Hurricane Winds Are Blowing In Louisiana And Mississippi While There Are Potential Winds Of Change In Auburn, Oklahoma And Texas
There’s a lot of storms brewing in college football this week, one created by a Delta Force hurricane and more from stirred up alumni and fans.
Hurricane Delta has caused LSU to relocate its game to Missouri and has kicked back the kickoff time of the Kiffin Bowl in Oxford.
The storm is of a different kind in Texas, where some are looking to steer Tom Herman out of Austin and others are starting to question the longevity of Jimbo in College Station. The winds of change are also whipping up again on the Auburn plains and there’s some dust getting kicked up in Oklahoma after a a two-game win drought.
Meanwhile, other teams look to blow down heavy favorites – one of which is named, appropriately enough, the Hurricanes – while an ol’ rivalry kicks it off again in South Bend, but don’t expect it to be a classic.
Now onto the games. All times are Pacific Time because The Prognosticator lives in San Diego. Any changes as a result of Hurricane Delta to dates, times and TV will be updated as announced.
Florida at Texas A&M (9 a.m., ESPN)
Criticism is starting to leak into the Cadets camp and a non-competitive showing against the Swamp Creatures could start to open the floodgates. Aggie fans can give you 75 million reasons they are upset with the coach’s results to date and the prospect of facing a team that can toss the ball after giving up 435 passing yards a week ago doesn’t exactly shine the light of optimism in College Station. Fortunately for the home team the Gators’ bite is not nearly as lethal on defense as it is on offense but this hosts are going to need a lot more than a 12th Man to take this one. Winner: Florida
Virginia Tech at North Carolina (9 a.m., ABC)
The Mac-sters have been somewhat of a media darling but they have been playing like mac ‘n cheese lately, perhaps caught too far up in the hype to really hand it to their opponents. The Pokies have been poking around their roster to find enough players to put on the field and will need every available body to avoid getting stuck in the North Carolina tar pit. Despite their earlier struggles, the blue-clad boys will be kicking up their heels after this one. Winner: North Carolina
Texas vs. Oklahoma, Red River Rivalry (9 a.m., FOX, Cotton Bowl, Dallas)
There’s a lot more missing in this oine than the Texas State Fair, fans dragging coolers painted in the school colors and a stadium with a 50/50 mix of red and burnt orange. Missing are victories for each team, for OU is on a two-game losing streak and the Orangmen were just crushed by TCU. This has one coach approaching the hot seat while the other one suddenly feeling a burst of heat himself. The Steers look as sloppy as a drunk getting out of bed with a really bad hangover and neither team has yet to grasp the concept of tackling. May the team of the least embarrassing plays win. Winner: Oklahoma
Tennessee at Georgia (12:30 p.m., CBS)
Are the rocky times over in Rocky Top? The Volunteers may be about to find out as they take their hedge trimmers to Sanford Stadium to see if they can do a little landscaping and change the landscape of the SEC East. The Dawgs are certainly going dig in to protect their turf and will be off the leash on defense in an all-out effort to beat back the invaders from Knoxville. And while their offense isn’t nearly as pretty as the azaleas that grow at nearby Augusta, there’s too many seeds planted in Athens for the visitors to dig up an upset. Winner: Georgia
Arkansas at Auburn (1 p.m., ESPN; Changed From SEC Network)
The battered Gus Bus pulls into the Jordan-Hare repair shop after breaking down in Georgia with parts falling off it all the way down I-85. As a result, the Gus Busters are becoming more vocal about fixing not the vehicle but the coach in what is now an annual tradition right up there with the Tiger Walk. As long as the bus doesn’t have to travel it manages to keep from falling apart. Although the visiting Hogs, suddenly no longer playing like little Piglets, are likely to put a few more dents in it. Winner: Auburn
Alabama at Ole Miss (4:30 p.m., ESPN)
The storm surge arriving in Oxford just won’t be from Hurricane Delta, but from Hurricane Nick. The Crimson Tide can flood a defense like Ole Miss’ with points and while the Rebs are capable of pouring it on, as well, they won’t be able to hold back the wall of water that comes crashing over yhe walls of Vaught-Hemingway. In the end, this will be a wipeout for the Tide. Winner: Alabama
Miami at Clemson (4:30 p.m., ABC)
Folks in South Florida as well as all those Clemson haters are hoping that a powerful hurricane of another kind makes its way to a tiny town in western Carolina. Or is the all Kirk Herbstreit-generated hype about these Hurricanes just a lot of hot air? Instead of being a Category 4 or 5, most likely they are just a Cat 1, at best. The Felines haven’t worked up enough of a sweat to even have to take a shower yet and it’s highly unlikely they will be blown off course by an occasional gust of wind from Miami. Winner: Clemson
Florida State at Notre Dame (4:30 p.m., NBC)
Think of this game and images of Bobby Bowden and Lou Holtz come to mind in classic games with National Championship implications, although at this point Navy could give the Irish a better fight than the downtrodden Noles. The first College Game Day show was at a FSU-Notre Dame game and this year’s game is in primetime, but it’s hardly a prime affair. Winner: Notre Dame
RELATED POSTS:
• How Hurricane Delta Is Affecting These SEC Games
• Analyzing The Previous Week’s Games And Winners & Losers
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