THE WEEKEND AHEAD (9/16)

Get your picks in!: Smack Apparel College Pick ‘Em

This week our panel of “Experts” are joined by Oregon football legend and former Heisman candidate, Joey Harrington. (Let us state for the record, he should have won.)

Joey laid out his picks for 10 of the weekend’s biggest games and gave us some insider analysis of arguably the biggest game of the week, #12 BYU at #25 Oregon. For the full video and breakdown, head on over to our YouTube page.

As far as our “Experts” go, The Bear is leading the way with a 15-4 overall record, followed by Wayne Dawg at 12-7, while Jeff and Kenny are both bringing up the rear at 11-8.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Football. Obviously.

FRIDAY NIGHT:
Florida State at Louisville, 7:30pm – ESPN

It’s no secret around here that Waynedawg and Kenny went to Florida State, and will pick the Seminoles on any given Saturday. FSU is coming off a bye week after a big win against LSU, while Louisville is coming off a fresh win at UCF. This game will be a big test for both teams to see who is a real player in the ACC this year.

Prediction: FSU 31- Louisville 24

SATURDAY:

Georgia at South Carolina, Noon – ESPN

On paper this shouldn’t be much of a game, but on the road in the SEC, you just never know what to expect. I’m interested to see if the new-look Gamecocks can use their home field advantage to keep things close against the best team in the country. My guess is no, but in the Sandstorm, anything is possible.

Prediction: Georgia 52 - South Carolina 24

Penn State at Auburn, 3:30pm – CBS

Last year the Tigers went into Happy Valley and played the Nittany Lions close, but ultimately came up short. This year Auburn is hoping to return the favor in what would be one of the biggest program wins they’ve had in a while.

Penn State on the other hand, is aiming for a climb up the top 25 rankings and cementing themselves as a contender. There’s no doubt that Jordan Hare Stadium will be ROCKIN for this one, but at the end of the day, I think Penn State has too much talent and the atmosphere is nothing Penn State’s sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford hasn’t seen before.

Prediction: Penn State 20 - Auburn 17

Miami at Texas A&M, 9:00pm – ESPN

By now everyone knows Texas A&M was embarrassed last week by Appalachian State. Since then, they’ve named a new starting quarterback, and spent the last week trying to defend their program and weird traditions on the internet. This feels like a must-win for Jimbo Fisher if he wants to keep his oil money boosters happy.

For Miami this is the first big test of the Cristobal era, and a win here would no doubt have those “donors” feeling good about their investment.

As much as I love our “Sucks to be U” shirts, I think it’s going to be a “Sucks to be Us” for Texas A&M fans, as last year’s Alabama win fades further into Aggieland memory.

Prediction: Miami 24 - Texas A&M 17

OTHER GAMES TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Oklahoma at Nebraska, Noon – FOX
First game in the post Scott Frost Era
BYU at Oregon, 3:30pm – FOX
Potentially huge playoff implications out West early in the season
USF at Florida, 7:30pm – SEC NETWORK
No reason other than that we have some USF graduates in the Smack house, and avoiding embarrassment at the hand of the Gators would be a win.

NFL Sunday:

Sunday Night Football: Chicago at Green Bay, 8:30pm – NBC

No love lost between these two rivals! Chicago is 1-0, while Green Bay is off to another slow start. Should be a fun one to finish the weekend!

Enjoy your weekend, Smack Fam! Keep an eye on our socials for gametime Smack talk!

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