling up against an upstart Vols team that was looking for a huge upset. They nearly got it, as UGA won in OT 34-31. This time, though, Georgia is healthier. They’re rested, with the starters sitting much of last week’s 66-0 whipping of Troy. Tennessee hasn’t played since their 34-10 loss at Oklahoma. The Vols are averaging 27 points per game while giving up 20. They’re also averaging 130 rushing yards per game. Georgia is averaging 304 rushing yards per game while scoring 49 and giving up 20. Both teams are 2-1. I can’t see Georgia going away from the run. They purposefully rested Todd Gurley against Troy so he’d be ready for Tenessee. Vols QB Justin Worley may have some answers against the Dawgs, but I think Georgia rolls, especially between the hedges. Dawgs win. 
Final Score: Georgia 38, Tennessee 17 
CORRECT: Georgia won 35-32

Cincinnati at 22 Ohio State (Saturday, 6:00pm, Big Ten Network) 
Alright, kiddos, here’s your first real Upset Special of the year. Now, do I really think Cincinnati is going to pick off Ohio State? Truthfully, no. I don’t think they will. But if ever there was a time to pick off the Buckeyes, the Bearcats are scheduled for it. The Buckeyes are about to enter conference play, they’re missing their starting QB, and they were just proven mortal at home by Virginia Tech. Cincinnati had best be dissecting the game tape from the OSU-VT match-up. If Cincinnati wins, it’ll be close, perhaps on a last second field goal. Bearcats in the upset. 
Final Score: Cincinnati 24, Ohio State 22 
INCORRECT: Ohio State won 50-28

Missouri at 13 South Carolina (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN) 
ESPN’s College GameDay visits Columbia for a game that seemed far more important at the beginning of the season than it does now. Both of these teams have lost much of the luster that they held in the Preseason Top 25 poll. South Carolina is arguably the more dangerous team here, but they’re coming off a much-closer-than-it-should-have-been win over lowly Vanderbilt. Missouri was just upset at home by Indiana. Steve Spurrier has even said the Gamecocks are not a good football team, which is Head Ball Coach speak for “we’re not that bad, but we need work.” The air is out of the tires for Mizzou, so I see South Carolina taking this one. Gamecocks win, but close. 
Final Score: South Carolina 28, Missouri 24 
INCORRECT: Missouri won 21-20

Football Future-see 2014: Week Four

Record
Week 1	8-2
Week 2	5-0
Week 3 Week 4	2-3 4-1
Total	19-6	0.760

While Week Two gave me my first perfect week, Week Three was almost an abject disaster. As it stands, it was just a barely mitigated disaster. Of course, I couldn’t control any of that.

Boston College stunned USC by simply outplaying the Trojans. Virginia defeated Louisville (I actually predicted UVA’s final score) even though I admitted that I could not call for the upset. And South Carolina beat Georgia, although a very good argument could be made that Georgia beat Georgia (I actually *almost* predicted UGA’s final score). This week looks to be even more difficult, with two SEC conference games, two match-ups of Top 25 teams, and the obligatory Georgia pick. 

The Games: 

5 Auburn at 20 Kansas State (Thursday, 7:30pm, ESPN) 
A Thursday night road trip to the heart of Big XII country (read: the middle of nowhere; I’ve been to Manhattan, Kansas, and it is the middle of nowhere) might be a recipe for defeat for Auburn. K-State is now a Top 20 team and would love to hand Auburn a loss. The Tigers, though, are simply a better team. I like Auburn in this game, but I’m not going to be surprised if Kansas State keeps it a lot closer than it probably should be. 
Final Score: Auburn 30, Kansas State 20 
CORRECT: Auburn won 20-14

Troy at 13 Georgia (Saturday, Noon, SEC Network) 
This is a bad time for Troy to roll into Athens. Georgia will be looking to exorcise some demons from the loss to South Carolina. For Troy, the season has not gone well. The Trojans are 0-3 and are giving up 40 points per game. The Dawgs are averaging 40 points per game. I really can’t see this one being much of a contest, and I think that Mark Richt may have to take the binders off the offense in this game, just to let some of that aggression bleed out. Georgia rolls. (PS – I could go on at length about what went wrong for Georgia in Columbia, but I think beating down Troy would be better medicine than sitting around complaining.) 
Final Score: Georgia 56, Troy 14 
CORRECT: Georgia won 66-0

Florida at 3 Alabama (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS) 
Will the real Florida Gators please stand up? A thrashing of Eastern Michigan was followed up by a triple OT home win over Kentucky. So no one really knows what Florida is bringing to the table. But the Gators better figure it out quick, as they go to Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Alabama has followed up their close victory over West Virginia with back-to-back wins by a combined score of 93-12. Alabama is settling into a groove with their QB position. I’m not sure Florida has enough to escape Tuscaloosa with a win. ‘Bama wins. 
Final Score:  Alabama 31, Florida 20 
CORRECT: Alabama won 42-21

Mississippi State at 8 LSU (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN) 
Two minutes, thirty-six seconds into the third quarter against Wisconsin. That’s the last time LSU gave up any points. That was August 30. Since then LSU has beaten Sam Houston 56-0 and UL-Monroe 31-0. Of course, they’ll be playing a little higher level of competition this weekend than the last two. Mississippi State is a dangerous team that comes to LSU with a 3-0 record and averaging nearly 44 points per game. But this will be their first test too. I like LSU to win, but MSU keeps it close. 
Final Score: LSU 28, Mississippi State 20 
INCORRECT: Mississippi State won 34-29

22 Clemson at 1 Florida State (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC) 
This game will probably decide the ACC Atlantic Division, which is odd because it’s the first conference game for either team. Then again, in the same division is Boston College, who just knocked off USC. Florida State is still the #1 team in the country. Clemson was throttled by Georgia 45-21, but returned the next week to lay a massive beating on South Carolina State, 73-7. FSU meanwhile has only scored 37 points in each of their victories (Oklahoma State and Citadel). Expect both teams to bring their best to Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday night, but expect FSU to leave victorious. 
Final Score: FSU 45, Clemson 20 
CORRECT: Florida State won 23-17 in overtime

Football Future-see 2014: Week Three

Record
Week 1	8-2
Week 2	5-0
Week 3	2-3
Total	15-5	0.750

Week Two gave me my first perfect week since late September of 2013. This week Georgia returns to the schedule with a visit to Columbia, South Carolina that has huge implications for the SEC East, the SEC, and the College Football Playoff. Boise State travels across the country. Louisville takes on an ACC foe. USC travels across the country. And then Tennessee goes west of the Mississippi to take on Oklahoma.

The Games:

Boise State at Connecticut (Saturday, 12:00pm, ESPN2)

This one might be interesting. UConn is one of those teams that can easily trip someone up, especially if that someone is coming from the other side of the country for a noon eastern time kickoff. This is the equivalent of a 10am start for the Broncos. Boise State lost their first cross-country non-conference game. This is one they should win, but keep an eye on it.

Final Score: Boise State 31, UConn 21
CORRECT: Boise State won 38-21

21 Louisville at Virginia (Saturday, 12:30pm, ESPN3)

Louisville knocked off Miami in week one. Virginia very nearly knocked off UCLA. I would love to call an upset here, but I just can’t. Louisville has Bobby Petrino back in their corner, and the man knows how to win (save for that disastrous run where he walked out on the Atlanta Falcons). Louisville wins, but closer than the experts think.

Final Score: Louisville 28, Virginia 23

INCORRECT: Virginia won 23-21

6 Georgia at 24 South Carolina (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS)

Georgia and Clemson was a close game, for three quarters. Then the Dawgs’ deep stable of running backs took control and a 24-21 Georgia lead turned into a 45-21 Georgia win. The bigger story was Georgia’s defense stepping up and holding the Tigers to 15 yards and 1 first down in the entire second half. South Carolina, meanwhile, has looked anything but impressive. A blowout loss to the Aggies in week one and a closer-than-it-should’ve-been win over East Carolina haven’t inspired much confidence in the Gamecocks. Of course, it’s a rivalry game, so the stats mean nothing. Spurrier is somehow able to coach his team up against Georgia. I like the Dawgs to win, but South Carolina might make it close.

Final Score:  Georgia 34, South Carolina 24
INCORRECT: South Carolina won 38-35

9 USC at Boston College (Saturday, 8:00pm, ESPN)

Boston College is 1-1 on the year, with a win over UMass and a loss to Pitt. USC is 2-0 with wins over Fresno State and Stanford. This marks USC’s third straight appearance on the football picks, an oddity for a PAC-12 team. Boston College hasn’t been in the picks in a long time (maybe ever, I honestly can’t remember). Still, USC is a lot closer to Pitt than UMass, and not just geographically. Trojans win going away in this one.

Final Score: USC 35, Boston College 14
INCORRECT: Boston College won 37-31

Tennessee at 4 Oklahoma (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC)

Is there a chance that Tennessee rolls out of Norman with a win? Sure. There’s also a chance that the squirrels unite into a vicious army and overthrow the government of Zimbabwe. In other words, I don’t see it happening. I think Tennessee can hang close with Oklahoma for a while, but the Sooners will pull away. Sadly, SpongeBob BowlFlop, aka Big Game Bob, will probably use this win as a propaganda point to claim the Big XII is better than the SEC. Sooners win.

Final Score: Oklahoma 30, Tennessee 14

CORRECT: Oklahoma won 34-10

Football Future-see 2014: Week Two

Record
Week 1	8-2
Week 2	5-0
Week 3	0-0
Total	13-2	0.867

Week One is in the books. Florida State stumbled out of the gate before righting the ship and sending Oklahoma State home in narrow defeat. Alabama struggled for a while against a West Virginia squad that went 4-8 last year. ‘Bama ended up winning. Ohio State likewise struggled for a while against Navy, before the Buckeyes opened up the offense and pulled away. 

Then there was Georgia. All preseason we were told that Clemson’s front seven was ideally suited to stopping the Dawgs’ running game. But a judicious application of all four running backs kept fresh legs on the field as the Clemson defense simply gave out. Georgia’s Todd Gurley ran for 198 yards and 3 TDs, and he also had a 100+ yard kick return for a TD. 

This week, no Georgia, as the Dawgs have a week off prior to traveling to Columbia next weekend. Instead, we have these games (and no, I’m not going easy on myself): 

The Games: 

South Alabama at Kent State (Saturday, 2:00pm, ESPN3) 
The South Alabama Jaguars begin their season by visiting Kent State. Earlier this year I picked South Alabama to win their conference, and I’m standing by that pick. The Jags played Kent State last season at home, winning 38-21. I think this game is a little bit lowering in the scoring column, but the outcome should be the same. Jaguars win. 
Final Score: South Alabama 34, Kent State 17 
CORRECT: South Alabama won 23-13

14 USC at 13 Stanford (Saturday, 3:30pm, ABC) 
USC laid a 52-13 beating on Fresno State last week to prep for this game. Stanford shut out UC-Davis 45-0. Of the two, I’d say USC got the better preparation. The Trojans out-passed and out-rushed the Cardinal, and they did so against tougher competition. The game is at Stanford, which will help the Cardinal, but USC should still leave with the victory, but no more than a touchdown. In fact, the score I’m picking might be entirely too high for this game. 
Final Score: USC 31, Stanford 24 
CORRECT: USC won 13-10

7 Michigan State at 3 Oregon (Saturday, 6:30pm, FOX) 
Michigan State 45, Jacksonville State 7. Oregon 62, South Dakota 13. In other words, we know really nothing about either team. Playing those vaunted FCS schools don’t give the talking heads anything to say. Oregon racked up 673 total yards. Michigan State had 565. Both teams maintain much of the power that carried them to the top last season, and that makes this a compelling match-up. This is the Goliath of Defense versus the Goliath of offense. Defense wins championships, as the old saying goes. But I don’t see it in this game. I think the Oregon offense is going to be too much, especially for a Michigan State team that’s travelling across the country to play. Ducks win. 
Final Score:  Oregon 28, Michigan State 17 
CORRECT: Oregon won 46-27

East Carolina at 21 South Carolina (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPNU) 
On August 27 it would’ve been easy to label this game as easy victory for South Carolina. Then the Aggies came to Columbia and hung half a hundred on Spurrier’s fighting chickens. Now, this non-conference game suddenly becomes harder to call. I still the Gamecocks will win, but East Carolina is no pushover. Those Pirates may try to sneak out a win in Columbia. Add to that the fact that South Carolina has to be looking ahead to the juggernaut that is Georgia rolling into town on September 13 and you have the recipe for a potential upset. Spurrier is a better coach than that, and he’ll have the team refocused. Gamecocks win. 
Final Score: South Carolina 26, East Carolina 21 
CORRECT: South Carolina won 33-23

Michigan at 16 Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:30pm, NBC) 
Notre Dame has gotten a lot of love for claiming a 31 point victory over Rice…but it’s Rice. I mean, Notre Dame would’ve only scored slightly more against an actual bag of rice. Michigan, meanwhile, claimed revenge for the greatest upset in the history of college football. Appalachian State returned to the Big House with hopes of claiming another victory just like they did in 2007. Michigan, though, was having none of it. The Wolverines jumped to a 35-0 halftime lead, going on to win 52-14. The Irish should be favored in this game, being ranked while Michigan is not. But these teams tend to play each other close. I like Notre Dame to win, but it’ll be close. 
Final Score: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 23 
CORRECT: Notre Dame won 31-0