2023 Week 8 Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 5/5 thanks to Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, Michigan and Florida State
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 3/5 thanks to Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Utah
Overall picks – 8/10 and I have some good momentum
2023 All Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 35/40
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 18/40
Overall picks – 53/80 which means I’m heading towards third gear
Week 9 College Football Top 5 Games to Watch
5. Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Early afternoon kickoff (12:00 PM EDT) on 10/28/23 from Lawrence, Kansas. Sooners avoided an emotional letdown in Week 8 by barley beating UCF at home (31-29). Schedule is easy and manageable for the last five weeks of the season. QB Dillon Gabriel has matured quickly this season (2131 passing yards, 19 passing TDs, 230 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs). Has improved significantly in avoiding sacks and throwing INTs. Defense is giving up significant yardage (359.9 yards per game), but tightens up in the red zone (16.1 points per game). Jayhawks have lost two out of their last three games and have no momentum heading into this matchup. Senior QB Jason Bean (913 passing yards, 9 TDs) gets the start for the fourth straight game. Three headed running attack and four deep receiving corps are going to have play smart, fast, and big to keep up with the best team in the Big 12.
Prediction: Oklahoma takes three quarters to figure things out on the road and wins by 9 points.
4. Georgia vs. Florida
Afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) on 10/28/23 from Jacksonville, Florida. World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party continues at a neutral site, to keep both fan bases in line. Georgia leads this series 55-44-2 and have won the last two games in 2021 and 2022. Bulldogs are ranked #1 in the country and have only been tested by Auburn (27-20). Next four weeks will clearly show if there’s a three-peat on the horizon with games against Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Just another late month in the deep SEC. Gators are 5-2 and seem to be playing with some moxie after a bad loss to Kentucky (33-14) in Week 5. Head coach Billy Napier isn’t mentioned in head-to-head coaching matchups, but he gets a chance to play a chess match against Kirby Smart. Georgia recruits well, Florida uses the transfer portal, and that typically leads to an expected final score.
Prediction: Physical game for 60 minutes and Georgia wins by 10 points.
3. BYU vs. Texas
Afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) on 10/28/23 from Austin, Texas. Cougars have transitioned well in their inaugural season in the Big 12 at 5-2. Currently on a lose-win-lose-win pattern, so they are due to lose this week. QB Kedon Slovis, RB LJ Martin and WR Chase Roberts will try to carry the BYU offense in a hostile road game environment. Rest of the WR/TE corps need to chip in or the scoreboard will get one sided in a hurry. Longhorns also avoided a letdown in Week 8 by finding a way to outlast Houston (31-24). Last five games are a cakewalk (BYU, Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State, Texas Tech), to have a chance to play Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. Head coach Steve Sarkisian needs to keep his squad focused and motivated each week, to stay on that path. Due to QB Quinn Ewers being sidelined with an injured shoulder, the student section might catch a glimpse of future QB Arch Manning warming up.
Prediction: Texas tightens up on defense and wins by 14+ points.
2. Tulane vs. Rice
Late afternoon kickoff (4:00 PM EDT) on 10/28/23 from Houston, Texas. Green Wave are back in the national spotlight due to winning five games in a row and sitting at 6-1. Currently tied with SMU and UTSA for first place in the American Conference. Keep an eye on freshman RB Makhi Hughes (619 rushing yards, 5 TDs), since he’s run for 100+ yards in three straight games. Head coach Willie Fritz is doing a masterful job and staying below the radar. Owls are 4-3 and have a solid offensive scheme (412.3 yards and 34.0 points per game). QB JT Daniels (Mr. Transfer Portal), hasn’t disappointed due to throwing for 2173 yards and 17 TDs. Helps to have WR Luke McCaffrey (613 receiving yards, 7 TDs) as a go-to teammate.
Prediction: Tulane plays a complete game and wins by 10+ points.
1. Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
Primetime evening kickoff (7:30 PM EDT) on 10/28/23 from Madison, Wisconsin. Buckeyes are rolling at 7-0 and need to avoid looking too far ahead to the Michigan game in the final week of the season. Do need to keep an eye out for suspicious people sitting on the 45 yard line with iPhones recording their sideline. QB Kyle McCord (1937 passing yards, 12 TDs) will have his security blanket back in action, with RB TreyVeon Henderson deemed 100% healthy. Expect a run heavy offense and plenty of passes to WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to keep the OSU train rolling. Badgers are 5-2 but don’t have a quality win yet for new head coach Luke Fickell. RB Braelon Allen is a workhorse (704 rushing yards, 8 TDs), but needs some help from his QB and WR corps to keep up with the fast, deep and talented Buckeyes. Stranger things have happened in night games at Camp Randall Stadium, but this blogger will take the even betting line to simply just “Jump Around.”
Prediction: Ohio State wakes up in the second half and wins by 17 points.
Week 9 College Football Top 5 Upsets that might happen
5. Oregon vs. Utah
Best PAC-12 game of the week and huge implications for the first CFP poll that comes out on 10/31/23. Ducks are 6-1 and have a quality loss at Washington (36-33). Find a way to win this game, and the stretch run only includes a fading USC team and the Civil War against Oregon State. If QB Bo Nix keeps the offense running on six cylinders, Oregon will be back in the PAC-12 Championship Game. Utes are also 6-1 and have a quality loss at Oregon State (21-7). Showed some onions with a last second win over USC in Week 8 (34-32). Tough sledding for the rest of the season due to losing QB Cameron Rising, but Utah has shown resilience the last two seasons. Strange things happen at Rice-Eccles Stadium despite the Utes being a 6.5 point home underdog.
4. Duke vs. Louisville
A Big Wednesday ACC basketball matchup from the bluegrass state. Whoops, this blogger is off one week due to the college basketball starting on 11/6/23. Blue Devils are a dangerous team after two quality losses to Notre Dame (21-14) and Florida State (38-20). Starting QB Riley Leonard will be a game-time decision due to reinjuring his high ankle sprain in Week 8. Backup QB Henry Belin IV will be ready to go if his name is called. Cardinals did take care of business against Notre Dame in Week 6 (33-20), before coming back down to earth in a bad Week 7 loss to Pittsburgh (38-21). QB Jack Plummer, RB Jawhar Jordan and WR Jamari Thrash will carry the offense. Need the defense to step up and play sound rushing technique and tackling. Duke will run the ball with aggression due to being a 6.0 point road underdog.
3. Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Another tasty college basketball matchup between two SEC heavyweights. Whoops, Dick Vitale sent this blogger the wrong game notes yet again. Volunteers were mentally and physically worn down in Week 8 by Alabama (34-20 loss). QB Joe Milton III played well, but fumbled the game away late in the fourth quarter. Tennessee doesn’t have a quality win yet, and they are going to get chewed up in the late season scheduling of the SEC. Wildcats are leaking oil after back-to-back losses to Georgia (51-13) and Missouri (38-21). QB Devin Leary is a streaky player and is due for a bounce back performance. Boisterous home crowd fueled by pregame mint juleps, should help Kentucky pull off a small upset as a 4.0 point home underdog.
2. Oregon State vs. Arizona
Beavers are the quietest 6-1 team in the PAC-12 and have feasted on the lower tier teams. Signature win over Utah in Week 5 (21-7) isn’t an outlier, but Washington and Oregon are looming at the end of the season. Oregon State is due for a letdown one of these weeks and the desert has claimed several teams this season. QB DJ Uiagalelei is very comfortable letting his two stud RBs (Damien Martinez, Deshaun Fenwick), and two talented WRs (Silas Bolden, Anthony Gould) have the spotlight. Wildcats have engineered a turnaround season (5-7 in 2022, 4-3 in 2023), that gets overshadowed by Coach Prime at Colorado. Backup QB Noah Fifita is expected to start for the fourth straight game. Close quality losses to Washington (31-24) and USC (43-41 in 3OT), has Arizona due to be a Desert Swarm squad again as a 3.0 point home underdog.
1. UNLV vs. Fresno State
Dabbling in the dangerous Mountain West Conference (MWC) yet again to find a fifth upset pick that seems to make sense. Rebels are 6-1 and looking up at Air Force in the MWC standings. Freshman QB Jayden Maiava can play (1313 passing yards, 5 TDs) and he’s got a top tier target in WR Ricky White (559 receiving yards, 2 TDs). Maybe UNLV isn’t just a basketball school anymore. Bulldogs are a steady program year in and year out. Also sitting at 6-1, with QB Mikey Keene (1692 passing yards, 15 TDs) lighting up the scoreboard. Fresno State continues to produce NFL caliber QBs since 2001 and that’s not easy to do. Gut feeling has UNLV hanging around late in this game, even though they are a big road underdog at 9.5 points.
Storylines to follow heading into Week #10
- Crank up the hype machine for Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
- Get ready for the LSU vs. Alabama rematch in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Who is the Heisman Trophy front runner after Week #9?
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of College Football Top 5 Week #9 and try again in Week #10.
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