4 of the Top 5 teams are on a Bye Week ( really all 5 noting #4 Clemson is featured in the Burnt Entrée section this week ) but some solid games on the slate with a Top 10 match up and a Primetime game with some newcomers.
Daylight Saving Time ends early Sunday morning along with the hopes and dreams of a few teams who’s fan’s will likely be listening to Johnny Cash’s Sunday Morning, taking shots of Charred Keg whiskey and chasing it with a mixture of gummy bears and Dijon mustard………..yep, a rough night…. Appy State fans are the first to the table after dropping a home game to Ga. Southern ( who ran through them like……never mind ) on Halloween Night. Baylor survived a scare by WV but did survive.
ZT survived the Halloween Candy Buffet after his bride purchased a relatively tame bag of candy so NO wax colas, NO golden circus peanuts, and NO candy corn…..did eat 38 Lemonheads and advised her I thought it was classified as a fruit and didn’t want to catch Scurvy…………….earned me a night on the couch. Good news, the annual fair is in town for 10 days and ZT is just giddy thinking about all the options as seen below……..
ZT plans to prognosticate before focusing his attention on this annual smorgasbord of food only fit to be served through a window and cash only to limit vendor liability…….
Padre received a message noting he should not be distracted by things of this world ( or ZT ) and stay completely focused on his GATORS. A look away and he could turn into a pillar of salt in the form of Uga or Chief Osceola……..ZT will not lead him astray……..
ZT’s Full Portion Prognostications
#8 Georgia Bulldogs 24 Florida Gators 23
The 2019 Version of The World’s Largest Cocktail Party is a tipping point for UF to help cutoff the Bulldog recruiting juggernaut of the past 3 years. A W by the Gators could shift the balance of power in the SEC East!! Love the added pressure of this Top 10 battle and unquestionable game of the week as it relates to the CFP picture. 2 Key Matchups: 1) the GA WR’s with the return of Lawrence “Don’t Wager against” Cager vs. the Gator Secondary and 2) the Bulldog XXXL O-Line ( Average Size 6’6″ & 330+ lbs. ) vs. a group of UF Front 7 that like sacks more than potato farmers from Idaho ( was going to say cannabis growers from Colorado but thought better of it.. ). ZT also believes UF TE Kyle “don’t smell my” Pitts can be a difference maker in this one if utilized to his full potential. Love the play of UF RB Perine but UGA has a stable of studs led by D’Andre “yes, I’m” Swift. UF HC Mullen will call a better game but in the end, the big uglies up front for GA will help them pound it early and hold on late. A low scoring affair with the Bulldogs squeezing out a win in Jacksonville.
#9 Utah Utes 24 Washington Huskies 23
UW beat Utah TWICE in 2018 and would love to spoil their 2019 season as well! Utah needs this one to earn some respect in the Punk-12 and College Football in general. They can do it with a tough defense and an offense that can actually score points! QB Huntley and RB Moss have the Utes ranked 37th in scoring offense with a balanced passing attack well-supported by Moss’ 6.6 yards per carry. Utah also has the lowest “3 and out” rate in the country! So, why do so many like the 5-3 Huskies at home in this one?? Utah’s only loss was against USC ( at a time the Trojans were performing like ” a used Trojan” ) with the rest of their schedule resembling a cupcake shelf at your local bakery! Utah HC Kyle Whittingham is also 1-4 against UW HC Chris Peterson. Huskies passing attack has improved and can flourish when QB Jacob Eason and his NBC network of WRs ( Nacua, Bynum, Chin ) get hot. Back to the question….while very tempting to take the home dog, ZT believes Utes dig out a close win in Seattle and live to die another day. Interesting note..UW HC Peterson handles fights at practice by something he calls “lovers lane” and makes the 2 players involved hold hands and walk the perimeter of the field. Brian Griese hears this and immediately takes a swing at a Freddie Mercury impersonator……
#7 Oregon Ducks 34 USC Trojans 31
Trojans (at 5-3 BUT 4-1 in the conference) are quietly in the driver’s seat in the Punk-12 South due to their tie-breaker advantage over #9 Utah. Oregon (3 games up in the Punk-12 North ) has no plans to take their foot off anyone’s neck as they still have an outside line for a CFP spot. A win @ USC keeps them there after Oklahoma got popped by K. State last week (no fault of former Bama QB Jalen “that loss did” Hurts). Last 2 games for Oregon were tighter than stretch jeans on Oprah Winfrey with close wins over UW & WSU. Ducks got to have the defense to step up and QB Justin Herbert to have a solid outing with his supporting cast. USC seemed to pick up their game a bit after a much needed bye week following a 2-2 September. Played ND tough in front of TD Jesus and then notched wins over AZ and Colorado. For the Trojans to win, they must disrupt Herbert and without their top pass rusher Drake Jackson, this is just not likely. ZT does believe USC DC Clancy “wish my name was Teddy” Pedergast will blitz more often than Pablo at El Toritos has to refill a fat man’s chips & salsa bowl. Ducks keep flying toward the CFP with a close road win and the Trojans can look forward to the San Antonio River Walk at the Alamo Bowl……
ZT’s Quick Snack Selections
Ole Miss Rebels/Bears/Admiral Ackbars 10 Auburn Tigers 41
Gus Bus needs only a little fuel as the Tigers are home for ALL OF NOVEMBER!! Jordan-Hare is not an easy place to play. Of course, when playing Ole Miss, you could play them at GITMO and still have an advantage.
#22 Kansas State Wildcats 28 Kansas Jayhawks 21
Fun game in the land of wheat, Dorothy & Toto, and some pretty darn good beef BBQ!! Wildcats have to avoid the let down after taking out Boomer Schooner last week while KU clipped Texas Tech in a wild one. Like the Purple Power Cats to devour the Jayhawks and leave Les Miles only sunflowers and a Little Bluestem ( ok, get your mind out of the gutter, this is the state grass of Kansas )……….
#15 SMU Mustangs 34 Memphis Tigers 38
Well, Well, Well……how about this for a Top 25 match up and PRIME TIME Game?!? Memphis wins because of a better defense and even though Pony Express 2.0 is averaging 43 PPG, the Tigers pull out a win…. “Thank you, Thank you very much”….
Miami Hurricanes 21 FSU Seminoles 31
Hurricane Season is officially over and more trash being talked between these 2 than at a Waste Management Convention. Seminoles get the W and keep their chances to play in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl alive ( kick it wide left in that game and your ball is in Ciudad Juarez…..)… FSU HC Taggart kicks one that way on purpose after the game and applies for asylum.
Mississippi State Bulldogs 27 Arkansas Maple Bacon 24
ARK HC Chad Morris guarantees a WIN!!! Put that right up there with campaign promises for free healthcare, forgiveness of student loan debt and taking a cruise with people who are still convinced the earth is flat!! Going with MSU and HC Joe “I need a bigger brain not” Morehead.
BYU Cougars 27 Utah State Aggies 23 – Upset Special
This is called the “Battle of the Old Wagon Wheel”…..hmmm……BYU has lost 9 in a row to UTAH and if they lose this one it would be 3 in a row to Utah State…..that would make BYU # 3 in the state and make it very hard to get more than 1 girlfriend……..not happening this year!!
Burnt Entrée
Wofford Terriers at #4 Clemson Tigers
Wofford is 5-3…..Never mind and not even going there if your mascot is a Terrier… at least add an adjective like “the rabid terriers” or the ” demon-possessed Terriers”…whatever…
Noting a headline in the Greenville SC news: ” The Clemson vs. Wofford series is older than every human on Earth” says about all you need to know…..The first game was in 1896 and for the 11 times they played until 1940, Clemson won 11. The only time Wofford EVER won was 1933 ( note this was the worst year of the depression, bread was .07 per loaf, gas was .10 per gallon and you could by a Plymouth 6 for $445 ). Also, Prohibition was repealed and the 1st drive-in theater opened in NJ. 9 months later, NJ had the highest birthrate on record……..( Ok, made that up but had you going!! ).
Now, with Clemson a 46-point favorite, ZT recommends you skip the game, clean the toilet with a small brush, do the dishes by hand, finish the laundry which includes properly folding the towels with a tri-fold as previously instructed by your wife/girlfriend, vacuum the entire house with a Black & Decker handheld unit. Do all of this while listening to a continuous loop of Baby by Justin Bieber. Next, go outside and put together the portable fire pit she bought from the “open box” section at Sam’s Club noting you will have to go to Ace Hardware to replace the missing screws and nuts. IF after all this, the game is still on, ask your sweetheart if she would like to go outside and talk about 5 things you could work on to take your relationship to the next level…….
ZT is OUT and off to food row at the fair….will provide a consumption report and note the ratings provided on a new app called Fair Advisor next week……
Pigskin Prognostications by the Piedmont Padre and Zimmern's Twin 