Devin Gardner's running ability could come up big against Notre Dame. (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)
Welcome to Week Two of The Lowe Down.
Last week I predicted Alabama and Oregon to play for all the marbles in the final year of the BCS era. But after watching Jameis Winston and Florida State light up Pittsburgh in front of a national TV audience, I came away convinced that the Seminoles can be a national title contender as well.
Winston played a short distance from Lindy’s home office in Birmingham, and the chatter about his greatness has been known around these parts for some time. Just two years ago, I remember my friend Chris Patrick, the son of Pat Patrick, who has been doing live broadcasts of high school games in Alabama since 1984 and is the producer of The Best in High School Football, telling me that Jameis was the real deal — one of the best he’s ever seen and a class act all the way.
Last Monday, I, and the nation, got to see that greatness first hand. Yes, it was only one game. And yes, it was against Pittsburgh. But the dude set FSU’s all-time single-game passing record in his first start while displaying tremendous poise and leadership skills. Look, it’s one thing to see a quarterback with raw physical skills perform. It’s another to see one with those skills that is a smart player with a burning desire to win. I saw that in Winston Monday night. And that was all I needed to see. With FSU’s talent on offense and defense, and with Winston at the helm, look out for the Seminoles. Last week’s record was 16-4. To the games we go…
(I am also a guest on The Best in High School Football broadcast every Friday night around 11:30 to midnight Central Time talking college football. You can listen to the live game of the week and the postgame show by clicking here: http://www.bestinhighschoolfootball.com/ ) Twitter handle: @MattLowe777
Friday, September 6
Wake Forest 24, Boston College 17
Saturday, September 7
Eastern Kentucky (1-0) at No. 8 Louisville (1-0) 11:00 p.m. CT
In last week’s dominating win over Ohio, Teddy Bridgewater and his Louisville mates looked like they were running at a different level— speed-wise in particular —opposite the Bobcats. Bridgewater dissected the Ohio defense to the tune of 355 passing yards and five touchdowns en route to a 49-7 home-opening win. After almost breaking 50, look for Charlie Strong’s club to post 60 or more this week.
The Lowe Down: Louisville 65, Eastern Kentucky 10
Western Kentucky (1-0) at Tennessee (1-0) 11:21 a.m. CT
Don’t think for a minute Bobby Petrino isn’t chomping at the bit to improve his new team’s record to 2-0 against the SEC this season. And to be honest, that’s very possible. Western Kentucky’s offense, especially the passing game, will be a tough matchup for every team it plays this season for the simple fact of Petrino’s prowess in that area. Last week against the Wildcats, the Hilltoppers passed for 271 yards and a score in a 35-26 win. They also rushed for 216 yards. The Vols defense, along with the QB position, were the two biggest question marks for Jones’ team heading into this season. Those two areas will be tested in this matchup. We’ll see what happens.
The Lowe Down: Western Kentucky 35, Tennessee 38
No. 12 Florida (1-0) at Miami (1-0) 11:00 a.m. CT
Is it me or is there something weird about this game? The press really isn’t on Florida and the jury is still out on Miami’s team, so I don’t have a great read on how this game will shake out. I know Florida will play good defense and I like Jeff Driskel commanding the Gator offense, but Miami has the pieces to be a quality team this season, especially if the defense makes a jump. The Hurricanes’ offensive line, led by rugged guard Brandon Linder, is big and talented, and tailback Duke Johnson is a home run threat. The wildcard however is senior quarterback Stephen Morris. Morris has been a good player, but he’ll need to morph into a great player if the Hurricanes want to win the ACC. This game will be a great gauge of how far he has come.
The Lowe Down: Florida 31, Miami 17
No. 6 South Carolina (1-0) at No. 11 Georgia (0-1) 3:30 p.m. CT
South Carolina throttled Georgia a year ago (35-7) and it carries a three-game winning streak in the series into this weekend’s matchup. But the Gamecocks will face a group of Bulldogs that are backed into a corner and itching to fight their way out of it. After stumbling at Clemson in the season opener, this is a must-win game for Mark Richt’s club for a number of reasons. The Bulldogs don’t want to begin the year 0-2 and they sure as heck don’t want to go down a game in the SEC East race just two weeks into the season. But after seeing Georgia’s defense exposed the way it was by a talented Clemson offense, I am not sure if Todd Grantham’s unit can slow the Gamecocks enough to win the game. South Carolina’s defense will stop the Bulldogs, but Georgia’s ‘D’ will once again be its Achilles heel.
The Lowe Down: South Carolina 31, Georgia 26
Syracuse (0-1) at No. 19 Northwestern (1-0) 5:00 p.m. CT
You heard it heard it here first, ‘Northwestern will be a Big Ten title contender.’ The Wildcats are talented and experienced on offense, and the defense has a knack for making big plays and forcing turnovers. Although losing starting corner Daniel Jones for the year in the win over Cal was a hit for the Pat Fitzgerald’s team, the Wildcats look like the superior team here.
The Lowe Down: Syracuse 17, Northwestern 35
No. 14 Notre Dame (1-0) at No. Michigan (1-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
The Michigan contingent got fired up when the Irish brass decided to call off this heated rivalry from 2015-17 in a scheduling faux pas. Hey, maybe playing 40 times and meeting every year since 2002 doesn’t mean a whole lot to the Irish head honchos, but the decision really irked Michigan coach Brady Hoke, who accused Notre Dame of “chickening out” of the series. Now I don’t know about you, but something tells me this has the makings of a classic. Look for a hard-hitting game that will feature big plays, a lot of emotion and good ‘ol smash mouth football. And when all is said and done, the Wolverines, with a re-tooled backfield that features dual-threat QB Devin Gardner and running backs Fitz Toussaint and Derrick Green, the highly-touted true freshman, and a scrappy defense, will stand victorious.
The Lowe Down: Notre Dame 20, Michigan 27
No. 15 Texas (1-0) at BYU (0-1) 7:00 p.m. CT
Alright, if Mack Brown somehow or other loses this game, the powers that be at Texas just might activate the heater under the Longhorn leader’s chair. Brown’s program has waddled in mediocrity since its appearance in the 2010 national title game and it’s time for the ‘Horns to get back among the nation’s elite. BYU is always a formidable opponent at home, but QB Taysom Hill and the Cougars offense really struggled in a loss at Virginia last week. If that happens again, Texas could run slap over Bronco Mendenhall’s team.
The Lowe Down: Texas 35, BYU 13
Arkansas State (1-0) at Auburn (1-0) 6:30 p.m. CT
In his lone season at Arkansas State, Gus Malzahn won over the Red Wolves fans and led the team to a Sun Belt title. Now, Malzahn stands opposite his former team as the coach of Auburn attempting to beat a group of players he learned so much about in a short period of time. Ironically, the keys to the game for both sides lie on the defensive side of the ball. Both Arkansas State and Auburn possess strong running games with experienced offensive lines, inexperienced quarterbacks and developing receivers, but on defense is where this game will be won or lost. Last week Auburn surpassed its interception total of all last season (two) in just one game when it picked off three Washington State passes. It also notched two sacks; one by impressive freshman defensive tackle Montravius Adams, who looks like a future star. If the Tigers can sustain that big-play ability on defense and parlay that with an explosive offense, they should be in good shape to pull out another W.
The Lowe Down: Auburn 41, Arkansas State 24
Washington State (0-1) at USC (1-0) 9:30 p.m. CT
Count me in as one of the folks not sold on USC. Yeah, the Trojans might sign a Top-10 recruiting class every year and this and that, but due to scholarship reductions (oh yes, from the NCAA) and questionable coaching this team just doesn’t grab my attention. With that being said, Mike Leach’s Washington State team should be a good test for Lane Kiffin and his short-handed roster. The Cougars gave Auburn a great game last weekend, while USC struggled with Hawaii. Look for a nail-biter here.
The Lowe Down: Washington State 35, USC 38
In other Saturday games:
Cincinnati 31, Illinois 23
No. 13 Oklahoma State 43, UTSA 13
South Carolina State 10, No. 4 Clemson 65
Toledo 31, Missouri 34
Utah State 31, Air Force 27
Navy 30, Indiana 45
UAB 16, No. 9 LSU 43
West Virginia 23, No. 16 Oklahoma 51
Sam Houston State 17, Texas A&M 55
San Jose State 20, No. 5 Stanford 38
