Looking ahead: Great weekend of games
OnSaturday, the college football world is in for some treats. Last week, very few games really got the juices flowing with too many non-conference games. Even the ones that were inside the conference, save a few PAC 12 matchups, lacked any real luster.
Hell, the Michigan Wolverines hosting the BYU Cougars was the most anticipated matchup nationally, and that game was over before the national anthem was finished.
This weekend, the story is much different. We have a couple of tremendous matchups with some other games to monitor closely. Let’s run them down, shall we?
No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 12 Alabama Crimson Tide
This is one of the rare times where Georgia comes in favored against Alabama, even with the home venue. The Crimson Tide were supposed to be one of the dominant teams in the land but fell two weeks ago to the Ole Miss Rebels at home, 43-37. Quarterback Jake Coker has taken a brutal beating in the media, but head coach Nick Saban is sticking with him as the starting quarterback for the time being.
Georgia is all about a potent offense led by Heisman Trophy candidate Nick Chubb. The running back has gained 599 yards and scored six touchdowns on 8.4 yards per carry. Chubb is helping to give quarterback Greyson Lambert time to throw the ball, and it is showing with Lambert completing 76.5 percent of his throws with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.
The Bulldogs have scored at least 31 points in each of their four games and now face an Alabama defense coming off a shutout over Louisiana-Lafayette. The question is whether the real Crimson Tide defense showed up against Ole Miss when it allowed 43 points, or if it was the group last week.
No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 12 Clemson Tigers
The Notre Dame fans were crestfallen early in the season, when starting quarterback Malik Zaire went down with a season-ending ankle injury. However, backup signal-caller DeShone Kizer has been solid, throwing for five touchdowns against two interceptions. Notre Dame has mostly been moving the ball on the ground with running back C.J. Prosise, who has churned out 600 yards on 8.1 yards per carry and six touchdowns.
However, Clemson is the best team that the Fighting Irish will face all season. The Tigers come into the contest undefeated and the knowledge that Death Valley will be in full throat. Clemson employs a balanced offense that should provide quarterback Deshaun Watson the opportunity to hit on some deep balls off play-action. Watson is not much for scrambling or running on designed plays, but he can chuck it as evidenced by his five touchdowns.
Other games to watch…
No. 23 West Virginia Mountaineers at No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners
Kansas State Wildcats at No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys
No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels at No. 25 Florida Gators
