College Football is back! My commentary and hot takes on game days come along with the season returning. College football has many games throughout the week, so I will comment on the games I can watch. I apologize in advance if your favorite team matchup isn’t here. With that in mind, here are my game picks for this week:
The Obvious Wins:
#16 Oklahoma vs Temple
Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners steam rolls over Temple Owls
Reason: I think this one is pretty obvious. Temple is just trash at football. They were 1-7 last year in the AAC conference, which says a lot about the quality of the team. Spoiler alert: they’re a dumpster fire. If I were a sports better, I would put the house on the Oklahoma money line.
Tennessee vs Chattanooga
Prediction: Tennessee beats Chattanooga
Reason: Let's be honest here - no one thinks Chattanooga is beating Tennessee. Tennessee money line to the moon.
Iowa vs Illinois State
Prediction: Iowa is locking up Illinois State
Reason: Illinois State is not going to handle Iowa’s defense. Iowa will look like a prime Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs. I do not think Illinois St will get more than 10 points on Saturday.
#2 Ohio State vs Akron
Prediction: Ohio State destroys Akron
Reason: It’s Ohio State. There is nothing else to say.
#5 Alabama vs Western Kentucky
Prediction: Alabama rolls past WKU
Reason: Bama is not losing at home.
#4 Texas vs Colorado State
Prediction: Texas wins
Reason: After last year's success in winning the BIG 12 title and making it to the College Football Playoffs, Texas will be joining the SEC looking better than ever. I also love Bevo the LongHorn Bull. Horns up!
Ole Miss vs Furman
Prediction: Ole Miss wins
Reason: Ole Miss is getting better and stronger every season. With a winning record of 11-2 last year, I do not see Furman surviving with the win.
#9 Michigan vs Fresno State
Prediction: Michigan’s running game dominates
Reason: The 2024 National Champions will not disappoint college football fans. Fresno State has no chance against the Michigan running game.
Oregon vs Idaho
Prediction: Oregon Dominates
Reason: A team from the Big Sky conference is not beating Oregon. Why would Oregon even agree to put this on their schedule in the first place?
Competitive Matchups:
Prediction: Georgia wins
Reason: Trust me, I love the Clemson Tigers, but I do not see them beating Georgia in my mind. The Georgia Bulldogs are basically an NFL Junior Varsity team. While Clemson could bring the juice on Saturday and create a competitive matchup, I do not see Clemson leaving with the road win.
#19 U Miami vs Florida
Prediction: Florida beats U Miami
Reason: While Miami is ranked #21 in the nation, the Florida Gators are a tougher team based on both teams' records in their conference. Last year, Miami had a 6-5 record in the ACC conference, including losses to teams like Georgia Tech, UNC, NC State, FSU, Louisville, and a bowl game defeat handed to them by Rutgers. When looking at Miami’s records from last season, I do not see them beating the Gators, who have experience playing against powerhouse teams in the SEC. It will be an entertaining game with much tension on the field due to their in-state rivalry.
#8 Penn State vs West Virginia
Prediction: Penn State wins (I’m a little biased)
Reason: While I admit that my decision is biased because I am a Penn State Football fan, I do believe that the Nittany Lions can easily beat West Virginia. However, Penn State is playing at West Virginia which may be a problem since the Mountaineers were 5-1 at home. Looking at their match-up last year with Penn State, destroying West Virginia in a 38-15 victory, I am not too worried about the damage the Mountaineers can do to Penn State’s record.
#7 Notre Dame vs #20 Texas A&M
Prediction: Notre Dame survives against the Aggies
Reason: This might be the third-best game of the week. Notre Dame is playing at Texas A&M, which might allow their A&M atmosphere to mess with the Fighting Irish’s groove. While I am not confident that Notre Dame will cruise past the Aggies, I believe Notre Dame will crawl away with the win with many scratches and bruises.
Potential Upset Alerts
Boston College vs #10 Florida State
Prediction: Florida State finds a way to lose again
Reason: I’m gonna be honest here, DJ Uiagalelei (FSU’s Quarterback) is not a primetime player. Primetime players make primetime plays, and DJ is not one of them. I probably would not have picked Boston College to win if FSU did not lose to Georgia Tech. This might be the second-best game of the week, with both teams throwing back-and-forth punches. I got Boston College winning by a field goal.
Prediction: USC beats LSU
Reason: While some may think this is a horrible take, the people who believe LSU is beating USC have yet to see what the Trojans have been up to this off-season. If you have not seen any Instagram posts about USC’s new training plan already, most players were put on a new one, which made their players look better and stronger than ever. Another reason I picked USC is because of their starting quarterback, Miller “Money” Moss. For those who did not watch last year's Holiday Bowl game, Moss threw for 372 yards and had six touchdowns.
Now that man right there is a primetime player. This will be the number one game of the week. It will be a heavyweight battle with haymakers being thrown back and forth. It will be a high-scoring game, and I got USC winning by a touchdown.
Sign up for the newsletter, and follow Vintage & Coupe on Instagram, Tiktok, and X for updates on College Football matchups, upset alerts, and our curation of the top 25 teams.
