Three Big Things: Week 4

Week 4 looks pretty promising on the schedule we just looked at. We have Top 25 teams in action, some on the road, and conference play beginning to kick in. Before the games happen, let's take a look at Three Big Things you should be watching today. 

1. Number 1

Top-ranked Alabama finds itself in an unusual position. They are in the conversation with other media outlets of being put on "Upset Alert". Really? They play Vanderbilt! Now, we here at the Sports By Smith have Vandy coming in at 25th in our latest post. Be that as it may, they are in no shape to be screaming "We Want Bama". A home game for the Commodores will be hyped. The team will get up and likely keep up with the Tide for a quarter, maybe two. But in the end, Alabama is Alabama, and they will take care of business as suit. 

2. Big XII Showdown

TCU travels to Stillwater as the 16th ranked team in the poll this week as they match up with 6th ranked Oklahoma State. This will be fun. We will find out tonight who is going to be Oklahoma's challenger for the conference title. Or, this might even be for the Big XII Championship. Both teams will score a ton, so don't look away from your television for too long. 

3. The Streak

As you should know, we here love Kentucky. Misery also loved company. Today, Florida brings a 30-game win streak to Lexington which stands as the longest streak in FBS. The line for the game started at 4.5 from the Gators, but since has been bet down to a pick. Money is on Kentucky, and as a fan, this might be the best chance I've seen for the Wildcats to break the streak. Upset? Maybe not. The Cats are better on paper than Florida, but the Gators have...well what do they have? This isn't the same Florida team we're accustomed to. If you want an upset, Kentucky would be the one you put on alert. 

What are you watching for today? Let us know. 

Three Big Things

Now that you've had time to look over the schedule, let's check out what we're watching for this week.

• Road Warriors

This weeks lineup has several ranked teams going on the road in non-conference games. 10 Oklahoma State will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers in a "measuring stick" game to see how they fair against a team who just got roughed up by Penn State. 24 UCLA will travel across the country to face a feisty Memphis team, while 16 Virginia Tech will exorcise its own demons when they square off at East Carolina. We also have 9 Wisconsin facing the fighting Mormons of BYU, and 17 Stanford making a short trip to San Diego. These matchups aren't the only ranked road games, but they are the ones who should take care of business. Other teams in action should be on...

• Upset Alert

Yes! We are officially putting the following teams on watch as they might be putting a crooked number in their loss column by the end of the night. 11 LSU opens SEC play at Mississippi State. Starkville isn't a place you want to find yourself after dark on a Saturday. The Tigers will get their first real test of the season when they meet Nick Fitzgerald and the Bulldogs.
20 Kansas State makes a trip to Nashville to play the Commodores of Vanderbilt. Normally, no one would worry about Vanderbilt, but keep an eye on this one. Derek Mason's team is primed to surprise a few people this season, and beating the Wildcats would be a good start.
Finally, we have a rematch of a national championship that didn't happen. Texas travels to 6 USC in the night cap that was promising to start the season. After losing the opener to Maryland, one would think that the Longhorns have no shot in the Coliseum. Well, think again! Calling it now, Tom Herman and his Texas team will give USC all they want, and might even come back to Austin with the W.

• 3 Clemson Opens Up ACC Play at 14 Louisville

The obvious game of the week will feature the defending national champions on the road against the defending Heisman Trophy winner. Clemson will open conference play in Louisville where they hope to give Lamar Jackson another beating. The Cardinals are hosting College GameDay again after putting on a show against heavily-favored Florida State a year ago. Lamar Jackson is going to do his thing. The question is: will his team put up enough effort for a statement win against the Tigers?


Those are our Three Big Things this week. What are you looking forward to? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments.

Three Big Things: Week 2

Now that you have had time to look over the schedule, let's dive into it. Here are the Three Big Things to watch out for this weekend.

• Ranked Matchups

This week's slate features twice as many games that pit Top-25 teams than it did a week ago. Georgia travels to South Bend where they are bringing in a replacement for Jacob Eason. Notre Dame made their debut this week in our poll, and a win over the Bulldogs will go a long way for a team that finished 4-8 a year ago.

Clemson's title run last year began when they knocked off Auburn 19-13 down on the plains. This year, Auburn makes a return trip to Death Valley where they hope to return the favor. Whoever wins the Battle of the Tigers will have a quality win in their pocket before heading into what promises to be a brutal conference schedule for each team.

In another rematch from a year ago, Oklahoma travels to the Horseshoe to take on another Playoff contender in the nightcap when they face Ohio State. Both teams are Top 5 and have high expectations for the season. A loss won't hurt Ohio State's chances, but one has to believe it will really damage the Sooners'. With the Big 12 being what it was in Week 1, I'm saying this is a must-win for Lincoln Riley and Crew.

• The Texas Three-Way

With last week's terrible showing for teams from the Lone Star State, one has to wonder how much of a bounce back each are in for. After being embarrassed by Liberty, Baylor welcomes in-state opponent UT-San Antonio who is likely going to be made an example of. A week from allowing the largest comeback in recent memory, Texas A&M hosts Nicholls State as they look to put the UCLA loss behind them. Texas looks to right the ship when San Jose State comes to Austin, and notch the first win for Tom Herman in burnt orange. All three games should be wins for each program, but we'll have to see how much damage was taken in Week 1.

• Early Season Rivalry Week

Week 2 offers us a couple of early season rivalry games. First up is the Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Iowa will travel to Ames where the Hawkeyes would love to crash the Cyclones' party for another year. Stanford travels to USC where we find two ranked teams squaring off for the 96th time. Finally, the Holy War. Utah travels to BYU where they will face their "Most Beloved Rival" in this year's edition of the matchup. The Cougars have lost nine straight in the series dating back to their last win in 2009.


There you have it. Three Big Things to be on the lookout for. Another thing you should be watching for is our weekly predictions. Last week treated us fairly, lets hope this week is more of the same. Picks and bets coming in an hour and a half. See you then!

Three Big Things

With two hours before the first games kickoff, let us take some time and discuss three things that you should pay close attention to.

• The New Red River Rivalry

While we are still weeks away from the Sooners and Longhorns facing off, it would be silly to think that this week's games don't play a big role in the new path the rivalry takes. For the first time since 1998, Bob Stoops will not be patrolling the sidelines for Boomer Sooner. Lincoln Riley makes his coaching debut after Stoops abruptly retired during the summer.
On the Texas side, Tom Herman makes his Longhorn debut after coming over from the Houston Cougars last year.
Both coaches inherit Top 25 programs that are expected to compete for the Big XII Title.
Trivia time! When was the last time that both Texas and Oklahoma both entered a new season with new coaches? You have to go all the way back to 1947 when Bud Wilkinson led the Sooners, and Blair Cherry was at the helm in Austin

• Michigan and Florida Square Off in the Jerry Dome

A battle of the minds will finally meet on the gridiron. For the past few weeks, mystery has shrowded both teams as they have each been hesitant to tip their hand to the other. Now that Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain have released their depth charts, we'll see it to believe it. Despite the mind games leading up to it, this game should be worth the wait. Michigan was close to a Playoff berth last year in a race that come down to the wire. While they are not the same team they were a year ago, you can bet they have the same goals.
Florida will be lucky to have enough players to field a team. McElwain has suspended a number of players including standouts from a year ago Antonio Callaway and Jordan Scarlett. Add that to the fact that the Gators are starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback in Feleipe Franks, this one looks one-sided.

• Florida State and Alabama Kick Off a Clash of the Titans

#1 vs #3 is usually left to a playoff matchup at the end of the season, but Alabama and Florida State have thrown out the rule book. Easily the most watched game of the weekend tonight, these two are squaring off in what might also be a prequel to a postseason matchup in late-December early-January. With both teams returning a ton, this will be a great game to watch.

What are your storylines for the weekend? Let us know in the comments below. Check back later for game predictions and bets.