This is a big weekend in College football as conference play gets underway. Up until this point, most teams treated the first few weekends as a tune-up. I’ve enjoyed the action and the few quality matchups, but the real college football season begins THIS WEEKEND! A few games to note:
NC State vs. Virginia Tech: These two teams have undergone a role reversal. Ever since joining the conference Virginia Tech has flexed its muscles over the rest of the ACC. And down in Raleigh, NC State fans are still trying to hold onto the days of Phillip Rivers; when he and TA McLendon took the team to a 10 win season. Now, Virginia Tech doesn’t appear to be so dominant and NC State’s better days might actually lie ahead. If the Wolfpack win this game, dare I say it, they will be frontrunners in the ACC. As a former military man, Tom O’Brien preaches discipline and his squad appears to be following his command. Virginia Tech is still an offensive threat, however after that disappointing James Madison loss in Week 2 this team’s no longer intimidating as it once was.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: I like Wisconsin and I like Brett Bielema; however each season this team loses one or two games where you’re just left scratching your head. The Badgers fall victim to the preseason hype each year. Brett Bielema is a good coach and typically lands some of the best talent in the Big 10. However, you’d think that for a team ranked as high as this one, some of its wins would be a little more convincing. For real, take a look at last season’s schedule and show me more than two games where the Badgers were dominant…I’ll wait.
Penn State vs. Iowa: I was sitting behind the endzone two years ago when Iowa pulled off the 1-point upset against a then, undefeated #3 ranked Nittany Lion squad. Now, Penn State heads into Iowa City looking to upset the Hawkeyes. I think this will be a tough, hard-fought matchup but Iowa pulls it out.
Texas vs. Oklahoma: This is Texas vs. Oklahoma, this matchup doesn’t need any hyping. I’m interested to see how these two teams perform against each other this weekend. I was really high on Oklahoma in the preseason but this team has not looked too impressive. The same can be said for Texas, getting spanked at home to UCLA. Regardless, if history tells us anything it’s that whoever wins this game usually goes on to win the conference. So who do you like? I’m picking Oklahoma.
cherrypickinsports.com 