Football Future-see 2015: Week Eight

A perfect week last week is nice, even if certain teams did not look all that well (lookin at you, Georgia). Florida stumbled against LSU, Alabama knocked off Texas A&M, and USC fell against Notre Dame. In the “heartbreaker of the year”, Michigan bobbled the snap on a punt as time expired, and the ball seemed to fly magically into the hands of a Michigan State defender, who ran it back for the game winning touchdown. In the “make you so mad at the stupidity of people” moment of the year, Michigan fans have sent death threats to the Wolverines punter. Pathetic.

This week we’ve got two SEC conference games, one PAC-12 conference game, one Big XII conference game, and an ACC conference game, all for my good buddy Dale. (He likes the U.)

RECORD

Week One	9-1
Week Two	4-1
Week Three	3-2
Week Four	2-3
Week Five	2-3
Week Six	3-2
Week Seven	5-0
Week Eight	3-2
Week Nine
Week Ten
OVERALL	31-14	.689

The Games:

6 Clemson at Miami (Saturday, Noon, ABC)

Miami is 4-2, but their losses are interesting: a near blowout loss to Cincinnati and close loss to Florida State. Clemson, meanwhile, is distancing itself from the rest of the ACC. The Tigers have two close wins over Louisville (3 points) and Notre Dame (2 points) and their other four victories have come by an average of 26.5 points. I have a strong feeling that this game will go more like the other four than the first two. Miami is, I think, on the rise, but like other teams, they’re just not there yet. I’m looking for a big game from Deshaun Watson and the Clemson offense. Tigers win.

Final Score: Clemson 35, Miami 14
CORRECT: Clemson won 58-0

Tennessee at 8 Alabama (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS)

Alabama is back. That’s right, they’re back. That loss to Ole Miss is looking like a distant memory. The Tide is rolling, coming off a huge win over Texas A&M. Tennessee, meanwhile, is coming off a big rivalry win over a much deflated Georgia team, and a bye week. The Vols still aren’t at the top of their game, and a fierce Crimson Tide team will probably exploit that. Alabama rolls.

Final Score: Alabama 42, Tennessee 14
CORRECT: Alabama won 19-14

Texas Tech at 17 Oklahoma (Saturday, 3:30pm, ABC)

Texas Tech has a high-octane offense, averaging nearly 50 points per game. The Sooners, meanwhile, just exorcised some demons from the loss to Texas by shutting out Kansas State 55-0. Those numbers make this a very interesting, and likely entertaining, game. Sooners QB Baker Mayfield has played well, and leads a stout Oklahoma offense. Cliff Kingsbury’s Texas Tech offense will be looking for a big conference win. They lost close to TCU (55-52) and not-so-close to Baylor (63-35). Oklahoma is still in the running for the Big XII title, and that will push them to overcome the Red Raiders offensive firepower. Close game, and high scoring, but Oklahoma wins.

Final Score: Oklahoma 38, Texas Tech 34
CORRECT: Oklahoma won 63-27

15 Texas A&M at 24 Ole Miss (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN)

The SEC West is still in the process of cannibalizing itself, like it does every year. Ole Miss suffered a bad loss last week, losing a non-conference game to Memphis. The Aggies are still a good team, but last week’s loss to Alabama had to have some sort of demoralizing effect on them. I don’t believe it will be enough to get Ole Miss over the hump against the Aggies, but it will serve to keep this game close. If this were in College Station, I would say that A&M would win by a much larger margin, but since it is in Oxford, I think the Rebels keep it close. Aggies win, perhaps on a late touchdown.

Final Score: Texas A&M 28, Ole Miss 24
INCORRECT: Ole Miss won 23-3

3 Utah at USC (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC)

Personally I believe Utah is the best team in the country. They’ve faced some tough tests lately, and they’ve overcome every hurdle before them. The wins aren’t necessarily pretty, but they’re defeating some fairly hefty competition. Now, they face one of their toughest tests of the season. USC might not be ranked, but they are loaded, talent-wise, and they would love to take down the #3 team in the country. Utah needs this win to continue making their case for a playoff spot. That being the case, I think Utah comes ready fight and takes a close one over the Trojans. Utes win.

Final Score: Utah 31, USC 24
INCORRECT: USC won 42-24

Right Wing Top Ten

Week Two of my rankings comes with a new feature to the blog, showing which teams have moved in the poll, and what direction they’re going.

NR = Not Ranked the previous Week

NC = No Change from previous week

+ = Moved Up

-  = Moved Down

Dropped Out: Michigan, Florida

15. Texas A&M Aggies (-9)

14. Oklahoma Sooners (NR)

13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NR)

12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (+3)

11. Florida State Seminoles (+3)

10. Iowa Hawkeyes (+3)- Iowa is quietly putting together one heck of a season.

9. Ohio State Buckeyes (NC)- I still don’t think Ohio State is the best team in the nation.

8. Stanford Cardinal (+4)- Stanford may not have a chance to claim the title of best in the PAC-12 until a possible date with Utah in Levi’s Stadium on December 5.

7. Michigan State Spartans (+1)- Michigan State got the better of Michigan on a fluke play. The Spartans need to play better on the whole if they want to reach the playoff.

6. TCU Horned Frogs (-2)- TCU drops for no other reason than LSU and Alabama had better weeks than they did.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (+6)- Alabama steamrolled a Texas A&M team that just last week I said might be the best team in the SEC.

4. LSU Tigers (+1)- LSU overcame a feisty Florida team and, at least for now, has to be considered the best team in the SEC.

3. Baylor Bears (NC)- Baylor distances itself from TCU this week, seeing as they have the better offense and are probably the frontrunners in the Big XII.

2. Clemson Tigers (NC)- Clemson is still pushing to proclaim itself as the best team in the ACC. A November 7 date with Florida State looms large on their calendar.

1. Utah Utes (NC)- Utah faces the toughest test they’ve faced all year, and it’s a huge opportunity for them to prove they are the best team in the country.

Right Wing Playoff Prediction

This is not based off how the polls currently sit, but rather how I think the Playoff committee will decide the four teams that reach the playoff round.

Orange Bowl

#1 Ohio State  vs   #4 Utah Utes

Cotton Bowl

#2 Baylor Bears  vs   #3 Alabama Crimson Tide