There was not nearly enough natty light in East Lansing to drink away the pain last Saturday night. But with that said, it’s a brand new week of college football and I’m ready for this week’s games. Speaking of this week’s games, multiple games will have major playoff implications, meaning we have some awesome MUST WATCH games this week. So crack open a cold one and let’s talk this week’s matchups.
Chris’ MUST WATCH Games of The Week
#7 Stanford vs. #10 Washington
A Friday night top ten matchup under the lights? I love everything about this, and I really like both these teams. First off, I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to give justice to how good Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey really is; the kid is like a friggin swiss army knife, what can’t he do? With McCaffrey, new QB Ryan Burns, and a Cardinal defense that has yet to give up more than 13 points in a game, Stanford has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
Aside from last week’s OT win over Arizona, Washington has beaten the snot out of everyone they’ve played. On offense, Sophomore QB Jake Browning has already thrown for 14 touchdowns, and RB’s Myles Gaskins and Lavon Coleman(266 rushing yards combined last week) have been incredibly hard to contain. Their defense? Tied for the national lead in takeaways, and holding teams to an average of 14.5 points a game. FILTHY good.
Prediction: I’m probably going to seem like an idiot for betting against Christian McCaffrey, but Washington boasts a strong defensive line, and might actually be able to hold him down. Also, Stanford is missing BOTH of their starting cornerbacks this week, and Huskies QB Jake Browning has been phenomenal at airing it out this year. If you didn’t already believe the hype, I think you will after Friday night.
#4 Michigan vs. #8 Wisconsin
This is shaping up to be one of the most important games in the Big Ten all season, and for both teams, a win would show the nation they are CFP material. As much as it pains me to say it, Michigan’s offense has been absolutely nuts this year, averaging 52 points and nearly 230 yards rushing per game. The Wolverines defense has been damn near just as good this year. Led by Jabrill Peppers(9.5 tackles for loss so far), they’re allowing just under 14 points a game and now have Jourdan Lewis, one of the nation’s best corners, back after he missed time early in the season.
Ah yes, after I said the Badgers couldn’t hang with MSU, they fucking massacred my Spartans 30-6, totally changing my opinion of them going forward. The Badgers defense is stupid good this year, and they made both LSU and MSU’s offenses look like absolute shit. They rank 12th in the nation in total defense and have held teams to an average of only 11.8 points per game… So yeah, their defense is really good, to say the least. On offense, senior RB Corey Clement is one of the better RB’s in the Big Ten, and young gunslinger Alex Hornibrook looked good against Michigan State.
Prediction: Michigan’s offense has been bulldozing everyone this season, but their schedule has been weak as hell and I think the Badgers are gonna give them a real fight. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s not forget Wisconsin’s QB Alex Hornibrook, has only one start under his belt and Michigan’s defense has been kicking ass and taking names all season; the Wolverines are going to eat him up and spit him out. I really hate Jim Harbaugh and Michigan but I see their defense carrying them and the Wolverines winning a close one to stay undefeated. Yuck.
#3 Louisville vs. #5 Clemson
Let’s not beat around the bush here, if you’ve watched any college football at all this year, you already know how good this matchup is gonna be. To start off, I’m not even sure if Lamar Jackson is human anymore. He has more touchdowns(25 to be exact) BY HIMSELF than 96 percent of the FBS teams in the country. After throwing for 400+ yards and 5 touchdowns last week against Marshall, he graded his performance as an “F”. Jackson paired with more playmakers is the reason Louisville leads the nation in scoring. On the other side of the ball, Louisville’s front seven will dominate you, just ask FSU QB Deondre Francois who was sacked 5 times two weeks ago, only throwing for 128 yards.
Don’t forget about Deshaun Watson though, who is also one of the most dangerous QBs both in the passing game and running game. Watson has had a slow start compared to his numbers last year, but when you consider that “slow” for Watson is averaging 250 yards per game, you realize how legit this kid is. Don’t let those numbers fool you, though, Watson has the ability to score on nearly any defense you throw at him, and if you don’t believe me just look at his stats against Bama in the National Championship last year; the dude is fucking insane with the ball in his hands. While Clemson’s offense is great the Tigers’ defense has been even better thus far, allowing just 219 yards per game this season and they are coming off a game in which they absolutely manhandled Georgia Tech.
Prediction: While both teams have strong defenses, I don’t see this one being a defensive battle at all. I’d like to believe Clemson could hold down Lamar Jackson, but frankly, I don’t think anybody can, all you can do is hope he doesn’t drop 50+ points on you. Yes, Louisville’s defense has been great but they haven’t faced an experienced and dangerous QB like Deshaun Watson yet, and I think Watson is going to run circles around the Tigers. With all of this said, I love Deshaun Watson, but Lamar Jackson has undeniably taken this Heisman race and grabbed it by the balls, and I don’t expect him to slow down this week. I think Lamar Jackson continues his hot streak with another top 5 win.
Quick hits
For the games I didn’t include, here are some quick hits:
Tennessee over Georgia– Sorry, but Georgia is not as good as I expected.
Oklahoma over TCU– Baker Mayfield and Co. have to get it going at some point, Week 5 is the week.
UCLA over Arizona– Sorry Rich Rod, Josh Rosen and the Bruins are going to take care of business at home.
UPSET ALERT: Memphis over Ole Miss– Ole Miss has been impressive so far, but Memphis has lowkey been eatin’ this year! Flexing their guns both on offense and defense, don’t be surprised if Memphis upsets Ole Miss this week.
And for shits and giggles, in a state of Michigan rivalry, I’ve got Cooper Rush and Central Michigan taking down Western Michigan this weekend. Fire up Chips!
As always, make sure to hit the tailgate hard this weekend, and stay lit my friends.
