Thursday — October 1
5:00 PM PT — CBS Sports Network
Western Kentucky (1–3) at New Mexico State (1–3)
Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium — Las Cruces, NM
Prediction: New Mexico State 31–24
6:00 PM PT — ESPN
North Texas (2–2) at Tulsa (3–1)
Location: Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium — Tulsa, OK
Prediction: Tulsa 24–17
Friday — October 2
4:00 PM PT — ESPN
Pittsburgh (4–0) at Virginia Tech (4–0)
Location: Lane Stadium — Blacksburg, VA
Prediction: Virginia Tech 28–24
In a Friday night matchup between two undefeated ACC teams, fans should expect a tight-knit game from start to finish. Both teams have been streaky thus far but have managed to come away unscathed. Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Heintschel has had a couple of games where he has looked unstoppable, while he has seemed to disappear in others. The Hokies’ offense sputtered last week, but I expect them to bounce back. Especially if they can get the ball to their star tight end, Luke Reynolds. This game will come down to execution, as both teams have been stellar defensively this season. Whichever team executes better on offense will have the advantage and ultimately win the game. I’ll take the Hokies in a close one.
4:00 PM PT — CBS Sports Network
Liberty (3–1) at Delaware (2–2)
Location: Delaware Stadium — Newark, DE
Prediction: Liberty 34–21
5:00 PM PT — FOX
Penn State (3–1) at Northwestern (1–3)
Location: Ryan Field — Evanston, IL
Prediction: Penn State 28–20
Saturday Morning–October 3
9:00 AM PT — ESPN
#3 Notre Dame (4–0) at North Carolina (2–1)
Location: Kenan Stadium — Chapel Hill, NC
Prediction: Notre Dame 45–10
9:00 AM PT — The CW
Boston College (2–2) at #21 SMU (3–1)
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium — Dallas, TX
Prediction: SMU 34–20
9:00 AM PT — ABC
#7 Alabama (4–0) at #16 Mississippi State (4–0)
Location: Davis Wade Stadium — Starkville, MS
Prediction: Alabama 35–31
This game features two young quarterbacks looking to lead their teams to victory. Alabama has steadily improved offensively every week, while their defense has looked dominant regardless of the opponent. Mississippi State is in an unfamiliar spot as they are ranked inside the top 20. However, I do not expect the Bulldogs to fold under pressure. They have reliable weapons around their star, Kamario Taylor, and they have been exceeding expectations defensively. This game has major conference and playoff implications, so I anticipate Starkville to be rocking in what should be a barn burner.
9:00 AM PT — ESPN2
UCF (3–1) at #20 Houston (3–1)
Location: TDECU Stadium — Houston, TX
Prediction: Houston 35–24
9:00 AM PT — ESPNU
Middle Tennessee State (2–2) at Kansas (1–2)
Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium — Lawrence, KS
Prediction: Kansas 37–24
9:00 AM PT — TNT
West Virginia (3–1) at Iowa State (2–2)
Location: Jack Trice Stadium — Ames, IA
Prediction: West Virginia 35–21
9:00 AM PT — ACC Network
Stanford (2–2) at Wake Forest (3–1)
Location: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium — Winston-Salem, NC
Prediction: Wake Forest 34–20
9:00 AM PT — CBS Sports Network
Syracuse (1–2) at UConn (2–2)
Location: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field — East Hartford, CT
Prediction: Syracuse 35–24
9:00 AM PT — FOX
Michigan (3–1) at Minnesota (3–1)
Location: Huntington Bank Stadium — Minneapolis, MN
Prediction: Minnesota 28–24
9:00 AM PT — CBS
Navy (1–2) at Air Force (2–1)
Location: Falcon Stadium — Colorado Springs, CO
Prediction: Air Force 28–21
9:30 AM PT — Big Ten Network
Michigan State (2–2) at Wisconsin (3–1)
Location: Camp Randall Stadium — Madison, WI
Prediction: Wisconsin 30–17
9:45 AM PT — SEC Network
Vanderbilt (3–1) at #2 Georgia (4–0)
Location: Sanford Stadium — Athens, GA
Prediction: Georgia 38–13
10:00 AM PT — ESPN+
Western Michigan (2–2) at Buffalo (2–2)
Location: UB Stadium — Amherst, NY
Prediction: Western Michigan 27–24
11:00 AM PT — ESPN+
Toledo (3–1) at Ball State (1–3)
Location: Scheumann Stadium — Muncie, IN
Prediction: Toledo 35–17
Saturday Afternoon
12:30 PM PT — CBS
#5 Ohio State (3–1) at #14 Iowa (4–0)
Location: Kinnick Stadium — Iowa City, IA
Prediction: Ohio State 27–17
The Hawkeyes are looking to keep the magic from last week’s game-winning touchdown going against Ohio State. That will be a tall task as they host the No. 5 team in the country. Iowa has an average offense that will struggle to keep up with the Buckeyes. Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football and a Heisman front-runner. After the Texas game, the Buckeyes have seemingly learned to give it to him as frequently as they can. The luxury Ohio State has is that they have plenty of weapons aside from him. I expect Iowa’s defense, which is incredibly tough, to have its hands full as the Hawkeyes lose at home.
12:30 PM PT — ABC
#8 Florida (4–0) at #25 Missouri (3–1)
Location: Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field — Columbia, MO
Prediction: Florida 30–20
Florida travels to Missouri hoping to continue their winning ways. As a surprise to many, myself included, Florida has the chance to start the year 5-0. Led by Jaden Baugh, the Gators will look to dominate the line of scrimmage and win the battle in the trenches. Though they heavily rely on their running game, their quarterback has been a pleasant surprise this year. In addition, their defense has greatly improved from a year ago. On the other hand, the Tigers have a potent offense, but their defense was torched through the air and dominated by a good running back last week. Losing a close game could still be creeping into their minds. Therefore, I expect their defense to struggle against the Gators’ offense, leading to a loss at home.
12:30 PM PT — ESPN
Auburn (3–1) at #17 Tennessee (3–1)
Location: Neyland Stadium — Knoxville, TN
Prediction: Tennessee 31–24
12:30 PM PT — ESPN2
Virginia (3–1) at Florida State (2–2)
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium — Tallahassee, FL
Prediction: Virginia 31–24
12:30 PM PT — ACC Network
Louisville (2–2) at NC State (2–2)
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium — Raleigh, NC
Prediction: Louisville 38–24
12:30 PM PT — CBS Sports Network
California (2–2) at UNLV (2–2)
Location: Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, NV
Prediction: Cal 28–24
12:30 PM PT — The CW
Wyoming (2–2) at North Dakota State (4–0)
Location: Fargodome — Fargo, ND
Prediction: North Dakota State 34–17
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Memphis (3–1) at Charlotte (0–4)
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium — Charlotte, NC
Prediction: Memphis 42–20
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Samford at UAB (2–2)
Location: Protective Stadium — Birmingham, AL
Prediction: UAB 45–14
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Akron (1–3) at Central Michigan (2–2)
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium — Mount Pleasant, MI
Prediction: Central Michigan 34–24
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Eastern Michigan (2–3) at UMass (4–0)
Location: Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium — Amherst, MA
Prediction: UMass 28–24
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Ohio (2–2) at Kent State (2–2)
Location: Dix Stadium — Kent, OH
Prediction: Ohio 24–20
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Bowling Green (0–4) at Miami (Ohio) (2–2)
Location: Fred C. Yager Stadium — Oxford, OH
Prediction: Miami (OH) 31–17
12:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Old Dominion (1–3) at Georgia State (3–1)
Location: Center Parc Credit Union Stadium — Atlanta, GA
Prediction: Georgia State 31–10
12:45 PM PT — ESPNU
Marshall (3–1) at James Madison (4–0)
Location: Bridgeforth Stadium — Harrisonburg, VA
Prediction: James Madison 38–24
1:00 PM PT — FS1
Maryland (2–2) at Nebraska (4–0)
Location: Memorial Stadium — Lincoln, NE
Prediction: Nebraska 35–21
1:00 PM PT — MW Network
UTEP (1–3) at New Mexico (3–1)
Location: University Stadium — Albuquerque, NM
Prediction: New Mexico 31–17
1:15 PM PT — SEC Network
#24 Kentucky (3–1) at South Carolina (2–2)
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium — Columbia, SC
Prediction: Kentucky 31–27
1:15 PM PT — Big Ten Network
Purdue (1–3) at Illinois (2–2)
Location: Memorial Stadium — Champaign, IL
Prediction: Illinois 35–24
3:00 PM PT — USA Network
Oregon State (2–2) at Colorado State (2–2)
Location: Canvas Stadium — Fort Collins, CO
Prediction: Oregon State 42–30
3:00 PM PT — ESPN+
Texas Southern at Florida Atlantic (3–1)
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium — Boca Raton, FL
Prediction: Florida Atlantic 49–7
Saturday Evening
4:00 PM PT — ESPN2
Arkansas (2–2) at Texas A&M (2–2)
Location: Kyle Field — College Station, TX
Prediction: Texas A&M 30–21
4:00 PM PT — ESPN
BYU (3–0) at TCU (2–2)
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium — Fort Worth, TX
Prediction: BYU 35–20
4:00 PM PT — ESPN+
UTSA (3–1) at Rice (1–3)
Location: Rice Stadium — Houston, TX
Prediction: UTSA 42–17
4:00 PM PT — ESPN+
Georgia Southern (1–3) at Coastal Carolina (1–3)
Location: Brooks Stadium — Conway, SC
Prediction: Coastal Carolina 27–24
4:00 PM PT — ESPN+
ULM (0–4) at South Alabama (2–2)
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium — Mobile, AL
Prediction: South Alabama 38–10
4:30 PM PT — FOX
#12 Texas Tech (4–0) at Colorado (2–2)
Location: Folsom Field — Boulder, CO
Prediction: Texas Tech 42–20
4:30 PM PT — ABC
#4 Miami (4–0) at Clemson (3–1)
Location: Memorial Stadium — Clemson, SC
Prediction: Miami 35–24
4:30 PM PT — ESPNU
Temple (1–3) at South Florida (4–0)
Location: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, FL
Prediction: South Florida 27–17
4:30 PM PT — NBC
Washington (3–1) at #18 USC (3–1)
Location: United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — Los Angeles, CA
Prediction: Washington 38–34
With both teams coming off a loss, they will be looking forward to coming away with a victory against a fellow West Coast opponent. There were expectations placed on the Huskies, as they were led by returning starter Demond Williams and a strong defense. The defense has been great aside from last week; however, Washington’s offense has been a bit stagnant to start this season. At some point this year, that will change, and I expect it to happen against a suspect Trojan defense. This USC squad is starting to resemble the trend of previous Lincoln Riley-coached teams. They have a high-scoring offense led by Jaden Maiava, and their defense has great players but fails to get tangible results. With that being said, Washington will hand USC their second straight home loss.
4:30 PM PT — ESPN+
Army (2–1) at Louisiana Tech (1–2)
Location: Joe Aillet Stadium — Ruston, LA
Prediction: Army 30–24
4:30 PM PT — CBS Sports Network
Utah State (1–3) at #22 Boise State (3–1)
Location: Albertsons Stadium — Boise, ID
Prediction: Boise State 38–17
4:45 PM PT — SEC Network
McNeese at #11 LSU (3–1)
Location: Tiger Stadium — Baton Rouge, LA
Prediction: LSU 56–7
5:00 PM PT — Big Ten Network
#6 Indiana (4–0) at Rutgers (1–3)
Location: SHI Stadium — Piscataway, NJ
Prediction: Indiana 42–17
5:00 PM PT — ESPN+
Arkansas State (2–2) at Louisiana (3–1)
Location: Cajun Field — Lafayette, LA
Prediction: Louisiana 34–24
6:30 PM PT — USA Network
Fresno State (3–1) at Washington State (1–3)
Location: Martin Stadium — Pullman, WA
Prediction: Washington State 31–27
Saturday Night
7:30 PM PT — ESPN
Baylor (3–1) at Arizona State (2–1)
Location: Mountain America Stadium — Tempe, AZ
Prediction: Arizona State 27–24
7:30 PM PT — The CW
Texas State (2–2) at San Diego State (1–3)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium — San Diego, CA
Prediction: Texas State 38–24
8:00 PM PT — FOX
Cincinnati (4–0) at Arizona (3–1)
Location: Arizona Stadium — Tucson, AZ
Prediction: Arizona 35–31
Late-night fireworks should be expected in this Big 12 clash, as the Bearcats head to Tucson looking to remain undefeated. I, like many others, expected Cincinnati to have a rebuilding year, but they have shown otherwise. Cincinnati has shown an ability to overcome adversity, as they have two straight comeback victories. This can be a double-edged sword, especially if they run into an experienced team that can close out games. Arizona is the type of team that can hand the Bearcats their first loss. Behind their veteran quarterback, Noah Fifita, they can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. In addition, they have a solid defense, which should cause issues for Cincinnati. I pick the Wildcats to win what should be an exciting shootout.
9:00 PM PT — MW+
San Jose State (2–2) at Hawaii (1–3)
Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — Honolulu, HI
Prediction: San Jose State 30–21
