We’ve got six head-to-head matchups in the top-25 this weekend. Are shakeups coming for the College Football Playoff Final Four?
No. 10 Baylor at No. 16 OU: Forget the fact that Baylor leads the nation in total offense with 590.3 yards-per-game. So what if the Bears have won two of the last three meetings. Oklahoma doesn’t lose at home. OK, so there was that K-State debacle about a month ago. But they don’t lose twice in the same season at home. Not since, uh, 2012 anyway. Hmmm. Well, it doesn’t matter. OU will win this game. Bears fans should be elated I just typed that. Congrats on being one step closer to a repeat championship in the Big 12. OU 50, BU 38.
No. 7 Kansas Stats at No. 6 TCU: You have to love Bill Snyder. The man resurrected Kansas State from the depths of hell. Twice. The man can coach, plus he’s all about family. Well, he and his Wildcats are about to run into a family of Frogs. The key to this game is Kansas State’s defense. Can they slow down the big-play offense of TCU? The answer will be yes and no. They’ll be able to slow it but it won’t be enough. Frogs win, 31-24.
No. 5 Alabama at No. 16 LSU: Everything in this game points to an Alabama win. Except one thing – Death Valley at night. Those that believe that this isn’t an impact on this game haven’t been paying attention. Bama arguably is playing better football than anyone in the country right now. But LSU’s defense is improving by the week, and this won’t be a cakewalk for the Tide. Alabama finds a way, but this is much closer than the experts think. Bama 26, LSU 21.
No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 9 Arizona State: With all of the great teams in the running for the College Football Playoff, no one (and I seriously mean no one) talks about Arizona State. A 7-1 record, the Sun Devils have flown under the radar. Their defense is pretty good and should give Notre Dame all they can handle. How much? How about enough to hand the Irish their second loss of the season. Notre Dame’s biggest problem is their defense, having given up 113 points over the last three games. That continues Saturday. Arizona State 30, Notre Dame 20
No. 4 Oregon at No. 17 Utah: Oregon has won four in a row since dropping a home heartbreaker to Arizona. They’re back in the playoff picture and face a tough test at Utah. The Ducks’ biggest issue (besides what uniform to wear) is their offensive line. Swiss cheese doesn’t have this many holes. Somehow they’ve been able to survive the last four contests but you have to wonder about them vs. Utah. I like Oregon to squeak out a victory. Oregon 40 Utah 35
No. 14 Ohio State at No. 8 Michigan State: Other than a loss at Oregon early in the season, Michigan State has looked pretty darn good. I’m not sure which is better – Michigan State’s offense or their defense. Ohio State is good, but they are not in Sparty’s league. Wait, yes they are. Well, you know what I mean. Sparty 42 Buckeye 24
Random thought: Who thought of putting together a Frito Pie pizza at Papa John’s? I guess anything is possible when you create a taco shell out of a Dorito.
