Unfortunately, college football’s Week 6 will share the spotlight with a dangerous hurricane. Those of you in the path of the storm, please stay safe, because obviously, staying away from a dangerous hurricane is of paramount importance. Now that the weather service announcement is out-of-the-way (like you would ever read news announcements from this site), it’s time to get the predictions done for this week after a quick recap of Week 5.
Last week’s games brought on more nail-biting endings as Tennessee once again found a way to win in the fourth quarter. This time; however, they really took winning in the last second to heart when Josh Dobb’s “Hail Mary” pass found Jauan Jennings in the end zone, snatching victory away from the Georgia Bulldogs, a team that had just achieved its own heroic scoring drive only seconds before. Leave it to the Vols to give up a nice four point lead, where all that was needed was a couple of first downs to run some clock. Would it shock anyone to know that four points would have covered the point spread? Nah, of course not, thank you, Tennessee. ‘Preciate Ya. One more thing worth mentioning is that I’m tired of referees calling teams for excessive celebration after they score an improbable touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It’s just inexcusable to make a team kick the ball off at the 20 because they showed excitement after scoring late in the game. Players are not robots, so please call the game as if the participants have a pulse – ya know, like the rest of us?
From the jaw dropping plays by both quarterbacks, to the defenses getting a little mean and nasty, the Clemson and Louisville game was definitely one of the best this year. It’s too bad college football only allows four teams in their playoff format, because Louisville could beat any team in the country at a neutral site. Alas, this playoff format is all we have for now.
Speaking of a team making a run at a playoff spot, the Washington Huskies announced their candidacy with authority as they made things look easy against Stanford by cruising to a 44-6 win. Sure, the Huskies played at home, where opposing teams have a tough time winning, but Stanford couldn’t generate anything on offense despite having Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffrey.
The results of last week’s grudge match between the computer’s random generator and me are in, and let’s just say that the humans can still take care of business. We both dropped the first game as Stanford never had a chance. However, my predictions gained a little momentum later on in the day as I went 4-1 with one “push” – again, ‘preciate ya, Vols doing Vols things and getting that “push”. The computer needs to reboot as it posted a 1-4 record with one “push”. (Of course, after all of this smack-talk, I have to admit that I am not confident this week.)
Despite my lack of confidence, it’s game time. Here are the Week 6 predictions.
Oklahoma (-10.5) vs Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX
The Texas football program is already in the “we are losing and we don’t like it, so let’s blame the coach” phase. Needless to say, Charlie Strong needs to win this game to keep the Texas boosters from firing him before the season is over. (Sure, the Texas power brokers issued a message saying that Strong wouldn’t get fired before the season, but does anyone really believe that if Texas keeps on losing?) Texas can’t stop anyone, and Oklahoma can score. On the other hand, the Sooners aren’t that great on defense, either. The Sooners will win this game, but the point spread is a little large for a team that can’t defend.
Winner: Texas plus the points
Computer prediction: Texas
Georgia (-7.5) at South Carolina
Georgia should score at least 21 points in this game, and against a Muschamp led team, that should give Georgia the victory. Well, 21 points is enough as long Georgia can keep South Carolina’s defense from scoring via the “pick six”.
Winner: Georgia
Computer prediction: South Carolina
Tennessee at Texas A&M (-7)
At some point the last second comebacks fail, right? Tennessee has lived dangerously all season. Texas A&M’s improvement on defense has made them a legitimate contender in the SEC West. This time the heroics will fall short for the Vols.
Winner: Aggies
Computer prediction: Aggies
Auburn (-3) at Mississippi State
The “Gus Bus” has the offense moving the ball better now. It’s no secret that the real story for Auburn is their defense, though. The conventional wisdom that “defense travels” plays well here against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. This game should provide lots of “Gus Bus” uppercuts on the sideline, but instead of the offense providing the excitement, it’s the defense taking over that role.
Winner: Auburn
Computer prediction: Miss State
Alabama (-14) at Arkansas
Alabama struggles early in games, and this is especially problematic on the road where every opponent has staked most of their entire season on the outcome of this one game. Look for Arkansas to jump out to a lead. Alabama should eventually wear down Arkansas enough to get the victory, but the margin of victory will not cover the point spread.
Winner: Arkansas plus the points
Computer prediction: Arkansas
Washington State at Stanford (-7.5)
Stanford rebounds at home and wins by 10.
Winner: Stanford
Computer prediction: Washington State
That’s all folks! Enjoy the games this week.
Categories: College football
Sportschasers 
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