CFB: Week 4 Predictions
After another eventful week in college football that saw; No. 1 Alabama storm back from a 24-3 deficit to defeat No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 2 Florida State get absolutely rocked by No. 10 Louisville, No. 3 Ohio State go on the road and shut down No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 4 Michigan beat Colorado to finish 3-0 in non-conference play, No. 5 Clemson finally look like the team we were expecting them to be, and so much more, we now look forward to Week 4, the official beginning of conference season.
I teamed up with Blake Stoll to compile a Top 25 Rankings, answered some questions regarding Week 4, and then added my matchup predictions, and current Heisman rankings:
Composite Rankings:
1. Alabama (3-0)
2. Ohio State (3-0)
3. Michigan (3-0)
4. Clemson (3-0)
5. Louisville (3-0)
6. Houston (3-0)
7. Stanford (2-0)
8. Michigan State (2-0)
9. Washington (3-0)
10. Florida State (2-1)
11. Wisconsin (3-0)
12. Texas A&M (3-0)
13. Tennessee (3-0)
14. Baylor (3-0)
15. Georgia (3-0)
16. Florida (3-0)
17. Miami (FL) (3-0)
18. LSU (2-1)
19. Texas (2-1)
20. Oregon (2-1)
21. Oklahoma (1-2)
22. Iowa (2-1)
23. Arkansas (3-0)
24. Nebraska (3-0)
25. Boise State (2-0)
Just Missed the Cut:
Ole Miss (1-2)
Notre Dame (1-2)
San Diego State (3-0)
South Florida (3-0)
UCLA (2-1)
How will Ole Miss respond against Georgia?
Post: Ole Miss will respond well against Georgia, even after losing two of their first three games. Jacob Eason (643 yards, 5 touchdowns) has gotten off to a good start for the Bulldogs but Ole Miss' offense (38.3 PPG) will be able to outscore Georgia (29.0). Watch out for Evan Engram (302 yards, 2 touchdowns) to continue playing a huge role for the Rebels.
Stoll: No. 23 Ole Miss is hosting No. 12 Georgia this weekend. The Rebels are coming off a close loss vs. the No. 1 team in the country. Chad Kelly threw for 421 yards, and averages 310.0. Georgia won a tight one on the road at Missouri last week. If Kelly can keep the ball out of the defender’s hands and the Rebels defense can limit Nick Chubb, they will pull out the "upset." Can Michigan State keep rolling vs. Wisconsin?
Post: I actually think the Badgers are going to roll into East Lansing and somehow grab a victory. MSU's confidence is soaring after their upset at Notre Dame but Corey Clement (197 yards, 3 touchdowns) will outdo L.J. Scott. Wisconsin's defense (allows 261.0 YPG) will stifle Michigan State enough to grab a slight win.
Stoll: No. 11 Wisconsin squeaked by Georgia State last week and No. 8 Michigan held off a comeback bid at No. 18 Notre Dame. Both teams have fairly equal defenses in terms of rush yards given up per game, and Wisconsin with the slight edge in pass yards given up. Michigan State will win a close game behind sophomore running back L.J. Scott. Will Florida State recover after Louisville loss?
Post: Florida State got knocked flat on its backside last weekend at Louisville, but I believe they will be able to patch themselves up and get back in the win column. Dalvin Cook (228 yards, 2 touchdowns) is yet to explode so he is due and Deondre Francois (782 yards, 3/1 turnover ratio) should get back on track.
Stoll: Last week, No. 2 Florida State was absolutely demolished by No. 10 Louisville, 63-20. Following the loss, the Seminoles dropped to No. 13 in the rankings which puts a chip on their shoulder. Freshman quarterback Deondre Francois and junior running back Dalvin Cook, were almost silent against the Cardinals. They have an easier matchup this week (on paper). If Florida State can find their rhythm, they will get back on track in the win column and build momentum going into conference season. Is Tennessee an actual contender?
Post: I think it depends on what a 'contender' is, if it means possibly winning the SEC East then yes, but that's the ceiling for Tennessee. The winner of this game will have the upperhand in the East. Joshua Dobbs (486 yards, 6 touchdowns) will do enough, combining with the defense, and home field advantage to win. The Gators chances of pulling off the slight upset went out the window when quarterback Luke Del Rio got injured.
Stoll: No. 14 Tennessee began the season ranked No. 9. Then came back against Appalachian State, won comfortably against Virginia Tech, and snuck past the Ohio Bobcats. The Volunteers are led by a very capable senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs who is responsible for six touchdowns on the season. As of right now, Tennessee is not a contender but that may all change in the upcoming weeks with four straight top-20 matchups against SEC opponents. If the Volunteers can go into the Home of the 12th Man and beat No. 10 Texas A&M, then turn around to beat No. 1 Alabama at home, we could see them jump into the playoff picture. Is a Marshall upset over Louisville possible?
Post: Well, college football shocks us what seems like every single week, but this would be huge given how well Louisville has looked. Lamar Jackson (913 yards, 8 touchdowns) should continue scorching, but Marshall's Chase Litton (722 yards, 10 touchdowns) is quite talented and could give the Cardinals defense some fits. I expect No. 3 Louisville to outscore Marshall in the 40s-50s but you never know with this sport. Stoll: No. 3 Louisville celebrated a win last week in their 63-20 rout over at-the-time No. 2 Florida State. Lamar Jackson is an early Heisman Trophy candidate and I do not see him letting up anytime soon. The only way that this upcoming matchup against Marshall to even be a close game is for the Cardinals defense to play down. All in all, a Thundering Herd upset is not going to happen.
Week 4 Predictions:
Oklahoma State 20, No. 14 Baylor 31.
No. 16 Florida 17, No. 13 Tennessee 27.
No. 9 Washington 37, Arizona 35.
Penn State 17, No. 3 Michigan 40.
No. 15 Georgia 20, Ole Miss 31.
No. 10 Florida State 38, South Florida 20.
No. 11 Wisconsin 24, No. 8 Michigan State 17.
No. 18 LSU 28, Auburn 21.
No. 7 Stanford 27, UCLA 24.
No. 23 Arkansas 20, No. 12 Texas A&M 34.
Week 3 Record: 5-5.
Overall Record: 21-9.
Read my full article; Predicting the 2017 College Football Playoff Teams. No. 1 Alabama (3-0, 1-0) No. 2 Florida State (2-1, 0-1) No. 3 Ohio State (3-0, 0-0) No. 4 Clemson (3-0, 0-0)
Heisman Rankings:
1. Lamar Jackson (Louisville QB) -- 913 Yards & 8 TDs.
2. J.T. Barrett (Ohio State QB) -- 650 Yards & 10 TDs.
3. Deshaun Watson (Clemson QB) -- 692 Yards & 7 TDs.
4. Christian McCaffrey (Stanford RB) -- 291 Yards & 3 TDs.
5. Greg Ward Jr. (Houston QB) -- 647 Yards & 3 TDs.
Photo Credit: SportingNews.com.
