By DaVince “Dino” Wright
This Week in College Football
College football is heating up. The college programs that previously had the football world in a choke hold are losing games left and right. SMU was once ranked has lost 2 winnable games in the last two contest. Clemson, Alabama, Florida and look as if they won’t make the college football playoffs. Trust me there will be some surprise teams in the playoffs this year. Notre Dame is struggling; UCLA is basically drifting down stream as well Don’t get me started on Oklahoma State. This week looks like there will be some nice match ups to watch. Losing teams will fall into a big hole while the winners will create distance between the two. Let’s take a closer look at this week’s games that I want to take in.
Game Info
#24 TCU Horned Frogs vs Arizona State Sun Devils
Friday – September 24 – 8:00 p.p.
TV: FOX
Mountain America Stadium – Tempe, AZ
#24 TCU has wins over North Carolina, Abilene Christian and SMU so far this season. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover has passed for 1000 yards with 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He will be the catalyst for a Horned Frog victory on the road this week. Arizona State has a good quarterback as well. Sam Leavitt can beat you with his arm and legs. This game will showcase two of the better young quarterbacks in the country. ESPN has this game really close with an edge in favor of the Horned Frogs (50.6%). This game will come down to quarterback play. I’m taking TCU by 6!
Final Score
#24 Horned Frogs – 33
Sun Devils – 27
Game Info
#6 Oregon Ducks vs #3 Penn State Nittany Lions
Saturday – September 27 – 6:30 p.m.
TV: NBC
Beaver Stadium – University Park, PA
#6 Oregon has been on track to get their hands on the national championship trophy this year. The Ducks are 4-0 with wins over Montana State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Oregon State. This week they go on the road to play Penn State. This will be a test to see how good they really are. Penn State is one of those teams that is solid in all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams). This will be a huge test for them as well. ESPN has the Nittany Lions with a 51.1% chance of winning at the home this weekend. I’m taking Penn State by 6. This game will be closer than anyone thinks. The team that creates turnovers and scores off of them will be victorious. I know the Ducks can be explosive on defense and Penn State has a salty defense. I’m going with the Nittany Lions in this by a field goal for the win in the fourth quarter.
Final Score
#3 Nittany Lions – 27
#6 Ducks – 24
Game Info
South Alabama Jaguars vs UNT Mean Green
Saturday – September 27 – 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
DATCU Stadium – Denton, TX
The Mean Green are 4-0 this season. There’s no question that this team is playing some really good ball right now. They beat Lamar, Western Michigan, Washington State and Army. The team is averaging 40 points a game. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is leading the charge with 1,013 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. The defense is only giving up 20 points a game. South Alabama has lost three in a row and will try to change their luck on the road in Texas. ESPN has the Mean Green with a 83.5% chance of winning at home. I’m taking UNT by 14!
Final Score
Mean Green – 27
Jaguars – 13
Game of the Week
#17 Alabama Crimson Tide vs #5 Georgia Bulldogs
Saturday – September 27 – 6:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Stanford Stadium – Athens, GA
I’m sure my remote will be busy switching between this game and the Oregon vs Penn State game… unless I go picture-in-picture. Alabama could be in for a real battle from to start to finish! Alabama lost their first game to Florida State by 14 points. Keep an eye on Bama’s quarterback Ty Simpson. He will be the key for the offense getting the ball into the hands of his play makers. Georgia’s signal caller Gunner Stockton will need to stretch the field against the Alabama’s defense. This game will come down to how well the Alabama offense controls the clock while the Bulldogs try to create turnovers on defense. ESPN has the Bulldogs with a 54.8% chance to win at home. I’m taking the Bulldogs by 6!
Final Score
#5 Bulldogs – 28
#17 Crimson Tide – 22
