FAVORITE TEAMS

10) MARYLAND AT #4 MICHIGAN – 9AM PT/12PM ET [FOX]

Maryland’s offense is exciting and showed some flare, but SMU exposed their defense and fought them to the end. The Terps survived a 3-0 start, but it looks like their defense has work cut out against Michigan’s improved offense.

MY PICK: MICHIGAN

9) #7 USC AT OREGON STATE – 6:30PM PT/9:30PM ET [PAC-12 NETWORK]

Lincoln Riley’s offense for USC is unstoppable and no team has met their match. Now, they face Oregon State, who spoiled them at the Coliseum last year. USC’s offense is talented enough to outplay Oregon State. Can the Beavers’ defense do enough to slow down Caleb Williams and USC?

MY PICK: USC

8) #10 ARKANSAS VS. #23 TEXAS A&M – 4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN]

Arkansas survived a near upset against Bobby Petrino’s return with Missouri State while Texas A&M won a desperation game against Miami. A&M’s defense is good but have a lot on their hands against KJ Jefferson. Stopping him would be a start, but the offense must do something now. Hopefully, Max Johnson is the answer to their woes. Otherwise, the Aggies have a long day against KJ Jefferson. A LONG day.

MY PICK: ARKANSAS

7) JAMES MADISON AT APPALACHIAN STATE – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ESPN+]

The first meeting between these two at the FBS level, the first meeting since 2008 at the FCS level, and the 17th meeting all-time (which James Madison debuts as an FBS school). James Madison will be on the spotlight in front of App State, while the Mountaineers took the world by storm in three crazy weeks. App State must re-cooperate as they play their old FCS counterpart that’s primed for an upset special at Boone. Until it happens, App State continues their wild ride of 2022.

MY PICK: APPALACHIAN STATE

6) #17 BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN2]

Ever since Matt Campbell took over Iowa State, the last six meetings were decided by 14 points or less. Iowa State may have a shot at upsetting the Bears being at home and their defense will be more prepared for Baylor’s offense this time around.

MY PICK: IOWA STATE

5) #20 FLORIDA AT #11 TENNESSEE – 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [CBS]

Ever since Tennessee upset Florida back in 2017, they lost five straight to the Gators right after Butch Jones was let go that same year. Tennessee has an offensive identity, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and coach Josh Heupel. Florida was buzzing after their upset win over Utah. Two weeks later, they’re still recovering from their hangover. Quarterback Anthony Richardson had two poor performances against Kentucky and USF and has yet to throw a touchdown pass. Unfortunately, he carries the team along with running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne. He has a passing touchdown opportunity against Tennessee’s defense, but it comes with a risk of another interception. The Associated Polls made a mistake of ranking Florida at 12 a couple of weeks ago, and Tennessee will assure that Florida is back out of the Top 25.

MY PICK: TENNESSEE

4) KANSAS STATE AT #6 OKLAHOMA – 5PM PT/8PM ET [FOX]

Kansas State rolls into Norman as a spoiler to the Sooners’ strong 2022 start. The Wildcats hope to use their loss to Tulane as motivation against Oklahoma. The Cats are 2-1 against them since Chris Klieman became Kansas State’s head coach. Oklahoma’s matchup against Nebraska was the first eye test to see how Brent Venables’ squad fared, and boy did they fare exceptionally well. The offense was electric as usual, but their defense looked great. Not only did the upperclassmen make plays, but the underclassmen did too, including freshman linebacker Jaren Kanak. There’s no telling what this game will look like when both sides take the field, but if Venables made that much progress with the Sooners, then the Wildcats will likely struggle to keep up. Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez (Nebraska transfer) is also looking for revenge after losing to them as a Nebraska quarterback last season, but he’ll probably come up short.

MY PICK: OKLAHOMA

3) #15 OREGON AT WASHINGTON STATE – 1PM PT/4PM ET [FOX]

After Oregon was bludgeoned by Georgia, they blundgeoned their next two opponents with a combined 111 points while allowing 34 points. The Ducks are poised for another run back to the Pac-12 championship and Bo Nix will hopefully lead them there. However, Washington State looked impressive and upsetting Wisconsin on the road was a warning to the Pac-12 conference that the Cougars shouldn’t be underestimated. The Cougars defense looks great too and they have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. The Cougars should continue surprising the college football world this season, but it won’t be against Oregon this weekend.

MY PICK: OREGON

2) DUKE AT KANSAS – 9AM PT/12PM ET [FS1]

Yes, they are up here and no this is not a mistake. This is a non-blue blood college basketball matchup unless they added some basketball players to the roster. Both Duke and Kansas are off to a hot start at 3-0 and one of these winners will continue their momentum with only two more wins to become bowl-eligible. Kansas’s offense looked unstoppable averaging 53 points per game while Duke’s defense looked better for the first time since 2017. It’s possible this game will reach into the 30s from each side with two quarterbacks dueling each other like it was an actual 1v1 basketball game. Kansas has the edge because of the amount of competition they overcame in the last two weeks, led by quarterback Jalon Daniels.

MY PICK: KANSAS

1) #5 CLEMSON AT #21 WAKE FOREST – 9AM PT/12PM ET [ABC]

The assumption is that Clemson should sweep Wake Forest under the rug. Don’t assume, unless… Clemson travels to Wake Forestand their defense is prepared for any challenges Wake’s offense throws at them, literally. But, the never-ending issue will be on the offense. DJ Uiagalelei’s numbers rose, but that was against Furman and Louisiana Tech. Against Georgia Tech, he struggled until later in the game. Backup quarterback Cade Klubnik took over in the last few drives and his short, but impressive performance put a lot of pressure on DJ. We already know about Wake Forest’s offense and what they’re capable of while Wake’s defense isn’t that great. But if Georgia Tech’s defense managed to hold Clemson’s offense for nearly three quarters, then Clemson needs DJ to play better or Cade will take over to duel against Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman. Despite the controversy, Clemson should still win thanks to their defense and the running back Will Shipley.

MY PICK: CLEMSON