This upcoming weekend is probably the biggest weekend of the football season so far. There are some huge matchups, especially on the college side of things.
With certain teams starting fast and going undefeated early in the first three games, there will be some very high-stakes matchups to start conference play for a lot of schools.
Matchup #1- #4 Florida State at Clemson – noon on Saturday – After a big-time win vs. number 12 LSU week one, Florida State will go into Death Valley at Clemson in a matchup of what people thought preseason was the best two teams in the ACC. Clemson is coming off two impressive wins against Florida Atlantic and Charleston Southern, after a stunning upset loss at Duke in week one. Florida State started off looking like a playoff team with a week one destruction of LSU who many picked to be in the CFB playoffs, and just survived a tough Boston College team in the red bandana game. Clemson is not the same program that won two national championships in the last decade, but will be a very tough place to go on the road, and could serve as FSU’s toughest game for a while. Still, I think Florida State’s combination of Heisman-hopeful QB Jordan Travis, WRs Keon Coleman, and Johnny Wilson, and a dynamic run game will outscore Clemson’s offense who hasn’t looked dominating so far. Prediction- Florida State by 10+ points easily covering the -4.
Matchup #2 – #19 Colorado vs. #10 Oregon – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday – So in all of football and maybe all of sports the biggest story over the past month has been this Colorado Buffaloes team led by Coach Prime, Deion Sanders the former NFL legend who took over the program after they had won just one game last year, and him leading them to a 3-0 start. He beat some fairly decent teams in the way with a big win in Week 1 over last year’s national runner-ups in TCU and then beat Nebraska and rival Colorado State in the next two weeks. This is by far Sanders and Buffalo’s toughest challenge yet, as they face the top 10 Oregon Ducks who are led by senior QB Bo Nix, another Heisman trophy candidate who has been playing sensational so far. Colorado has their own QB who is just as highly rated though, in Coach Prime’s son Shudeur Sanders, who has already thrown for 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns but will be without star 2 way standout Travis Hunter for this matchup. I am expecting a high-scoring game with both teams scoring 30+ points. Prediction- Oregon 45-Colorado 35 with the +21 being covered by the Buffaloes.
Matchup #3- #13 Alabama vs. #15 Ole Miss – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday – Alabama is usually one of the biggest football powerhouses in the country, but they have been struggling so far this season. After a stunning week two loss to Texas, the Crimson Tide seemed to have a lot of issues at the QB position, benching starter Jalen Milroe for the game against USF. Backups Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson struggled badly vs. USF in a game the tide was supposed to win by 35, as the defense and run game helped them only win 17-3. This week they are going back to Milroe vs. the always tough Ole Miss Rebels led by coach Lane Kiffin, who has one of the best run games in the country behind sophomore running back Quishon Judkins. Ole Miss will be a very sound team and will score more on Alabama and will take advantage of bad QB play. Milroe must be better if Bama wants a chance to win this. Prediction – Ole Miss by 3, pulling off the upset.
Matchup #4 – #6 Ohio State at #9 Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. Saturday – In a battle of two of the biggest historical teams in college football, The Ohio State Buckeyes will go into Notre Dame and play the Irish, in a game that has huge playoff implications for the winner and loser. Ohio State has dominated the first three weeks but has beaten great competition with wins against Western Kentucky, Youngstown State, and Indiana. The same can be said for Notre Dame as they have beaten Navy, NC State, and Tennesse State, none of which are highly ranked this year. The winner of this game is expected to have a direct path to the playoffs, while the loser will likely have to win every game left to have a chance. So far Notre Dame has looked more impressive of the two, with flawless performances from Senior QB Sam Hartman and RB Audric Estame, and an unbelievably solid defense. Ohio State has been less impressive on paper but is more talented with Junior WR Marvin Harrison Jr. a projected top 5 pick in the NFL draft, and lots of talent across the defense. This game will be decided if Ohio State QB Kyle Mccord can have a good performance and if their defensive line shows up. Prediction- Ohio State by 4, 28-24 barely covering the -4.
Matchup #5 – #14 Oregon State at #21 Washington State seven Saturday- Arguably no player in College Football has been more under the radar than Washington State QB Cameron Ward, who has almost 1000 yards and nine touchdowns and completely done it unnoticed. Ward’s Cougars have gone off to an impressive 3-0 start, with decisive wins over Colorado State, Wisconsin, and Northern Colorado, and have a ton of momentum at home going into this matchup. However, they have a tough challenge, with an Oregon State team led by Clemson transfer QB DJ Uiangalelei, and RB Damien Martinez. Oregon State has also had three impressive wins so far, and their offensive line and defense have looked dominating as they have shown they are warranted to be a top-15 team. Prediction- Washington State by seven, upset at home as Ward impresses more.
NFL matchups I like this weekend- This is a big weekend for the NFL also as every team will play and look to get off to a good start in the 3rd week, but it’s hard to over-analyze because it’s so early. Here are some games I liked this weekend.
49ers -10.5 over Giants – No Saquon and Thomas kills the Giants vs. the Super Bowl favorite 9ers.
Lions -3 over Falcons- Desmond Ridder comes down to earth and the Lions offense continues to dominate.
Patriots -2.5 over Jets- Zach Wilson horrors continue vs. Patriots.
Saints +2 and upset the Packers- Saints’ defense is still dominating despite Derek Carr.
Texans +9 vs. Jags- CJ Stroud carves the Jag’s defense and the game is close.
Cowboys -12.5 over Cardinals- Cards continue to be the league’s worst team.
Eagles -4.5 over Bucs- Eagles continue to be the league’s best team.
Rams +3 and win against Bengals- Cincy struggles continue as Burrow battles bad leg.
I feel like every other game is a hard debate and too unpredictable, and these 8 games are probably the best bets for the week. It will be a huge week across all levels, so it’ll be really interesting to see how it plays out.
