COLLEGE FOOTBALL: WEEK TWO PREDICTIONS

Not as good a start as last seaon's 32 - 0 opening weekend, but still over 80% after week one. There were some incredible games, highlighted by Virginia Tech outlasting  West Virginia in a great match-up. Then there was the incredible comeback by UCLA, or meltdown by Texas A&M, depending on your perspective. The weekend ended on an overtime win by Tennessee over Georgia Tech in another comeback. I got two of those right, with the last one going against me. Things get tougher to predict this week with more head to head games involving top twenty five teams.


Last Week:  22 - 6  78.6%
Overall:       27 - 6  81.8%

Friday

(11) Oklahoma State (1 - 0) 51 @ South Alabama (0 - 1) 20: South Alabama was taken down pretty easily 47 - 27  by Ole Miss last week and Oklahoma State should be able to do at least as well. The Cowboys made scored early and often against Tulsa, a team I though might able to give them a tough game. This one could quickly get away from the Jaguars.

Saturday

(16) Miami @ Arkansas State: Cancelled

Cincinnati (1 - 0) 6 @ Michigan (1 - 0) 27: Michigan's defense was very impressive against Florida, but the Wolverines gave up a couple of defensive scores that made the final result look a lot closer than how the game played out. Cincinnati's offense was in the bottom six in the country last season and will need to show quick improvement to put anything on the board against Michigan.

Florida Atlantic (0 - 1) 13 @ (9) Wisconsin (1 - 0) 40: Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin had a rough debut against Navy and the competition goes up a notch at Wisconsin. The Badgers had a sluggish start against Utah State but found a way to close the game on a 59 - 0 run. I expect more of the same this week.

La. Monroe (0 - 1) 13 @ (10) Florida State (0 - 1) 31: Cancelled

(17) Louisville (1 - 0) 41 @ North Carolina (0 - 1) 23: Neither of these teams was particularly impressive in week one, the difference being that at least Louisville was able to leave Indianapolis with a win over Louisville. The Tar Heels looked terrible on defense against Cal and will need to find some answers on defense if they want to contend for the ACC Coastal title. I don’t see it happening and they’ll most likely start the conference schedule 0 – 1.

Charlotte (0 - 1) 17 @ (19) Kansas State (1 - 0) 37: Kansas State continues an embarrassing non-conference schedule by hosting Charlotte. I guess they figure a date with Vanderbilt gets them to put an SEC win on their resume. That’s not the way the rest of think about it. Come on, man up!

(21) South Florida (2 - 0) 30 @ Connecticut (1 - 0) 13: Cancelled

No. Colorado (1 - 0) 10 @ (22) Florida (0 - 1) 34: Cancelled

Fresno State (1 - 0) 6 @ (1) Alabama (1 - 0) 45: After a big win over Florida State, fueled mostly by defense and special teams, Alabama faces a squad that beat Incarnate Word to equal their win total from last season. Enough said.

Pittsburgh (1 - 0) 17 @ (4) Penn State (1 - 0) 37: In the revival of this storied rivalry last season, Pittsburgh won a thriller, but things look to be a lot different this time. Penn State will definitely be playing with increased motivation this year, given they were snubbed by the playoff committee, despite winning the Big Ten championship over a very good Wisconsin team. Pitt wasn’t impressive in week one, and Penn State took care of business.

Delaware (1 - 0) 10 @ (18) Virginia Tech (1 - 0) 37: Virginia Tech won a hard fought and emotional game behind freshman quarterback Josh Jackson, probably bringing with it increased expectations for the Hokies. They’ll need to regain their focus against the FCS Blue Hens to keep from getting caught in a letdown. The talent we saw last week, especially on defense, should lead Tech to victory.

(23) TCU (1 - 0) 24 @ Arkansas (1 - 0) 27: I’ll be at this one, a pivotal game for both teams as they come off wins over FCS teams. Arkansas prevailed in overtime at TCU last season and I expect another close one. The difference might be Arkansas’ shift to a 3 – 4 defense and an improved running game. My wife wouldn’t want me picking against the Hogs anyway.

Indiana State (0 - 1) 13 @ (25) Tennessee (1 - 0) 37: Georgia Tech might have gifted a win to the Vols Monday night, going for and failing to cross the goal line for a two point conversion in the second overtime.  This should be nice breather for the Vols.

(13) Auburn (1 - 0) 23 @ (3) Clemson (1 - 0) 34: Clemson began their run to the national championship with a tough win in Auburn last year. Behind a new quarterback, they put up 56 on Kent State and welcome Auburn to Death Valley for a rematch. I think the difference her might be Clemson’s defense.

(5) Oklahoma (1 - 0) 21 @ (2) Ohio State (1 - 0) 30: This is easily the biggest game of the week and the one with the most impact relative to the playoffs. Oklahoma was no match for Ohio State last season and probably one of the reasons that the Buckeyes ended up in the playoffs instead of Penn State. A big question is how the departure of Oklahoma head coach and the promotion of offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will affect the Sooners’ chances for the Big 12 title and a berth in the playoffs? This game might give us a answer.

Chattanooga (0 - 1) 10 @ (12) LSU (1 - 0) 38: LSU easily got by BYU last week, so now they get a bit of a break against Chattanooga, a top 15 FCS team. The Tigers might get challenged early, but their size and depth should win the day.

(15) Georgia (1 - 0) 27 @ (24) Notre Dame (1 - 0) 24: If Notre Dame is going to turn things around in a big way this season, a win against the Bulldogs is a necessity. I feel that Georgia is a little overrated, but I feel the same way about the Irish. Georgia will want to run the ball and Notre Dame had a tough time making stops on the ground last year. Georgia has ten players back from a decent defense a year ago and might be improved enough to give Notre Dame some problems. This is a tough one to pick.

Montana (1 - 0) 17 @ (7) Washington (1 - 0) 38: Washington is another team with a questionable out of conference schedule that could hurt them come playoff time. Even a lopsided victory over FCS Montana will do them much good in December.

(14) Stanford (1 - 0) 23 @ (6) USC (1 - 0) 17: Even though USC quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t play in last year’s loss to Stanford, I don’t see a lot of difference this time around. The Stanford defense is still daunting and they’ve apparently found a way to replace the offensive production provided by Christian McCaffery. The score might be closer, but I have a feeling the result will be the same.

Boise State (1 - 0) 24 @ (20) Washington State (1 - 0) 37: Boise State defeated Washington State, taking advantage of friendly conditions on their own blue turf. Things will probably be a little different this time, especially considering that the Cougars came out playing better in week one than last year. If Washington State can leverage their eight returning defensive starters to show some improvement on that side of the ball, they could make a serious run at a Pac-12 title.

Northwestern (1 - 0) 14 @ Duke (1 - 0) 27: In another installment of the SAT bowl, Northwestern travels to Duke to try to replicate last season’s 24 – 13 victory.  Duke’s home facility doesn’t offer them much of a home field advantage and there’s a solid chance that with fifteen returning starters off a 7 – 5 team, Northwestern will be much improved. Not so much for the Blue Devils.

Indiana (0 - 1) 23 @ Virginia (1 - 0) 17: Indiana played Ohio State very tough for the first thirty-five minutes and then the speed of the Buckeyes took over. For Virginia coach Brock Mendenhall, this test will give him an indication his rebuilding process is headed in the right direction. It was difficult to get many answers in a 28 – 10 win over FCS William and Mary. I can’t see the Hoos generating enough offense to win this one.

East Carolina (0 - 1) 13 @ West Virginia (0 - 1) 37: West Virginia lost a tough game to Virginia Tech last week, but at least they verified that quarterback Will Grier still has what it takes to lead a major college offense. In a big loss for East Carolina, they got pounded by defending FCS national champs James Madison. I believe West Virginia will just have too much for the Pirates today.

Iowa (1 - 0) 27 @ Iowa State (1 - 0) 13: This is a pretty big rivalry game and Iowa State can be a tough place to play. Neither of these teams was particularly impressive last week, but Iowa was able to shut down Wyoming, which played in the Mountain West championship game last year, 24 – 3. I believe Iowa’s defense will be too much for the Cyclones, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Iowa State put up a tough fight.

Nebraska (1 - 0) 30 @ Oregon (1 - 0) 37: This is a big game for both of these teams to gauge their respective hopes for the season. Oregon is coming off a disappointing campaign that cost Mark Helfrich his job, but they opened with a seventy-seven point explosion over FCS Southern Utah. Last season Nebraska struggled to defeat the Ducks 35 – 32, but this year the game is in Eugene, Oregon where the home team is tough to beat.

Minnesota (1 - 0) 28 @ Oregon State (1 - 1) 24: Neither of these teams will threaten the top teams in their respective conferences, so this is a good opportunity to get a win against a power five opponent. Oregon State’s defense has been unimpressive, so I give the nod to Minnesota to handle the Beavers.

Hawaii (2 - 0) 27 @ UCLA (1 - 0) 41: The huge comeback by UCLA that stunned Texas A&M was an amazing effort by quarterback Josh Rosen, but the defensive lapses that allowed the Aggies to build a 44 – 10 lead should be of major concern to Bruin head coach Jim Mora. Hawaii’s wins have come against much lesser competition, so I still like UCLA to hold serve in the Rose Bowl.

Utah (1 - 0) 24 @ BYU (1 - 1) 13: For anyone outside the state of Utah, this is just another intra-state rivalry. That’s not the case for the fans of these schools. This is a nasty grudge match every season and the records really don’t matter too much. Last year’s game was won 20 – 19 by Utah, which was indicative of the history of this rivalry. BYU has had a difficult time finding their offense, so I’m going to lean toward the Utes.

South Carolina (1 - 0) 38 @ Missouri (1 - 0) 20: Missouri is going to need to make some big strides to get competitive in the SEC, despite a season ending win against Arkansas. Their talent really isn’t where it needs to be. Head coach Will Muschamp has South Carolina headed in the right direction and should be able to handle the Tigers in this conference opener for both teams.

Hear my recent interview with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, where we discussed his agency, concussions, franchise relocation and philanthropy at http://thechtonsports.com/cold-hard-truth-sports-radio-show-1242017/

Also listen to our conversation with author and sports journalist Mike Carey, as we discussed his latest book "Bad News" about Marvin Barnes and reminisced about Mike's coverage of the Boston Celtics during their glory years with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/golongmedia/2017/02/08/the-cold-hard-truth-on-sports-radio-show

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com and listen to me Friday's at 8:40 am EDT/ 7:40 am CDT on Lou in the Morning, streaming live on www.WPFLradio.com, 105.1 FM. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.