College Football Week 9: No.4 Bama @ Williams-Brice; Hugh@Petrino?; major matchups in the SEC and Nationally; Playoffs? Predictions for the College Football Playoff, Edition 8

The continually “matriculating” No.4 Crimson Tide heads to Columbia, South Carolina for a 2:30 P.M. showdown with the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday on ABC. The Tide goes for 5 straight, what would be impressive resume victories in a row and is getting more awe-inspiring by the week. Ty Simpson had a solid outing last Saturday Night in Bryant-Denny versus Tennessee going 19-of-29 for 253 yards, with 2 TDs and no ints. On the season, Ty is 153-of-219, 70.2%, for 1,931 yards, 18 TDs against just 1 int. If those aren’t Heisman numbers, I want someone to show me who has played a more difficult schedule and excelled like this anywhere else in the country. You can’t find anybody. Ty has become a superbly electric playmaker and leader for this Crimson Tide squad. Always good to be a coach’s son, as Ty’s dad, Jason, is the head coach for the UT Martin Skyhawks in Martin, Tennessee. Love the UT Martin nickname. Good to be a Skyhawk and a Crimson Tide. Ryan Williams came out of hibernation last Saturday Night and stepped it up with five receptions for 87 yards. The great Germie Bernard is always thrilling as he finished with 5 catches for 80 yards. I like running back Daniel Hill. He put together some nice runs against Tennessee. Great size at 6’1″, 244. Excedrin loves that. Hill runs aggressively and downhill. Looks like a Sherman Tank carrying the rock. Hill, Jam Miller, once he’s 100%, he’s still getting healthy from his collarbone injury sustained before the season, but he’s playing, and Kevin Riley give the Tide an emerging excellent rushing attack. The O line, led by center Parker Brailsford (6’2″, 290), and the massive Kadyn Proctor (6’7″, 366), are paving the way both in the run and throw games. Kadyn is a weapon with the football as well. What an athlete. Kalen and Ryan Grubb have been using him effectively in running and passing plays in the redzone, and I like what I’m seeing there. Please give us more of that, Coach DeBoar and Coach Grubb. I’m also loving what I’m seeing from sophomore outside”Rush,” linebacker Yhonzae Pierre (6’3″, 248). Mr. Pierre finished Saturday Night with 6 tackles and 3 sacks against the Vols. He’s a dominating player He’s much like a Dont’a Hightower-type player going back to the S years. Cornerback Zabien Brown had the play of the night last Saturday with a 99 yard pick six off Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar right before halftime for a 14 point swing in the Tide’s favor. I’m high on the Bama defense. A lot to like about it. Like the offense very much, too. Excedrin and I were talking about the team a couple of days ago and he has concerns about right tackle Wilkin Formby (6’7″, 324). Formby has had some issues protecting the quarterback this season along with some penalties, but looked to have a pretty good game last Saturday Night. And you gotta love his size. Will keep an eye on Formby. Freshman Michael Carroll (6’6″,321) has come in, in relief of Formby at times. So we’ll see how that develops.

Hugh and his struggling Tigers go to Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville Saturday at 11:45 A.M. to take on Bobby Petrino and his Arkansas Razorbacks. Couple of coaches with a lot of personal baggage. We’ll see who survives. The weather forecast is for rain throughout the game, and that usually favors the defense, if the rain comes to fruition. No.3 Texas A&M heads to Baton Rouge, against a rowdy Tiguh Stadium crowd and a desperate team, to take on the No.20 L-S-U Tigers, which have to win if they want to stay in playoff contention. Should be a dynamite game. Weather could be a factor in Baaton Rouge as well. Lane takes his No.8 Rebels into Memorial Stadium in Norman to face the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners. Weather might be a factor there as well, as there are decent chances for rain in Norman. The now No.10 Vanderbilt Commodores play host to the No. 15 Missouri Tigers in a massive contest. The winner of this game becomes a factor in the playoff discussion, though there will be a lot of tough tests for both teams forthcoming after this game. Still, a heavyweight bout in Nashville. Here are Previews and Predictions for Week 9 of College Football along with my updated Playoff Predictions.

And, one more thing: how about the UAB Blazers and 39 year old interim coach Alex Mortensen taking down Memphis, 31-24, at Protective Stadium last Saturday afternoon! Backup quarterback Ryder Burton was 20-of-27 for 251 yards, 3 TDs against 1 int. Running back Solomon Beebe rushed for 106 yards and 1, six, and WR Iverson Hooks caught 11 passes for 172 yards and 3, 6’s. What an effort. I’m sure The Fennec was rockin’. The Blazers are now 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the American Conference, and are off this Saturday before heading to East Hartford, Connecticut next Saturday, 11/1, to take on the UConn Huskies. UConn is an independent in football and is 5-2 at present. UConn plays @ Rice tomorrow. The Blazers have a shot at making a bowl game now. Their remaining schedule after UConn is: @ Rice (3-4, 1-3 AAC), vs. North Texas (6-1, 2-1) at Protective, vs. South Florida (6-1, 3-0) at Protective, and @Tulsa (0-4, 2-5). If the Blazers can steal three on the road and manage to knock off one or two of their home games versus North Texas and South Florida, that would be terrific. Will be fun to keep up with Coach Mortensen and his progress as he just abundantly increased his stock in getting the full time head job after last Saturday’s gem.

Record

Last Saturday, Week 8: SU: 9-5, Overall, 92-30, 75%; ATS: 5-9, 57-65, 47%; O/U: 7-7, 66-56, 54%.

Worked hard this week to try and right the ship on the spread record.

All times Central. All games Saturday.

No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) @South Carolina (3-4, 1-4)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.77,559

2:30 P.M.

ABC

Tess, Jess, Katie

Crimson Tide by 11 1/2, 47 1/2

South Carolina is led by their electric quarterback, LaNorris Sellers. However, Sellers’ ability to create dynamic plays has been hampered extremely by his horrendous offensive line. He was scrambling for his life last Saturday against a relentless Oklahoma defense, and was sacked four times. It’s not good upfront on offense for Shane Beamer, and the natives are getting a little more restless, and Beamer’s starting to blow a gasket in each successive postgame interview. A lot of frustration. I like the Tide to emerge with the W in this one, but for South Carolina to keep it a little closer than anticipated at Williams-Brice. Mike Shula is the offensive coordinator at South Carolina. That may very well be part of the problem too.

Alabama 28, South Carolina 17

Auburn (3-4, 0-4) @ Arkansas (0-3, 2-5)

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, 76,000

11:45 A.M.

SEC Network

Dave, Fozzy, Morgan

Hogs by 3 1/2, 56 1/2

The over/under looks a little high to me. The rain chances are 45% at 11 A.M., 67% at 12 P.M., 86% at 1 P.M., and 86 % at 2 P.M. The forecast has stayed pretty steady the last couple of days on Weather.com, so I’m going to trust the weather people this time and look for a lower scoring game. You never know with the weather, but I’ll take a lower scoring game with the home team prevailing.

Arkansas 20, Auburn 16

No.3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0) @ No.20 LSU (5-2, 2-2)

Tiger Stadium, Baaton Rouge, 102, 321

6:30 P.M.

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

A&M by 2 1/2, 48 1/2

I’m going to take the upset as LSU keeps its playoff hopes alive, while A&M is still very much alive in the playoff picture, but falls victim to a Saturday Night in Baton Rouge.

LSU 23, Texas A&M 21

No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1) @ No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1)

Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK., 83,489

11 A.M.

ABC

Sean, Gregory, Molly

OU by 5 1/2, 52 1/2

I like the home field and the OU defense here. The Texas game was a one off for the Sooners as they played with a banged up John Mateer, who courageously tried to give it a go in the Red River Rivalry, but wasn’t himself. This Sooners team is outstanding. They demolished South Carolina on the road last Saturday, 26-7. I like Lane and his team a lot, still, and I see this as a very close game with Lane and the Rebels still alive in the playoff hunt even if it doesn’t work out in Norman.

Oklahoma 28, Ole Miss 27

No.15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1) @ No.10 (!) Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1)

FirstBank Stadium, Nashville

2:30 P.M.

ESPN

Bob, Louis, Kris

Dores by 2 1/2, 52 1/2

Give me the cerebral, yet terrific motivator, Clark Lea, and Diego Pavia, who, hopefully, learned a lesson in humility from the Alabama game, to get over the top in a hard fought contest over the fiery, emotional Eli Drinkwitz and his excellent Mizzou Tigers.

Vanderbilt 31, Missouri 28

No.22 Texas (5-2, 2-1) @ Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3)

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkvegas, 61,337

3:15 P.M.

SEC Network

Taylor, Matt, Alyssa

Longhorns by 7 1/2, 44 1/2

This is what I said about Arch Manning last Thursday, 10/16:

“I admit, I’ve been hard on Arch all season, but last Saturday he played one heckuva game in Texas’ 23-6 Red River Rivalry victory over Oklahoma. He played like the No.1 player in the country, which he was in 2023 coming out of Isidore Newman School in N’Awlins. Arch was sensational against the Sooners.”

College Football is so unpredictable now, and Arch Manning’s performances are erratic and mostly, except for the Oklahoma game, substandard. He played an outstanding game against OU in the Red River Rivalry two weeks ago, but then he reverted back to the not too swift Arch last Saturday Night in Texas’ 16-13 road victory over Kentucky. He is so inconsistent, as is the entire team, except for the defense, which is pretty stout. I just don’t think the Longhorns have enough to make it to the playoff this year. As always, college football is so fluid these days that that could very well change Saturday afternoon in Starkville; though I’m not counting on it.

Texas 24, Mississippi State 21

No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2) @ Kentucky (2-4, 0-4)

Kroger Field, Lexington, KY.

6:45 P.M.

SEC Network

Tom, Jordan, Cole

Vols by 8 1/2, 54 1/2

The Wildcats played hard against Texas last Saturday Night, and the Vols got it handed to’em by the Crimson Tide. I like Kentucky to make this interesting.

Tennessee 31, Kentucky 27

****Off: No.5 Georgia and Florida.****The two teams play next Saturday, 11/1, at the Cocktail Function in Jax. Billy Napier won’t be there as he was teminated last Sunday, so Florida will go with interim coach Billy Gonzales, the wide receivers coach, who will still coach the receivers. Tough situation for Florida. Will we clandestinely see the Gators’ jet in Oxford at some point?

National Games

No.2 Indiana 42, UCLA 14

Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN., 52,626

11 A.M.

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Hoosiers by 26 1/2, 53 1/2

Curt Cignetti, with his new eight-year contract paying him $11.3 million till 2033, leads his team to a fairly easy victory over the Bruins, though UCLA is 3-1 in the Big Ten and greatly revived under Interim Coach Tim Skipper and interim offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel. The Bruins may find scoring points hard to come by on Saturday in Bloomington, however. The Hoosiers stay squarely in the Big Ten Championship lead along with Ohio State, and are alive and strong in the Playoff hunt.

No. 11 BYU 31, Iowa State 30

Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa, 61, 500

2:30 P.M.

FOX

Cyclones by 2 1/2, 49 1/2

I like Kalani Sitake and his Cougars to keep surviving and advancing. Very resilient team as you’d expect from BYU. They’ve got contests @ No. 14 Texas Tech (11/8), versus TCU (11/15) and @ No.21 Cincy on November 22nd, so a lot of work left. They’ve got to be locked in on Saturday. Tough to emerge victorious on the road in Ames.

No.7 Georgia Tech 34, Syracuse 17

Bobby Dodd Stadium, Hotlanta, 51,913

11 A.M.

ESPN

Dave, Dusty, Taylor

Tech by 16 1/2, 53 1/2

I like this impressive Ramblin’ Wreck squad to be heckuva’ engineers on Saturday.

No. 18 South Florida 35, Memphis 28

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, 58,325

11 A.M.

ESPN2

Matt Schumacher, Sam Acho, Taylor Davis

South Florida by 5 1/2, 60 /12

I believed in Memphis until they fell to UAB last Saturday as a three touchdown favorite, though a lot of that had to do with UAB and Memphis starting quarterback Brendon Lewis getting injured in the second half and not returning. Lewis is questionable for this game. I like the great Alex Gulesh and his spirited Bulls squad to come out on top in impressive fashion.

No.6 Oregon 35, Wisconsin 10

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR.

6 P.M.

Fox Sports 1

Ducks by 31 1/2, 44 1/2

I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm for the Ducks after their loss to Indiana at home. I guess they’re still pretty good.

No. 16 Virginia 34, UNC 23

Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill

11 A.M.

ACC Network

Wes Durham, Steve Addazio, Dana Boyle

UVA by 10 1/2, 51 1/2

I’m cautiously bullish on the Boys from C’ville. I’m beginning to believe in’em. Boring Bill can’t get it done, again.

No. 24 Arizona State 24, Houston 21

Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ.

7 P.M.

ESPN2

Lowell Galindo, Aaron Murray, Lauren Sisler

Zona State by 7 1/2, 45 1/2

“Dilly Willy,” after walking off from a FOX reporter last Saturday after his team’s victory over then No.7 Texas Tech, does something wacky again this Saturday as his team survives a scrappy Houston team. You gotta talk to the reporters, Dilly!

Playoff

My top 12 teams are, in this order: 1. Ohio State. Off this week. Haven’t played really anybody unless you think Texas is good, which is debatable. Probably won’t play anybody good until Michigan, maybe. Im not convinced Michigan is all that much either. But it’ll be at Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 29th at 11 A.M. CT on FOX. Michigan Has defeated Ohio State four times in a row, so Ryan Day Does have a Michigan problem. And, quite possibly, they’ll face No.2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Gotta be tested before you get to the playoff, in my opinion. Indiana will test them for sure, and, most likely, Michigan. 2. Alabama, 3. Georgia, 4. Indiana, 5. Oklahoma, 6. Texas A&M, 7. Ole Miss, 8. Oregon, 9. LSU, 10. Georgia Tech, 11. Arizona State, 12. South Florida.

Semifinals

Thursday, 1/8/26

No.5 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Ohio State

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. 63, 400

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

Like OU’s defense as much as Ohio State’s, and John Mateer makes one more play than Julian “Just” Sayin and Ohio State.

Oklahoma 23, Ohio State 21

Friday, 1/9/26

No.2 Alabama vs. No.3 Georgia

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA., 71,000

6:30 P..M.

ESPN

I’ll take the Crimson Tide in a backyard brawl as both teams “hunker down,” and trade body blows till the clock strikes zero.

Alabama 24, Georgia 23

National Championship Game, Monday, 1/19/26

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL., 65,326

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

Liking Kalen and the Tide to emerge over another relentless foe. The Tide’s relentless, too.

No.2 Alabama 21, No.5 Oklahoma 18

National Champion: Alabama

College Football Week 8, The Third Saturday in October, Hugh/Auburn in Desperation Mode, GA/Ole Miss, clap- gate, other major matchups in the SEC and Nationally; Playoff Predictions, Edition 7

The No.6 Alabama Crimson Tide, fresh off three clutch victories over Georgia, Vandy and Missouri, respectively, with Georgia and Mizzou on the road, now hosts the No. 11 Tennessee Vols in a 6:30 P.M. matchup Saturday on ABC. The Crimson Tide has its sights set on keeping its surging momentum cookin’ going into the Third Saturday of October game. Always a key game, and with the SEC as strong and as competitive as ever, there are no weeks off from here on in. The Vols defeated the-then No.7 Tide last season, 24-17, in Knoxville, so the Tide is looking to pay back the favor. More in a second. Hugh and his Auburn Tigers have gotten some highway robbery going against them this year with the refs, and are now 3-3 overall, and, more depressingly, 0-3 in the SEC. This is a must win for a desperate coach and a desperate team against No.16 Missouri Saturday Night at Jordan-Hare at 6:45 on the SEC Network. Auburn is coming off a tough 20-10 loss to Georgia last Saturday Night, and has to put the controversial and heartbreaking loss behind them and try to knock off another top 25 team. Auburn has now played three top 10 teams in a row in Oklahoma (at the time) and Texas A&M on the road, and played Georgia at home last Saturday Night. Just no rest for the weary as the Tigers will have to find a way to capture a victory. Hugh is running out of “mulligans” at this point. Kind of a pun on his golf shenanigans this past summer at Lake Martin. If this game goes south, that may be it for Coach Freeze at Auburn, though the buyout is pretty intense at $15.4 million. How many more coaches can Auburn pay off? James Franklin just pocketed $49 million from Penn State for getting fired, so it usually works out well for those guys. Still, they don’t want to get fired. They usually love their jobs and want to be highly successful and are embarrassed if they aren’t. No. 5 Ole Miss visits Sanford Stadium and the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at 2:30 P.M. on ABC. Blockbuster there. There are other key matchups in the conference and nationally as the season gets more serious now. Previews and Predictions below along with my updated Playoff Predictions.

Record

Last Saturday: SU: 10-4, Overall, 83-25, 77%; ATS: 6-8, 52-56, 48%; O/U: 8-6, 59-49, 55%.

All times Central. All games Saturday unless otherwise noted.

No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) @No. 6 Bama (5-1, 3-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium, T-town, 100, 077

6:30 P.M.

ABC

Sean, Gregory, Molly

Crimson Tide by 7 1/2, 59 1/2

I don’t like the way the Crimson Tide has been playing; I Love how they’ve been playing. Kalen said earlier this week that it isn’t perfect, which is true for any team But it’s pretty darn good. Kalen loves the resiliency of his team the most. Agree with that 100 percent. It is a highly resilient group that has rebounded terrifically from the opening season debacle at Tallahassee. Love the way Ty leads and competes and love his talent to go along with those first two stellar qualities. Love the receivers, too. Tailback Jam Miller is questionable Saturday as he is in concussion protocol from a hit on a key pass reception @ Missouri, so it could be Kevin Riley, who’s been impressive so far, and Daniel Hill, most likely, if Miller can’t give it a go. And the defense has been outstanding, led by terrific safety Bray Hubbard, who picked off a pair of Mizzou QB Beau Pribula passes last Saturday. Kane Wommack has his unit clicking. Very physical, good tacklers and opportunistic. The Tide defense has become prolific at getting turnovers, which can win a lot of football games. The Vols are pretty good though. Quarterback Joey Aguilar, a UCLA transfer, as Tennessee and UCLA swapped QBs with Nico Iamaleava, who has been excelling lately for the Bruins in their two victories over Penn State and Michigan State, respectively, went out west. Aguilar has completed 118 of 182 passes, 65%, for 1,680 yards, 14 TDs against 5 ints. He’s capable of throwing interceptions, so that’s something the Tide will be homed in on. I like the Crimson Tide to keep its tremendous momentum going.

Alabama 34, Tennessee 23

No.16 Missouri (5-1, 1-1) @ Auburn (3-3, 0-3)

Jordan-Hare Stadium, 87,451

6:45 P.M.

SEC Network

Tom, Jordan, Cole

Missouri Tigers by 1 1/2, 43 1/2

There was end zone-gate and timeout/clap gate last Saturday Night in a wild one at Jordan-Hare vs. Georgia. Auburn seems snakebitten with the refs. Jackson Arnold looked like he was over the end zone line and had secured a touchdown to put the Tigers up 17-0 before halftime with all the momentum on Auburn’s side. But lead referee Ken Williamson’s crew and his replay official saw it differently. It was called a fumble on the field, and the replay official could not find 100% “beyond a reasonable doubt” evidence that it was not a fumble, so the fumble call was upheld. I’ve looked at it 10 to 12 times this week and Arnold does move the ball from his right arm to his left arm right when he crosses the goal line. He looked in, but it has to be 100 percent conclusive, as the call on the field was a fumble. I liked it as a touchdown, but it was a lot closer than some people have suggested. Kirby’s timeout/then clapping, which he said Auburn was doing, which was 100 percent accurate as the Auburn safety was clapping on the play, was a bit comical. It was like Curly, Larry and Moe, with Curly, wildly calling for a timeout, and Moe grabbing Curly’s ear and signaling for clapping. “Yeab, Yeab, Yeab!” Just a wild last two minutes of the first half. Auburn has to put it behind them and be focused on a pretty strong Mizzou team. I like the Auburn Tigers to pull off the slight upset.

Auburn 23, Missouri 21

No. 5 Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0) @ No. 9 Georgia (5-1, 3-1)

Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA., 92,746

2:30 P.M.

ABC

Chris, Herbie, Holly

Georgia by 7 1/2, 54 1/2

Kirby vs Lane is quite a matchup. Both excellent football coaches, one specializes in defense (Smart), while the other excels at offense (Kif). I like Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss to give Georgia everything they want, but for the Dawgs to survive another SEC slugfest.

Georgia 31, Ole Miss 28

No.4 Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0) @ Arkansas (2-4, 0-2)

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR., 76,000

2:30 P.M.

ESPN

Mark, Roddy, Quint

Aggies by 7 1/2, 60 1/2

I like Mike Elko and his Aggies squad to advance, but I also like Bobby Petrino and his revived Razorbacks team under him, after a close 34-31 loss at Tennessee, to give A&M all it wants.

A&M 34, Arkansas 31

No. 10 LSU (5-1, 2-1) @ No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1)

FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, 40, 350

11 A.M.

ABC

Tess, Jess, Katie

Dores by 2 1/2, 48 1/2

Give me the Vanderbilt Commodores in an extremely hard fought contest.

Vanderbilt 17, LSU 16

No.21 Texas (4-2, 1-1) @ Kentucky (2-3, 0-3)

Kroger Field, Lexington, KY. , 61,000

6 P.M.

ESPN

Dave, Brock, Stormy

Longhorns by 12 1/2, 44 1/2

I admit, I’ve been hard on Arch Manning all season, but last Saturday he played one heckuva game in Texas’ 23-6 Red River Rivalry victory over Oklahoma. He played like the No.1 player in the country, which he was in 2023 coming out of Isidore Newman School in N’Awlins. Arch was sensational against the Sooners. What stood out to me just as much as Arch’s play was running back Tre Wisner and the Texas defense. Wisner rushed for 94 tough yards on 22 carries. He was phenomenal. The Texas defense was even better. Wow, they locked it down on John Mateer and the OU offense. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski had his defense playing at a tremendously high level. There was also a 75-yard punt return for a 6 by wide receiver/RB Ryan Niblett, which should have been called back for a block in the back, that was a critical play in the game, That play opened the game up for Texas. I like Arch, Tre, and that force of nature that is the Texas defense, to keep their shot at making the playoff very much alive.

Texas 35, Kentucky 10

***Indiana has signed Curt Cignetti to an eight year, $93 million extension that runs through 2033, which will pay him over $11.6 million annually. Great move by the Hoosiers’ brass and love that Cignetti is staying. *****

No. 14 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1) @South Carolina (3-3, 1-3)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C., 77,559

11:45 A.M.

SEC Network

Taylor, Matt, Alyssa

OU by 5 1/2, 43 1/2

I’m going to take the upset here.

South Carolina 21, Oklahoma 20

Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2) @ Florida (2-4, 1-2)

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL., 88,548

3:15 P.M.

SEC Network

Dave, Fozzy, Morgan

Gators by 9 1/2, 51 1/2

I like Billy Napier to survive another week in this 2025 SEC gauntlet as there is extremely intense pressure on him. I like the guy. I think he’s a good football coach. I’m pulling for him to have a strong finish. Jeff Lebby and State are still working to get to a more competitive level.

Florida 30, Mississippi State 17

National Slate

No. 13 Notre Dame 35, No.20 USC 31

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, 80, 795

6:30 P.M.

NBC/Peacock- Chicago Fire and Chicago PD on Peacock are phenomenal shows.

Noah, Todd, Kathryn

Fighting Irish by 9 1/2, 60 1/2

Marcus Freeman and his Irish survive a stellar effort by Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.

No. 15 BYU 24, Utah 23

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT, 62,073

7 P.M.

FOX

Utah by 3 1/2, 49 1/2

I’ll take Coach Kalani Sitake and his Cougars to pull off the slight upset over Kyle Whittingham and his Utes at BYU and remain perfect at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12.

No.1 Ohio State 42, Wisconsin 3

Camp Randall Stadium, 80, 321

2:30 P.M.

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jenny

Buckeyes by 25 1/2, 41 1/2

The winning machine that is Ohio State keeps it rolling. Like Texas and LSU, the Buckeyes’ defense is totally lock down. Maybe the best in the country. Those other two are excellent also, along with Alabama and Auburn. Georgia is getting back to being prolific too.

Friday

No.2 Miami 35, Louisville 14

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, 65,326

6 P.M.

ESPN

Dave, Dusty, Taylor

Canes by 13 1/2, 49 1/2

I like Mario Cristobal and his winning machine to keep it rolling as well. Miami is another stout D.

Back to Saturday

No. 7 Texas Tech 28, Arizona State 24

Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, AZ.

3 P.M.

FOX

Connor Onion? Mark Helfrich

Texas Tech by 7 1/2, 51 1/2

I like Coach Joey McGuire and his outstanding Red Raiders squad to survive a scare in the desert.

No. 22 Memphis 52, UAB 28

Protective Stadium, B’ham, 47,100

3 P.M.

ESPN2

Matt Schumacher, Dustin Fox, Tori Perry

Memphis by 21 1/2, 62 1/2

Memphis has $10 million allocated for NIL funds and UAB has $1.2 M. South Florida also has a $10 million coffer. Makes it tough to compete with those teams in the American. Trent Dilfer was a catastrophic hire by AD Mark Ingram. Maybe interim head coach Alex Mortenson can turn it around and get the Blazers three or four more victories before the season concludes. There are some candidates for the head job who are appealing, according to my source. SMU Offensive Coordinator Casey Woods and Navy OC Drew Cronic are a couple who stand out. Both young and outstanding.

My top 12 teams are, in this order, 1. Indiana, 2. Ohio State, 3. Miami, 4. Alabama 5. Texas Tech, 6. Georgia, 7. Texas, 8. A&M, 9. Ole Miss, 10. Georgia Tech, 11. BYU, 12. Memphis.

The Hoosiers’ 30-20 victory at Autzen Stadium over then No.3 Oregon last Saturday afternoon has turned out to be much more impressive than Oregon’s victory over Penn State, which at the time looked stellar, but looks a little more hollow now after Penn State’s implosion under James Franklin, who was relieved of his duties last Sunday to the tune of a $49 million buyout. Incredible. However, Penn State can’t get Cignetti it doesn’t appear. You never say never, but he’s now doing extremely well in Bloomington where they’ll probably build a statue of him with continued success. Love the loyalty on both sides. Hope it sticks. Best victory of the season by the Hoosiers last Saturday @ Oregon.

Semifinals

Thursday, 1/8/26

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. 63, 400

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

No.1 Indiana 24, No. 10 Georgia 21

Friday, 1/9/26

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA., 71,000

6:30 P..M.

ESPN

No.4 Alabama 17, No.2 Ohio State 16

National Championship Game, Monday, 1/19/26

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL., 65, 326

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

No.4 Alabama 23, No.1 Indiana 20

Liking Kalen and the Tide to emerge as the national champ at this point, but it’s an Ali-Fraziuh fight every week. So, as I’ve said, this playoff predictions part of my column is highly fluid.

National Champion: Alabama

No.8 Alabama @ No. 14 Missouri, No. 10 Georgia @ Auburn, Texas vs No. 6 Oklahoma and Playoff Predictions/Edition 5 headline College Football Week 7

After two highly impressive victories, one on the road versus Georgia, and another at home over a probably overly-hyped Vanderbilt team-I admit I drank the PGA-the No. 8 Crimson Tide takes on another challenge in its own SEC gauntlet with a trip to COMO to take on the No.14 Missouri Tigers with an 11 A.M. kick on ABC. Can the Tide keep its awesome momentum going? They sure look pretty strong to me on both sides of the ball, and, particularly, at the quarterback position. More on this matchup in a second. The Auburn Tigers try to get up off the mat and upset No.10 Georgia in the 130th meeting of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” Georgia leads the series at 65-56-8 and has won the last 8 editions, starting in 2017 in Kirby Smart’s second year. It’ll be at Jordan-Hare on Saturday Night at 6:30, so expect major electricity in a stadium where magic or tragic happens, depending on which side of the ledger you’re on. And, at the Cotton Bowl, the 121st edition of the Red River Rivalry will commence at 2:30 P.M. CT on ABC. Texas holds the head to head advantage, 64-51-5. The key question for an Oklahoma team with high national aspirations is: will quarterback John Mateer get the start? He suffered a broken bone in his throwing hand against Auburn on Saturday, September 20th, and had surgery on that hand the following Wednesday, 9/24. The timeline for his return was three weeks, and it’ll just be two weeks and change on Saturday, but he wants to play, and is now listed as questionable for the game. ***Update*** Pete Thamel of ESPN reported 30 minutes ago that Mateer will attempt to play. A lot of times when players are questionable, they will play. OU Coach Brent Venables said that Mateer had not practiced, “good on good” this week, meaning he hadn’t practiced against the starters on defense. But, according to Thamel, Mateer will give it a go. Another question, this time for the opposing side, is, can Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning get their act together and live up to what were extremely high expectations for this football team? It looks pretty dismal right now in Austin, but a victory over their arch rival would be a shot in the arm for the Horns, who are in an uphill battle right now to get back into the SEC and national narrative. Another key game transpires in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday at 2:30 CT on CBS as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No.7 Indiana Hoosiers. Is Indiana for real? That’s the question that will be answered Saturday. Looks like Oregon is. There are other key games in the SEC and nationally as teams battle to position themselves into the playoff hunt. Off this week in the SEC are Vanderbilt, Diego Pavia needs it to tamp down his arrogance, sure cost him last Saturday in Bryant-Denny, Mississippi State and Kentucky. Nationally, No.2 Miami, one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the country right now, though they haven’t played out of the state of Florida, is off. No.23 Memphis, the leader in the clubhouse for a Group of Five playoff berth, is off as well. They’ll travel to Protective Stadium in the Magic City next Saturday for a 3 P.M. kickoff versus the UAB Blazers. The game will be broadcast by ESPN2. The owner of the Fennec will be locked in to this one. Man, do the Blazers need a program changing victory. Saturday is Joseph “Bama Golf’s” Birthday. Early happy birthday, Big Man. As Brombey says, “may all your six footers find the bottom of the cup this weekend.” Here are my Previews and Predictions for a riveting week 7 in college football.

Record

Last Saturday: SU: 6-4, Overall, 73-21, 78%; ATS: 4-6, 46-48, 49%; O/U: 6-4, 51-43, 54%.

All times Central. All games Saturday unless otherwise noted.

No. 8 Alabama (4-1, 2-0 SEC @ No. 14 Missouri (5-0, 1-0)

Memorial Stadium, Columbia, MO., 62,621

11 A.M.

ABC

Tess, Jess, Katie

Alabama by 2 1/2, 51 1/2

I’ve been on the short end of the stick in my last two predictions against the Crimson Tide, going against the Tide @ Georgia, and against them at home versus Vanderbilt. Ty Simpson is playing exceptional football for the Tide. He’s completed 70% of his passes, 111-of-158, for 1,478 yards, with 13 TDs against only 1 interception. I don’t like doing this the second week of October, and it’s already been talked about this week, but if he keeps this up, Ty’s right in the thick of it to win the Heisman on Saturday, December 13th, my daughter’s wedding day. I will be in New York for the wedding, she lives there, just not at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room at 6 P.M. CT on ABC. I’ll be at the Players Club in Manhattan giving my daughter away, and will be ecstatic about that. But will stay informed on the Heisman, of course. Long way to go and the Tide has a tough matchup this Saturday, but Ty is playing up to his 2022, 98, 5-star ranking he posted out of Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, a northwestern Tennessee town of a little over 10,000 people, 135 miles to the north and slightly east of Memphis.

Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy leads the country both in rushing yards with 730, and in rushing TDs with 9. Jamal Roberts is a good Robin to Hardy’s Batman, as he has rushed for 350 yards and 3, 6’s. Hardy is averaging 7.1 yards per carry while Roberts is at 7.3. Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula has found a home in Columbia as he’s completed 76% of his passes, 110-of-145, for 1,203 yards, and 9 TDs against three ints. Nose tackle Tim Keenan III and safety Keon Sabb will need to lead their defense in an attempt to neutralize a strong Tigers offensive arsenal.

But I’m not going to make another mistake again by picking against the Tide. I trust Kalen, Ryan Grubb, Ty and company to get the job done in COMO. As my wife said to me after the Georgia game, “Don’t doubt the Tide.”

Crimson Tide 28, Missouri 24

No.10 Georgia (4-1, 2-1)) @ Auburn (3-2, 0-2)

Jordan-Hare Stadium, 87,451

6:30 P.M.

ABC

Sean, Gregory, Molly

Georgia by 3 1/2, 46 1/2

Hugh and the Tigers have to break through and end this losing streak to Georgia in Jordan-Hare, right? It’s been eight long years since the Tigers last defeated the Bulldogs. I don’t see it happening this Saturday either even in the electric, magical confines of Jordan-Hare. I make enemies every week on this Blog. Last week it was Joseph, Walter, Excedrin, Spike Me Up and Derrick. Got Brownie and company mad at me this week. Sorry, MB. Life of a sportswriter.

Georgia 24, Auburn 20

No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0) vs. Texas (3-2, 0-1)

Cotton Bowl, Big D, 92,100

2:30 P.M.

ABC

Chris, Herbie, Holly

Texas by 1 1/2, 44 1/2

This line keeps going up and down depending on the ever changing playing status of John Mateer. Four and a half hours ago, when I started this, OU was favored by a point and a half. Mateer sounds like he’s a go. If he can’t get the job done, if he’s just not ready physically, I still like Michael Hawkins Jr. to do enough and for the stellar OU defense to keep the Sooners’ playoff aspirations very much alive. Should be an excellent football game.

Oklahoma 21, Texas 17

Florida (2-3, 1-1) @ No.5 Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0)

Kyle Field, College Station, TX., 102, 733

6 P.M.

ESPN

Mark, Roddy, Quint

Aggies by 7 1/2, 47 1/2

I still think Billy Napier’s Gators are good. They are playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. After A&M on the road this Saturday, they’ll play Georgia in Jacksonville, they’re also @ Ole Miss, Tennessee at home and Florida State at home, among other games. Mississippi State and Kentucky at home are the other two. They can still salvage this season with a respectable record; possibly 8 victories. I wish Napier could pull this off for his sake. I’m not totally convinced Mike Elko’s team is that prolific. They’re a solid team, but I wouldn’t call them elite. I like them to win at home, but I like the Gators to make them earn every inch of their victory.

A&M 24, Florida 21

Washington State (3-2) @ No.4 Ole Miss (5-0)

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, 64, 038

11:45 A.M.

S-E-C Network

Taylor, Matt, Alyssa

Black Bears by 31 1/2, 57 1/2

Washington State has lost to North Texas, a really good team, 59-10, and Washington, 59-24. They defeated Idaho to open up the season, 13-10, at home. They’ve also defeated San Diego State, 36-13, and Colorado State, two Saturdays ago, September 27th, 20-3. I guess they’re not that bad, but give me a break, Lane. The Rebels have to go to Georgia next Saturday for a 2:30 P.M. CT kickoff on ABC. Better tighten up your chin straps for that one, Rebs.

Ole Miss 42, Washington State 10

South Carolina (3-2, 1-2) @ No. 11 LSU (4-1, 1-1)

Tiguh Stadium, 102,321

6:45 P.M.

SEC Network

Tom, Jordan, Cole

LSU by 9 1/2, 44 1/2

I like South Carolina to give the Bengal Tigers everything they want. The over/under for Brian Kelly’s whining session in the postgame press conference is 5 minutes. I’ll take the over.

LSU 24, South Carolina 20

Arkansas (2-3, 0-1) @ No. 12 Tennessee (4-1,1-1)

Neyland Stadium, 101, 915

3:15 P.M.

SEC Network

Dave, Fozzy, Morgan

Vols by 11 1/2, 67 1/2

Petrino? Are you kidding me? Petrino! Can’t get rid of him.

Tennessee 42, Arkansas 30

National Outlook

No.7 Indiana (5-0, 2-0) @ No. 3 Oregon (5-0, 2-0)

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, 54,000

2:30 P.M.

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jenny

Ducks by 7 1/2, 55 1/2

I think the Hoosiers are a pretty darn good team that have a good shot at making the playoff. But Oregon is elite. I do expect Indiana to give them a highly competitive game, however.

Oregon 28, Indiana 20

No.1 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 BIG) @ No. 17 Illinois (5-1,2-1)

Memorial Stadium (are there a bunch of Memorial Stadiums this week or am I drinking the Vanderbilt PGA? Good stuff back in the day at the SAE house as a rushee), Champaign, IL., 60,670

11 A.M.

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Buckeyes by 14 1/2, 50 1/2

As Burnt Muthberger (Mike Tyson special) said one time, “This is going to be a Buckeye’ Butt kicking.”

Ohio State 35, Illinois 14

Other National Scores

No.9 Texas Tech 45, Kansas 23

Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock. Named after Clifford B. Jones, and his wife, Aubrey. Clifford was the third president of Texas Tech. Jear doesn’t get credit for this. How ’bout them Cowboys.

6:30 P.M.

FOX

Red Raiders by 14 1/2, 58 1/2

I like these high flying Red Raiders to get the job done once again. They have always had prolific offenses, but now the boys from west Texas have a defense to go along with their traditional offensive arsenal.

USC 34, Michigan 31

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 77,500

6:30 P.M.

NBC

Noah, Todd, Kathryn

SC by 2 1/2, 56 1/2

The Trojans get by in thrilluh.

No.21 Zona State 24, Utah 23

Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, 51,444

9:15 A.M.

ESPN

Dave, Brock, Stormy

Utah by 5 1/2, 48 1/2

Give me Kenny “Dilly Willy” Dillingham, quarterback Sam Leavitt and the Sun Devils to put themselves into the thick of the Big 12 race and back on the national landscape with this road upset to move to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12.

No.18 BYU 27, Arizona 24

Arizona Stadium (creative), Tucson, 50,800

7 P.M.

ESPN2

Mike Couzens, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

BYU by 2 1/2, 47 1/2

I love what Coach Kalani Sitake does at BYU. They’re totally solid, as always under him, and they’re getting closer and closer to making the playoff. This could be the year, but it’s also a highly competitive Big 12 Conference.

Friday

North Texas 35, South Florida 33

DATCU Stadium, Denton, TX., 30,100

6:30 P.M.

ESPN2

Anish, Andre, Carc

Mean Green by 1 1/2, 66 1/2

The team most notably known for “Mean Joe” of Steelers’ fame-greatest NFL dynasty of all time- is really good. Should be a classic if you’re not out at dinner or carousing at the Fennec.

I was going to go through the entire playoff, but I’ll condense it for you. Like life in the NIL/Transfer Portal is, this is highly fluid.

My top 12 teams are, in this order: 1. Oregon, 2. Ohio State, 3. Alabama, 4. Miami, 5. Oklahoma, 6. A&M, 7. Texas Tech, 8. Georgia, 9. Ole Miss, 10. Indiana, 11. LSU, 12. Memphis.

Semifinals

Thursday, January 8th, 2026

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. 63, 400

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

No.1 Oregon 34, No.8 Georgia 33

Friday, 1/9/26

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA., 71,000

6:30 P..M.

ESPN

No.3 Alabama 27, No.2 Ohio State 24

National Championship Game, Monday, 1/19/26

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL., 65, 326

6:30 P.M.

ESPN

Crimson Tide 35, Oregon 31

National Champion:Alabama

College Football Week 6 headlined by Dores/Tide, Canes/Noles

The No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide hosts No.16 Vanderbilt Saturday at 2:30 P.M. on ABC in a blockbuster game, which might be surprising to some to hear the Commodores in a blockbuster, but this team sure looks for real to me. In other action, the No.18 Florida State Seminoles host No.3 Miami on Saturday Night football at 6:30 on ABC. Texas @ Florida, Kentucky @ Georgia and Mississippi State at A&M are key matchups in the conference. Also, Oklahoma hosts Kent State with a new quarterback under center, Michael Hawkins Jr., as their star QB, John Mateer, was injured in the Auburn game, and is out for a while with a wrist injury that required surgery. He had the surgery on Friday, September 26th, and it was reported that the recovery is three weeks, which would be Friday, 10/16, but he’s amped to get out there and play. The Red River Rivalry (OUvs. Texas) is next Saturday, 10/11, at 2:30 P.M. at the Cotton Bowl and will be broadcast by ABC, and while Mateer is doubtful for that game, there is a remote chance. He wants to play, but the doctors may not let him. Hawkins Jr. could do a nice job, also, then Mateer could really heal up the wrist for the rest of the SEC gauntlet. So, interesting stuff in the conference this Saturday, and, nationally, key teams are in action. No.2 Oregon is off this Saturday after its prolific victory over Penn State at Happy Valley last Saturday Night. Off in the SEC are Auburn, which plays at Jordan-Hare next Saturday in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry versus Georgia, No.4 Ole Miss, coming off a major victory over LSU at the Grove and moving on up in the polls. Also off are No.13 LSU and Brian Kelly, who are recovering from their wounds inflicted last Saturday afternoon in Oxford. Trinidad Chambliss is a terrific quarterback for the Rebs. No.19 Missouri is also off as they await the Crimson Tide next Saturday, 10/11, with an 11 A.M. kickoff on ABC. No.15 Tennessee is off as well after surviving at Starkville last Saturday, 41-34, in overtime. South Carolina, off an impressive 35-13 victory over Kentucky, gets a bye along with Arkansas, which fired Sam Pittman on Sunday and elevated their old friend/Achilles Heel? Bobby Petrino as interim head coach. So there are 9 SEC teams playing this Saturday, along with some key national contenders. Will get back on the Playoff Predictions next Thursday. Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss and Texas Tech are shoe-ins right now, with the Crimson Tide climbing the ladder, Georgia still there, and Miami is a done deal, as of now, but have a tough assignment in Tallahassee on Saturday against a team that still thinks they belong in the bracket. Tennessee is still right there. Texas and Oklahoma are also, of course. And Indiana is definitely a factor. You can’t count out Penn State and Michigan, either. Memphis is my personal favorite within the Group of Five teams, at present, but South Florida and Tulane are still contenduhs. There’s a lot to be decided in the upcoming weeks. I’ll be back with more Playoff Predictions next Thursday. For now, here’s a look at this Saturday’s slate along with predictions.

Record:

Last Saturday: SU: 8-4, Overall, 67-17, 80%; ATS: 7-5, 42-42, 50%; O/U: 9-3, 45-39, 53%.

All times Central.

No.16 Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0) @ Alabama (3-1, 1-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium

2:30 P.M.

ABC

Sean, Gregory, Molly

Alabama by 10 1/2, O/U, 55 1/2

Though I strongly disagree with his infidelity, Tiger Woods is, at least, loyal to his kids and his college. Doesn’t make up for that, but I’ll give him those two things. When he was at a Stanford-Cal game some years ago, he was asked by an ESPN reporter if USC had a chance of winning the PAC-12. He responded, “I like Stanford.” When pressed again by the reporter to answer the USC question, he said once again, “I like Stanford.” I feel the same way. I’m locked in and dedicated to my wife, my kids, my friends and my college. Give me Diego, wide receiver Junior Sherrill, tight end Eli Stowers, running back Sedrick “Seddy” Alexander, center Jordan White, defensive ends Miles Capers and Khordae Sydnor, safety/linebacker/ STAR Randon Fontenette and corner/punt returner and sometimes wide receiver Martel Hight and Vanderbilt University.

Vanderbilt 31, Alabama 28

No.3 Miami (4-0, 0-0 ACC) @ No.18 Florida State (3-1, 0-1)

Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee

6:30 P.M.

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

‘Canes by 3 1/2, 54 1/2

I like the ‘Noles to redeem themselves after a tough 46-38 double OT loss in C’ville last Friday Night to a pretty strong Virginia team and pull off the upset at home.

FSU 27, Miami 24

No. 9 Texas (3-1, 0-0) @ Florida (1-3, 0-1)

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

2:30 P.M.

ESPN

Bob, Louis, Kris

Longhorns by 6 1/2, 42 1/2

I like the Gators to give the Horns everything they want.

Texas 21, Florida 17

Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) @ No. 12 Georgia (3-1, 1-1)

Sanford Stadium, Athens

11 A.M.

ABC

Tess, Jess, Katie

Dawgs by 20 1/2, 48 1/2

This was an extremely close and ugly game last year at Lexington with the Dawgs prevailing, 13-12. Kirby Smart said Kentucky is always one of the most physical teams they play. But I like Georgia to run it back a little this Saturday and secure a convincing victory.

Georgia 42, Kentucky 10

Mississippi State (4-1,0-1) @ No.6 Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0)

Kyle Field, College Station

6:30 P.M.

S-E-C Network

Tom, Jordan, Cole

Aggies by 16 1/2, 55 1/2

I’ll take the Aggies, coming off their defensive gem against Auburn-though Auburn has major issues on offense-but I like the Bullies to keep it close.

A&M 31, Mississippi State 24

Kent State (1-3) @ Oklahoma (4-0)

Memorial Stadium, Norman

3 P.M.

SEC Network

Dave, Fozzy, Morgan

OU by 44 1/2, 53 1/2

With a new quarterback in there, Michael Hawkins Jr., I like the Sooners to do well, but to not beat the spread.

Oklahoma 42, Kent State 3

National Scores

No.1 Ohio State 35, Minnesota 10

Ohio Stadium, Columbus

6:30 P.M.

NBC/Peacock

Noah, Todd, Kathryn

Buckeyes by 23 1/2, 44 1/2

Like the Buckeyes’ “matriculation” to continue.

No.7 Penn State 42, UCLA 10

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

2:30 P.M.

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jenny

Nittany Lions by 24 1/2, 48 1/2

James Franklin and his team rebound from another disappointing performance against a top 10 team. Franklin is now 4-21 in his career at Penn State versus top 10 teams, 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten opponents and 1-15 against top 5 teams.

No. 11 Texas Tech 31, Houston 27

TDECU Stadium, Houston

6 P.M.

ESPN

Dave, Dusty, Taylor

Red Raiders by 11 1/2, 51 1/2

I like former highly successful Tulane Coach Willie Fritz and his Cougars squad to give Texas Tech a very serious game.

No. 20 Michigan 34, Wisconsin 14

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

11 A.M.

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Wolverines by 17 1/2, 43 1/2

The Wolverines have a ways to go to get into the playoff discussion, but hope springs eternal.