Standings:
1.) Draper 17-3 (0-4 upset)
2.) Hoying 16-4 (1-3 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 14-6 (1-3 upset)
3.) Seeberg 14-6 (0-4 upset)
2.) Hoying 16-4 (1-3 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 14-6 (1-3 upset)
3.) Seeberg 14-6 (0-4 upset)
The ranks of the undefeated continue to dwindle as the Playoff picture continues to take shape. Just kidding, it's going to be Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and the yearly rotating hapless sacrificial team. But since we have to play out the farce, this week we travel from Atlantic to Pacific (gee, the football is terrific) and down to Dixie's sunny shore on the Gulf Coast, where three pairs of teams put their perfect records on the line to chase the Big Three.
FRIDAY
Washington Huskies @ California Los Angeles Bruins
Draper: A nice little battle of unbeatens to start the weekend. Washington has surprised with a win over underwhelming MSU, but a win is a win and Michael Penix has the Huskies making a little noise in the Pac12. While I (like the rest of the world) have watched very little Pac12 football, this could be a fun back and forth game with Chip Kelly turning the knobs on the Bruins sideline. In a matchup of fairly even teams, I tend to lean on the home field advantage. After seeing the 'packed houses' the Bruins have been trotting out in the Rose Bowl, the advantage should go to UW. Penix shows that B1G castoffs thrive in other conferences (see Joe Burrow). UW: 37--UCLA: 27
Hoying: Is the Chip Kelly experiment finally working in Los Angeles? For the first time in 5 years, the Bruins have started the season 4-0. Yeah, they played a Michigan-esque schedule to get there (not a coincidence: both these schedules suck because Michigan decided to dodge a home-and-home with UCLA starting this season), but better to beat bad teams than lose to them (just ask Texas A&M and Miami). Their purple opponents have already made one appearance on Let's Go Bucks! during this short season on their way to throttling Michigan State, who, newsflash, might not be any good either. But the Huskies have won comfortably in each of their 4 matchups so far this year behind the nation's most prolific pass offense. UCLA has been fine on pass D but they haven't seen anything like what the Huskies are cooking up behind Michael Penix & friends. USC will get their monster matchup later this season, but it'll be in Vegas, not in Los Angeles. UW: 37--UCLA: 31
Schweinfurth: This should be a fun late Friday night tussle. Just for kicks, I pulled up some of the season stats and these two teams are the same. Almost the same average score, same total yards, same points allowed, same yards allowed. This could be a full on offensive onslaught as both teams average over 40 points a game. Washington, to this point, has played the tougher schedule and Michael Penix, Jr. is off to a great start. It just all seems to be in alignment for the Huskies this year. UW: 42--UCLA: 38
Seeberg: Well look at that, UCLA is undefeated! That record includes a miraculous escape against South Alabama. Take away the cardinal direction and that would be impressive. With it? Not so much. Nearing South Central Louisiana State territory (I'll take a Scotch and water, hold the Scotch). Regardless, Wash U comes to town and will enjoy playing in front of dozens of people I'm sure. Penix has not been sacked yet this season. That's key not only for his effectiveness but also to keep his injury-prone self upright and available week by week. The Bruins may get him on the ground, but my guess is it won't be often enough. Huskies keep rolling. UW: 41--UCLA: 27
Hoying: Is the Chip Kelly experiment finally working in Los Angeles? For the first time in 5 years, the Bruins have started the season 4-0. Yeah, they played a Michigan-esque schedule to get there (not a coincidence: both these schedules suck because Michigan decided to dodge a home-and-home with UCLA starting this season), but better to beat bad teams than lose to them (just ask Texas A&M and Miami). Their purple opponents have already made one appearance on Let's Go Bucks! during this short season on their way to throttling Michigan State, who, newsflash, might not be any good either. But the Huskies have won comfortably in each of their 4 matchups so far this year behind the nation's most prolific pass offense. UCLA has been fine on pass D but they haven't seen anything like what the Huskies are cooking up behind Michael Penix & friends. USC will get their monster matchup later this season, but it'll be in Vegas, not in Los Angeles. UW: 37--UCLA: 31
Schweinfurth: This should be a fun late Friday night tussle. Just for kicks, I pulled up some of the season stats and these two teams are the same. Almost the same average score, same total yards, same points allowed, same yards allowed. This could be a full on offensive onslaught as both teams average over 40 points a game. Washington, to this point, has played the tougher schedule and Michael Penix, Jr. is off to a great start. It just all seems to be in alignment for the Huskies this year. UW: 42--UCLA: 38
Seeberg: Well look at that, UCLA is undefeated! That record includes a miraculous escape against South Alabama. Take away the cardinal direction and that would be impressive. With it? Not so much. Nearing South Central Louisiana State territory (I'll take a Scotch and water, hold the Scotch). Regardless, Wash U comes to town and will enjoy playing in front of dozens of people I'm sure. Penix has not been sacked yet this season. That's key not only for his effectiveness but also to keep his injury-prone self upright and available week by week. The Bruins may get him on the ground, but my guess is it won't be often enough. Huskies keep rolling. UW: 41--UCLA: 27
SATURDAY
North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Clemson Tigers
Draper: Both of these teams have been fighting the 'are they reeeeally any good?' tag all year. Clemson was the supposed #4 team, but has struggled of late while preseason hopes abounded in Raleigh to almost be silenced in week 1. I really don't know how this one shakes out as I don't trust either team. I'm pretty confident that the best unit in the game is the Clemson defense and a big game in Death Valley is a tall order no matter the Tigers' strength. Gut tells me to lean on those that have been there before. Clemson pulls out a close win before facing the ACC Atlantic juggernaut in FSU. NCSU: 17--Clem: 20
Hoying: Across the college football landscape, the quality teams are concentrated in three divisions: the Big Ten East, the SEC...East? (no, really), and the ACC Atlantic. It seems like every week the Clemson Tigers are forced to prove themselves worthy of a return to the Playoff path by beating some undefeated upstart trying to deny them the Atlantic crown for the second consecutive season. After last week's fireworks show against Wake Forest, it's time to dial it down for a team that seems to be out-Clemsoning the Tigers this season. The Wolfpack may have had trouble containing East Carolina in the second half in Week 1, but they sure didn't allow whatever the heck happened to Clemson last week in Winston-Salem. The good news for the Tigers is that their offense showed its first signs of life in the post-Trevor Lawrence world in eking out a win against Wake. I think the Tigers remain vulnerable this season and I see them dropping a game at some point (a visit to Tallahassee is imminent), but home field tilts this just too far away from NC State for them to score the upset this time. NcSt: 20--Clem: 21
Schweinfurth: What will the weather look like for this game? We've seen games played at Clemson in a tropical storm before and it was something to behold. NC State has a defense with a pulse, and DJ has struggled at times. I expect this game to be low scoring. I really don't trust DJ to make the game winning play. Wolfpack win. NCST: 13--Clem: 10
Seeberg: Well Clemson has looked downright borderline competent on offense of late. Then again, Wake Forest carved them up to the tune of 38 points in regulation before ultimately falling in double OT last week. Another road test for the Tigers this week but let's face it, the Wolfpack haven't won a big game since...Jim Valvano was running around searching for someone to hug. And remember, this is a team that had Philip Rivers 20 years ago and Russell Wilson 10 years ago. Rivers lost in triple OT in the 'Shoe while Wilson transferred to that noted QB haven *checks notes* Wisconsin?? Yikes. The Tigers may well slip up somewhere, but it won't be here, hurricane or not. Clem: 20--NCSU: 13
Hoying: Across the college football landscape, the quality teams are concentrated in three divisions: the Big Ten East, the SEC...East? (no, really), and the ACC Atlantic. It seems like every week the Clemson Tigers are forced to prove themselves worthy of a return to the Playoff path by beating some undefeated upstart trying to deny them the Atlantic crown for the second consecutive season. After last week's fireworks show against Wake Forest, it's time to dial it down for a team that seems to be out-Clemsoning the Tigers this season. The Wolfpack may have had trouble containing East Carolina in the second half in Week 1, but they sure didn't allow whatever the heck happened to Clemson last week in Winston-Salem. The good news for the Tigers is that their offense showed its first signs of life in the post-Trevor Lawrence world in eking out a win against Wake. I think the Tigers remain vulnerable this season and I see them dropping a game at some point (a visit to Tallahassee is imminent), but home field tilts this just too far away from NC State for them to score the upset this time. NcSt: 20--Clem: 21
Schweinfurth: What will the weather look like for this game? We've seen games played at Clemson in a tropical storm before and it was something to behold. NC State has a defense with a pulse, and DJ has struggled at times. I expect this game to be low scoring. I really don't trust DJ to make the game winning play. Wolfpack win. NCST: 13--Clem: 10
Seeberg: Well Clemson has looked downright borderline competent on offense of late. Then again, Wake Forest carved them up to the tune of 38 points in regulation before ultimately falling in double OT last week. Another road test for the Tigers this week but let's face it, the Wolfpack haven't won a big game since...Jim Valvano was running around searching for someone to hug. And remember, this is a team that had Philip Rivers 20 years ago and Russell Wilson 10 years ago. Rivers lost in triple OT in the 'Shoe while Wilson transferred to that noted QB haven *checks notes* Wisconsin?? Yikes. The Tigers may well slip up somewhere, but it won't be here, hurricane or not. Clem: 20--NCSU: 13
Kentucky Wildcats @ Ole Miss Rebels
Draper: Is Kentucky for real? in football???? They do sport the best player on the field in Will Levis, but Ole Kiffikins has the Rebs undefeated after games against paper bags. The Kentucky win over Florida is by far the best resume builder on either roster, but road wins in the SEC are really tough (unless you're Bama). Now, it needs to be noted that the Wildcats took down the Mighty Gators in the Swamp, but do they have 2 big road wins in them? Kiffin challenged the crowd in a press conference this week, but even with UK in the top 10....it's still UK. Regardless, I'm going to stick with some regression to the mean and deviate from my peers. The Rebels and USC transfer Jaxson Dart cement the SEC West dominance over the 2nd/3rd best SEC East team with a win. UK: 27--Miss: 30
Hoying: You think these teams were looking forward a bit to this game? Each of them squandered double-digit leads against questionable competition last week to win by a single score each. Kentucky survived due to the play of their QB, while Ole Miss prevailed despite the state of their passing game. We've come a long way since Matt Corral. This year's Rebels rely more on the rushing game; they're the nation's only team with two RBs with 300 yards each (other than our own Pop and Chop). UK didn't really let Florida do anything against them in their single marquee matchup this season, but it's not like the the Wildcats are moving the ball with aplomb either, and that's bad news against an especially stingy Rebel defense. Nevertheless, the Cats' big game experience and star QB power are enough to snag a rare road win against the SEC West. UK: 27--Miss: 24
Schweinfurth: Kentucky is battle tested so far, pulling of the big win at Florida in week 2. Ole Miss really hasn't played anyone to this point. Kentucky can win comfortably if Will Levis can limit the turnovers. And one thing you don't hear about is the Ole Miss D. UK: 35--Ole Miss: 24
Seeberg: For the first month of the season, the Runnin' Rebs schedule has rivaled that of Michigan. That's to say it's awful. An 8-point win over Tulsa is their closest bout to date. I'm not convinced either of these teams is a contender, but I do know the Wildcats have by far the best win of either team. Kiffin might try to outscheme Stoops, but his disciplined D should do just enough to escape with a for-the-moment good road win. UK: 34--Miss: 27
Hoying: You think these teams were looking forward a bit to this game? Each of them squandered double-digit leads against questionable competition last week to win by a single score each. Kentucky survived due to the play of their QB, while Ole Miss prevailed despite the state of their passing game. We've come a long way since Matt Corral. This year's Rebels rely more on the rushing game; they're the nation's only team with two RBs with 300 yards each (other than our own Pop and Chop). UK didn't really let Florida do anything against them in their single marquee matchup this season, but it's not like the the Wildcats are moving the ball with aplomb either, and that's bad news against an especially stingy Rebel defense. Nevertheless, the Cats' big game experience and star QB power are enough to snag a rare road win against the SEC West. UK: 27--Miss: 24
Schweinfurth: Kentucky is battle tested so far, pulling of the big win at Florida in week 2. Ole Miss really hasn't played anyone to this point. Kentucky can win comfortably if Will Levis can limit the turnovers. And one thing you don't hear about is the Ole Miss D. UK: 35--Ole Miss: 24
Seeberg: For the first month of the season, the Runnin' Rebs schedule has rivaled that of Michigan. That's to say it's awful. An 8-point win over Tulsa is their closest bout to date. I'm not convinced either of these teams is a contender, but I do know the Wildcats have by far the best win of either team. Kiffin might try to outscheme Stoops, but his disciplined D should do just enough to escape with a for-the-moment good road win. UK: 34--Miss: 27
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ THE Ohio State University Buckeyes
Draper: Schiano has started a little resurgence in the Scarlet Knights to the great 2006 team. Unfortunately....they're not close. It's hard to write a snipper about a game in which I don't expect anything surprising to happen. Complacency is the enemy here (and it is real), but I can't envision enough of a letdown for this to swing to Buttgers. This is a great opportunity for the defense to continue to work the young corners into the rotation and for CJ to continue to pad some numbers with a big 1st half. Bucks score early and often and Rutgers.....doesn't. RU: 10--OSU: 63
Hoying: I don't really have anything interesting to say about this game. Rutgers just got blown out by a team without a working offense, and the Buckeyes are working their way into 2019 form. Name your score. And it's not going to get much better going forward. The Buckeye schedule seems to have two real teams (Penn State and TTUN), three possibly OK teams (Iowa, Michigan State, and Maryland), and three candidates for MAC relegation (Indiana, Northwestern, and the team at hand). In seasons like this, you're not happy unless you blow out every team in the latter two sets. You're happy with any win over the big boys, but it's going to be another month until the Bucks get a chance to make State College, PA unhappy. Whom are the Buckeyes playing this week again? Oh yeah, Buckeyes by a million. RU: 3--OSU: 59
Schweinfurth: Ahh, time for the annual Rutgers sacrifice. This game is routinely out of hand early and never very close. While Greg Schiano has brought back the swagger he had on his first stint, he is still punching up about 3 weight classes here. This is set up for Stroud to start off something like 10 for 10 passing and Miyan and TreVeyon going for 100 yards each again. Watch out for the kitchen sink play calling by Rutgers, but that's a known quantity now. Bucks win easily. Just stay healthy. RU: 13--OSU: 56
Seeberg: Barring injury or the Buckeyes beating themselves with penalties and turnovers, there's just no stopping the offense this year. Remember, the best WR in the country has been absent nearly the entire year- and he won't be needed for this one either. The Knights may regain some semblance of credibility under Schiano again, but the only scarlet that matters in this matchup is the scarlet and gray. Stay in rhythm, stay healthy, and keep hanging half a hundred on conference foes. RU: 17--OSU: 59
Hoying: I don't really have anything interesting to say about this game. Rutgers just got blown out by a team without a working offense, and the Buckeyes are working their way into 2019 form. Name your score. And it's not going to get much better going forward. The Buckeye schedule seems to have two real teams (Penn State and TTUN), three possibly OK teams (Iowa, Michigan State, and Maryland), and three candidates for MAC relegation (Indiana, Northwestern, and the team at hand). In seasons like this, you're not happy unless you blow out every team in the latter two sets. You're happy with any win over the big boys, but it's going to be another month until the Bucks get a chance to make State College, PA unhappy. Whom are the Buckeyes playing this week again? Oh yeah, Buckeyes by a million. RU: 3--OSU: 59
Schweinfurth: Ahh, time for the annual Rutgers sacrifice. This game is routinely out of hand early and never very close. While Greg Schiano has brought back the swagger he had on his first stint, he is still punching up about 3 weight classes here. This is set up for Stroud to start off something like 10 for 10 passing and Miyan and TreVeyon going for 100 yards each again. Watch out for the kitchen sink play calling by Rutgers, but that's a known quantity now. Bucks win easily. Just stay healthy. RU: 13--OSU: 56
Seeberg: Barring injury or the Buckeyes beating themselves with penalties and turnovers, there's just no stopping the offense this year. Remember, the best WR in the country has been absent nearly the entire year- and he won't be needed for this one either. The Knights may regain some semblance of credibility under Schiano again, but the only scarlet that matters in this matchup is the scarlet and gray. Stay in rhythm, stay healthy, and keep hanging half a hundred on conference foes. RU: 17--OSU: 59
Upset Special
Draper: Texas Tech over Kansas State
Hoying: Purdue over Minnesota
Schweinfurth: Iowa over Michigan
Seeberg: Oregon State over Utah
