NCAAF

Top Three College Football Games this Weekend: A Look Ahead

By Bradley Walker

Posted on October 5, 2019

College football now turns to Week 6. There have already been some great games in the first four weeks. There was Pittsburg defeating UCF, North Carolina nearly defeating number one Clemson and many more. I was given the assignment to talk about the upcoming weekend games. Now to me, this is what makes college football so much fun. It is very hard to pick games out because no matter what team you cheer for, they are all exciting. The top three games I am going to touch on are 25 Michigan State Spartans vs 4 Ohio State Buckeyes, 14 Iowa Hawkeyes vs 19 Michigan Wolverines, and 7 Auburn Tigers vs 10 Florida Gators. These games jump out to me as being very important to all six teams. For the Gators, Buckeyes, and Tigers this could be the next step of them making a playoff appearance. Let see how these games end.

25 Michigan State Spartans vs 4 Ohio State Buckeyes

This is a classic Big 10 showdown. The Buckeyes have been a top team in the Big 10. This comes after head coach Urban Meyer decided to step down and become an assistant athletic director. Ryan Day is now the head coach and has the Buckeyes at 5-0. They have defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls, Cincinnati Bearcats, Indiana Hoosiers, Miami Ohio RedHawks, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This will be their toughest opponent yet as the Spartans come in 4-1. They come in with wins over the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, Western Michigan Broncos, Northwestern Wildcats, and Indiana Hoosiers. The Spartans’ one defeat came against the Arizona State Sun Devils. They have a good defense which they will need to beat the Buckeyes. Now according to Ryan Day, he called the Spartan defense the best of the decade. Look for the Buckeyes to be great on offense and the Spartans to counter.

Look for this game to be a back and forth game. This might be upset. The Spartans have the team to beat the Buckeyes. Let see how this one turns out. This is the first of the top three games.

Game notes:

For the Buckeyes, this is going to be their first national test to see if they can stay in the Top 4. Their offensive line will have its first test of the year against the Spartans’ talented defense. QB Justin Fileds could find himself under pressure all game long. The Wolverines are dealing with an offensive identity issue this year. The offensive line has been inconsistent at best. They may have to deoend on the run game to win this one.

14 Iowa Hawkeyes vs 19 Michigan Wolverines

The Hawkeyes come into Ann Arbor undefeated. Like in past years, they have been the dark horse in the Big 10. They have defeated the Miami Ohio RedHawks, Rutgers Scarlett Knights, Iowa State Cyclones, and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Now in those four wins the only close game was the Iowa State game. That game was where ESPN College Gameday was live earlier this season. The Wolverines come into this game with a 3-1 record. They have defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Army Black Knights, and Rutgers Scarlett Knights. The Wolverines one loss came against a conference rival the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers ran all over them in a 35-14 win. Besides the Buckeyes, the Badgers have been a top team in the Big 10. The Wolverines had a bounce-back win last week against Rutgers. This, like the Buckeye vs Spartans game should be close.

This is the second of the Top 3 games.

Game notes:

The Hawkeyes are playing sound football as they are second the country with the fewest penalties. They have committed only one turnover and have allowed just 15 tackles for loss. This trend must continue to beat a hungry Michigan team. Speaking of Michigan, they must establish the ground game to set up the pass. QB Shea Patterson, benched in the Wisconsin loss, must play at a higher level against a better defense.

7 Auburn Tigers vs 10 Florida Gators

Up till this point, this will be the best SEC game to date. It features two top 10 teams. For both teams, this could help or destroy their playoff chances. If they win, they will be on top of their respected side of the SEC. If they lose it could take them out of the playoff and the championship game. The Auburn Tigers come in undefeated. They have beat the Oregon Ducks, Tulane Green Wave, Kent State Golden Flashes, Texas AM Aggies, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That means that already have two in conference wins. Their two big wins are against the Ducks and Aggies. Both games were close, but the Tigers came out with a win. Now they come to Gainesville on homecoming to play the undefeated Gators. The Gators have wins over the Miami Hurricanes, Tennessee Martin Skyhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers and Towson Tigers.

Just like the Tigers the Gators also have two conference wins. Look for Auburn defense to test the Gators offense. Especially with Kyle Trask. On the flip side, the Gators defense will test Bo Nix the Tigers quarterback. This like the other two games will be close with the better team coming out on top. This is game three of the top three.

Game notes:

The Auburn offense has been good, but freshman QB, Bo Nix is going to have to be better to beat the Gators. He has had issues completing the deep ball and that will be put to the test against a tight Florida secondary. The battel will be in the trenches between the two lines. Florida lost starting QB Felipe Franks and in stepped Kyle Trask. Trask has put up good numbers but he will be facing a Tigers defense that is giving up just 4.8 yards per play so far.