Wow did Ole Miss prove me wrong. Congrats to the Rebels on their impressive upset over the Crimson Tide. Another 3-2 week last week and now without further ado, this weeks picks.
#2 Auburn vs #3 Mississippi St
The game of the week takes place in Starkville Mississippi when Nick Marshall and the Tigers take on Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs.
The Tigers are coming off a 41-7 thrashing of LSU in Baton Rouge and will try and replicate that performance against the Bulldogs on Saturday. Marshall accounted for over 320 yards and four touchdowns against LSU and now has accumulated 12 total touchdowns to only one turnover. Marshall has done a great job getting the ball out to his trio of receivers who each have the ability to take it to the house if they make a defender miss.
Not only has Marshall done a great job through the air, he has also done a great job leading the Tigers spread zone read rushing attack. Both Marshall and running back Cameron Artis-Payne are averaging more than 5 yards per carry leading the Tigers to the 15th best rushing attack in the country. The Tigers will need to run effectively on Saturday to keep the Bulldogs offense on the sideline and limit their opportunities.
If Marshall can protect the ball and get the Tigers offense moving early with the run and get the ball out to his wide receivers in 1 on 1 coverage, the Tigers will be in good position to win in Starkville.
Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs look to continue their impressive run when they take on the Auburn Tigers. Prescott is coming an amazing performance that saw him total over 330 yards and five touchdowns while only throwing six incompletions. Prescott has been on fire all year both through the air and on the ground and is currently the leader for the Heisman in many people's eyes. If the Bulldogs expect to beat the Tigers on Saturday, Prescott will need to put on another performance like last week.
Running back Josh Robinson will look to attack a very stout rush defense and improve on his 7.5 yards per carry average. Much like Marshall and the Tigers, Prescott and the Bulldogs run a spread zone read attack, which has made it difficult for opposing defenses to stop as Mississippi St ranks 14th in rushing yards per game.
Like Auburn, if Mississippi St can get its offense moving early and keep the Tigers offense off the field, the Bulldogs will be in a good position to win this game because neither defense is going to make very many stops in this one.
Prediction: All signs point to Mississippi St winning this game. It's a home game and they have the leader in the Heisman race and an above average defense they will surely win right? Wrong. This game will come down to special teams and a last minute field goal. The Bulldogs have already missed three extra points and have only made two field goals on the year, while the Tigers have made seven including 3 from 40+. This will be the difference in the game.
+Auburn Athletics 45 - +Mississippi State University 42
#12 Oregon vs #18 UCLA
Marcus Mariotta and the Ducks look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they take on the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl.
Mariotta is coming off a subpar performance in which he threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but only had one rushing yard on nine carries and was sacked five times in a 31-24 loss to Arizona. While the Ducks were missing a few guys up front, they didn't play very well up front and couldn't protect Mariotta at all. They will need to play much better on Saturday if they want to beat UCLA.
Much of the Oregon offense the past few years has been based on the run game, but this year they have relied more on Mariotta's arm as they aren't as explosive in the running game as year's past. Running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner will look to get going early as the Bruins give up 158 rushing yards per game on average. For Mariotta's sake, it would be much needed relief if Freeman and Tyner could get the ground game going as Mariotta has taken a plethora of shots of the last two games. Both Tyner and Freeman average over four and a half yards per carry and will look to find some holes up the middle as that's where the Bruins have been vulnerable in the run game.
The question mark for the Ducks is how will their offensive line play? If they can protect Mariotta and open some holes for Freeman and Tyner, they will win this game. If they have trouble stopping the UCLA blitz packages, than they will lose.
The Bruins are also looking to get back on track after losing to Utah last week and are having their own offensive line issues.
Quarterback Brett Hundley is coming off his own so so performance against the Utes in which he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked 10 times against the Utes. He will need to do a much better job of getting the ball out fast and preventing negative plays if the Bruins expect to win on Saturday.
While the Bruins have had some struggles in the run game, one guy who hasn't is running back Paul Perkins. Perkins is averaging over five and a half yards per carry and has reached 100 yards four times this season so far. He will look to have a big performance against the Ducks on Saturday against a team that has struggled in the past to stop the run, but has done a better job so far this year.
As stated earlier, the Bruins offensive line has been absolutely terrible in pass protection. It's amazing that Brett Hundley is still standing after how many times he has been hit this year. For the Bruins to win, they will need to keep Hundley upright and keep the pocket clean for him. If the offensive line can do that, UCLA will win this game.
Prediction: Both offenses will move the ball early but will have drives stall because of sacks. This is going to be a game that is won via halftime adjustments after a close first half. Ultimately, the Ducks will start getting after Hundley with some blitz packages and improve upon their season total of 16 sacks. Despite Hundley's efforts, the offensive line will squander any chance at a comeback. The Ducks get a late fourth quarter score that puts this one out of reach.
+University of Oregon 28 - +UCLA Bruins 17
#9 TCU vs #5 Baylor
Trevone Boykin and the Horned Frogs look to upset another top 5 opponent when they travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears.
Boykin is coming off a spectacular game against Oklahoma in which he accounted for 400 yards and two touchdowns in the upset victory. He will need to play to that level if the Horned Frogs expect to go into Waco and knock off the Bears on Saturday. The last team to beat the Bears in Waco was in fact TCU and Gary Patterson will look to mimic the game plan put in front of him by the Texas Longhorns to try and slow down the Baylor offense.
Boykin and running back B.J. Catalon will look to get the running game going early and often in an effort to keep the Baylor offense on the sidelines. Catalon had an impressive game himself last week totaling over 80 yards and two touchdowns against the tough front seven of the Sooners. If Catalon can find some holes against a banged up Bears defense early on in this game, it will bode extremely well for the Horned Frogs and their attempt to pull of another upset.
The most interesting matchup in this game will be the Horned Frog defense against the Baylor offense. The Bears offense was slowed down for the first time in quite some time last week when they took on Texas Longhorns who threw numerous different coverage schemes at the Bears and forced them to run the ball. Coach Patterson is known for his defensive prowess and will no doubt replicate some of what the Longhorns did last week to slow down Petty and the Bears.
If Boykin can continue to play the way that he has and if the Horned Frog defense can get some pressure on Petty, than the Horned Frogs will have a great chance to pull off the upset in Waco.
Bryce Petty will look to get the Bears offensive attack back on track when they host the TCU Horned Frogs.
Petty is coming off one of his worst starts at quarterback in which he completed only 7 of 22 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Petty will need to play much better if the Bears expect to beat the Horned Frogs on Saturday. Petty will look to get the ball out in space to his plethora of receivers including KD Cannon Jay Lee and Antwan Goodley.
While Baylor has one of the best quarterbacks in the country, it also has a very impressive running game that averages over 247 rushing yards per game. Many would argue that the Baylor rushing attack sets up its impressive passing attack. Running back Shock Linwood has been impressive so far this season already racking up 90 carries for 450 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnny Jefferson has also filled in nicely as Linwood's backup averaging over five yards per carry. If Linwood and Jefferson can get going against a very physical Horned Frog defense, it will make it easier for Petty to get spread the ball around the his weapons on the outside and get the offense clicking early.
A word you never hear come out of Waco is actually happening this year and that is defense. Baylor ranks fourth in total defense, averaging only 267 yards against a game to go along with 12 points per game. This game will be quite the challenge for the Bears not only because this will be the best offense that they have faced, but also because the Bears have some guys banged up from last week that won't be playing at 100%. If the Bears can keep the Horned Frog offense in front of them and force a turnover or two from Boykin, than they will have a great chance to get a statement win and put themselves in contention for one of the four playoff spots.
Prediction: Both teams will look to attack the opposing defenses early, but will have trouble in the beginning. After a feeling out process, the Bears will get on the board through the running game. After successful drives by each offense, the Bears will get another score right before the half to go in front by 10. A critical turnover deep in the Horned Frog territory sets the Bears up for another touchdown drive. Boykin leads the Horned Frogs to two consecutive scoring drives to get within seven, but they fail to recover the onside kick and the Bears run out the clock to win a tight one.
+Baylor Athletics 38 - +TCU Athletics 31
#3 Ole Miss vs #14 Texas A&M
Bo Wallace and the Rebels look to knock off another top 25 team when they travel to College Station to take on the Aggies. Wallace and the Rebels are coming off the biggest win in school history after beating Alabama and will look to continue the momentum this week.
Wallace had one of the best games of his career last week, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns, but most importantly, zero turnovers. If Wallace can play with that kind of efficiency Saturday night at Kyle Field, the Rebels will have a very good chance at pulling off another impressive win.
While the Rebels are not great at running the football, they are efficient and seem to pick up first downs when they really need them via the ground game. Running back Jaylon Walton is averaging over six yards per carry and will look to expose an Aggie defense that gives up 177 rushing yards per game on average.
The biggest matchup in this game will be the Ole Miss defense against the Aggie offense. If the Rebels can put on the kind of performance they did against against Alabama, they will be in good position to knock off the Aggies. It will also be interesting to see how the Rebels handle themselves one week removed after the biggest win in school history.
The Aggies look to right the ship after getting blown out by the Bulldogs in Starkville last week.
Quarterback Kenny Hill was average at best, throwing for 365 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions and two of those touchdowns came in garbage time at the end of the game. Hill will need to make better reads and take care of the football against a stout Ole Miss defense if the Aggies expect to win Saturday night.
One way to make Hill's reads easier is to set up the run game early. Running backs Trey Williams, Brandon Williams and Tra Carson are all averaging almost six yards per carry and they will need to keep the Rebel defense early to open up the throwing lanes on the outside. That will be easier said than done, however, as the Rebels only give up 125 rushing yards per game.
No matter how you slice it, Hill will have to take better care of the football if the Aggies expect to win this game. He will also need to keep drives alive early and often to try and wear out the Ole Miss defense to try and get some deep strikes later in the game. If the Aggies can get some long drives early, and turn them into touchdowns, than they will have a great chance to establish the run later in the game against the Rebel defense and win this game.
Prediction: This will be a tough, gritty kind of game with points being at a premium. Many expect the Aggies to win because of home field advantage and because it is tough to gauge how the Rebels will react after such an incredible win last week. Ultimately, this game will be decided by a turnover by Hill in Aggies territory that will lead to the Rebels pushing to the lead and pulling ahead for good.
+Ole Miss Sports 27 - +Texas A&M University 21
Upset Special:
USC vs #10 Arizona
The Trojans look to regroup after a stunning collapse to Arizona St last week that ended on a completed hail mary.
If the Trojans are going to regroup, it will start with quarterback Cody Kessler. Kessler was kind of pedestrian last week, throwing for 273 yards, but didn't throw for any scores. Kessler will need to do a better job of getting the ball in the end zone against a Wildcat team that can put some points on the board.
Luckily for Kessler, he has a very good running game behind him that can some up the play action in this game. Running back Javorius Allen rushed for 143 yards and two scores last week and has now rushed for over 100 yards in all but one game this season. He will need to continue to find running lanes and attack an Arizona defense that ranks 50th against the run, but more importantly to keep the Wildcat offense on the sidelines.
If the Trojans can run the ball effectively and put the ball in the end zone while at the same time partially slow down the Wildcat offense, than they will have a very good opportunity to pull off the road upset.
The Wildcats are buzzing after knocking off Oregon in Eugene and will look to continue their surprising season when they host the Trojans Saturday night.
Quarterback Anu Soloman has been fantastic in his first year at the helm for the Wildcats, completing 64% of his passes for over 1700 yards and 14 touchdowns. He will look to take advantage of a Trojan secondary that has been exposed at times and can be beat as we saw last week against Arizona St.
Solomon also has a very good rushing attack behind him with running backs Nick Wilson and Terris Jones- Grigsby, together accounting for 841 yards and nine touchdowns. If Wilson and Grigsby can get some success early and get the Trojan defense on its heels, than it could be a very long night for the Trojans as they don't have the offense that can keep up with the Wildcat offense.
The key for the Wildcats will be can they stop the Trojan rushing attack. If they can force the Trojans to be one dimensional, it will play to their advantage because you don't want to get involved in a shootout with the Wildcats. If they have trouble stopping the Trojan rushing attack, than the Wildcats will be in trouble in this game.
Prediction: Both defenses will have trouble stopping each other throughout this game. This will be a high scoring, close game in its entirety that will be decided midway through the fourth quarter. While Solomon and the Wildcats have been great up to this point, this will be the first game with a target on their back as a top team in the country. They have also been very fortunate in games against UTSA and California, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, that fortune will turn tonight with Allen rushing for over 200 yards to help the Trojans pull of the upset win.
+USC Trojans 34 - +Arizona Wildcats 31
Last Week: 3-2
2014 Season: 19-10
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