1.) Hoying 31-7 (4-7 upset)
1.) Schweinfurth 31-7 (2-9 upset)
3.) Seeberg 29-9 (1-10 upset)
4.) Draper 28-10 (2-9 upset)
Thankfully, there a lot of shiny objects to distract us from the massacre that's fixing to take place in Piscataway this Saturday. Playoff contenders in the SEC and B1G face stiff road tests. The B1G pecking order starts to take shape. And...Notre Dame plays a ranked AAC opponent, but I bet they won't win 42-0...
Georgia Bulldogs @ Auburn Tigers
Draper: The Bulldogs have owned the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry for a decent stretch (11 of the last 15 including an SEC championship game). I think we can (hopefully) agree that this is a playoff elimination game. While Auburn may be eliminated already, the Dawgs need to keep winning to make people forget about losing to a 4-6 team at home but that doesn't matter since they're in the SEC....but I digress. Auburn has fought valiantly in their recent big games vs. LSU and UF but come up short whereas UGA took down the Gators and are seeking to show they belong. The Prayer at Jordan Hare is likely etched into the Georiga faithful's minds, but UGA is the better team and I think they stay alive. I think they win closer than the experts think on the leg of Rodrigo. UGA: 20 -- Aub: 17
Hoying: The Buckeyes may have the nation's top scoring defense, but there's one thing they've done that Georgia hasn't: surrender 21 points in a game. The Georgia offense has been sputtering a bit down the stretch, and they have to be kicking themselves that they let Justin Fields get away (for the record, I do not for a moment regret keeping Dwayne Haskins over Joe Burrow). Jake Fromm hasn't been himself lately, outside of a stellar performance against Florida, but do we really think he's going to be outplayed by BoNix? It's not like the Auburn offense has been doing any damage lately either, completely faceplanting against the same Florida team that the Bulldogs were able to dispatch. Yes, the Tiger D is fantastic as well, but this analysis pretty much comes down to my prediction for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party: Georgia's defense is just a little better. The Tigers' schedule continues to do them no favors, nor for potential playoff hopefuls Oregon and Alabama, who would like Auburn to actually win a few of these games to boost their resumes. UGA: 24--Aub: 21
Schweinfurth: BoNix! BoNix? BoNix! Yes, everyone's favorite maddening QB is back this week folks. This is a dude that makes a great play one minute and then facepalm the next. I really only think one of these teams is closer to being ranked correctly and it's not Auburn (although Georgia has looked like poo). This will be a game where Gary Danielson and company throw out the SEC DEFENSES ARE SO GOOD narrative (they're not). I'll flip over every once and a while for a few chuckles. UGA: 17--Aub: 9
Seeberg: Ah yes, here we have two second-tier SE...wait, UGA is #4?? Yikes. Apparently every one-loss SEC team- regardless of to whom the loss occurs- is still a bona fide contenda. Woof. In any event, this one is a tough call. UGA plays some solid D, particularly against the run, yet somehow Jake Fromm seems to have taken a step back for the Bulldogs offense. Still, making Auburn one-dimensional worked for Florida, as relying on Mr. Nix got Auburned (the puns just write themselves) and it's likely to be a similar game plan for UGA. Home crowd should keep it interesting, but just not quite enough for the Tigers, or War Eagle, or...whatever. Woof indeed. UGA: 26--Aub: 20
Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Draper: Here we go Gophers...you wanted a seat, well the table is set. Everything is in front of you and it's time to prove that you belong. I said I wanted to pick the Minnesota upset this week if it was against a nobody, but Iowa is a 'kind-of' nobody. The biggest worry for me and the Gophers should be that this is a game that Kirk Ferentz habitually wins to guarantee another 10 year extension and B1G Coach of the Year. Honestly, Minnesota looked pretty legit last week. Yeah, they caught some breaks, but it wasn't a complete fluke (other than PSU is not as good as everyone thinks). Iowa has struggled of late, and while the defense has been stout, I have no faith in the offense doing anything. You know what, I'm rowing the boat here as the Gophers near the unthinkable and clinch a share of the B1G West with 2 games to go. Minn: 20 -- Iowa: 13
Hoying: This may well be one of the most interesting matchups of the whole year. Can Minnesota prove last week wasn't a fluke by conquering a quality opponent on the road? Can Iowa work their Kinnick magic and finally beat a top team after coming oh-so-close 3 times already? Last week's loss to Wisconsin eliminated the Hawkeyes from title contention (barring Minnesota losing to Northwestern and Wisconsin losing to Purdue and Nebraska, so no) while Minnesota can all but wrap up the West win a win this Saturday. The Gophers forced a few key turnovers to doom Penn State, and that's the recipe for taking down Iowa as well: the Hawkeyes went -3 against Michigan and -2 against Penn State (but +1 against Wisconsin, which allowed Iowa to stay close while getting outplayed). Everything points to a letdown game for Minnesota, and we know that Iowa is where championship chases go to die (sigh), but I really really want to believe in Minnesota to keep rowing the boat after doubting them last week. I just can't bring myself to do it. Just beat Wisconsin, please, Gophers. Minn: 20--Iowa: 21
Schweinfurth: Yes! Probably the most B1G trophy ever created: The Floyd of Rosedale! Who doesn't like watching the victorious team lifting a bronze hog high. Look, Minnesota showed that they can move the ball against a (supposedly) strong defense last week. Penn State had no answer for the quick RPO game the Row Boaters threw out there. Iowa's offense is one dimensional and anemic. This game should include more Goldy head spinning. Minn: 35--Iowa: 14
Seeberg: Ah yes, the massive B1G west clash we all had circled on our calendars this August. Right? RIGHT? Yeah, me neither. The Gophers crack the top 10 for the first time in a couple decades (led by a Buckeye offspring in Antoine Winfield, Jr, naturally) and now head to Iowa whose surprising offensive explosion nearly pulled them even with Bucky's Badgers last week, falling a 2-point conversion short of a likely overtime. Amazingly, this has all the trappings (pun intended) of that Buckeye debacle in Iowa City two years prior, as SkiUMah or whatever they say is coming off their biggest win in a half-century. Sadly for the Gophers, Iowa has the correct recipe to win. Run the ball to avoid INTs that hurt Penn State, force 3rd and longs, etc. Penn State needed turnovers to escape Iowa with an ugly win, and without them, the Gophers' one week in the sun may quickly be enveloped in shadows and another potential undefeated matchup for our Buckeyes goes away with it. Minn: 13--Iowa: 17
Navy Midshipmen @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Draper: I haven't watched a second of Navy football this year so take this with a grain of salt. Navy finally got off the 43 year schnide in 2007 (who hasn't been there) but has won 4 of the last 12! Can they do it again? The big lesson I've learned from my year's of college football fandom is this: "Don't ever....EVER... schedule service academies". When chop-block-o-clock strikes, you never know what will happen. The big question is which Notre Dame will show up; the powerful Irish squad that battled back on the road against UGA or the putrid mess that was stomped by the Wolverines? I'm guessing that Navy's option will muddy things up (as it does) but the Irish simply have too much offense for the Midshipmen to withstand. It's worth nothing that this will mark the end of the Irish's 273 game home sell-out streak. Navy: 28 -- ND: 38
Hoying: What do Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, Gerry Faust, Lou Holtz, Bob Davie, and Tyrone Willingham all have in common? They never lost to Navy. But Brian Kelly has, during that nasty 4-8 season between his two championship appearances with the Irish. Can we expect it to happen again? Maybe. Notre Dame has lost a step since last year's playoff squad. The last time they were in a game of consequence they got demolished by that team up north, which they followed up by darn near losing to Virginia Tech. The offense is OK but inconsistent; the running game and passing game don't work at the same time, and as we saw in the pouring rain in Ann Arbor, Brian Kelly's doesn't quite know how to get an appropriate mix of both. The defense is OK but they're going to have to perform better than usual because (1) Navy is a scoring machine, and (2) the triple option is a nightmare to defend even on a good day. Remember, Notre Dame is the team that let Michigan finally get their rushing attack back on track. Heck with it, I'm calling the upset. Navy: 35--ND: 31
Schweinfurth: Fun fact, Notre Dame is in jeopardy of losing their 272 game home sell out streak this week. Odd considering this is a ranked matchup. Anyway. The last time Notre Dame faced a ranked team who had to primarily run the ball was against the Wolverenies. How'd that work out. I'm not sold on this Notre Dame team at all. Ian Book has looked lost and, again, that defense has not played well. I have a hard time believing the Domers can be disciplined enough to stop the Navy option game. Navy: 28--ND: 27
Seeberg: Not entirely sure what to make of either opponent here. The Golden Domers were flat out embarassed by TTUN while Navy has chugged along admiral-y (see what I did there?) but hasn't played anyone of consequence, save a 12-point loss to Memphis. I expect Navy to be able to move the ball well, but any team that gives up 38 points to Tulane can't win in South Bend, can they? Obviously we'll find out Saturday evening, but my guess is no. ND: 41 -- Navy: 24
Oklahoma Sooners @ Baylor Bears
Draper: After last week's upset in Minneapolis, the Bears own the mantle of undefeated team that no one cares about. The schedule has been putrid all year (outside of a nice win at Kansas State). They luck was with them last week to take down TCU, but this is the week to prove themselves. The Sooners have (for the most part) appeared to be the class of the Big 12, but a loss at KSU and a nailbiter win over Iowa State last week bring the dominance into question. I think you have to lean on the fact that OU has the top 2 players (at the very least) on the field in this game in Jalen Hurts and C.D. Lamb. Both have been phenomenal all year and I expect much of the same in this game. The defense has been touted as improving, but they've been in too many tight games for me to completely buy in. THe Bears run comes to an end with the offensive juggernaut putting the hammer down as Lincoln Riley is wooed to an even greater extent by the NFL. OU: 45 -- Baylor: 20
Hoying: I didn't like Minnesota at #17 in the initial Playoff rankings, but I sort of got it. The Gophers had played an abysmal schedule to that point (kind of like Indiana now, which is why the Hoosiers won't be cracking the top 25 this season). But for the second week in a row, I am scratching my head as to why Oklahoma is ranked ahead of Baylor. What's OU's marquee win again? Texas? Baylor hasn't been beating the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world, but they did have that convincing win over Kansas State. You know, the team that BEAT Oklahoma. How deeply are the Bears feeling that disrespekt this week? Hopefully pretty hard, because they're going to have to do a lot better than their miracle wins over bad West Virginia and TCU teams if they're going to stay close in this one. It feels weird to see Baylor of all teams winning with defense, but it won't be as weird this week, because they're going to lose with defense. The Sooners, like our beloved Bucks, haven't scored fewer than 34 points in a game this year, and I don't expect them to stop now. Yeah, the defense has problems, but Baylor doesn't have the weapons to exploit them. Jalen Hurts gets some time to shine in primetime, hopefully enough to pull a few votes away from Joe Burrow and protect Troy Smith's all-time Heisman voting record. OU: 34--Baylor: 24
Schweinfurth: Baylor has been playing with fire the last two weeks. Bearly (lol) squeaking out wins late with big comebacks. Look, if the Sooner offense gets going, this is ova quickly. There is just too much firepower on the Sooner offense. Ceedee Lamb is going to have a field day and he'll carry Jalen Hurts back into the Heisman (second place) conversation. OU going away. OU: 42--Baylor: 21
Seeberg: To be fair, Baylor, oddly, plays defense all of a sudden which is a massive anomaly in the Big 12. The Sooners, unless the schooner collapses, simply gallop past their opponents on offense. Which squad wins out? Baylor has the confidence but just not the talent. Needing a 51-yard FG to force OT against a middling TCU unit (a game in which they scored 0 TDs in regulation, remember) is not indicative of an offense that can keep pace with OU, regardless of how good the D is. Sooners pull away. OU: 31--Baylor: 16
THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Draper: IT'S BUTTGERS WEEK!! Everyone's favorite time of the year! The serious question that will likely be addressed in the near future (not this year) is: Is it time to start the backups and rest the starters in this game? Last week, the Buckeyes put on a clinic in dismantling the formerly ranked (hey, the committee claims LSU win over top 10 Texas) Maryland in the first half...then proceeded to make it even worse in the second half with all backups. Keep in mind, that Maryland team beat Rutgers by 41. In the words of the great poet Rafi from The League: "This...is gonna get gross". Honestly, what can you say? Fields throws for 2 TDs and rushes for 1 before being pulled. Dobbins has 2 rushing TDs including one of 60+. Master Teague gets in on the action with another 2 TDs behind Chugs in the second half. Also, while this is a dumb call, I'm going to make it. The defense plays with their hair on fire to keep the seat warm for the Predator and pulls off a shutout (it's a dumb call because focus may be an issue, but I'm doing it anyway). OSU: 70 -- RU: 0
Hoying: Fun fact: this is the first team that Ryan Day is facing for
the second time, as Rutgers was part of the 3 game Urban suspension last year.
The Scarlet Knights managed a field goal that day, upsetting my son and making
me question Ohio State's decision to bring on Coach Day as Urban's successor.
Let's hope he's learned his lesson. Here are some more fun facts: the only FBS
team to score 100 points against another FBS team was Houston, against Tulsa,
in 1968. The last team to score 100 points in a game was Rockford College, who
beat Trinity Bible College 105-0 in 2003. The most lopsided game ever was the
Georgia Tech - Cumberland game in 1916, with the Yellow Jackets winning 222-0
(watch this for more information on that massacre). And finally, You-Know-Who beat
Rutgers 78-0 in Piscataway back in 2016, which as far as I could find is the
largest margin of victory of an FBS team over another FBS team since Division I
split into I-A and I-AA back in 1978. Giddy-up. OSU: 79--RSUNJ: 0
Schweinfurth: Buttgers is bad. I mean really bad. I wasn't kidding when I told someone the Buckeyes had 3 bye weeks in a row before Penn State. I'm pretty sure I could play QB and Ohio State would win. The Buckeyes could START the third string and win this one. If you watched last week, this one will look much the same. I know the starters will probably play the whole first half, but it may not be necessary. There is a big part of me that wants to see how many points the Buckeyes can put up in a half. This will look like a video game score in the end. Let's hang the double snow man, why not? OSU: 88--RU: 0
Seeberg: OK, for those unaware, we at Let's Go Bucks log in when we have a spare moment to make our picks. The result is that each week we see varying amounts of our colleagues' choices. This week I'm third in line after Draper and Hoying and their predicted scores for this one made me legitimately laugh out loud. The terrifying part is that neither of them may be that far off. It's an away game, which means that "emptying the bench" only consists of the full 70ish travel squad, not the 85 Buckeyes that saw action against Maryland last week, which resulted in 2! touchdowns for the visiting squad. Still, it's just SO difficult to shut a team out that I'm guessing they'll toss in a mercy field goal against the 2nd/3rd stringers. Keep everyone healthy, and let's get ready for an actually challenging 3-game season to end it. OSU: 73--RU: 3
Upset Special
Draper: UCLA over Utah
Hoying: Nebraska over Wisconsin
Schweinfurth: Indiana over Penn State
Seeberg: Texas over Iowa State
