NCAA: College Football Bold Predictions For Week 5

Last week, we correctly called Tulsa’s upset of Oklahoma State in this column. What I did not know was that it would lead to the firing of Oklahoma State legend Mike Gundy. The “I’m a man, I’m 40” speech will forever be one of the most memorable press conferences in the history of a sport that has had quite a lot of them. I’m thinking it’s right up there with former Coastal Carolina coach David Bennett’s “be a dog” speech, Dabo Swinney eviscerating Tyler from Spartanburg, and Nick Saban’s “I am not taking the Alabama job.” Man, I love this sport. Let’s see if we can hit another this week with our bold predictions!

1. Ty Simpson struggles and Georgia beats Alabama by 21 in the revenge “blackout game”

College football historians may remember the Georgia/Alabama matchup in 2008, when Georgia held their first-ever “blackout” and touted a team with Matthew Stafford and AJ Green. In Nick Saban’s second season, Alabama showed what would be a sign of things to come as they beat Georgia 41-30 in a game that wasn’t that close. I think the Dawgs get their revenge, as Ty Simpson looks the way he did against Florida State and Georgia rolls over the Tide.

2. Jeremiyah Love inserts his name into the Heisman conversation after rushing for 150 yards and 3 TDs against Arkansas

The Notre Dame rushing offense looks unstoppable right now after combining for 5 TDs against Purdue. One could argue that both Jeremiyah Love and backfield-mate Jadarian Price are both top-10 backs in the sport. Arkansas just allowed 290 rushing yards to Memphis last week. This is a recipe for Love to have a massive game.

3. Ohio State beats Washington by 4 points or less

Since their game against Texas in Week 1, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been on cruise control. They now have to travel across the country to play a very game Washington team led by dual-threat QB Demond Williams. It is my belief that the Huskies will give Ohio State a dogfight (pun intended) and that Ohio State narrowly escapes with a win.

4. Austin Simmons comes in relief of Trinidad Chambliss and leads Ole Miss to a win over LSU

Trinidad Chambliss has been spectacular through two starts so far for Ole Miss, and is tabbed to make his 3rd against LSU. There are some holes in his game, though, which the improved LSU defense should be able to exploit. It is my belief that Lane Kiffin will turn back to Austin Simmons, who will be able to shock the Tigers and lead Ole Miss to a come-from-behind victory.

5. Oregon and Penn State combine for less than 40 points in an ugly primetime matchup

The highly anticipated matchup between Oregon and Penn State is this week, and I don’t think either team has really prepared all that well. Neither team has played a game with a margin of victory of less than 20 points to this point in the season. I think this game will have a long “feeling out” period of conservative offensive play, and scoring will never take off. Both defenses are sound, and both QBs, Drew Allar and Dante Moore, have a reputation for not dealing well with big-time matchups, as neither has beaten a top-10 opponent in their career.