Friday, September 6, 2013

Best Games for 9/7

Early Game
No. 12 Florida Gators @ Miami Hurricanes (12:00)
This old rivalry might start to head back to it's glory days now that Miami is starting to reemerge despite an apparently never ending NCAA investigation. Florida looked very good on defense despite having players missing from suspension. They definitely need to cut down on their penalties which allowed Toledo some extra life to carry on drives but will have a much tougher opponent in Miami. Both defenses will be gearing up to stop the run. Cane's rusher Duke Johnson actually had more yards than quarterback Stephen Morris last week and he will be counted on this week. Morris and Driskel both looked shaky against inferior competition, so I suspect both coaches will limit their respective quarterback from throwing more than 20-24 times. Don't be surprised if Miami pulls off a low scoring victory over the Gators.

Mid Afternoon Game
No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks @ No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs (4:30)
Georgia is going to come out firing in this game after the loss last week and with the thought of last year's 35-7 beatdown still in their minds. I don't think they are in trouble of losing this game. South Carolina has a better defense than Clemson, but there is no denying the firepower that Georgia possesses. Murray will definitely be harassed by the likes of Clowney and Chaz Sutton, but I imagine that Richt will feed Todd Gurley the ball to force the defense to play honest. Georgia's defense won't have as tough an outing as they did last week. They have the athletes to run with South Carolina's receivers that the Tar Heels didn't and should be able to make Connor Shaw uncomfortable and mistake prone. Richt knows that a loss puts them out of the SEC East race, so I think this team brings their A game and takes this one.

Evening Game
Syracuse Orange @ No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats (6:30)
Syracuse didn't play an inspiring game last week against Penn State, but I think they will have an easier time against Northwestern. Drew Allen should be able to fare better in his second game since he probably won't be pressured as much. I expect the Orange to try and run the ball more effectively than they did last week to take the pressure off of Allen. Their offense will need to score to keep up with Northwestern who has a surprisingly potent offense. Northwestern put up 44 points at Cal last week, but they were also a bit mistake prone on offense. This game isn't a real marquee matchup, but at this point of the season you're not going to get those at all time slots. Still, I imagine that this game could be pretty entertaining since there will probably be multiple turnovers that lead to quick scores. I say Northwestern gets this win with the teams combining for 60-65 points. 

Night Game
No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ No. 17 Michigan Wolverine (8:00)
This game has been one of the most anticipating and exciting over the past few years. Too bad, like Brady Hoke said, that Notre Dame is bailing on this rivalry game after next season. This is going to be a very compelling game. Tommy Rees hit his stride last game and the running backs accumulated almost 200 yards. They will face a much tougher test this week in Michigan who has a defense that is on its way to regaining its mid 2000s form. Michigan knows it can run the ball, but it will be up to QB Devin Gardner to take care of the ball and move the chains. He will definitely be tested against the defensive line of Notre Dame and he must be confident in his throws. Michigan does have history on their side, as they haven't been beaten at home by the Irish in the last four meetings. It's a phrase that is overused, but this game will definitely come down to one crucial play and could be decided in the final few minutes. I got Michigan in a nail-biter, something like 23-21.

No comments:

Post a Comment