Last week’s predictions may have been my best effort thus far: I told you to pick Texas Tech in a game Vegas thought was even; I said Texas wouldn’t cover a 12 point spread; I told you Georgia and Penn State would escape Top 25 matchups; and I even gave you the spread for the FSU/VT game when I said Florida State would win by two scores. (They won 30-20.)

I even let you know USC would win unimpressively, Kentucky couldn’t win in the swamp, and that the heartland (Oklahoma, Tulsa, and TCU) would put up a bunch of points. Now I did miss some games at the back end of the Top 25, but there has been so much movement in the bottom half the past couple of weeks that I don’t know anyone who could have predicted that whole mess.

So what kind of predictions do I have this week? Probably not any good ones, but here they are:

(all rankings from are from The Blue Workhorse College Football Top 25)

#1 Texas at #5 Texas Tech

Texas Tech thrashed Kansas last weekend in what was supposed to be their toughest competition thus far. The Red Raiders will no doubt get a tougher challenge this week when they take on in-state rival and the top team in the nation.

Texas is coming off their third consecutive win over a Top 15 opponent after holding on for a 28-24 win over Oklahoma State. However, Texas led that game 21-7 and had a couple of breaks go their way. Due to the postponement of their game against Arkansas due to hurricanes, Texas will be playing for the seventh consecutive week, and the second half of the Oklahoma State game could be an indicator of some fatigue beginning to creep in.

There will be plenty of offense in this matchup. Texas Tech has continually compiled yards against Texas in the past (having thrown for over 350 yards the past six meetings), and the Colt McCoy-led Longhorns offense is explosive as well. However, the last time the Red Raiders won (2002 in Lubbock), it took a 473 yard, 6 touchdown performance by Kliff Kingsbury to lift Texas Tech to a 42-38 win. Expect Graham Harrell to put up at least 450 yards and 4 or 5 touchdowns as the Red Raiders, thanks to homefield advantage, upset Texas.

#6 Florida vs #8 Georgia

Last year, The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party turned into a showcase game for Knowshon Moreno as he ran for a career high 188 yards and three touchdowns, but no play was as much discussed as his first touchdown. After Moreno lept into the end zone, the entirety of the Georgia team came to assist Knowshon in celebrating. Florida has been using the celebration as motivation with a poster of the event in their locker room and the defense is rumored to have had to do 188 pushups each day during summer workouts (1 for each Moreno rushing yard). The celebration play invoked so much emotion on both sides that this week neither team is even talking about it.

The question is going to be what play will be remembered this year? Will it be another Moreno run? Or a Tebow jump pass? A Percy Harvin dazzling run after the catch? Or a Stafford bomb? An electrifying return by Brandon James? Or a remarkable catch by A.J. Green?

Georgia rolls down to Jacksonville after blowing up LSU in Tiger Stadium while Florida blocked three Kentucky kicks and scored 63 against the Wildcats. The Bulldogs were beat up by an overpowering offensive line earlier this year while Ole Miss slipped by the Gators when Tim Tebow had an off day. So who has the advantage?

I think Florida is playing better football and has more (uninjured) talent. Georgia’s defense has been suspect, but a crucial element of this game could be how much star middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe plays in his return to the field. Ellerbe has been out since the third play of the Alabama game. If Ellerbe is at full strength and plays major minutes, Georgia could easily pull this one out, but my money is on Florida to win and Georgia to cover the 6 1/2 point spread.

#17 Florida State at Georgia Tech

Both the Seminoles and the Yellow Jackets are in contention for division titles within the ACC, but Saturday’s game will go a long way toward determining which of these teams will actually have a chance at the title. Florida State comes into the game having won a cluster of close contests, including coming from behind to defeat Virginia Tech last weekend 30-20.

Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is undefeated this season…well, undefeated against teams not from Virginia. The Jackets are 0-2 against teams from the state of Virginia. Running Paul Johnson’s option attack has been hit and miss thus far. It’s looked nearly unstoppable at times but also at times, it has looked like GT is ill-equipped to run the offense.

The Yellow Jackets will be trying to win for the first time in over 30 years against FSU. A win would be their first since 1975, and their first ever against a ranked Florida State squad. Unfortuntately, for the Jackets, Florida State’s defense has the best athletes and team speed of any team GT has played thus far. Add in the scheming of defensive coordinator extraordinare Mickey Andrews and the option attack gets shut down…Florida State “upsets” the Ramblin’ Wreck (how the #17 team is an underdog against an unranked team I’m still confused about).

Other Top 25 Picks:

  • #2 Alabama was upended by Louisiana-Monroe last year. However, fellow Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State will not have the same luck. The Crimson Tide win but in unimpressive, USC-style.
  • Oklahoma/Nebraska used to be the biggest game in the Big XII every season. Now, it’s just another cake walk for the #4 Sooners.
  • Another “upper-echelon” Pac-10 opponent for #7 USC: Washington. USC beat Washington State 69-0. They probably won’t score 69, but 63 sounds about right.
  • Iowa State’s defense is 102nd in the nation. #8 Oklahoma State’s offense is 6th in scoring. You do the math.
  • #10 Utah travels to New Mexico where the Lobos upset Arizona earlier this season, but don’t expect an upset from them this week. Utah remains undefeated.
  • #11 Boise State will also be in the state of New Mexico where they take on New Mexico State. The Broncos have never lost to NMSU, and this week will be no different.
  • There will be a huge battle in Salt Lake City next Thursday as the #12 TCU Horned Frogs take on Utah. The Horned Frogs, however, have to make sure they aren’t looking ahead when they play UNLV. This week, UNLV loses their 5th straight.
  • #13 Missouri lights up the scoreboard in Waco, Texas.
  • Arkansas holds a 16-game winning streak over #14 Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane break the streak, but it takes a hard fought, close game to do it.
  • Tulane scares #16 LSU, but the Tigers hold on.
  • An easy victory for #18 BYU.
  • Without Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern falls to #19 Minnesota.
  • #22 Michigan State edges Wisconsin.
  • #23 Oregon is knocked off by Cal because of the Golden Bears tough run defense.
  • I’m still not sold on #24 Boston College, but Clemson is really bad. But maybe the return of C.J. Spiller can boost the Tigers.
  • Cincinnati will give #25 South Florida all they can handle. Just like last year, once it started to get a bit cooler, the Bulls did too.

Think I’m crazy? Well, let us know who you think will win in the comments section.

Shotgun Spratling

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