ASK FARRELL: Can Florida hang with Georgia this weekend?
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with some thoughts UCF as a playoff contender, some burning questions and predictions for the weekend.
1. SETTLE DOWN, UCF FANS
OK UCF fans, it’s time to settle down. I know the Knights have the nation’s longest winning streak and are currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25, but the playoff talk has to stop.
UCF plays in the AAC and essentially plays no one. No one? That’s right, no one. Why is UCF No. 10 in the country right now with wins over teams like UConn, Pitt, SMU and others? What big win do the Knights have to brag about? Auburn? That was last year and it seems pretty evident that the Tigers didn’t want to be there.
I would easily pick a one or even two-loss Power Five team for the College Football Playoff over the AAC champions.
UCF has huge (sarcasm) games left against Cincinnati, USF and potentially Houston, so the Knights could move even further into playoff range as other top 10 teams get knocked off.
But let’s keep it real, UCF fans. Your program should schedule teams a little better than Pitt and North Carolina (game canceled due to weather) if you want national respect. Take a look at Boise State, a non-traditional power, and the schedule the Broncos used to play back in the day. They used to travel across the country for non-conference games against teams such as Georgia and Virginia Tech – and win – to gain respect. Do what they did. Until then, keep it to a hush.
The Knights didn’t win the national title last season and can forget about the playoff this year. Everyone roots for the little guy, right? Not me when they don’t deserve it.
2. BURNING QUESTIONS
Here are the burning questions on my mind this week.
Is Iowa underrated? The Hawkeyes are at Penn State this weekend and if they win that one, they are staring at an 11-1 season. My pick for a dark horse in the Big Ten this year, Iowa is quietly having a great season and should run the table with Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Nebraska after Penn State. And people say Kirk Ferentz is overpaid.
Is Florida for real? The Gators are in the top 10 and we will find out exactly how good they are this weekend against Georgia. I like the direction of the program and like the defense quite a bit and big things are ahead next season and beyond under Dan Mullen.
Can Purdue do it again? Michigan State isn’t Ohio State and the win wouldn’t be nearly as big, but can Purdue knock off another big-time team in the Big Ten again this weekend? After what I saw from the Spartans against Michigan, this should be a good game and the Boilermakers seem like they can hang with anyone.
Is this a trap game for Texas? West Virginia looms and Oklahoma State is not a power at all this season, but is this a game the Longhorns will overlook? Texas needs to stay focused to run the table and try to get into the playoff and this could be a tough road game.
Will Washington State let down? Stanford is on the schedule and after such an emotional win last weekend, how can the Cougars not let down a little bit?
Can Florida State hang at all? Clemson looks really good, especially after its domination of NC State but this is a rivalry game and always a tough out. Can the Seminoles hang with the Tigers through the game? This could be the biggest test left on Clemson's schedule.
3. PREDICTION TIME!
Its prediction time! These are big games that interest me this weekend and how I see each shaking out:
Florida vs. Georgia – I have Georgia winning this one by around a field goal or so. It should be a close contest because of the Gators' defense.
Clemson vs Florida State – IClemson wins this one big and runs away with things by the third quarter. The Tigers are on a roll lately, Trevor Lawrence is getting more comfortable and the defense should dominate.
Iowa vs. Penn State – I’ll take Iowa in a close game here, maybe by a field goal. Penn State hasn’t been playing well lately and Iowa is one of the more underrated teams in the country.
Purdue vs. Michigan State – Purdue has a letdown and Michigan State bounces back to win a low-scoring battle.
Washington State vs. Stanford – Washington State passes its way to victory here as the Cougars outlast Stanford in what could be a high-scoring affair.
Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State – I’m not sure why this game intrigues me because Mississippi State is so predictable on offense. Give me Texas A&M by a couple of touchdowns.
NC State vs. Syracuse – NC State bounces back from the awful loss to Clemson and wins a big one here by 14 or more points.
Texas vs. Oklahoma State – Oklahoma State in the upset here as Texas shows it’s not ready for primetime just yet.
