The second week of October hopefully will bring fall-like temperatures and while we wait for that, we do know that the second week of October also features Texas versus Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl with the Texas State Fair as a backdrop.
No. 2-ranked Texas faces No. 19-ranked OU, which will the first meeting of these two teams as members of the SEC. These two long-time rivals first met in 1900 and the game has been played annually since 1929 (Texas leads the overall series, 65-51- 5). They played when OU was a member of the Big 8 and UT was a member of the SWC and the rivalry continued when both were members of the Big 12 Conference and it will continue now that they are members of the SEC.
Both teams had an extra week to prepare for this game and Texas could use the extra week after Steve Sarkisian’s team struggled a bit against Mississippi St., one of the league’s weaker teams, two weeks ago before pulling out a 35-13 victory. OU picked up a nice road win at Auburn, rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out a 27-21 win.
This is the first of two tough games for UT as the ‘Horns follow this one up with a visit from No. 5-ranked Georgia on Oct. 19.
While much of the focus will be on OU-UT, especially in Texas and Oklahoma, there are a number of other big matchups this weekend.
No. 12-ranked Ole Miss visits No. 13-ranked LSU, while No. 7 Penn State heads to LA to take on No. 11-ranked USC and perhaps the game of the week will occur in Eugene, OR when No. 3-ranked Ohio State visits No. 6-ranked Oregon in a big Big 10 contest.
In the NFL, the Texans head to Foxborough to take on a struggling New England team, while Detroit heads to Jerry World to take on the Cowboys in a rematch of last year’s Week 17 meeting where the Cowboys survived the Lions with a controversial 20-19 win at home. In that game, the officials took away a two-point conversion from the Lions that could have been the winning points when it was determined offensive lineman Taylor Decker was called for an illegal touching penalty for not reporting as eligible, which wiped out what might have been the gamewinning play of the game with 23 seconds left. The Cowboys ultimately denied the Lions’ 2- point retry and won 20-19. You’d better believe Detroit head coach Dan Campbell won’t let his team forget about that play.
Week 6 starts with a key NFC West meeting when San Francisco visits Seattle, Week 6 concludes with Monday Night Football with a big AFC East contest as the Buffalo visits the New York Jets.
Before we take a look at this weekend’s games, let’s review last week’s record. A 9-3 week got things back on track and upped the season record to 40- 20 (66%).
Now, onto this weekend’s games.
HIGH SCHOOL
Dekaney at Davis – Kelvin Chatham’s Falcons host Dekaney on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Thorne Stadium. The Falcons got off to a good start in District 14-6A play with a 29-13 win over Eisenhower, while Dekaney defeated Aldine, 55-0. Davis is led by running back Nicholas Tramble (251 yards, 2 TDs) and quarterback Andre Salazar (522 yards, 4 TDs). My pick, Davis 24, Dekaney 20
Nimitz at Westfield–Cornelius Harmon’s Cougars face their toughest test to date this season when they take on defending district champion Westfield on Friday night at Planet Ford Stadium in Spring. Two weeks ago, the Cougars opened District 14-6A play with a 58-21 win over MacArthur. Nimitz’s high-powered offense is led by QB Albert Brown (737 yards, 11 TDs), running back Augustus Miles (263 yards, 2 TDs) and wide receivers Ke’Lyn Washom (15 receptions, 282 yards, 4 TDs) and Malachi Augustus (12 receptions, 253 yards, 6 TDs). Westfield returns four offensive and six defensive starters from a team that finished 11-3 and reached the Region II finals. The Mustangs are led by QB Miles Dent). My pick, Nimitz 26, Westfield 23
MacArthur vs. Aldine–Aldine ISD’s oldest football rivalry renews on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Thorne Stadium as Blake Ware’s Generals take on Cirilo Ojeda’s Mustangs. Two weeks ago, the Generals lost to Nimitz, while Aldine fell to Dekaney. QB Lance Nero (295 yards, 2 TDs) leads the Generals. My pick, MacArthur 23, Aldine 17
Spring at Eisenhower–Odell James’ Eagles host Spring on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in Thorne Stadium. The Eagles lost a tough one in their district opener to Davis, while Spring lost to Westfield, 42-7. Eisenhower is led by running back Elijah Dixon (347 yards, 5 TDs) and QB EJ Durst (226 yards, 1 TD). My pick, Eisenhower 31, Spring 23
NCAA
Ole Miss at LSU–The Ole Miss Rebels were rolling after their first four games of the season, averaging a whopping 55 points per contest, but then Lane Kiffin’s team dropped an unexplainable 20-17 loss at home to a two-win Kentucky team. If the Rebels are going to remain alive in the College Football Playoff picture, they will need a big win at LSU on Saturday. Good luck with that. Ole Miss has a potent offense led by QB Jaxson Dart (1,815 passing yards, 13 TDs/112 rushing yards, 1 TD), running back Henry Parrish Jr. (489 yards, 8 TDs) and big-play wide receiver Tre Harris (49 receptions, 804 yards, 5 TDs). The Tigers can light it up on offense as well behind QB Garrett Nussmeier (1,652 yards, 15 TDs), running back Caden Durham (244 yards, 3 TDs) and wide receivers Aaron Anderson (27 receptions, 371 yards, 2 TDs) and Kyren Lacy (25 receptions, 352 yards, 2 TDs). The Tigers are tough at home, which Mississippi will discover come Saturday. My pick, LSU 33, Mississippi 31
Penn State at USC–No. 7 Penn State visits No. 11 USC in an important Big 10 game for both teams. The Nittany Lions have a balanced offense led by QB Dew Allar (864 yards, 8 TDs), running back Nicholas Singleton (408 yards, 3 TDs) and tight end Tyler Warren (20 receptions, 260 yards, 2 TDs). USC has offensive weapons as well led by QB Miller Moss 1,198 yards, 8 TDs), running back Woody Marks (334 yards, 3 TDs) and wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane (19 receptions, 221 yards, 5 TDs). This will be a good road test for PSU and I think they have the better defense, which should be the difference maker in this one. My pick, Penn State 26, USC 23
Ohio State at Oregon–A big one in the Big 10 as No. 3 Ohio State heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on No. 6 Oregon. The winner of this one will get a huge CFP resume enhancer, while the loser will probably need to win out to be considered for an at-large bid. The Buckeyes offense has averaged 48.7 points in their first four games (all wins), while the defense has been outstanding allowing just 27 points (6 points per game). Oregon has struggled a big, but did win its first four games heading into last Friday’s game against Michigan State. The Oregon defense will have its hands full with a potent OSU offense, led by QB Will Howard (1,039. Yards, 8 TDs), running back Quinshon Judkins (390 yards, 5 TDs) and TreVeyon Henderson (276 yards, 4 TDs) and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (19 receptions, 364 yards, 5 TDs) and Emeka Egbuka (21 receptions, 362 yards, 2 TDs). Oregon can move the ball as well behind QB Dillon Gabriel (1,192 yards, 9 TDs), running back Jordan James (386 yards, 4 TDs) and wide receiver Tez Johnson (33 receptions, 311 yards, 4 TDs). This will be a tough, and long trip, for the Buckeyes, but I think they pull out a wild, high-scoring game on Saturday in Eugene. My pick, Ohio State 34, Oregon 31
Texas vs. Oklahoma–No. 2 Texas and No. 19 OU meet up in the Red River Rivalry and there’s a lot more at stake than just bragging rights. Texas wants to keep its undefeated season going, while the Sooners would like nothing more than to throw a monkey wrench in those plans, just as it did a year ago when it upset then No. 3-ranked Texas 34-30. Sarkisian can’t let that happen again this year, not with Georgia on tap the following week in Austin. Texas should have starting QB Quinn Ewers (691 yards, 8 TDs in 3 games) back for this one after he missed two games with an abdominal injury. If Ewers is sidelined, UT will be in good shape with back up Arch Manning (900 yards, 9 TDs) under center. Texas needs a big game from running back Jayden Blue (239 yards, 4 TDs) to open up the passing game for wide receivers Isaiah Bond (20 receptions, 364 yards, 3 TDs), Ryan Wingo (11 receptions, 247 yards, 2 TDs) and Matthew Golden (18 receptions, 223 yards, 3 TDs). OU head coach Brent Venables benched starting QB Jackson Arnold (538 yards, 7 TDs) after OU’s home loss to Tennessee and turned the offense over to true freshman Michael Hawkins (310 yards, 1 TD). We shall see if Hawkins can handle the big stage of the Cotton Bowl and the rivalry come Saturday. My pick, Texas 36, Oklahoma 24
NFL
San Francisco at Seattle–A good one to start Week 6 in the NFL on Thursday Night Football pits the 49ers against the Seahawks. These two teams do not like one another, so expect a physical game on Thursday. Two weeks ago, the 49ers got back on the winning track with an easy win over New England, while Seattle fell to Detroit on Monday Night Football, 42-29. The 49ers should still be without starting running back Christian McCaffrey, but backup Jordan Mason (447 yards, 3 TDs) has filled in well. QB Brock Purdy (1,130 yards, 5 TDs), will be looking to make plays in the passing game to Deebo Samuell (16 receptions, 222 yards), while Seattle will look for QB Geno Smith (1,182 yards, 4 TDs), running back Kenneth Walker III (183 yards, 4 TDs, 3 coming in the Detroit loss) and DK Metcalf (24 receptions, 366 yards, 2 TDs) to be their usual consistent self. Seattle is tough to beat at home, which the 49ers will discover come Thursday. My pick, Seattle 26, San Francisco 20
Houston at New England–The Texans need to take care of business early against a bad Patriots team. Look for QB C.J. Stroud (1,0543 yards, 6 TDs) to come out firing to wide receiver Nico Collins (30 receptions, 489 yards, 2 TDs) and Stefon Diggs (25 receptions, 233 yards, 2 TDs) and Houston hopes running back Joe Mixon (184 yards, 1 TD in 2 games) is back for this one. New England is not good on offense, so look for the Houston defense to take the starch out of them early as the Texans pick up a nice road win. My pick, Houston 30, New England 13
Detroit at Dallas–The Lions will be out for revenge after last year’s controversial loss to the Cowboys in Week 17. The Dallas defense has trouble stopping the run, so look for the Lions to give the Cowboys ‘D’ a steady does of running back Jahmyr Gibbs (285 yards, 3 TDs) and David Montgomery, which should open up things for QB Jared Goff (1,015 yards, 5 TDs) to make plays downfield to wide outs Jameson Williams (13 receptions, 289 yards, 22.2 yards per catch, 2 TDs) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (27 receptions, 252 yards, 2 TDs). Dallas will need a big game from QB Dak Prescott (1,072 yards, 6 TDs) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (20 receptions, 316 yards, 2 TDs). The Dallas defense might be without defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (foot injury) and linebacker Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain). If those two are out, it could be a long day for Cowboy fans. My pick, Detroit 31, Dallas 18
Buffalo at New York Jets–Week 6 concludes on Monday Night Football with a key AFC East contest pitting Buffalo against the Jets. Two weeks ago, both teams suffered tough losses, as the Bills lost 35-10 at Baltimore, and the Jets were embarrassed at home by Denver, 10-9. NY QB Aaron Rodgers (849 yards, 5 TDs) needs to get things going and he could use a big night from running back Breece Hall (174 rushing yards, 2 TDs/18 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (20 receptions, 191 yards, 1 TD). The Bills will hope QB Josh Allen (814 passing yards, 7 TDs/106 rushing yards, 2 TDs), running back James Cook (227 yards, 4 total TDs), wide receiver Khalil Shakir (18 receptions, 230 yards, 2 TDs) and tight end Dalton Kinkaid (13 receptions, 132 yards, 1 TD) bounce back after a subpar performance against the Ravens. It says here they will and if the Jets lose at home, head coach Robert Salah’s seat will begin to get warm. My pick, Buffalo 26, New York Jets 23