Georgia RB Sony Michel
#13 Alabama at #8 Georgia
This game has the most intriguing potential to it because of what it could mean to the SEC and perhaps all of college football. Nick Saban’s agent, who spent last season flirting with Texas, has been willing to listen to other jobs. The question is: what would a 2nd loss make life like for Saban in Tuscaloosa?
Understand that Saban and the Crimson Tide have lost two games in a season quite a few times before. But that is often in big end of year bowl games, such as last year’s playoff vs Ohio State or against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
If Georgia beats Alabama, who are an underdog for the first time in 73 games, Saban would have his 2nd loss faster than any season since his start in Tuscaloosa in 2007. Since 2008, the earliest Saban has taken a 2nd loss in a season was November 26th of 2010 against Auburn. Imagine life with that fan base if it happens in early October.
As for Georgia, their offense is one that looks to wear you down by the 4th quarter. Last season, the Bulldogs were 3rd in the country in 4th quarter scoring. They are 62nd currently, but that tends to be a reflection of calling off the dogs late in games thus far.
Pay attention to Georgia running back Sony Michel. He is Georgia’s best player, as he has 223 yards rushing and a 7.0 average with 3 touchdowns. But as a receiver, Michel is all over the field with another 8 catches for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns. Quite the versatility for a 215lb running back.
#6 Notre Dame at #12 Clemson
For this big matchup, take your preconceived notions for each team and throw them out the window. This common view for who each of these teams have been over the years does not apply this year.
Typically, Clemson is the team known for trying to run as many plays as possible and thus, score as many points as possible. With what the Tigers have lost in recent years defensively, it would be understandable if they were struggling defensively. This year Clemson is 55th in the country in plays per game, when they are typically amongst the top 30 teams in the country.
Surprisingly, Clemson has thus far given up just 12.3 points per game defensively.
Notre Dame despite their injuries are still a really good football team. They are 8th in the country in points per play; basically they can score and score quickly. They are 5th in the country in yards per play so they have shown they can score from all over the field. Their 41 points per game puts them among some of the best offensives in college football.
Notre Dame’s balance offensively and aggressive defense will be something that Clemson has not seen in victories over Wofford, App State and Louisville. I believe Notre Dame shows the country that they are a playoff contender and adds a win over Clemson to a schedule that has had them already beat Texas, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
Vikings at Broncos
If the Vikings are going to challenge the Denver Broncos defense, Minnesota has to find some balance.
The Vikings feature the NFL’s leading rusher in Adrian Peterson, who is leading the NFL in rushing and averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The problem for the Vikings is despite this production, they are currently just 29th in total offense. Granted, teams that throw the ball tend to be higher, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been just averaged so far this season. Bridgewater has just an 80.1 QB rating, while tossing just one touchdown thus far.
We discussed the Broncos last week, and all the same compliments about their defense continue to hold true. No team has a better playing cornerback tandem right now than Denver in Chris Harris Jr. and Aquib Talib. The team backs that up with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware as edge rushers on third down. Denver is #1 in total defense, #1 in passing yards per game, and #6 in rushing yards per game. The Broncos are 3rd in the NFL in sacks.
Basically, the Broncos have a championship level defense. If they score in the 20’s on teams, they have a chance to win every game whether at home or on the road.
Cowboys at Saints
If your quarterback completes 22-26 passes for 232 yards and is intercepted once, is that enough to win in the NFL? That was Brandon Weeden’s day against the Atlanta Falcons.
The knock on Weeden for his performance last week, outside of the brain-dead interception, was that the game plan was very conservative. Outside receivers were targeted just twice during the game, and only slot receiver Cole Beasley made a reception with four.
For the matchup Sunday night in the Super Dome, the Cowboys will have to be more aggressive with their passing game. They are currently 12th in the NFL in average yards per carry, but need to create more space for that run game. In Weeden’s two starts as a Cowboy, both the Cardinals in 2014 and the Falcons last week played 10 men within 12 yards of the line of scrimmage for a majority of the game.
The Saints have been a mess so far in their 0-3 start to the season. For years one could depend on their offense to take care of any defensive issues. This year the Saints are 13th in total offense, and just 19th in scoring offense. The defense hasn’t improved significantly from last year in posting the 29th best defense in the league. They were 31st last season.
This game comes down to whether or not the Saints can make the Cowboys as limited in their run game as the Falcons did. After 131 rushing yards in the first half, the Cowboys were a minus 4 in rushing in the second half last week.