NBA SEASON PREVIEW

It seems like yesterday that Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving rose up over MVP Steph Curry, and drained a series clinching 3 pointer to complete the 3-1 comeback over the Golden State Warriors in game 7 of the NBA finals. I still remember that shot and how great it was and how it ended over 40 years of suffering for the city of Cleveland. Tomorrow the Cavaliers take the court again to receive those rings as the 2016-2017 NBA season begins. I can’t wait for this season! So many storylines after a HUGE free agent offseason. I know a lot of people said this season would be boring and the Cavs and Warriors would walk back to the finals, but I think there’s a lot more to be determined. When I was putting this season preview together, and making my picks for who wins what this year, I definitely came across many teams and players I’m looking forward to seeing on the court.

Season Predictions

Western Conference Finals

Golden State Warriors VS Los Angeles Clippers

Golden State in my mind is a LOCK to make it back to the NBA Finals. With the addition of Kevin Durant added to the mix of 2 time MVP Steph Curry, sharpshooter Klay Thompson, and do it all Draymond Green, no one should question this. They have all the talent in the world and got younger at center by adding Zaza Pachulia. There is not a hole on this team. Not only are they a team that can score and score fast, but they can also lock down defensively. I expect Klay Thompson to continue his rise. As he said, he’s not changing his game. With that mentality, and the talent across the board, it’d be more than shocking if the Golden State wasn’t there in the end.

Is this going to finally be the year of the Clippers? I admit, its tough picking a team with Doc Rivers as a coach to go to the conference finals. But it’s undeniable the talent on the roster. If Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can stay healthy this year, they definitely have a legitimate shot. And hopefully Griffin can keep his hands to himself off the court as well! JJ Redick is quietly one of the best shooting guards in the league and he keeps getting better every year, and who knows, maybe DeAndre Jordan picked up an offensive move or 2 in the offseason. I think the Clippers will have the talent to compete, but still won’t win more than 2 games against the Warriors. 

Sleeper Pick**

Portland Trailblazers

How do you become a sleeper? By having 2 dogs in your backcourt and that’s what Portland has in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has already said he could see Dame winning the MVP this year which is saying something. Dame and CJ are 2 guys who are more than capable of getting 30 on any given night, and luckily they don’t have to do it alone. Portland resigned Allen Crabbe and signed Evan Turner as well. Both should be major contributors this year and I really like the rotation of bigs Portland will employ. They definitely have a shot to upset a couple teams in the playoffs. 

Eastern Conference Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers VS Boston Celtics

As long as Lebron and Kyrie are still wearing Cavs uniforms, they will continue to have a spot in the Eastern conference finals. The Cavs bring back just about everyone who was a major contributor and look to be ready to repeat. It took awhile (like 2 weeks ago), but they even resigned JR Smith! Cleveland does have a question mark. After the loss of Matthew Deladova, who signed with Milwaukee, backup court point guard has to be a question on head coach Tyronn Lue’s mind. Now, clearly Kyrie is a top notch PG but with his injury history and the goals the Cavs have this season, he will need his rest and I don’t think Kay Felder is the guy who can hold that spot down. But none of this will matter, because you still have Lebron who can always be your backup for any position. Cleveland needs to be better defensively this year, especially on opposing point guards but they can still shoot with the best of them.

Just as I picked the Clippers in spite of their coach, I’m picking Boston because of their coach.. Brad Stevens has quickly made a name for himself in the league as one of the best coaches in the league! His X and O’s are 2^nd to a few and I look for that to even get better. They acquired All Star Al Horford which should help them with a lack of inside scoring and I expect Isiah Thomas to continue to get better and lead this team. There has been talk about the improvement of Marcus Smart and I think that will be huge for Boston. When you’re playing a guy like Kyrie, you guys like Smart and Avery Bradley who can at least compete. Unfortunately it won’t be enough.

Sleeper Pick**

Indiana Pacers

I think Paul George is guy who can win the MVP award this year and is the type who can truly carry a team. His will is something that can’t be questioned after he played every game last season, a year after a horrific leg injury. Jeff Teague comes home to Indy and is ready to be the point guard that George Hill couldn’t be. Monta Ellis still there and although it will take time for he and Teague to gel, if it works, it could be special. The acquisition of Al Jefferson also gives them a proven scorer on the inside which they haven’t had in years. Myles Turner showed flashes last year and Thaddeus Young should be a really good stretch 4 option as well. If all the pieces on this roster play to their ability, the Pacers could definitely surprise someone.

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MVP

       Paul George

      James Harden

       Kyrie Irving

ROY

       Brandon Ingram

       Joel Embiid

       Kris Dunn

Defensive Player of the Year

       Paul George

       Dwight Howard

       Kawhi Leonard

Most Improved Player

       Devin Booker

       Rodney Hood

       Jabari Parker

6^th Man of the Year

       Allen Crabbe

       Stanley Johnson

       Brandon Jennings

Coach of the Year

       Terry Stotts

       Tyronn Lue

       Brad Stevens

As you can see, I expect Paul George to have a HUGE year! Luke Walton said Brandon Ingram would have to earn his minutes and I don’t doubt for a minute that he will. My sleeper team in Portland is another team I can’t wait to see. They paid Allen Crabbe a lot of money this offseason and he should be ready to show us why! All in all, I can’t wait for tonight when the season begins! It isn’t just all Warriors and Cavaliers. There are a lot of teams and players that can straight up ball! Tomorrow they can start giving us a reason to believe that. 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL REVIEW AND THIS WEEK'S PICKS

College Football just gets better and better. The contenders are showing up in a major way each week. Teams are being tested and proving they can win games that they probably shouldn’t. Clemson and Ohio State both escaped last week in games they probably should have lost. But they both showed the mentality of teams who can win the championship. And that’s what it’s all about. That’s how you find the winners. Everyone can’t just be Alabama and destroy everyone they play, but they definitely have their toughest test coming up this week. Even when you have those impressive teams, of course you’ll find some that need work. Whether it be turnovers, bad coaching, or something else, some teams just aren’t who we thought they would be.

Most Impressive

West Virginia – So we all wondered how good West Virginia was…and honestly we may still not know. But I am impressed now. They are still undefeated and looking like a team that could possibly win the BIG 12. When you hold Patrick Mahommes and Texas Tech to 17 points, that has to be impressive, The defense, combined with a good offensive of athletic playmakers continue to get better. I know Mahommes was a little banged up but Texas Tech can typically score 40 points in their sleep, and had scored 50 straight points in their last several home games, but West Virginia shut them down! They get Oklahoma and Baylor at home this year which furthers my belief in them winning the conference.

Wisconsin – Now I know they lost, but I came away extremely impressed by the way they fought. Their defense again showed how good it was at times, and frustrated Buckeye quarterback JT Barrett often but he made the bigtime plays when OSU needed them. Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook showed a little more ability to make throws than he did against Michigan and his improvement will be good for them going forward. I like what I see from this Wisconsin team. They are definitely on the rise in the BIG 10.

Arkansas – I didn’t think Arkansas had a chance in hell to beat Ole Miss but they did squeak out a victory 34-30. They gave up 30 points and luckily had a kickoff return called back, but they made the plays when they counted on both sides of the ball. Austin Allen continues to look really good at the quarterback position, though he still needs better protection from his offensive line. Dan Enos is great and continue to be exceptional at play-calling. I still don’t think the defense is any good but they made key stops down the stretch to seal the deal. Enos will be tested trying to make calls against a talented Auburn defense this weekend. 

Least Impressive

Tennessee - Just as I predicted, the real Tennessee finally showed up! Yea, they have a few injuries but Alabama completely dominated this game, especially the 2^nd half. They simply don’t have enough playmakers to win a game like that. Now granted, Alabama makes everyone look unimpressive, but I just don’t see enough from Tennessee to make me a believer. Dobbs must do a better job at taking care of the ball if they want to improve going forward.

Miami – With a quarterback in Brad Kaaya who some scouts predict to be drafted in the 1^st 2 rounds in this season’s NFL’s draft, and many other talented players, it makes no sense that Miami has failed to score 20 points in their last 2 games, both losses. People keep wondering if the “U” will ever be back, and by the looks of things, that’s going to be a long time away if ever! Maybe I’m just an angry Canes fan ranting right now, but when you have the talent you expect better. I hope Mark Richt opens the playbook and stops being so conservative or we won’t have a chance to win the division.

Clemson – Look, Clemson will still likely win the conference but they must have a better showing than they did this past weekend. 4 crucial turnovers, including 2 deep in the red zone won’t get it done. If not for NC State’s kicker missing a chip shot, their season and title hopes would likely be over. Deshaun Watson is still able to be that leader they need but for them to have a different outcome in this year’s playoff than last year’s, they must cut down on the turnovers and their defense needs to start forcing them.

PICK 6

Miami VS Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech has been playing very well as of late and Miami has not! Miami’s defense has been fine. They are young, but talented. It’s going to take Coach Mark Richt allowing his offense to actually play. He has coaching with a such a non-aggressive attitude, it has caused them to lose their last 2 games. This is a game Miami NEEDS to win if they want to have a shot at winning the Coastal division. Maybe it’s the fan in me, but that’s what I’ll go with!

Miami 27

Virginia Tech 21

Texas A&M (6) VS Alabama (1)

Trevor Knight made a name for himself by how he played against Alabama a few years back but now he has to see them again. There’s no doubt that Nick Saban hasn’t forgot that. Knight has been a stabilizing force for the Aggie offense, and a true leader for that team. They have a really good running game, but teams don’t run against Alabama so it’ll be a true test for Knight and Trayveon William who has been great for the Aggies this year. Jalen Hurts has been a Heisman contender for Alabama and truly gets better every week as the Alabama O-Line has given him plenty of protection. It’ll be a great battle for the Miles Garrett lead Texas A&M defensive line. This should be a great game!

Alabama 33

Texas A&M 24

TCU VS West Virginia (12)

West Virginia is looking to continue to prove their forreal! After holding down explosive Texas Tech, they now get another test from TCU and Kenny Hill. I think West Virginia has 2 many weapons offensively and a stout defense that will surely be ready for the inconsistent offense from TCU.

West Virginia 30

TCU 17

Arkansas (17) VS Auburn (21)

It’s always personal when former Arkansas and current Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn coaches against the Razorbacks. He had a bizarre exit from Arkansas so I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting a win Saturday night. Auburn’s defense has been impressive all season and I expect it to continue this weekend. The offense continues to grow as Sean White keeps playing more confident. Auburn also has John Franklin III who is the type of running quarterback that Arkansas has struggled to defend all year. As noted above, I have lots of respect for Arkansas OC Dan Enos an Austin Allen, but I think a road game against that defense will be too much to handle.

Auburn 31

Arkansas 20

Wisconsin (10) VS Iowa

Wisconsin is looking to continue to grow after losing in OT against Ohio State and they have a tough road game against Iowa. Iowa has been up and down this year, but they still have talent on both sides and I expect them to truly challenge Wisconsin. I don’t think it will be enough has that Badger offense continues to grow and that defense is great!

Wisconsin 27

Iowa 17

Ole Miss (23) VS LSU (25)

Might be time for me to stop believing in Ole Miss. They really let me down against Arkansas but they arguably have some of the best talent in the country. LSU has shown a more explosive offense lately, even without Leonard Fournette and may be turning a corner on their season. Chad Kelly needs to bounce back and have a turnover free game for them to win this game I Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss 37

LSU 30

WEEK 6 REVIEW

Another great week of college football in the books! The teams that are going to the playoffs are starting to reveal themselves week by week and this one was no different. The luck for an SEC contender finally ran out and a BIG 10 team continues to roll teams. Halfway through the year and the shape of conferences is finally starting to appear. 

Conference Check In

ACC

This looks to be Clemson’s league to lose. If they get past a road game against Tallahassee and an ACC Championship game against maybe a Miami team, they are guaranteed to again return to the playoff. Miami had a PAT blocked against Florida State which gave them a 1 point loss. Miami however, still controls its’ own destiny in the ACC Coastal. Louisville’s playoff hopes took a hit when Houston lost to Navy Saturday which took away the Cardinals last chance at a premiere game. So Clemson is definitely the favorite, with Miami right behind.

BIG 10

Can November 26^th get here faster? That game between Ohio State and Michigan will likely decide who goes to the playoff this year. My early thought is Ohio State will win, and it won’t be close. But until then we can keep watching Michigan destroy the “little sisters of the poor”. Ohio State does face a slight challenge when they travel to Wisconsin this weekend but as much as I respect Wisconsin’s defense, I don’t think they have enough offense to win this game.

BIG 12

I don’t think there’s a team in this league who will make it to the playoff. I see Oklahoma beating Baylor and eliminating them. I also think the committee wants to happen as well. All of the embarrassment that the Baylor program has brought to college football, they simply don’t deserve it. Texas gave Oklahoma a fight last week, but still fell short. It’s definitely not a good look for Charlie Strong to fire his defensive coordinator, say that he’s going to take over on defense and the following week, give up almost 700 yards. His days are surely numbered.

PAC 12

I still think this is the deepest conference in college football. Washington has clearly separated themselves from the rest as they continue to destroy teams. If they run the table, you can lock them into the playoff. Oregon and Stanford have some serious issues right now and you wonder how that will affect the rest of their season. USC is looking much better as well since the quarterback change, but I still expect them to fall this weekend.

SEC

Alabama is dominant as usual and is clearly the class of the SEC, BUT the race to win the SEC West is not over. Texas A&M has looked great for much of the year and have a showdown with Alabama next week in a HUGE game! Ole Miss also has an outside shot at the title Alabama loses twice, and they beat Texas A&M. Much easier said than done of course but anything’s possible. Tennessee’s luck finally ran out against Texas A&M, but I came away impressed that they could withstand all those turnovers and still get the game into overtime. I don’t think they have a chance against Alabama this weekend, but they definitely earned a little more of my respect.

As you can see, there is a lot of the season left, but the outcomes are already starting to appear. It seems like a week doesn’t go by without upsets and games that go down to the wire. Basically we really get a 4 month double elimination playoff in college football and I am grateful! Some great players have started to break away from the rest as well.

Early Heisman Contenders

1A. Lamar Jackson -  I had to put him on here twice! The numbers he is doing this year and being so exciting make him clearly the favorite. He is single-handedly putting Louisville football back on the map.

1B. Lamar Jackson – See Above

2. JT Barrett – Best player on maybe the best team in the country. He has improved with both his running and passing this year and I don’t see anyone slowing him down.

3. Desean Watson – After a slow start, the favorite coming into the year has stepped his game up in a major way. He’s thrown for 9 touchdowns in his last 2 games and I expect that to continue going forward. The only way he can catch Jackson is if he has a game for the ages against Florida State in Tallahassee.

4. Patrick Mahommes – I know Texas Tech’s defense is terrible but Patrick Mahommes skill on offense almost makes you forget about that. People make a lot of noise about Lamar Jackson’s numbers but Mahommes has 27 touchdowns this year in 5 games. He is bigtime, and just as exciting.

5. Jabrill Peppers – He won’t win it because he’s primarily a defensive player but he may get some votes. Dominant on defense and also looks great when he gets snaps on offensive and special teams. Probably a top 10 pick in next year’s draft.

6. Jake Browning -  Last but not least, he’s lead Washington to a top 5 ranking and looked great so far this year. He rarely makes a bad decision and only gets better.

Pick 6

We went 4/5 last week after the LSU-Florida game was canceled, so hopefully we can keep the good mojo going!

West Virginia (20) VS Texas Tech

Patrick Mahommes has been phenomenal this year and as mentioned before, if he had a defense he would be getting a lot more love nationwide. People probably don’t even know that West Virginia undefeated but they are! They have a solid team on both sides of the all playmakers who can change the game. I’m going with the home team in this one.

Texas Tech 38

West Virginia 32

Alabama (1) VS Tennessee (9)

Alabama is dominant and I expect that to continue Friday. Tennessee can’t afford the mistakes they made against Texas A&M if they expect to compete Saturday. It’s in Tennessee which might help their cause but at the end of the day, Bama will be too much. Jalen Hurd is expected to play so that may help, but since Bama doesn’t let anyone run against him, he’ll likely be limited.

Alabama 37

Tennessee 17

North Carolina VS Miami (16)

2 teams coming off tough defeats. North Carolina lost 34-3 to Virginia Tech and Miami lost by 1 on a blocked PAT against Florida State. Both will likely be looking to bounce back in a big way! Brad Kaaya who injured his shoulder against FSU is expected to be back and even though UNC is a tough matchup, I think Miami’s running game and defense will be too much for Florida State.

Miami 31

North Carolina 20

Ole Miss (12) VS Arkansas (22)

This is a huge game for Ole Miss if they want to continue to keep their SEC West hopes alive. They can’t afford a loss and going into this game with Arkansas they have all the motivation they need. Arkansas has beaten Ole Miss the last 2 years, including a shutout in 2014 and a miraculous win last year converting a 4^th and 25 in overtime. This game may feature the 2 best quarterbacks in the SEC so I wouldn’t be surprised if this game is a shootout. Basically it comes down to which defense do I trust more? The answer is easily Ole Miss.

Ole Miss 41

Arkansas 31

Ohio State (2) VS Wisconsin (8)

Primetime matchup on Saturday night in Camp Randall. Should be a great game, at least for a half. As I mentioned before, Wisconsin is really good on defense and really bad on offense. Ohio State will have the best player on the field in JT Barrett and I think he will be able to overcome a tough road crowd and make enough plays for his team to get the win.

Ohio State 27

Wisconsin 13

Stanford VS Notre Dame

2 teams who come in struggling and not knowing what to make of their seasons. Both came in and some people predicted they would be in the playoff but now, there are major questions about each program. Brian Kelly of Notre Dame continues to call his players out each week which is an extremely weak move, so he deserves another loss if you ask me. Stanford just can’t get it going and the quarterback issues are one of the reasons why, not to mention the defense has lost the physicality that made them so good lately. Deshaun Kizer should be able to make some plays against this defense.

Notre Dame 27

Stanford 21

WEEK 5 REVIEW

So it’s week 5 and we still haven’t had a boring college football weekend yet! This seriously might be the best stretch in a long while of exciting finishes and shocking plays! I mean there’s multiple games each week that keep you on the edge of your seat so yea, no better time to be a college football fan then now! Then of course, you get GREAT games like Clemson and Louisville on Saturday night that go down to the wire. More on that later! And of course, when you inch closer to midseason you start hearing about coaches who may get fired. Les Miles was already an early season casualty. Who’s next? Here’s my “3 and out” for this week!

1^st Down

Fantastic Finishes

Tennessee lucks up AGAIN! What a finish though. After picking Georgia to win this game, I thought I was  a lock to get it right when they jumped out to a big lead early. But in true Tennessee 2016 fashion, they came back. Georgia QB Jacob Eason made some bigtime throws in this game especially the one that gave Georgia the lead with around 10 seconds to go, but his fumble in the end zone was HUGE! Somehow Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was able to find Jauan Jennings on a game ending Hail Mary with no time remaining! Wow…truly incredible way! A Walk Off win for the Volunteers as they stay put themselves in control of their own destiny in the SEC East.

Another Walk Off win took place in Tallahassee when North Carolina kicker Nick Weiler drilled a 54 yarder as time expired to give the Tar Heels a huge win on the road! Full disclosure, I’m not a FSU fan at all so seeing them lose definitely brightens my day but I respect them for coming back as they were down by 21 early and came back to take the lead! North Carolina keeps getting better and better as Larry Fedora continues to show he can really coach!

Those are just a couple of the great contests we got to witness. Other exciting games featured:

Oklahoma winning the shootout with TCU 52-46. 

Iowa State blowing a chance to knock off Baylor and losing to a walk off field goal! I wanted Iowa State to win soooo bad! One, for personal reasons of not liking the Baylor program, and two, just to see them finally win a big game! It’s been awhile!

And the game with Wisconsin and Michigan wasn’t particularly exciting, but it was close and the one handed interception by Jordan Lewis that sealed it, might have been the catch of the year and Michigan won 14-7.

2^nd Down

ACC Showdown

Wow, what an atmosphere and what a game between Louisville and Clemson Saturday night. 2 great teams, and 2 Heisman contenders put on a show for the world to see. Clemson contained Lamar Jackson enough to get the late win 42-36! James Quick definitely didn’t help him out any when he stepped out of bounds half a yard shy of getting the needed first down. Deshaun Watson threw 5 touchdowns in this game. Yea, he had 3 picks, including one from a tipped ball but he made plays when needed! 2 HUGE touchdowns in the last 7 minutes of the 4^th quarter as Clemson rallied for the win in Death Valley. Early on it looked like Clemson would run away with this thing as they led 28-10 in the 2^nd quarter before Lamar who is still the unquestioned leader in the Heisman race, led a huge Louisville comeback to take the lead. Wayne Gallman had one of this best games of the year in rushing for over 100 yards to assist in the win, while Watson rushed for 91. It was clear everyone was fired up for this game as it might have been the best of the year. Clemson controls its own destiny in the ACC Atlantic race now, and still must be leery of a game in Tallahassee later this year. Louisville showed they were definitely still a top 6 team in the country by the way they played though and if they win out, they will definitely give the committee something to think about! The ACC keeps ascending and I look forward to seeing how it plays out!

3^rd Down

State of Texas

So for anyone who was wondering who would be next to go after Les Miles was sent packing by  LSU last week, Charlie Strong may be a pretty good candidate. Even though reports came out yesterday that he would not be fired during the year, I still would not be surprised if he’s sent the door soon. There’s a lot riding on this Oklahoma game this weekend. If it goes bad, I could see a firing happening! It’s not that I want him fired but I didn’t think Charlie was a great fit when he was originally hired. Things have just gone bad there. People were hype when Texas beat what we now see is an average Notre Dame team but it seems like any team can wake up and score 40 on Texas and that’s the main problem. Charlie has demoted his defensive coordinator and now he will make the calls! His fate is truly in his hands! Even though I don’t think Charlie should have been hired, he must close the year tremendously strong to keep his job. I mean even losing 2 games the rest of the way and he’s probably gone. We wish him the best!

Out

Week 5 was even better than expected! Great finishes and great games all around. It’s always good to see what players will step up in the big games and what players won’t. It was great seeing LSU play so well in Orgeron’s first start, and I look forward to seeing how that plays out! I’ll be putting out my first top 6 rankings next week and I really can’t wait to see how it changes between now and December! Week 6 is full of huge matchups and again this Saturday, I don’t plan to leave my couch.

Pick 6

So yea, another frustrating week of 3/6! Thank you Georgia for not understanding how to knock the ball down! Thank you Wisconsin for appearing as you’ve never ran a successful offense in life! And of course, where would we be if TCU pretended to play defense one day in life. Moving on..

LSU VS Florida (18)

LSU had their best offensive game of the season after getting rid of Les Miles and Cam Cameron. Leonard Fournette also missed that game. Florida’s offense has struggled the last 2 games with Austin Appleby at the helm, but Luke Del Rio should be returning this week. I think he will be limited in his mobility which may hurt Florida. As good as the defense is, I expect Orgeron to continue to push LSU and give them the edge! I don’t trust Florida’s offense even with Del Rio back, yet limited. Close game but for some reason I’ll go with LSU.

LSU 20

Florida 17

Tennessee (9) VS Texas A&M (8)

I think this is when Tennessee’s luck runs out! A road game at College Station is no easy task and I expect A&M to continue their surge this Saturday. A&M can and should expect to run on the Volunteers. It’s not that I don’t respect Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd but I just don’t see them winning this game. Even though A&M has some guys banged up, I think they have enough talent to where if those guys don’t play, they can still get the win.

Texas A&M 34

Tennessee 20

Texas VS Oklahoma (20)

Oklahoma bounced back with a big win in a shootout with TCU this past week. This is a game that Texas and Charlie Strong desperately need to win. I don’t think Charlie taking the defensive play calling duties over will be a major difference. Oklahoma showed a lot of fight coming back from the early deficit and I think they showed me they can win this game. People who bought into the early “Texas is Back” theme after they beat Notre Dame are now seeing why I there was cause to pause! I hate it for Charlie but I don’t see this one going his way.

Oklahoma 33

Texas 24

Washington (5) VS Oregon

Look, I like Oregon. Always have, but I can see that this team isn’t the same team we have been. Helfrich might be on the hot seat if this thing doesn’t get turned around. Now I’ll also be realistic. Oregon should’ve beat Nebraska if they didn’t go for 2 every time, and a 3 point road loss to a young up and coming Colorado team isn’t terrible but being blown out by Washington State showed tons of flaws in this team. New DC Brady Hoke was supposed to correct those issues but it almost looks like their even worse. He changed the scheme to guys that simply don’t fit it. Washington is coming off a BEATDOWN of Stanford and looked the part on both sides of the ball. As much as I want to pick Oregon, I think Jake Browning will make enough plays to win this one.

Washington 47

Oregon 37

Alabama (1) VS Arkansas (16)

I’m only looking forward to this game because of the amount of Razorback fans I know who will be disappointed once this game ends! As far as on the field, I expect Alabama to be dominant on both sides of the line. Arkansas is a solid team but they’re not as they were last year in the trenches. Their offensive and defensive lines have both taken steps back as they haven’t been able to create major holes to run, as well as stop the run. Their bright spot has been quarterback Austin Allen who continues to show he was the right guy to replace his brother. Alabama has a good secondary with guys who make plays so he needs to be extremely careful with ball placement in this game. It’s kind of crazy that Arkansas is ranked 16^th with wins over Texas State, Alcorn State, a 1 point win against Louisiana Tech and a fluke win against 2 loss TCU. They will probably be unranked after this weekend though. Bama with a mobile quarterback in Jalen Hurts will be tough to stop!

Alabama 47

Arkansas 20

Florida State (23) VS Miami (10)

Great seeing my Hurricanes back in the top 10! This year’s team has been impressive but there’s still work to be done. Miami has back to back games against Florida State and North Carolina so it’s definitely a tough stretch. Florida State has 2 losses and come off a deflating defeat to UNC. Miami is led by Brad Kaaya who is rising on draft boards and a ground game of 2 really good running backs. The defense has also been very opportunistic this year forcing turnovers.  This will be a tough game for DeAndre Francois on the road and I’m not sure how he will handle it. Dalvin Cook ran all over Miami last year but this year’s line has not allowed him the same holes to run in between as before. The Florida State defense is shaky to say the least and I expect Kaaya to be able to have his way.

Miami 36

Florida State 24