So after an unannounced bye week, I'm BACK! Had a busy week with class and midterms this past week and wasn't able to squeeze in time for my weekly predictions. But hey, just like every team gets a bye week, I figured I deserved one too and I'm rested up and ready to go for what promises to be another epic weekend of college football. Last Saturday proved to be upset weekend as Georgia, Stanford, Oklahoma, Northwestern, and Michigan all were knocked off. Clemson flirted with the upset bug against Boston College for most of the first half before outscoring the Eagles 21-7 in the second half and securing a 10 point advantage. Once again the defense stepped up when they needed it most and outside of a few mishaps, played well and recorded their 5th straight game holding an opponent to 14 points or less. Hard to believe it is now Week 8 and time to separate the contenders from the pretenders. This week is highlighted by, quite frankly, the biggest game in ACC History. For the second time this season, Clemson's Death Valley will be in the limelight. How will they fair this time? LETS DO THIS!
Week 8 Predictions
#10 Miami @ North Carolina
After an almost four year hiatus, the Hurricanes appear to be back as they have cracked the top 10 of the polls. The Tarheels on the other hand haven't been able to get on track and their lone win this year came against Middle Tennessee State. (!!!!)The Tarheels do have home field advantage over the Canes but unfortunately for them, it won't matter. Miami wins and wins big in Chapel Hill and becomes one step closer to a trip to Charlotte to play for the ACC Championship in December.
The Pick: Miami
#24 Auburn @ #7 Texas A&M
The much improved Tigers...I mean War Eagles..I mean War Tigers...or..whatever they are calling themselves these days look to pull the shocker at Kyle Field this weekend. The Aggies survived a thriller against Ole Miss last weekend 41-38. Johnny Football is having another great year and has thrown for over 1800 yards and 14 touchdowns. When it comes down to it, not confident that Auburn's offense can match Manziel and put up enough points. Aggies get the job done.
The Pick: Texas A&M
#11 South Carolina @ Tennessee
Tennessee was literally inches away from knocking off Georgia in Neyland Stadium two weeks ago and after a much needed bye week, the Vols will look to take down South Carolina this weekend. The Gamecocks won big at Arkansas and look to take control of the SEC-East following Georgia's loss to Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Conner Shaw is playing some of his best football ever and things appear to be coming together for the Gamecocks. I think Tennessee will again put up a good fight just as they did against Georgia....but at the end of the day, the genius of Steve Spurrier and the talent of South Carolina will prove to be too much for the Vols. South Carolina
should win but I'm just saying, Be careful!
The Pick: South Carolina
#6 LSU @ Ole Miss
The Rebels fell short in their upset bid against Texas A&M last weekend and will try to fair better this week when LSU comes to town. LSU is playing well and Zach Mettenberger isn't the same guy we saw in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Clemson last December. (yeah I know I've said it before but I owe him do after dogging him all off-season!) The Tigers are 6-1 and if they win out, they will have a solid argument for a spot in the BCS title game. But they will have to get past Alabama and Texas A&M. Their confidence is building and they are quickly becoming a threat in the SEC west. I'm close, really close, to calling an upset for this one but just can't quite pull myself to do it. But I believe Les Miles and company find a way to get it done on the road.
The Pick: LSU
And last but not least.......
Christopher's Game of the Week
#3 Clemson vs #5 Florida State
"It ain't the Bowden Bowl anymore....its better!"
Preview:
Jimbo vs Dabo. Jameis vs Tajh. #3 vs #5. College Gameday will be on hand. This one is going to be good, folks. This match up has quickly become quite the rivalry game. Both sides hate each other and as of late the winner of the game goes on to win the Atlantic division. With all due respect, this is the REAL ACC Championship game. It has also become a true home-and-home series as the home team has won nine of the last ten. In every game since 2002, the home team has came away with the victory, with the only exception being a stunning win in Tallahassee by Clemson back in 2006. The last time FSU won in Death Valley was in 2001. **FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: Remember the song "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys? How bout "Let Me Blow Your Mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani? And I KNOW you haven't forgotten about Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" well those were the songs atop the Billboard 100's the last time FSU won in Death Valley. **And say what you will, but FSU hasn't been the same program since their loss to Clemson in 2003 when the Tigers knocked off the #3 Noles 26-10 in a sellout crowd in Death Valley. Back then, this game was known as the Bowden Bowl. Saturday's showdown will be the biggest EVER played in Death Valley and its the first top 5 college football game ever in the state of South Carolina. Both teams have a shot at winning a National Championship and have a Heisman-caliber QB under center. It doesn't get much better than this. All eyes will again be on Clemson, SC this Saturday night at 8pm when the Tigers come rolling down the hill to take on the Seminoles. If you think you've seen loud, wait till Saturday night. Rumor has it that the Guinness Book of Wold Record will be on hand to see if the crowd can break the record for loudest stadium. Bring your ear plugs...this one is going to get a little rowdy. \
Players to Watch:
Clemson- QB Tajh Boyd, RB Roderick McDowell, WR Sammy Watkins, DE Vic Beasley
Florida State- QB Jamies Winston, RB Devonta Freeman, WR Rashad Greene, RB James Wilder Jr.
My Thoughts:
As I've noted earlier, this has truly become a series in which the home team wins. Florida State has yet to be truly tested this year. Their signature win to this point was......a 63-0 win over Maryland? (Granted Maryland was ranked at the time (#25) but lets be serious here, folks!) Clemson on the other hand won a physical brawl against Georgia in week 1, had to battle for a scrappy Thursday night road win in Raleigh and were forced to rally in the 4th quarter to win, what Dabo Swinney called a "Street Fight" Saturday afternoon in Death Valley against Boston College. In short, what I'm saying is the Tigers are more battled tested to this point..and it a hostile and close game, that could be a HUGE advantage. Jamies Winston is the truth, I'm not even going to pretend he is not. However, the Noles have had a pretty favorable road to get to this point and haven't been truly tested yet. Clemson will prove to be a big test for them and the atmosphere will be second to none Saturday night. Clemson's offense struggled to get going last weekend and had some issues holding on to the football but I believe those problems will be addressed. FSU is coming off a bye week and should be rested and ready to rock. However, Jimbo is only 1-2 following bye weeks in his time at FSU. If you're into that kind of thing you might also want to hear that Swinney is 8-0 in home games against ACC teams he lost to the previous year on the road. (Shout out to Clemson SID Tim Bourret for that note) And Tajh Boyd is undefeated against ACC competition in Death Valley. This one will likely be another shootout just as the Clemson-UGA game was. If you aren't making plans to watch this game, you really need to re-evaluate your life. This will be another instant classic. I'll be telling my children and grandchildren about this one. The winner will not only take control of the ACC, but make a statement on the national stage as well. For the Tigers, simply put...it could be a program defining win. A win Saturday...for lack of better words, would be monumental.
Bottom Line:
Although I anticipate this game being a high scoring affair, I think Clemson's defense is what makes the biggest difference, not their powerful offense. The Tigers recorded 5 sacks Saturday and held the nations leading rusher, Andre Williams in check for much of the game giving up only a 2.9 year per carry average. Clemson's Vic Beasley has emerged as one of the best DE's in college football and leads the nation in sacks and had a monster game Saturday with 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and 1 touchdown that sealed the win for the Tigers early in the fourth quarter. If the defense can continue to improve in their run defense and avoid giving up the big play, Clemson will be in great shape Saturday. The Tigers lead the nation in sacks, tackles for loss, and third down defense. (Yeah, that's right)
The crowd will also play a major role...on Saturday they forced BC into back to back penalties as they tried to get the play called in from the sidelines and get set. As wild as the atmosphere was for the opener against UGA, Saturday promises to be even wilder. The Tigers are the underdog and rightfully so after their performance Saturday. Clemson is still searching for that true complete game and they tend to always rise to the occasion when the Noles come to town. History says the Tigers find a way Saturday night and I tend to agree. I think the electric crowd plays a major role throughout the game and Clemson's bend-but-don't-break defense makes just enough stops to put the Tigers in position for victory.
The Pick: Clemson 36 Florida State 30
Following last weeks miracle at Missouri, the Gamecocks are back on track and right back in the thick of things when it comes to the SEC-East. I think they build off that huge win last weekend and roll against the Bulldogs. Conner Shaw is tough as nails and Mike Davis is one of the best running backs in the country. The defense still has some issues to be worked out but overall South Carolina proved it is BCS worthy last week and they avoid the letdown Saturday and get it done at home.
Auburn appears to have bounced back in a major way from last season and look to be on a crash course to a showdown against rival Alabama with the winner advancing to the SEC Championship. The Razorbacks are win-less in conference play and just 3-5 overall to this point. They could easily become the spoiler team in the SEC this season and ruin another team's season if they are overlooked but I don't believe that will actually happen. Auburn keeps rolling and probably cracks the top 10 when the BCS polls are released Sunday evening.
Growing up I always remember hearing stories and seeing highlights from this rivalry game. (WIDE LEFT, WIDE RIGHT..etc) In recent years it hasn't grabbed the nations attention as much but this year is a different story. FSU has looked as good as anybody in the country behind Jamies Winston and Miami has caught many of us off guard and despite a sloppy game last week against Wake Forest, have looked solid thus far and enter the game undefeated as well. The "U" has showed some heart and came out on top in a couple nail bitters so far this year so in that regard, they are "battle tested". However, the lack of competition is a concern. They did knock off #12 Florida earlier in the year but that has been the only ranked team they have faced. While FSU is still on a high following their rout in Death Valley two weeks ago (sorry to bring it up again, Clemson fans) and a beat-down of NC State last weekend. ESPN College Gameday will be on hand in Tallahassee and this one has the makings of another classic. However, this team is exceptionally good. Not only do I think the Seminoles win, I think they win big at home and they once again will jump Oregon in the BCS rankings and just might find themselves at #1, even if for a brief moment of time. (ACC! ACC! ACC!)
