No. 1 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia: Cameron Larkin
Final Score Prediction: Georgia 37, Tennessee 27
The Volunteers travel to Athens, Ga. for the highest-ranked matchup of the 2022 season. This will be the second time this season the Vols play the No. 1 team, but this time may be slightly different.
As we know, Tennessee has the best win in college football by way of its 52-49 victory over Alabama in Neyland Stadium. Ever since that game, the Vols’ offense has looked unstoppable. Star wide receiver Jaylin Hyatt is a touchdown magnet and is somehow always open. Heisman trophy candidate quarterback Hendon Hooker is playing the best football of his life and head coach Josh Heupel has his team thinking national championship or bust.
The Bulldogs, however, have a couple of things going for them in this matchup. Dating back to 2017, the average margin of victory over Tennessee is almost 29 points, which includes a 41-0 shutout in Knoxville that year. The Dawgs are back between the hedges after taking care of Florida in Jacksonville, but that game was not a complete win. Star linebacker Nolan Smith returned home with a season-ending pectoral injury. In spite of this, Georgia is still the defending champs, so it is hard to pick against them, especially at home.
Georgia has Tennessee beat at every position group on defense. The Dawgs have the best tight end in the nation and quarterback Stetson Bennett has complete control over this stacked offense. Fans should expect a back-and-forth affair that will be defined by who can get more stops rather than who can score more points.
No. 4 Clemson at Notre Dame: Owen Pustell
Final Score Prediction: Clemson 21, Notre Dame 13
Clemson’s offensive success relies mostly on sophomore running back Will Shipley, who has rushed for 739 yards this season, including 293 yards in Clemson’s last two games. Though quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has been much improved from a downright abysmal sophomore season, he has still not lived up to the lofty expectations placed on him out of high school. The true strength of this team is the defense. Clemson’s Myles Murphy is one of the best EDGE defenders in college football. Bryan Bresee is a true game wrecker from the interior and linebacker Trenton Simpson plays like a rhino with a bee sting. Though Notre Dame has a strong offensive line, they will have their hands full with an ultra-talented and deep Clemson front seven.
This game will be trench warfare. Lining up across from Clemson’s elite defensive line will be five Notre Dame hogs who play football with bad intentions. Jarrett Patterson and Joe Alt headline the unit, locking down the left side and opening gaps for another sophomore running back in Audric Estime. Estime is a violent runner. He’s the type of player that makes defensive backs tackle low. Expect to see some explosive collisions between Trenton Simpson and Estime on Saturday – both of these players hit with malice. The real offensive difference maker for the Irish is tight end Michael Mayer. I honestly do not think Clemson has a true answer for him in coverage, so expect to see Carter Barrett and Andrew Mukuba working together to limit his involvement.
Florida State at Miami: Aidan Gallardo
Final Score Prediction: Miami 31, Florida State 28.
One of the best rivalries in college football will be on full display this Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami-Florida State is a rivalry that always has been tough, gritty, physical and unpredictable. Although both teams have had their struggles this season, this is a game that college football fans always look forward to.
Florida State has been fairly good this season. Despite three losses, they’ve kept it close with teams like Clemson and N.C. State. The problem with the Seminoles is that they beat the teams that they’re supposed to beat and they lose to ranked opponents, aside from their Week 1 win against LSU. Quarterback Jordan Travis had a phenomenal game last week against Georgia Tech, throwing for 396 yards and three touchdowns. It’ll be interesting to see whether he can carry over his solid play this week against the Canes.
As for Miami, what a disaster of a season it has been for first-year head coach Mario Cristobal. There were such high hopes before the season before it completely went off the rails for the Hurricanes. The offense is a disaster and when they do win games, it’s ugly. And I mean ugly. BUT for some reason, whenever they go face-to-face with the Seminoles, the Canes compete at a high level. I expect this game to be close, and I think it’ll come down to a game-winning field goal by Miami.
No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU: Caleb Harris
Final Score Prediction: Alabama 38, LSU 24
The Crimson Tide are traveling to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers.This is undoubtedly one of the biggest games of the weekend, one with many ramifications for the SEC West moving forward. There is a three-way tie in the division with Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss each owning a 4-1 conference record. The Tigers may be out of playoff contention with two losses overall this season, but they are very much in the hunt for a berth in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta.
The Tigers are on a two-game winning streak including a statement win over then No. 7 ranked Ole Miss, a win that put the entire conference on notice. The Tigers are in the top 35 for both offense and defense, but the key for LSU is Jayden Daniels. Daniels has been steller for the Tigers. He has 21 combined touchdowns and only one interception throughout the year. Daniels will need to be at his absolute best against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama can’t afford to take another loss if they want to reach the playoffs. I expect this to be a high-scoring game with the Crimson Tide coming out on top. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Bryce Young, will have yet another brilliant game against a slightly above average Tigers defense.
No. 21 Wake Forest vs. No. 22 N.C. State: Ian Sparks
Prediction: Wake Forest 31, N.C. State 28
In what should be an intense inter-divisional matchup between the Demon Deacons and the Wolfpack, both teams are looking to go above .500 in conference play. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman is having a wonderful year, as he is tied for sixth in the nation in touchdown passes with 22 and has more than 2,000 yards as well. Hartman has 571 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns against AP Top 25 ranked teams, something he’ll look to build on this weekend. Wake Forest will need a big game out of their junior QB to win this one on the road at a very hostile Carter-Finley Stadium.
However, Hartman will be going up against a very stingy N.C. State defense ranked 18th in the nation in total defense. They’re allowing just 195 passing yards this year and just 17 points per game. The question is whether the Wolfpack can make Hartman uncomfortable and force Wake to rely on their ground game. Combine this with a crucial home field advantage, and the Wolfpack could find themselves walking out with a win.
But I do think that the Deacons will prevail in this one. It’ll be a wire-to-wire game in which both teams will have chances to take over, but the experience of Hartman wins this one.
