Conference Play Begins! (College Football Week 5 preview)

Matt: Another week of college football in the books, and I was at a wedding so I missed most of the action this week, but I was able to catch a few games at the bars after the reception. Once again, my Hoosiers failed to win, showing once again what happens when I start to get a little excited about Indiana football. However, my Hoosiers don’ t play this week, so hopefully that’ll give them time to recover from the beat down that Missouri handed them. Last week went to Ryan again, as he beat me by three games. I went 46-13 while Ryan went 49-16. Ryan overall is now ahead six games on me. Time to put my game face on and hope that I can get those games back this week, we’ll be previewing five big matchups this week.

Purdue vs Northern Illinois

Ryan: Purdue is going through a tough year and it doesn’t get any easier this week. The Boilermakers host a Northern Illinois team that has won 15 of their last 16 games. The best game in which Purdue played was against Notre Dame. It is easy for a team to get motivated for an in-state rival, but a non BCS-qualifying team, I don’t see it happening, even if the Huskies are a better team. The Boilermakers, behind a less than stellar Rob Henry, have struggled to put up points this year. The Huskies, on the other hand, have dropped nearly 40 a game. Jordan Lynch is playing great for the Huskies at the quarterback position, and will continue his success in West Lafayette. Northern Illinois will be too much for a rebuilding Purdue.
Winner: Northern Illinois

Matt: Just as I said, Wisconsin put a hurting on Purdue. As an Indiana fan, I know how it feels to get beat up by the Badgers that bad, and it doesn’t get easier for the Boilermakers as they take on one of the toughest non-qualifying BCS schools, Northern Illinois. I do think the Boilermakers will come out with some fight in them because they are almost at the breaking point and really need a win here, but unfortunately I don’t seem them pulling it out here.
Winner: Northern Illinois

Notre Dame vs Oklahoma

Ryan: Oklahoma visits South Bend this year after getting torn apart in Norman last year. But that was last year. The landscape of this game has changed completely; two different quarterbacks are starting, Oklahoma has the edge on defense, and the Sooners have to play on the road. Notre Dame has struggled defensively this year, giving up 24 points to Purdue and 41 against Michigan. They bounced back against Michigan State in what turned out to be a hard-nosed game. The Sooners started Blake Bell last week, and Bell looked good throwing for 413 yards and four touchdowns. That game, however, was against Tulsa. He had no success against the Irish last year when he was used as a runner. The key to this game is who is going to make the big plays. Notre Dame has the speed with TJ Jones and George Atkinson III.  I have Notre Dame in a close 6 point game.
Winner: Notre Dame

Matt: Notre Dame barely escaped a close game with my Spartans last week, winning by a mere four points. Notre Dame has another tough test against the Sooners this week. Don’t get twisted, this isn’t the same Notre Dame team from last year. I think even at week 5 we can tell that. Oklahoma has really impressed me this year, and they look like the clear favorite to win the Big 12 going into conference play. I think that Sooners put a good fight and in the end find themselves victorious against Notre Dame.
Winner: Oklahoma

LSU vs Georgia

Ryan: The game between the Tigers and the Bulldogs is obviously the game of the week. LSU has been flying under the radar so far this year. With a win against Georgia, that will no longer be the case. Georgia started the year as a favorite in the SEC. The loss to Clemson has pushed the Bulldogs aside. A win against LSU puts Georgia back in the mix. Zach Mettenberger has improved a lot from last year, throwing for over 1000 yards and ten touchdowns in the first four games. Aaron Murray has continued to play well. No real team stands out in this game, so I am going based on home field. Georgia hasn’t lost a home game since South Carolina in 2011.
Winner: Georgia

Matt: Say what you will about the SEC, but this is why it is the best conference in the nation. A top ten matchup between the Tigers and the Bulldogs and it is only week 5. This is going to be a great game, both teams looking like national contenders. This one for me is probably the hardest game to call this week, and I went back and forth between the two but in the end I’m going to have to go with Georgia. I think they have something to prove this year after falling one game short of possibly being in the National Championship last year
Winner: Georgia

Alabama vs Ole Miss

Ryan: Alabama is not who we thought they were. Texas A&M was able to exploit the Tide’s defense in which gave up 628 yards and 42 points. Ole Miss is a young, aspiring team. The Rebels started the year off with a come from behind win against Vanderbilt. Ole Miss still has a long way to go before they are able to knock off a top tier team such as Alabama. TJ Yeldon has disappointed this year, gaining over 100 yards only once this year. AJ McCarron is going to have to lead this team until Yeldon picks up the pace. Against a less than powerful Rebel offense, I see the Tide defense being able to have their way.
Winner: Alabama

Matt: The Crimson Tide have another test against the surprise, for me, of the SEC, Ole Miss Rebels. While I would like to say the kings are going to fall of their throne this week, this just isn’t the team to do it. I could be wrong and for the sake of destroying dynasties, I hope I am, but Alabama is looking like.. well, Alabama. The Tide roll on.
Winner: Alabama

Wisconsin vs Ohio State

Ryan: The Buckeyes and Badgers battle in what could be a deciding game in the division. Wisconsin, who should be 4-0 if not for terrible execution by the referees during the Arizona State game, is coming off a huge win against Purdue. Melvin Gordon is making his case for the Heisman by running for at least 140 yards and a touchdown every game this season. The Buckeyes have a little bit of controversy on their hands. Star quarterback Braxton Miller has missed the past two games with an injury. Playing in his place, Kenny Guiton has looked amazing. With only three games, Guiton has over 600 yards passing with thirteen touchdowns. Benching Miller if healthy would seem crazy, but not playing Guiton with the way he has shined would also be crazy. Either way, the Buckeyes are in trouble. Having only played one BCS-qualifying team and giving up 34 points to them is not impressive. The Badgers have played two (and beaten both) and looked impressive in the outings. I look for the strong defense of Wisconsin to control the line of scrimmage and also the quarterback controversy to get in the way. Wisconsin in a close one.
Winner: Wisconsin

Matt: Bold pick there, Ryan. After completely crushing the Boilermakers, the Badgers have their toughest test of the year. This is going to be a great game, and I am extremely upset that I’ll miss it because I’ll be at work, but hopefully I’ll be able to get home for an exciting finish. Braxton Miller makes his return to the field, and what better game to come back in than the marquee schedule of the Ohio State schedule. I think that and the home field advantage will be enough to propel Ohio State to the victory. The fact that I picked the Buckeyes as my national champion might have something to do with this pick as well, but that is another story.
Winner: Ohio State

Matt: There you have it! A preview of week 5. Oh, by the way, sorry about missing week 4, I guess Ryan was too busy to write a blog. We are going to cut NFL for awhile so we can focus on NCAA. Here are our complete picks for the week.

					Matt	Ryan
Thursday	7:30 PM	Virginia Tech Hokies	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	ESPN	Virginia Tech	Georgia Tech
Thursday	7:30 PM	Iowa State Cyclones	Tulsa Golden Hurricane	FS1	Iowa State	Tulsa
Friday	9:00 PM	Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders	BYU Cougars	ESPU	BYU	BYU
Friday	9:00 PM	Utah State Aggies	San Jose State Spartans	ESPN	Utah State	San Jose State
Saturday	12:00 PM	Miami (OH) RedHawks	Illinois Fighting Illini	BTN BTN2	Illinois	Illinois
Saturday	12:00 PM	Northern Illinois Huskies	Purdue Boilermakers	ESP2	Northern Illinois	Northern Illinois
Saturday	12:00 PM	15 Miami (FL) Hurricanes	South Florida Bulls	ESPU	Miami (FL)	Miami (FL)
Saturday	12:00 PM	SMU Mustangs	TCU Horned Frogs	FS1	TCU	TCU
Saturday	12:00 PM	12 South Carolina Gamecocks	UCF Knights	ABC	South Carolina	South Carolina
Saturday	12:00 PM	11 Oklahoma State Cowboys	West Virginia Mountaineers	ESPN	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
Saturday	12:21 PM	South Alabama Jaguars	Tennessee Volunteers	ESP3 ESGP SECN	Tennessee	Tennessee
Saturday	12:30 PM	East Carolina Pirates	North Carolina Tar Heels	ESP3 ESGP ACCN	North Carolina	North Carolina
Saturday	12:30 PM	Virginia Cavaliers	Pittsburgh Panthers	ESP3 ESGP CHSS	Pittsburgh	Virginia
Saturday	2:00 PM	Navy Midshipmen	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	ESNN	Western Kentucky	Navy
Saturday	2:30 PM	Akron Zips	Bowling Green Falcons	ESP3	Akron	Bowling Green
Saturday	3:00 PM	Toledo Rockets	Ball State Cardinals	ESP3	Ball State	Ball State
Saturday	3:00 PM	Troy Trojans	Duke Blue Devils	ESP3	Troy	Duke
Saturday	3:00 PM	Colorado Buffaloes	Oregon State Beavers	PACN	Oregon State	Oregon State
Saturday	3:30 PM	8 Florida State Seminoles	Boston College Eagles	ABC ESP2	Florida State	Florida State
Saturday	3:30 PM	Connecticut Huskies	Buffalo Bulls	ESP3	Connecticut	Buffalo
Saturday	3:30 PM	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	3 Clemson Tigers	ESPU	Clemson	Clemson
Saturday	3:30 PM	UTEP Miners	Colorado State Rams	CBSS	Colorado State	Colorado State
Saturday	3:30 PM	6 LSU Tigers	9 Georgia Bulldogs	CBS	Georgia	Georgia
Saturday	3:30 PM	Iowa Hawkeyes	Minnesota Golden Gophers	ABC ESP2	Iowa	Minnesota
Saturday	3:30 PM	Central Michigan Chippewas	North Carolina State Wolfpack	ESP3	North Carolina State	North Carolina State
Saturday	3:30 PM	14 Oklahoma Sooners	22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish	NBC	Oklahoma	Notre Dame
Saturday	4:00 PM	Army Black Knights	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	FS1	Louisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech
Saturday	4:00 PM	Houston Cougars	UTSA Roadrunners	FSN	Houston	Houston
Saturday	5:00 PM	Temple Owls	Idaho Vandals		Temple	Temple
Saturday	6:30 PM	21 Ole Miss Rebels	1 Alabama Crimson Tide	ESPN	Alabama	Alabama
Saturday	7:00 PM	10 Texas A&M Aggies	Arkansas Razorbacks	ESP2	Texas A&M	Texas A&M
Saturday	7:00 PM	20 Florida Gators	Kentucky Wildcats	ESPU	Florida	Florida
Saturday	7:00 PM	Tulane Green Wave	Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks	ESP3	Louisiana-Monroe	Louisiana-Monroe
Saturday	7:00 PM	Florida Atlantic Owls	Rice Owls	FCS	Florida Atlantic	Rice
Saturday	7:00 PM	Wyoming Cowboys	Texas State Bobcats	LGHN	Wyoming	Wyoming
Saturday	7:00 PM	Arizona Wildcats	16 Washington Huskies	FOX	Washington	Washington
Saturday	7:00 PM	Kent State Golden Flashes	Western Michigan Broncos	ESP3	Kent State	Western Michigan
Saturday	7:30 PM	Arkansas State Red Wolves	Missouri Tigers	ESP3 ESGP CHSS	Missouri	Missouri
Saturday	7:30 PM	UAB Blazers	Vanderbilt Commodores	ESP3 ESGP FSN	Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt
Saturday	8:00 PM	UNLV Rebels	New Mexico Lobos	ROOT	UNLV	New Mexico
Saturday	8:00 PM	San Diego State Aztecs	New Mexico State Aggies	ESP3 ESGP	New Mexico State	San Diego State
Saturday	8:00 PM	23 Wisconsin Badgers	4 Ohio State Buckeyes	ABC	Ohio State	Wisconsin
Saturday	8:05 PM	Air Force Falcons	Nevada Wolf Pack	CBSS	Nevada	Nevada
Saturday	10:00 PM	5 Stanford Cardinal	Washington State Cougars	ESPN	Stanford	Stanford
Saturday	10:15 PM	Southern Miss Golden Eagles	Boise State Broncos	ESPU	Boise State	Boise State
Saturday	10:30 PM	USC Trojans	Arizona State Sun Devils	ESP2	Arizona State	Arizona State
Saturday	10:30 PM	California Golden Bears	2 Oregon Ducks	PACN	Oregon	Oregon
Saturday	12:00 AM	25 Fresno State Bulldogs	Hawaii Rainbow Warriors		Fresno State	Fresno State

Johnny Football Welcomes The Crimson Tide (College Football Week 3 Preview)

Matt: Welcome to another week of College Football! Ryan and I were very close on the picks this week, and in the end it came down to the Michigan-Notre Dame game. I went with Michigan while Ryan went with his Fighting Irish. In the end, I ended up taking Week 2 by one game. I went 61-14 (.813), while Ryan went 60-15 (.800). I may have taken week 2, but Ryan still has three games on me. Our overall records stand at 120-30 (.800) for Ryan, and 117-33 (.780) for myself. Here’s a few takeaways I took from week 2 of college football:

1. I had a great time at Memorial Stadium in Champaign last week as I watched Illinois knock off Cincinnati. I didn’t think I would be leaving the game early (I didn’t leave until about 8 minutes left in the fourth) because Illinois was up so much, but they looked really solid and it turned out to be one of the surpise games of the week, which tells me one of three things: Either Purdue is really bad (which may it, after only being a FCS team by 6), Cincinnati isn’t as good as I thought they were, or Illinois is a lot better than I thought they were. Either way, don’t take your eyes off Illinois, I think they could possibly be a sleeper team in the Big Ten this year.

2. The upsets have started, and they are making me upset. My Gators fell to Miami after a piss poor offense job. It’s games like those that make me miss Tim Tebow. It may seem pathetic to lose faith in a team after just one loss, but if you can’t perform against an ACC team, how are you going to perform against the SEC? Against teams like LSU and Georgia, it’s going to be a long road for Florida, and several other things are going to have to happen if they want to find themselves in the national championship, but I’m not too confident in them after last week.

3. Mack Brown should be sweating. Texas falls short against BYU, and just like Florida, how is one expect to perform against Big 12 teams if you can’t beat BYU? Texas will  need to set their game up if they want to find themselves back in the top 25 and challenging for the Big 12 title.

Ryan: Last week opened my eyes to what this season is going to be all about for my teams. Florida’s offense is very bad. Losing to an ACC team and turning the ball over six times instills no confidence. If the Gators don’t start holding onto the ball, this could be a long year for them. It could also be a long year for the Purdue Boilermakers. Looking at the rest of the schedule, it looks like Purdue may be able to squeak out two or three more wins, which falls short of a bowl game. I believe now is the time to bench Rob Henry and put in Danny Etling. Notre Dame played well against the Wolverines in the big house. The defense struggled to stop Michigan throughout the game, but the offense was able to move the ball. A costly turnover and questionable home field calls gave Michigan the edge. However, looking at the rest of the Irish’s schedule, a BCS bowl game is still manageable. New Mexico got their first win of the season and did it in Lobo fashion: running it down your throat. Kasey Carrier went beast mode against the Miners with over 290 yards and four touchdowns. If the Lobos can keep up the run game, they may be able to make it to a bowl game this year. Other things I took from last week was Miami is for real, and their game against Florida proved that my pick to win the ACC is ready for the challenge. USC and Texas, two programs that have been great in the early 2000s, both got embarrassed against lesser opponents.  

Matt: On to week 3! Lots of great games this week, including the rematch in College Station, once again we’ll be picking all the games, but here are 9 previews and predictions of games we’ll be watching this week!

TCU at Texas Tech Thursday,  7:30 ET ESPN

Matt: TCU starts Big 12 play without their starting quarterback, Casey Pachall, after losing the quarterback early in the game against Southeast Louisiana last week. Early reports are having him out as long as 8 weeks. That means it is time for Trevone Boykin to step up if TCU is going to challenge and win the Big 12. Last week after taking over for Pachall, Boykin threw for 133 yards and 2 TDs, but Texas Tech is no Southeast Louisiana. After two impressive wins against very decent schools in SMU and SF Austin, Texas Tech welcomes the Horned Frogs. Texas Tech is currently 2^nd in passing in FBS. This game should be a good game, but in the end I think Boykin finds a way to set up and give the Horned Frogs their first Big 12 victory.
Winner: TCU

Ryan: The Horned Frogs lose their starting quarterback for at least four weeks after Casey Pachall broke his non-throwing hand. This is a huge setback for my Big 12 champion pick. Luckily, this week they play Texas Tech. Texas Tech has impressed so far this season, throwing for over 453 yards per game while only allowing 18 points per game. The Red Raiders have been flying under the radar all preseason and may still be. This is both teams opening conference game, and neither want to start the season off 0-1 in a down year in the Big 12. I believe TCU has a strong enough defense to shut down the fast paced Texas Tech offense.
Winner: TCU

UCLA at Nebraska Saturday Noon ET ABC

Matt: Tragedy has befallen on the Bruins football team. Freshmen wide receiver Nick Pasquale was struck by a car and killed on the 8^th of September. However, football must go on. This will be a very emotional game. It will also be a very good game. UCLA is currently 7^th in rushing yards in the FBS right now, after Jordan James had a very solid game at tailback gathering up 155 yards over 21 attempts with a touchdown. While on the other side of the ball, Nebraska is 8^th in rushing, after having a scare against Wyoming week one, Nebraska came out and took care of Southern Miss. This is a huge game for Nebraska, this could be a Rose Bowl matchup down the line, so if Nebraska wants to prove themselves in the Big Ten they’ll need to find a way to win this one, and I think they will. It’s at Nebraska and I think the Cornhuskers are still trying to prove to themselves that they are an elite team in the Big Ten after a shaky first game. I’m going with Nebraska in this one.
Winner: Nebraska

Ryan: This game features two ranked opponents. Neither team has been tested yet this year with the Cornhuskers beating Wyoming and Southern Mississippi, and UCLA beating Nevada. This will be the first big game for both teams. Taylor Martinez leads the Cornhuskers while Brett Hundley anchors the Bruins. Both teams are run first, UCLA ranked seventh and Nebraska ranked eighth. This game is going to come down to quarterback play and defense, and area in which I think Nebraska has the edge. Taylor Martinez will lead the Cornhuskers to victory.
Winner: Nebraska

Bowling Green at Indiana, Noon ET, ESPNU

Matt: Last week’s game was real hard to watch. I’m not going to lie, perhaps I got a bit too excited after watching my Hoosiers run all over Indiana State, and last week’s Navy game brought me back down to earth and showed me the Indiana team I remember. Indiana only stopped Navy on offense once, on a kneel down at the end of the game. We had all spring to prepare for the triple option and we still came out looking like we had no idea what was going on. It doesn’t get any easier for my Hoosiers the rest of the year. This week we have a very tough Bowling Green team. Sure, they are a MAC team, but they are a top tier MAC team that laid the smack down on Kent State last week. Nate Sudfield will get the call this week, I’m sure of it, after having another solid game last week, but if the Hoosiers can’t stop the run, it’s going to be a long season. I’m going to pick my Hoosiers to win this one, but I’m not doing it with a whole lot of confidence.
Winner: Indiana

Ryan: I have little knowledge on either of these two teams. Indiana struggled last week to stop the run against Navy, allowing 444 yards on the ground. Nate Sudfeld had a great game, throwing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception. This is his second game in a row with four touchdowns and only one pick. Bowling Green has been stout defensively, only allowing less than 300 yards a game and 14.5 points per game. The Falcons have a balanced attack on offense averaging 260 yards passing and 226 yards rushing. The ability to throw the ball is going to open up holes for Travis Greene. If the Falcons can create space for the running game, I believe they will win.
Winner: Bowling Green

New Mexico at Pittsburgh Saturday, 12:30 ET, ESPN3

Matt: Well, I was foiled again by the Lobos. They were actually able to pull it out in OT against UTEP last week, and proved me wrong once again. However, this isn’t UTEP or UTSA, this is a power six FBS team. The Lobos travel all the way across the country to face Pitt in the Steel City. I don’t just see New Mexico coming out of this one looking too good. As much as I would like to pick the Lobos here, I’m going to have to go with Pitt in this one.
Winner: Pittsburgh

Ryan: The Lobos were finally able to show off their running game against UTEP, while Kasey Carrier broke free for 291 yards and four touchdowns. The Lobo passing game and defense are big concerns going into the Pittsburgh game. Neither one of New Mexico’s two quarterbacks have thrown more than 12 passes total. You can’t win big in college without a balanced attack. The defense has also given up 28 points a game to two weaker teams. The Panthers have gotten a whole week to prepare for the Lobos following a blowout loss to Florida State in week one. In that game, the Panthers took the early lead and then fell apart. Neither team looks to have the edge in this game. I have to pick the Lobos for a few reasons: Malher has been wrong every time so far this year, the Panthers are going to be overlooking the Lobos with a conference game at Duke next weekend, and the Lobos finally clicked in the run game.
Winner: New Mexico.

Boston College at USC, 3:00 ET, Pac-12 Network

Matt: After getting embarrassed by fellow conference foe, Washington State, perhaps everyone will stop talking about USC. I don’t expect that Lane Kiffin will have his job there much longer if they are losing to teams like that, but that’s another story. Boston College comes into this looking really great. Only allowing an average of 12 points against them through the first two weeks, and they didn’t play cupcake teams either. Solid wins over Wake Forest and Villanova really make Boston College look half way decent. I’d like to say that USC will bounce back from a disappointing loss, but I don’t think they’ll do it against this team. I’m going with Boston College for this one.
Winner: Boston College

Ryan: USC flat out looked terrible against Washington State. USC, who has been known to have great quarterback play, only accounted for 54 passing yards against the Cougars. The bad play has been a theme so far, with no quarterback throwing for over 150 yards and a 1:3 touchdown to interception ratio. With a receiver like Marqise Lee, it should be no problem amassing yards. However, Lee has been held to around 60 yards a game with no touchdowns. Boston College has come out strong winning both of their first two games. Boston College runs a pretty balanced offense, averaging 200 yards passing and 160 yards rushing a game. The Achilles heel of the Golden Eagles is their inability to score a lot of points. BC only averages 24 points a game, which could be bad news if USC decides to get hot Saturday. USC lost embarrassingly at home last week and hasn’t lost two home games in a row in over 12 years. Scares me to do it, but I have USC in this one.
Winner: USC

Alabama at Texas A&M Saturday, 3:30 ET CBS

Matt: Whew, what a treat we have ourselves here. A rematch of Alabama’s only loss last year, Johnny Football vs the stout defense of the defending national champions. This honestly could determine who comes out of the SEC and finds themselves in the National Championship. I’m back and forth on this one. Johnny Football has looked real good the first couple weeks here, but has he looked good enough to take down the monster of Alabama? Can lightning strike twice? I’m not really sure who to pick in this one, and I think it’ll be a GREAT game. At the end it is going to come down to something very small, and after hours of thinking and mulling over it, I’m going to have to go with Texas A&M. As much as I don’t like Johnny Football as a person, he is one hell of a football player and this team was the only who figured out how to beat Alabama last year, and I think they’ll find a way again.
Winner: Texas A&M

Ryan: Here is a game everyone has been waiting for, a rematch from last year’s matchup in which the Aggies upset the Crimson Tide. You can expect the Tide to be looking for some payback. We haven’t seen much from Alabama yet, seeing is how they have only played one game this year which was a win against Virginia Tech. In that game, the Alabama offense was anything but impressive. The Tide only accounted for 206 yards the entire game. Granted, they had two return touchdowns and an interception returned for a touchdown. Still, you can’t expect your defense to win you games especially against a high power offense such as Texas A&M. The Aggies have put up nearly 60 points a game and almost 600 yards. The return of Johnny Manziel has been very limited these past two games, due to suspension, on the field antics, and blowout wins. Now, those numbers are very skewed seeing is how the Aggies’ two opponents were Rice and Sam Houston. This game is going to come down to defense and experience, both of which Alabama have.
Winner: Alabama

Ohio State at California, 7:00 ET FOX

Matt: For some reason, Ohio State keeps on slipping in the ratings even though they continue to win. Perhaps it is because their schedule isn’t as tough as the teams that are jumping them. Anyways, this game should be interesting. Braxton Miller left last week’s game early with an ankle injury, which most of the time if they aren’t too severe, don’t affect the player too much. If Braxton finds a way to be back on the field, I think this game will give Ohio State some more prestige. California isn’t a team to be overlooked, but I think Ohio State will come out and look solid with or without Braxton Miller and find a way to win this one.
Winner: Ohio State

Ryan: At the beginning of the year, this game looked to be a blowout. Now, with Braxton Miller still not cleared to play and California’s Jared Goff averaging over 450 yards passing a game, this game may not turn out as expected. The Buckeyes come into the game ranked fourth in the nation and beating Buffalo and San Diego St by almost 28 points a game. Cal is averaging the most passing yards a game, but are struggling rushing the ball and on defense. The defense has given up 37 points per game which ranks 108 in FBS. Goff also struggled to hang on to the ball against Northwestern, throwing three picks. Whether Miller plays or not, I have the Buckeyes in this one.
Winner: Ohio State

Notre Dame at Purdue, 8:00 ET ABC

Matt: Ricardo Allen saved the Boilermakers a lot of embarrassment last week when he intercepted the ball while Indiana State was on their last leg of hope to upset the Boilermakers. A six point win over an FCS team. There isn’t much more to say about this one, after getting crushed by a Cincinnati Bearcats team that fell to Illinois this week, Purdue fans should be highly worried moving forward, because it doesn’t get any easier this week. The Fighting Irish will come into West Lafayette for another battle in this historical rivalry, in the battle for the Shillelagh Trophy. In recent years, this has been a very lopsided rivalry, with Purdue not winning against the Irish since 2007. I don’t think this year will be any different. After a heartbreaking loss in Ann Arbor, the Fighting Irish are hunger to get another victory and who better to do against then their in-state rivals? I think the Irish are going to have their way with this Purdue team. 
Winner: Notre Dame

Ryan: Notre Dame struggled against Michigan defensively. The Irish were never out of the game, being within four points with nine minutes left in the fourth. A costly turnover at the end of the first half led to seven points for the Wolverines, as well as two questionable pass interference calls on third downs. Purdue looked as impressive as the McCutcheon Mavericks. Struggling to score towards the goaline, the Boilermakers barely escaped with a win against Indiana State. This week they are playing a much better team in the Irish. Purdue’s lack of quarterback play is very troublesome and will make for a long year. With Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix bearing down on Rob Henry, the Irish will be able to make some big plays on the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame in a route, which will be a nice little birthday present for me.
Winner: Notre Dame

Ole Miss at Texas 8:00 ET Longhorn Network

Matt: The Longhorns are in trouble. It’s only week 2 and they have already fallen from the top 25. After a beatdown by BYU last week, the Longhorns are going to need to come out looking a lot stronger if they are wanting to contend in the Big 12. Luckily for them they have a bottom tier SEC team. However, it is still a SEC team, and I think this one will be fairly close. I hope the Longhorns can pull it out, and I’m going to stick with my guns because I did predict them to win the Big 12. I’m taking the Longhorns here.
Winner: Texas

Ryan: The Longhorns got embarrassed last weekend against the BYU Cougars. BYU put up over 600 yards on Texas. BYU. That’s a Mountain West team. Now they have to host an SEC team that has a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. The dual headed running game featuring Jeff Scott and Barry Brunetti look to have their way with this lack luster Longhorns defense. The Rebels are 25^th in the nation and for good reason. Opening weekend, the Rebels went into Vanderbilt and came out with a come from behind win. Last week they mopped the floor with SE Missouri State. Granted, the Redhawks are no worthy opponent, but who would have thought the Cougars would trash the Longhorns. The SEC once again overpowers the weak Big 12.
Winner: Ole Miss

MATCHUP	TV	Matt	Ryan
No. 24 TCU at Texas Tech		TCU	TCU
Troy at Arkansas State		Troy	Arkansas State
Tulane at Louisiana Tech	FOX Sports 1	Tulane	Louisiana Tech
Air Force at Boise State		Boise State	Boise State
No. 5 Stanford at Army	CBS Sports Network	Stanford	Stanford
No. 8 Louisville at Kentucky		Louisville	Louisville
Tulsa at No. 16 Oklahoma		Oklahoma	Oklahoma
Akron at No. 17 Michigan	Big Ten Network	Michigan	Michigan
No. 18 UCLA at No. 22 Nebraska		Nebraska	Nebraska
Bowling Green at Indiana		Indiana	Bowling Green
Western Illinois at Minnesota	Big Ten Network	Minnesota	Minnesota
Virginia Tech at East Carolina	FOX Sports 1	Virginia Tech	Virginia Tech
Georgia State at West Virginia		West Virginia	West Virginia
Southern Miss at Arkansas	ESPN 3	Arkansas	Arkansas
Louisiana-Monroe at Wake Forest	ESPN 3	Wake Forest	Wake Forest
New Mexico at Pittsburgh	ESPN 3	Pittsburgh	UNM
Eastern Michigan at Rutgers	ESPN 3	Rutgers	Rutgers
Fordham at Temple	ESPN 3	Temple	Temple
Fresno State at Colorado		Fresno State	Fresno State
Youngstown State at Michigan State	Big Ten Network	Michigan State	Michigan State
Boston College at No. 25 USC	Pac-12 Network	Boston College	USC
No. 1 Alabama at No. 7 Texas A&M	CBS	Texas A&M	Alabama
Tennessee at No. 2 Oregon		Oregon	Oregon
Nevada at No. 10 Florida State		Florida State	Florida State
Cal Poly at Colorado State		Colorado State	Colorado State
Georgia Tech at Duke		Georgia Tech	Georiga Tech
Stony Brook at Buffalo	ESPN 3	Buffalo	Buffalo
Delaware at Navy	CBS Sports Network	Navy	Navy
Wagner at Syracuse	ESPN 3	Syracuse	Sytacuse
Ball State at North Texas		Ball State	Ball State
Northern Colorado at Wyoming		Wyoming	Wyoming
Northern Illinois at Idaho		Northern Illinois	Northern Illinois
No. 20 Washington at Illinois	Big Ten Network	Illinois	Washington
Iowa at Iowa State	FOX Sports 1	Iowa	Iowa
UCF at Penn State	Big Ten Network	Penn State	Penn State
Howard at Old Dominion		Old Dominion	Howard
Bethune-Cookman at Florida International		Florida Int	Bethune-Cookman
Southern Utah at Washington State	Pac-12 Network	Washington State	Washington State
No. 3 Ohio State at California	FOX	Ohio State	Ohio State
Vanderbilt at No. 6 South Carolina		South Carolina	South Carolina
Kent State at No. 9 LSU		LSU	LSU
Mississippi State at Auburn		Auburn	Auburn
Florida Atlantic at South Florida	ESPN 3	South Florida	South Florida
Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette	ESPN 3	Louisiana-Lafayette	Louisiana-Lafayette
Northwestern State at Cincinnati	ESPN 3	Cincinnati	Cincinnati
Massachusetts at Kansas State		Kansas State	Kansas State
Memphis at Middle Tennessee		Middle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee
Eastern Washington at Toledo	ESPN 3	Toledo	Toledo
Lamar at No. 13 Oklahoma State		Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
Western Kentucky at South Alabama	ESPN 3	Western Kentucky	Western Kentucky
Maryland at Connecticut	ESPN 3	Maryland	Maryland
Kansas at Rice	CBS Sports Network	Rice	Rice
No. 14 Notre Dame at Purdue		Notre Dame	Notre Dame
Ole Miss at No. 15 Texas	Longhorn Network	Texas	Ole Miss
UTEP at New Mexico State		UTEP	UTEP
Marshall at Ohio		Ohio	Marshall
Weber State at Utah State	ESPN 3	Utah State	Utah State
Western Michigan at No. 19 Northwestern	Big Ten Network	Northwestern	Northwestern
Oregon State at Utah	FOX Sports 1	Oregon State	Oregon State
Central Michigan at UNLV		UNLV	Central Michigan
No. 21 Wisconsin at Arizona State		Wisconsin	Wisconsin
UTSA at Arizona	Pac-12 Network	Arizona	Arizona

FOOTBALL IS STILL BACK! (NFL Week 2 Preview)

Ryan: Week one has come and good. It felt so good for football to finally be back. There I was, sitting on my couch, two fifty inchers in front of me, one on RedZone and the other on the Saints.  I had my Four Loko and nachos and wings and realized, this was the perfect Sunday. I also realized, I have sixteen more. Takeaways from week one:

1.       Peyton Manning is going to win MVP and lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl. The man threw for seven touchdowns against the defending champs. The Broncos have too many weapons to contain.
2.       The Saints defense has been revamped thanks to Rob Ryan. A defense that looked pedestrian last year, held the defending division champions to just 17 points. The defense closed out the game with a red zone stand, similar to last year’s win.
3.      The Jaguars are the worst team in the NFL. This just begs the question: Why not get Tim Tebow?
4.           The Anquan Boldin trade was a steal for the 49ers. Boldin is one of the most physical and sure handed receivers in the game. To give him up for a sixth round pick makes John Harbaugh look foolish.

Matt: Wow! What a first week of action in the National Football League. Unfortunately, I was at work so I missed all the games, with the exception of the night game and the two Monday Night Football Games. Well, one and three-quarters, I fell asleep in the fourth quarter of the Texans-Chargers game, a mistake that I regretted the next day. Anyways, we once again will be looking at the big matchups this week. Last week, Ryan went 10-6, while I went 8-8. Here is a preview of some of the matchups this week

New York Jets at New England Patriots, Thursday, 8:25 ET, NFL Network

Ryan: The Patriots displayed how much they missed Wes Welker last weekend during a hard fought win against the Buffalo Bills. Danny Amendola got injured late in the game and is now doubtful, while Rob Gronkowski doesn’t look ready to play either. Leading rusher Shane Vereen is also out, leaving the carries to Steven Ridley. The Jets looked just as awful as we thought they would, beating Tampa Bay by a field goal after a questionable personal foul penalty in the final seconds. The defense showed up, but against a lacking Buccaneer team. I look for the battered Patriots to find a way to win this football game.
Winner: New England

Matt: The New York Jets finally found a way to win last week, and that was by replacing their franchise quarterback with a fresh new talent in Geno Smith. Geno Smith threw for 256 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and 0 butt fumbles. It’s a bit too early to figure out if Geno Smith is the answer for the Jets, but at least he was able to do what Sanchez wasn’t able to do much last year, win. On the other side, the Patriots barely escaped the Buffalo Bills thanks to the late game heroics of Danny Amendola. And once against, Danny finds himself with an injury. Going forward that is not good for the Patriots. However, this team still has plenty of targets and after almost losing to the Bills, I expect them to come out strong and win this one
Winner: New England

Washington at Green Bay, Sunday, 1:00 ET FOX

Ryan: Robert Griffin came out last weekend against the Eagles just how I thought he would: Rusty and scared. Throughout the game, he failed to plant his feet and throw hard balls to his receivers, thus accounting for multiple interceptions. Alfred Morris was unable to get going, fumbling on his first carry of the game and getting a safety on another. The Packers left Candlestick Park with a sour taste in their mouths after yet again a failed call by the referees. However, Green Bay never looked like they were going to take control of the game. This week, the Packers get to face a Redskin team that looks to have lost its way since last year’s playoffs. I see Aaron Rodgers having his way in a blowout.
Winner: Green Bay

Matt: Not going to lie to you, RGIII came out last week looking like shit. He wasn’t running as much, his passes were questionable, and he just overall sloppy. The Redskins D also didn’t look too hot, allowing LeShaun McCoy to run all over them. Green Bay on the other hand looked pretty solid versus the 49ers. They were able to keep pace with possibly the best NFC team in the league. However, they did give up quite a few yards to the new 49ers target, Boldin. The Redskins have plenty of targets they can hurt you with, but in the end I think the Packers are a much better team overall and win this one pretty easily.
Winner: Green Bay  

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 4:05 ET FOX

Ryan: The New Orleans Saints defense came out with a bang after last year’s struggles. The additions of Rob Ryan and head coach Sean Payton proved to be the solution. The defense accounted for three sacks, and interception, and held Steven Jackson to only 77 rushing yards. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked awful against the Jets. Josh Freeman was sacked five times, fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety and threw an interception. Doug Martin didn’t show up either, rushing for only 65 yards and minus one yard receiving. The revamped defense and high power offense of the Saints will prove to be too much for Tampa Bay. Saints win by double digits.
Winner: New Orleans

Matt: Both of these teams were involved in close games last week, the Saints winning over the Falcons after stopping them at the goal line, while the Bucs lost to the Jets after a game winning field goal. I think some questions I had about the Saints were totally answered last week, and I think they looked pretty solid against the Falcons. The Bucs on the other hand, didn’t look so good and I don’t think they’ll have better luck against a high powered offense such as the Saints. I’m taking the Saints in this one.
Winner: New Orleans

San Francisco at Seattle, 8:30 ET, NBC

Ryan: The Seattle Seahawks squeaked by with a win against the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks were able to move the ball through the air, but Marshawn Lynch never got it going on the ground. Lynch only rushed for 43 yards on seventeen carries. The Seattle defense was able to hold Carolina to only seven points. However, they don’t play the Panthers this week, they play the San Francisco 49ers. Colin Kaepernick exploded for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis were key to Kaepernick’s success. Boldin had 208 receiving yards and a touchdown while Davis had 98 yards and two touchdowns. Frank Gore also punched in a touchdown but only had 44 yards rushing. The 49ers defense also held the Packers to only 63 rushing yards. San Francisco looks to be in midseason form while Seattle is still living in 2012. I have the 49ers in this one.
Winner: San Francisco

Matt: The 49ers looked great last week against the Green Bay Packers, almost leaving where they left over last year in the Super Bowl, but even better. A lot of people questioned the addition of Boldin, but he came out of the gate and shut everyone up. He really helped the team (and my fantasy team), but I think against the tough Seattle defense, he’ll have a bit more trouble. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks barely won over the Panthers and that will always raise a question mark for me. Either the Panthers are a lot better than I thought they were going to be this year or it was just an off day. Either way, the Seahawks have a big test here, and even with their great defense, I think the 49ers are running on all cylinders and will come out with a victory in this one.
Winner: San Francisco

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, Monday, 8:30 ET ESPN

Ryan: No AFC North Team won a game last weekend. Cincinnati didn’t look too bad. Pittsburgh on the other hand, looked terrible. The Steelers only rushed the ball for 32 yards. 32. That’s it. Ben Roehtlisberger never had time to throw. He was sacked five times and ran for his life all game. To make matters worse, star center Maurkice Pouncey is out for the year with torn ligaments in his knee. AJ Green shined for the Bengals with 163 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The run game was lackluster, only gaining 63 yards. Both of these teams struggle to run the football. The game is going to come down to whose defense can stop the pass game. With Pouncey out and no real run game to keep the Bengals pass rush honest, I have the Bengals winning.
Winner: Cincinnati

Matt: As Ryan said, no team from the AFC North was able to produce a win last week. The Steelers looked god awful against the Titans, scoring no offense points against the Titans until the fourth quarter. On the other side of things, the Bengals looked pretty decent against the Chicago Bears, only falling short of winning the game by three points. With AJ Green doing AJ Green things, and Big Ben not able to pull out a win against the Titans, I’m going to have to go with the Cincinnati Bengals on this one.
Winner: Cincinnati

There you have it! Our week 3 preview and predictions, make sure you tell all your friends about how awesome our blog is.

FOOTBALL IS BACK! (NFL Week 1 Preview)

Matt: The NFL is finally back! Ryan and I can’t be more excited about it. As with college football, we’ll be picking every game and letting you know how we did each week. Those picks will be up shortly. We are also going to do the same we do with college football and discuss the key match ups of the week and who we think will win those. This week we got 7 games to talk about, of course we are going to kick things off with the Thursday night game!

Ryan: The NFL is finally back. It has been a long time since February, and a lot has changed since the Ravens won the Super Bowl. Week one will answer many questions such as: Will Peyton Manning have another Hall of Fame season, does Tom Brady have enough offensive weapons, will the sophomore quarterbacks slump, is the return of Sean Peyton going to bring the Saints back to the playoffs. Not all of those questions may be answered week one, but some will. Many great games are being played this week, especially a rematch of last years AFC divisional playoff game between the Ravens and the Broncos at Mile High. Here is a prediction and analysis of a few games.

Baltimore at Denver, Thursday 8:30 ET NBC

Matt: I’m so pumped to have football back and this is the perfect match to start things off with. Unfortunately, I’ll be at work for the first half of this game, but I’m going to try and get out of there so I can see the finish. This is going to be a great game. A rematch of these two teams playing in the playoffs last year where the Broncos were so close to beating the would be Super Bowl champs. A lot has changed for both teams since that matchup, and I think the changes are going to help the Broncos win this first game of the regular season.

Winner: Denver

Ryan: This game marks the beginning of the 2013 NFL season, which is a long time coming. This is also a rematch of last year’s playoff game in which the Broncos won 59 minutes of the game, and lost on a blown coverage. This year, the Broncos got better with the additions of Wes Welker and Montee Ball, a running back that has a nose for the end zone. The addition of Welker gives the Broncos the best receiving core in the NFL (Thomas and Decker already on the team). Giving Peyton Manning that many weapons just spells trouble for opposing defenses. The Ravens lose key players on defense: Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. This offseason, they made Joe Flacco the most overpaid player in NFL history. By doing so, they didn’t have enough cap space to keep Anquan Boldin, Flacco’s safety blanket. The lack of star players will hurt the Ravens all year and especially this game. The Broncos will run away with this game.

Winner: Denver

Atlanta at New Orleans, Sunday, 1:00 PM FOX

Matt: The NFC South is getting right into as these two division foes battle off in the Big Easy. Sean Peyton’s return, Matt Ryan on the quest to finally win a ring, Drew Brees looking to have another record setting year. There are so many storylines in this game I don’t even know where to begin. This is going to be another great one, but in the end I think Sean Peyton coming back is going to take a bit of adjusting to, and I think the Falcons are poised to have a really good year again, so I’m going to have to go with the Falcons on this one.

Winner: Atlanta

Ryan: This game looks to be the highest scoring of all the week one games. The Falcons and the Saints have been battling for the division for the past few years, and this season wont be much different. The Falcons were relieved to find out that tight end Tony Gonzalez would return for one final season. The Falcons also added running back Steven Jackson, letting go Michael Turner. The Saints welcome back Sean Peyton who was suspended all last year due to the bounty scandal. The Saints struggled without him the first few games last year, even though Drew Brees put up another 5000 yard passing performance. The Saints didn’t make too many additions, except by hiring defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Defense was the reason for most of the Saints’ losses last year. This game looks to be an instant classic, and I have the Saints winning this game in the last four minutes of the game. Superdome, Sean Peyton, and Drew Brees. Enough said.

Winner: New Orleans

Green Bay at San Francisco, Sunday, 4:25 ET FOX

Matt: The NFC champions in a rematch against one of the teams that it defeated on its way to the Super Bowl. Colin Kaepernick starts the year off as the starting QB for the first time in his career and he has a tough test in front of him with the strong defense of Green Bay. This honestly is almost a coin toss for me, but in the end I’m going to go with the home team and think San Fran will get the win at Candlestick

Winner: San Francisco

Ryan: 

The 49ers are coming off a tough Super Bowl loss and looking to make another run. The Packers are three years removed from their miracle championship run and have not shown much championship aspects in the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers has put up stats in the regular season but has gone Peyton Manning in the playoffs. Packers are lacking in the defensive side of the ball and running game. The 49ers defense is as good as ever and will put lots of pressure on Rodgers. With a running quarterback, athletic tight end, and strong running back, San Francisco will have no problem against the Packers.

Winner: San Francisco 

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys Sunday, 8:30 ET NBC

Matt: Once again the NFC East is highlighted in Sunday Primetime. I feel like they get that slot a lot, but I also think it is deserved. These matchups are always some of the greatest of the season, and Ryan and I both had difficulty picking the winner of the NFC East. This is going to be an interesting game, and both QBs are going to be under some major pressure this year to perform, being in such big markets. In the end though, I’m swinging this one to the Giants, just out of the pure fact that Romo will probably choke a bit under the spotlight of being the first Sunday Night Football game.

Winner: New York Giants

Ryan: Last years opening game featuring the Cowboys and Giants was a back and forth game with Kevin Olgetree dominating the game. Well, Olgetree isn’t with the Cowboys anymore, but the man who threw it to him, Tony Romo, is. Tony Romo was just given a big contract extension and is looking to prove himself. The Giants are coming off a bad year in which Hakeem Nicks was injured for most of the season, and Victor Cruz had a less than stellar season. This game will be a good battle against equally skilled team. The Cowboys have just too many receiving weapons for the Ginats to keep up. Cowboys win.

Winner: Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia at Washington Monday, 6:55 PM ESPN

Matt: Nothing better than the Monday Night double header, and this first match up promises to be a good one. RGIII vs Vick. I’m really excited about this one, mostly because it’ll be one of the three games I actually get to watch this week because of work, but it should be a great game. I think that in the end the Redskins will pull it off, RGIII is a much better running QB than Vick and I think that is going to be the difference in this one.

Winner: Washington Redskins

Ryan: The first Monday night game. This game, in my opinion is not suited for Monday night. Sure, people are in love with Robert Griffin III, for some reason, but with him hurt and the Eagles not in playoff form, this game feel mediocre. The Saints/Falcons game is better suited but that is neither here nor there. As I said, Griffin is coming off a serious knee injury he suffered in the playoff game against the Seahawks. His lack of running ability makes him a far less quarterback. Alfred Morris is going to get more carries, which will load the box. If Griffin can take advantage of the close defense with some deep passes, the Redskins might have a chance in this game. The Eagles are in a new system with Chip Kelly as head coach. Kelly’s fast paced, option offense hasn’t been proven to work in the NFL yet, but he has the perfect quarterback to do it in Michael Vick. The Eagles have more offensive fire power with McCoy, Jackson, and Cooper. The Redskins defense, anchored by Purdue standout Ryan Kerrigan, played well against the run, but terribly against the pass. The Eagles win the game.

Winner: Philadelphia Eagles

Houston at San Diego Monday 10:15 PM ESPN

Matt: I almost decided not to cover this one, but I figured it is the Monday night game so why not? I’ll probably fall asleep trying to stay awake for this one, but I still think it’ll be a decent game. However, it could easily turn into a blowout. Houston looked really good last year, and I think they’ll come out and look better this year. The Chargers tend to have a slow start to the season, but with the new coach, it is hard to predict what kind of year they will have. I’m still going to have to take the favorites here and go with the Texans

Winner: Houston

Ryan: The Chargers struggled last year offensively with Ryan Mathews breaking both collarbones and Denario Alexander tearing a ligament in his knew. Well, Matthews seems healthy, but Alexander tore his knee again and is out for the season. With that, Malcolm Floyd needs to step up in the number one receiver role. The Texans look to continue their playoff streak by beating the Chargers at home. The Texans defense, that already has Brian Cushing and JJ Watt added another stud at safety, Ed Reed. With a strong defense, and playmakers Foster and Johnson on the offense, the Texans should come away with the win fairly easily.

Winner: Houston

So there you have it, our first week predictions. Make sure you follow us on Twitter (@snpsports1), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/snpsports), and tell your friends to read the posts if you enjoyed them. 

College Football - Week 2

Matt: It’s time for another round of picks for College Football Week 2. Unforunately, due to time restrictions and money we will be moving to a blog only format for a while. Hopefully one day the YouTube show can return, but until then, this will be your number one spot for S ‘n’ P Sports. Last week Ryan beat myself by going 60-15, while I went 56-19. Overall, I’d say that is pretty good. Once again we’ll be picking all the matchups this week, but here are 7 matchups we’ll be watching and who we think will win these ones. Ryan, what did you think of Week 1 of College Football?

Ryan: Week one was all that we could have hoped for in the return of college football. The weekend provided some great games; some upsets, and also laid the foundation of what is to come for the rest of the year. A few things I took away from last weekend:

1. 1.       Purdue is in for one long season. A loss to Cincy in Hazel’s first game was expected, but to be blown out was very disappointing. With four ranked teams and also tough Northern Illinois and Penn State squads still left, I don’t see the Boilers making it to a bowl game.
2.             Alabama may be in trouble offensively. The Tide only scored two offensive touchdowns and failed to gain more than 210 total yards against a less than stellar Virginia Tech team. The defense also allowed a 100 yard rusher
3.            The New Mexico Lobos have no passing game. Both quarterbacks combine for only 74 passing yards with a completion percentage of 35 percent. If defenses shut the Lobo run game down like the Roadrunners did, then New Mexico will be hurting for production.

4.       Lastly, a few Heisman candidates of mine started the season off with a bang.

a.       Teddy Bridgewater 355 yards and 5 touchdowns

b.      Tommy Rees 346 yards and 3 touchdowns

c.       Johnny Manziel 94 yards and 3 touchdowns, with multiple occasions of being a bitch.

d.      Braxton Miller 178 yards and 3 touchdowns, 77 rush yards

Now that we are on to week two of the season, here are some predictions for a few big games.

No. 12 Florida at Miami (FL) Saturday, Noon ET

Matt: Ah, the battle of Florida. Miami looked great last week with their win over Florida Atlantic. Florida also looked great with a convincing win over a really decent mid-major in Toledo. This is going to be a tough one to pick, I think Florida will have a bit of trouble in Miami, but at the end of the day, I think Florida will get it done and get another W.

Winner: Florida

Ryan: Both the Gators and the Hurricane are coming off wins against mediocre BCS qualifying teams. Florida must travel to Coral Gables and play a resurged Miami team who are looking to put sanctions and investigations behind them. Both teams found out that they have studs at the running back position. Duke Johnson, who I said would have a breakout year, rushed for 186 yards on only 19, with one touchdown. Mack Brown for Florida rushed for over 100 yards and added two touchdowns.  Jeff Driskel played an efficient game for the Gators, which is what he will need to do all season. The key factor is going to be the defense, seeing is how neither team allowed a touchdown last week. With defense being the focal point, I see Florida coming out with a hard fought win.

Winner: Florida

Cincinnati at Illinois, Saturday Noon ET

Matt: After an absolute beat down of the Boilermakers last week, the Bearcats take on another bottom of the conference Big Ten team. I will actually be at this game, because my girlfriend scored us cheap tickets. We’ll be at the 40 or so. I’m not a fan of either team, but I couldn’t deny myself the chance to go see live college football, since I’m three hours away from my Hoosiers. In the end, I think Cincinnati wins this one though, however, I think it’ll be a little closer than Purdue’s beat down last week.

Winner: Cincinnati

Ryan: Cincinnati mopped the floor with a rebuilding Purdue team last week. The Bearcats are in a hunt for a conference championship and maybe even an undefeated season. In order to do that, they will have to travel to Champagne and play the Illini. Illinois threw the ball well last week, amassing over 400 yards through the air while the Bearcats had a more balanced attack with 200 plus yards passing and rushing. Cincinnati may be on the road and from a weaker conference, but they are clearly the better team. I see an easy win for Cincinnati.

Winner: Cincinnati

Indiana State at Purdue,  Saturday Noon ET

Matt: Well, bringing in a new coach sure did a lot for the Boilermakers. Henry threw just 161 yards last week against the Bearcats with two interceptions. The 42-7 win from Cincinnati is Purdue’s worst opening loss in 17 years. Luckily, Purdue has a much easier task this week: beating Indiana State. After the Sycamores got crushed by my Hoosiers, they stay in state to face the Boilermakers. I’m going to pick Purdue here because I’m not an idiot, but I’ll be watching the score for bragging rights on who beat up this FCS team the most.

Winner: Purdue

Ryan: There is nothing to say about Indiana State. Any team that gets blown out by IU is not worth talking about. With that said, Purdue is coming off a blowout loss to Cincinnati last week. The Boilers, who are in a rebuilding year, showed no signs of life as they only had 226 total yards and four turnovers. What I am interested to see is if Hazel decides to play freshman Danny Etling over senior Rob Henry, who did not impress with only 51 completion percentage and 2 interceptions. Purdue in a blowout, and I hope to see Etling.

Winner: Purdue

No. 6 South Carolina at No. 11 Georgia Saturday 3:30 ET

Matt: I was really surprised at Georgia’s last week, Ryan and I both thought they were going to come into that game and show the nation why the SEC doesn’t lose to other conference. Unfortunately, Murray wasn’t able to get it done, and in the end, the turnovers ending up costing the Bulldogs. On the other side, South Carolina has had plenty of time to prepare for this one after easily winning over UNC. I’m going to have go with the well-rested South Carolina Gamecocks on this one.

Winner: South Carolina

Ryan: Both teams played hard fought games last week. South Carolina got more than they expected from North Carolina, and Georgia left Death Valley with a crushing non-conference loss.  Jadaveon Clowney played less than stellar against the Tar Heels. Most plays it looked like he wasn’t even trying. Whether it is the All-American tackle he was facing or the lack of conditioning, he may have lost his Heisman race already. Aaron Murray also dropped in the Heisman race. Murray threw for over 300 yards but had no touchdowns in a primetime game at Clemson. The Bulldogs were in the game the whole time, mostly due to the big play of Todd Gurley. Gurley rushed for over 150 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 12 carries. Though the defense didn’t show up for the Clemson game, the Bulldogs play a less powerful team at home. With that fact, and the fact that Aaron Murray will bounce back, I see Georgia in a close one.

Winner: Georgia

Navy at Indiana Saturday, 6:00 PM  ET

Matt: Last week the Hoosiers even impressed me. Sure, there were plenty of things to improve on including a three touchdown run that put a bit of a scare in me, but overall it was a great way to start the season for my Hoosiers. They handled a FCS team like a Big Ten team is supposed to, by blowing them out of the water.  Navy will be a lot tougher, but this game was close last year and we are better this year. I think the Hoosiers will pull this one out and get the second victory of the year.

Winner: Indiana

Ryan: The Hoosiers scored the most points last weekend with 73. Indiana had more than 600 total yards. However, Indiana was playing against a non FBS team in Indiana State. This weekend, they play a much better team in Navy. The Midshipmen had a good season last year, finishing 8-5 with an appearance in the Kraft Hunger Bowl. Navy will want to play smash mouth football. Also, Navy has a sophomore quarterback Keenan Reynolds who impressed last year. The Midshipman fun 90 percent of the time, and having a quarterback who can execute play action will open up the field. The Hoosiers gave up 35 points to the Sycamores, and I feel like Navy will be able to push the defensive line around. I have Navy in a double digit win.

Winner: Navy

No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 17 Michigan Saturday, 8:00 PM ET

Matt: Ah, the Fightin’ Irish get tested early this year with a game at the Big House against Michigan. This is going to be a great game, but in the end I think Michigan pulls it off. They looked really good last week by destroying Central Michigan. Notre Dame looked swell against Temple as well, but at the end of the day this isn’t the same Notre Dame team from last year. Michigan will get it done at home and probably end Notre Dame’s chance of returning to the National Championship.

Winner: Michigan

Ryan: The last matchup between these two teams for the foreseeable future with the Irish laying ties to the ACC. The last two time the Irish and Wolverines played, the game was decided by seven points or less, with the home team winning both times. This matchup doesn’t look like it’ll be much different. The Irish played well against Temple, lead by senior quarterback Tommy Rees with 346 yards and three touchdowns. The defense held true to their style by limiting the Owls to only six points. Michigan also won easily against Central Michigan. Devin Gardner struggled throwing the ball, only throwing for 162 yards with two interceptions. However, he accounted for 52 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Notre Dame was able to shut down Denard Robinson last year who is a much better rusher and passer than Gardner. The advantage on the defensive side as well as Tommy Rees throwing the ball accurately will give the Irish the edge with a single digit win.

Winner: Notre Dame

New Mexico at UTEP Saturday, 8:00 PM ET

Matt: Well, I listened to Ryan’s advice last week and I was completely wrong about the Lobos. New Mexico fell to a FCS team last week after being up by 6 at the half. I’ve lost my faith in Ryan’s Lobos so I’m going to have to go with UTEP, because unlike UTSA, UTEP is an actual FBS team and if the Lobos can’t perform against a FCS team, I’m not so sure they can’t get it done against a FBS team.

Winner: UTEP

Ryan: New Mexico lost a very winnable game last weekend against UTSA who is playing their first year in the FBS. The Lobos took an early lead, but then allowed the roadrunners to score 21 straight points. The Roadrunners were able to shut down senior running back Kasey Carrier. Also, the Lobos lacking of a passing game allowed the defense to load the box and play against the run. The Miners are not that much better. UTEP is losing its top to passers from last year. The Miners only won four games last year, the same as the Lobos, and haven’t added enough talent to make a big improvement this year. This game will be a long, slow, low scoring game, with the Lobos edging out the Miners by way Kasey Carrier.

Winner: New Mexico 

Here is a table for every pick we made for this week's college football matchups

TIME	MATCHUP	TV	Matt	Ryan
7:30 PM	Florida Atlantic at East Carolina	FOX Sports 1	ECU	ECU
10:00 PM	Sacramento State at Arizona State	Pac-12 Network	ASU	ASU
8:00 PM	Wake Forest at Boston College		BC	WF
8:00 PM	UCF at Florida International	CBS Sports Network	UCF	UCF
12:00 PM	Eastern Kentucky at No. 8 Louisville	ESPN 3	Louisville	Louisville
12:00 PM	No. 12 Florida at Miami (FL)		Florida	Florida
12:00 PM	No. 13 Oklahoma State at UTSA	FOX Sports 1	OK State	OK State
12:00 PM	Tennessee Tech at No. 21 Wisconsin	Big Ten Network	Wisconsin	Wisconsin
12:00 PM	Southeastern Louisiana at No. 24 TCU		TCU	TCU
12:00 PM	Miami (OH) at Kentucky	ESPN 3	Miami (OH)	Kentucky
12:00 PM	South Florida at Michigan State		MSU	MSU
12:00 PM	Norfolk State at Rutgers	CBS Sports Network	Rutgers	Rutgers
12:00 PM	Eastern Michigan at Penn State	Big Ten Network	Penn State	Penn State
12:00 PM	Houston at Temple	ESPN 3	Houston	Temple
12:00 PM	Cincinnati at Illinois		Cincinnati	Cincinnati
12:00 PM	Missouri State at Iowa	Big Ten Network	Iowa	Iowa
12:00 PM	Bowling Green at Kent State	ESPN 3	Kent State	Bowling Green
12:00 PM	Indiana State at Purdue	Big Ten Network	Purdue	Purdue
12:21 PM	Western Kentucky at Tennessee	ESPN 3	Tennessee	Tennessee
12:30 PM	South Carolina State at No. 4 Clemson	ESPN 3	Clemson	Clemson
12:30 PM	Middle Tennessee at North Carolina	ESPN 3	North Carolina	North Carolina
1:00 PM	Army at Ball State	ESPN 3	Army	Army
1:30 PM	Western Carolina at Virginia Tech	ESPN 3	Va Tech	Va Tech
2:00 PM	Maine at Massachusetts	ESPN 3	UMASS	UMASS
2:00 PM	Weber State at Utah	Pac-12 Network	Utah	Utah
2:00 PM	Chattanooga at Georgia State	ESPN 3	Georgia State	Georgia St
3:00 PM	Tennessee-Martin at Boise State	ESPN 3	Boise State	Boise State
3:00 PM	New Hampshire at Central Michigan	ESPN 3	Central Michigan	Central Michigan
3:30 PM	No. 2 Oregon at Virginia		Oregon	Oregon
3:30 PM	San Diego State at No. 3 Ohio State		OSU	OSU
3:30 PM	Buffalo at No. 23 Baylor		Baylor	Baylor
3:30 PM	Toledo at Missouri		Mizzou	Mizzou
3:30 PM	Alcorn State at Mississippi State	ESPN 3	Miss State	Miss State
3:30 PM	Utah State at Air Force	CBS Sports Network	Utah State	Air Force
3:30 PM	South Alabama at Tulane		Tulane	Tulane
4:00 PM	Old Dominion at Maryland		Maryland	Maryland
4:00 PM	Idaho at Wyoming		Wyoming	Wyoming
4:30 PM	No. 6 South Carolina at No. 11 Georgia		South Carolina	Georgia
4:30 PM	Duke at Memphis	ESPN 3	Duke	Memphis
5:00 PM	Portland State at California	Pac-12 Network	Cal	Cal
6:00 PM	Syracuse at No. 19 Northwestern	Big Ten Network	Northwestern	Northwestern
6:00 PM	Southern Miss at No. 22 Nebraska	Big Ten Network	Nebraska	Nebraska
6:00 PM	Navy at Indiana	Big Ten Network	Indiana	Navy
6:00 PM	Richmond at North Carolina State	ESPN 3	NC State	NC State
6:00 PM	James Madison at Akron	ESPN 3	Akron	Akron
6:30 PM	Gardner-Webb at Marshall		Marshall	Marshall
6:30 PM	Louisiana-Lafayette at Kansas State	FOX Sports 1	KSU	KSU
7:00 PM	Sam Houston State at No. 7 Texas A&M	ESPN 3	Texas A&M	Texas A&M
7:00 PM	UAB at No. 9 LSU		LSU	LSU
7:00 PM	No. 15 Texas at Brigham Young		Texas	Texas
7:00 PM	West Virginia at No. 16 Oklahoma	FOX	Oklahoma	Oklahoma
7:00 PM	Samford at Arkansas	ESPN 3	Arkansas	Arkansas
7:00 PM	Southeast Missouri State at Ole Miss	ESPN 3	Ole Miss	Ole Miss
7:00 PM	North Texas at Ohio	ESPN 3	Ohio	Ohio
7:00 PM	Colorado State at Tulsa	CBS Sports Network	Tulsa	Tulsa
7:00 PM	Prairie View A&M at Texas State	ESPN 3	Texas State	Texas State
7:00 PM	South Dakota at Kansas	ESPN 3	Kansas	Kansas
7:00 PM	Lamar at Louisiana Tech		Louisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech
7:00 PM	Grambling State at Louisiana-Monroe	ESPN 3	Louisiana-Monroe	Grambling State
7:00 PM	Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech		Texas Tech	Texas Tech
7:00 PM	Savannah State at Troy	ESPN 3	Troy	Troy
7:00 PM	Nicholls State at Western Michigan	ESPN 3	Western Michigan	Western Michigan
7:30 PM	Arkansas State at Auburn	ESPN 3	Auburn	Auburn
7:30 PM	Austin Peay at Vanderbilt	ESPN 3	Vandy	Vandy
8:00 PM	No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 17 Michigan		Michigan	Notre Dame
8:00 PM	Central Arkansas at Colorado		Colorado	Colorado
8:00 PM	Minnesota at New Mexico State		Minn	Minn
8:00 PM	Hawaii at Oregon State	Pac-12 Network	Oregon St	Oregon St
8:00 PM	Montana State at Southern Methodist	ESPN 3	SMU	SMU
8:00 PM	New Mexico at UTEP		UTEP	New Mexico
9:05 PM	UC Davis at Nevada		Nevada	Nevada
10:00 PM	Cal Poly at Fresno State	ESPN 3	Fresno St	Fresno St
10:30 PM	Washington State at No. 25 USC	FOX Sports 1	USC	USC
10:30 PM	Arizona at UNLV	CBS Sports Network	Arizona	Arizona
11:00 PM	San Jose State at No. 5 Stanford	Pac-12 Network	Stanford	Stanford