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| The California Golden Bears have played an exciting brand of football this season. Against their four FBS opponents, they won by seven against Northwestern, three in double overtime against Colorado, and one against Washington State; they lost to Arizona by four on a Hail Mary. They face Washington in Berkeley this Saturday. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports |
The first game of the week will be played tonight between UCF and BYU. The Knights seem to have dropped off a bit after losing quarterback Blake Bortles and other players from last year's team. However, the injury of BYU starting quarterback Taysom Hill was a catastrophic blow to the Cougars' seasonal prospects. UCF's defense should win the day against the Cougs in Orlando.
Florida State's offense may look less impressive than once expected against Syracuse this Saturday due to the loss of several key starters. FIU must continue to play impressive football against a desperate UTSA team to win in San Antonio.
After falling to 2-4 and 0-2 in the B1G Ten, the Michigan Wolverines and head coach Brady Hoke would be beyond salvation if they were playing in any other conference. Yet, Penn State may just have enough flaws for the Maize and Blue to pull out a win. However, a loss almost certainly dooms them to miss the postseason.
One of four match-ups between two Top 25 teams, Missouri and Georgia play at noon on CBS. Georgia may very well be the better team. But Missouri has two distinct advantage: they have had an extra week to prepare and they are playing at home. Still, Georgia could win depending on how well Todd Gurley runs and how many mistakes Hutson Mason avoids.
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| Of all the undefeated teams in the country, probably only Marshall has been more ignored by the press than Georgia Tech. The Ramblin' Wreck must get past Duke Saturday to stay perfect. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports |
The big game of the weekend is between #2 Auburn and #3 Mississippi State. It's uncommon to see such a clash of titans be fought in Starkville, but don't be mistaken, we just may be seeing the two best teams (or best offenses, at least) in the SEC. Both teams are among the three remaining unbeatens in the SEC. Although Auburn did narrowly defeat an excellent Kansas State team earlier this year on the road, the Bulldogs pose an apparently greater challenge. Both teams are coming directly off impressive wins, but only one can survive Saturday with an unscathed record.
The other #3 from Mississippi, that is, Ole Miss, is facing a similarly difficult challenge. The Rebels need a win over an angry Texas A&M squad on the road. Their performance against Mississippi State last week suggests the Aggies are not again the greatest offensive team in the SEC West. Yet I imagine they're still a threat to any defense. Ole Miss, however, may have the best defense in the country. The strength of Ole Miss's defense and A&M's offense should keep this a close game.
Meanwhile, on the West coast, Oregon meets UCLA in Pasadena. Both teams are coming off surprising losses to Pac-12 South opponents. Both could use this win to relaunch themselves into the playoff conversation. Both teams have struggled more than expected this year, particularly on the offensive line (injuries have done neither team much favors). This game should probably be close.
Arizona, the Pac-12's only remaining unbeaten team, will play USC in Tucson. Surprisingly, the Wildcats are underdogs to the twice-beaten Trojans, evidence that they still have skeptics to win over. USC must show impressive resolve after falling last week to Arizona State's Hail Mary touchdown. Arizona should win at home if they play to their ability.
Finally, the LSU Tigers go up against the Florida Gators again in the Swamp. This is the first game since 1989 that both teams enter unranked. Both fanbases may commiserate with another's quarterback problems. Florida's formerly-apparent starter for this game was suspended earlier this week on criminal accusations. Now, the Gators will play the embattled Jeff Driskel, a quarterback who has defeated LSU once before (in 2012), although he himself did not play an impressive game. Florida's receivers have also played poorly over the last several weeks. LSU may be in an even greater quandary. Neither quarterback Anthony Jennings nor Brandon Harris has shown the competence to play against elite SEC defenses. This year's offensive line has also been a disappointment for LSU, who have had an unusually difficult time running the ball. In recent years, the Florida-LSU game has often been a low-scoring affair. Do not anticipate this year's bout to be much different.
State of Florida:
- UCF (2-2) over BYU (4-1), 20-13
- Miami (3-3) over Cincinnati (2-2), 38-21
- #1 Florida State (5-0) over Syracuse (2-3), 37-6
- #19 East Carolina (4-1) over South Florida (2-3), 28-13
- FIU (3-3) over UTSA (1-4), 31-27 (UPSET)
- Florida (3-1) over LSU (4-2), 13-6 (UPSET)
- Florida Atlantic (2-4), BYE
Southeastern Conference:
- #23 Missouri (4-1) over #13 Georgia (4-1), 34-31 (UPSET)
- Kentucky (4-1) over Louisiana-Monroe (3-2), 31-14
- #3 Mississippi State (5-0) over #2 Auburn (5-0), 38-31 (UPSET)
- Tennessee (2-3) over Chattanooga (3-2), 45-13
- #7 Alabama (4-1) over Arkansas (3-2), 35-31
- Vanderbilt (1-5) over Charleston Southern (5-0), 34-16
- #3 Mississippi (5-0) over #14 Texas A&M (5-1), 27-24 (UPSET)
- South Carolina (3-3), BYE
Top 25:
- #5 Baylor (5-0) over #9 TCU (4-0), 38-30
- #6 Notre Dame (5-0) over North Carolina (2-3), 38-17
- #8 Michigan State (4-1) over Purdue (3-3), 45-17
- #10 Arizona (5-0) over USC (3-2), 38-31 (UPSET)
- #11 Oklahoma (4-1) over Texas (2-3), 34-17
- #18 UCLA (4-1) over #12 Oregon (4-1), 28-27 (UPSET)
- #16 Oklahoma State (4-1) over Kansas (2-3), 37-10
- #22 Georgia Tech (5-0) over Duke (4-1), 31-24
- #25 Stanford (3-2) over Washington State (2-4), 20-17
- #15 Ohio State (4-1), BYE
- #17 Kansas State (4-1), BYE
- #20 Arizona State (4-1), BYE
- #21 Nebraska (5-1), BYE
- #24 Utah (4-1), BYE
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