Week 6 Saturday Preview #2 (10/6/16)

Well I promised one of these last week and didn't do one out of pure laziness and plus I was getting ready to go to Penn State, so sue me. But we know how this works, I pick some games to preview and pick who I think will win because, why not? We all know how good I was at picking last time (*cough* 4 out of 12 *cough cough*). So I'm not going to pick 12 games this time but this will be organized way better this time, so let's begin:

#1 Alabama vs #16 Arkansas: So obviously I chose this game because Arkansas. But this is actually a good SEC matchup that could lead to a good game (because games with Top 25 teams are supposed to be close.. Florida State and Louisville, Wisconsin and Michigan State, and Georgia and Ole Miss..). Alabama has been on a roll lately and it seems no one can stop them at the moment. The only challenge they've really had was against Ole Miss and that ended with a 48-43 Alabama victory. Now I will admit Arkansas has had better seasons in the past but this year's team isn't too bad. Austin Allen taking over for his brother Brandon Allen wasn't a bad idea. He seems to be doing decent. The Razorbacks come into this game 4-1, with 3 of those wins against lower conference teams, including FCS Alcorn State. So they don't have the greatest résumé coming into this game. So everyone expects Alabama to come away with this game easily. In that case, I'm going with Arkansas because they're at home so I'm relying on the fans to cause Alabama some trouble. 

Texas vs #22 Oklahoma: This game isn't really a clash of two great teams but it's still a rivalry game and one of them is ranked so, why not? Both teams have struggled as of late but slowly seem to be moving in the right direction, with Texas having head coach Charlie Strong call the defensive plays. Texas and Oklahoma come into this game at 2-2, Oklahoma with 2 losses against ranked teams and Texas with 2 straight losses against non-ranked California and Oklahoma State. So I'm going to go with the obvious choice of Oklahoma because of Texas's defensive struggles and Oklahoma has home field advantage here so the crowd should be loud and proud with Sooner pride.

#9 Tennessee vs #8 Texas A&M: I want this game to be game of the week but we all know how games with top ranked teams go (see second sentence of Alabama vs Arkansas). Tennessee, despite all the close calls, is still undefeated, as well as Texas A&M, whose only challenge was against UCLA in week 1. So I really do not expect this game to be close at all. I believe Texas A&M will dominate Tennessee and there will be no heroic antics or 2nd half comebacks this week. It's time for Tennessee to be put in it's place. However, I still believe this loss won't effect Tennessee as much as it should. With a loss from a top 10 team, they should only drop to like #15 or #16 and they will still be the top contender to win the SEC East because that division is very mediocre and they already beat Florida, so it's inevitable.

#23 Florida State vs #10 Miami: Miami has quietly moved to #10 with really no recognition whatsoever. The Hurricane, however, have not had a challenge at all. Their first three games were against Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, and Appalachian State (decent). Their schedule isn't really as strong as most top ranked team's but maybe the Associated Press sees something I don't. But this is Miami's first real test. Florida State has struggled a lot this season, coming in with a record of 3-2, with both losses against ACC opponents Louisville and North Carolina. So I really do not know what to expect from this game really. I'm going to go with Florida State mainly because I feel like they're the stronger, more experienced team here. Plus Jimbo Fisher must have a few tricks up his sleeve.. Right?

#25 Virginia Tech vs #17 North Carolina: Virginia Tech is ranked. Yes, Virginia Tech is a team ranked in the Top 25. I really do not know why. It appears they have a strong offense this year so maybe that's it. But the Hokies seem to be on a roll, coming in at 3-1, fresh off a 54-17 victory over East Carolina. North Carolina is coming off another close game, this time off of the upset of Florida State. With that victory, the Tar Heels jumped to #17. I wouldn't have put them at #17 right after the Florida State game but like I said with Miami, maybe the Associated Press sees something I don't. But North Carolina football seems pretty good this year, so I'm going to pick North Carolina for this game.

#5 Washington vs Oregon: Now we all know how I felt about Washington. But after their game last week against Stanford (44-6 if you didn't hear), it appears that the Huskies are the kings of the Pac-12 this season. Which to me is very surprising, considering their 7-6 season record last year. Oregon comes into this game at a poor 2-3 record. The Ducks are no longer the team they used to be. With Marcus Mariota and LaMichael James gone, Oregon seems to be lost. However, they seem to be giving a lot of teams trouble at home, with their last home game against Colorado being settles by a field goal. I know I apologized to Washington and I understand they're good this year, but I'm looking for the upset. So I'm picking Oregon to upset #5 Washington in Eugene on Saturday.

So those are my picks for this Saturday. If I get the Arkansas and Oregon picks correct, I will crown myself as the King of College Football (sorry Lamar..) because I will have that power. So yeah, that's all I got for the preview this week. Let's see how Saturday goes! See you at the Review!