14 Other Notable Games

Iowa at Purdue
Go figure. I expected Iowa to beat Iowa State and lose to Pittsburgh. They lose to Iowa State and beat Pittsburgh. That's college football for you. Given this, it may be bad news for the Hawkeyes that I'm picking them to beat Purdue. We'll see though. Defense will be the key for them in West Lafayette in the Big 10 opener for both teams.
My Call: Iowa 24, Purdue 17

Northwestern at Penn State
First win of the season for Northwestern came against Western Illinois. Penn State will be looking for its fifth win after they got an easy win against UMass. They'll get it here. Northwestern is just simply far too erratic for me to trust on the road against any semi-decent team.
My Call: Penn State 31, Northwestern 14

North Carolina at Clemson
Like Kansas State, it was a night of missed opportunities for the Clemson Tigers. They had Florida State on the ropes, but a couple missed field goals as well as a fumble in the red zone ultimately did them in during an overtime loss to a Jameis Winston-less Florida State team in Tallahassee. Does that make them vulnerable for an emotional letdown here? Absolutely, but I think their saving grace here will be how bad UNC seems to be defensively. Don't get me wrong, East Carolina has a very good team and Shane Carden may be the best QB in college football who isn't talked about, but giving up 70 points is embarrassing. UNC also gave up 27 and 29 points to San Diego State and Liberty, so this doesn't just appear to be a one time deal. Freshman Deshaun Watson looks like he'll start this game for Clemson, and he should be able to rack up some nice numbers. I think the Heels could show some pride after last week's meltdown, but a bad defense is still a bad defense.
My Call: Clemson 38, North Carolina 31

Vanderbilt at Kentucky
While a loss to a bad looking Florida team may not be a big deal to most, it was a sign of progress for a Kentucky team that's seeking relevance under coach Mark Stoops. Vanderbilt showed a ton of progress in its 48-34 loss to South Carolina. Sure, they still gave up 48 points, but at least they hung tough with a good team after blowout losses at the hands of Temple and Ole Miss and a near bad loss to UMass. I'm not entirely sure where that leaves us in a matchup between these two teams, but I'll take the Wildcats at home. They seem to be a bit further along than Vandy.
My Call: Kentucky 30, Vanderbilt 20

Colorado State at Boston College
Here's a game where I'm not sure how much of it I'll watch, but will at least have an eye on from afar. Boston College had a very surprising win over USC, so I'm interested in seeing how they do against a solid Rams squad under Jim McElwain, who will be looking to make up for a blowout loss at the hands of Boise State on that blue turf. I'll go with the Eagles in this one. They won't play as well as they did against the Trojans, but I expect them to make just enough plays to get by.
My Call: Boston College 27, Colorado State 23

Maryland at Indiana
Two teams that I picked against last week face off in Bloomington in the Big 10 opener for both teams. It'll be the first game period for Maryland as a member of the Big 10 against another Big 10 opponent. And actually, I'm 0 for 2 in picking Terps games the last two weeks. Will the third time be the charm? I don't know, but I do expect a lot of points to be scored in this one as I don't think very highly of either defense. In a throw of the dart, I'll go with Maryland. That may not be a bad thing for Indiana though as my dart throw picks are very rarely a success.
My Call: Maryland 35, Indiana 31

Minnesota at Michigan
Now for a game that I have no feeling for whatsoever. None. These appear to be two bad Big 10 teams who seem to have trouble putting points up on the scoreboard. That leaves it up to me to throw the dart again and hope for the best. Michigan let me down big against Utah last week,  I'll give them a chance to redeem themselves. Granted I don't think they'll do it by a lot. Brady Hoke is gonna need a lot more than this though in order to keep his job (that is if he even gets this win, which I consider to be a BIG "if" given this score prediction...
My Call: Michigan 23, Minnesota 20

Wake Forest at Louisville
Bobby Petrino may not have Louisville where he eventually expects them to be in his second stint with them, but the Cards should have very little trouble with a Wake Forest team that can't run, can't pass and can't score. The Demon Deacons are 81st in the FBS passing yards (just under 221 per game), 127th in the FBS in rushing yards (42 yards per game) and 112th in the FBS in points per game at a shade over 20 a game. This one won't be pretty.
My Call: Louisville 41, Wake Forest 13

Colorado at California
Heartbreak hotel for Cal as they blew a 15 point lead with about five minutes remaining in Tucson, losing on a hailmary at the last second to Arizona. How can they bounce back from that? Well, having a team like Colorado that comes into Berkeley giving up about 30 points per game and isn't a juggernaut offensively should get help them even up their Pac 12 record. I'd expect a lot of points to be scored between two teams that aren't very good defensively. The Bears have the better QB though in Goff and the homefield advantage which I think will be enough.
My Call: California 45, Colorado 35

Central Michigan at Toledo
Toledo can't seem to stop anybody, but it shouldn't matter too much against a Central Michigan that they're far superior too offensively and have homefield advantage against. Plus the Chippewas are damn close to the bottom of the FBS in all offensive categories.
My Call: Toledo 30, Central Michigan 10

Boise State at Air Force
Even off their blue turf, the Broncos should be able to handle Air Force without too much of a problem. Next week at Nevada could be tough though.
My Call: Boise State 41, Air Force 24

Duke at Miami (FL)
Normally I would pick the more desperate team... believe it or not, that's Miami. Ten years ago this wouldn't have been a contest, but Duke coach David Cutcliffe sure has made sure Duke is no longer just a basketball school. They may not be winning a conference title in the future, but he seems to have built them into a solid ACC program, which is a nice accomplishment at Duke. I'll go with the Devils in a slight upset. Not sure why, just a gut feeling.
My Call: Duke 34, Miami 31

Washington State at Utah
Even though a win over Michigan in Ann Arbor doesn't hold nearly the same prestige as it once did, I'll give the Utes credit for proving my stupid prediction of Michigan beating them wrong. As for Wazzu, they put forth a great effort against the second ranked Oregon Ducks, but couldn't keep Marcus Mariotta in check and they fell just short in a 38-31 home defeat. This one's in Salt Lake City though, and I can't imagine the Cougs will put forth the same A plus effort against the Utes that they did against the Ducks. Give me Utah.
My Call: Utah 45, Washington State 38

Texas at Kansas
Certainly the Horns haven't fallen to where they'll lose to Kansas, have they? They've certainly fallen to the point where it won't be pretty, but even with all the players Coach Charlie Strong seems to dismiss by the week, the Longhorns should have the talent to get by here. Tyrone Swoopes ought to be able to make a couple big plays with his feet while the Texas defense keeps the Jayhawks offense at bay. Texas by a couple scores.
My Call: Texas 24, Kansas 10