Football Future-see 2014: Week Seven

Record
Week 1	8-2
Week 2	5-0
Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7	2-3 4-1 2-3 2-8 4-1
Total	27-18	0.600

Well, that might’ve been the worst thing that ever happened to my picks. At one point last weekend I was 0-6. Big thanks to Georgia and Michigan State proving that I’m not completely inept at making picks. Actually, it would’ve been difficult even for professional prognosticators to go above .500 last weekend, given the plethora of upsets. The SEC West finally felt what the SEC East has been feeling for weeks now, as they finally started beating up on each other. 

For the picks, I’m still using the AP Poll, but this week we unveil the Right Wing Top Ten. Week Seven features four games with two Top 25 teams playing, and we also have the Red River Rivalry. 

The Games: 
Texas vs 11 Oklahoma (Saturday, Noon, ABC) 
If you drew the 50-yard line up into the stands in the Cotton Bowl, one side of the line would be primarily red, the other side would be orange. Oklahoma has to be careful here, as Texas is down and the Sooners have Kansas State next week, making this a bit of a trap game. The Sooners looked like a lock for the playoffs, but TCU provided them a roadblock last week. Given the anger they likely have about that, the Sooners will barely encounter a speedbump in Texas. OU rolls. 
Final Score: Oklahoma 44, Texas 21 
CORRECT: Oklahoma won 31-26

13 Georgia at 23 Missouri (Saturday, Noon, CBS) 
Any time Todd Gurley touches the football something big may happen. This looks like the game that will decide the SEC East. Missouri is coming off a big comeback win over South Carolina and Georgia has been rolling since the road loss at South Carolina. Georgia’s lowest scoring output of the year is 35 points. If they can press the run game into good service, they can expose the middle of Mizzou’s defense. I expect a big day from Todd Gurley, as he mounts a strong Heisman campaign. Dawgs win. 
**UPDATE: Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely by Georgia after reports surfaced that, apparently, Gurley signed an autograph and was paid. This is basically the same thing Johnny Manziel did, from what I've gathered so far, and Manziel only sat for one half of one game. We'll see...I still think UGA wins, but much closer than I originally predicted.**
Final Score: Georgia 28, Missouri 24 
CORRECT: Georgia won 34-0

12 Oregon at 18 UCLA (Saturday, 3:30pm, Fox) 
For the second straight year, Oregon faltered against Arizona. Sometimes a team just has your number. Ducks QB Marcus Mariota watched his Heisman stock plummet as the Wildcats celebrates in Autzen Stadium. UCLA, though, is also struggling to live up to preseason hype. Bruins QB Brett Hundley has dealt with on-again-off-again offensive consistency, along with injury. This game might steal the show this weekend, as both programs look to get back on track, aiming for a PAC-12 title and a shot at the playoffs. I trust the Ducks more than the Bruins, though. Oregon wins a close game. 
Final Score: Oregon 31, UCLA 27 
CORRECT: Oregon won 42-30

2 Auburn at 3 Mississippi State (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS) 
For the second straight week, ESPN’s College GameDay is in Mississippi. This time, Mississippi State plays host to the traveling show, as the Bulldogs welcome in Auburn, who I think is the best team in the nation. MSU has beaten LSU and TAMU. Auburn has beaten Kansas State on the road and then flat steamrolled LSU. QB Nick Marhsall guides a high-powered Tiger team that is ready to prove they should be the #1 team in the land. But MSU’s Dak Prescott is rapidly making waves in the Heisman discussion. Look for a serious battle here. But Auburn should win… 
Final Score: Auburn 34, Mississippi State 28 
INCORRECT: Mississippi State won 38-23

9 TCU at 5 Baylor (Saturday, 3:30pm, ESPN2) 
Given that TCU owns a victory over Oklahoma, and that Baylor has yet to play the Sooners, this game could be shaping up as a battle for Big XII supremacy. Baylor has a schedule that looks good for a potential playoff run. Getting a big win over a conference foe will certainly help in stating their case. TCU, though, would love to keep up their run in the conference and gain some momentum heading into the meat of their conference schedule. I like Baylor in this one, though. Bears win. 
Final Score: Baylor 38, TCU 30 
CORRECT: Baylor won 61-58

The Right Wing Top Ten 
The Associated Press Poll and the Amway Coaches Poll both feature a Preseason version. I even posted a “Preseason Top Ten,” or something to that effect, a while back. I never intended to use that poll as a basis for the Right Wing Top Ten, though. There’s a reason I wait until after week six to reveal my Top Ten (in this case, Top 15)… 

15. Kansas Stat Wildcats 
14. Arizona Wildcats 
13. Texas A&M Aggies 
12. Oklahoma Sooners 
11. TCU Horned Frogs 

10. Georgia Bulldogs 
Why: The Dawgs have the best running back in the nation (quite possibly the best player). They’re averaging nearly 44.5 points per game, and the SEC East is wide open now that South Carolina has crashed and burned. 

9. Oregon Ducks 
Why: The Ducks aren’t used to being this far down in the standings in early October, but an embarrassing home loss to previously unranked Arizona started a Ducks tailspin. (Get it? Ducks tailspin? Duck Tales? Woo-hoo) 

8. Michigan State Spartans 
Why: Michigan State claimed supremacy in the weakened Big Ten, but they still have to navigate their remaining schedule. 

7. Alabama Crimson  Tide 
Why: Many people thought ‘Bama was one of the best teams in the nation in the preseason. I seem to recall predicting on this blog that Ole Miss would defeat the Tide… 

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
Why: Notre Dame has been in this position before, just two years ago. Win out, Irish, and you’ll get the chance for an SEC team to beat you into oblivion yet again. 

5. Ole Miss Rebels 
Why: Ole Miss has only beaten Alabama and Boise State. The Rebels are behind Mississippi State for the simple fact that the Bulldogs own victories over TAMU and LSU. The two are basically interchangeable. 

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs 
Why: The Bulldogs are ahead of Ole Miss for the simple fact that they own victories over TAMU and LSU. Ole Miss has only beaten Alabama and Boise State. The two are basically interchangeable. 

3. Florida State Seminoles 
Why: This is me giving FSU a bit of credit for last season. Otherwise, the Seminoles are undefeated but have yet to be thoroughly impressive. 

2. Baylor Bears 
Why: Baylor is looking pretty good, and their schedule is shaping up to get them into the playoffs. 

1. Auburn Tigers 
Why: Auburn is, in my opinion, the single most complete team in the country. They’ve beaten Arkansas, which means more now than it did in the preseason, they’ve beaten Kansas State on the road, which looks better each week, and they just smashed LSU. 

If the Playoff Started Today 
I started this section last year, knowing that the College Football Playoff was coming. This is what I think the selection committee will do. This has nothing to do with my Top 15 poll, or with the current AP or Coaches Poll. If the playoff started today, who would the committee select? 

The Four Teams In 
These four teams would make up the playoff field if it all started today. #1 would play #4, #2 would play #3. 
1 Florida State 
2 Auburn 
3 Ole Miss 
4 Baylor 

The First Four Teams Out 
5. Mississippi State 
6. Notre Dame 
7. Oregon 
8. Michigan State