Quarterback Zach Mettenberger and LSU fell short of throwing for 300 yards last week, but other than that my opening weekend predictions held up pretty well. Alabama clearly dominated Michigan at the line of scrimmage with a 232-69 edge in rushing yards in the Crimson Tide's 41-14 win.
We'll try to keep that momentum going this week. Here are my bold predictions for Week 2:
1. Florida will spoil Texas A&M's SEC debut
One of the more intriguing storylines for Week 2 involves the 24th-ranked Florida Gators traveling to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies in A&M's SEC debut. ESPN's "College GameDay" will be there, and despite the fact that Florida has won seven straight road openers against SEC opponents, the Gators are entering the game as a slight underdog, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Phil Steele
Get access to Phil Steele's football analysis all year long at PhilSteele.com. You can check out his previous articles for ESPN Insider below:
• Week 1 bold predictions
Last week Florida had an underwhelming 27-14 win over Bowling Green, and Gators fans voiced their concern about the offensive woes under first-year offensive coordinator Brent Pease. Head coach Will Muschamp took the blame earlier this week, admitting that he wanted the Gators to establish their running game at all costs -- so I expect a much more open playbook this week.
Florida running back Mike Gillislee did run for a career-high 148 yards against the Falcons, and he gives the Gators' offense an inside running threat, which is something it did not have a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel got the majority of the snaps last week and was named the Week 2 starter after a heated competition with Jacoby Brissett in the Gators' preseason camp. I rated Driskel as the No. 1 quarterback in the country the year he came out of high school, and I feel that by the end of the season he will be a solid SEC signal-caller.
On the other side, Texas A&M had its game against Louisiana Tech postponed as a result of Hurricane Isaac, which was a huge missed opportunity for redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel to get some reps in the new offense. This week he has the daunting task of facing one of the top defenses in the country, as Florida has 10 starters back from last season's unit and has elite talent at each level.
Both teams should be highly motivated after Muschamp's "one visit to College Station is enough" comments, which were followed by a billboard going up in Gainesville touting the Aggies as the "cleanest program in the SEC."
However, the combination of having a new head coach, a new quarterback and new schemes on both sides of the ball while playing in their first game in a new conference spells big trouble for the Aggies. The Gators are my surprise pick to win the SEC East this year, and they'll take a major step toward that with a huge road win in front of a raucous Kyle Field crowd.
2. Mississippi State will beat Auburn in this week's toss-up game
I correctly predicted that Tennessee would win comfortably over NC State in last week's toss-up game, and this week I'll stay in the SEC. Despite the fact that Auburn has won 10 of its last 11 games against Mississippi State, the Bulldogs are the slight favorite this week, according to Las Vegas (favored by 3).
John Reed/US PresswireLook for the Bulldogs to get revenge for last season's loss to Auburn.
Last year the Bulldogs were shockingly favored on the road against the defending national champs, but lost a 41-34 thriller when the Auburn defense stopped Bulldogs quarterback Chris Relf at the 1-yard line on the final play. This year the intangibles favor Mississippi State, as it is coming off an easy win over Jackson State, while Auburn must travel yet again this week after a tough 26-19 loss to Clemson in Atlanta on Saturday.
While it is well-documented that Dan Mullen is 0-12 as a head coach versus SEC West foes not named Ole Miss, the Bulldogs nearly beat a Cam Newton-led Auburn team two years ago in Starkville. After two years of heartbreak versus the Tigers, the Bulldogs will take the next step toward becoming an SEC contender with a key conference win.
3. We could see more FCS over FBS upsets
Last week, four lower-division FCS schools pulled shocking upsets over FBS teams, and this week could feature several more surprise wins for FCS programs. Since 2007, Minnesota has lost three games to FCS competition, while its opponent New Hampshire has upset four FBS schools since 2004. Stephen F. Austin is one of the most improved teams in the FCS and catches SMU on a short week following a big loss to Baylor.
Eastern Washington upset Idaho last week and could pull another this week against Washington State. Remember, in last year's opener the Eagles nearly beat Washington (lost 30-27). North Dakota State, the defending FCS champion, has won five games against FBS teams since 2006, and this week the team catches Colorado State coming off a rivalry win over Colorado.
UNLV lost to Southern Utah 41-16 last year and must regroup after a three-overtime loss to Minnesota last week in order to take on a dangerous Northern Arizona team. Lastly, Illinois State's tough defense, which allowed just 86 yards rushing per game last year, matches up well with Eastern Michigan's ground attack.
4. Oklahoma and Stanford will be just fine
Both the Sooners and Cardinal struggled in their season openers against non-BCS schools, and the national consensus after just one week is that both teams are overrated. It reminds me of two years ago when Oklahoma looked shaky in a 31-24 opening win over Utah State. The next week the Sooners took on Florida State. Many were projecting a Seminoles upset, but OU blasted FSU 47-17 in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score. The Sooners would go on to win the Big 12 that year -- and as long as their young offensive line improves and quarterback Landry Jones finds some chemistry with his wide receivers, I expect the Sooners to, at a minimum, do the same this year.
Last week Stanford jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over San Jose State and appeared to get a little overconfident against the team it beat 57-3 last year. The Cardinal then found themselves having to kick a fourth-quarter field goal to pull out the win. Led by third-year head coach Mike MacIntyre, San Jose State is a dangerous team and the final score did not shock me.
While I expect quarterback Josh Nunes to have his growing pains, he is surrounded by plenty of experienced players. Look for the Cardinal to finish in the top 20 by the end of the season.
Phil Steele has published his annual college football preview magazine for the past 18 years. You can follow his work at PhilSteele.com.
We'll try to keep that momentum going this week. Here are my bold predictions for Week 2:
1. Florida will spoil Texas A&M's SEC debut
One of the more intriguing storylines for Week 2 involves the 24th-ranked Florida Gators traveling to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies in A&M's SEC debut. ESPN's "College GameDay" will be there, and despite the fact that Florida has won seven straight road openers against SEC opponents, the Gators are entering the game as a slight underdog, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Phil Steele
Get access to Phil Steele's football analysis all year long at PhilSteele.com. You can check out his previous articles for ESPN Insider below:
• Week 1 bold predictions
Last week Florida had an underwhelming 27-14 win over Bowling Green, and Gators fans voiced their concern about the offensive woes under first-year offensive coordinator Brent Pease. Head coach Will Muschamp took the blame earlier this week, admitting that he wanted the Gators to establish their running game at all costs -- so I expect a much more open playbook this week.
Florida running back Mike Gillislee did run for a career-high 148 yards against the Falcons, and he gives the Gators' offense an inside running threat, which is something it did not have a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel got the majority of the snaps last week and was named the Week 2 starter after a heated competition with Jacoby Brissett in the Gators' preseason camp. I rated Driskel as the No. 1 quarterback in the country the year he came out of high school, and I feel that by the end of the season he will be a solid SEC signal-caller.
On the other side, Texas A&M had its game against Louisiana Tech postponed as a result of Hurricane Isaac, which was a huge missed opportunity for redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel to get some reps in the new offense. This week he has the daunting task of facing one of the top defenses in the country, as Florida has 10 starters back from last season's unit and has elite talent at each level.
Both teams should be highly motivated after Muschamp's "one visit to College Station is enough" comments, which were followed by a billboard going up in Gainesville touting the Aggies as the "cleanest program in the SEC."
However, the combination of having a new head coach, a new quarterback and new schemes on both sides of the ball while playing in their first game in a new conference spells big trouble for the Aggies. The Gators are my surprise pick to win the SEC East this year, and they'll take a major step toward that with a huge road win in front of a raucous Kyle Field crowd.
2. Mississippi State will beat Auburn in this week's toss-up game
I correctly predicted that Tennessee would win comfortably over NC State in last week's toss-up game, and this week I'll stay in the SEC. Despite the fact that Auburn has won 10 of its last 11 games against Mississippi State, the Bulldogs are the slight favorite this week, according to Las Vegas (favored by 3).
John Reed/US PresswireLook for the Bulldogs to get revenge for last season's loss to Auburn.
Last year the Bulldogs were shockingly favored on the road against the defending national champs, but lost a 41-34 thriller when the Auburn defense stopped Bulldogs quarterback Chris Relf at the 1-yard line on the final play. This year the intangibles favor Mississippi State, as it is coming off an easy win over Jackson State, while Auburn must travel yet again this week after a tough 26-19 loss to Clemson in Atlanta on Saturday.
While it is well-documented that Dan Mullen is 0-12 as a head coach versus SEC West foes not named Ole Miss, the Bulldogs nearly beat a Cam Newton-led Auburn team two years ago in Starkville. After two years of heartbreak versus the Tigers, the Bulldogs will take the next step toward becoming an SEC contender with a key conference win.
3. We could see more FCS over FBS upsets
Last week, four lower-division FCS schools pulled shocking upsets over FBS teams, and this week could feature several more surprise wins for FCS programs. Since 2007, Minnesota has lost three games to FCS competition, while its opponent New Hampshire has upset four FBS schools since 2004. Stephen F. Austin is one of the most improved teams in the FCS and catches SMU on a short week following a big loss to Baylor.
Eastern Washington upset Idaho last week and could pull another this week against Washington State. Remember, in last year's opener the Eagles nearly beat Washington (lost 30-27). North Dakota State, the defending FCS champion, has won five games against FBS teams since 2006, and this week the team catches Colorado State coming off a rivalry win over Colorado.
UNLV lost to Southern Utah 41-16 last year and must regroup after a three-overtime loss to Minnesota last week in order to take on a dangerous Northern Arizona team. Lastly, Illinois State's tough defense, which allowed just 86 yards rushing per game last year, matches up well with Eastern Michigan's ground attack.
4. Oklahoma and Stanford will be just fine
Both the Sooners and Cardinal struggled in their season openers against non-BCS schools, and the national consensus after just one week is that both teams are overrated. It reminds me of two years ago when Oklahoma looked shaky in a 31-24 opening win over Utah State. The next week the Sooners took on Florida State. Many were projecting a Seminoles upset, but OU blasted FSU 47-17 in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score. The Sooners would go on to win the Big 12 that year -- and as long as their young offensive line improves and quarterback Landry Jones finds some chemistry with his wide receivers, I expect the Sooners to, at a minimum, do the same this year.
Last week Stanford jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over San Jose State and appeared to get a little overconfident against the team it beat 57-3 last year. The Cardinal then found themselves having to kick a fourth-quarter field goal to pull out the win. Led by third-year head coach Mike MacIntyre, San Jose State is a dangerous team and the final score did not shock me.
While I expect quarterback Josh Nunes to have his growing pains, he is surrounded by plenty of experienced players. Look for the Cardinal to finish in the top 20 by the end of the season.
Phil Steele has published his annual college football preview magazine for the past 18 years. You can follow his work at PhilSteele.com.
