Week 8 Preview

Week 8 Preview

No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 5 Florida State, 8 PM ET, ABC

Instant Analysis: Does or can it get any better than this folks? Here we go with the first top-five matchup of the season. This game does not need anymore hype than it has already received, so I am going to look at it from another angle. In the past few years the ACC has been the power five conference that has been down and without a marquee team or a marquee game. Well ACC fans now you have it, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. Heisman implications, national title implications, ACC Atlantic division championship implications, do I need to name any more?

Keys to victory:

Florida State: Let’s start with the away team here. First thing the Noles need to do is handle the environment, Death Valley is going to be rockin with 81,000-plus screaming Clemson fans. The main thing is to protect its star quarterback Jamies Winston. FSU cannot allow Clemson d-end Vic Beasley, who is No. 2 in the country in sacks to get to Winston. The FSU signal caller is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes against five or more pass rushers. Winston needs to take advantage of Clemson’s secondary, the Noles have three of the best receivers in the country and the Tiger secondary is below average at best. It is important for Florida State to run the ball, but FSU has to go through Winston. The best thing the Noles can do is force the Tiger secondary to try and make plays and when it doesn’t crush its sprit with big passing plays. Defensively, the Noles need to limit Sammy Watkins. If Watkins does catch the ball get him down immediately not allowing those big plays he is known to create. Also the Noles cannot allow Tajh Boyd to run the ball of those third and longs that he is so great a picking up.

Clemson: Like the Noles, the Tigers also need to handle the environment but to the point that they need to keep it as ruckus as possible. The Tigers need to get Boyd and Watkins going early. Clemson needs to count on the Boyd to Watkins big-play potential and create some of those big plays. Boyd has to be superman in this game, and needs to have his “Heisman moment.” Clemson is going to have to put up 45-plus points in this game to win and Boyd has to be the engine that makes it go. On defense, Clemson needs to have Beasley put Winston on his back a lot. The defense needs to feed off its crowd and get Winston off his sorts. If Clemson can use the Death Valley environment to its advantage it has a chance to win.

I do not think Clemson can stop the Florida State offense on enough possessions to win this game. Boyd and the Tiger offense is going to need to score 50-plus points to win and against the Noles fast and athletic defense I don’t see it happening. Jeremy and I both seem to think that this one will be a two touchdown game for the Noles or it will be a last second Noles field goal to win.

Nick’s Pick: Florida State, 45-42

Jeremy’s Pick: Florida State, 41-34

Colorado State @ Wyoming, 2 PM ET (High Noon on the High Plains), Root Sports

Instant Analysis: For many of you that do not know the Border War is the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi, but it has been far from competitive for the past four years. Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen has had Colorado State’s number beating it all four years he has been in Laramie. Expect this game to be much close than some of the previous four Border Wars, with Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith making the plays down the stretch to lead the Pokes to a close victory.

Keys to victory:

Wyoming: I stated above what it is going to take for Wyoming to win this game, Brett Smith. He has been the leader in all four of the Pokes victories this season as he is No. 3 in the country in total offense averaging 379 yards per game. Smith is proving himself as one of the nations elite quarterbacks completing nearly 65 percent of his passes for 1854 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Smith has also added nearly 350 yards on the ground and two more scores. There is no doubt Smith is a key for the Pokes, but for the Pokes to really control the game sophomore running back Shaun Wick is going to need to have a solid game. Wick has carried the ball 79 times this season for 478 yards and seven touchdowns and has helped Wyoming balance its attack. Defensively, Wyoming needs to continue its strong start to the season limiting the Rams opportunities in the red zone and taking the ball away. The Pokes are currently No. 1 in the Mountain West allowing just 20 red zone trips this season. UW has also recovered six fumbles (No. 17 in the nation) and intercepted five passes this season.

Colorado State: The Rams are slowly improving in head coach Jim McElwain’s second season at the helm. CSU has been competitive in most of its games this season (other than a trip to Bama) and is looking like it is slowly crawling back from a tough few years. Like UW, Colorado State is going to have to lean on its quarterback Garrett Grayson in this game to lead them to victory. Grayson is averaging 247 yards of total offense this season and he is going to need to rack up at least 300 yards to keep his offense on pace with the Wyoming offense. The Rams have two exceptional tight ends in Crockett Gilmore and Kivon Cartwright who are going to need to be the playmakers for the Ram offense. This is an important matchup to watch as the big physical CSU tight ends get after UW’s undersized linebackers. The Rams are also going to have to run the ball at Wyoming, teams who have rushed the ball well this season have been very successful against the Pokes. On defense, Colorado State needs to do one thing keep Smith off the field. If Wyoming’s fast paced offense gets rolling and making quick first downs on every possession CSU could be in trouble. CSU just needs to stop Wyoming from getting that first, first down on a drive that is easier said that done however.

Smith, Wick and the Cowboys should be able to move the ball with ease on offense racking up some serious yardage in this game. That being said the Wyoming defense should be able to force a turnover or two, but don’t think the Rams are going to lay down in this one and their offense will move the ball and keep this one close all the way to the end. Records and expectations can be thrown out the window in this rivalry and strange things can happen. I expect this one to be really close the whole way, but Wyoming will cover the 6.5 point spread scoring a late touchdown to win the game.

Fun Facts: Wyoming trails the overall series with Colorado State 44-55-5, but since the end of WWII UW holds a 39-28 lead. This is the oldest rivalry game west of the Mississippi dating back to its first game in the 19^th Century!! The Pokes and the Rams first played in 1899. The Cowboys have not won five-consecutive Border Wars since the 1969-73.

Jeremy’s Pick: Wyoming, 38-35

Nick’s Pick: Wyoming, 42-28