1- Stanford vs Oregon Week 11
The Pac-12 was loaded with talented freshman quarterbacks last year, including Kevin Hogan of Stanford and Marcus Mariota of Oregon. Hogan will have a lot to prove as he loses his top two tight ends and starting running back from last season. Mariota, on the other hand, will have DeAnthony Thomas, Colt Lyerla, and Josh Huff at his disposal and should run a high-powered offense, as is the usual in Eugene. What will make this game so intense is Stanford’s outstanding defense. Safeties Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards will command the air as Trent Murphy and Ben Gardner will be attacking Mariota in the pocket. Likewise, Oregon boasts defensive talents of their own. Cornerbacks Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Avery Patterson will make Hogan’s live a nightmare, especially with Taylor Hart constantly providing pressure.
Prediction: Stanford wins
2- Alabama vs Texas A&M Week 3
After being upset by Johnny Football last year, Nick Saban and Company will be back with a vengeance. Manziel will look to dethrone the Crimson Tide once again while he leads his talented offense. Running back Ben Malena is back and is an explosive player that will make flat-footed defenders pay for their mistake. 6’5” wide receiver Mike Evans will be lining up against Alabama’s Deion Belue for an interesting matchup that could go either way. It also won’t help that Manziel has to deal with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, CJ Mosley, and Adrian Hubbard. Senior quarterback AJ McCarron is surrounded by loads of talent, including, but not limited to, Amari Cooper, Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood, TJ Yeldon, and a great offensive line. Other than cornerback Deshazor Everett, who will miss a portion of the year because of assault charges, the Aggies defense is a bit concerning.
Prediction: Alabama wins
3- Michigan vs Ohio State Week 14
Both sides are sporting their own dual threat quarterback in what may be college football’s most heated rivalry. Braxton Miller plans to use Devin Smith and Corey Brown to to their full potential and violate the Wolverines through the air. Running back Carlos Hyde will team up with Miller to give Jake Ryan and the rest of the Michigan defense a tough competition in the run game. Devin Gardner will have to conduct his offense efficiently and put up six points quickly and often. With Devin Funchess, Roy Roundtree, and Jeremy Gallon catching his passes, you’d like to think Gardner wouldn’t have too much of a problem, but Bradley Roby thinks otherwise. Cornerback Bradley Roby and safety CJ Barnett won’t allow Gardner much room for error when he’s passing. Even when Gardner decides to tuck it and run, the athletic freak Ryan Shazier will be right there to shut him down.
Prediction: Ohio State wins
4- Georgia vs South Carolina Week 2
Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall will prove their worth against Jadeveon Clowney and the rest of the South Carolina defensive wrecking crew. Considering Aaron Murray is an average quarterback, at best, and he has to deal with Clowney rushing him and Victor Hampton playing cornerback, Georgia’s offense will rely solely on how well they can run the ball. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Clowney, along with the rest of the Gamecocks defense, won’t make running the ball an easy task. South Carolina will struggle even more so on often considering they have lost Marcus Lattimore and have nothing more than an average overall passing/receiving corps. Georgia may have lost a majority of their defensive starters, but as they do every year, the fresh elite talents of the SEC powerhouse will rise up and fill the voids.
Prediction: Georgia wins
5- Clemson vs Florida State Week 8
Senior quarterback Tajh Boyd of Clemson will stack up against redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston of Florida State in a showdown that has potential for 600+ combined passing yards. Clemson will rely on Boyd to connect with Watkins often since wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Andre Ellington are both professionals now. The Tigers will count on senior Roderick McDowell to carry the load on the ground. While Jameis Winston is a promising young signal caller, running backs James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman will be tearing up the Tigers defense relentlessly. Clemson’s defense will struggle containing all of those talented players, but the same can’t be said for the Seminoles. Florida State may have the nation’s most talented defense other than Alabama. With Christian Jones and Telvin Smith commanding the middle from the linebacker position and Timmy Jernigan disrupting plays from his defensive tackle spot, the Seminoles won’t make this game easy for Clemson.
Prediction: Florida State wins
6- Georgia vs Florida Week 10
This late season SEC East rivalry could decide who gets a shot at dethroning Alabama in the SEC Championship game. This was the case in 2012 as well and the Gators were a fumble from tight end Jordan Reed away from being victorious. Jeff Driskel will try to lead a successful passing attack with Quinton Dunbar and Andre Debose while Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor dominate between the tackles. But Georgia's offense will be firing on all cylinders as well with Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall taking carries out of the backfield. Quarterback Aaron Murray gets the advantage over Driskel, especially considering he has Malcolm Mitchell and Arthur Lynch to throw to. Defensively, both teams have lost loads of talent, but unlike any other year, both SEC teams have incredible depth and won’t lose a step.
Prediction: Georgia wins
7- Alabama vs LSU Week 11
Two Senior QBs put their dukes up in what should be a defensive battle, not unlike any other SEC match up. Nick Saban’s offense will be firing on all cylinders with TJ Yeldon, Derrick Henry, and Kenyan Drake out of the backfield. Amari Cooper, who shattered Julio Jones’ freshman receiving yards record, will be AJ McCarron’s security blanket and give Jalen Collins and Jalen Mills, two sophomore cornerbacks, a rude awakening. Kenny Bell and Kevin Norwood should be wreaking havoc for the LSU defensive backs as well. Les Miles will try to keep up with Zach Mettenberger under-center. Unfortunately for them, their surrounding talent isn’t on the same level as Alabama. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. will try to give Mettnenberger an open target, but with Deion Belue at cornerback and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix ball hawking from his safety position, they may not be too successful. The rest of the Alabama defense is stacked as well with CJ Mosley, Trey DePriest, Adrian Hubbard, and Ed Stinson. LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson will attempt to be the cornerstone of the front seven that will try to shut down the Crimson Tide’s running attack. Craig Loston will be a leader at safety for the rest of the defensive backs corps that is primed to struggle.
Prediction: Alabama wins
8- Stanford vs USC Week 12
As of now, USC’s quarterback situation is unclear. It could be Max Wittek, who played when Barkley went down, Cody Kessler, or true freshman Max Browne. Purely based on talent, it appears Max Browne has a slight advantage over Kessler with Kessler having an advantage over Wittek. Although, with Lane Kiffin’s job on the line, it’s likely that he starts the only one with experience, which would be Wittek. Regardless of who the starter is, wide receivers Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor will make their job a bit easier. David Shaw will have Kevin Hogan, Stanford’s quarterback who won’t be surrounded by as much talent, lead the team. Considering most the team’s top five receiving threats have graduated, junior wide receivers Ty Montgomery and Kelsey Young will have to step it up. While USC takes the cake on offense, Stanford is stronger defensively. Trent Murphy and Ben Gardner will be tearing the USC offensive line apart while Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards control the sky from their safety roles. That being said, don’t count out Dion Bailey, Hayes Pullard, Leonard Williams, and Morgan Breslin from USC. Their defense isn’t quite on Stanford’s level, but it isn’t too far off.
Prediction: Stanford wins
9- TCU vs Texas Week 9
After missing a portion of 2012, Casey Pachall is back behind center and ready to start firing his cannon of an arm. Pachall will have wide receiver Brandon Carter to throw to, who is a sleeper wide receiver as of now. Although, the Longhorns have David Ash and Mike Davis to rival TCU’s quarterback/wide receiver duo. Unlike TCU, Texas has a strong running back corps with Johnathan Gray, Malcolm Brown, and Joe Bergeron. Collectively, they totalled 23 touchdowns just on the ground. On defense, Texas is returning Jackson Jeffcoat, who should be their best pass rusher, and their lethal pair of cornerbacks, Carrington Byndum and Qunadre Diggs. While Texas may have their duo, TCU has Jason Verrett. The Verrett/Davis matchup may be the most entertaining and crucial aspect of this game. The matchup should frustrate Ash, especially considering he’ll also have Devonte Fields in his face all night.
Prediction: Texas wins
10- Wisconsin vs Ohio State Week 5
Once again, two dual threat quarterbacks clash in the BIG 10. Unlike the Michigan game, Braxton Miller gets the advantage, both as an athlete and as a passer. Taylor Martinez really shouldn’t be considered starter quality and it’s baffling that Nebraska has let him “lead” their team for so long. The Cornhuskers will be depending on running back Ameer Abdullah to soften the defense and wide receiver Kenny Bell to find those soft spots in the coverage. Ohio State will be trying to aid their quarterback as well with running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Devin Smith, but they will have an easier time doing so. Wisconsin does not boast too much talent other than linebacker Chris Borland. Unfortunately for Nebraska, the Buckeyes have talent all over the place. At linebacker, Ryan Shazier is athletic enough to cover the whole field and keep Martinez in check while cornerback Bradley Roby plans on giving Kenny Bell a brutal contender. Both of them are top three players at their position, no question.
Prediction: Ohio State wins