Our senior sports reporter, Brandon Stockdale is back with more picks for some of the biggest games in college football this weekend as the second half of the season is in full swing with teams vying for conference titles and some, a position in the College Football Playoff with the initial rankings coming out on Tuesday.
Here’s Brandon’s picks for this week:
No. 2 Clemson vs. Florida State
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers head down to Tallahassee, Florida tomorrow afternoon for a matchup against Willie Taggart and the ‘Noles, a team that started 1-2 and had to fight to defeat Samford. Florida State has found their groove over the last several weeks, winning three out of their last four and Diondre Francois has thrown for over 300 yards in two of those three victories. Clemson can ill afford to look past this team because it is a rivalry game and Nyqwan Murray is a home run threat on offense and on defense, Brian Burns was compared to Jadeveon Clowney by Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott earlier in the week. This was a tight one in Death Valley last year in the fourth quarter and this game might be close for the first half, but in the end, Clemson’s weapons on offense led by Trevor Lawrence will be too much for Florida State and the defense will once again show why they are one of the best in the country on the national stage.
Clemson 52 FSU 24
No. 6 Texas vs. Oklahoma State
Does Tom Herman have the horses in Austin this year to compete for a potential College Football Playoff spot? We’ll find out a lot about Texas on Saturday night as they head to Stillwater for a critical Big 12 showdown. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is expected to return after a shoulder injury sidelined him in the win against Baylor. Oklahoma State is hungry for a win after losing two straight to Kansas State and Iowa State, so the Longhorns need to be ready for a fight. Texas has leaned heavily on the run game the past two games, rushing for 347 yards. Oklahoma State is only allowing 142.6 rushing yards per game. If the Cowboys can slow down the run game of the ‘Horns, look out. This game may be a little too close for comfort for Longhorn fans.
Texas 48 Oklahoma State 38
No. 9 Florida vs. No. 7 Georgia
The world’s largest outdoor cocktail party takes place in Jacksonville this weekend, and so does the annual Florida-Georgia rivalry and this one is probably the game of the week around the country. Both teams had a bye week to prepare for each other as Georgia is coming off a loss to LSU, while Florida got by Vanderbilt by 10 in Nashville. Neither team does anything flashy on offense as Georgia’s focus on offense is to run the ball, averaging 226.3 yards on the ground, while Dan Mullen’s squad is more about balance, averaging 408 yards per game. The thing that stands out about this matchup is the defenses. Both are ranked in the top 15. Can Georgia do enough to slow down Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks, who has thrown for 15 touchdowns so far this year and for Florida, can they slow down Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift? Expect the Dawgs to come out angry and looking to make a statement. They will use the run game to wear down Florida and win this one in a tight one to still have an inside track to the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff.
Georgia 24 Florida 21
No. 18 Iowa vs. No. 17 Penn State
Iowa is coming into this matchup against Penn State red hot, winners of three straight while the Nittany Lions lost two straight before finding a way to squeak by Indiana last week. Penn State is led by dual-threat quarterback Trace McSorley who has thrown for 11 touchdowns while rushing for 8 on the season. Iowa is ranked fourth in the country in total defense, only allowing 14.1 points a game, so something has to give here. If McSorley can get things rolling offensively, this could be a tough one for the Hawkeyes. McSorley is going to have to get the ball to his playmakers in running back Miles Sanders and the freshman KJ Hamler in order to provide that balance against a ferocious Iowa D. This one is a tough pick, but you have to give the edge to Iowa, look for them to make plays in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Iowa 27 Penn State 17
No. 14 Washington State at No. 24 Stanford
The last time we saw Stanford, it was in a Thursday night primetime matchup against Arizona State where they got the win in the final seconds on defense but the Cardinal are no slouch offensively. Quarterback K.J. Costello has thrown for 1842 yards and 13 touchdowns this season while running back Bryce Love, who’s battled injury has only ran for 348 yards. Stanford has found a way to win games without him needing to be a huge factor, but Washington State has been lighting up the scoreboard as well in Mike Leach’s spread offense that throws it all over the yard. Gardner Minshew has thrown for 2475 yards so far this year. This game has all the makings of a shootout, right? Possibly. Stanford is allowing 252 yards a game, so they may struggle to slow down the Cougs, but Stanford does have this game at home. Another tough pick, but Washington State pulls away in the second half.
Washington State 45 Stanford 24
No. 16 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
Jimbo Fisher has the men from Aggieland playing well at 5-2, but will have a tough challenge in Starkvegas tomorrow. This game is headlined by Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who will be on for a primetime national audience. Mond has thrown for 1800 yards, while Fitzgerald has found his rhythm on the ground and through the air. This game will come down to which team can make a clutch play. I’ll give the edge to A&M because they’ve been in big games against Clemson and Kentucky. This one could be a shootout, but A&M wins.
Texas A&M 38 Mississippi State 31
