FAVORITE TEAMS

Last weekend was great! But nothing was greater than the ending to the Ohio State/Notre Dame game. Ohio State wasn’t perfect, but when the moment mattered most, the team came through. Every throw Kyle McCord made was a breath held by the entire Ohio State program, me, and bettors favoring them. Also, Clemson’s toward the bottom of the ACC while Florida State’s at the top, Alabama avoided the same fate as Clemson with a signature win, Deion Sanders and Colorado’s dream run ends in flames at Eugene, and what the hell was the delay on USC finishing off Arizona State? Despite that, watch out for Zona State players Cam Skattebo, Jalin Conyers, and Elijhah Badger as NFL prospects because they showed up. Coach Kenny Dillingham’s building Arizona State into a formidable program in the near future. This weekend should be a combination of relaxing and exciting games with some underrated upset matchups to watch.

10) MICHIGAN AT NEBRASKA

1PM PT/4PM ET [ESPN2]

I had three other games to choose from, but I chose this one for awareness. Michigan likely wins, but I’d treat this one as a trap. They’re on the road for two straight weeks after being home and comfy for the first four weeks against weak competition. Nebraska’s not a bright team, but I wouldn’t take them lightly. Michigan played at Lincoln only three times in history, tying in 1911 (6-6), losing in 2012 (9-23), and barely winning just two seasons ago (32-29). It has not been a great place for them, so it all comes down to their complacency against the Huskers.

MY PICK: MICHIGAN

9) #8 USC AT COLORADO

9AM PT/12PM ET [FOX]

Despite Colorado’s blowout loss, they may bounce back just a bit against USC in scoring. They struggled against Oregon’s defense in all facets, but USC’s defense isn’t as formidable, and how the Trojan’s couldn’t finish the game against Arizona State is beyond me. It gives the Buffs a chance to score some points, but they might still not keep up with USC’s offense. It might be entertaining, but don’t expect results to go towards Colorado. USC is 16-0 all-time against Colorado after all.

MY PICK: USC

8) #13 LSU AT #20 OLE MISS

3PM PT/6PM ET [ESPN]

While LSU dueled with Arkansas to the very end and escaped an upset, Ole Miss couldn’t put down the Tide and was overwhelmed in the second half. The West is wide open, but LSU has more to lose than Ole Miss at this point. LSU is currently leading the West, but they will be challenged at the Grove. They lost there two seasons ago, but it was under an interim coach. It might be a struggle, but LSU should find their way past Ole Miss.

MY PICK: LSU

7) CLEMSON AT SYRACUSE

9AM PT/12PM ET [ABC]

Clemson’s sitting near the bottom of the conference after coming up short against Florida State. They’re 0-2 in the ACC for the first time since 2010 when Dabo Swinney was a second-year head coach. Syracuse started 4-0 for the second straight season, and they see Clemson’s early struggles as an opportunity to further punish the Tigers and jump into the Top 25 soon. Clemson wants to avoid touching the floor, so they find some urgency and avoids a loss from the Angry Orange.

MY PICK: CLEMSON

6) #22 FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY

9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN]

Mark Stoops and Kentucky had Florida in three of the last five meetings, including a current two-game win streak. Devin Leary is settling in Lexington with his new team and hasn’t missed a beat with a talented group. Florida didn’t look promising after a loss to Utah and coach Billy Napier was on shaky ground with the program and community. He avoided further heat with a big upset over Tennessee. Quarterback Graham Mertz avoids losing his starting job as well and the team seems committed to him. Florida may run into some issues with Kentucky’s defense though. It’s likely a close game, but all of Kentucky’s last three wins involved keeping Florida under 20 points. Utah pulled it off before, so Kentucky likely does it too.

MY PICK: KENTUCKY

5) LOUISVILLE AT NC STATE

4PM PT/7PM ET [ESPN ON FRIDAY]

While Louisville’s on the cusp of the Top 25, NC State’s trying to keep pace with the top ACC teams for a spot in the division title game. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, quarterback Jack Plummer, and company prospered well despite battling with Georgia Tech and Indiana in neutral sites. NC State had some issues with UConn and Virginia and could’ve lost to either one if it weren’t for linebacker Payton Wilson and the defense, including Virginia’s late game blunders that saved the Wolfpack. Both are solid on defense, but Louisville has better offensive production than NC State’s. NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s an alright quarterback with decent production, but he has issues when he puts a lot on himself to carry the team. There hasn’t been a close game in this meeting since 2015, and it likely continues because Louisville seems like the better overall team.

MY PICK: LOUISVILLE

4) SOUTH ALABAMA AT JAMES MADISON

9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPNU]

If you haven’t heard of James Madison yet, it’s time to give the Dukes some love. They’re 4-0 and handled plenty of competition against Virginia, Troy, and Utah State. They’re hitting their stride and have another Sun Belt matchup against South Alabama. The Jaguars easily handled Oklahoma State, but couldn’t hang with Tulane nor Central Michigan. Hopefully they’re good enough to compete in the Sun Belt and battle for the conference title appearance. Quarterback Carter Bradley, running back La’Damian Webb, and receiver Caullin Lacy are three-headed monsters of the offense that will challenge the Dukes defense. Can the Jags defense contain quarterback Jordan McCloud and company from cooking? Not to this extent. The Dukes should continue rolling through this weekend.

MY PICK: JAMES MADISON

3) #10 UTAH AT #19 OREGON STATE

6PM PT/9PM ET [FOX SPORTS 1 ON FRIDAY]

Utah’s in treacherous territory at Corvallis. They’re undefeated, but a couple of Utah’s games were decided by seven points or less. Their offense was less than spectacular without Cam Rising under center. Luckily, their defense made up the bulk of their performance. Oregon State lost the Pac-2 title to Washington State last weekend, but they didn’t go down without a fight just like last year against Oregon. They hope to bounce back at home and stay alive for the Pac-12 title spot. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei brings that added physicality in the trenches alongside a now two-headed running back monster in Damian Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick. Their defense is strong despite allowing 38 points last week, and they hope that’s the last one allowed for the rest of the season. The game’s likely closer and probably comes down to the last possession. It’s doubtful that Utah quarterback Nate Johnson runs up the score with his predictability, so Oregon State will keep things close to aim for an upset. Unfortunately, Utah’s defense will bog down the run game and force Uiagalelei in an uncomfortable situation and capitalize on it. The Utes will pull away because of that and grind down the clock with their run game.

MY PICK: UTAH

2) #24 KANSAS AT #3 TEXAS

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

This is a must watch afternoon game. Why? Kansas pestered Texas for the past few seasons. Since the upset in 2016 and 2021, Texas can’t overlook the Jayhawks even for a Red River Rivalry game next weekend. Kansas is electric on offense, and it all starts with quarterback Jalon Daniels (and backup Jason Bean). The team goes through mostly Daniels and shows that they’re lethal behind him as a dual threat. Running back Devin Neal accompanies him and the rest of the offense to average 30 plus points in the first four games. Texas has high expectations to win the Big 12 and compete for the playoffs and more. They have nearly everyone on offense that’s pretty elite led by Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy. The upset over Alabama at Tuscaloosa was an example that this program is serious this time. Defense has also been a reason for their success with guys like Byron Murphy, Jaylon Ford, Gavin Holmes, and Anthony Hill Jr. Jalon Daniels and Kansas suffered a beatdown last year in this meeting, but they are familiar with Austin where they upset the Longhorns on a 2-point conversion play in overtime. If Kansas finds a way to breakdown Texas’s defense, it’s a high-scoring affair. Either way, Texas finds a way to stave off the Jayhawks for a much-needed win.

MY PICK: TEXAS

1) #11 NOTRE DAME AT #17 DUKE

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

Notre Dame lost a heart breaker last weekend and is looking for an instant bounce back. Unfortunately, it’s at Durham where Duke finally buried Clemson in Week 1. However, don’t discount the performance Notre Dame had against Ohio State. They still played as well as they did against a formidable opponent. Sam Hartman, Audric Estime, Jack Kiser, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste stood out well and should represent again this weekend. I wasn’t kidding in my blog story when I said coach Mike Elko could do something special for Duke (check out my story about Duke’s history). Duke surprised the college football world with a major upset over Clemson. Quarterback Riley Leonard and the defense are the reason this team’s undefeated right now. They won their first four games for the first time since 2018 and are looking for their first five-game winning streak since 1994. The Blue Devils are on the hunt for a special season, but their run likely ends before October. Notre Dame has a better overall roster to where Duke can’t really compete with.

MY PICK: NOTRE DAME

WEEK 4 RESULTS: 6-4

TOTAL RESULTS: 12-8

It pretty much ended the way it did in Week 1. Still need to brush up on my college football predictions, but I’ll take the Ohio State win last week as a big victory. But hey, I can only improve each week, right? lol