No. 2 Clemson vs. Louisville
Clemson is rolling into the month of November with a matchup against 2-6 Louisville tomorrow in Death Valley. Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff have done their best to try and talk up Bobby Petrino’s bunch. Louisville has struggled all season defensively, allowing 438.0 yards per game. This doesn’t bode well going up against a Clemson offense that is averaging 522.6 yards per game. Look for Travis Etienne to have a huge day along and Clemson’s receiving core to light up the Cardinal secondary in what should be a rout for the Tigers.
Clemson 62 Louisville 13
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 LSU
Multiple NFL draft prospects will be on the field Saturday night in Baton Rouge in what will be the SEC West championship for Alabama and LSU. This game will also have major playoff implications as well. When you look at this game, both teams pride themselves on playing great defense. The bad news for LSU is they will be without linebacker Devin White for the first half because of a targeting penalty in their last game. Alabama has been lighting up the scoreboard with Tua Tagovailoa. He has yet to throw an interception this season but, this will be Tagovailoa’s biggest test going up against the LSU defense and the crowd. I think LSU can keep it close into the 4th quarter, but I think Tagovailoa has a few more plays in a defensive slugfest.
Alabama 27 LSU 17
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 9 Kentucky
Raise your hand if you had Kentucky competing for the SEC East championship on the first Saturday in November. I didn’t either. Nonetheless, here come the Wildcats, who have not been spectacular offensively with Terry Wilson at quarterback, but when they’ve needed him, he’s come through for them. All the talk around Lexington has been around running back Benny Snell, Jr., who has ran for 935 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. I think Kentucky will be able to run the ball on Georgia, but if they get put into some 3rd and long situations, can Wilson come through? I’ll take my chances with Jake Fromm and Georgia.
Georgia 42 Kentucky 24
No. 14 Penn State vs. No. 5 Michigan
Penn State’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are slim at this point, but they can be boosted with a win against Michigan. Michigan is undefeated in Big Ten play, and it has everything to do with their stifling defense, only allowing 97.1 rush yards per game and the play of quarterback Shea Patterson. Penn State has allowed 225.4 yards per game through the air but held Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley to 205 yards on 18 completions. Can the Nittany Lions force Patterson into some obvious passing situations? I think they can, but the running of Patterson is what makes the difference here. Michigan pulls away in the second half.
Michigan 42 Penn State 27
