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Last week's first half had me a little nervous. Watson's two interceptions weren't pretty. The first was a poor decision and a bad throw by Watson. The second was the result of BC's linebacker absolutely blowing up poor Zac Brooks. DeShaun missed way too many deep throws that could've given us some good separation. After a first half like that, I was afraid that BC would keep hanging around and have a chance at the end. It was nice to come out in the second half, shut down their offense, and have our offense score on three of our first four drives. However, we need to keep improving. Miami has the potential to sneak up on us if we're not careful. They gave Florida State a game, but they also lost to a 3-3 Cincinnati team. We should win and win comfortably, but if we don't come ready to play, we could have our hands full. As we get deeper into the season and deeper into the playoff discussion, even these "should-win" games make me nervous. Quell my fears, Tigers!
#6 Clemson at Miami (FL)
Kickoff at 12:00pm EST
TV: ABC
As for the rest of the schedule, well... it's kind of a snooze fest. Thankfully, we're in the early wave of games because there's nothing else of interest among the early kickoffs. There's only one game featuring two ranked teams all day. A lot of the talking heads are claiming that this will be the weekend for a lot of major upsets. Well, of course, there are upsets every weekend. Whether this weekend will provide the type of mayhem the pundits expect, I'm skeptical. Then again, if I could predict upsets, I'd have a lot more walking around money. As it is, I'll be watching along with everyone else. Here are the games that appeal to me:
Tennessee at #8 Alabama
Kickoff at 3:30pm EST
TV: CBS
The weekly SEC broadcast on CBS is one of the upsets that everyone's favorite ESPN writer, Heather Dinich, is predicting. UT has shown some fight this year, giving Oklahoma and Florida good games in losing efforts. Nothing really stands out about their team to me, but they are able to hang around with the better competition. Alabama still looks like one of the top teams in the nation. I say it every week, but that Ole Miss loss was flukey, and the rest of their resume is strong. The stomping they put on A&M last week put them right back into the playoff discussion. This would be one of the more shocking upsets if UT can find some magic. I don't see it happening though. Bama 42 - UT 20
Texas Tech at #17 Oklahoma
Kickoff at 3:30pm EST
TV: ABC, ESPN2
That Texas loss was a massive shocker to me. Oklahoma hadn't looked spectacular leading up to that, but Texas had looked so bad... I still can't wrap my mind around it. The Sooners took out their frustrations on Kansas State last week. Are they back on track? Or did Texas expose some weaknesses? TCU needed a small miracle to overcome Texas Tech. Baylor stuck it to the Red Raiders, but Tech has been putting up big numbers against pretty much everyone else. With two Big 12 losses, they're probably out of the conference championship discussion already, but they can continue to play spoiler, both to Oklahoma this weekend and Oklahoma St next. The stats and Vegas betters favor Oklahoma by a surprising margin. I'm inclined to follow their lead, but it feels like Texas Tech is due for a big win. I could be off by a week, but I'm calling it. TT 55 - OK 52
#15 Texas A&M at #24 Ole Miss
Kickoff at 7:00pm EST
TV: ESPN
The only matchup of ranked teams this weekend takes us to Oxford, MS. As has been the case for most of my life, the tailgating in Oxford is much more compelling than the play on the field. A few people here at STS called the Memphis upset last week. While I wasn't as confident in that prediction, I was glad to see that I was wrong. I really have no love for Ole Miss. I'm looking forward to seeing them with 4 or 5 losses by the end of the year. Texas A&M, on the other hand, has shown flashes of brilliance. I won't hold the loss to Alabama against them too much, since I think Bama could do that to a lot of people. That being said, I wouldn't have guessed that Kyle Allen would gift wrap so many INTs for the Tide. I think that was an aberration, and that Kyle Allen is a pretty good quarterback. Playing Ole Miss should get him back in the groove. aTm 41 - Miss 23
#3 Utah at USC
Kickoff at 7:30pm EST
TV: Fox
Everyone and their mother is calling this upset. Dinich thinks it's the most likely upset of the weekend. ESPN's predictor is giving USC a 72.1% chance to win. USC is a 3.5 pt favorite, according to the Vegas line. When was the last time the #3 team in the country got this little respect? USC is 3-3. They lost to Washington. Their three wins are against a mediocre Arizona St. team, Idaho, and Arkansas St. They just lost their head coach a little over a week ago. I know they gave ND a good game last weekend, but USC feels like a team that is falling apart while Utah looks like a team that keeps gaining momentum. The lack of respect should only fuel the Utes in this one. Utah may not be able to run the table, but they should win this one. Utes 42 - USC 31
Here's the full schedule. Use responsibly.
ESPN2
(22) Temple
ESPNU
ESPN
(20) Cal
UCLA
Utah State
ABC
(6) Clemson
Miami (FL)
SECN
Auburn
Arkansas
ESPN3
NC State
Wake Forest
(25) Pittsburgh
Syracuse
FS1
Kansas State
Texas
FSN
Iowa State
(2) Baylor
Northwestern
Nebraska
ESPNN
Boston College
Louisville
CBSS
Bowling Green
Wagner
BYU
Buffalo
ABC/ESPN2
Texas Tech
(17) Oklahoma
BTN
Wisconsin
Illinois
Penn State
Maryland
Indiana
Michigan State
(23) Duke
Virginia Tech
CBS
Tennessee
(8) Alabama
Virginia
North Carolina
PAC12
Washington State
Arizona
Missouri
Vanderbilt
Kansas
(14) Oklahoma State
Connecticut
Cincinnati
(9) Florida State
Georgia Tech
UTEP
(15) Texas A&M
(24) Mississippi
(5) LSU
Kentucky
Mississippi State
FOX
(3) Utah
USC
(1) Ohio State
Rutgers
Boise State
Colorado
Oregon State
Washington
(10) Stanford