CFB Picks 09/28: Two Top 25 Matchups
College Football fans have a lot to look forward to this weekend with Saturday action.
There are two games on slate between top 25 teams in the country.
Check out my predictions for each below:
No. 18 Virginia @ No. 10 Notre Dame (-12.5), NBC, 3:30 PM ET:
The visiting Virginia Cavaliers will look to make it five wins in a row to start the season.
In their last game against Old Dominion, quarterback Bryce Perkins went 15 of 24 with 175 yards and one touchdown and had 14 carries for 35 yards and another score for No. 18 Virginia in a 28-17 victory.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, will look to rebound after a tough loss to No. 3 Georgia.
Fighting Irish signal caller Ian Book had 275 passing yards with two touchdown passes, but the Bulldogs escaped with a 23-17 win.
Notre Dame and Virginia should be a fantastic matchup between two of the top 25 teams in the country.
Look for the quarterback play to be the difference in this game, as Book has proven to be one of the better passers in the nation. He has 828 passing yards and eight touchdowns in three games for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame is giving the Cavaliers 12.5 points in this contest. I believe they will win outright and cover the spread.
Pick: Virginia Cavaliers (+12.5) @ -110
No. 21 USC @ No. 17 Washington (-10.5), FOX, 3:30 PM ET:
No. 21 USC is back in the top 25 after a big win over at-the-time No. 10 Utah.
Trojans wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had 10 receptions for a career-high 232 yards with one touchdown, and quarterback Matt Fink threw for 351 yards and three scores in a 30-23 home win over Utah.
USC will have its work cut out when it takes on No. 17 Washington before facing No. 10 Notre Dame next week, to conclude a brutally tough six-game stretch to start the season.
No. 17 Washington will look to make it three wins in a row when it takes on USC.
Last week when the Huskies took on BYU, quarterback Jacob Eason threw for 290 yards and three touchdown passes, and Washington scored two touchdowns off three BYU turnovers in a lopsided 45-19 win over the Cougars.
There aren’t many teams battle-tested like the Trojans have been so far this season.
The pick is USC. I'd be shocked if the Trojans fail to cover the 10.5 in this one.
Pick: USC Trojans (+10.5) @ -110
Washington State @ No. 19 Utah (-5.5), FS1, 10:00 PM ET:
Washington State started the season with a 3-0 record and a No. 19 ranking in the top 25, but everything came crashing down in last week’s matchup.
Quarterback Anthony Gordon threw for a record nine touchdown passes to go along with 570 passing yards, but the Cougars fell 67-63 to the UCLA Bruins at home. Washington State held a 49-17 lead early in the third but managed to lose the game.
Utah was ranked No. 10 in the nation at this time last week, but after a loss to USC its ranking dropped down to No. 19.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley threw for 210 yards and had 60 rushing yards, but the Utes committed 16 penalties for 120 yards, and they struggled to get key defensive stops in the football game. If they want to bounce back in this game against Washington State, they must clean up the penalties.
I expect Washington State to bounce back after such a devastating loss. Do I think they win this game? I’m not too sure about that. But I do know that the Cougars will cover the 5.5-point spread.
Take Washington State plus the points here.