Thankfully, the week 2 schedule of college football is a big improvement from week one. This Saturday we see two matchups of top-15 teams, and an intriguing late night game. Hopefully these games will result in another week of great college ball.
3) USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinals, 7:30 pm, Saturday
This matchup has trap game written all over it. The Cardinals make the trip south to the Coliseum without star left tackle Walker Little, and possibly without starting quarterback KJ Costello. But the Trojans have their own injury problems after starting signal-caller JT Daniels tore his ACL against Fresno State.
The USC defense flashed potential last week, but was inconsistent and unreliable throughout the course of the game. If the USC defense plays up to its potential, the Cardinals will struggle, especially if they’re missing Costello.
But looking at the matchup between the Trojan offense and the Cardinals defense, the edge clearly goes to Stanford. True freshman Kedon Slovis is getting the start for Southern Cal, and he didn’t look up to par against Fresno State, as he led only one scoring drive in the second half. The Trojans escaped in part due to a kickoff return touchdown, which they can’t rely on to happen again.
Expect USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to have Slovis better prepared for this week, but not prepared enough. The Cardinals defense, led by cornerback Paulson Adebo, will stifle USC and help the team escape with a close victory.
The pick: USC 17, Stanford 21
2) #12 Texas A&M vs. #1 Clemson, 12:30 pm, Saturday
When these two teams met last year, it was one of the best games of the season. Jimbo Fisher’s crew was inches from pulling off an epic upset in College Station, but wide receiver Quartney Davis fumbled out of the back of the end zone with just over two minutes to go. The Aggies have had a year to think about that mistake, and some of their players have publicly predicted an upset.
It’s clear that A&M’s offense has improved from last year, as they’ve returned almost all of their offensive talent and quarterback Kellen Mond looks improved. While this bodes well for a team that dropped 26 on Clemson last year, the bad news comes on defense. Two important defensive linemen in KeKe Kingsley and Daylon Mack both left to the NFL. Trench play is the key to beating Clemson, as the Tigers are at their best when they can run the football at will. Clemson showed this in week one, when running back Travis Etienne tallied 205 yards rushing with the ridiculous yards per carry of 17.1,
There are two other major factors to consider. During last year’s game, Clemson rolled out quarterback Kelly Bryant as the starter, not Trevor Lawrence. Bryant was replaced later in the season, and Clemson never looked back. The second is that the 2018 game took place in College Station, giving the Aggies a huge home field advantage.
This year, A&M will travel to Death Valley. That’s an intimidating atmosphere to play in, and one that the Aggies won’t be prepared for. The final score of this game won’t be as close as people think, but Texas A&M will keep it close through three quarters.
The pick: Texas A&M 21, Clemson 35
1) #6 LSU vs. #9 Texas, 4:30 pm, Saturday
Finally, the game of the week. This game will have fans of every college program will have to tune in to this one. Both of these teams came into 2019 off of huge bowl game victories and national championship hopes, and this game will go a long way in determining potential playoff positioning.
The Tigers seem to have one of their best offenses in recent memory. Quarterback Joe Burrow picked apart Georgia Southern to the tune of five touchdown passes in the first half. The running back rotation remains deep and talented. But LSU has always been known for their defense, and that’s the case this year. The defensive backfield has standout players Grant Delpit and Kristian Fulton, who will make life very difficult for Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. If the guys up front can consistently pressure him, the Tigers have a great shot at this one.
While LSU looks like a playoff team, the Longhorns are not to be taken lightly. Sam Ehlinger has proven time and time again that he’s able to show up in big games, like he did against Oklahoma and Georgia last year. I think Ehlinger is one of the most overlooked players in all of college football, and deserves more recognition.
The Texas roster is strong throughout, and especially in the defensive backfield. Safeties BJ Foster and Caden Sterns are both future NFL players and will make impact plays. But more importantly, the receivers are deadly. Collin Johnson is considered a future first-round pick, and Devin Duvernay is another talented player. The matchup between the LSU defenders and these Longhorn receivers is must-watch TV.
On paper, the Tigers have a better roster. But there’s something to be said Texas’s home field advantage and big-game pedigree. The Longhorns will live up to expectations and score a huge victory, led by Sam “The Man” Ehlinger.
The pick: #6 LSU 21, #9 Texas 24
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