There aren't that many of em after I posted the games involving the top 25 teams, but I made sure to get an even dozen games in here to make sure unranked teams also get the respect they deserve!
Memphis at Temple
Temple scored a big upset over Shane Carden and East Carolina this past weekend. Can they follow it up with another win over Temple? Yes, but they won't. Memphis by a field goal.
My Call: Memphis 34, Temple 31
Louisiana Tech at UAB
Beginning the 2014 season 1-3 was somewhat understandable for Louisiana Tech considering two of those games came on the road against Oklahoma and Auburn. They've turned it around ever since getting into conference play. I see no reason why they can't keep it rolling against the Blazers.
My Call: Louisiana Tech 30, UAB 21
Penn State at Indiana
No faith here in either of these teams. With a gun to my head I'll go with Penn State. After a surprising win at Missouri, the Hoosiers haven't shown me anything. The Nittany Lions at least kept it close with Ohio State.
My Call: Penn State 24, Indiana 20
Iowa at Minnesota
Letting the home field make this pick for me.
My Call: Minnesota 26, Iowa 24
South Alabama at Arkansas State
Former school of friends and now SEC competitors Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn pick up a win at home over the Jaguars. Red Wolves all the way.
My Call: Arkansas State 34, South Alabama 21
Georgia Tech at NC State
I'm thinking we're in for a shootout in this one. The Wolfpack hadn't won a game until going to Syracuse last week. My guess is they don't extend the win streak to two.
My Call: Georgia Tech 35, NC State 31
Michigan at Northwestern
See my analysis of the Penn State/Indiana game. Except this time, I'll take the home team.
My Call: Northwestern 20, Michigan 17
Iowa State at Kansas
Bottom of the Big 12 goes at it here. I'll go with Iowa State since they're a bit more talented.
My Call: Iowa State 23, Kansas 21
Washington State at Oregon State
Without Connor Halliday under center for Wazzu, I've got to roll with Oregon State.
My Call: Oregon State 38, Washington State 28
Boise State at New Mexico
The Broncos go to Albuquerque and pick up a victory.
My Call: Boise State 27, New Mexico 20
Louisville at Boston College
Letdown alert! Louisville will be reeling mightily after that loss to Florida State where they built that 21-0 lead only to lose it and lose the game by 11 last Thursday night. I think Boston College is catching them at the perfect time and will pounce. By pounce, I'm not saying the Eagles will win big, but they'll win a defensive struggle and pull the mini upset.
My Call: Boston College 21, Louisville 20
Florida at Vanderbilt
Although my guess is the Gators are guaranteed to have a letdown after pounding rival Georgia, I'm also guessing Vandy isn't good enough to take advantage. Florida uses their strong defense to prevail in a game where their offense goes back to struggling.
My Call: Florida 23, Vanderbilt 13
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Top 25 Predictions (sans Auburn)
Still gonna use AP Poll rankings since I don't really have the time to wait for the College Football Playoff rankings to come out on Tuesday night and to do this in just two days since I have other work I need to take care of as well. I went 23-10 this past week, including being happy to be wrong about the Auburn/Ole Miss game! I am now 233-83 picking games this year. Let's see what we do this week about that record.
Tennessee-Martin at #1 Mississippi State
Survive and advance was the name of the game for Mississippi State on Saturday against Arkansas. Despite losing the time of possession battle by over 17 minutes as well as the turnover battle 3 to 1, the Bulldogs got a 69 yard TD pass from Dak Prescott to Fred Ross early in the 4th quarter to make the difference in a 17-10 victory. They shouldn't have such difficulty this week against what should be an extremely overmatched Skyhawks team. The Ohio Valley Conference participants will get blown away early and then Mississippi State will turn their attention to Alabama.
My Call: Mississippi State 55, Tennessee-Martin 7
Virginia at #2 Florida State
2014 actually got off to a solid enough start for Virginia, but three straight conference losses and a trip to Tallahassee on the horizon to face the defending national champs have them reeling. As for the Noles, they fell behind 21-0 on Thursday night in Louisville, but kept their composure and rallied for a 42-31 victory on the road. Perhaps if this game were earlier in the season, I'd think the Cavaliers would have a shot of at least keeping this one respectable. Now though, they've even been struggling defensively the last two games. FSU should win comfortably.
My Call: Florida State 34, Virginia 13
#4 Alabama at #14 LSU
Night game in Baton Rouge as LSU will attempt to help spoil the championship hopes of Alabama, after doing just that a couple weeks ago at home against then third ranked Ole Miss. Both these teams should be rested and ready to go for this one as they sat around this past Saturday watching the rest of college football. The homefield advantage certainly helps the Tigers, no doubt about it, but my reasons for taking the Tide in a very close game here are experience and Nick Saban. Although I'm not knocking Les Miles, I simply would take Saban over him when it comes to having a couple weeks to come up with a better plan to win a game.
My Call: Alabama 21, LSU 17
#5 Oregon at #20 Utah
Really wish I had the faith in Utah to win this game. Living in Arizona, I have seen so many new Oregon "fans" just pop up out of nowhere the last few years. Now that I've gotten this prejudice out of the way, I am picking the Ducks. The Utes are one of the few teams who could have the defense to at least put up a respectable fight against that Oregon offense, but they won't fully stop them and I don't think there's enough offense here to pull the upset.
My Call: Oregon 34, Utah 24
#9 Kansas State at #6 TCU
Could be another elimination game as far as the college football playoff is concerned. Both the Frogs and Wildcats enter this one with just one loss apiece; and both may feel like they shouldn't have that one loss (TCU especially). TCU did not play that well on the road against West Virginia, but they did what you have to do since teams are never gonna run through a full season's worth of games without at least one or two games where they have to grind it out. Meantime, Kansas State has been on point since their only loss in mid-September to Auburn. This is the start to an unbelievably tough end to the season for K-State. After this game, they still have road games against West Virginia and Baylor on tap (although Kansas at home should be easy). I'm gonna take the Horned Frogs. I don't think Trevone Boykin has two bad games in a row. It'll be close, though. Instant classic.
My Call: TCU 38, Kansas State 35
#13 Ohio State at #7 Michigan State
Revenge could be a factor for Ohio State in this tussle in East Lansing. Remember, the Buckeyes would have gone on to play Florida State for the national title last season had they won the Big 10 Championship Game, but the Spartans had other ideas, outscoring Ohio State 14-0 in the 4th quarter of that game. As a result, Auburn went to the title game instead. Like TCU and Kansas State, both these teams are also entering this game with just one loss apiece. Michigan State lost on the road to Oregon early in the year; unable to hold a second half lead while Ohio State had what looks like a bad home loss to Virginia Tech. But unlike a year ago, these two teams won't be playing in a conference championship game as both are in the Big 10's Eastern division. The winner of this game will very likely win the East. I like MSU's defense to come up big late to thwart Ohio State's plans at revenge. Connor Cook also outplays J.T. Barrett.
My Call: Michigan State 31, Ohio State 27
#8 Notre Dame at #11 Arizona State
My guess is most people will pick Notre Dame to win given that they very nearly beat Florida State on the road. They may be right, but here's my reason for picking Arizona State. The Sun Devils have actually beaten quality opponents this year such as Utah and USC. Notre Dame's best win? At home over what is an average Stanford team at the last minute; that same Stanford team ASU handled rather easily. Plus that Sun Devil defense has very much improved since the beginning of the season when they were admittedly looking shaky. This will be close, but those close wins over quality teams will serve them well, giving them the confidence needed late to come out with the win here.
My Call: Arizona State 24, Notre Dame 23
#10 Baylor at #16 Oklahoma
Simple... I'm only taking the Sooners because this game is in Norman. If it were in Waco or even on a neutral site, I'd be going with the Bears all the way. I just don't fully trust Baylor, Bryce Petty and their mediocre defense on the road against a still solid, albeit somewhat disappointing OU team. Yes, while the defensive numbers for Baylor may look solid, keep in mind that by far the two best teams they've faced offensively in West Virginia and TCU scored a combined 99 points against them (TCU had 58, West Virginia 41). The rest of their schedule has been against the likes of SMU, Northwestern State, Iowa State, Buffalo, Texas and Kansas. Bad, right?
My Call: Oklahoma 33, Baylor 30
Presbyterian at #12 Ole Miss
There can't be many ways to suffer a more heartbreaking defeat like Ole Miss did on Saturday against Auburn. Twice in the last six and a half minutes, they were deep in Auburn territory only to fumble it away. The last fumble literally added insult to injury as star WR Laquon Treadwell suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle all while fumbling the ball on the half yard line while it was recovered in the end zone by Auburn. That means this is a prime opportunity for a major letdown. Good news for the Rebels though is Presbyterian is not the team that will be able to beat them while they're down. It may take a quarter for Ole Miss to get emotionally charged up, but it'll happen and they'll house the Blue Hose once that happens.
My Call: Ole Miss 44, Presbyterian 3
#17 Georgia at Kentucky
While you can never discount the 'anything goes' philosophy in rivalry games, who honestly out there thought Georgia would get taken behind the woodshed by a Florida team that had shown nothing like they showed against the Bulldogs? If you did, you're smarter than me because I sure didn't. Funnily enough, I actually thought this one might be the trap game sandwiched between the Florida game, and of course, Georgia's home date with rival Auburn next weekend. Even with the poor performance against the Gators and the possibility of yet another look ahead here, I'll take Georgia. I can't imagine they'll play so poorly two weeks straight. Although I'm also guessing Kentucky will manage to keep this a game into the 4th quarter.
My Call: Georgia 35, Kentucky 24
#18 UCLA at Washington
Upset! UCLA has looked downright bad their last two games on the road against worse opponents than Washington; holding on to beat Cal by just two and needing double overtime to escape Colorado in Boulder. No escape this time. The Huskies will use their defense to force Bruins QB Brett Hundley into mistakes and although the offense won't put together a masterpiece, they'll do just enough to take advantage of the opportunity handed to them.
My Call: Washington 27, UCLA 21
#19 Clemson at Wake Forest
Sorry, but no such upset will be taking place here. Although Clemson senior QB Cole Staudt isn't very good, I can't imagine they'll need him to be in this one. Yes, it's possible true freshman Deshaun Watson could recover in time, but his status is doubtful right now, so I'm gonna assume they hold him out at least another week. Wake Forest has a hapless offense that won't do anything and although the defense could perform respectably, it's not gonna be enough. Clemson has other ways they can score on offense, the Demon Deacons have essentially no ways to score offensively.
My Call: Clemson 24, Wake Forest 7
Colorado at #21 Arizona
Two and a half minutes into their game with UCLA on the road, Arizona scored a touchdown, and what turned out to be their only points of the night in a 17-7 loss to the Bruins. That loss put them behind now Pac 12 South leader Arizona State in the standings. The Wildcat offense will get back on track against what is a God awful Colorado defense which ranks 118th in the FBS in terms of yards allowed per game. The Buffaloes may have a decent day passing the ball since they'll be playing from pretty far behind, but it won't be nearly enough.
My Call: Arizona 48, Colorado 21
#22 Duke at Syracuse
Pittsburgh/Duke games are turning into must see television. Last year, Pittsburgh won 58-55. This past Saturday, Duke won 48-45 in double overtime. The Blue Devils shouldn't need such excitement to win in the Carrier Dome against the Orange. Their defense gets back on track and although the offense may not light it up, they'll do plenty and win by a couple scores. Duke stays on track to stay in command of the ACC Coastal division and set up another conference title game with Florida State. What a job by Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, BTW. He should be garnering some consideration for coach of the year winning as big as he is with this club.
My Call: Duke 28, Syracuse 14
#23 Marshall at Southern Miss
More Conference USA action means more of the same for Rakeem Cato and the Thundering Herd. Big points on the scoreboard and another win. Even Brett Favre coming out of retirement and regaining some college eligibility wouldn't be enough for Southern Miss here.
My Call: Marshall 41, Southern Miss 20
#24 West Virginia at Texas
The Mountaineers were their own worst enemy in that 31-30 home loss to TCU this past Saturday. Although they held the lead for most of the game, five turnovers ultimately spelled doom. Does that make them vulnerable for this coming game? Yes, but I don't think Texas has the offense to take advantage of this opportunity. Their defense will show up and play respectably, but the offense will once again be their downfall and West Virginia gets a bounce back victory in Austin.
My Call: West Virginia 26, Texas 14
#25 Wisconsin at Purdue
Instead of going through a lengthy analysis here, I'll just make it very simple. Wisconsin has Melvin Gordon, Purdue does not possess any such weapon offensively who comes close to being that great and their defense has no chance of slowing him down. Bucky Badger triumphs.
My Call: Wisconsin 35, Purdue 14
Tennessee-Martin at #1 Mississippi State
Survive and advance was the name of the game for Mississippi State on Saturday against Arkansas. Despite losing the time of possession battle by over 17 minutes as well as the turnover battle 3 to 1, the Bulldogs got a 69 yard TD pass from Dak Prescott to Fred Ross early in the 4th quarter to make the difference in a 17-10 victory. They shouldn't have such difficulty this week against what should be an extremely overmatched Skyhawks team. The Ohio Valley Conference participants will get blown away early and then Mississippi State will turn their attention to Alabama.
My Call: Mississippi State 55, Tennessee-Martin 7
Virginia at #2 Florida State
2014 actually got off to a solid enough start for Virginia, but three straight conference losses and a trip to Tallahassee on the horizon to face the defending national champs have them reeling. As for the Noles, they fell behind 21-0 on Thursday night in Louisville, but kept their composure and rallied for a 42-31 victory on the road. Perhaps if this game were earlier in the season, I'd think the Cavaliers would have a shot of at least keeping this one respectable. Now though, they've even been struggling defensively the last two games. FSU should win comfortably.
My Call: Florida State 34, Virginia 13
#4 Alabama at #14 LSU
Night game in Baton Rouge as LSU will attempt to help spoil the championship hopes of Alabama, after doing just that a couple weeks ago at home against then third ranked Ole Miss. Both these teams should be rested and ready to go for this one as they sat around this past Saturday watching the rest of college football. The homefield advantage certainly helps the Tigers, no doubt about it, but my reasons for taking the Tide in a very close game here are experience and Nick Saban. Although I'm not knocking Les Miles, I simply would take Saban over him when it comes to having a couple weeks to come up with a better plan to win a game.
My Call: Alabama 21, LSU 17
#5 Oregon at #20 Utah
Really wish I had the faith in Utah to win this game. Living in Arizona, I have seen so many new Oregon "fans" just pop up out of nowhere the last few years. Now that I've gotten this prejudice out of the way, I am picking the Ducks. The Utes are one of the few teams who could have the defense to at least put up a respectable fight against that Oregon offense, but they won't fully stop them and I don't think there's enough offense here to pull the upset.
My Call: Oregon 34, Utah 24
#9 Kansas State at #6 TCU
Could be another elimination game as far as the college football playoff is concerned. Both the Frogs and Wildcats enter this one with just one loss apiece; and both may feel like they shouldn't have that one loss (TCU especially). TCU did not play that well on the road against West Virginia, but they did what you have to do since teams are never gonna run through a full season's worth of games without at least one or two games where they have to grind it out. Meantime, Kansas State has been on point since their only loss in mid-September to Auburn. This is the start to an unbelievably tough end to the season for K-State. After this game, they still have road games against West Virginia and Baylor on tap (although Kansas at home should be easy). I'm gonna take the Horned Frogs. I don't think Trevone Boykin has two bad games in a row. It'll be close, though. Instant classic.
My Call: TCU 38, Kansas State 35
#13 Ohio State at #7 Michigan State
Revenge could be a factor for Ohio State in this tussle in East Lansing. Remember, the Buckeyes would have gone on to play Florida State for the national title last season had they won the Big 10 Championship Game, but the Spartans had other ideas, outscoring Ohio State 14-0 in the 4th quarter of that game. As a result, Auburn went to the title game instead. Like TCU and Kansas State, both these teams are also entering this game with just one loss apiece. Michigan State lost on the road to Oregon early in the year; unable to hold a second half lead while Ohio State had what looks like a bad home loss to Virginia Tech. But unlike a year ago, these two teams won't be playing in a conference championship game as both are in the Big 10's Eastern division. The winner of this game will very likely win the East. I like MSU's defense to come up big late to thwart Ohio State's plans at revenge. Connor Cook also outplays J.T. Barrett.
My Call: Michigan State 31, Ohio State 27
#8 Notre Dame at #11 Arizona State
My guess is most people will pick Notre Dame to win given that they very nearly beat Florida State on the road. They may be right, but here's my reason for picking Arizona State. The Sun Devils have actually beaten quality opponents this year such as Utah and USC. Notre Dame's best win? At home over what is an average Stanford team at the last minute; that same Stanford team ASU handled rather easily. Plus that Sun Devil defense has very much improved since the beginning of the season when they were admittedly looking shaky. This will be close, but those close wins over quality teams will serve them well, giving them the confidence needed late to come out with the win here.
My Call: Arizona State 24, Notre Dame 23
#10 Baylor at #16 Oklahoma
Simple... I'm only taking the Sooners because this game is in Norman. If it were in Waco or even on a neutral site, I'd be going with the Bears all the way. I just don't fully trust Baylor, Bryce Petty and their mediocre defense on the road against a still solid, albeit somewhat disappointing OU team. Yes, while the defensive numbers for Baylor may look solid, keep in mind that by far the two best teams they've faced offensively in West Virginia and TCU scored a combined 99 points against them (TCU had 58, West Virginia 41). The rest of their schedule has been against the likes of SMU, Northwestern State, Iowa State, Buffalo, Texas and Kansas. Bad, right?
My Call: Oklahoma 33, Baylor 30
Presbyterian at #12 Ole Miss
There can't be many ways to suffer a more heartbreaking defeat like Ole Miss did on Saturday against Auburn. Twice in the last six and a half minutes, they were deep in Auburn territory only to fumble it away. The last fumble literally added insult to injury as star WR Laquon Treadwell suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle all while fumbling the ball on the half yard line while it was recovered in the end zone by Auburn. That means this is a prime opportunity for a major letdown. Good news for the Rebels though is Presbyterian is not the team that will be able to beat them while they're down. It may take a quarter for Ole Miss to get emotionally charged up, but it'll happen and they'll house the Blue Hose once that happens.
My Call: Ole Miss 44, Presbyterian 3
#17 Georgia at Kentucky
While you can never discount the 'anything goes' philosophy in rivalry games, who honestly out there thought Georgia would get taken behind the woodshed by a Florida team that had shown nothing like they showed against the Bulldogs? If you did, you're smarter than me because I sure didn't. Funnily enough, I actually thought this one might be the trap game sandwiched between the Florida game, and of course, Georgia's home date with rival Auburn next weekend. Even with the poor performance against the Gators and the possibility of yet another look ahead here, I'll take Georgia. I can't imagine they'll play so poorly two weeks straight. Although I'm also guessing Kentucky will manage to keep this a game into the 4th quarter.
My Call: Georgia 35, Kentucky 24
#18 UCLA at Washington
Upset! UCLA has looked downright bad their last two games on the road against worse opponents than Washington; holding on to beat Cal by just two and needing double overtime to escape Colorado in Boulder. No escape this time. The Huskies will use their defense to force Bruins QB Brett Hundley into mistakes and although the offense won't put together a masterpiece, they'll do just enough to take advantage of the opportunity handed to them.
My Call: Washington 27, UCLA 21
#19 Clemson at Wake Forest
Sorry, but no such upset will be taking place here. Although Clemson senior QB Cole Staudt isn't very good, I can't imagine they'll need him to be in this one. Yes, it's possible true freshman Deshaun Watson could recover in time, but his status is doubtful right now, so I'm gonna assume they hold him out at least another week. Wake Forest has a hapless offense that won't do anything and although the defense could perform respectably, it's not gonna be enough. Clemson has other ways they can score on offense, the Demon Deacons have essentially no ways to score offensively.
My Call: Clemson 24, Wake Forest 7
Colorado at #21 Arizona
Two and a half minutes into their game with UCLA on the road, Arizona scored a touchdown, and what turned out to be their only points of the night in a 17-7 loss to the Bruins. That loss put them behind now Pac 12 South leader Arizona State in the standings. The Wildcat offense will get back on track against what is a God awful Colorado defense which ranks 118th in the FBS in terms of yards allowed per game. The Buffaloes may have a decent day passing the ball since they'll be playing from pretty far behind, but it won't be nearly enough.
My Call: Arizona 48, Colorado 21
#22 Duke at Syracuse
Pittsburgh/Duke games are turning into must see television. Last year, Pittsburgh won 58-55. This past Saturday, Duke won 48-45 in double overtime. The Blue Devils shouldn't need such excitement to win in the Carrier Dome against the Orange. Their defense gets back on track and although the offense may not light it up, they'll do plenty and win by a couple scores. Duke stays on track to stay in command of the ACC Coastal division and set up another conference title game with Florida State. What a job by Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, BTW. He should be garnering some consideration for coach of the year winning as big as he is with this club.
My Call: Duke 28, Syracuse 14
#23 Marshall at Southern Miss
More Conference USA action means more of the same for Rakeem Cato and the Thundering Herd. Big points on the scoreboard and another win. Even Brett Favre coming out of retirement and regaining some college eligibility wouldn't be enough for Southern Miss here.
My Call: Marshall 41, Southern Miss 20
#24 West Virginia at Texas
The Mountaineers were their own worst enemy in that 31-30 home loss to TCU this past Saturday. Although they held the lead for most of the game, five turnovers ultimately spelled doom. Does that make them vulnerable for this coming game? Yes, but I don't think Texas has the offense to take advantage of this opportunity. Their defense will show up and play respectably, but the offense will once again be their downfall and West Virginia gets a bounce back victory in Austin.
My Call: West Virginia 26, Texas 14
#25 Wisconsin at Purdue
Instead of going through a lengthy analysis here, I'll just make it very simple. Wisconsin has Melvin Gordon, Purdue does not possess any such weapon offensively who comes close to being that great and their defense has no chance of slowing him down. Bucky Badger triumphs.
My Call: Wisconsin 35, Purdue 14
Auburn Game Preview and Prediction (vs. Texas A&M)
In what was a wild and at times very frustrating game against Ole Miss, Auburn was able to overcome some very shoddy pass coverage and 13 penalties (quite a few of those of the stupid, unneeded variety) to escape Oxford with a 35-31 victory on the road over the Rebels to stay alive in the SEC West and for a spot in the first ever College Football Playoff. Wide receiver Sammie Coates and running back Cameron Artis-Payne (Coates in particular) each had one of their two best games of the season in my mind. In what was just the second big statistical game Sammie had this season, he caught 5 balls for 122 yards and a touchdown while Artis-Payne rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Although it may not have been the best or even second best statistical performance of the season for Artis-Payne, those numbers against a defense that had been allowing just 10.5 points per game going into this matchup made the numbers much more impressive to me. But what may have saved the day for Auburn was the much maligned defense forcing two red zone turnovers late to keep Ole Miss off the scoreboard. The first of which was a Bo Wallace fumble around the five yard line, the last being one by wide receiver Laquon Treadwell just before he got into the end zone which would have given the Rebels a 38-35 lead with about a minute and a half left to play.
However, linebacker Kris Frost didn't give up on the play and neither did fellow linebacker Cassanova McKinzy. Frost forced the fumble and McKinzy recovered it in the end zone. The Tigers would hold on from there. Unfortunately Treadwell would break his leg and suffer a dislocated ankle on the tackle made by Frost where his leg got caught underneath Frost's leg. Best wishes to him in his recovery from that awful injury. Now it's back to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Last year in College Station, the two teams had a wild back and forth affair which ended in a 45-41 Auburn victory at Kyle Field. Despite 424 passing yards and 5 total TDs by then Aggies QB Johnny Manziel (first round pick of the Cleveland Browns) and 287 yards receiving and 4 TDs by then Aggies WR Mike Evans (first round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Auburn used 4 total TDs by Nick Marshall, a huge day rushing from Tre Mason (he was a 3rd round pick by the St. Louis Rams) and a late defensive stop deep in their own territory to hang on for the win.
To talk Texas A&M, they have gone 6-3 so far this season with a 2-3 record in SEC play. Their most recent game was a 21-16 out of conference home victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Kyle Field, a game in which true freshman QB Kyle Allen made his first career college start. Allen started due to usual starting QB Kenny Hill getting himself suspended for two games during the past week for a violation of team rules. That means Hill will also miss this game and Auburn will very likely be seeing Allen making his SEC starting debut against them. Other Aggie victories have come at home over Rice and Lamar, a neutral site victory over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and road wins over South Carolina and SMU. Their losses have come at home against Ole Miss and on the road against Mississippi State and Alabama. Although none of those three losses are anything to be ashamed of, the Aggies weren't really competitive in any of them. This team began the year 5-0, but then went on that three game losing streak before bouncing back with a closer than expected victory over the Warhawks. They'll be looking to get back on track in conference play.
Now to get back to Kyle Allen, he is a true freshman out of Scottsdale, Arizona. This is where yours truly lives. Not only that, Allen went to the exact same high school I went to, Desert Mountain. He was thought to be the best pro style/pocket passing QB in the 2014 high school recruiting class and chose to attend Texas A&M over a host of other offers. Some of those other offers included Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA and of course, Arizona State and Arizona. Allen actually put together a strong case to start the season as Texas A&M's starting QB but ultimately lost out to Kenny Hill. In Allen's first career start against Louisiana-Monroe, he went 13 of 28 passing for 106 yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. Not the most impressive numbers, but this was a true freshman making his first ever college start and what matters is he and his team got the win. We'll see how he does against a conference opponent on the road. He will have to perform at a higher level if the Aggies are going to have a chance to win on the road in Auburn. Overall, Allen's numbers this season are 36 completions in 66 attempts for 370 yards, 4 TDs and 3 interceptions. Until the Louisiana-Monroe game, his stats came late in games once Kenny Hill was taken out and most of them came in Texas A&M's 73-3 win over Lamar in which Allen threw for 122 yards on 12 completions for two touchdowns and one interception.
Texas A&M's rushing attack is just 82nd in the FBS in terms of yards per game. They spread the wealth around between three running backs, none of which have really separated themselves. The leading rusher is junior Tra Carson. He's a bigger guy at 230 pounds; he has rushed for 326 yards and 5 touchdowns on 72 carries. Another guy in the mix will be another junior, Trey Williams. He is much smaller than Carson, listed at just 5'8" and 195 pounds on ESPN. He has rushed for 313 yards on 52 carries and also has 5 touchdown runs. He has also caught 12 passes out of the backfield for 176 yards. Also in the mix is yet another junior, Brandon Williams. He has rushed for 280 yards and 3 TDs on 60 attempts. Trey and Brandon are not related if you're wondering. In the Louisiana-Monroe game, Carson and Trey Williams both scored touchdowns on the ground. Carson had more yardage, rushing for 71 yards on 19 carries. Trey added 46 yards on 13 carries. The Aggie attack has been fantastic through the air, ranking seventh in the country in terms of yards per game. A lot of that though had to due with the great start to the season Kenny Hill had in his first four games in which he looked like a surprise Heisman contender. Hill has since fallen off that pace, but his numbers are still quite good. Prior to his suspension, Hill had completed 214 passes in 321 attempts for 23 touchdowns compared to just 8 interceptions.
Similarly to their ground attack, the Aggies also spread the wealth around when they throw it, as they have five guys who have at least 377 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on the season. The leader of the group is sophomore Josh Reynolds. He has 34 receptions for 573 yards and 8 touchdown grabs on the season. His 6'4" height undoubtedly helps him create a lot of mismatches on the outside. Second leading receiver is a 5'11" true freshman who may have one of the top names in all of college football, Speedy Noil. That name of Speedy obviously has to be well earned in some way, you would think. The true freshman was considered to be the best athlete coming out of the high school ranks this past recruiting season. Speedy did a little bit of everything in high school, he caught passes, ran the ball and even played quarterback, putting up some great numbers in the process. Texas A&M was able to pluck him out of Edna Karr High in New Orleans, very likely much to the dismay of LSU in particular since that's right in their backyard. Speedy has caught 36 balls for 461 yards and 4 TDs on the season. He was the main weapon for the Aggies in the win over Louisiana-Monroe, catching 5 balls for 69 yards and a score and he also set up a touchdown with a 39 yard punt return. Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin wants him to touch the ball 10 to 15 times per game and it sounds like he will even get some work in at QB in practice this week in wildcat formations as well as very likely in case of an emergency. Edward Pope is another tall guy, the 6'4" sophomore receiver has caught 27 balls for 436 yards and 4 scores. He sounds like he could be a dangerous deep threat. Ricky Seals-Jones is another guy to watch out for. He ended up being redshirted a year ago due to a serious knee injury. This kid brings an unbelievable combination of size and speed at 6'5, 235 pounds. Seals-Jones is another guy who was very highly recruited out of high school. Like Speedy Noil, Seals-Jones also played some QB in high school (also played some on defense). Although I haven't heard about him getting any potential reps at QB in practice this week like Noil will supposedly get. He chose Texas A&M over many offers, including one from Auburn. Sounds a little like a less experienced D'haquille Williams to me. The senior leader of the WR core is Malcome Kennedy. The senior WR has caught 38 balls for 386 yards and a couple scores.
Although the Aggies defense has struggled some in conference play, you can't blame that on true freshman defensive end Myles Garrett, who has more than done his part. In the Louisiana-Monroe game, Garrett picked up a sack which gave him 8.5 sacks on the season. That broke the SEC record for most sacks by a true freshman, which was held by former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was the first overall selection by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft. Garrett could be on his way to joining Clowney as a number one overall pick if he keeps it up. In that Louisiana-Monroe game, Garrett picked up two more sacks, which gave him three for that game, and 10.5 sacks on the season. With a probable bowl game on the horizon, he'll very likely have four more games to add to that impressive sack total. Auburn's offensive line will have their work cut out for them in trying to slow him down. Texas A&M's second most productive defensive lineman has been defensive tackle Alonzo Williams. The junior defensive tackle has recorded 3.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL. The secondary is led by a senior as well as a true freshman. The senior is cornerback Deshazor Everett. He has picked off a pass this season and come up with 54 total tackles. He appears to be getting mid-to-late round consideration for the 2015 NFL Draft. The true freshman is safety Armani Watts. Watts has picked off a couple passes and has 42 total tackles. Watts and Everett have the only three interceptions recorded by the Texas A&M secondary, which unsurprisingly enough, has them near the bottom of the FBS ranks in terms of interceptions. Only Washington State has fewer interceptions with two; although six other teams only have three INTs themselves. Texas A&M does rank tied for seventh in the FBS in QB sacks with 30; a lot of that in large part due to Myles Garrett. The Aggies are 75th in the FBS in pass defense, allowing a shade over 236 yards per game. Their rush defense is 95th in the FBS, giving up nearly 178 yards per game. Bo Wallace, Dak Prescott and Blake Sims ran for six touchdowns on the ground combined between them, so there could be a few chances for Nick Marshall to do some damage on the ground for Auburn offensively.
Reading my preview, you might think this should be a game Auburn should win fairly easily. They might, but one thing I'm not overlooking is the fact that the Tigers are coming off a very emotional road victory over Ole Miss and following this game with Texas A&M is a road game in Athens with rival Georgia. Although Georgia may have struggled mightily in a loss to Florida (more on that in the top 25 predictions), you can be sure Auburn will be getting the best shot Georgia will have to offer. I'm also not overlooking the fact that Texas A&M was not competitive in those losses to Alabama and both Mississippi schools. This is something that could carry over to this one or could inspire them to want to make amends by at least making a game out of this one. I'm certainly not overlooking these Aggies and neither should the Tigers. They're young and although they've struggled recently in SEC play, they have a ton of talent. Auburn's offense should be able to move the ball just fine against this defense. Nick Marshall should have success both throwing and running, he's in for a huge game. The Aggies offense will show better than they did against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama, but they won't be able to keep up for the full 60 minutes. Auburn gets it done offensively and although I'm kind of expecting true freshman QB Kyle Allen will put up some solid stats against an Auburn secondary which has recently struggled, I do also think they'll force him into a couple mistakes and the team pulls away in the second half for a fairly comfortable victory.
My Call: Auburn 48, Texas A&M 27
However, linebacker Kris Frost didn't give up on the play and neither did fellow linebacker Cassanova McKinzy. Frost forced the fumble and McKinzy recovered it in the end zone. The Tigers would hold on from there. Unfortunately Treadwell would break his leg and suffer a dislocated ankle on the tackle made by Frost where his leg got caught underneath Frost's leg. Best wishes to him in his recovery from that awful injury. Now it's back to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Last year in College Station, the two teams had a wild back and forth affair which ended in a 45-41 Auburn victory at Kyle Field. Despite 424 passing yards and 5 total TDs by then Aggies QB Johnny Manziel (first round pick of the Cleveland Browns) and 287 yards receiving and 4 TDs by then Aggies WR Mike Evans (first round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Auburn used 4 total TDs by Nick Marshall, a huge day rushing from Tre Mason (he was a 3rd round pick by the St. Louis Rams) and a late defensive stop deep in their own territory to hang on for the win.
To talk Texas A&M, they have gone 6-3 so far this season with a 2-3 record in SEC play. Their most recent game was a 21-16 out of conference home victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Kyle Field, a game in which true freshman QB Kyle Allen made his first career college start. Allen started due to usual starting QB Kenny Hill getting himself suspended for two games during the past week for a violation of team rules. That means Hill will also miss this game and Auburn will very likely be seeing Allen making his SEC starting debut against them. Other Aggie victories have come at home over Rice and Lamar, a neutral site victory over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and road wins over South Carolina and SMU. Their losses have come at home against Ole Miss and on the road against Mississippi State and Alabama. Although none of those three losses are anything to be ashamed of, the Aggies weren't really competitive in any of them. This team began the year 5-0, but then went on that three game losing streak before bouncing back with a closer than expected victory over the Warhawks. They'll be looking to get back on track in conference play.
Now to get back to Kyle Allen, he is a true freshman out of Scottsdale, Arizona. This is where yours truly lives. Not only that, Allen went to the exact same high school I went to, Desert Mountain. He was thought to be the best pro style/pocket passing QB in the 2014 high school recruiting class and chose to attend Texas A&M over a host of other offers. Some of those other offers included Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA and of course, Arizona State and Arizona. Allen actually put together a strong case to start the season as Texas A&M's starting QB but ultimately lost out to Kenny Hill. In Allen's first career start against Louisiana-Monroe, he went 13 of 28 passing for 106 yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. Not the most impressive numbers, but this was a true freshman making his first ever college start and what matters is he and his team got the win. We'll see how he does against a conference opponent on the road. He will have to perform at a higher level if the Aggies are going to have a chance to win on the road in Auburn. Overall, Allen's numbers this season are 36 completions in 66 attempts for 370 yards, 4 TDs and 3 interceptions. Until the Louisiana-Monroe game, his stats came late in games once Kenny Hill was taken out and most of them came in Texas A&M's 73-3 win over Lamar in which Allen threw for 122 yards on 12 completions for two touchdowns and one interception.
Texas A&M's rushing attack is just 82nd in the FBS in terms of yards per game. They spread the wealth around between three running backs, none of which have really separated themselves. The leading rusher is junior Tra Carson. He's a bigger guy at 230 pounds; he has rushed for 326 yards and 5 touchdowns on 72 carries. Another guy in the mix will be another junior, Trey Williams. He is much smaller than Carson, listed at just 5'8" and 195 pounds on ESPN. He has rushed for 313 yards on 52 carries and also has 5 touchdown runs. He has also caught 12 passes out of the backfield for 176 yards. Also in the mix is yet another junior, Brandon Williams. He has rushed for 280 yards and 3 TDs on 60 attempts. Trey and Brandon are not related if you're wondering. In the Louisiana-Monroe game, Carson and Trey Williams both scored touchdowns on the ground. Carson had more yardage, rushing for 71 yards on 19 carries. Trey added 46 yards on 13 carries. The Aggie attack has been fantastic through the air, ranking seventh in the country in terms of yards per game. A lot of that though had to due with the great start to the season Kenny Hill had in his first four games in which he looked like a surprise Heisman contender. Hill has since fallen off that pace, but his numbers are still quite good. Prior to his suspension, Hill had completed 214 passes in 321 attempts for 23 touchdowns compared to just 8 interceptions.
Similarly to their ground attack, the Aggies also spread the wealth around when they throw it, as they have five guys who have at least 377 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on the season. The leader of the group is sophomore Josh Reynolds. He has 34 receptions for 573 yards and 8 touchdown grabs on the season. His 6'4" height undoubtedly helps him create a lot of mismatches on the outside. Second leading receiver is a 5'11" true freshman who may have one of the top names in all of college football, Speedy Noil. That name of Speedy obviously has to be well earned in some way, you would think. The true freshman was considered to be the best athlete coming out of the high school ranks this past recruiting season. Speedy did a little bit of everything in high school, he caught passes, ran the ball and even played quarterback, putting up some great numbers in the process. Texas A&M was able to pluck him out of Edna Karr High in New Orleans, very likely much to the dismay of LSU in particular since that's right in their backyard. Speedy has caught 36 balls for 461 yards and 4 TDs on the season. He was the main weapon for the Aggies in the win over Louisiana-Monroe, catching 5 balls for 69 yards and a score and he also set up a touchdown with a 39 yard punt return. Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin wants him to touch the ball 10 to 15 times per game and it sounds like he will even get some work in at QB in practice this week in wildcat formations as well as very likely in case of an emergency. Edward Pope is another tall guy, the 6'4" sophomore receiver has caught 27 balls for 436 yards and 4 scores. He sounds like he could be a dangerous deep threat. Ricky Seals-Jones is another guy to watch out for. He ended up being redshirted a year ago due to a serious knee injury. This kid brings an unbelievable combination of size and speed at 6'5, 235 pounds. Seals-Jones is another guy who was very highly recruited out of high school. Like Speedy Noil, Seals-Jones also played some QB in high school (also played some on defense). Although I haven't heard about him getting any potential reps at QB in practice this week like Noil will supposedly get. He chose Texas A&M over many offers, including one from Auburn. Sounds a little like a less experienced D'haquille Williams to me. The senior leader of the WR core is Malcome Kennedy. The senior WR has caught 38 balls for 386 yards and a couple scores.
Although the Aggies defense has struggled some in conference play, you can't blame that on true freshman defensive end Myles Garrett, who has more than done his part. In the Louisiana-Monroe game, Garrett picked up a sack which gave him 8.5 sacks on the season. That broke the SEC record for most sacks by a true freshman, which was held by former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was the first overall selection by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft. Garrett could be on his way to joining Clowney as a number one overall pick if he keeps it up. In that Louisiana-Monroe game, Garrett picked up two more sacks, which gave him three for that game, and 10.5 sacks on the season. With a probable bowl game on the horizon, he'll very likely have four more games to add to that impressive sack total. Auburn's offensive line will have their work cut out for them in trying to slow him down. Texas A&M's second most productive defensive lineman has been defensive tackle Alonzo Williams. The junior defensive tackle has recorded 3.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL. The secondary is led by a senior as well as a true freshman. The senior is cornerback Deshazor Everett. He has picked off a pass this season and come up with 54 total tackles. He appears to be getting mid-to-late round consideration for the 2015 NFL Draft. The true freshman is safety Armani Watts. Watts has picked off a couple passes and has 42 total tackles. Watts and Everett have the only three interceptions recorded by the Texas A&M secondary, which unsurprisingly enough, has them near the bottom of the FBS ranks in terms of interceptions. Only Washington State has fewer interceptions with two; although six other teams only have three INTs themselves. Texas A&M does rank tied for seventh in the FBS in QB sacks with 30; a lot of that in large part due to Myles Garrett. The Aggies are 75th in the FBS in pass defense, allowing a shade over 236 yards per game. Their rush defense is 95th in the FBS, giving up nearly 178 yards per game. Bo Wallace, Dak Prescott and Blake Sims ran for six touchdowns on the ground combined between them, so there could be a few chances for Nick Marshall to do some damage on the ground for Auburn offensively.
Reading my preview, you might think this should be a game Auburn should win fairly easily. They might, but one thing I'm not overlooking is the fact that the Tigers are coming off a very emotional road victory over Ole Miss and following this game with Texas A&M is a road game in Athens with rival Georgia. Although Georgia may have struggled mightily in a loss to Florida (more on that in the top 25 predictions), you can be sure Auburn will be getting the best shot Georgia will have to offer. I'm also not overlooking the fact that Texas A&M was not competitive in those losses to Alabama and both Mississippi schools. This is something that could carry over to this one or could inspire them to want to make amends by at least making a game out of this one. I'm certainly not overlooking these Aggies and neither should the Tigers. They're young and although they've struggled recently in SEC play, they have a ton of talent. Auburn's offense should be able to move the ball just fine against this defense. Nick Marshall should have success both throwing and running, he's in for a huge game. The Aggies offense will show better than they did against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama, but they won't be able to keep up for the full 60 minutes. Auburn gets it done offensively and although I'm kind of expecting true freshman QB Kyle Allen will put up some solid stats against an Auburn secondary which has recently struggled, I do also think they'll force him into a couple mistakes and the team pulls away in the second half for a fairly comfortable victory.
My Call: Auburn 48, Texas A&M 27
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)