Auburn will devour this SEC treat
Hurricane Florence is wreaking havoc in the Carolinas and, by extension, in the college football schedule. A handful of games have been canceled or postponed, and others are sure to be affected by the wind and rain. For picking purposes, I’ll stay away from that part of the country. Hopefully the damage down there is minimal.
Tomorrow we get an SEC treat when No. 7 Auburn hosts No. 12 LSU. Some people forget Auburn reached the SEC Championship Game despite losing twice in the regular season, once to LSU in a fantastic game in Baton Rouge. Gus Malzahn’s Tigers had a 20-0 lead and appeared on the way to a rout, but the other Tigers scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to complete a crazy comeback.
This time around, the winner is in the driver’s seat for the SEC West crown. There is a glaring gap at quarterback, as Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow will call signals for LSU opposite junior Jarrett Stidham, who has gotten better with each game since being named the starter last summer.
Burrow isn’t ready for the big time, and he’s facing a ferocious defense that brings pressure from the first play of the game and is out for revenge. Expect the same kind of start as last year’s meeting, but LSU won’t be able to fight back on the road. Stidham will be in control the entire afternoon, and Auburn, favored by 10 points, will run away and hide.
In other games:
TOMORROW Oklahoma (-18) at Iowa State — Lots of talk about the No. 5 Sooners losing tailback Rodney Anderson and potentially struggling against a team that beat them last year, but that’s exactly what it is, talk. Oklahoma’s defense has too much talent, Cyclones quarterback Kyle Kempt will play at less than 100 percent with a knee injury, and the revenge factor is legit. Blowout city.
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh (Over 55) — The Yellow Jackets defense was abysmal last week against South Florida, while the Panthers only managed six points in a blowout loss to Penn State. You can’t judge Pitt on a game against one of the top teams in the country. Quarterback Ben DiNucci will have a better day against a bad defense, and Georgia Tech’s option attack will rack up at least 35 points.
Boise State (+21⁄2) at Oklahoma State — The difference in this one will be the quarterbacks. Brett Rypien has talent and experience, and though he’s faced cupcakes Troy and UConn thus far, he’s played in enough important games to know what he’s in for when the Stillwater crowd roars. On the other side, the 24th-ranked Cowboys’ Taylor Cornelius is just getting his feet wet as a starter. He’ll make costly mistakes against No. 17 Boise.
Michigan (-351⁄2) vs. SMU — Quarterback Shea Patterson scuffled in the opener against Notre Dame but found his stride last week against Western Michigan. And the Wolverines defense, with Rashan Gary, Devin Bush and Chase Winovich tormenting opposing QBs, remains one of the best in the nation. It’s possible the Mustangs won’t score while No. 19 Michigan puts up 50-60 points.
Ohio State (-12) at TCU — The final game of Urban Meyer’s suspension will be a little more difficult than the first two, in which the No. 4 Buckeyes put up 77 points on Oregon State and 52 on Rutgers, but they are far and away the better team here. The 15th-ranked Horned Frogs are fun to watch, but when push comes to shove as it did against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, they don’t have the firepower to hang with the elite.
Utah (+41⁄2) vs. Washington — Last year’s game, a 33-30 Huskies win in Seattle, was fun to watch and proved the Utes are catching up to the top teams in the Pac 12. Washington, ranked No. 10, played poorly in its opener, losing at Auburn, and Utah was toughened by a road scare last week against Northern Illinois. Dynamic tailback Zack Moss and the Utes are attractive home underdogs.
Arizona State (-51⁄2) at San Diego State — The No. 23 Sun Devils stuck it to me last Saturday, playing a fantastic game against Michigan State and coming out on top with a field goal in the final seconds. Receiver N’Keal Harry proved himself as a stud and a future NFLer, and QB Manny Wilkins knows how to find him. The Aztecs are no joke, but they don’t have enough on defense to contain that dynamic duo.
Last week: 4-4-0 Season: 4-4-0