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College Football Week Six Preview

The weeks keep ticking by in the 2019 college football season, with another group of games that could have play-off ramifications further down the line. This weekend has some good under the radar games to pique interest also. Let’s look at the main talking points heading into week six.

1) Auburn – Florida Preview

The biggest matchup of the week is this Auburn – Florida game, with giant SEC implications. Both sides go into this one with plenty of confidence, and a 5-0 record. Auburn travels to Florida as favourites, having faced a much tougher schedule.

Bo Nix has been solid as a true freshman starter, but will face a tough task against a top 20 defense like Florida’s. For the Gators the game will depend a lot on backup Kyle Trask, making his third start, having played well against limited opposition. Both co-lead their SEC conference, with the winner closing in on a play-off berth.

2) Can Auburn do the Unthinkable in the SEC West?

The SEC West can legitimately claim to be the toughest conference in college football, but if Auburn can win against Florida could they claim the conference crown over Alabama? This has previously been an Alabama stronghold, but this year they face competition from Auburn and LSU.

Auburn have so far beat two top 25 teams on route to 5-0, and another win against tenth ranked Florida would boost them into play-off contention. They face a brutal schedule this season, with LSU, Georgia and Alabama to face. If they only lose to Georgia and beat the rest they will claim an unlikely SEC West title.

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Auburn has rolled over tough opponents this season, with another victory over Florida likely to bring them into play-off contention. Photo: Jason Caldwell/247Sports.

3) Iowa – Michigan Preview

Another massive conference matchup is this Big Ten game as Iowa travel to Michigan. The Wolverines are the traditional power in this game, but will go into it as underdogs after an underwhelming start to the season.

Iowa have started well at 4-0, co-leading the Big Ten West with Wisconsin. The Badgers brushed Michigan aside two weeks ago, and Iowa will feel confident heading into this game. Their defense ranks fifth in the nation, and Michigan have struggled on offense this season. Despite the home advantage Iowa should feel confident in this one.

4) Michigan Need Big Home Win

The result this weekend will have big implications for the rest of the Michigan season. They go into it 3-1 but have yet to convince in any of their wins. Their loss was in-conference to Wisconsin, putting them already a game behind Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten East.

Another conference loss to Iowa will likely take them out of the running for the title, and at two losses will make it almost impossible to secure a top ten ranking or featured bowl game. The Jim Harbaugh hot seat would only increase, so a lot rests on this game.

5) Michigan State – Ohio State Preview

Keeping things in the Big Ten East, this matchup of Michigan State and Ohio State will mean a lot going forward. Ohio State will feel confident after a 5-0 start and being at home, but 25th ranked Michigan State won’t roll over in this rivalry game.

This will be an interesting game, with the Ohio State offense, led by Quarterback Justin Fields, is currently eighth in the nation for total offense. Michigan State has the seventh ranked defense however. They key for Michigan State will be scoring points on an Ohio State defense that is second in the nation, allowing less than 225 yards per game.

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Justin Fields has excelled so far at Ohio State, and looks to be leading them into a potential national championship berth. Photo: Jay LaPrete/AP Photo.

6) Potential Banana Skin for Ohio State

As I mentioned above Ohio State will be favourites for this game, but don’t discount Michigan State. They currently co-lead the conference with Ohio State and Penn State, and are a ranked team worthy of respect.

Their defense is a top ten unit in the country, allowing just over 250 yards per game. Their edge rushers Kenny Willekes and Raequan Williams lead the team with 7.5 sacks between them in five games. Ohio State is also coming off a statement win against Nebraska, and with a rivalry game this weekend they may slip up at home.

7) Under the Radar Games to Watch

Some games that won’t receive massive hype but will provide plenty of intrigue include a likely lopsided affair as Utah State travel to fifth ranked LSU. This isn’t a matchup on paper, but I’ve included it as we’ll see potential NFL Draft top ten pick, Utah State QB Jordan Love take on a very good LSU defense, with comparisons with rising star Joe Burrow likely.

The Pac-12 provides some important games, with 4-1 California travelling to 13th ranked 3-1 Oregon. After that is 15th ranked Washington travelling to face a struggling 2-3 Stanford team.

8) ‘Fair Pay to Play ‘ Acts Building

The much talked about ‘Fair Pay to Play’ Act introduced by California made headlines as it was officially signed this week on The Shop, and other states are now taking a stance on this divisive issue. Florida state representative Kionne McGhee proposed a similar bill this week that if passed, would go into effect July 1st 2020.

This has been followed by news that former Ohio State receiver and current U.S House of Representatives politician Anthony Gonzalez is proposing federal legislation allowing college athletes to earn money through endorsement deals nationally. After much blustering from the NCAA, their patriarchy may be coming to an end.

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California governor Gavin Newsom signed his state’s ‘Fair Pay to Play’ Act live on The Shop with LeBron James this week. Photo: The Shop.

9) Coaches Already on the Hot Seat

The firing of Chris Ash at Rutgers last weekend was the first of the year, but many college coaches are feeling the pressure after poor starts to the season. USC head coach Clay Helton was almost fired last year, but is unlikely to survive this season. They have a 3-2 record and face a tough schedule, starting with ninth ranked Notre Dame this weekend.

Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt will be another facing being fired, with a 1-3 start hard to come back from. Coming from Alabama he was supposed to resurrect this historic program, but they have fallen even further away under him.

10) Nick Saban Doesn’t Follow Rankings

The Alabama coach made headlines this week, saying that the rankings don’t matter until the end of the season. This is a classic Saban quote, straight from the Bill Belichick school of media quotes. It does show once again however the relentless nature both show in coaching.

Saban has already cemented himself as a legend of college football, but his relentless desire to improve is a big reason why Alabama has become the dominant force in college football for a decade now.

That wraps up my preview for week six of the season, if you have any thoughts on these points feel free to comment below or find me on Twitter @JWjournalism. Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who read this blog I really appreciate it!

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College Football Week Two Roundup

The college football season is now truly underway, with some brilliant matchup’s this past weekend that remind us all why we love the game. There were not any major upsets, but the games were entertaining from start to finish as the top ranked teams asserted their dominance. Let’s take a look at ten talking points from this past weekend.

1) LSU Win Big

LSU were the big winners of week two, knocking off a top ten Texas side in their house 45-38. The game of the weekend lived up to expectations, and now LSU fans are dreaming of the college football play-off.

QB Joe Burrow had a monster 471 yards and 4 TD’s, with receiver Justin Jefferson getting three of them along with 163 total yards. LSU have often struggled at the QB position, but now they have a stud in Burrow. They have NFL talent on both sides of the ball, and can legitimately think of the top four now.

2) Texas Have Plenty to Play for 

Texas will feel disappointed they could get a statement win at home, however they still have plenty to play for this season. It’s been a difficult decade for this storied program, but they now have a team with legitimate top ten hopes.

Boyhood fan Sam Ehlinger had a monster game 401 yards and 4 TD’s along with 60 rushing yards, leading the team. Texas were in this game until the very end against the best LSU side in years. They dropped to 12th in the AP Top 25 poll, but they can easily get back into the top ten.

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LSU QB Joe Burrow is the answer their fans have been waiting years for. He has led them to a play-off spot in a flying start to their season. Photo: AP/Michael Democker.

3) Clemson Overcome Texas A&M 

Clemson passed the test with a convincing 24-10 victory over a resurgent Texas A&M team. The final score doesn’t accurately reflect that Clemson flat out played better than Texas A&M throughout.

QB Trevor Lawrence rebounded from a patchy opening game with some beautiful throws, notably his TD. He added a rushing score also, and with how talented this Clemson team is he needs only to play sensibly and execute for them to have a good chance of victory. Texas A&M looked second best, but there’s no shame in that when you play Clemson.

4) Big Upsets in Week Two

Part of the fun of college football Saturday’s is checking out whose on upset alert, and there was some big results this past weekend. Maryland was the pick of the bunch, dismantling 22nd ranked Syracuse 63-20. This was a massive win that puts the program 22nd in the AP polls, the first time they’ve been ranked since 2013.

Other notable upsets were 23rd ranked Stanford getting rolled over by USC 45-20, an especially impressive result when considered USC lost it’s starting QB J.T Daniels for the season in week one. 25th ranked Nebraska also fell on a missed FG against Colorado 34-31.

5) Michigan Survive Close Call

The Michigan revival under Jim Harbaugh hasn’t quite gone to plan so far. His return to Ann Arbor was supposed to bring the glory years back but so far it hasn’t quite worked out. Only once have they finished in the top ten and they haven’t finished better than 10-3 under him.

So far this season they have looked less than convincing. They gave up 21 points in a 40-21 win over Middle Tennessee, and this past weekend needed double overtime to beat Army 24-21. Army played an incredible game in the Big House, however no disrespect to Army, but they shouldn’t be scaring Michigan this much in their stadium.

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Michigan players celebrate a double overtime scare against Army. They will need to improve before they face tougher competition. Photo: David Guralnick/Detroit News.

6) Heisman Week Two Report

After a scintillating week one, it was a quieter weekend for some of the key players in the early Heisman Trophy race. Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts saw limited action in a 70-14 demolishing of South Dakota, going 14-18 for 259 yards and 3 TD’s, along with 47 rushing yards.

Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa was similarly dominant in their 62-10 win over New Mexico State, going 16-24 for 227 yards and 3 TD’s, with 33 rushing yards also. After falling behind in the opening week, Trevor Lawrence of Clemson reasserted himself in the Heisman race with his win over Texas A&M.

7) AP Top 25 Rankings

After a fairly predictable opening week, week two saw some movement in the AP Top 25 polls. The biggest move is LSU claiming the final play-off place in fourth, displacing Oklahoma and Ohio State after their statement win against Texas.

Michigan dropped from seventh to tenth after two uninspiring wins against Middle Tennessee and Army, vaulting Auburn and Florida to eighth and ninth respectively. Texas dropped from ninth to 12th, along with rivals Texas A&M who fell from 12th to 16th after losses last weekend. Washington fell from 14th to 23rd after a 20-19 upset loss against California.

8) True Freshman Impressing 

The 2019 season has already seen some true freshman QB’s assert themselves at their respective programs. Hank Bachmeier has impressed as Boise State upset Florida State on opening weekend, now they sit 22nd ranked and 2-0.

Sam Howell has done the same at North Carolina, leading them to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2014. He’s led the Tar Heels to comeback wins against South Carolina and Miami, showing up big in both games. Bo Nix has led eighth ranked Auburn to a massive in against Oregon, showing that the future is looking bright for these three programs.

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Boise State true freshman Hank Bachmeier was a highly rated recruit who has now led his team to a 2-0 start and top 25 ranking. Photo: Boise State Broncos.

9) Storied Programs Start Slow

Many of the teams in the early Top 25 rankings are not a surprise, however some other storied programs have started at the other end of the spectrum. Tennessee were the shock of week one as they lost to lowly Georgia State, but they lost again 29-26 against BYU. This is the first time they have started 0-2 since 1988 and head coach Jeremy Pruitt is definitely on the hot seat.

Miami lost a close game to Florida on opening weekend, but now compounded it with a 28-25 loss to North Carolina. They are now 0-2 for the first time since 1978, with new head coach Manny Diaz already struggling.

10) More Quarterback Injuries in Week Two

The opening two weeks have been rough for quarterbacks, with the likes of USC and Northwestern losing their starters on opening weekend. Week two unfortunately saw South Carolina QB Jake Bentley go down with a Lisfranc fracture on his left foot. This will require season ending surgery, and is a tough break for a player who was hoping to build his NFL Draft stock this season.

Kentucky QB Terry Wilson was the other big casualty, as he is now out for the season after tearing his patellar tendon in his knee in his teams win against Eastern Michigan. This is a tough break for a player who led the team to it’s first ten win season since 1978 last year.

This rounds up some of the main talking points from a busy week two of the college football season. If you have comments about this piece or the week two results feel free to comment below or find me on Twitter @JWjournalism. Finally, a massive thank you to anyone who read this article I really appreciate it!

 

 

 

College Football Week Two Preview

The opening week of college football didn’t provide many shocks, but that should change this weekend. There are some marquee games which will impact the Top 25 polls, as teams get up to speed after the opening week. Let’s look at the ten major talking points heading into week two.

1) Texas A & M @ Clemson Matchup 

The biggest matchup of the week is Texas A & M visiting Death Valley to face number one ranked Clemson. Last seasons game in College Station was a close 28-26 Clemson win, with home field advantage giving added confidence.

Texas A & M are now in their second year under Jimbo Fisher and showed signs of improvement in week one despite facing lowly Texas State. This will be a close game where Clemson will have to be at their best to win, but they will enter the game as favourites.

2) Massive Opportunity for Trevor Lawrence

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence took the college football world by storm last year, coming in mid-season and leading them to a national championship as a true freshman. This year the expectations are massive yet in the opening week he struggled.

He went 13-23 for 168 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT’s, yet the Clemson team still handily beat Georgia Tech 52-14. This can be put down to opening week rust, but this will not cut it against a very talented Texas A & M side. Clemson will need more than it’s rushing attack to win this game.

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Trevor Lawrence struggled last weekend, and will need a big game against Texas A & M if he harbors Heisman hopes this year. Photo: Ken Ruinard/Greenville News.

3) LSU @ Texas 

This is another massive game involving a team from the Lone star state, as LSU rolls into Texas. This top ten match-up between sixth ranked LSU and ninth ranked Texas will have play-off implications.  Both sides won comfortably in week one and have looked resurgent this season.

After years of struggle at the position, both LSU and Texas now have QB’s they feel confident with. Joe Burrow for LSU has rebounded from a difficult time at Ohio State, whereas Sam Ehlinger has lived out a dream and proved people wrong at Texas. This will be a highlight game this weekend.

4) Sam Ehlinger and Grant Delpit Marquee Matchup 

There are plenty of big name players on both teams, but the key matchup of the game will be Sam Ehlinger and Grant Delpit. Ehlinger has improved every year whilst at Texas, and could rise up draft boards with another good season. Key to that will be a impressive win in this game.

Standing in his way is the player some have called the best player in college football. LSU safety Grant Delpit is a likely top ten pick in next years NFL Draft,after proving himself a beast at LSU. Whoever wins this matchup will likely prove key to their teams victory.

5) Can Cincinnati Shock Ohio State?

A potential shock of the weekend could unfold in Columbus, Ohio, as Cincinnati will prove a stern test for Ohio State. The Bearcats are feeling confident after a 24-14 win against UCLA, and have taken a massive step forward these past two years.

Head coach Luke Fickell has taken them from 4-8 to 11-2 last year, along with an AP Top 25 berth. He was a former player and coach at Ohio State, so he knows the school well. Ohio State were not challenged in week one, and therefore new QB Justin Fields may struggle if pressured early. Ohio State should win, but an upset could happen.

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Texas QB Sam Ehlinger grew up a longhorns fan, and has helped restore them back to prominence. A win against LSU will thrust them into the play-off hunt. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images.

6) What Can USC do Against Stanford? 

This game was set to be another big matchup, however both teams are dealing with quarterback injuries. K.J Costello will miss this game for Stanford with a head injury, and J.T Daniels has a torn ACL for USC.

Stanford will go into the game as favourites as they are ranked 23rd in the polls, and their QB Davis Mills matches up well with USC QB Kedon Slovis. Mills is more experienced and was a former five star recruit, whereas Slovis is a true freshman going up against a good Stanford defence.

7) Can Opening Weekend Losing Sides Rebound? 

Opening week losses can ruin a season after it’s barely begun, so this week will prove crucial to those who lost last weekend. Top of the list is Oregon, who lost agonizingly to Auburn. They face a good Nevada side, however they should rebound comfortably.

Making unwanted headlines last weekend was Tennessee, who may struggle again this week against BYU. Both sides are 0-1, however BYU’s 30-13 loss to 13th ranked Utah is respected more than Tennessee’s loss to Georgia State. This will be a close game that BYU should feel quietly confident about.

8) Upset Alert for Week Two?

Everyone in college football loves upsets, and there’s some contenders in week two. Clemson could fall to 12th ranked Texas A & M, whereas sixth ranked LSU could lose to a very good ninth ranked Texas side.

Outside of these Maryland are coming off a 79-0 win and could upset 21st ranked Syracuse at home. As I mentioned above Cincinnati could also shock Ohio State in Columbus. 25th ranked Nebraska face a tricky road test against a good Colorado side. Teams that might also struggle include West Virginia, UCLA and Tennessee.

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The moment Oregon’s hopes of victory faded in the final seconds against Auburn. Their season effectively starts this week now. Photo: Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports.

9) Games of the Weekend

The two standout games are undoubtedly Texas A & M at Clemson 3.30PM ET Saturday, before LSU travels to Texas 7.30PM ET. All four teams are ranked in the top 12 and would love to make early play-off claims with a win.

Outside of the obvious games, some hidden gems include Syracuse travelling to Maryland noon ET, Cincinnati vising Ohio State at the same time and Nebraska at Colorado 3.30PM ET.

10) Injury Curse Strikes at Northwestern 

Opening week injuries are tough, especially in this case. Northwestern QB TJ Green is out for the season after suffering a foot injury in their loss to Stanford last weekend.

The injury occurred in the third quarter, and means he may now be forced to seek a medical redshirt to preserve his eligibility as a fifth year senior. Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson will now take over, with the former five star prospect having a bye week to give him extra time to learn this offense.

That wraps up my preview of the main talking points heading into a loaded week two of the college football season. If you have any thoughts about this weekend’s game leave them in the comment section below or find me on Twitter @JWjournalism. Finally, a massive thank you for reading this article!