25 Bold and Off-the-Wall Predictions for Week 4

Week 4 of the 2013 college football season is here and, well, if you take a look at the schedule, the words "lackluster" and "boring" may come to mind.

Of course, that would mean you've forgotten that we're talking about the greatest sport on earth which seems to dish out twists and surprises every weekend regardless of how the schedule may appear on the surface.

We're coming up with 25 bold and off-the-wall predictions for the upcoming slate of games. Please note the word "bold" and the phrase "off-the-wall." These are wild predictions, some a bit more absurd than others, and many will not come true.

The point is, these wild and wacky predictions may not all make sense, but hey, when does college football ever follow a script?

Here are 25 bold predictions for what will probably be another crazy weekend in college football.

Duke Scores a Huge Win over Pitt

Florida State wasn't very nice in welcoming Pittsburgh to the ACC.

Duke will make the transition even worse by handing the Panthers an embarrassing loss to one of the conference's bottom-feeders.

Of course, Duke has done its best to begin shedding that reputation, and a win over Paul Chryst's team would certainly signal to the rest of the conference that the Blue Devils are no cake walk in 2013.

The spread in this one is currently Pitt by four points, but Duke will surprise everyone and win by at least two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder will have a pair of touchdown catches, as well.

Tennessee Misses Late Field Goal to Tie in a Loss at Florida

Despite returning from Eugene having suffered an embarrassing 59-14 loss to the Ducks, the Tennessee Volunteers will hang with the Gators in Gainesville.

But alas, it won't be enough.

In a low-scoring contest that features seven turnovers between the two teams, the Volunteers will get the ball with just over two minutes left down 16-13. Quarterback Justin Worley will move his offense down the field and into field goal range with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

But then kicker Michael Palardy, who's perfect on the year so far, will hook a 46-yard attempt wide left, allowing the Gators to exhale.

This is the sort of game where a struggling offense meets a dominating defense, and you'd expect the Volunteers to have trouble scoring at all. But getting a few turnovers will keep Butch Jones' team in this one until the very end.

Jameis Winston Throws 5+ Incompletions

"No way! More than five incompletions?!", you're thinking sarcastically.

Ah, but keep in mind that the Florida State quarterback only has five incompletions total in his first two games. Compare that to his six touchdown passes, and well, you've got some impressive statistics.

But what makes this prediction a little nuts is that the Seminoles are playing Bethune-Cookman, and if Winston can stay accurate against Pittsburgh and Nevada, then surely he'll be flawless against the Wildcats, right?

Instead, we'll see Winston have his first game where he's a little off from the start. This isn't saying he'll go 10-of-27 or anything like that, but look for the freshman to finally show a bit of youth, even against the easiest opponent to date for Florida State.

Baylor Raises Scoring Average

It may not sound like an impossible challenge to raise your scoring average against a team like Louisiana-Monroe.

The Warhawks of the Sun Belt conference are giving up a pedestrian 21 points per game.

But the Bears are scoring a whopping 69.5 points per game, and forget that it came against Wofford and Buffalo. That's impressive against anybody.

This weekend, that number will go even higher as quarterback Bryce Petty, running back Lache Seastrunk and Co. assault the scoreboard for the third time in as many games.

Of course, the real question for this team will be how it performs against better competition, but the scoring isn't likely to slow down anytime soon.

3 Ranked Teams Will Lose

Okay, this one is cheating a little bit.

Because Arizona State is squaring off against Stanford, one ranked team is going to lose no matter what.

But take a look at the schedule one more time, and try to come up with two more ranked teams who are going to lose.

Is it Clemson at North Carolina State? LSU losing to Auburn? Notre Dame falling at home to Michigan State? The only other games that could even be mildly close are Tennessee-Florida and Michigan-UConn, although no one would be surprised if either of those games turns into a blowout.

After that, any ranked team losing would be an upset of historic proportions.

So will it be an upset of the year that occurs this weekend, or a pair of surprise outcomes in the aforementioned games? It's difficult to say, but we're definitely in for some late-September madness in college football.

Stanford Holds Arizona State to 10 Points or Less

The Arizona State Sun Devils are averaging over 40 points per game this season, and they just scored 32 against a Wisconsin team that hadn't allowed a point in its first two games.

Meanwhile Stanford has sort of shuffled through its first two games against San Jose State and Army. The Black Knights even put up 20 points on the Cardinal.

So while everything points to this game being a real challenge for Stanford, look for the defense to finally pull out all the stops and really show what it's made of.

Shayne Skov is primed for a monster game at linebacker, and safety Ed Reynolds will pick up a pair of interceptions in the third quarter to help the Cardinal pull away.

Taylor Kelly is a great quarterback, but the Sun Devils will start slow and be unable to get out of a funk in this one.

Utah State Beats USC, Lane Kiffin's Seat Declared "the Sun"

Because it's so hot, get it?

Terrible jokes aside, the Trojans 35-7 victory over Boston College was a clear blip in an otherwise murky radar. The Eagles are struggling on both sides of the ball, and USC actually boasts a pretty good defense.

Utah State, however, is led by quarterback Chuckie Keeton, and he won't let the Trojans off as easily.

If you're looking for an extremely under-the-radar Heisman candidate, look no further than Keeton and his 923 yards passing this season. In the Aggies first three games, the quarterback also has 12 touchdown passes and 187 yards rushing.

Maybe Kiffin's guys really did discover something last week that will allow them to start putting up points like the fans are used to seeing. Maybe Marqise Lee will have a monster game and remind everyone why he's considered to be one of the best players in college football.

But the Aggies will keep this one close and win it in the end. This will cause Lane Kiffin's seat to be hotter than, well, nevermind.

Hawaii and Nevada Each Score in the 50s

In recent years, both Hawaii and Nevada have featured impressive offensive units.

In 2013, they both have a bad defense and a terrible offense. So naturally, this one will become a shootout.

It won't be pretty football, but bad defense means open receivers and poor tackling. Since each team has unique styles of play, that could help to light up the scoreboard even more.

If you happen to catch this one, it will be one of the more entertaining games of the weekend, even if it has zero national implications.

And unless you're an SEC fan or Nick Saban himself, who doesn't want to see a game in the 50s?

Duke Johnson Rushes for 250 Yards, 4 TDs

Remember when the opening slide mentioned that some predictions wouldn't be as absurd as others? It was referring primarily to this one, because Miami is going to score as often as it wants against Savannah State this weekend.

Still, 250-yard games don't happen all the time, even when you combine a good running back with a terrible defense.

And terrible might be generous, because the Tigers gave up 77 points and 69 points in their first two games to Georgia Southern and Troy, respectively. Miami just beat Florida two weeks ago.

So while this one will get out of hand early, look for running back Duke Johnson to really make his mark by eclipsing the 250-yard mark and tacking on four touchdowns, as well.

Braxton Miller Rights Ship with Best Game of His Career

With Tom Fornelli of cbssports.com reporting that Braxton Miller is probable for Ohio State's game against Florida A&M, look for the star quarterback to make his return known around the country.

Statistically speaking, we're going to see the best game of Miller's career. With that being the case, he probably won't play very long into the third quarter, assuming the Buckeyes have a big lead on the Rattlers.

But while you'd typically expect to see rust from a guy who's been away for a bit, we'll see somebody on a mission to prove why he was a preseason Heisman candidate.

Expect something like 16-of-18 for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns out of the junior to go along with 80 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns.

Whether Miller can carry that over into next Saturday's game against Wisconsin is another matter. But at least on this weekend, he'll be the superstar we all recognize.

Bishop Sankey Enters Heisman Race with Monster Game

Bishop Sankey is quietly leading the nation in rushing, but he's going to make noise on Saturday that no one will be able to ignore.

Yes, the Huskies are taking on Idaho State, a team they should walk all over from start to finish. But even some games (see Ka'Deem Carey's 366 yards against Colorado last season) are enough to catch everyone's attention.

Sankey rushed for 161 yards in a win against Boise State and followed it up with more than 200 yards at Illinois. Another game with more than 200 rushing yards will propel Sankey to become the top Heisman candidate among running backs.

Whether the title sticks will depend upon what he's able to do against Stanford and Oregon in back-to-back weeks in October. But for now, his big game against the Bengals will vault him into the nation's consciousness.

Penn State Needs Late Drive to Beat Kent State

Penn State's 2013 season got off to a nice start with wins over Syracuse and Eastern Michigan.

But last Saturday brought the first rain clouds with a 34-31 loss to Central Florida. The theme will continue against Kent State this weekend, but ultimately Christian Hackenberg and friends will prevail against the Golden Flashes.

The game could end up being a good thing in the long run if it serves as a wake-up call before the Big Ten schedule begins.

Also, even if the Nittany Lions struggle, a late drive to win the game could send the team into its bye week on a positive note.

While everything points to Penn State getting a comfortable win over Kent State, expect this one to be tight.

AJ McCarron Throws 2 Interceptions

Even mighty Alabama is prone to a letdown game every now and then.

Colorado State isn't going to seriously challenge the Tide in this one, and the game may be out of hand by halftime.

But after last week's emotional and incredible victory in Aggieland, Nick Saban's squad will come out a little sluggish on Saturday.

The most surprising part will be AJ McCarron tossing a pair of interceptions, even though he's thrown just one this season and had only three all of last year. In fact, the senior has just nine in his entire career at Alabama.

But the mistakes will help get him refocused in time for a visit from Ole Miss next weekend.

Alex Collins, Jonathan Williams Combine for 375+ Rushing Yards for Razorbacks

The Arkansas running back tandem of Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams has been one of the most exciting storylines of this young season.

On Saturday, the Razorbacks' backfield duo will take on a Rutgers team allowing just over 20 points per game. The number is a little misleading, however, when you consider that the Scarlet Knights allowed 51 points to Fresno State in the opening week and have allowed just 10 points total in the two games since.

Even against the Bulldogs, Rutgers allowed just 81 yards on the ground.

But in just three games, Collins and Williams have already rushed for a combined 811 yards and five touchdowns. Tack on at least 375 this Saturday, which will cause the eyes of the nation to officially take notice of a ground attack that many will soon be comparing to the former Razorback tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Maryland and West Virginia Decided in 2OT

Neither West Virginia nor Maryland is expected to compete for a conference title this season.

But the two teams will put on a heck of a game this Saturday, one that isn't decided until the second overtime.

Why? Well, why not?

The Terrapins are 3-0 with three marginally impressive victories over Florida International, Old Dominion and UConn, and West Virginia is 2-1, with the only loss being a 16-7 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners.

This game won't cause much turmoil in the standings, but it will be a hard-fought battle between two teams looking to score a solid out-of-conference victory. You heard it here first, pay attention when the Mountaineers and Terrapins get together on Saturday.

UCLA Struggles in Victory over New Mexico State

There is no reason the UCLA Bruins should struggle against a team like New Mexico State.

The Aggies are 0-3, giving up almost 50 points per game, and they suffered a horrible 56-7 loss to Texas to open the season. We've all seen what the Longhorns have managed since then.

Yet UCLA is a team unaccustomed to the business of winning, or at least winning big. After notching an emotional victory at Nebraska on Saturday, Brett Hundley and company will look sluggish and disinterested in dispatching New Mexico State.

The game won't be close, but UCLA with an "A" effort should win this game by 50 or 60 points. Instead, a "C" effort will give this team a 21-28 point win.

Texas Holds Kansas State Under 100 Yards Rushing

What's this? A prediction that the Texas defense will show up and do some things well on Saturday?

Yes, that's exactly what this is, and after two weeks of embarrassing performances, the Longhorns will show some heart and finally slow down an opponents' rushing attack.

This is saying something after the previous two weeks saw Mack Brown's team give up a combined 822 yards on the ground to BYU and Ole Miss, respectively.

Kansas State is currently averaging 173 yards per game on the ground, but look for the Longhorns to sell out on stopping the run, forcing Wildcats' quarterback Jake Waters to beat them with his arm.

Whether he pulls it off is another story. But look for the Longhorns' rush defense to be greatly improved in this one.

Clemson Wins by 40+

You've surely heard one of your football buddies trot out the phrase "pulling a Clemson." The West Coast may go by the expression "Coug'n it" (sorry Wazzu).

Either way, the Tigers victory over Georgia to begin the 2013 season seems to have raised the expectations even higher for Dabo Swinney's squad. A national championship appearance is a distinct possibility.

Oh, but Thursday night may have other ideas. Clemson travels to North Carolina State in a game they should win easily, at least on paper. The Wolfpack are 2-0, but the victories came against Louisiana Tech and Richmond. In fact, the win over the Spiders was by a mere two points.

Yet these are the games that everybody wants to see, because in order to be the best, you not only have to beat the best but in college football, you have to beat everybody.

Clemson isn't going to drop the ball on this one, so look for them to win in dominant fashion.

Auburn-LSU Turns into Shootout

What do you get when Tigers face off against Tigers? A high-scoring affair.

If you're still looking for the joke, you can stop, because there wasn't one. The game between Auburn and LSU this weekend will turn into a shootout with both teams scoring in the 30s or 40s.

So far this season, the SEC has seen plenty of points put up on the board, particularly in the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss and Alabama-Texas A&M games.

The two teams of Tigers will continue that trend on Saturday in a game that will reveal a lot about the trajectory of each team's season. Look for LSU to come away victorious, but surprisingly, this one will be much more entertaining than last year's 12-10 slugfest.

Indiana Beats Missouri by 2 TDs

All hail the Big Ten!

After a disappointing weekend in which Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois each suffered losses to BCS conference opponents, the Indiana Hoosiers will take the reigns and get one back against Missouri on Saturday.

We know coach Kevin Wilson's team can score, because it has averaged 50 points per game thus far in 2013. We also can't make much out of the Tigers' 2-0 start, given that the wins were against Murray State and Toledo.

With the game being played at Indiana, look for the home crowd to be rocking and the team to come out fired up. They'll give up plenty of points, too, but in the end, the Hoosiers will get a victory over an SEC opponent, springing them into the Big Ten schedule with hope and optimism.

Michigan State-Notre Dame Produces Candidate for Game of the Year

When Michigan State and Notre Dame is one of the best games of the weekend slate, you shake your head and gear up for what could be a long Saturday.

But before you start searching for something to do aside from watching football (gasp!), make sure you catch this one.

The Fighting Irish are off to an interesting 2-1 start, having lost a close one to Michigan in the Big House before winning a close one at Purdue. The Spartans, meanwhile, are 3-0, but close wins over Western Michigan and South Florida don't instill much confidence.

In a defensive battle, the two teams will produce one of the games of the year. The rivalry has had big moments in the past, with the fake field goal from 2010 coming to mind.

It may not be that amazing, but it will certainly be worth watching.

Texas A&M Wins 73-41

Texas A&M will do very little this weekend to shed its reputation of being a team with a spectacular offense and underwhelming defense.

In fact, the scoreboard will show 73-41, and experts will quickly be trying to discover if that exact score has ever occurred before in college football (hint: I don't know).

The Aggies are giving up 36 points per game, which ranks 108th in the country. But though SMU's offense isn't exactly setting the world on fire at 27 points per game, it will take advantage of an A&M defense still searching for answers.

The biggest storyline, of course, will be the insane numbers put up by Johnny Manziel since his team needs him to score all those points. But this game will create more problems for the Aggies than it solves.

Utah Wins Holy War on Last-Second TD

It's pretty much a guarantee that this game is going to be a good one.

In fact, three out of the past four games have been decided by three points or less. Last year saw a wild finish, with BYU getting two chances to tie the game after Utah fans prematurely rushed the field, causing a 15-yard penalty on the home team.

So it only makes sense that the game would have yet another close finish, and the Utes will deliver a touchdown on the final play of the game to come out on top.

Kyle Whittingham's team seems to be hitting its stride on offense after scoring 48 in a loss to Oregon State last Saturday. BYU bounced back from a loss to Virginia on the opening weekend to throttle Texas, 40-21.

This one will be a high-scoring affair with an exciting finish.

UConn Leads Michigan at Halftime Before Wolverines Pull Away

Didn't the Wolverines learn their lesson last weekend?

Against UConn, it's going to take Michigan a half of football to officially wake from its slumber before finally pulling away and scoring points like we're used to seeing.

The Huskies have zero business being in the game with an 0-2 record and pair of losses to Towson and Maryland. It really shouldn't even be close.

Ah, but the game against Akron was supposed to be a blowout, too. Instead, the Zips were five yards away from making history.

In Connecticut, the Wolverines will struggle to find their footing before a big play from wide receiver Jeremy Gallon gets things going in the third quarter.

The Weekend Will Produce 5 Memorable Games

The definition of memorable can be as meaningless as something that simply sticks in your memory, but for the purposes of this prediction, we're talking memorable as in the kind of games where you'll call your buddies and tell them to watch.

In a weekend devoid of any thrilling matchups (sans Arizona State-Stanford), college football will give us the thrills anyway. Isn't that why we love the sport so much?

If you're looking for candidates, how about Tennessee-Florida? Or Michigan State-Notre Dame? Perhaps Utah-BYU, or LSU-Auburn?

Despite a bevy of games seemingly headed toward blowout status, this weekend will produce at least five memorable games. So if you planned on taking a breather this Saturday by not sitting on the coach all day, you better revise that plan.