Last week’s record:
7-3; for the season, 13-6.
F=m x a. # 13 Alabama @ #8 Georgia. That’s
the formula for Force. Sir Isaac Newton’s Second Law. It’s also a suitable equation for this week’s
Bulldogs-Tide game at Sanford Stadium in Athens which feature’s the SEC’s
three, next-best running backs, behind LSU’s Leonard Fournette. For the Tide, Mass X Acceleration=Derrick
Henry and Kenyan Drake. For the Dawgs,
it’s Nick Chubb. For the prediction on
this one, we turn to the stats. It will
likely boil down to third down efficiency and turnovers. Projected winner: Georgia.
Malcolm Gladwell can explain
almost anything. Or, so it seems. # 6 Notre Dame @ # 12 Clemson. In his book Outliers, Gladwell writes about how no one makes it alone. He writes about the distinct advantages
middle class kids have over poor ones. The same holds true for this game. Have you seen Notre Dame on TV this season? It’s difficult for a CFB fan not to have seen them. Each of the Irish games has been on a major
network. Seen Clemson? Probably not,
because, even though the Tigers are 3 and 0, it’s been against Wofford, App. St. and
Louisville. Projected winner: Notre
Dame.
The George Santayana maxim. "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to
repeat it.” #1 Ohio State @
Indiana. The Hoosiers boast the leading
running back in the nation. Jordan
Howard has carried the ball 111 times for 675 yards and 4 TDs. It’s been a quarter of a century since
Indiana started a season 4 and 0.
However, OSU is 70-17 against Indiana. The Hoosiers are 0-15 against #1
teams and 0-5 against #1 OSU teams. Is history
an accurate predictor? In this game??? Probably. Projected winner: Ohio State.
Okay. It’s not Twister, but it’ll do. Texas Tech @ #5 Baylor (in Arlington, TX). Last week, prior to a country music concert
at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, hundreds of people participated in the Guinness
Book of World Records record-breaking/setting largest game of Twister. This week’s game between the Red Raiders and
Baylor could possibly break some records, too, for offense. However, is there
any gas in the Raiders’ tank after last week’s emotional back-and-forth loss to
TCU? Doubtful. Besides, Baylor is the #1 offensive team in
the FBS. Projected winner: Baylor.
Meanwhile, just a few miles
west on I-20. Texas at #4 TCU. Speaking of whether there’s any gas remaining
in the physical/mental/emotional tank after last week, the Horned Frogs (see
above) host Texas in Ft. Worth. The
Frogs have the #2 offense in the nation.
QB Trevone Boykin has thrown 14 TDs this season---and has a 19-game streak,
going back to last year, of a TD per game.
Texas has…desperation. That will
not be enough. Projected winner: TCU.
Now, some quick headlines…
People of West VA: Your couches are safe this weekend. #23 West VA @ # 15 OU. Bob Stoops’ Sooners will use this ranked-team
matchup as a tune-up for the Red River Rivalry against Texas next week in
Dallas. Projected winner: Oklahoma.
A team wearing maroon and
white will win. #21
Mississippi St. @ #14 Texas A&M. Okay,
granted the teams have only played eight times in their history and the series
is tied 4-4, but the last time the Bulldogs took two consecutive games from the
Aggies (the ‘Dogs won last year in StarkVegas) was in 1913 and 1915. It’s a hundred years later, but history will
not repeat. Projected winner: Texas
A&M.
Hoddy Toddy vs. Work ‘em
silly. #3 Ole Miss @ #25 Florida. The Gators played two (at the time they played
them) #3 ranked teams last year, losing both.
But, this is this year. The gap between #3 and #25 seems great, but,
maybe it’s not. Projected winner:
Florida.
For your CFB TV watching pleasure, the quintessential, easy-to-read
guide: http://www.lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm
And…the links no fan should be without:
·
Holly
Anderson on Grantland…and her Twitter feed.
http://grantland.com/contributors/holly-anderson/ https://twitter.com/HollyAnderson
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