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#16 Florida State (7-1) at #1 Clemson (8-0) (3:30 PM ET, on ABC, in Clemson, South Carolina) UPSET
My pick: #16 Florida State defeats #1 Clemson 30-24
What to watch for: Florida State's running game. Florida State will face one of the best defenses, if not the best defense in the ACC this season when they face Clemson this upcoming Saturday. I think that the Noles' ability to run the ball will be very important in this game, especially with their questions at the QB position. With that being said, I think that even though Florida State's starting RB Dalvin Cook is somewhat limited with an ankle injury, I still think the Noles will be able to produce enough of a running game to pull off the surprise upset victory on the road over #3 Clemson.
My thought/reasons: I've picked against Clemson multiple times this season, and it's tough to keep on doing so, since they've played so well. But, I think that Florida State is gonna come out in this game motivated, with a back against the wall mentality, and with that mentality, I see them playing more comfortably than Clemson, since the Tigers are the home team, and they're the #1 team in the nation which they're not used to being. In terms of the game, I think Florida State will come out and take the early lead, but I think it'll get close late in the game, but I see the Noles holding on in the end.
Photo credit: Glenn Beil - USA Today Sports
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#8 TCU (8-0) at #14 Oklahoma State (8-0) (3:30 PM ET, on FOX, Stillwater, Oklahoma) UPSET
My pick: #12 Oklahoma State defeats #8 TCU 55-51
What to watch for: Oklahoma State's passing attack. Oklahoma State is coming off of a game where they passed for more than 450 yards, so from that game only, you can tell the Cowboys know how to air it out. In this game vs #8 TCU, the Cowboys will have to continue that if they want to get this big win, because I see this game being a shootout, and if Oklahoma State can't get big yardage through the air, they could be in big trouble. But, since TCU's defense has struggled, and they've had some unfortunate injuries, I see Oklahoma State passing the ball well enough to pull off the big win in Stillwater.
My thoughts/reasons: This game is one of the toughest games to pick of the weekend. Both teams are very alike, both are very talented, and both are very good offensive teams, so it's kind of a toss up. But, since Oklahoma State is at home, and they seem like the healthier team in terms of injuries, I think they'll end up pulling out a big win out at home over a top 10 opponent in #8 TCU.
Photo credit: Zackary Brame - Icon Sportswire
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#2 LSU (7-0) at #4 Alabama (7-1) (8:00 PM ET, on CBS, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) UPSET
My pick: #4 Alabama defeats #2 LSU 23-10
What to watch for: Rushing attacks. The main thing to look out for in this game are both teams' ability to run the football, largely because of the talent both teams have in the backfield. LSU has Leonard Fournette at their starting RB position, while Alabama has Derrick Henry. You could argue that LSU has the better running game, but I think in this game, Bama will be able to outplay the Tigers in that aspect of the game. I think Alabama's defense has a better chance of slowing down LSU's running game, than LSU's defense does of slowing down Alabama's. Bama allows only 78.5 yards on the ground per game, that's third in the nation. LSU is right behind them in that category at forth, while they allow 93.7 yards on the ground per game. But, I think that Bama will be able to have a little more success on the ground due to that reason, and I think that will help Alabama a lot in a game that I see them winning over a very talented SEC West foe.
My thoughts/reasons: This game maybe the highest ranked game between two teams this whole season, so there are a lot of playoff implications in this game, and I'm sure both teams understand that. I think that in terms of the game, both teams will come out well prepared, but I think that Bama will make the plays that have to be made to win this game, and I think in the end, Bama will pull off the big win over #2 LSU.
Photo credit: Vasha Hunt - AL.com
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My Sneaky Good Game Of The Week
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#5 Notre Dame (7-1) at Pittsburgh (6-2) (12:00 PM ET, on ABC, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) UPSET
My pick: Pittsburgh defeats #5 Notre Dame 27-21
What to watch for: Pittsburgh's defense. Pittsburgh's defense has been decent so far this season, and vs #5 Notre Dame, defense will be very important. Notre Dame has talent on the offensive side of the ball, and it'll be a challenge for the Panthers to slow them down. But, I think that Pitt will be able to generate enough turnovers, and plays to slow down Notre Dame's offense to get a huge victory over a top-5 opponent in Notre Dame.
My thoughts/reasons: Notre Dame is a very talented team, and they are one of the nations best teams. But, I see this game being a trap game for the Fighting Irish, they're just coming off of a close game vs a very physical Temple team on the road. While Pitt had nine days off for this game since they played their last game on a Thursday, so I think those things stack up for Pitt in this game, and I think the Panthers will take advantage of it. I think the game will be pretty close the whole way through, but I think that Pitt will make the big plays that are needed to be made to pull out the upset victory over Notre Dame.
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire - USA Today Sports
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The games I picked this week are just some of many great matchups that this week holds. Enjoy!
Here are some other games to watch out for this week:
#6 Baylor (7-0) at Kansas State (3-4) (THURSDAY NIGHT)
#9 Iowa (8-0) at Indiana (4-4)
Arkansas (4-4) at #18 Ole Miss (7-2)
#7 Michigan State (8-0) at Nebraska (3-6)
Minnesota (4-4) at #3 Ohio State (8-0)
You can follow me on twitter: @Footballfile
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