No. 6 BYU @ Arizona State – Kolton
Saturday, Nov. 23 — Mountain America Stadium — Temple, Arizona
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
A lot has changed in one week, including the Big 12 conference standings shifting all over, which has opened the door for a sleeper team to push for an automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.
BYU suffered a devastating 17-13 loss to Kansas and will now have to hope to win out to punch a playoff ticket. With the loss, Arizona State now has a chance to travel to Arlington, Texas, for the Big 12 Championship Game with a win this weekend.
The Sun Devils are riding high after defeating No. 16 Kansas State 24-14, led by freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is completing 61.3% of his passes and is approaching 2,000 yards in the air with 1,906 thus far. He’s only thrown four interceptions and had tremendous help on the ground from 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior running back Cam Skattebo, who has 1,074 yards on the ground with 11 touchdowns.
As for the Cougars, their offense has fluctuated the last several weeks with inconsistently putting points on the board, but their Top 20 defense had stood its ground, giving up three or fewer touchdowns in the previous two games. Allowing 4.89 yards per play and giving up 315.3 yards per game is a solid formula for success with sophomore linebacker Harrison Taggart and junior safety Crew Wakley stepping up in crucial moments.
This game will come down to whether junior QB Jake Retzlaff can make big plays and find open space to distribute the ball to junior wide receivers Chase Roberts and senior Darius Lassiter, who both have four touchdowns this season. If Arizona State’s junior defensive back Myles Rowser, who leads the team in solo and total tackles, gets hot along with senior linebacker Caleb McCullough, it will be a blowout, so watch closely.
Prediction: Arizona State 41, BYU 33
No. 17 Colorado @ Kansas – Olivia
Saturday, Nov. 23 – Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri
2:30 p.m. on FOX
After a statement win over No. 6 BYU last week, the Kansas Jayhawks have a chance to muddle up No. 17 Colorado’s playoff chances with a clutch win this week. BYU and Colorado are currently tied for first in the Big 12 with a 6-1 record and with two weeks left, the Big 12 Conference Championship matchup is still up in the air.
The Buffalos will be challenged this week against the Jayhawks as they are hot coming off of a win against BYU, snapping their perfect record. Kansas has had two dominant wins in the last two weeks, defeating BYU and Iowa State who are among the top contenders in the conference.
The Buffalos have also had an amazing season led by senior QB Shedeur Sanders and junior WR Travis Hunter. Sanders has an impressive 27 touchdowns on the season and Hunter has 911 yards for 74 receptions, with a total of 9 touchdowns.
Colorado has blown out their last four opponents with the closest margin being 11 points, while on the other hand, Kansas has snuck by in their last two games.
Prediction: Colorado 21 Kansas 17
No. 18 Army @ No. 6 Notre Dame – Eric @_ericliu12
Saturday, Nov. 23 – Yankee Stadium – New York City, New York
6:00 p.m. on NBC
As the season winds down, the Black Knights are off to face the Fighting Irish in a game with huge playoff implications.
Teams so far have been unable to stop coach Jeff Monken and his triple-option offense, with Army’s 334.9 rushing yards per-game ranked first in the nation by a wide margin. Senior QB Bryson Daily has been on a tear this season, over 1,000 yards rushing and his 21 rushing touchdowns are only behind junior Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty’s absurd 26, to sit at second in the nation.
With the Black Knights’ methodical rushing attack, opposing teams are caught off guard when Daily decides to drop back and show why he has been ruthlessly efficient with his passing attempts. Daily’s 204.3 quarterback rating would lead the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify. Senior WR Casey Reynolds is in charge of blocking almost every play, but he has the ability to take it to the house when given a chance.
The option offense has given team’s fits but Notre Dame is perfectly positioned to stop Army’s Cinderella run. The Fighting Irish already have experience facing a military academy offense this season, having demolished the Navy Midshipmen 51-14, on Oct. 26.
Notre Dame’s defense is among the nation’s best and they’re tied for best in the country when it comes to turnovers with 25. Constant pressure into the backfield forced usually-sound junior QB Blake Horvath into some uncharacteristically bad decisions, so look for the Fighting Irish to send Daily some constant heat.
Senior QB Riley Leonard has operated as a capable dual-threat for Notre Dame and even though his stats don’t jump off the page, he has experience in running an efficient offense. Leonard and Co. should make enough plays while the Fighting Irish will be the first team to shut down Daily all season.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Army 10
No. 22 Iowa State @ Utah – Roman
Saturday, Nov. 23 — Rice-Eccles Stadium — Salt Lake City, Utah
6:30 p.m. on FBS
Coming into this game with an impressive 8-2 record, the Iowa State Cyclones fly into Salt Lake City to take on a conference rival, the Utah Utes.
In their last game, the Cyclones dominated the Cincinnati Bearcats with a 34-17 victory on their home field. In that game, rising-sophomore QB Rocco Becht showcased his talent as he threw for 234 yards and a touchdown while completing 72.7% of his passes. Sophomore RB Abu Sama III contributed 52 yards on the ground, including a touchdown while sophomore tight end Gabe Burkle added 73 yards on 6 receptions.
The Utes enter this game with a 4-6 record, including a 49-24 loss last week against the Colorado Buffaloes. In that game, freshman QB Isaac Wilson had 236 yards in the air while converting on two passing touchdowns. He also recorded three interceptions and will be looking to limit his turnovers. Redshirt freshman RB Mike Mitchell was the Utes’ leading rusher as he had 27 yards on 7 carries. Junior TE Carsen Ryan and senior WR Dorian Singer combined 9 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.
If Utah wants to be competitive in this game, it needs to limit the mistakes and churn out a better offensive production. If it has four total turnovers like it did against Colorado, it will face a similar fate as last week. The Utes might want to bring more variety as well. Against the Buffaloes, they only recorded 31 rushing yards while most of their offense came through the air.
If the Cyclones want to win, their defense needs to bring high energy. Applying pressure to the Utes’ offense will be key for them.
All in all, I have to go with Iowa State in this one.
Prediction: Iowa State 34, Utah 14
