Auburn's Robenson Therezie, who plays the STAR position, has been the Tigers best player on defense. (John Reed-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week Eight of The Lowe Down. We are entering a key stretch of the college football season when we really begin to find out who the contenders and pretenders are. Last week we saw Stanford get knocked out of the Top 5 when it was upset by Utah. Oklahoma also was dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten when it was spanked by Texas, who is now 3-0 in the Big 12. This weekend’s list of games is highlighted by great ACC, SEC and Pac-12 inner-conference matchups that could really shake up the top of the polls. Last week’s record was 14-5, bringing the yearly record to 111-26. To the games we go …
Friday, October 18
UCF (4-1, 1-0 AAC) at No. 8 Louisville (6-0, 2-0 AAC) 7:00 p.m. CT
Despite throwing for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Rutgers last week, it’s safe to say Teddy Bridgewater had an off night considering he also threw an interception and lost a fumble. Maybe the uncanny performance was due to the 28 NFL scouts (nerves) on hand to watch the junior signal-caller, or maybe Teddy just proved he can be human from time to time. Regardless, look for Bridgewater to bounce back against UCF, but the Knights, behind an explosive offense led by QB Blake Bortles, will test the Cardinals mettle in a prime time conference showdown.
The Lowe Down: UCF: 27, Louisville 37
Saturday, October 19
No. 16 Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) 11:00 p.m. CT
Morgantown can chew opponents up and spit ‘em out so it will be interesting to see how a maturing Texas Tech team will handle a tough road environment. Ultimately, the key for West Virginia’s survival in this game will come on defense. Last time out the Mountaineers allowed 73 points and a Big-12 conference-record 864 yards to Baylor, who runs an offense similar to Texas Tech’s. Davis Webb threw for a conference-high 415 yards against Iowa State and may start in place of Baker Mayfield (knee) at QB for Texas Tech. Regardless of who starts, Texas Tech should go to 7-0 for the first time since 2008. But it won’t be an easy W.
The Lowe Down: Texas Tech 35, West Virginia 31
No. 15 Georgia (4-2, 3-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC) 11:00 p.m. CT
If there is one team you kind of feel sorry for this year it’s Georgia. After such a promising start, injuries have decimated the Bulldogs offensive skill to the point where it’s just not the same explosive unit that it was. And to make matters worse, it was announced on Friday that outstanding tailback Todd Gurley will be not play against the Commodores. Mark Richt’s team has its back against the wall, and it will be interesting to see how his troops respond. We’ll find out Saturday what’s left in the tank.
The Lowe Down: Georgia 35, Vanderbilt 21
No. 22 Florida (4-2, 3-1 SEC) at No. 14 Missouri (7-0, 2-0 SEC) 11:21 CT
Who knew back in the preseason that this would be such a big game in relation to the SEC East title? But it is and a win will be huge for either team. The Tigers were dealt a blow when stud quarterback James Franklin was lost for four to six weeks due to a shoulder separation in the win over Georgia. Franklin’s playmaking ability behind center was a big reason why Missouri ranks eighth in scoring offense (45.7 ppg) nationally. Maty Mauk, who like Franklin can also make plays with his feet, will take over the Tigers ‘O’ in place of Franklin. Against Florida’s tough defense, it will be imperative that Mauk take care of the football. If he does so, then the Tigers should have enough scoring power to win a tight game at home.
The Lowe Down: Florida 16, Missouri 23
No. 24 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 7 Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1 SEC) 2:30 p.m. CT
The odds makers have Texas A&M as a two touchdown favorite over Gus Malzahn’s upstart Tigers but I just don’t see the Aggies being that much better than Auburn simply for the fact that they don’t play any defense. It’s a given that Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M offense will score points and put up numbers, but Auburn’s ‘D’ is really turning a corner and I think that shows up here. The Tigers are one of the best teams in America at getting after the quarterback (16 sacks) and they’ve really developed into a good bend-but-don’t-break ball-hawking defense that’s hard to score on (only allowing 18.8 ppg, which ranks third in the SEC). Auburn is also one of the least penalized teams in the country, which is a testament to a renewed focus on team discipline. I may be going out on a limb here, but the Tigers seem to have what it takes to enter College Station and emerge with a win.
The Lowe Down: Auburn 41, Texas A&M 30
Iowa (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) at No. 4 Ohio State (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) 2:30 p.m. CT
Iowa is a hard team to figure out. One week the Hawkeyes look good; the next week they don’t. So what should we expect here? Well, Ohio State has had two weeks to prepare, as has Iowa, and its high-flying offense should be well rested for a matchup with one of the country’s best statistical defenses. If the Hawkeyes have any hope at pulling the upset, they will need to slow Carlos Hyde and the OSU ground game to have a chance. If the Buckeyes can move the rock on the ground, then Braxton Miller should be able to find open seems in a secondary that can be had deep over the middle.
The Lowe Down: Iowa 14, Ohio State 28
No. 9 UCLA (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) at No. 13 Stanford (5-1, 3-1 Pac-12) 2:30 p.m. CT
I mentioned it last week that Utah is always tough at home. But it was still surprising to see the Utes take down the Cardinal. Now Stanford is in a predicament. If it losses, it could go from being a team that was talked about as a national title contender to a team that’s completely out of the race in two weeks time — that right there is all the more reason to take Stanford at home in this game. UCLA is a good team with a lot of talent on offense, but the Cardinal has the edge on the defensive side of the ball and that shows up in what should be a heck of game.
The Lowe Down: UCLA 24, Stanford 32
Arkansas (3-4, 0-3 SEC) at No. 1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) 6:00 p.m. CT
“You can take (Nick) Saban’s record when he was at Michigan State and when he was a coach in the Big Ten and put it against mine, and he can’t compare.” That’s what Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said at the Arkansas annual fish fry at Saline County Razorback Club back in the spring about Alabama’s current coach and owner of four national titles. Rest assured, those comments didn’t go unnoticed by Saban. I’ll also point out that this little preseason jab won’t help the Razorbacks any this weekend. And coach Bielema, uh hum, your team is about to fall to 0-4 in the league. The Tide rolls again.
The Lowe Down: Arkansas 7, Alabama 42
No. 6 LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at Ole Miss (3-3, 1-3 SEC) 6:00 p.m. CT
This week Ole Miss continues its midseason gauntlet of a schedule when it hosts LSU at night in Oxford. Last year’s the Rebels almost stunned the Tigers in Baton Rouge behind big days from Bo Wallace and Donte Moncrief, but LSU hung on at the end. Look for both offenses to thrive yet again when these two hook up but don’t expect a blowout. In fact, look for this game to go right down to the wire.
The Lowe Down: LSU 41, Ole Miss 38
No. 5 Florida State (5-0, 3-0 ACC) at No. 3 Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) 7:00 p.m. CT
Although I’m an SEC guy, I’m really stoked about the ACC finally showing back up on the national stage. Call me old fashioned, but I think it’s healthy for college football to have top tier teams in every conference, and I especially think it’s good to have FSU, Miami and Clemson all playing well. The Seminoles enter this game as a slight favorite, but I really like the Tigers experience in a game such as this. FSU quarterback Jameis Winston is the real deal no doubt, but so is Tajh Boyd and so is that vastly underrated Clemson defense. Did you know that Clemson leads the nation in sacks (24 in six games), ranks 10th in interceptions (10) and is only allowing 16.2 ppg? If you didn’t, ya do now. And that defense paired with the Tigers offense is the reason why Dabo Swinney’s team will remain unbeaten.
The Lowe Down: Florida State 27, Clemson 34
In other Saturday games:
Minnesota 14, Northwestern 35
TCU 20, No. 21 Oklahoma State 28
No. 11 South Carolina 30, Tennessee 20
No. 23 Northern Illinois 41, Central Michigan 34
No. 18 Oklahoma 45, Kansas 20
Iowa State 28, No. 12 Baylor 48
No. 20 Washington 27, Arizona State 34
No. 25 Wisconsin 30, Illinois 20
UNLV 16, No. 17 Fresno State 49
Washington State 17, No. 2 Oregon 62
