FAVORITE TEAMS

What’s up everyone, I’m tweaking up the rules a little for my underrated teams. I gave Fresno State 3 points after their win against UCLA. If I choose a rank team that lost to a non-ranked team, I’m awarding the winning team 3 points. Two points for a win over a ranked opponent and one point because I chose the losing team. I’ll be doing more tweaking to my post during the season to get used to the new changes. It’s a lot to take in, but it’ll become simple once everything flows smoothly. One more reminder, the teams in red means it’s my underrated team. Again, thanks for checking out my blog posts people.

10) #3 OREGON AT STANFORD – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ABC]

Oregon shouldn’t overlook Stanford, especially after Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux and Anthony Brown both got hurt last week. They should be fine this weekend but Stanford hopes that Kayvon isn’t 100% when he plays this weekend. The bigger key is Stanford’s defense containing the run and quarterback Anthony Brown if they want to pull off a major upset.

9) #21 BAYLOR AT #19 OKLAHOMA STATE – 4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN2]

Baylor won six of the last nine meetings since 2012. They also handed Iowa State a loss that ended their playoff hopes. Up next is Oklahoma State and have some presence on defense. The Cowboys’ front seven is key to slowing down Baylor’s quarterback Gerry Bohanon and the backfield.

8) BOSTON COLLEGE AT #25 CLEMSON 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [ACC NETWORK]

Clemson’s playoff hopes have likely vanished with less opportunities left and the ACC cannibalizing itself. Unless the Tigers’ offense finds their identity and pulls themselves together, Boston College aims to end their New Years’ Six Bowl chances too. The Eagles have firepower behind quarterback Dennis Grosel and their resurgent backfield.

7) #10 FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY – 3PM PT/ 6PM ET [ESPN]

Florida can’t overlook Kentucky. This game could decide who likely controls second place in the SEC East. Kentucky is aiming for a big upset at home, but one issue could hinder their opportunity: turnovers. They’re last in the league in that category and ball control is a must.

6) #5 IOWA AT MARYLAND – 5PM PT/8PM ET [FS1 ON FRIDAY]

The Hawkeyes had a hiccup last week against Colorado State and could have another one against Maryland. College football on a Friday night usually has upset written all over it. It’s possibly a low-scoring game, but Maryland’s offense is more capable of scoring. Iowa’s offense must make an impact to help this team avoid an upset.

5) #12 OLE MISS AT #1 ALABAMA – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [CBS]

Ever since Hugh Freeze was let go from Ole Miss, Alabama demoralized the program between 2017 and 2019. There may be hope in Oxford after coach Lane Kiffin previewed his Ole Miss team with 49 points against Alabama last season. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral should be on the same page with his offense, but this is their first SEC game of the season and truest game too. Their offense must continue their pace while praying their defense can make some stops. Alabama is Alabama, but they have some flaws and it could become more noticeable this weekend. They face Ole Miss’s lethal offense once again and hope their defense will shut them down this time. Gators second half spark nearly forced Alabama into overtime last week. Alabama’s offense will be under more pressure to outscore Ole Miss if their defense fails to stop their aggressive attack. Alabama is guaranteed to win, but Lane Kiffin plans to throw in a few tricky plays at them for the second straight season.

4) #8 ARKANSAS AT #2 GEORGIA – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN]

No one in their right mind would expect this matchup to be a Top 10 matchup. Georgia is aware of them and they’ll see how good they really are. The Razorbacks may be for real, but how real are they? Texas A&M was somewhat formidable, but their offense was skeptical and their defense suffered for it. Georgia has a quarterback and a surging offense, but they also have one of the best defenses in the nation. They haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown and are ball hawks against opposing passers, which is an area of concern for Arkansas. Georgia won the last two meetings, but Arkansas’s last win was in Athens, Georgia in 2010. If there’s any chance that Arkansas can do it again, a lot would ride on their defense to make an impact while quarterback KJ Jefferson and the offensive line push around Georgia’s defensive front. Otherwise, Arkansas’s run ends in Athens.

3) #18 FRESNO STATE AT HAWAI’I – 8PM PT/11PM ET [CBS SPORTS NETWORK]

Fresno State might as well broadcast this game on Lifetime Network because three of their five games were filled with drama. Quarterback Jake Haener is a dog (no pun intended) and is the guy after playing hard against Oregon, UCLA, and UNLV. This team goes as far as he goes, but don’t discount running back Ronnie Rivers doing the same when the team needs him most. However, the drama could likely continue in Hawai’i. After Fresno State came home from Pasadena to survive against UNLV, they travel across the Pacific to play the Rainbow Warriors. They lost to Hawai’i last season and Hawai’i tends to play spoiler to some Mountain West opponents. Hawai’i lost to San Jose State by four points two weeks ago, so who knows what they have in store for the Bulldogs. Fresno State’s defense must contain quarterback Chevan Cordeiro if they want to avoid anymore dramatic finishes.

2) #6 OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [FOX]

I can’t say enough how huge this game is for Oklahoma. It’s bigger than Texas, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State combined. It’s not talked about a lot unless coach Bill Snyder was still on the sidelines. Ever since former North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman stepped into Manhattan, Kansas, the Wildcats are 2-0 against the Sooners. It hasn’t been done since Charles Bachman did it in the 1920s with 5 wins, 3 ties, and no losses to them in eight seasons. Oklahoma’s offense has yet to figure out their consistency and it could lead to another obstacle to overcome. The same is said for Kansas State as they play their third quarterback this season after losing Skylar Thompson (2-1 against Oklahoma) and Will Howard. However, they have running back Deuce Vaughn, who gashed the Sooner defense in the second half as a runner and receiver as a freshmen. OU quarterback Spencer Rattler and OU’s defense and special teams all have a part to play in Manhattan. Failure to succeed in one of those areas could lead to Kansas State’s third straight upset win over Oklahoma.

1) #7 CINCINNATI AT #9 NOTRE DAME – 11:30AM PT/2:30PM ET [NBC]

Cincinnati is looking to build real estate in the state of Indiana. They defeated Indiana two weeks ago and are off their bye week looking to do the same to Notre Dame. They feature one of the best defenses in the nation and are confident to challenge any team in the nation. Notre Dame’s defense may have found their identity after the last two games (allowed 13 points each). Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman (former Cincinnati DC) may also have an edge against Cincy’s offense and knows how quarterback Desmond Ridder plays. This is the second meeting all-time since 1900 and will be the defining moment for both non-Power Five teams. In order for Cincinnati to be a playoff contender, not only do they have to shut down quarterback Jack Coan and the offense, but they must also outsmart Marcus Freeman, and it’ll take Desmond Ridder’s play-making ability to overcome the Irish defense.