14 LSU at #8 Alabama

7:45PM Kickoff on CBS (11/4)
Current Records:
LSU: 6-2 (4-1 SEC)
Alabama: 7-1 (5-0 SEC)

Interesting match-up here between two teams trying to take control of the SEC West and also an Alabama team trying to stay alive in the College Football Playoff discussion. LSU you might have the two ‘best losses” in the country right now, to FSU and Ole Miss, both of which are ranked in the Top in the the first week of the College Football Playoff Rankings. LSU’s offense is perfectly fine and up for the test of Alabama’s defense, led by Heisman Candidate and the best QB in the SEC Jayden Daniels. Daniels is having a monster season, 2.572 Yds and 25 TDs 3 INTs, leading the Tigers offense to over 30 Pts a game for 7 straight weeks (scored 24 Pts against FSU week 1). Since losing to Texas in Week 2, Alabama has won 6 straight wins with two of the being against ranked opponents, that’s great! The bad is the last 3 games the Tide have started off slow, trailing most of the game, then barely squeaking out a win (Texas A&M 26-20, Arkansas 24-21, Tennessee 34-20). The Texas game showed significant flaws with Alabama’s offense and the USF game the following week only intensified those flaws, which is the Quarterback play. Jalen Milroe has been fine since retaking the starting role he just hasn’t been that defining play-maker we are sue to seeing with Alabama QBs (Young, Tua, Jones, Hurts, etc..). This is a prove it game for not just Milroe but also for Alabama as a whole, that they can compete for a national title this year despite their offensive woes. Alabama is the favorite in this game but 3 Pts, its in Tuscaloosa too, but that being said I think the LSU offense is took good and will put points up at will against the Tide. While the Tide offense won’t be able to keep up and Jalen Milroe will be forced to play hero ball. I’m taking the Tigers by at least 10 Pts.

19 UCLA at Arizona

10:30PM Kickoff on FS1 (11/4)
Current Records:
UCLA: 6-2 (3-2 Pac-12)
Arizona: 5-3 (3-2 Pac-12)

This is my game of the week without a doubt. Pac-12 after dark? Check. The best team in LA? Check. The best three loss team in the country? Check. All the makings of an absolute banger of a game. Since Chip Kelly made the switch of starting QB’s, benching the struggling Dante Moore for Ethan Garbers, UCLA is 2-0 since losing to Oregon State, they are moving the ball down the field scoring points consistently and most importantly: keeping the turnovers down. Turnovers is what killed the Bruins in their loss to Oregon State (Moore threw 3 INTs) and in their other loss on the season to Utah (Utah won 14-7, Moore threw a pix-6 on the first offense play of the game). Garbers since taking the starting job has passed for 509 Yds, 4 TDs and 1 INT. On the other side of the field, like I said, Arizona is without a doubt the best three loss team in the country. Their three losses on the year (Mississippi State, Washington, and USC) were all by one score (31-24, 31-24 OT, and 43-41 3OT), but since losing to Washington and USC, Arizona has won two straight games over ranked teams, then ranked #19 Washington State (44-6) and then ranked #11 Oregon Sate (27-24). Also like UCLA, Arizona made a QB change, Noah Fifita has the reigns now (2-2 as a starter), but like Garbers for UCLA, Fifita cut the turnovers down dramatically for a pass happy team, passing for 1,152 Yds in his 4 games as a starter with 11 TDs and 3 INTs to go along with it. Both of these teams have high powered offenses, but I am going with Arizona in this game. The mix of “Pac-12 after Dark”, the desert magic that is Arizona, and the fact Arizona has taken down two ranked teams in a row (honestly it should be 4 ranked teams in a row). I like Arizona by a one score game.