College Football Preview

College Football Preview

 

The big college football news this week was the unveiling of the first ranking system from the playoff committee. The list was met with criticism, just as the BCS was, virtually guaranteeing that there really is no way to rank these teams and making everyone happy. For now it’s just the first list, as the weeks go on and teams start taking each other out and the picture gets clearer, if there is still a problem with the list then some tweaks will have to be made going into next season. However, thanks to the initial list we are pretty much looking at our first elimination game this weekend. Let’s take a look at the big games and how I see things playing out for these teams.

First, in the Pac-12 we have the No. 17 Utes of Utah visiting the No. 14 ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State. Utah is looking to end an absolutely brutal losing streak against Arizona St. having gone winless in the series since 1976 (10 straight loses). This could be the year Utah ends the streak as their defense is playing fantastic, leading the nation in sacks, and their special teams, anchored by their great punter, Tom Hackett, is playing well also. The formula is there for an upset to occur, but I am going to give the edge to Arizona State because of the home field advantage. Expect a close, hard fought game with the winner guaranteed a share of first place in the Pac-12 South Division.

In the Big 12, the second best conference in the nation, there is a huge showdown in Morgantown, West Virginia. The No. 7 ranked Horned Frogs of TCU face off against the No. 20 Mountaineers in a huge conference showdown. Not much was expected from West Virginia this season but thanks to victories over Baylor and Oklahoma State they’ve climbed into the national rankings and have a shot at the conference title. Clint Trickett has come back from injury to play extremely well for the Mountaineers and their defense has improved tremendously. TCU will be a tough test. Trevone Boykin is having a great year leading the team in passing and rushing, and the Horned Frogs are coming off an explosive 82 point performance. I expect this to be a shootout but I think TCU comes out on top on the road. Being ranked No. 7 and knowing that the highly ranked teams in the SEC are going to beat up on each other, this is a big opportunity to cement their status as a playoff sleeper. Next week, they face conference leading Kansas State, so they need this game big time. Unfortunately for the Morgantown faithful there will be no singing of Country Roads this week, and hopefully no couches will be harmed in the aftermath.

In the Main Event of the Day, and our first unofficial elimination game of the season, the No. 3 Auburn Tigers travel to The Grove to face No. 4 Ole Miss. Ole Miss somehow garnered a number 4 ranking in the initial release despite coming off a loss to LSU, who thus far, has not been the typical LSU team we are used to seeing. Despite being at home and coming off a loss that makes this a fight for their season I don’t see Ole Miss coming away with a victory. I expect a lot of scoring but in the end Auburn will come out victorious.

That’s all for this week in the College Football Preview. Join us tomorrow as we take a look at the best games of the weekend in the NFL.