WEEK 2
September 5th, 2013
By Mike Nowoswiat and Brett Ciancia
By Mike Nowoswiat and Brett Ciancia
FLORIDA at MIAMI
Saturday September 7th, Noon, ESPN. AT SunLife Stadium
With this matchup, the Florida Cup is in play for 2013. Since both schools have annual matchups with Florida State, the “big three” Florida schools will all play each other. Florida and Florida State have had the most recent success, but Miami is certainly on the rise led by Head Coach Al Golden, who is navigating the ‘Canes through sanctions admirably. Both teams handled weaker opponents last week, although I was surprised that Florida didn’t put up more yards and points on Toledo. Still, like last year, the Gator defense figures to be elite. The defensive backs are probably the best unit in the country, and the front seven is still imposing. Ronald Powell and Dante Fowler provide a great pass-rushing duo that will challenge Miami QB Stephen Morris. Regardless of who has the ball, it will be strength vs. strength. Miami has yet to prove that it can be a top defense considering they played a weak Florida Atlantic team last week. And Florida QB Jeff Driskel has yet to prove that he can live up to the five-star billing out of high school. I really like Miami’s offense led by a strong offensive line, Stephen Morris, and RB Duke Johnson, but I would choose Florida’s defense over most offenses in the country. That said, with the game being played at Miami and too many question marks on Florida’s offense, I’ll pick the ACC once again in a big ACC-SEC matchup…Miami 24 Florida 20
OREGON at VIRGINIA
Saturday September 7th, 3:30pm, ABC. AT Scott Stadium
The Ducks come to Charlottesville after murdering Nicholls State last week. Virginia surprisingly knocked off a good BYU team at home, making me wonder if the Cavs have arrived this year and not next year like I originally predicted. However, Virginia struggled mightily on offense, only recording 223 total yards, albeit against a good BYU defense. While my outlook on the Cavs has certainly changed for the better after that big win, I am picking this game, and this game only. Oregon was a perennial National Title contender under Chip Kelly and it seems as if it will stay that way under Mark Helfrich. The Ducks have two Heisman contenders in their backfield and will still have a great defense despite the losses of Kiko Alonso and Dion Jordan. How great? That remains to be seen, but I do not think we will find out this week as Virginia QB David Watford does not pose much of a threat, throwing for only 114 yards last week with a touchdown and an interception last week. Wide Receiver Darius Jennings, who accounted for over half of the team’s receiving yards, will be matched up against preseason All-American CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Jennings, one of the best receivers in the ACC, will need to win this matchup as he is so heavily relied upon to produce for this offense. If Jennings does produce, then maybe Virginia can keep it competitive. Regardless, I’m picking the Ducks as the Cavs are just not ready for this level yet…Oregon 44 Virginia 14.
SOUTH CAROLINA at GEORGIA
Saturday September 7th, 4:30pm, ESPN. AT Sanford Stadium
Jadeveon Clowney played poorly, but the Gamecocks won, convincingly. All is good in Columbia. The Bulldogs lost. All is not good in Athens; just ask this fan. Top Wide Receiver Malcolm Mitchell is out for the season after tearing his ACL while celebrating a touchdown with Todd Gurley. Still, UGA sits in a good position. Clemson is the fourth-ranked team nationally, and narrowly beat the Bulldogs in their own hostile environment. Georgia had more yards and first downs, but Tajh Boyd was better than Aaron Murray on third down and in the red zone. But what Georgia fans should really hang their hats o is the fact that Clemson is an ACC team, not an SEC team. The Bulldogs are still undefeated in SEC play, meaning they control their own destiny all the way to the National Title game. But, now, they are looking at the biggest game of the year, pending potential SEC and National Title game appearances. We picked South Carolina to win the East, and nothing occurred in week one to change that prediction. The Gamecocks held UNC to less than 300 yards of total offense and did not even get a great performance from their star, who I think will bounce back this week after hearing a lot of criticism. While the offense didn’t blow away a questionable UNC defense, I think they will be able to score enough points to get the job done in Athens…South Carolina 31 Georgia 28.
TEXAS at BYU
Saturday September 7th, 7:00pm, ESPN2. AT LaVell Edwards Stadium
What more can the BYU defense do? In the opening loss, Mendenhall's defense forced 13 punts against UVA, the most punts by a winning team in over a century! The highly-touted new QB Taysom Hill vastly underperformed, completing just 13 of 40 passes in the ugly offensive game. In his defense, it was a rain-soaked game, a loss to Virginia is unacceptable. On the other side of the spectrum, Texas played about as perfect an opening game as they could have. QB David Ash passed for 343 yards and 4 TD's while leading the Longhorn offense to 715 total yards! I realize that it was an easy matchup with NMSU, but it looks like UT is flying on all cylinders which is encouraging for possibly the biggest underachievers of the last 3 seasons. BYU is not NMSU; the Cougar defense (led by All-American Kyle Van Noy) is always a gritty bunch that plays with high energy and emotion. Regardless of the Week 1 result, this BYU defense will challenge Ash. Look for the game to remain close in the first half, but for Texas to overpower in the 2nd half. Taysom Hill's turnovers will lead to quick, easy scores for UT. This tough Out-Of-Conference matchup will help UT tune-up for the huge game with Ole Miss next week... Texas 31 BYU 21
WEST VIRGINIA at OKLAHOMA
Bob Stoops shocked the CFB world when he announced that Freshman QB Trevor Knight was his starter, over assumed incumbent Blake Bell. It wasn't as shocking to those familiar with the Sooner program, as Knight dazzled all summer. In his debut, he led OU to a 34-0 shutout win against UL-Monroe while tossing 3 TD's and rushing for over 100 yards. Jalen Saunders especially impressed, as well as the deep stable of OU runningbacks (Damien WIlliams, Brennan Clay, Roy Finch). Knight's dual-threat abilities will cause problems with the West Virginia defense, who had quite a scare Saturday in Morgantown. Division 1-AA William & Mary tied or led the game for almost the entire last 3 quarters before a late WVU TD won the game 24-17. Any other season, this near-upset would have been major news, but SEVEN D1-AA teams knocked off D-1A foes last weekend (and earned nearly 3 million dollars in the process). As expected, there would be some transition in the post-Geno Smith era, but the offense started to click in the 2nd half, and brings some momentum into the Big12 Conference opener. It wont be enough, as Oklahoma is clearly the more talented team, and is nearly unbeatable at home under Stoops (81-5). Look for Knight to gain some national exposure in this FOX televised night game, as the Sooners roll... Oklahoma 34 West Virginia 13
NOTRE DAME at MICHIGAN
Saturday September 7th, 8:00pm. AT Michigan Stadium
This "rivalry" has been making headlines for a while now, ever since Michigan Coach Brady Hoke claimed Notre Dame was 'chickening out' of playing UM (Notre Dame's new ACC Contract makes it tough to keep the annual BigTen games). Next, Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly stated that he doesn't even view Michigan as a 'rival' but rather an important regional game. Media members are confusing the validity of the 'rivalry' even further: on live TV, Mark May said that growing up, he always would make sure to watch the UM-ND game every fall (Hey Mark, they didn't play from 1943 until 1978, in '78 you were 19 years old!). Regardless of whether it is a "rivalry" by definition, the series is special to the sport and will be missed in the close future, as this is the final meeting in at least 5 seasons. The last 4 meetings have all been decided by a score or less, with the home team winning 3 of those 4 memorable contests. Both teams impressed in their Week 1 victories - Michigan over Central Michigan 59-9, and Notre Dame over Temple 28-6. It is tough to gain much from these early season cupcake matchups. But in congruence with our preseason evaluation, Notre Dame has several advantages here. First, Notre Dame will win the trenches; their D-Line features TWO All-Americans, while its O-Line is a top 5 unit. While UM's All-American LT Taylor Lewan is stout, Michigan will start 2 Freshman Guards! Second, Notre Dame has the defensive advantage, with its deep secondary and aforementioned dominant D-Line. Michigan's top defender, LB Jake Ryan, is still out with an ACL tear until November and will be missed in the Front 7, as ND will attempt to pound the ball. Yes, Devin Gardner looks impressive, but we will see how he fares in his biggest game without Denard involved in the offensive system. Look for Notre Dame to 'run the ball and stop the run' and force Gardner into a few critical mistakes, as the Irish win another thriller... Notre Dame 24 Michigan 20
#PickSixNation FAN VOTE:
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