CFB Weekend Preview #7

#15 Texas vs. #13 Oklahoma

The annual Red River Shootout take place this weekend with Oklahoma currently favored by 3 1/2 points. Frankly, I'm just not buying Oklahoma at all. Landry Jones, the OK QB has unperformed consistently this season, while David Ash for Texas has impressed. Unless Oklahoma can get their running game going I don't give them any chance. I expect a rather low scoring affair, think > 60. And If I was a betting man I would take Texas outright for the upset.





#1 Alabama at Missouri 

This game opened with Bama being favored by 17 1/2 and has since increased to 21. This game just feels "strange" to me. I guess it's a gut feeling. But consider that Alabama, the #1 team in the country is only favored by 3 touchdowns against a down Mizzou team starting their backup QB. Maybe I'm reading between the lines too much but it almost seems like Vegas, also, is not too sure about this game. This is a beat up Bama squad playing on the road for only the second time this season (not that that really means anything). I'm just going to go with my gut here and take Bama but I would not be surprised at all if the score was closer than you think.

#3 South Carolina at #9 LSU

LSU is currently favored by 3. We all know Death Valley is an extremely difficult place to play in at night. I don't remember what the number is but I'm pretty sure you can count the number of times Les Miles has lost at home at night on one hand. Fresh off their less to Florida you know this LSU team is going to be hungry for revenge. Meanwhile, South Carolina is in the midst of brutal 3 game stretch that began with whomping Georgia at home but then sees the 'Cocks going to LSU and then to The Swamp. A lot of people seem to think this is a trap game for SC because they will be looking ahead to Florida, but I wholeheartedly disagree. No one looks past LSU. Even though this is a LSU team that hasn't lived up to expectations, it is still a top 10 team and one of the pillars of SEC football.

That being said, let me tell you why SC will win...

I think that if South Carolina can score 21 or more points they will win. LSU just does not have a good offense. This team nearly lost to an absolutely abysmal Auburn team. Also Connor Shaw, the Gamecocks QB will not have to do too much. LSU showed they cannot stop the run when they played Florida. LSU still has a top defense but so did Georgia, or so everyone thought.

SC will play a mistake free game and beat LSU on the ground while mixing in some big plays through the air; take SC outright.

#17 Stanford at #7 Notre Dame (Win one for the Beano)

I'm torn with this game. On the one hand Notre Dame is one of the teams I want to forever lose because of Brian Kelly. On the other hand Beano Cook died today, a legendary figure in college football, and this was his team. Every day at work I listen to the ESPNU College Football Podcast where up until recently Beano was a regular figure. So I'm rather saddened by that. How else will I know what Notre Dame was doing in 1934?

Looking at this game objectively I think it'll be rather low scoring. We know Stanford has a great defense, losing to Washington aside. We also know Notre Dame has a decent offense and really good defense. I really can't get a read on this game either way so I'm going to go with the team withthat more goods than bads. ND (good offense + great defense) > Stanford (mediocre offense + good defense) = ND win in a slow scoring affair. ND is only favored by a touchdown... So go with ND to cover. I really can't be objective with this, I just hate ND so much.

My totally biased and completely non-objective look at #8 Ohio State at Indiana

It's Indiana... They're bad. Ohio State is favored by 17 1/2. Just take Ohio State to cover.

OK, OK they nearly beat a very down Michigan State team. I think Michigan State was just not in the game in the first half, the 1 point loss to hated rival Ohio State still in their minds. What sticks out to me is that they gave up almost 200 yards before the half, then after it only gave up 37. That tells me when they went into the locker room during half time, they looked at themselves in the mirror and said, "Sparty, you're about to lose to Indiana, this isn't going to happen". They then came out in the second half and put them away like they should have.

Urban Meyer is too good a coach to let the Buckeyes look past Indiana. So yeah, they'll beat them handily.