Wow! What a weekend of college football in week five! Last weekend brought us everything and more with Wisconsin and Michigan going down to the wire, Josh Dobbs doing his best Doug Flutie impersonation and Clemson coming through in the final minutes against Louisville, being that resilient team that I've grown to love. I could even hear Dabo yelling, "Bring your own guts! (BYOG)" on that crucial fourth-down stop to win the game. Unfortunately, I went 2-3 in my predictions last week, but in my defense, David Shaw decided to let us know that both of his starting corners were out the day after I made my picks, thus leading to Jake Browning having a field day against Stanford's secondary. Coach Shaw, in the future just give me a heads up so I don't look like an idiot. Thanks. Hopefully I will have more luck this week as I give you my predictions for the top games coming up in week six. Here we go!
Last Week: 2-3
Overall Record: 2-3
5. LSU vs. #18 Florida
LSU, led by Ed Orgeron, looked like a brand new team in their 42-7 thrashing of Mizzou. Who would've thought that LSU was capable of scoring 42 points in a regulation football game? For once it was nice to see them utilize their weapons out wide, in Dupre and Dural. Florida, on the other hand, is coming off a poor performance against Vanderbilt and is limping into this weekend with many injuries on their defensive line. With Brantley, Cox, and Ivie all questionable I expect LSU to establish the run game with Derrius Guice if Leonard Fournette is not ready to go. LSU is a revived team and I'm expecting them to come out of Gainesville this Saturday with an upset win over the beat up Florida Gators.
Final Prediction: LSU 24, Florida 14
4. Texas vs. #20 Oklahoma
The Sooners helped me out last week with a win over TCU, so I'm sticking with them to get the win over Texas in the Red River showdown. Texas is trending downward after I promising start, and Charlie Strong is sitting in the hot seat. Texas is on the right path, but the question is whether or not Texas and their boosters are willing to wait another year or two for the Colt McCoy success to come. Oklahoma's offense is clicking on all cylinders and I don't see how Texas has a chance to stop Baker Mayfield and Co. Texas' defense has given up 50, 41, 50, and 49 points in their first four games and that trend will continue this weekend. This will be a high scoring affair with Baker Mayfield getting the last laugh and avenging Oklahoma's loss last year to Texas.
Final Prediction: Oklahoma 48, Texas 38
3. #1 Alabama vs. #16 Arkansas
Alabama is making its debut in "Saturday's are Better than Sunday's," where they face the hard-nosed Hogs led by Bret Bielema. Brandon Allen's younger brother, Austin Allen, is now the leader of this team and man do I enjoy watching him execute Dan Enos' offense. Austin is undersized, but is tough as nails and plays with as much heart as anyone on the field. Arkansas is one of the few teams that can hang with Alabama in the trenches, I expect them to pound it up the middle with a heavy dose of Rawleigh Williams. I'm also a huge fan of Dan Enos, the offensive coordinator for Arkansas, and I expect him to dial up a good game plan with plenty of play-action pass to get the Bama defense on its toes. Lastly, expect the Arkansas fan base to get after true freshman quarterback, Jalen Hurts, in his first SEC night road game and cause him to make some crucial mistakes in the fourth quarter. Call me crazy, but I'm taking the Hogs to shock the Crimson tide and knock them off of their throne.
Final Prediction: Alabama 20, Arkansas 21
2. #23 Florida State vs. #10 Miami
Miami is off to a 4-0 start and top ten ranking while their instate counterparts have fallen from a preseason number four ranking after losing to Louisville and North Carolina. Regardless of their 3-2 record, I believe the Seminoles are a better team than Miami, aside from the quarterback position. Yes, Miami is 4-0 but being undefeated against the 117th toughest schedule in the FBS isn't all that impressive. I'm also curious to see whether or not Mark Richt can win a high profile game, because as I recall he couldn't quite do it at Georgia. I'm banking on the superior skill of Florida State and the inability of Mark Richt to win the big games, and picking the 'Noles to hand Miami its first loss of the season.
Final Prediction: Florida State 31, Miami 28
1. #9 Tennessee vs. #8 Texas A&M
The 12th man finally brings down the Volunteers this weekend in College Station! Tennessee is the worst 5-0 team I've ever seen and Texas A&M will expose them Saturday. Let's not kid ourselves...Tennessee should be 0-5, but God must really love Butch Jones. Tennessee has not faced an elite passing offense this season, and Trevor Knight along with his wide receiving group, the best offensive unit in the nation, is going to have a field day against this defense. Seals Jones, Kirk, Noil, and Reynolds will all have 1,000 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns each against Tennessee as Butch Jones has to beg the referees to end the game in the third quarter. Tennessee gets down early, but cannot come back in this one with the Aggie's mercy ruling the volunteers before the fourth quarter even begins.
Final Prediction: Tennessee 0, Texas A&M 99
Real Final Prediction: Tennessee 14, Texas A&M 42
