By The Pigskin Prognosticator, PubClub.com’s College Football Expert
The college football world is still buzzing from the titanic tilt in Tuscaloosa, which makes this Friday and Saturday seem like a weekend full of undercards.
But there was activity elsewhere. The M&Ms (Miami and Michigan) benefited from blown officials calls, the Sooners came on later to make things more Freeze-ing cold on the Plains, the Lane Train missed the station in Oxford and the floundering continued for Florida State.
Now onto this week’s games. All times Pacific because The Prognosticator lives on the West Coast.
Friday, Oct. 4
Michigan State at Oregon (6 p.m., FOX)
Sparty needs a spark but won’t be getting much of a charge out of playing a Friday night in Eugene. Short circuited is more like it. The Waddlers will be able to waddle through this one. Winner: Oregon
Saturday, Oct. 5
UCLA at Penn State (9 a.m., FOX)
If there is one guarantee in this college football season it is that the Battered Bruins fans will not make much of an effort to wake up at 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning to watch a team that has only beaten Hawaii by a field goal. Playing in Happy Valley won’t make them happy, especially when they tune in around Noon and see the score. The Baby Bears have, in the past, shown an ability to bounce back up as if they are on a trampoline but this year’s squad seems to stay flat. Winner: Penn State
Missouri at Texas A&M (9 a.m., ABC)
The fiesty Felines, who have been enjoying the friendly confines of Faurot Field travel into the rowdy situation in State College that will have their cat hairs standing up on their backs. With an early start, the notoriously loud Soldiers might just soldier on from the Midnight Yell through to the game. If the team can feed off that energy to find some offense, there will be a victory march by the hosts. Winner: Texas A&M
Iowa at Ohio State (12:30 p.m., CBS)
After barely cracking a sweat the first few weeks of the season, the Nuts finally play a team with a pulse. Whether or not that team has an offense is yet to be determined. The flightless Birds might have a chance if this game were played in the Cornfield but it’s in the Shoe and there’s no glass shoe for this wanna-be Cinderella. Winner: Ohio State
Auburn at Georgia (12:30 p.m., ABC)
The fast-driving Fidos went speeding into Tuscaloosa and must now pump the brakes a bit on their postseason plans. Instead of zooming past opponents as if they were driving on a two-lane country highway, they have to focus on the road ahead of them. After finding an offense the second half against Alabama they are sure to keep their foot on the gas against the gassed Birds, who are learning what another Bo – Wallace in this case – warned about their coach. Winner: Georgia
Ole Miss at South Carolina (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Joey Freshwater, who says he got his punter from a frat party, got a spash of reality splashed in his face and now takes his circus on the road against a are-they-good-or-not team. The Roosters flattened Kentucky and should have beaten the Bayou Bengals and are looking to make the Rebels yell “ouch!”But they are South Carolina and will wind up short. Winner: Ole Miss
Alabama at Vanderbilt (1:15 p.m., SEC Network)
The coaching staff placed mouse traps around the Alabama facility on Monday, a new-era version of Nick Saban’s famous “rat poison” rant. So when the Pachyderms stomp into Music City on Saturday, they will attempt to avoid stepping into any traps put down by the ‘Doors, who are not looking like doormats this year. They missed a game-ending field goal that could have beat Missouri and beat Virginia Tech. But they also lost to Georgia State and have yet to encounter anything like the dynamic duo of Milroe and Williams. Winner: Alabama
Tennessee at Arkansas (4:30 p.m., ABC)
Rocky Top hopes to roast the Pigs and enjoy some tasty BBQ. But while the hosts often seem to be in the pits under Pittman, the team isn’t quite the easy catch they might seem to be on the surface. They have some fight in them and this won’t be a slaughter. Winner: Tennessee
Michigan at Washington (4:30 p.m., NBC)
Big Blue got a big break last week and sets sail for Seattle with a bunch of Sailgaters ready to ruin their party. The Dawgs are salivating to get their paws into the school that beat them in last year’s National Championship game. They will succeed if they clean up their act, as penalties, missed field goals and some head-scratching coaching calls have cost them this early season. Winner: Washington
USC at Minnesota (4:30 p.m., BTN)
An October road trip to Minneapolis is not exactly one made for roses but Troy is packing its Trojan horse for this new type of journey. They face a team that, were it not for a muffed onsides kick call by the zebras, would have led to victory against the very team that manhandled the Warriors on a similar trip two weeks earlier. Consider them alerted. Winner: USC
Miami at Cal (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
The Escape behind them, the storm is not over for the Canes. They might think that traveling to Berkeley will be a breeze but the Papa Bears do play some D, which will have “the U’s” offense spinning a few times. Winner, in an upset, Cal.
The Pigskin Prognosticator has covered college football games across the country as a reporter for several newspapers and media outlets.
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