Finally! Some good games in college football. It only took us 4 weeks, but from here on out, we should have some good match-ups. It'll also allow us to know how good teams actually are. We had a bunch of it this week.
What We Learned
Florida State is a worthy pick for a national championship game. After struggling to contain Clemson, EJ Manuel sliced and diced up their fast D. With 380 yards through the air and 102 on the ground, EJ Manuel is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Especially if they can continue to beat good teams remaining on their schedule such as Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida, and then probably Miami or Virginia Tech again in the ACC championship. I'm putting my stock in you, FSU, to take down whichever SEC team makes it to the 'ship.
Wisconsin isn't going to be very good this year. They'll probably beat some teams ranked ahead of them, like Ohio State, Michigan State, or Nebraska. But that doesn't mean they're better, especially without Montee Ball.
The Big Ten is rapidly declining with Michigan State struggling at home against Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin struggling at home against UTEP, Iowa losing at home to Central Michigan, and Illinois taking a pounding at home to Louisiana Tech. Michigan lost to Notre Dame as well. Big Ten teams need to step up in the spotlight. I don't think Michigan State is ready yet, and Michigan isn't either getting slaughtered by Alabama and then losing to the Irish. Wisconsin lost to Oregon State a couple weeks ago, albeit traveling to the west coast for the Beavers first game. Ohio State under Meyer next year I believe will do some great things, but we need someone to step up this year. It's definitely not gonna be Penn State, either. Maybe Nebraska?
The Pac-12 is getting a lot better. That's good, considering they weren't very good over the past few years and really at all if you take out USC over the past 6 years. Stanford seems like it's going to be a solid program despite losing Luck, Harbaugh, and some other NFL draft picks. Oregon is a legit top 5 team; right now I have them at 4. Very nice showing against Arizona, though, who I think is gonna be a decent team this year. The Beavers look good, UCLA looks like it may start to become somewhat relevant, and ASU looks like a pretty good team. Just ask Ute fans.
I've got Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State, Cal, Washington, and Washington State (in that order) in one division and USC, ASU, UCLA, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado in the other. If the middle of the pack can step up, teams like Oregon State, ASU, Arizona, UCLA, Cal, and Utah, that will be what makes this conference a great one in football.
Arkansas at 1-3 was a little overrated to start the season.
The Big East is still horrible. I guess we didn't really "learn" that...
One of the games I almost called out in my big 5 (which I went 5-0 this week) was K-State over Oklahoma. I think the Sooners are a lot of smoke and mirrors, and Carl Landry is a tad overrated due to his inconsistency. The Sooners lost at home. They're officially off my top 10 list. I had them at #10.
Games to Watch This Week
Stanford at Washington. Not so much for Stanford, who I expect to win, but for Washington. This will be a good Pac-12 measuring stick for them.
Baylor at West Virginia. I don't know why the Big Ten didn't pick up West Virginia during the summer of conference realignment, but the Big 12 did and they deserve a prize. This is a good match for a potential top 10 team. Baylor will probably lose, the question is going to be how close it will be.
N. Carolina State at Miami. If Miami expects to compete for a conference title against Florida State, they need to have a statement game. This is it. The wolfpack are on the road and not as talented as the U. Should be a fun game to watch, though.
Tennessee at Georgia. Pretty much every SEC game from here on out will be a good one, but I think Georgia might let this one slip by. Tennessee can also step up to national attention if they beat the Dawgs at home.
Ohio State at Michigan State. If it wasn't for Michigan State sucking it up lately, I would have thought they'd overtake my buckeyes. But now, I'm not so sure. Ohio State hasn't been tested with a team this caliber, but they also play them every year so they're familiar with MSU. The Spartans boast a lot of talent, especially on defense, but Ohio State is the one team that can match them defense for defense. It'll come down to what Braxton Miller and friends can do on offense. The WR's need to step up, especially Brown and Smith. This should make for a very fun game to watch! If anyone wants to find me next Saturday around 1:30, their best bet is in front of a TV.
Oregon State at Arizona. These are 2 teams expected to finish somewhere in the middle, so this game will carry a lot of weight. We haven't seen much of the Beavers, but what we've seen has been good. I think Arizona will bounce back from an abismal showing this past week against Oregon and go 1-1 versus teams from the Beaver state.
Ole Miss at Alabama. First true SEC test. Ole Miss has been resurrected and I think will put up a good fight against a young Alabama team, but I still expect the Tide to roll once again.
My Big 5 Picks
Thanks to last week, my record is now 17-3. Here are my picks this week:
- Ohio State over Michigan State (barely) on the road
- Texas over Oklahoma State on the road
- Tennessee over Georgia on the road
- West Virginia over Baylor
- Virginia Tech over Cincinnati on the road
I didn't pick that many upsets (just 2), but I picked 4 road teams in very close games. We'll see what happens, but whatever does, it'll be fun!
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