NCAA Predictions Week 8

NCAA Predictions Week 8

By Max Baez
For Football Reporters Online


Arkansas @ Ole Miss

Ole Miss has to be feeling pressure at this point. They’ve gone from highly acclaimed, to a top 5 team, to unranked. Quite a whirlwind. Arkansas gained as much momentum as you can from a loss, barely losing on the road to Florida in a game where many felt Arkansas was slighted by the refs. The story for Ole Miss has been the struggles of Jevan Snead, and while the Arkansas defense is respectable, it isn’t dominant. I think Snead has a bit of a revitalization this week, and that Houston Nutt leads the Rebels to victory over his old team.

Ole Miss 31, Arkansas 21


Clemson @ Miami

For whatever reason, Miami is only a 5.5 point favorite in this game. I don’t really understand how, considering Miami has looked great all year (with one exception in Blacksburg) while has mired in their normal mediocrity. Sure, Clemson hasn’t lost a game by more than 4 points, but they are 3-3, and one of their losses is to Maryland: that’s inexcusable. Look for Jacoby Harris and the Miami offense to have a great day, and look for Clemson to lose by more than 4 points.

Miami 28, Clemson 13


Penn State @ Michigan

This is a really intriguing game. Penn State has a very strong defense, but the offense is definitely a bit lackluster. On Michigan’s side, the opposite is the case: offense looks really good (especially when you consider they are starting a true freshman quarterback), while the defense looks so-so. I think Rich Rodriguez is a jerk, but for whatever reason, I have more confidence in this Michigan team than most. It’s probably because I’m that impressed with Tate Forcier. Watching the Penn State defense play the Michigan offense will be extremely exciting, and its best that this game is in the Big House because Penn State is probably the better of these two teams. To me, this game could go either way, but I actually like Michigan to pull the big upset. I’m going with this because at crunch time, I think Michigan is more likely to make the big play, even if their quarterback is so young, and because the game isn’t at Beaver Stadium.

Michigan 20, Penn State 17


TCU @ BYU

This is probably the best mid major matchup of the season. BYU, and their dynamic offense, against the tough defense of TCU. Both have already beaten BCS conference schools, with BYU topping Oklahoma and TCU winning on the road against Clemson. This should be a great one, especially with such a dynamic BYU offense going up against the tough TCU defense. However, TCU seems a bit stronger against the run, and BYU is an especially strong passing team. I expect Max Hall to get it done in the end, and for the Cougars to get a huge home win.

BYU 24, TCU 20


Oregon State @ USC

The only reason why this game is in this article is because USC has lost two of three to Oregon State. I’ve got a ton of respect for Mike Riley and the Oregon State program, but I don’t think they are as good as they were last year. They do have a decent record, and some decent wins against Arizona State and Stanford, but they will be no match for USC this year. Besides, USC only gets caught off guard once in a season, and UDub took care of that. Big day for the USC offense, and while Oregon State will probably put some points up (especially on the ground), USC will put up more.

USC 45, Oregon State 24


Five other games to watch: South Florida @ Pitt, Boston College @ Notre Dame, Tennessee @ Alabama, Auburn @ LSU, Texas @ Missouri