Curator’s Game of the Week Kentucky @ Georgia Curator Sam Burnham Not many people are giving The Wildcats a chance this week. But then again, not many people were counting on Kentucky being ranked #8 or undefeated with wins over Florida and LSU. Yet here we are. Kentucky got to this point with offense, particularly through the air. They’ve put up some impressive numbers with their passing game. That’s exactly what they’ll have to do against an incredibly stingy Georgia defense. Being 25 point favorites in this game is likely a stretch, even for Georgia. The Dawgs arguably have the best defense in the country. But they have to move the ball. They have to control the game tempo. They have to have offensive production. Look for this one to be closer that the experts think. Coach’s Game of the Week - Auburn @ Arkansas ciach Drew Burnham Expectations are everything in college football. They’re what create pressure on some teams and what make 1 sweet win mean a successful season for others. This game is a prime example of what that looks like. Arkansas feels like a hot name right now and the country is in love with Sam Pittman. Auburn is raising a lot of eyebrows right now and there are genuinely people asking (it’s a crazy world) how long Brian Harsin will be on the plains. Both of these teams are 4-2. Auburn’s 2 losses are to top 10 Penn State on the road and the new #1 team in the country by a humble 24 points. They are unranked this week. Arkansas has dropped back to back games against Georgia where they were shutout and beat by 5 touchdowns and a shootout loss against the Lane Train that saw their defense allow 52 points. They’re securely still in the poll at #17. Why? Expectations. Arkansas has very little expectations and Auburn expects to be in the Playoff hunt every season. The Tigers lack a quality win on the resume, but have performed better against common opponents. Arkansas is much improved and they cause a lot of problems for people. Their culture and love for one another make them special and hard to beat. Auburn, despite 2 losses to 2 of the best teams in the country (shucks), is still Auburn. This one will be worth your time. Going to be fun to watch. Curator’s Upset Alert - Army @ Wisconsin Every season seems to start with talking heads hyping up the Badgers and Wisconsin always seems to fall short. They come into this game at 2-3. They looked slightly impressive in a close loss to Penn State before being blasted by Notre Dame and Michigan. Their victories? Eastern Michigan and Illinois. Army comes to town with a 4-1 record. No they don’t have any big wins yet but they’re due for one. The Blck Knights play with discipline and professionalism. That’s the way they wake up, eat breakfast, go to class, train, practice. It’s how they do everything. It’s the Army way. I remember Oklahoma eking out a victory over Army a few years ago and the equipment staff from Army tweeting a photo of the immaculately spotless lock room they left in Norman. Such commitment and attention to detail is on the road with Army this week. In case you aren’t familiar with the history of Camp Randall Stadium, that property used to be an Army post. They may be on the road but they’ll still be on base. They’ll show up big and the Badgers won’t know what to do. Look for Army to pull off the upset. Coach’s Upset Alert - Michigan State @ Indiana Michigan State is off to a hot start at 6-0. It’s hard to win in college football and anytime you can string that many together you must have something positive going on. With that being said, if you look at those 6, they have had a pretty favorable lineup. Their lone ranked win came against Miami who is 1-3 against FBS competition this year with a win against Sun Belt App State. It’s not their fault, and all they can do is beat the teams on their schedule, which they have, but those are the facts of their situation. They survived a 3 point scare from Nebraska and have yet to put on a truly start to finish dominant performance. There’s a saying in our profession, “don’t tell me about the labor just show me the baby”. They’ve gotten results and, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters. I just think that they might be viewed as having a little more lead in their pencil than they actually have. On the flipside, Indiana drags a 2-3 record into this weekend. They haven’t made much noise and many will think this one shouldn’t be competitive, but let’s have a look at those losses. Losses on the road to #2 Iowa and top 10 Penn State and a home loss to #3 Cincinatti. If the season ended today, 2 of their 3 losses would be against playoff teams. They genuinely have one of the toughest schedules in the nation. This team is much better than people give them credit for. It WILL hurt their case being without QB Michael Penix this week after separating his throwing shoulder against Penn State, but schematically that presents some issues for an opponents defense. Who’s going to take the snaps? What are his strengths and weaknesses? What will they scheme up offensively to best put him in position to be successful? Will it be a change from their normal offense? There are many questions and few answers for a defensive gameplan in this situation and that presents and interesting dynamic. Keep an eye on Bloomington, this could get interesting. Curator’s Picks (17-13) OKLAHOMA OVER TCU UGA OVER KENTUCKY OLE MISS OVER TENNESSEE ARKANSAS OVER AUBURN OKLAHOMA STATE OVER TEXAS Coach’s Picks (17-13)
OKLAHOMA OVER TCU UGA OVER KENTUCKY OLE MISS OVER TENNESSEE ARKANSAS OVER AUBURN OKLAHOMA STATE OVER TEXAS
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