Labor Day is upon us again, and that means college football is here. There were some thrillers and snooze fests last night. Rutgers and Fresno State went to OT last night when Fresno St. pulled it out and won 52-51. FSU QB Derek Carr and Rutgers QB Gary Nova both threw for 5 TD and 1 int each. Leonte Carro came down with 3 TD for the Scarlet Knights. Jadeveon Clowney did show some weakness last night. He seemed gassed out for South Carolina, but the Gamecocks still managed to hang on and beat UNC after a lightning delay. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt had an epic game that showcased some young stars and possibly one of the best WR in SEC history. Vandy WR Jordan Matthews had a great game, but Ole Miss managed to rally and win 39-35 against the Commodores. #24 USC beat Hawai'i 30-13 in what was a slugfest. The Trojans' defense looked sharp and only let up 11 points (Hawai'i recorded a safety.) The QB play was sloppy for USC. It seems like Cody Kessler is too short, but Max Wittek didn't look great either. Lane Kiffin will have to assess this problem.
There are some great games on Saturday. #1 Alabama has a very tough test in VA Tech. #12 LSU and #20 TCU will go at it at Jerry's World in Dallas. There has been some trash talk between the two coaches, so this has the makings for a great game. #5 Georgia will travel to Death Valley to take on #8 Clemson. College Gameday will be there. I will pick all three of these games.
#1 Alabama vs Virginia Tech
This game will take place at the Georgia Dome and has two of the best coaches in the country in Frank Beamer and Nick Saban. Alabama has their hands full with this VA Tech team. Logan Thomas returns for his final season as a Hokie at QB. Thomas is very tough to bring down and is one of the best dual-threat QB in the country. The Hokies have a stout defense. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is VA Tech's Kendall Fuller from Good Counsel. This is an extremely good Alabama team, too. The matchup I want to see is Amari Cooper vs the VA Tech secondary. This game could possibly be my upset pick of the season. I am coming out with a bang and picking VA Tech to take down the Crimson Tide.
VA Tech 23 Alabama 21
#12 LSU vs #20 TCU
Gary Patterson and Les Miles have been at a war of words lately. Both are expected to miss their best players in LSU RB Jeremy Hill and TCU DE Devonte Fields. TCU returns QB Casey Pachall after he only played a few games last year before being arrested. Pachall will have a breakout season this year. I expect him to put up big numbers on Saturday night. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is LSU's 6-8 OT Derek Edinburgh from New Orleans. This should be a good game. Both defenses are stellar, but I think that the Horned Frogs big play-making ability will be a deciding factor.
TCU 27 LSU 23
#5 Georgia vs #8 Clemson
This game contains at least two Heisman Trophy contenders and two of the best QB in the country. Georgia QB Aaron Murray and RB Todd Gurley are some dark horse Heisman candidates. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd is a frontrunner for the most prestigious award in college football. The Tigers are the ACC favorites. This will be a terrific game, and you know Death Valley will be rowdy. College Gameday is there and the Tigers' supporters will come out. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is Clemson DE Ebenezer Ogundeko from Brooklyn. This game will be back and forth, but I think Georgia comes out on top.
UGA 30 Clemson 24
#12 LSU vs #20 TCU
Gary Patterson and Les Miles have been at a war of words lately. Both are expected to miss their best players in LSU RB Jeremy Hill and TCU DE Devonte Fields. TCU returns QB Casey Pachall after he only played a few games last year before being arrested. Pachall will have a breakout season this year. I expect him to put up big numbers on Saturday night. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is LSU's 6-8 OT Derek Edinburgh from New Orleans. This should be a good game. Both defenses are stellar, but I think that the Horned Frogs big play-making ability will be a deciding factor.
TCU 27 LSU 23
#5 Georgia vs #8 Clemson
This game contains at least two Heisman Trophy contenders and two of the best QB in the country. Georgia QB Aaron Murray and RB Todd Gurley are some dark horse Heisman candidates. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd is a frontrunner for the most prestigious award in college football. The Tigers are the ACC favorites. This will be a terrific game, and you know Death Valley will be rowdy. College Gameday is there and the Tigers' supporters will come out. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is Clemson DE Ebenezer Ogundeko from Brooklyn. This game will be back and forth, but I think Georgia comes out on top.
UGA 30 Clemson 24
