Curator & Coach - Week 9

Curator Sam Burnham

​Game of the Week
​Auburn @ LSU

This one was a no-brainer for me. This is one of the best rivalries in the South. And it’s not just the action on the field. There’s the 1988 “Earthquake Game,” the 1996 “Barn Burner,” the 1999 cigar controversy, it’s always something with these two.

On the field we’re gonna see a duel between LSU’s star QB Joe Burrow and Auburn’s promising freshman Bo Nix. Burrow would normally have the advantage here but Nix was learning of the LSU-Auburn tradition nine months before he was born. His dad, former Auburn QB Patrick Nix had his own chapter of this story.

​Its such a great game and im excited to see it every year. Both of these teams are tough and having good seasons. In the end, I’ll have to give the edge to the Tigers...the LSU Tigers, that is.
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Upset Alert
Wisconsin @ Ohio State

​The Badgers ride into Columbus with a chip on their shoulder. That loss to Illinois still stings a little. The best way to fix that would be to smack the Buckeyes in the mouth on their home turf. The whole world is singing the praises of Justin Fields and the Buckeyes. They’re undefeated, yet untested. They’ve skated past some substandard teams and even got past Sparty. But the Badgers are big, and physical, and mean. And, most of all, no one thinks they can pull this one off. But they can and they will.

Coach Drew Burnham
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GAME OF THE WEEK
AUBURN @ LSU

​Top 10 clash in Death Valley! Bo Nix has looked like a seasoned vet most of the season. He has not been rattled in critical situations. He hasn’t appeared shaken. No moment has been too big for him. However, he hasn’t been to Death Valley. 100,000 + Cajuns all fired up for a top 10 showdown tends to lead to a bit of a hostile environment. I don’t know that he will crumble or anything to such an extreme, but it does make it tough to operate your offense. This is, in my opinion, the best Auburn team since the Newton National Title team. On the flip side, this may be the best LSU team EVER. These guys are for real. The defense is tough. The offense is EXPLOSIVE. I think the Bayou Bengals are just too much right now and I think they’ll take this one in a highly competitive game.
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UPSET ALERT
WASHINGTON ST. @ OREGON

Oregon is on a roll this season following a great showing in an opening week loss to Auburn. They’re explosive and they’re even playing a little defense in Eugene. Justin Herbert is living a childhood dream putting up mega numbers while leading his hometown Ducks to 6 consecutive W’s. The Ducks are not a fluke. They are absolutely, 100% real…BUT, they might have just found someone capable of shooting it out with them. The Pirate has gotten his Cougars playing up to his lofty offensive standard. There’s a new Wide Receiver U and I believe they will drag this thing into the 4th quarter of a shootout in the truest sense of the word. I don’t expect much from the defenses here. Whoever has the ball last wins. Go Cougs!

Curator’s Picks
​WISCONSIN over OHIO ST
IOWA over NORTHWESTERN
TEXAS A&M Over MISSISSIPPI ST
PENN ST over MICHIGAN ST
LSU over AUBURN
IOWA ST over OKLAHOMA ST
SOUTH CAROLINA over TENNESSEE
KENTUCKY over MISSOURI
NOTRE DAME over MICHIGAN
OREGON over WASHINGTON ST

Coach’s Picks
​WISCONSIN over OHIO ST
IOWA over NORTHWESTERN
TEXAS A&M over MISSISSIPPI ST
PENN ST over MICHIGAN ST
LSU over AUBURN
OKLAHOMA ST over IOWA ST
SOUTH CAROLINA over TENNESSEE
KENTUCKY over MISSOURI
NOTRE DAME over MICHIGAN
WASHINGTON ST over OREGON