BCS Rankings 2011: Predictions for the Top 25 Teams

Upset alert, upset alert!

So far this season, we haven’t heard that warning all that much in college football, as most of the top teams have sprinted out to undefeated records in rather easy fashion.

That could change this weekend, though.

There are currently 10 unbeaten teams left in college football, but you have to expect that a few of them will start getting picked off in the coming weeks.

So who will survive and who will fall?

Here’s a look at my predictions for this weekend’s games involving BCS Top 25 teams.

No. 1 LSU Tigers and No. 20 Auburn Tigers

Prediction: LSU 37, Auburn 13

LSU may be without suspended star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and leading rusher Spencer Ware, but the Tigers have plenty of reinforcements to get the job done against Auburn in Baton Rouge.

Michael Ford is capable of stepping in for Ware and having a big day against a soft Auburn front seven that ranks 87th in the country against the run.

Let’s all say a prayer for Auburn’s new starting quarterback Clint Moseley. He’s going to need it.

No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

Prediction: Alabama 44, Tennessee 10

Alabama will be out to make a statement against Tennessee today, and running back Trent Richardson is going to be looking to pad his Heisman resume before he has to go up against a tough LSU defense on Nov. 5.

Not even pleas from Derek Dooley’s mom will be able to stop this one from getting ugly.

No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners

Prediction: Oklahoma 52, Texas Tech 28

Oklahoma was uncharacteristically sluggish against Kansas last week, and the Sooners will be looking to make up for their less-than-stellar performance with a big outing against Texas Tech tomorrow.

Texas Tech’s offense may be ranked sixth in the country in total offense and ninth in scoring offense, averaging 533 yards and 44 points per game, but the Red Raiders have yet to face a defense that is in the same class as Oklahoma’s.

No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys

Prediction: Oklahoma State 31, Missouri 21

This is a tough spot for Oklahoma State, seeing as it’s an 11:00 a.m. kickoff on the road against an underrated opponent.

Missouri should be able to run the ball against the Cowboys with QB James Franklin and RB Henry Josey and keep it away from QB Brandon Weeden, WR Justin Blackmon and the explosive Oklahoma State offense. But in the end, the Cowboys are just the better team from top to bottom, and they should be able to find a way to pull away for the win.

No. 5 Boise State Broncos

Prediction: Boise State 56, Air Force 20

Another week, another Boise State blowout.

Air Force’s option offense is always tricky, but Boise State’s defensive line is going to own the line of scrimmage.

QB Kellen Moore and the Broncos aren’t going to slow down anytime soon.

No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 16 Michigan State Spartans

Prediction: Michigan State 27, Wisconsin 23

This is the game that I'm most looking forward to this weekend, and on paper, it seems to be a very even matchup.

Wisconsin’s offense has been a machine so far this season, but the Badgers haven’t played a defense as good as Michigan State’s yet.

Bret Bielema's teams have been notoriously mediocre on the road in recent seasons, with just an 11-9 record over the last four years, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Badgers struggle in East Lansing.

No. 7 Clemson Tigers

Prediction: North Carolina 28, Clemson 24

Everyone has been waiting for Clemson to pull a Clemson, and it almost happened last week at Maryland before the Tigers pulled out a 56-45 victory. 

This week, they may not be so lucky. 

North Carolina is loaded with talent and they should be able to match Clemson's athleticism and speed on both sides of the ball. 

Watch out for freshman Giovani Bernard, one of the most underrated backs in the country.

No. 8 Stanford Cardinal and No. 25 Washington Huskies

Prediction: Stanford 47, Washington 20

Washington’s offensive trio of QB Keith Price, RB Chris Polk and WR Jermaine Kearse is very dangerous, but Stanford has a stout defense to contain them.

I’ve heard some good things about Stanford's quarterback and he should be able to do some damage against a Washington secondary that ranks 116th in the country and is giving up over 300 yards through the air per game.

No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks

Prediction: Arkansas 34, Ole Miss 23

After getting obliterated by Alabama last week, Houston Nutt will welcome in his old team, the Arkansas Razorbacks, on Saturday.

This is a bit of a tricky road spot for the Razorbacks, and that 12:21 start time scares me a little bit, but even if they start off slowly, Arkansas just has too much offensive firepower, and Tyler Wilson and the rest of the gang should be able to pull away in the second half.

No. 10 Oregon Ducks

Prediction: Oregon 51, Colorado 10

There’s no need to risk LaMichael James for this one.

Colorado is dreadful this year.

No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats

Prediction: Kansas State 30, Kansas 13

Is this the week Kansas State’s offense finally gets exposed?

Kansas coach Turner Gill has been searching for a big win since he took the job, and his team has a chance to make a statement tomorrow at home.

In the end, though, it's just too hard to trust the putrid Kansas defense.

No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Boston College 13

Boston College hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent since last November.

That won’t change this weekend.

No. 13 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Prediction: Nebraska 45, Minnesota 17

The last time these two teams played back in 1990 Nebraska won 56-0.

While I don’t think it will be quite as ugly this time around, Nebraska should still win this one handily.

The Gophers are averaging just 300 yards of offense per game, and that’s just not going to cut it against the Cornhuskers.

No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers

Prediction: West Virginia 38, Syracuse 27

As a West Virginia fan, I learned how to not enjoy Friday night games during the Bill Stewart era.

Hopefully, Dana Holgorsen knows how to prepare his team better for such a situation.

Syracuse has talent, and the Orange have certainly underperformed this year, but I don’t know if they have the horses to keep up with the West Virginia offense if it starts firing on all cylinders.

No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies

Prediction: Texas A&M 42, Iowa State 20

These seem to be two teams that are headed in opposite directions.

Texas A&M is finally starting to look like the team we expected before the season started, and the Aggies have done a good job of regrouping after two tough losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas.

Iowa State, on the other hand, has lost three straight, and the Cyclones will come into this one limping after just getting trounced by Missouri last week.

No. 19 Houston Cougars

Prediction: Houston 41, Marshall 21

I know their offense has been great so far, but I’m not ready to buy into the Houston Cougars as a Top 20 team just yet, considering they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record yet.

Regardless, the Cougars shouldn’t have much trouble with Marshall tomorrow.

The fact that Houston ranks No. 1 in the country in total offense and Marshall ranks 114th should tell you all you need to know about this game.

No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions

Prediction: Penn State 37, Northwestern 30

I’ve been tempted all week to go with Dan Persa and Northwestern in this one, but it’s hard to trust that Wildcats defense right now.

The teams' two records (Penn State is 6-1, Northwestern is 2-4) are a bit deceiving, and the two are much more evenly matched than it might seem.

After losing four straight, Northwestern could use a win in the worst way, and I expect the Wildcats to play desperate on Saturday, but I think Penn State will find a way to win on the road.

No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Prediction: Georgia Tech 42, Miami 27

After coasting through an easy early schedule, Georgia Tech got picked off at Virginia last weekend.

Now the Yellow Jackets will be looking to avenge the loss and gain back some respect, and luckily, they’ll have the benefit of going up against Miami’s porous run defense.

I don’t think the Hurricanes are disciplined enough on defense to slow down Georgia Tech’s powerful triple-option attack.

No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini

Prediction: Purdue 31, Illinois 26

After a rough 17-7 home loss to Ohio State last weekend, the last thing Illinois wants to do is go on the road and face a pesky Purdue team.

Judging from what we saw last weekend, maybe this Illinois team wasn’t quite as good as their 6-0 record led us to believe.

Yes, the Illini have a bright young star in quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, but this is going to be a tough situation for them to pull off a rebound win.