Friday, October 23, 2015

Watch Guide: Week 8

Sean: 28-11   JK: 18-22

This week is a pretty lame slate of games with only one top 25 matchup, but it opens the door for a lot of upsets. Despite this, Chris Fowler presented an interesting stat that foreshadow a potentially crazy day of football:
Of the 18 ranked teams playing unranked teams this weekend, 11 are either playing a team with a winning record or playing as the visiting team. (Upset Saturday?)

Timmy Jernigan's Twitter bio simply reads, "Grown man."


#6 Clemson (6-0) at Miami (4-2) 12:00 ABC
Miami has a chance for a huge, season-saving upset Saturday. They have the quarterback and weapons around him to pull it off, but Clemson's defense is one of the best in the nation. This will likely be the best passing attack that the Tigers have faced this season. If Kayaa and the Hurricanes can get their run game going against this stout Clemson defense, this game could turn into a thrilling shootout that could change the landscape of the ACC.
JK: The fighting Dabos  Sean: Clemson

Texas Tech (5-2) at #17 Oklahoma (5-1) 3:30 ABC/ESPN2
The Red Raiders are 2nd in passing and 3rd in scoring in the nation. They lost to TCU by 3 just over a month ago and if their offense comes out hot, they have a real chance to completely knock Oklahoma out of Playoff contention. Baker Mayfield and the boys erased their embarrassing loss to Texas, blanking Kansas State (a respectable team) 55-0 last week. If they can keep this momentum rolling, this game will be over by halftime but look for this game to be a shootout that goes into the fourth quarter.
JK: Oklahoma   Sean: Oklahoma

Washington State (4-2) at Arizona (5-2) 4:00 Pac-12 Network
Both of these teams are flying under the Pac-12 radar but still have a shot at titles in their respective divisions. Arizona is kinda back in business now that starting quarterback Anu Solomon has re-entered the lineup after suffering a concussion a few weeks ago. Both teams are averaging over 485 yards per game and giving up over 415 yards per game. The over/under for this game is currently at 74.5 which, to me, is low because this has some serious shootout potential
JK: Arizona   Sean: Arizona

#9 Florida State (6-0) at Georgia Tech (2-4) 7:00 ESPN2
Georgia Tech has been the ACC's biggest disappointment of 2015. They've dropped five straight games, but if you look deeper, the teams they have lost to have a combined record of 27-4. After they play us, they will have played the 5 best teams in the conference and Notre Dame all in a row (here's a middle finger for you, Miami). The rambling wreck isn't as much of a wreck as you might have thought. Their running game is still a huge threat, especially with the injury issues the 'Noles are having on defense (Terrance Smith, Tyler Hunter both expected to be out). On the other side of the ball, Georgia Tech's defense is a disaster and FSU's offense has been rolling lately.
JK: FSU   Sean: FSU obvi

#15 Texas A&M (5-1) at #24 Ole Miss (5-2) 7:00 ESPN
Both teams are coming off of big losses. Ole Miss' season seems to be falling apart at the, well, seams and A&M realized it's not the elite team it thought it was after being beat down by a pissed of Alabama team. Both of these teams have electric offenses and inconsistent defenses. Aggie quarterback Kyle Allen had the worst game of his career, his first game with multiple interceptions (all three of which were pick-sixes), last week. He'll be looking to rebound against a secondary that gave up 384 yards to Memphis a week ago. Look for this game to be another 4th-quarter shootout. All-American candidate defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is probable for this game.
JK: Ole Miss if Nkemdiche plays.   Sean: Ole Miss

Western Kentucky (6-1) at #5 LSU (6-0) 7:00 ESPNU
The Hilltoppers are having an impressive season but have only beat one Power 5 team (2-4 Vanderbilt). Their passing offense is ranked 3rd in the nation and they average the 6th most points. That's all good and well but they are 89th in rushing defense, something the Heisman front-runner Leonard Fournette is licking his chops over. If WKU can score on LSU's defense, this could be the weekends biggest upset but Fournette will likely have another double century game.
JK: LSU   Sean: LSU

Kentucky (4-2) at Mississippi State (5-2) 7:30 SEC Network
Dak Prescott is quietly having a superb year and enters this game riding a 274-attempt interception-less streak dating back to 2014. The Bulldog quarterback has accounted for 15 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 total yards. Kentucky on the other hand is coming off of a home loss by three to Auburn and if they want to stay in the hunt for the SEC East they have to win this game. Also, while I'm looking at it, Kentucky probably has the easiest schedule in the SEC, playing only two ranked teams in Florida and Georgia.
JK: Mississippi State   Sean: Same

#3 Utah (6-0) at USC (3-3) 7:30 FOX
USC continues to be college football's #1 dumpster fire program, still edging out Texas at this point in the season. That being said, their offense is still extremely dynamic led by the 9th-rated passer Cody Kessler (17 TD, 5 Int this season). Utah continues its extremely stellar season, impressive win after impressive win. Despite this, the Utes are a 3.5-point underdog at Southern Cal this weekend. UPSET ALERT.
JK: Utah  Sean: Utah

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com

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