Shilique Calhoun (89) is a terror off the edge for the Spartans. (Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week Two of The Lowe Down.
Isn’t it amazing what a week will do? Before South Carolina got schooled by Texas A&M in front of the entire country, many of the so called “experts” had penciled them in to win the SEC East. Georgia, meanwhile, was in the conversation with the Gamecocks as an Eastern Division contender before the season, but after it, or should I say Todd Gurley, ran all over Clemson, the Bulldogs suddenly became a national title contender.
And what about rough and tough Alabama?
Heck, Nick Saban’s squad can’t even beat a pretty good West Virginia team by 10 points without the peanut gallery wondering what in the world is going on in T-Town.
And there was also the chatter about FSU. After Oklahoma State stormed back to make the final outcome a lot closer than expected, many of the talking heads (and yes, I am one) were questioning just how good the 2014 version of the ‘Noles are.
Look, it was one week. There’s a long way to go. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Titles are won in November and early December not the last week in August. Last week’s record was 18-3. To the games we go …
@MattLowe777
Friday, September 5
Pitt (1-0) at Boston College (1-0) 6:00 p.m. CT
The Panthers hold a 16-13 advantage in the series and have won the last three meetings (teams haven’t met since 2004), but Boston College possesses a rare weapon at its disposal: a running quarterback. Check this out: Since the school began playing football in 1893, no signal-caller had rushed for 100 yards in a game. But that all changed when senior Tyler Murphy, a Florida transfer, accomplished the feat in BC’s 30-7 win over Massachusetts. But if the Eagles want to beat Pitt, Murphy will need to be efficient through the air. If he does so, BC will move to 1-0 in the ACC.
The Lowe Down: Pitt 26, Boston College 27
In other Friday games:
Washington State 36, Nevada 39
Saturday, September 6
Arkansas State (1-0) at Tennessee (1-0) 11:00 p.m. CT
I know, I know, it was Utah State. But Tennessee, I thought, looked really sharp during its season-opening win. The Vols played with enthusiasm, flashed solid fundamentals and played at the kind of pace head coach Butch Jones wants his players to play at on a weekly basis. Quarterback Justin Worley, who had three touchdown passes, has quietly developed into a solid player. If he can stay healthy, the Vols could make some noise in the SEC East.
The Lowe Down: Arkansas State 17, Tennessee 37
No. 14 USC (1-0) at No. 13 Stanford (1-0) 2:30 p.m. CT
Last year USC handed Stanford one of its only three losses of the season behind a strong pass defense that picked off Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan twice and limited the talented QB to just 127 yards passing. Conversely, Stanford ran the ball effectively (210) and limited USC to a mere 23 yards on the ground. So what gives this weekend? It’s tough to say, but the Stanford O-line (lost four starters from a year ago) is a concern to me, and the Trojans offense, led by Cody Kessler, tailback Javorius Allen, Nelson Agholor and a talented offensive line, looked really sharp in the opener, as did the Trojan defense. USC makes a statement here.
The Lowe Down: USC 27, Stanford 20
No. 7 Michigan State (1-0) at No. 3 Oregon (1-0) 5:30 p.m. CT
The marquee matchup of the weekend isn’t expected to be much of a game according to the odds makers (Ducks favored by 12), but I’ve been following this Michigan State program pretty closely over the past three seasons and I like what it’s about. The Spartans are aggressive, fundamentally sound, they play with passion, they play as a team and they have future NFL draft picks at a number of positions. Remember, Oregon’s stud left tackle Tyler Johnstone, the protector of Marcus Mariota’s blind side, was lost for the season. And if you don’t think that will come into play here, just watch how disruptive MSU All-American defensive end Shilique Calhoun can be. The underdog Spartans do the deed.
The Lowe Down: Michigan State 31, Oregon 23
East Carolina (1-0) at South Carolina (0-1) 6:00 p.m. CT
After getting embarrassed by Texas A&M in its opener, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier heightened the intensity at Gamecock practices this week in an attempt to get the team headed back in the right direction. Will that matter against East Carolina? That’s left to be determined. But one thing that was evident in South Carolina’s debacle against the Aggies was the team’s lack of star power. Mike Davis is a great tailback and Skai Moore is a playmaker at linebacker, but outside of those two I don’t see many elite players on this Gamecocks’ team. Look for East Carolina’s offense, led by quarterback Shane Carden, to give the South Carolina defense fits for a second straight week.
The Lowe Down: East Carolina 30, South Carolina 37
BYU (1-0) at Texas (1-0) 6:30 p.m. CT
Texas quarterback David Ash’s future is uncertain after he got a concussion in the team’s win over North Texas. Ash has had multiple concussions over the last couple of seasons and he may be better served hanging up the cleats. With Ash out, the Longhorns will turn to dual threat Tryone Swoopes. Swoopes is a much better runner that Ash but he’s still a little raw in the passing game. I know it may sound cliché, but Swoopes’ decision-making squaring off against a sound BYU defense will likely be the difference here. If Swoopes avoids turnovers and plays well, the Longhorns can exact revenge for last year’s 19-point butt-whipping at the hands of the Cougars.
The Lowe Down: BYU 23, Texas 24
Michigan (1-0) at No. 16 Notre Dame (1-0) 6:30 p.m. CT
It’s hard to believe this rivalry will be put to sleep for a while, but no matter how ya slice it this is an important game for both teams. Despite losing four starters to suspension right before the season began, the Irish looked sharp in their 38-17 dismantling of Rice in the opener behind the right arm of quarterback Everett Golson and the running of tailbacks Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. The defense? Eh, not so much. Behind the playmaking ability of dual threat signal-caller Devin Gardner, Michigan should be able to move the ball. The big question mark in this game will be defense. Neither team appears to be strong in that area so this historic contest could come down to whichever team has the ball last. Now wouldn’t that be fitting?
The Lowe Down: Michigan 34, Notre Dame31
Virginia Tech (1-0) at No. 8 Ohio State (1-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
Don’t expect a ton of offense when these two hook up in The Horseshoe. The Hokies haven’t had an O in three years, but they always field a quality defense under the guidance of Bud Foster. Ohio State’s offensive line wasn’t very good against Navy and that could stick out like a sore thumb Saturday night. New starting quarterback J.T. Barrett performed admirably in the Buckeyes’ 17-point win over the Midshipmen, but he’ll need to play smart if Urban Meyer’s club expects to grind out a win over VT. Barrett started off slowly in his starting debut, but found his footing in the second half. Ohio State needs him, and the retooled O-line, to play well if it expects to beat the Hokies.
The Lowe Down: Virginia Tech 17, Ohio State 23
In other Saturday games:
No. 24 Missouri 36, Toledo 30
No. 4 Oklahoma 43, Tulsa 16
No. 20 Kansas State 37, Iowa State 20
Akron 23, Penn State 30
No. 17 Arizona State 48, New Mexico 17
San Jose State 17, No. 5 Auburn 55
No. 15 Ole Miss 37, Vanderbilt 10
Duke 30, Troy 20
Sam Houston 14, No. 12 LSU 45
Citadel 7, No. 1 Florida State 65
San Diego State 21, No. 21 North Carolina 45
Memphis 16, No. 11 UCLA 42
Air Force 23, Wyoming 34
Colorado State 33, Boise State 30
