At least one of the top Big Ten teams is going to finish with at least one loss on the board with the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes on a collision course and you have to feel that a number of one loss teams will now feel they are back in play.
Winning a Conference Championship with a single loss might well be good enough and that means there is still plenty of motivation all around.
Two losses are much harder to overcome and that is the situation for the USC Trojans with some suggesting that Caleb Williams should make a 'business decision' and sit out the rest of the season and protect his NFL Draft Stock. Perhaps the last season of the four team PlayOff format will surprise us and a two loss team will be called in, but that seems a long shot, especially if there are some non-Power 5 Conference Champions holding an unbeaten record.
Right now it is hard to look past the Florida State Seminoles, Oklahoma Sooners Washington Huskies and Georgia Bulldogs as a potential four team PlayOff bracket, but we have seen College Football springs plenty of upsets and there is still a month of Football to be played before the Committee have to make their final selections.
Florida State Seminoles @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons Pick: They are the last remaining unbeaten team in the ACC and the Florida State Seminoles (7-0) are pretty big favourites to win this Week 9 game on the road. Focus should not be a problem, even as a favourite, and that is because the Florida State Seminoles have lost their last three games against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-3).
Wake Forest had lost their first three Conference games, but they ended that slump with a win over the Pittsburgh Panthers as a narrow home underdog.
The win was important for the Demon Deacons as it came under a situation where the team needed to use their third string Quarter Back. Santino Marucci threw the winning Touchdown pass with just seconds remaining in the Fourth Quarter, but Mitch Griffis could return at Quarter Back for the Demon Deacons as they prepare to face a tough Florida State Defensive unit.
It feels like a difficult match up with the Wake Forest Offensive Line struggling to establish the run, but facing a Florida State Defensive Line that has allowed themselves to be gashed for some big plays on the ground in recent outings. However, the Seminoles have been effective at building leads and forcing teams to move away from the run and have to throw into this Secondary, which is making containing teams to 200 passing yards per game for the season.
Recent games have been better so it will be difficult for Santino Marucci or Mitch Griffis to have a strong day throwing the ball.
Add in the fact that the Demon Deacons Offensive Line have just struggled in pass protection as much as run blocking and the Seminoles will certainly believe they have enough on this side of the ball to snap their losing run to this Conference rival.
Defensive strength is one thing, but Florida State will be confident thanks to the strong showing of Jordan Travis and the Offensive unit around him. Jordan Travis is a threat both through the air and on the ground, while he has been careful enough with the football to avoid offering opportunities to Defenses to turn the ball over and create short fields.
Unlike the opponent, Florida State will be expected to establish the run and keep Jordan Travis is manageable passing situations. The Quarter Back will also be facing a Wake Forest Secondary that has not been able to contain the pass as they have struggled to find the kind stops on the ground, while a limited pass rush means Jordan Travis will have time in the pocket to find his Receivers down the field.
They did take a bit of time to really begin to dominate the Duke Blue Devils in Week 8, but the Seminoles should be able to get into the groove a little more quickly in this one.
The head to head with Wake Forest does make you sit up and take notice, and the Demon Deacons have a strong 16-7 record against the spread in their last twenty-three games against Ranked opponents.
However, the Seminoles are 5-1 against the spread in their last six on the road and they should be focused and motivated. They did fail to cover as a very big road favourite at the Boston College Eagles, but the feeling is that the Seminoles are strong in the trenches on both sides of the ball and that can see them produce a big victory here.
Oklahoma Sooners @ Kansas Jayhawks Pick: A win over the Texas Longhorns and a Bye Week might have just distracted the Oklahoma Sooners (7-0), but they avoided the big upset against the UCF Knights in Week 8. An unbeaten Big 12 Champion is almost certainly going to be playing in the College Football PlayOff later in the year, but the Sooners will also know they cannot afford to be as loose in their play as they were in the home win over the Knights.
This week they are facing a team coming off a Bye Week, but the Kansas Jayhawks (5-2) have lost two of their last three games to slip to 2-2 within the Conference. Both defeats were on the road and the Jayhawks will be confident in facing the Big 12 leaders having crushed the UCF Knights at home earlier this month and making it look a lot easier than Oklahoma found it.
Of course that does not mean much with the feeling being that the Oklahoma Sooners were not as focused as they should have been last week. After coming so close to the upset defeat, the expectation is that the Sooners will be filled with a lot more intensity in this one ahead of The Bedlam Series.
The spot might have felt more awkward if the Sooners had dominated in Week 8, but that game is expected to mean they are not looking too far ahead knowing the impact a single loss between now and the end of the regular season could have on their PlayOff hopes.
Tawee Walker missed out on the win over the Knights, but the Running Back is expected in the line up in Week 9 and it should give the team a boost. The Sooners Offensive Line have been solid up front, but more could be expected from them when facing this Jayhawks Defensive Line that has given up some huge plays on the ground as they have stepped up the level of competition within the Big 12.
Moving the ball on the ground just makes things very comfortable for Dillon Gabriel at Quarter Back and there are considerable holes in the Secondary which can be exploited. Dillon Gabriel has not thrown for 300 yards in either of his last two games having done so in each of the previous three, but he can have a bounce back outing against this Kansas Secondary, while we may also see the Quarter Back make a few more plays on the ground.
Quarter Back play is expected to be pretty consistent from the Oklahoma Sooners, but it may not be the case for the Kansas Jayhawks who look to be without Jalon Daniels again. He had opened the season as the starter for Kansas and had played well, but it will be up to Jason Bean to lead the team.
Kansas will be confident in what Bean brings to the table having thrown 9 Touchdown passes with 2 Interceptions, and he had over 400 passing yards against the Oklahoma State Cowboys before the Bye Week. However, Jason Bean had issues throwing against the Texas Longhorns Secondary and the Jayhawks are going to be relying on the Offensive Line to establish the run and make sure everything is not piled onto Jason Bean's shoulders.
Motion and deception is going to be huge for Kansas in this one and they may be able to establish the run against this Sooners Defensive Line that has been given a few more problems since moving into Big 12 play. This should help Jason Bean make a few more plays and give Kansas an opportunity for an upset, even if the belief is that the Sooners will prove to be too strong.
As improved as the Jayhawks are, they have been beaten by the better teams played this season and they are now 2-10-2 against the spread in their last fourteen games against Ranked opponents. They have also not been as effective out of a Bye Week as they would have expected to be in recent seasons and that has to be noted.
The Jayhawks have been competitive against the spread in recent games against the Oklahoma Sooners, but this line is perhaps a bit short and the Big 12 leaders can keep the momentum going before a big rivalry game in Week 10.
Virginia Cavaliers @ Miami Hurricanes Pick: The manner of the loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will live long in the memory of the Miami Hurricanes (5-2) and it could be a defeat that ultimately prevents them playing in the ACC Championship Game. Losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels was another blow, but at least the Hurricanes got back in track by beating the Clemson Tigers in Week 8 and they are big favourites to back that up.
They will not want to overlook the Virginia Cavaliers (2-5) who upset the aforementioned Tar Heels in Week 8 and ended that unbeaten record. They have also improved to 1-2 in the Conference, and Virginia are looking for a third win in a row.
Backing up the upset from Week 8 will be difficult for the Cavaliers and it is never easy to play back to back road games. An emotional win only increases that difficulty and this is a tough Hurricanes Defense that will believe they can at least contain the threat that Virginia will bring to the field.
There has been some improvement in the Offensive play produced by the Cavaliers, which is notable in the win over North Carolina last week, but they will still have things a little tougher in this one. Running the ball is always a strong point for teams, although being able to do that against this Hurricanes Defensive Line will be a test for the Cavaliers and they are not expected to have consistent success.
Tony Muskett has taken over at Quarter Back for the Virginia Cavaliers and is not splitting as much time as earlier this season, but that has also given him confidence having led the team to back to back wins. It is possible that Muskett will be able to make some big time time throws into the Miami Secondary, but if the Cavaliers are behind the chains, the Quarter Back is likely to be under serious pressure from the Miami pass rush and that could lead to potential mistakes.
The Hurricanes are expected to have Tyler Van Dyke back at Quarter Back even though they beat Clemson without him, and this should be a boost for the home team.
Like the Offensive side of the ball, Virginia's Defense have been playing better to go along with the stronger results. Containing Tyler Van Dyke and this Miami Offense is another test after last week against the North Carolina Tar Heels, but there was enough evidence from that game to believe Miami may have more success.
The Hurricanes Offensive Line can establish the run and from there it could be a spectacular return for Van Dyke at Quarter Back.
Covering this line will be far from easy, but the Virginia Cavaliers may not have the same energy to put into this game after the upset of the Tar Heels and it could see the Hurricanes end up pulling away for a strong win.
Florida Gators vs Georgia Bulldogs Pick: Both of these teams are returning from a Bye Week and the Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) are hoping to keep the momentum behind their bid to repeat as National Champions.
A loss to rivals Florida Gators (5-2) could really put the Bulldogs in a tough position as it would give the Gators the inside track to reach the SEC Championship Game at the expense of the Bulldogs.
Being aware of that should mean the Bulldogs are focused, even if we have yet to see them at their convincing best this season. They are winning games, but good teams win and great teams cover and Georgia have struggled when it comes to covering the mark being set for them by the oddsmakers.
They will have to be aware that they are taking on a Florida team that have won back to back SEC games and who are 3-1 in the Conference this season, which leaves them trailing the Georgia Bulldogs by a game.
Graham Mertz has impressed in the two Florida wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina and he is vastly experienced in College Football, but those two Defensive units are considerably weaker than the one Georgia will be bringing onto the field. They are strong at the line of scrimmage and the Bulldogs Defensive Line will be looking to make the Gators one-dimensional by clamping down on the run and testing how much Mertz has improved at Quarter Back.
You cannot dismiss the passing numbers of the Gators, but you can accept that Graham Mertz will be under a lot more pressure in this one. He will be throwing into a Secondary that is improving week after week, while the Florida Offensive Line may be under pressure to give their Quarter Back the time he needs to allow routes to develop down the field.
Being able to run the ball and stop the run has been an age-long successful route to win Football games and the Georgia Bulldogs will certainly believe they have the strength in the trenches on both sides of the ball. While the Defensive Line is expected to at least slow down the Gators on the ground, the Georgia Offensive Line has been able to pummel teams on the ground and there is very little to doubt they can do the same in this one too.
This could make up for the absence of Brook Bowers who should return before the end of the regular season and ease the pressure on Carson Beck to find others to step into the void left by the Tight End. He has proven to be a big time Receiver for the Bulldogs, although Beck could be playing in front of the chains with the Bulldogs expected to run the ball efficiently.
It should mean Carson Beck is able to make a few plays in this one to impress some of the friends and fans that will be arriving to watch him compete.
After the upset loss in 2020, Georgia have dominated the Florida Gators in each of the last two seasons and they can do enough to win this one and cover this mark. It is not easy to trust the Bulldogs who have struggled to cover against those from the Unranked marks and as a double digit favourite.
However, this looks a good chance for the Bulldogs to really impress the PlayOff Committee by crushing the in-form Gators with a dominant display on both sides of the ball.
MY PICKS: Florida State Seminoles - 20.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Oklahoma Sooners - 8.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Miami Hurricanes - 18.5 Points @ 1.91 Coral (1 Unit)
Georgia Bulldogs - 14 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Penn State Nittany Lions - 31 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Boston College Eagles - 14.5 Points @ 1.91 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Texas A&M Aggies - 16.5 Points @ 1.95 Coral (1 Unit)
Maryland Terrapins - 14 Points @ 1.95 Coral (1 Unit)
Nebraska Cornhuskers - 2 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
North Carolina Tar Heels - 11.5 Points @ 1.85 Coral (1 Unit)
Week 8: 3-6, - 3.44 Units (9 Units Staked, - 38.22% Yield)
Week 7: 4-7-1, - 3.47 Units (12 Units Staked, - 28.92% Yield)
Week 6: 5-6, - 1.63 Units (11 Units Staked, - 14.82% Yield)
Week 5: 6-3, + 2.64 Units (9 Units Staked, + 29.33% Yield)
Week 4: 3-5-2, - 2.33 Units (10 Units Staked, - 23.30% Yield)
Week 3: 4-7, - 3.33 Units (11 Units Staked, - 30.27% Yield)
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