(4 Picks.)
FOLLOW THE UNIT INSTRUCTIONS.
12:00PM EST: FSU/CLEM Under 55.5 (4 Units)
These are two of the best defenses in the ACC and this could very well be what determines the ACC regular season champion. Clemson's beaten FSU 7 straight times dating back to 2015. Last season Clemson went into FSU's house and won 34-28.
The defenses match-up well. It's no secret that the FSU offense runs through QB Jordan Travis's Arm but Clemson has one of the best secondary's in the Country. Can all but thank last year's injuries that provided a ton of needed experience. They're healthy and got a 2 starters back for this season but now they're incredibly deep at the position. There's legitimately 7 Clemson defensive backs that can start and they're going to need them against the FSU passing offense. Clemson's allowing 192.5 passing yards per game. They're also playing at Home and it's going to be a packed Clemson house. FSU's offense just struggled going into Boston College... Clemson a different animal.
On the flip side the Tigers are still easing Cade Klubnik into the starting role. They returned 4 starters on their offensive line from a year ago and their ground game is their strength. Boston College just ran for 152 on FSU last week. Klubnik struggled to make the big time throws in their season opener against Duke and he won't get much time to do so as FSU boasts one of the best pass rushes in football. Look for Clemson to lean on their ground game and shorten this game.
3:30PM EST: Oregon -21 (3 Units)
What Deion's done at Colorado is nothing short of remarkable but this run is coming to an end. They're not fooling anyone anymore, there's 3 games worth of tape and their strengths and weaknesses have been exposed.
Oregon's offense has been on cruise control and that won't change here. This Colorado defense hasn't been able to stop anyone outside of an awful Nebraska team this season. The loss of two-way CB Travis Hunter is going to sting in this one. He's one of the best Cornerbacks in College Football and one of the only strength's of this Buffs defense. He was hurt early against Colorado State and their defense proceeded to allow 397 yards passing. Oregon wipes the floor with Colorado State too. They just don't have the speed on defense and that will be on full display here.
Then there's Dan Lanning preparing the Ducks defense. He's one of the best defensive minds in the College Ranks. The former Georgia Defensive Coordinator for what one could argue was the best college defense of all time. When he arrived in Oregon he brought a plethora of defensive talent in with him and he's in year two at the helm. Colorado hasn't faced a team close to this caliber on the defensive side of the ball.
Colorado's also playing on the road and it's really their first true road game. They went out and shocked the world in TCU to open the season but the Horned Frogs just aren't very good and they didn't know what to prepare for. Oregon's one of the toughest places to visit and with all the noise around Boulder there's a target on Colorado's back. Not that they needed it but there's a little extra motivation.
Just too big of a talent gap and Oregon won't be outcoached. Colorado just struggled to beat Colorado State at Home and got thrown all over. Oregon has one of the best passing attacks in the Nation, averaging 346 passing yards per game.
7:00PM EST: Washington State +3 (3 Units)
Washington State is a quality football team getting points at Home. DJ Uiagalelei is the story at Oregon State because he lit up San Jose State and UC Davis. Big whoop. Last week he faced an actual defense in San Diego State and he looked every part of the Clemson DJ that got benched. He went 14/30 (47%) for 284 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. They hit some big plays but when faced with pressure he's struggled. It's been that way since he was at Clemson.
Now he goes into Washington State to face an attacking Cougars defense. Washington State beat Wisconsin at home 31-22 and turned them over 3 times, had 3 sacks, and 5 tackles for loss. They've also dismantled Colorado State and Northern Colorado this season. They have yet to allow more than 24 points this season.
Offensively the Cougars offense has taken off with Cameron Ward in year two as he's thrown for 990 yards and 9 touchdowns without throwing a single interception through 3 games. He's also a more than capable runner with 32 carries on the season. This will be the toughest defense he's faced this season but he's doing it at home. Big difference. Taking care of the football will be vital in this game and the Cougars have done a much better job of that this season.
7:30PM EST: Penn State -14 (3 Units)
This is Penn State's White Out game. The entire fan base wears White and it's an absolute madhouse in the stadium. Penn State has a very good defense and haven't allowed more than 15 points in any of their 3 games this season. This Iowa offense hasn't been too great either. They scored just 20 against Iowa State, 24 against Utah State, and 41 against Western Michigan. They were laying 28.5 points to Western Michigan, it's what they're supposed to do.
Cade McNamara is in his first season with Iowa and it's been a struggle. He's completed just 53.5% of passes for 417 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He's your stereotypical pocket passer too, not going to make very many plays with his legs. Penn State has 10 sacks through 10 games and 7 takeaways. They're going to add to those totals tonight.
Drew Allar leads a potent Nittany Lions offense. He's completed 67% of his passes for 734 yards and 4 touchdowns. He's also ran for a touchdown. Most importantly he hasn't thrown a single interception and that dates back to his limited time last year. He has 148 career pass attempts without a single interception.
If you've never seen a Penn State white out game, tune into this one. This is what this plays really all about. Iowa's going to have an extremely difficult time scoring points.
