CigarSmokinFootball

Week 4

(22) Texas A&M vs (1) Alabama – Two weeks ago the Aggies played Clemson very well, a bad call by the officials affected the game, and, more than likely, cost them the upset. Needless to say, it was a close game. That was at College Station, this is at Tuscaloosa. A&M has some confidence, they believe they can play with the national big boys, and, truthfully, they’re right. QB Mond has made it his business to try and carry the team this weekend, but I’m not sure this is going to work. Against Clemson, he had some throws where the receivers made him look good, but good luck sometimes runs out. Instead of relying totally on a passing game they need to balance out their attack, like, I don’t know, a good running game, yeah….that might help. Now that’s a tall order against the number one run defense in the nation and who has a reputation of stopping the run, but the one thing that can’t happen is for the Aggies to be one dimensional. Ole Miss tried that this last week found out that even a great passing offense just wasn’t enough. Now, for the big Elephant in the room, how are the Aggies going to stop the Bama offense? I don’t know! I don’t think anyone knows right now. If they try and stop the run, Tua lights them up in the passing game;- try and stop the passing, then they use their stable of running backs, all of which are stallions. Put more than 11 players on the field and it’s a penalty. The honest truth is, this is the nightmare scenario that college football hoped would never come true, Alabama with a dynamic quarterback. The Daughter is seriously hoping that her Aggies win, but, as we know, hope is never a course of action. She might want to keep her Bama sweatshirt close by. Alabama Rolls, just not sure by how much.

(18) Wisconsin vs Iowa – At the start of the season, I had this game pegged as one of the toughest for the Badgers. After last week and BYU, it has gotten tougher. After BYU ended Wisconsin’s playoff hopes, the one thing they can’t do is allow the Cougars to beat them twice. If they dwell on their loss, it’ll cost ‘em again. Iowa has only had one tough game and that was against Iowa State, which ended up being a slow game with neither team showing explosiveness. The Hawkeyes are not afraid of Wisconsin, and if BYU can match up against the Badgers’ O-Line, Iowa can too. I suspect Wisconsin going to lose again, I could be wrong, but it seems that Iowa will be up for this game and the Script “W’s” are likely not.

(7) Stanford vs (20) Oregon – The battle for the left coast heats up with the Cardinal taking on the Ducks. Stanford started off the season with a very bland performance. Since that opening game, they have stepped it up a notch or two. They beat USC, but, heck, Texas did that, so how hard can it be? Stanford has been playing pretty well, and showing a much more balanced attack. On Saturday, they must keep the ball like the playground bully, holding on to the ball with long, drawn out, time-consuming drives. Oregon is not known for their defense. Offense, yes, but not defense. The Quack Attack needs to score every time they get the ball, they need to strike fast, and get a big lead. Make the Tree team weary by needing to always catch up. This could be a good close game, but Stanford will take it.

Army vs (5) Oklahoma – Army has some confidence and they have been playing well, but they might have bitten off more than they can chew with OU. Unless….the Cadets keep the ball and don’t let the Sooners ever, ever, ever, put their high-powered, explosive offense on the field. That should do the trick. Easier said than done, though.

(14) Mississippi State vs Kentucky – The Wildcats are 3-0! I can’t remember the last time UK was 3-0, and I’ve been on the earth for half a century. They are hosting MSU and the Nick Fitzgerald show. Grab some popcorn, get a good seat, because lately QB Fitzgerald has been performing at top form! He missed the first game of the season, and he needed a quarter to get his motor running against K-State, but, since that time, he’s been on fire. The Wildcats are playing great, they bested Florida, in the Swamp, and that’s got to account for something….and it does, but not against the Bulldogs. Pretender or contender in the SEC East;- we’ll find out Saturday.

Kansas State vs (12) West Virginia – This game is being played in Morgantown, WV, the Mountaineers are the pick to win. They didn’t play last week against NC State due to Hurricane Florence. Don’t know if that will affect them whatsoever, most likely, it won’t. Most of the money is on WVU. BUT, this same type of game happened a few years ago, and K-State showed up and shut everything down, escaping West Virginia with a victory. I would not, could not, and will not, underestimate the Wildcats. If there is going to be an upset, it could be right here.

Nebraska vs Michigan – About a month ago, I said the Cornhuskers were going to match up very well with the Wolverines. Now….I’m not so sure. Nebraska has some problems, not sure if it’s just the personnel, or the new coach, or new scheme, or a combination of all three, but they’re just not getting it. Michigan appears to have gotten some traction, maybe not much, but some, and that might be all they need. Basically, this isn’t a big time game so Coach Harbaugh should be able to coach the Wolverines to a win.

Arizona State vs Washington – If the Sun Devils hadn’t fallen to San Diego State last week, this game would have carried a lot more weight. Now, it looks like same ole, same ole. Did the Sun Devils get caught looking ahead? Most likely. How they play in this game will go a long way to determining the rest of their season. If they can play well, and don’t get blown out, that should be good enough. If they win, it’ll be a stunner. Washington is going to win, though, and they might win big.

Florida vs Tennessee – This used to be a huge game back when both these two teams were both good. They are each 2-1 now, but UT stills resembles the Key Stone Cops. OK, maybe they’re not that bad, but they’ve got a long way to go to be good again. Florida has not been tearing up the track, either, but they’re a far cry better than the Vols. The Gators win it.

Short Smokes

Georgia, at 3-0, takes on Missouri at 3-0. I seriously doubt Mizzou will be 4-0.

USC is the favorite over Washington State. Why? How? Didn’t the Cougars beat the Trojans last year? They’ll beat ‘em again this year, too.

Notre Dame vs Wake Forest. Hopefully, the Irish are taking the Demon Deacons for granted, and if they do, this could be an upset. Come on, Wake Forest, pull the upset!

Penn State will not have any trouble with Illinois as they warm up for the Ohio State game next week.

Minnesota vs Maryland. The Terps lost to Temple, gotta pick the Gophers

You know that Louisville vs Virginia game could be one to watch. It’s been a long time since the Wahoos were good enough to win a game like this.

Doubtful Pitt will have any trouble with North Carolina, very doubtful.

The fans of Florida State are not happy, they could be a lot more unhappy against Northern Illinois. Could be, but surely the ‘Noles can beat Northern Illinois.

Going to pick it right here and now, Kansas beats Baylor! (I’m really going out on a limb here, huh?)

South Carolina defeats Vandy. This is the Commodores’ punishment for not beating Notre Dame when they had the chance.

TCU regroups and beats Texas, even though UT is getting better.

Arkansas vs Auburn. The way the Hogs have been playing, this will not be pretty. The Tigers are going to feast on pig meat.

Michigan State seriously needs a win over Indiana, and they should get it.

North Alabama will be hosting Azusa Pacific. The Cougars are 3-0 and ranked #24th. My Lions are 2-1 and just got waxed by North Dakota State. But, this is UNA’s first home game of the season, that’ll get ‘em over the top. Lions Win! Roar Lions! (Hopefully, maybe, trying to keep the faith here!)