Andrew: 20-8
Greg: 19-9
(11) Mississippi State at (1)Alabama
Andrew-Kudos to Mississippi State for surprising many in reaching 11 in the national rankings. That of course is due to their 7-0 record including 3 SEC wins so far. None of those wins though were against ranked teams. Their best win was against Tennessee at home. So I can’t imagine them defeating the best team in the nation on the road. Russell and Perkins have been great for the Bulldogs, but Alabama will shut them down. Roll Tide!
Greg-Dan Mullen has really turned the Mississippi State program much quicker than I thought he would. This team is solid running the ball, which unfortunately plays into the strength of Alabama's defense. A.J. McCarron leads the nation in passing efficiency, and is quietly sneaking into the Heisman race. I think Alabama wins this game on talent, and the fact that it's being played in Tuscaloosa only increases their chances.
Greg- Alabama 24 Mississippi State-14
Andrew- Alabama 38, Mississippi State 10
(2) Florida vs (10) Georgia (in Jacksonville)
Andrew-Although I was critical of the BCS last week for putting Florida at two over Oregon (and now KSU is above them too), they are earning it through this brutal stretch of games. Yet again this week they play a formidable foe, this time on the road. Georgia has actually had a great offense scoring nearly 40 a game. The Florida defense however is now their identity and they only allow 12 points per. So something has to give right? I say the score is somewhere in the middle of those numbers, but the Gators keep winning.
Greg-Florida has beaten LSU and South Carolina in consecutive weeks in the Swamp. This game is not being played in Gainesville, but in Jacksonville. Georgia was embarrassed in Columbia against the Gamecocks and will be wanting to get back in the thick of the SEC East Race. I like the Bulldogs in this game to take down FLA even though I think the Gators are very good.
Greg- Georgia 28 Florida 24
Andrew- Florida 28, Georgia 27
(14) Texas Tech at (3) Kansas State
Andrew- I have continued to pick against Kansas State in every big game. But I’m a believer now. Klein is now my choice for the Heisman, even though others (including Seth Doege) are putting up better numbers. The Wildcats will control the tempo and Klein will continue to do his thing. Although if this game was at Texas Tech I’d be tempted to go the other way…
Greg- Bill Snyder's team is exceptionally good this season. Colin Klein is a legitimate Heisman trophy favorite and their defense held West Virginia's offense to 7 points in Morgantown. If there is a team that can slow down Seth Doege and Texas Tech it is Kansas State, and I think they do it this week.
Greg- K-State 35 Texas Tech 20
Andrew- Kansas State 30 Texas Tech 21
(5) Notre Dame at (8) Oklahoma
Andrew-In the comment sections and in conversation I’ve been very critical of Notre Dame. While I admit they have a good defense, I don’t like anything else about them. They have two quarterbacks, which really means they don’t have any; therefore, they have no offensive identity. Their rigid schedule has turned out to be soft. Plus, because of a bogus call (not the goaline call but a PI call they kept last minute drive alive) they beat Stanford. They arguably should have lost another time or two as well. All this leads up to an overhyped team that isn’t as good as their record indicates. I know Greg and I disagree about this but I speak the truth! As I said in the last comment section, Oklahoma wins big.
Greg-This is probably the biggest game of the week, and the most divisive. Most people don't appreciate how good the the Irish defense has been this season,only giving up 5 TDs. For a point of reference, Alabama's defense (which most consider to be the benchmark for defensive excellence) has given up 6. With this game being played in Norman, and the Sooners being 10.5 point favorites going into today, all the pressure is on Oklahoma to win this game against an offensively challenged Notre Dame team. Couple that with the fact that Oklahoma is 1-7 all time against ND (their worst record against any opponent) and the Irish are motivated to prove everyone in the country wrong I see the Irish winning this game.
Greg- Irish-24 Oklahoma-17
Andrew- Oklahoma 24, Notre Dame 10
Andrew’s Upset- (22) Michigan at Nebraska
Both of these teams have disappointed Big Ten fans this season (myself included). I expected Taylor Martinez and Denard Robinson to have big years, but they have just been okay. But I think both teams are starting to play better football. I pick Nebraska in this game because I like how they play at home (4-0). I think it’s a low scoring game that Nebraska wins in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska 20, Michigan 17
Greg's Upset- (7) Oregon State at Washington
I love the Oregon State story here. They're pumped up in Corvallis- and rightly so because they have a good team for the first time in a decade there. However, the Beavers will trip up at some point this year, and Washington is a tough place to play. Steve Sarkisian will have the Huskies ready to play and in a thrilling OT game they take down Oregon State.
Washington 42 OSU 39 (OT)
Looks like I was right today,and especially much smarter than Andrew when it came to Notre Dame,as they trounced Oklahoma in the second half of their game. Maybe Andrew should just recognize that I'm always smarter than him when it comes to sports. -Greg
ReplyDeleteAs I said all week, I doubted Notre Dame. And I was wrong. I was impressed and now I believe. I guess I view them like the 2006 Bears that went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Colts. Both teams are led by a great defense that controls the game. The offense is inconsistent, but they get the job done. Seeing how USC isn't looking as dominant as we thought, I can see ND winning out and making it to National Championship Game (if they can get past K-State in the standings)... but then they will lose to Alabama.
ReplyDeleteProblem for Notre Dame and the national championship is two-fold:
ReplyDelete1. The Big Ten sucks, and therefore every Saturday, what looked like quality wins for ND get worse and worse (Mich, MSU, Purdue).
2. Not only is K-State in front of ND, Oregon will jump them too if they win out, and Oregon will have chances to trounce teams that ND play. If Oregon crushes Stanford and USC, then ND's close OT win doesn't look as good. ND needs Oregon and K-State to lose. Or Alabama...
Again, I agree with Matthew here, even though I am an ND fan. Fact is, you play the schedule that you have, and ND has a good chance,now that they've beaten Oklahoma, to go undefeated. However, wins over Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC are all quality wins(AND tougher than what Oregon has had to play in the Pac-12). K-State has a chance to run the table and is already ahead of ND in the standings.
ReplyDeleteOregon has to win out, beat Stanford and USC, then play one of them again in the Conference Championship game to win out. They have many more opportunities to stumble than ND does.
Andrew- you sat there on your floor on Saturday morning and told me that you couldn't wait to text me and tell me how much Notre Dame sucked after they got blown out by Oklahoma, so don't tell me "I said I'd believe" to try and get out of all the trash you talked.
I'm not getting out of it. I'm eating humble pie and admitting I was wrong about ND. Want more than that?
ReplyDeleteI always want more. That's what gets me in trouble.
ReplyDelete