This week Brandon Stockdale and Dawson Green teamed up to choose College Football games for week 8. There are many important games this week that will shape the College Football Playoff picture. You decide if Brandon and Dawson are experts or amateurs.
16 NC State at 3 Clemson
NC State comes into Clemson with a 5-0 record, the second undefeated ACC team to travel to Death Valley this season. Ryan Finley, a senior quarterback at NC State, has come close to beating Clemson the last two years, but has come up just short each time. Death Valley will be rocking on Saturday as this long-standing rivalry known as “The Textile Bowl” has heated up recently. I expect Clemson to use Travis Etienne early to open up the play-action passing game for Trevor Lawrence. The Tigers will come out on top in a classic.
Clemson 30 NC State 28
6 Michigan at 24 Michigan State
A critical Big Ten East showdown is on tap for the Wolverines and the Spartans, with both teams coming off huge wins last week. Michigan is playing well offensively with the emergence of Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson, who is a dual-threat. Patterson came up with 214 yards of offense last week in a rout of Wisconsin. You can expect Jim Harbaugh to continue to mix things up to keep Michigan State off balance. Michigan State is coming off an upset win over Penn State. Michigan State’s top back, LJ Scott did not play last week and his status for Saturday is unknown. That would be a big help for the Spartans if he can go. This one’s a rivalry game and anytime that happens, you can throw records out the window. I’ll give the edge to Michigan because when you have a dual threat quarterback, it makes your offense that much more difficult to defend. Combine that with a stout Michigan defense that’s ranked 6th in the country, only allowing 15.4 points per game. I think it’s too much for the Spartans in the end.
Michigan 35 Michigan St 24
22 Mississippi State at 5 LSU
LSU is coming off an upset win over Georgia last week in a game where they were the aggressor and dominated the line of scrimmage against the Bulldogs. Ed Oregeron is showing that he’s more than just a guy that has a Louisiana accent, he’s a guy that is winning football games. Joe Moorhead’s Bulldogs will roll into Tiger Stadium for this prime time matchup, coming off a bye last week. The last time Mississippi State played, they upset a struggling Auburn team at home. Mississippi State is starting to find its groove in the run game, as they rushed for a season-high 369 yards with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and running back Kylin Hill. LSU has found a two-headed machine in Nick Brossette and Clyde Edwards-Helarie, a part of a run game that rushed for 275 yards against Georgia. Expect both teams to want to come out and establish the run. The question in this game will be who can slow down the run game? You have to give the edge to LSU because it’s at home but this one should be fun. I think LSU pulls away in the end heading into the showdown against Alabama in two weeks.
LSU 45 Mississippi State 27
12 Oregon at 25 Washington State
College Gameday will visit Pullman, Washington for the first time ever for this matchup. Oregon would be undefeated if not for a crucial fourth quarter fumble against Stanford. Justin Herbert and the Ducks offense have been rolling all season and the defense has been better than expected. Gardner Minshew, quarterback at Washington State, has been throwing the ball all over the yard in Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense. Washington State has been overlooked this year and can make a statement on Saturday night. I don’t expect to make this statement. The stadium will be rocking, but Oregon is battle tested and Justin Herbert is a NFL quarterback.
Oregon 42 Washington State 33
9 Oklahoma at TCU
Oklahoma has had time to reflect on the 48-45 loss in a shootout against Texas, a game that led to Lincoln Riley parting ways with his defensive coordinator, Mike Stoops. This week, Gary Patterson and TCU roll in looking to slow down quarterback Kyler Murray, who lit Baylor and Texas up. TCU on the other hand, is struggling at 3-3 and is looking for a spark offensively with quarterback Shawn Robinson as their offense is only averaging 28.7 points per game. It may seem obvious to pick the Sooners, but Patterson is a defensive minded coach, so expect the Horned Frogs to keep this game interesting. In the end, I don’t think TCU has enough in the tank offensively to keep up with the high-flying Sooners.
Oklahoma 56 TCU 28
Virginia at Duke Upset Pick
The Virginia Cavaliers are flying high after upsetting a ranked Miami team. This was the first win over a ranked opponent in four years for the Cavaliers. The defense forced three interceptions which ended up being the deciding factor in the game. Duke only has one loss through six games and quarterback Daniel Jones has been great so far this year, but he has been inconsistent as he was in a loss to Virginia Tech. It is no secret how much a big upset can mean to a team and its momentum in College Football. Virginia will ride this wave into Durham, NC and pull an upset to put them in position to win the ACC Coastal division.
Virginia 17 Duke 13
