By DaVince “Dino” Wright
This Week in College Football
College football isn’t turning out the way that everyone thought it would. Top programs are dropping very winnable games to teams that weren’t on anyone’s radar. Look at teams like Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Georgia Tech are making huge waves this season. This weekend will be huge! Read the rest of this article to see our picks, scores and upsets for this week’s games. North Texas has a bye. They will be in action next week. SMU and TCU have home games this week.
Game Info
Syracuse Orange vs SMU Mustangs
Saturday – October 4 – 2:30 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Gerald R. Ford Stadium – Dallas, TX
The SMU Mustangs are 2-2 and coming off a loss to TCU on the road was tough for the team. Look for the Mustangs offense to come alive and put some points on the board. The key for the team will be the defense. They will need to apply some type of pressure on the Orange offense and create turnovers. The Orange lost to Duke last week by 35 points. Their defense is struggling to stop the run right now. This will be an uphill battle for Syracuse on the road. ESPN has the Mustangs with an 83.8% chance of winning at home. I’m taking SMU by 13 this week.
Final Score
Mustangs – 23
Orange – 10
Game Info
#3 Miami Hurricanes vs #18 FSU Seminoles
Saturday – October 4 – 6:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Doak Campbell Stadium – Tallahassee, FL
#3 Miami has shocked the college football world. Right now, the Hurricanes are 4-0 with wins over Florida, USF, BCU and Notre Dame. Last season the Hurricanes struggled to find their footing and get wins. The offense is led by former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. He will be the key for the Miami offense. Florida State is sitting at 3-1 with wins over Kent, ETAM and Alabama this season. Here’s the thing: FSU will need to unleash starting quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Allow Castellanos to ball out and run the ball. He will be the key for the team. ESPN has the Hurricanes with a 65.3% chance of winning on the road this week. I’m taking FSU in the upset of the week. FSU by 10!
Final Score
#18 Seminoles – 34
#3 Hurricanes – 24
Game Info
Colorado Buffaloes vs TCU Horned Frogs
Saturday – October 4 – 6:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
Amon G. Carter Stadium – Fort Worth, TX
The Horned Frogs are 3-1 right now and trying to regroup after taking their first season loss to Arizona State last week. This week Colorado is coming to Ft. Worth to get a much-needed win. The Frogs offense is very capable of scoring points, but the defense will need to play physical from the 1st to the 4th quarter. Colorado is limping into the Lone Star State after blowing a lead to BYU last week at home. Keep an eye on the Buffaloes offense. They’ve yet to really get going this season and put up serious points. This game will be a physical game played upfront. It’s the Frogs offensive line versus the Buffaloes defensive line! That’s where the game will be decided. ESPN has the Horned Frogs with a 79.2% chance of winning at home. I’m taking TCU by 9! They have some payback in mind from two years ago!
Final Score
Horned Frogs – 30
Buffaloes – 21
Game of the Week
#16 Vanderbilt Commodores vs #10 Alabama Crimson Tide
Saturday – October 4 – 2:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Bryant-Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, AL
This will be my trap game for the weekend. #16 Vanderbilt could waltz right into Tuscaloosa and beat Bama this weekend! Vanderbilt is sitting at 5-0 with wins over Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Charlotte Southern, Utah State and Georgia State. You would think that they haven’t played anyone, but a win is a win! Keep an eye on Diego Pavia he has 1211 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He will be the key for Vandy. The Crimson Tide’s faithful are on the fence about this team. Alabama is 3-1 and need this win at home to douse the flames to a bad start of the season. Keep an eye on quarterback Ty Simpson who is growing up right before our eyes. He has 1138 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. He will be the spark plug for the Crimson Tide this season. ESPN has the Crimson Tide with a 74.3% chance of winning at home. I’m taking Bama by 14!
Final Score
#10 Crimson Tide – 38
#16 Commodores – 24
