No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida: Aidan Gallardo
Final Score Prediction: Florida 31, Kentucky 24
Well, what do we have brewing down in Gainesville, Fla.? One of the major storylines from Week 1 came from this Florida Gators squad led by first-year head coach Billy Napier when they took down then No. 7-ranked Utah right out of the gates. The Gators ran all over Utah’s defense, ending the night with a team total of 283 yards on the ground. Quarterback Anthony Richardson got the majority of the team’s rushing yards (106 yards on 11 carries) and tallied three touchdowns. The Swamp was electric and I’m sure the atmosphere will be just as wild when Kentucky rolls into town.
As for the Wildcats, they had a lot to be excited about during the offseason. They won last week against the Miami Redhawks 37-13 by taking advantage of Miami’s poor secondary defense. But it wasn’t a very pretty game for Kentucky. Although quarterback Will Levis threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, he did have an interception. Kentucky wide receiver Tayvion Robinson was practically unguardable. Robinson ended the game with six catches for 136 yards.
I’m expecting this game to be physical and gritty. If the Wildcats want to win this game, they’ll need to stop Richardson and the Gators’ rushing attack because if they don’t, this game will easily slip away from them.
No. 1 Alabama at Texas: Cameron Larkin
Final Score Prediction: Alabama 48, Texas 16
This week’s “College Gameday” matchup has the potential to be the game of the week. Alabama used Week 1 against Utah State as a warmup for this Saturday’s matchup. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, threw for 196 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Tide to a 55-0 win. As for Texas, quarterback Quinn Ewers looked very impressive in his Longhorn debut. The redshirt freshman threw for 225 yards and tallied two touchdowns on the day against Louisiana Monroe.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban will undoubtedly have his guys ready for the bright lights. His teams are quite accustomed to the pressure, but there are questions about whether Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian can rally his boys in the same way.
Alabama ran all over Utah State in Week 1; the Tide totaled 278 rushing yards, including 100 yards from Young and 93 yards from running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The Crimson Tide boasts one of the most dynamic offenses in college football, so it will be interesting to see its game plan against Texas.
As I said, this game could be the best of the week, but I do not think it will be particularly close. The Tide will simply be too much for the Longhorns to handle as they take care of business in Austin.
No. 22 Ole Miss vs. Central Arkansas: Owen Pustell
Final Score: Ole Miss 42, Central Arkansas 10
After a poor performance from Jaxson Dart in Week 1, the starting quarterback job has been transferred to sophomore Luke Altmyer. Last season, Altmyer threw for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but with a strong performance on Saturday, he can take hold of the QB1 spot. That being said, expect another heavy dose of the run as Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins look to have another dominant performance. Defensively, it appears that Khari Coleman has settled into his JACK role quite well and will be the playmaker in the front seven while Troy Brown holds down a more traditional coverage role.
Last week, Central Arkansas was scoreless for three quarters against Missouri State before scoring a pair of touchdowns in garbage time. Quarterback Will McElvain threw a pair of interceptions and just 173 yards in the loss with his favorite target being Myles Butler, who hauled in six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Running back Darius Hale looked efficient, tallying 99 yards on 18 carries for an average of 5.5 yards. In summary, the Bears present very little threat to Ole Miss in any stage of the game.
This game should not be close for any amount of time. Ole Miss will be able to control the line of scrimmage as well as dominate with the clear talent gap between these teams. I think it’s possible Central Arkansas gets lucky with field position late in the game and scores a garbage time touchdown, but this game mostly serves as an audition for the QB1 role in Oxford.
No. 24 Tennessee at No. 17 Pittsburgh: Ian Sparks
Final Score: Pittsburgh 35, Tennessee 31
Coming in the prime-time spot, Pitt hosts newly ranked Tennessee in what is shaping out to be a good one. Both teams now have a game under their belts, albeit with quite a gap in quality in terms of opposition. Tennessee romped visiting Ball State in their Week 1 matchup 59-10. Quarterback Hendon Hooker threw for two touchdowns and 221 yards last Saturday, as well as producing two scores on the ground. The Vols’ offense looked potent last weekend, and they’ll do well if they can replicate that this upcoming Saturday.
The Panthers are no slouch, however, despite escaping with a win at home against West Virginia last week behind transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis’ big night. The former University of Southern California Trojan threw for 301 yards and a touchdown against the Mountaineers in a wild ending. After losing 2021 Heisman candidate Kenny Pickett to the draft, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has assembled a talented squad yet again this year. Not to mention, the Panthers play in an NFL stadium (Acrisure Stadium, formerly known as Heinz Field), which will be a difficult test on the road for the Volunteers.
While the Vols are the favorites to win (currently a 6.5-point favorite), I think Pitt will come out with the victory. In my opinion, Tennessee is quite there yet, but I would not be shocked if Tennessee comes out of the Northeast at 2-0.
