With another college football weekend coming our way, along comes my hot takes on the obvious winners, competitive matchups, and potential alerts. Before reviewing this week's picks, let's reflect on last week's results.
U Miami vs Florida
First of all, I would like to apologize to the U Miami football team. I was not familiar with the Hurricanes' game. I admit that picking Florida over Miami was a horrible take based on last week's performance. Cameron Ward, who I give the status of a "Prime Time Player," threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns that led the Hurricanes to crush the Florida Gators in a 41-7 victory. I am excited to see what the Hurricanes can do throughout the season. Miami will be facing Florida A&M this Saturday.
Photo Credit: NBC Sports
USC vs LSU
As it was written. Call me Paul Atreides or Lisan al Gaib of College Football because some people called me foolish for picking USC to win over LSU. While it is only their first game of the season, this Trojans team looks better than ever. Their defense seems completely different from last year. Last year, the Trojans allowed 34.3 points per game. Last week, USC only allowed 20 points, which is a good improvement. Also, shoutout to Kyron Hudson for that filthy one-handed catch. While USC looked great last week, the real question everyone is asking is, "Is USC back?" Stay tuned throughout the season to find out.
Boston College vs Florida State
Here at Vintage & Coupe, I am very proud of this prediction. I told you guys that DJ Uiagalelei was not a "Prime Time Player," and his performance proved me right. After seeing Boston College bully FSU, the Seminoles fell off the top 25 and deserve it. I would be embarrassed if I were a fan of FSU, and I probably will never be after that atrocious start of the season. FSU has the off week this year, and they need it. Hopefully, they can figure it out when they face Memphis next week. Is FSU going to get their first win next week? That will be answered in the future.
Photo Credit: Boston.com
Now, let's get into the game picks for Week 2 :
The Obvious Wins:
#8 Penn State vs Bowling Green
Prediction: Penn State annihilates Bowling Green
Reason: After Penn State's performance against West Virginia, I have complete faith in the Nittany Lions destroying the Falcons.
#12 U Miami vs Florida A&M
Prediction: U Miami destroys Florida A&M
Reason: U Miami's performance will look like a cookout at Cameron Ward's house. Ward is going to cook Florida A&M's secondary.
Georgia vs TN Tech
Prediction: Georgia cruises past TN Tech
Reason: After last week's game against Clemson, Georgia proved they're still among the top five college football teams. I do not see Tennessee Tech putting a single point on the scoreboard.
#25 Clemson vs App State
Prediction: Clemson bounces back with an easy victory over App State
Reason: Despite losing against Georgia last week, the Tigers look strong in the first half against a highly dominant Georgia Bulldogs team. I see the Clemson Tigers getting their first win with a dominating victory over App State.
Utah State vs #13 USC
Prediction: USC wins over Utah State
Reason: After USC's upset over LSU, the Trojans' defense and deep-threat offense have looked significantly better than last year. I see USC easily beating Utah State.
Photo Credit: Washington Post
#5 Notre Dame vs Northern IL
Prediction: Notre Dame cruises past Northern IL
Reason: I do not remember a time when Northern Illinois won over a top-25 team, and I do not see it happening now. The Fighting Irish will easily win this game.
#4 Alabama vs South Florida
Prediction: Alabama destroys South Florida
Reason: Despite the new head coach, the Crimson Tide looks great. South Florida has no chance against Alabama.
#6 Ole Miss vs Middle Tennessee
Prediction: Ole Miss dominates against Middle Tennessee
Reason: Ole Miss scored 76 points last week. There is nothing else I need to say.
Competitive Matchups:
Prediction: Texas leaves the Big House with the Big Win
Reason: Now, this will be my favorite game of the week. I have good friends who go to Michigan and are loyal fans. And I am not one of them. Why? Reason One: they're the Houston Astros of College Football, aka they cheated. I do not care if they won last year's national championship; I will never respect that team. Do I actually hate them? No. Is it because my friends go to Michigan and love to mention how great they are? Yes. My second reason is because they're going against my beloved Texas Longhorns. Horns up! After last week's 52-0 victory over Colorado State, the Longhorns will likely steal the win at the Big House. While this may be one of the most entertaining games of the week, Texas has made major improvements from last year, while Michigan's talent has slightly gone down due to graduating students and players entering the draft. This game will either be a defensive battle or an offensive showdown. Either way, I got Texas. Horns up.
Photo Credit: Burnt Orange Nation
Colorado vs Nebraska
Prediction: Colorado wins over Nebraska
Reason: While Nebraska has the new freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola, who's been gaining a lot of attention due to his similarities to Patrick Mahomes, Colorado can beat them again. It is because of the human highlight machine himself, Travis Hunter. Hunter is another player who I would give him the "Prime Time Player" honors. While it will be a close game, I see Travis Hunter having an insane stat line to help the Buffalos win over Nebraska.
#23 Georgia Tech vs Syracuse
Prediction: Georgia Tech wins over Syracuse
Reason: While Georgia Tech did upset FSU, FSU's loss against Boston College revealed that the Seminoles are trash rather than showing that Georgia Tech is a great team. I personally see Georgia Tech as a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC, which is why I do not see their match-up against Syracuse as an obvious win. While I believe Georgia Tech will win, I think Syracuse will be a competitive match-up.
Prediction: Tennessee survives the potential upset over NC State
Reason: Tennessee dominated in their last victory, but I have a weird feeling that NC State could give Tennessee a run for its money. I do not think NC State will upset the Volunteers, but Tennessee will not come out with an easy win.
Boise State vs #7 Oregon
Prediction: Oregon wins over Boise State
Reason: While most people would put Oregon vs Boise State in the "Obvious Win" category, I believe this could be a competitive game. My reasoning is based on the fact that Oregon only beat Idaho with a score of 24-14. I did not know Idaho even had a football team. The fact that Oregon did not blow out this team says something about the team's performance. While Oregon could bring the juice and dominate the game, Boise State could give them a good fight. Overall, I have Oregon coming out with the win.
Potential Upsets Alerts:
Arkansas vs #16 Oklahoma St
Prediction: Arkansas comes out victorious over Oklahoma St
Reason: I'm going to be honest here. I do not care much about both teams. However, I have a voice in my head that keeps telling me that Arkansas will beat Oklahoma State. We all should trust our intuition, so I am sticking with Arkansas to upset the Cowboys.
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