Northwestern's defense will have to contain Braxton Miller in order for the Wildcats to pull the upset. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week Six of The Lowe Down. After last week’s blowout loss to Arizona State, Lane Kiffin was told by USC athletic director Pat Haden that his time as the Trojans head coach had come to an end shortly after the team touched down at LAX airport in Los Angeles following its road trip to the desert. The timing of Kiffin’s firing may have come as a surprise to some, but it was a good move for the USC football program moving forward. Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian and Vanderbilt head coach Steve Sarkisian are two possible early candidates for the USC opening, but keep an eye on former USC star and current NFL defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio as well. Last week’s record was 18-3, bringing the yearly record to 81-20. To the games we go …
Saturday, October 5th
No. 25 Maryland (4-0) at No. 8 Florida State (4-0) 11:00 p.m. CT
The Seminoles didn’t blow away Boston College in Chestnut Hill like everyone expected, but they nabbed a conference road win and that’s all that matters. Although Maryland is unbeaten through four games, it’s hard to tell just how good the Terrapins are after wins over FIU, Old Dominion, UConn and West Virginia. That will all change if Randy Edsall’s team upsets FSU. But don’t expect that to happen.
The Lowe Down: Maryland 17, Florida State 38
No. 10 LSU (4-1) at Mississippi State (2-2) 6:00 p.m. CT
It will be interesting to see how LSU bounces back after losing a heartbreaker to Georgia in Athens a weekend ago. The Tigers have always been a resilient team, but the loss to the Dawgs, and a second straight week on the road, may be influential factors in how Les Miles’ team bunch performs. Like usual, LSU will want to establish its ground attack with tailback Jeremy Hill, but Mississippi State has played the run well (yielding 120. 3 yards per game) early in the season. That will be an interesting matchup to watch. If the Bulldogs can stymie the LSU ground game, then this could turn out to be a good game. But if Jeremy Hill gets cranked up that will make Zach Mettenberger that much more dangerous. And that will spell doom for State.
The Lowe Down: LSU 27, Mississippi State 20
No. 24 Ole Miss (3-1) at Auburn (3-1) 6:00 p.m. CT
Tropical Storm Karen could be making landfall along the Alabama coastline on Saturday, which means Auburn could be playing another rain-soaked game much like it did when it lost at LSU two weeks ago. If the game is played in wet conditions, I think that favors Auburn more so than Ole Miss due to the Tigers’ ground game, fresh legs (off bye week) and home crowd. Gus Malzahn’s offense enters the weekend’s game with the Rebels ranked 22nd nationally (232.3 yard per game) and second in the SEC in rushing offense. That ground attack, spearheaded by Tre Mason, along with a much more opportunistic defense, should be enough to propel the Tigers in a key game in the SEC West hierarchy.
The Lowe Down: Ole Miss 23, Auburn 29
Arkansas (3-2) at No. 18 Florida (3-1) 6:00 p.m. CT
Although the Razorbacks fell to Texas A&M a week ago, you have to admire the fight that they put up. Arkansas entered the contest knowing that it had to score on almost every possession to keep up with Johnny Football and the Aggies, and Bret Bielema’s team almost did just that. The Razorbacks were outgained 523 to 483 in total yards and quarterback Brandon Allen (282 passing yards, two touchdowns), stud freshman tailback Alex Collins and an improving offensive line played lights out. It will be tough for Aransas to repeat last week’s offensive performance against a rugged Florida defense, but the Razorbacks may give the Gators a scare if they play as well on offense this week as they did last week. Regardless, I think Florida finds a way at home.
The Lowe Down: Arkansas 23, Florida 31
No. 22 Arizona State (3-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-2) (Dallas, TX.) 6:30 p.m. CT
Through five games, it’s becoming very clear that Notre Dame misses the playmaking prowess of Everett Golson on offense. In last week’s loss to Oklahoma, Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees, who backed up Golson last year, was 9 of 24 passing for a season-low 104 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble which was returned for a score. Sure, Rees isn’t the only guy playing on Notre Dame’s offense, but he’s just not the player Golson was. And that’s been a tough loss for the Irish to handle. In this week’s game, Notre Dame will need to score and score often to keep up with Taylor Kelly and the high-powered Arizona State offense, or the Irish may be a .500 team at the halfway point of the season.
The Lowe Down: Arizona State 37, Notre Dame 26
West Virginia (3-2) at No. 17 Baylor (3-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
Just one week after stunning Oklahoma State, West Virginia must go on the road to play a Baylor squad that’s averaging 69.7 points and 751.3 yards per outing through its first three games. Granted, the teams the Bears have played (Wofford, Buffalo and Louisiana-Monroe) aren’t exactly powerhouses, but those are pretty impressive statistics regardless of the opponent. So what I’m getting to here is you need to watch this Baylor team. Bryce Petty is a big, strong quarterback who can run and pass effectively, and the combination of Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin at tailback is as good as any in the country. Cyril Richardson is one of the top offensive lineman in America, and the defense, which currently sits No. 2 nationally in scoring (7.7 ppg), is an opportunistic bunch that seems to have improved a lot from last year. Baylor rolls.
The Lowe Down: West Virginia 17, Baylor 48
No. 4 Ohio State (5-0) at No. 16 Northwestern (4-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
When I was working on our college football magazines during the spring and summer, there were a few teams that caught my attention as potential sleepers. One of them was Northwestern. The Wildcats are a veteran team that plays fundamentally sound football, and they feature two dynamic players on offense in quarterback Kain Colter and running back/kick returner Venric Mark. Both Colter and Mark are seniors and they can impact a game in a variety of ways. How well they play against an Ohio State defense that’s been inconsistent at times will play a major role in the outcome of the game. Defensively, a huge key for Northwestern will be containing Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller. Miller is going to make his share of plays, but the Wildcats will need to limit his success on the ground and on third down to pull the upset. Ultimately, this game will be won by whichever defense contains these two high-powered offenses the best.
The Lowe Down: Ohio State 37, Northwestern 34
No. 15 Washington (4-0) at No. 5 Stanford (4-0) 9:30 p.m. CT
Alright, I’ll be the stale comedian on stage getting tomatoes hurled at me for a minute after picking Stanford to go down to Washington State last week. Hell, I might just need to stop doing this picking thing altogether huh? Well, maybe not. This week, I’m not making the same mistake I did in Week Five by picking the Cardinal to go down. In fact, I like Stanford to bring its A-game after losing to the Huskies a year ago. Washington quarterback Keith Price is prone to making mistakes when he’s under duress so look for the Stanford defense to bring the heat on the Huskies playmaker. Defensive ends Ben Gardner and Trent Murphy (has the look of a future pro) really impressed me last week, and I think they have a huge impact on this game.
The Lowe Down: Washington 17, Stanford 28
In other Saturday games:
No. 25 Maryland 17, No. 8 Florida State 38
No. 7 Louisville 48, Temple 10
No. 20 Texas Tech 44, Kansas 20
Georgia State 7, No. 1 Alabama 48
No. 3 Clemson 45, Syracuse 14
Minnesota 16, No. 19 Michigan 43
Kansas State 16, No. 21 Oklahoma State 28
No. 6 Georgia 38, Tennessee 17
Kentucky 10, No. 13 South Carolina 45
TCU 21, No. 11 Oklahoma 38
