There’s bedlam not in Oklahoma but in Knoxville in part because suddenly mistake-prone Alabama can’t kick a field goal or even properly field a punt, Big Blue has Penn State feeling blue and its fans feeling a-Maize-ing, USC is back in Troy rearming for the rest of the season, SEC officials still don’t know what down it is and Chip Kelly is back in Oregon but now for the other team.
This is the current status of college football. All subject to change within a week because, well, it’s college football, which has the most exciting regular season in any sport. Until the 12-team playoff, anyway.
Now onto the games. All times Pacific because the Prognosticator lives on the West Coast.
Syracuse at Clemson (9 a.m., ABC)
So the Dabos finally play somebody in the Atlantic Coast To The Playoffs Conference? Perhaps. The Saltine Warriors are undefeated but what does that really mean when they have played UConn and Wagner (is that not a symphony orchestra, by the way). They barely got by Purdue and .500 Virginia so what are their odds at the orange Tiger den? If this game were in the Dome, perhaps, for the Carolina Felines always struggle there. But not in the “other” Death Valley. Winner: Clemson
Iowa at Ohio State (9 a.m., FOX)
This week’s “Big” 10 pancake is Iowa, a team that has an offense as flat as, well, a pancake. Sprinkle some Nuts on that stack this week, tho it’s going to be more like a smothering so much so that the Flightless Birds will be saying “okay enough already!” Winner: Ohio State
UT Martin at Tennessee (9 a.m., SEC Network)
The SEC schedule makers must love the Vols. Instead of giving them another SEC team to play this week to test their ability to sustain success, they are able to get a creampuff from across the state. The fans haven’t come down from Rocky Top yet and one of the Neyland Stadium goal posts is now an honorary member of the Volunteer Navy but after last week this game will have even them bored after it’s 35-0 or so by halftime. Winner: Tennessee
UCLA at Oregon (12:30 p.m., FOX)
After getting whacked by Georgia in the season opener the Waddlers seem to have gotten their ducks in order and have attracted College Game Day to Eugene. UCLA is a media darling based solely on one game but ignoring another one (a should-have-been-a-loss to South Alabama) and have had a week off to see if they can still bounce high after whipping Utah. That week off kind of throws the Prognosticator’s Trampolines theory into the mystery zone – up one week and down the next, back up the following week, and so forth. Plus only Bo knows if the Ducks will get the good Bo Nix or the bad Bo Nix. This much is certain: the Ducksters fans will be loud on Saturday and that will propel the team to the W. Heck, the university and ESPN are teaming up to throw – get this – a toga party. The movie Animal House was filmed on Oregon’s campus. Toga! Toga! Toga! Winner: Oregon
LSU at Ole Miss (12:30 p.m., CBS)
The Hottie Toddies are partying in the Grove and while that’s nothing new they are actually enjoying what’s happening inside Vaught Hemingway, too. They probably did look up from their red solo cups enough last week to notice their Rebs gave up 34 points and 300 rushing yards to offensively-challenged Auburn and it took an onside kick to kick them back in the game. Now they face another offensively-challenged team with the same nickname but the Bayou Tigers aren’t up to the task, either. Winner: Ole Miss
Boise State at Air Force (4 p.m., CBSSN)
In case you are wondering why this game is included, it is for the Prognosticator’s good friends from Boise and the USAF. The Blue Turfs haven’t been the same since Chris Peterson left for greener pastures at Washington and the Wild Blue Yonder boys have been soaring with a 5-2 record. The Broncs are 4-2 and opened their season by whipping Oregon State, by far the most impressive win by either team. This one could go either way but the Prognosticator is going with the home-field advantage. Winner: Air Force
Mississippi State at Alabama (4 p.m., ESPN)
There hasn’t been a panic time in Tuscaloosa since Mike Shula was in T-town but had the State Dogs not lost to Kentucky last week – scoring but 17 points in doing so and having 10 for much of the game – then there would be some nervousness at the tailgate party. The Pachyderms have at times shown less discipline than some of the people on “I Almost Got Away With It.” But at the same time, they have demonstrated the resilience of hurricane residents. Whether or not they can weather the storms that are sure to come their way the rest of the season remains to be seen but for now, the Tide will be able roll in the calmer seas of this one. Winner: Alabama
Texas A&M at South Carolina (4:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Both teams are coming off bye weeks and if the Jimbos are going to get this thing turned around this would be a handy time to start working on it. The ‘Cocks may be game at times but they are also easy plucking at other times. They got their cabooses cooked against Georgia and their feathers ruffled against Arkansas. The Cadets have been misfiring on offense all season but they do have a couple pretty good D linemen that can be as hard to move as a tank. That may prove to be the difference. Winner: Texas A&M
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
• Is Nick Saban Slipping As Paul Finemaum Suggests? (pubclub.com)
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