Season Picks: 25-5
Season Money Lines: 18-11-1
We are at a point in this College Football season where we separate the men from the boys. Most squads should be hitting mid-season form by now. We have seen teams like Clemson demolish their competition, but we have also seen teams such as Oklahoma have a few major bumps in the road. This week our CFB experts are putting their knowledge to the test by predicting some of Saturday's most entertaining matchups.
Graeme's Predictions
7 Miami @ 1 Clemson
Game Time: 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Death Valley - Clemson, SC
Network: ABC
Line: Clemson -14
The Tigers have been business, as usual, all season long. However, this is their first real test. How will the Tigers respond to the Miami Hurricanes? Well, you can expect Clemson to control the trenches. Clemson has been excellent this year on the line of scrimmage. Considering they have one of the best O Lines and D Lines in the nation and the fact a majority of those players are underclassmen is a scary thought. For Miami, they have to win the QB battle. D'Eriq King has to outperform Trevor Lawrence, which is no easy task. The deciding factor in this game will likely be Travis Etienne. Etienne has had a superb season on the ground and is my Heisman front-runner. It is hard to imagine the Miami defense slowing down both Lawrence and Etienne.
Prediction: 38-17 Clemson
17 LSU @ Missouri
Game Time: 12:00pm EST
Venue: Memorial Stadium - Columbia, MO
Network: ESPN Line: LSU -20.5
This game was originally scheduled to be played in Baton Rouge but was moved to Missouri due to Hurricane Delta. Will the home crowd advantage help Missouri? The short answer is no, but it could possibly be a factor. If the Missouri Tigers want to walk away with a win, they have to do all the little things right. They have to win the line of scrimmage battle and the turnover battle to even stay in contention. For LSU, they have to capitalize on 3rd Down. They have not been a great 3rd Down team this year. In fact, they have been pretty bad, only converting on 13% of 3rd downs. Luckily for LSU, Missouri has the worst 3rd Down defense in the SEC. I give LSU the edge on which team can control the tempo, thus bringing them a much needed W.
Prediction: 35-24 LSU
Texas Tech @ 24 Iowa State
Game Time: 3:30 pm EST
Venue: MidAmerican Energy Field - Ames, IA
Network: ABC Line: Iowa State -13
The Red Raiders' offense has to be extra explosive if they want to pull out the victory Saturday. They also have to put up with the Iowa State pass rush. The Cyclone pass rush has been a force to be reckoned with this season. They gave OU Quarterback, Spencer Rattler, absolute fits last week and they have to bring the same energy into this week. They are also going up against another Freshman QB. Is this looking like a recipe for success? Not so fast, my friend. This is a Texas Tech squad that is improving every year and they have what it takes to knock off a top 25 team. Putting together a prediction for this game is very hard to do, especially with the inconsistencies with both teams. When it comes to the clutch moments, I trust the Iowa State offense to come up with the goods. Which is why I have them sneaking away with a victory this weekend.
Prediction: 45-42 Iowa State.
Logans Prediction's
19 Virginia Tech @ 8 North Carolina
Game time: 12:00 pm EST
Venue: Kenan Stadium - Chapel Hill, NC
Network: ABC
Line: UNC - 5.0
The Virginia Tech Hokies will take on the North Carolina Tarheels this weekend in NC and it is likely to be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend. This game is one of the just four ranked vs ranked matchups of the weekend.. Both teams have begun the season 2-0 but they have yet to face another ranked team. This game will likely pose a challenge to both defenses but I envision the Hokies defense holding up stronger. Virginia Tech will grab the first upset of the weekend and prove that they are one of the top teams in the ACC.
Prediction: 27-23 Virginia Tech
22 Texas @ Oklahoma
Game time: 12:00 pm EST
Venue: Cotton Bowl - Dallas, Texas
Network: FOX
Line: Oklahoma - 2.5
The Texas vs Oklahoma game is another one of the top games of the weekend, but it could very well be the toughest to predict. Both teams have failed to live up to expectations this season and it’s arguable that neither deserves to be ranked. The Oklahoma Sooners began the season ranked in the top 4 but have now lost 2 in a row and are going downhill. The Texas Longhorns are 2-1 on the season but lost their last game to TCU after barely escaping Texas Tech in an OT thriller the week before. This game has the potential to be the most fun game to watch this weekend but I think that the fun will be spoiled for Oklahoma as Texas will hand them their third straight loss.
Prediction: 38-27 Texas
Arkansas @ 13 Auburn
Game time: 4:00 pm EST
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium - Auburn, AL
Network: SECN
Line: Auburn - 13.5
The Auburn vs Arkansas game will display two teams with a lot to prove. The Arkansas Razorbacks are 1-1 on the season and are coming off of a win vs previously ranked, Mississippi State. The Auburn Tigers are 1-1 as well, but they have had a much tougher schedule. The Tigers have played both Georgia and Kentucky in their first two weeks and they split the two games, losing to Georgia last week and beating Kentucky in week 1. I believe that this game will be a lot more competitive then it is anticipated to be but the Auburn Tigers will still walk away with the win.
Prediction: 24-16 Auburn
Davis Prediction's
4 Florida @ 21 Texas A&M
Game Time: 12 pm EST
Venue: Kyle Field - College Station, TX
Network: ESPN
Line: Florida -6.5
Last week Florida and star QB Kyle Trask continued their hot start with a 38-24 win over South Carolina. Trask and his favorite target, Kyle Pitts, connected for two more touchdowns on Saturday and they will look to do that again against an Aggie squad that is looking for a solid SEC win after barely beating Vanderbilt in week one and getting blown out by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Head Coach, Jimbo Fisher, has had a disappointing start to his tenure at A&M with only three wins against ranked opponents. I anticipate this game will replicate what happened in Tuscaloosa last week with Texas A&M staying in the game early but Florida pulling away in the second half.
Prediction: 41-27 Florida
Florida State @ 5 Notre Dame
Game Time: 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame, IN
Network: NBC
Line: Notre Dame -21
Florida State was almost upset last week by Jacksonville State and things have not looked good in Tallahassee since Jimbo Fisher left. Notre Dame hasn't played a game since September 9th due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. The Seminoles look terrible this year and Notre Dame is ranked fifth in the nation with wins vs USF and Duke. Expect the Fighting Irish to manhandle the Seminoles unless Head Coach Mike Norvell can bring his guys ready to play.
Prediction: 38-13 Notre Dame
2 Alabama @ Ole Miss
Game Time: 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium - Oxford, MS
Network: ESPN
Line: Alabama -23.5
Lane Kiffin is trying to break Nick Saban's streak of 20 games without losing to his former assistants. Ole Miss is coming off of an overtime win at Kentucky 42-41. The defense for Ole Miss is one of the worst in the nation through two games and they need to sharpen up if they want to even have a chance against Alabama. Alabama is coming off of an impressive 52-24 win against Texas A&M and QB Mack Jones leads the nation in QBR. Expect the Tide to keep rolling with a blowout win against the Rebels on Saturday.
Prediction: 52-17 Alabama
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