FAVORITE TEAMS

Apologies for not posting college football information for two weeks. I was in Berkeley two weeks ago and handling some things at my jobs this past week. My second job is done for the year and I’m not traveling again until next month. But…I’M BACK BABY! Last weekend was so odd. I mean, we’re talking Florida State, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Georgia, Alabama, and a few others escaping inevitable upsets. I was also at UNR for that near upset against Kansas. Tennessee and Kansas State suffered the upset to the likes of Florida and Missouri. The whole vibe in that stadium was just odd, but very intriguing. Fans across the stadium felt the same not just at UNR, but the college football world. And how about FIU being 3-1??? Don’t believe me? Check the C-USA standings. Let’s see if this week’s matchups bring similar vibes with great matchups.

10) AIR FORCE AT SAN JOSE STATE

7:30PM PT/10:30PM ET [FOX SPORTS 1 ON FRIDAY]

Air Force is 3-0, but they face an uphill battle at San Jose. This is the fourth meeting, but San Jose State won two in the last three. All three meetings were close, and this one could be similar. Despite the Spartan’s 1-3 start, they have the roster to compete for the conference title. Unfortunately, without one of their top receivers in Justin Lockhart, San Jose State may come up short.

MY PICK: AIR FORCE

9) CAL AT #8 WASHINGTON

7:30PM PT/10:30PM ET [ESPN]

Cal’s a physical team that will pound you and go for yardage when given space. Defense is about as good with linebacker Jackson Sirmon manning the middle. Washington was lights out on offense with quarterback Michael Penix and leading receiver Rome Odunze. The Cal/Washington matchup is sneaky good. Cal pestered the Huskies in the last four meetings resulting in a 2-2 series with games decided by seven points or less. However, Cal’s kicker is worrisome, and they also don’t have their lead back Jadyn Ott available. Those hinder Cal’s winning chances.

MY PICK: WASHINGTON

8) #19 COLORADO AT #10 OREGON

12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ABC]

What a story Colorado was since Deion’s presence in Boulder. The thrilling end against TCU, the beatdown against former Big 12 rival Nebraska, and a true rivalry comeback win against Jay Norvell and Colorado State in an overtime thriller. I’ll be the bad guy of Boulder, but their run concludes in Oregon. There’s a chance for another exciting finish by Colorado, but Oregon may have enough to ward off an upset against the Buffs, especially without Travis Hunter on both sides.

MY PICK: OREGON

7) AUBURN AT TEXAS A&M

9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN]

It’s hard to say what we’ll expect from Texas A&M. Maybe the Miami loss was a wakeup call. They led over Miami only to give it up at the end. They face an Auburn team that feels some life thanks to Hugh Freeze. The offense is dangerously unpredictable with two quarterbacks and a deep backfield led by Jarquez Hunter. Their defense allowed 12.3 points per game and their pass coverage is good. Both A&M and Auburn are shaky with penalties, but Auburn gets the edge in the turnover battle in a hostile environment.

MY PICK: AUBURN

6) #22 UCLA AT #11 UTAH

12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [FOX]

This is a low-key good matchup, and a tough one for Utah. They’re currently hampered with more offensive injuries and it’s unclear if Cam Rising is available to play. What’s worse is that Mycah Pittman, Devaughn Vele, and Brant Kuithe are either out or day-to-day. It doesn’t help that they face a UCLA team that’s fine and dandy with being physical in the trenches. UCLA may strategize around their run game to slow the game down and let quarterback Dante Moore cook at the right time.

MY PICK: UCLA

5) #14 OREGON STATE AT #21 WASHINGTON STATE

4PM PT/7PM ET [FOX]

Who would’ve expected these two to cross paths as ranked opponents for the first time in matchup history? This is a special moment for both, and they’ll be on display Saturday afternoon to see who continues the climb while the other recuperates to stay in the Pac-12 title hunt. This matchup features quarterback Cameron Ward and the high-flying Washington State team and DJ Uiagalelei and the physical Oregon State team. Washington State comes out of the gates early to attack and score as fast as possible. Ward sets the tone for the offense and extends plays with his feet. Their goal is forcing Oregon State to have to pass than want to. DJ Uiagalelei is not the best passer, but he’s a great baller. He has a cannon arm and imposes his will in the trenches with his big body to wear out the defense alongside sophomore running back Damien Martinez and one of the better offensive lines in the nation. Their goal is slowing down Washington State’s offense and not allowing playmakers to bypass the secondary at all costs. There aren’t many one-possession games in their past meetings, but the last two at Pullman were close. Oregon State’s offense can chunk out clock and their defense are formidable enough to pressure Cam Ward like last season. The Beavers get the edge for their physicality.

MY PICK: OREGON STATE

4) #25 IOWA AT #7 PENN STATE

4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [CBS]

So, this matchup is based on who can break through the opponent’s defense first. To Iowa’s extent, which defense will capitalize most off their turnovers? Iowa has a quarterback in Cade McNamara, but the offense needs more than just him to overcome Penn State’s defense. Otherwise, it’s up to the Hawkeye defense to keep the squad in the game. Penn State has an offense and a quarterback, but it feels like most of the production’s centered around two dangerous backs in Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton (372 rush yards and 7 TDs combined). Penn State most likely wins the matchup as long as quarterback Drew Allar doesn’t turn the ball over. It also goes for the rest of the offense that’s likely bogged down against a better defensive unit than Illinois last week.

MY PICK: PENN STATE

3) #15 OLE MISS AT #13 ALABAMA

12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [CBS]

It’s one of those matchups where we’re about to really find out about Alabama. They were outplayed by Texas (and failed to injure their quarterback too) and were questionable in their win against USF. The quarterback controversy is real, but Nick Saban knows he’ll start Jalen Milroe if he has a good practice this week. Ole Miss was tested the last two weeks, but they will truly be tested this weekend at Tuscaloosa. They won there seven years ago (before Lane Kiffin arrived), and Lane’s familiar with the environment. He’s also aware of Bama’s struggles this season, but he expects his squad not to underestimate them and come out playing A+ football. I’m really torn because Alabama’s untrustworthy this season and Ole Miss must prove they’re truly ready to defeat the Tide. I’ll live dangerously and pick the Rebels for two reasons: their backfield is pretty dang good, and their defense has enough confidence to test the untested quarterbacks.

MY PICK: OLE MISS

2) #4 FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON

9AM PT/12PM ET [ABC]

Here’s an early classic matchup that could potentially shift the competition in the ACC. As of right now, a lot is on Florida State to retake control of the ACC while Clemson’s offense searches for answers. However, will quarterback Jordan Travis endure 60 minutes against Clemson’s defense after getting injured against Boston College last week? Same goes for Clemson. Where are they offensively and as a whole? They failed to defeat Duke on the road, so can they defeat Florida State at home? In recent history, highly ranked teams in this matchup won most of them. Clemson’s a bit displaced while Florida State looks established despite a weird Saturday at Boston College. They either defeat Clemson close or in dominating fashion.

MY PICK: FLORIDA STATE

1) #6 OHIO STATE AT #9 NOTRE DAME

4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [NBC]

This should be THE primetime college football game to watch this weekend. Last year was a classic before Ohio State figured out their offense and ran away with it. This year should be different because Notre Dame has Sam Hartman as their leading man to test Ohio State. The Irish could have a big season with just him as the addition to help the rest of the offense while their defense forces the issue against offensive opponents. Ohio State’s defense looks improved after allowing around 7 points per game (in 3 games) in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ second season. The Buckeyes’ offense slowly improved each game and new starting quarterback Kyle McCord looks like the guy with his high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. and so many other skills players across the board. Is the Irish for real? Could this be the year they become a playoff contender? While the pressure is on the Buckeyes to win and be a championship contending team, Notre Dame has minimal to no margin-for-error as they still have two other ranked teams to play and must hope those two continues winning. As much as I want to believe in the Irish hype, the Buckeyes’ defense is a real threat, and could disrupt Sam Hartman’s big moment. Jim Knowles knows how to improve defenses in a year (coming from a Sooner fan that saw Ok State’s major defensive improvement in Year 2 under him two seasons ago).

MY PICK: OHIO STATE

WEEK ONE RESULTS: 6-4 (SINCE I COULDN’T DO WEEK 2 AND 3, THE RESULTS WILL LOOK SMALLER THIS SEASON).