Total Sports Live: Top 25 Power Rankings and Games To Watch

Rankings:

AP Top 25 Rankings:

1.   Alabama  (5-0)
2.   Oregon (5-0)
3.  Clemson (5-0)
4.  Ohio State  (6-0)
5.  Stanford (5-0)
6. Florida State (5-0)
7.  Georgia (4-1)
8. Louisville (5-0)
9.  Texas A&M (4-1)
10. LSU (5-1)
11. UCLA (4-0)
12. Oklahoma (5-0)
13. Miami (FL) (5-0)
14. South Carolina (4-1)
15. Baylor (4-0)
16. Washington (4-1)
17. Florida (4-1)
18. Michigan (5-0)
19. Northwestern (4-1)
20. Texas Tech (5-0)
21. Fresno State (5-0)
22. Oklahoma State (4-1)
23. Northern Illinois (5-0)
24. Virginia Tech (5-1)
25. Missouri (5-0)

TotalSportsLive Power Rankings:

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Clemson
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Florida State
8. Louisville
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. South Carolina
13. UCLA
14. Miami (FL)
15. Washington
16. Baylor
17. Florida
18. Michigan
19. Northwestern
20. Oklahoma State
21. Texas Tech
22. Fresno State
23. Northern Illinois
24. Virginia Tech
25. Missouri

Games To Watch:

#2 Oregon (5-0 / 2-0 Pac 12)  @ #16 Washington  (4-1 / 1-1 Pac 12) (4:00 pm FoxSports1)

Oregon Preview:

Easily one of the best teams in college football as well as averaging 59.2 points per game this season which ranks second in all of college football the Oregon Ducks seem not to be missing now Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. Oregon has put up 50 or more points in all five games so far this season. The 16th ranked Huskies will be the first big test for Oregon however this season, though will the Huskies be able to stop an offense that has put up 39 touchdowns in five games which is an average of 7.8 a game. Oregon’s defense also hasn’t been too shabby this season as they have only allowed a total of 59 points this season outscoring their opponents 296-59 which is a 237+ point differential which without a doubt the highest currently in college football to along with the best defense in college football. Oregon, quarterback Marcus Mariota has so far thrown 14 touchdown passes this season and zero interceptions to along with his 1,358 passing yards, not to mention his quarterback rating of 176.3.

Oregon Players To Watch:

• Marcus Mariota – The sophomore quarterback is already proving to be a top caliber quarterback, a win over the Washington Huskies will cement his place in the running for a Heisman and draw the Ducks one step closer to the National Championship game.
• De’Anthony Thomas – Easily one of the most exciting players in college football, hasn’t had the season most were expecting mostly due to Mariota’s incredible season so far but expect the running back to make some great runs against Washington.
• Josh Huff – So far Huff has been Mariota’s most frequent target and already has 21 receptions for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, expect to see Huff frequently targeted and have at least a few receptions for a touchdown.

Washington Preview:

Washington , who is coming off a heartbreaking 31-28 loss to the hands of Stanford is looking to rebound against another top team in the country who is also in National Championship contention. Washington this season is averaging 37 points a game which is 22 points less than Oregon. Washington’s most convincing win this season came in week one when they defeated then #19 ranked Boise State 38-6. Another notable win was their 31-13 defeat of Arizona. Senior quarterback Keith Price is having a successful season which he has thrown for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions to go along with his 163.4 quarterback rating. Price, who wanted to become a top college quarterback and wanted a chance at the NFL got help from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. It looks to be working for the senior as he has his completion percentage so far by 11%. Washington, despite having one of the top defenses in college football will have hard time to stay with the fast paced Oregon offence especially after facing another fast paced Stanford offense which Stanford complained that Washington was “faking injuries” to slow down the pace of the game.

Washington Players To Watch:

• Keith Price – Washington’s star quarterback, Price is putting in a hell of a senior season in hoping to raise his draft stock. Watch for the senior quarterback to try and lead this Huskies offense past a crippling Oregon defense.
• Bishop Sankey – Washington’s leading rusher has already compiled 732 yards for 7 touchdowns which both rank in the top 10 in college football. Expect Sankey to get a lot of touches against Oregon but not for the average of 5 yards he usually gets.
• Defense – The Washington defense has not allowed more than 16 points so far this season and is currently ranked in the top 10. If Washington is going to have a chance to win, the defense will need to play the best they ever have against Washington.

Game Prediction:

Oregon: 53

Washington: 17

In a game that was never close from the start, Oregon runs over the 16th ranked Washington Huskies in an absolute massacre of the Huskies defense led by Marcus Mariota.

#17 Florida (4-1 / 3-0 SEC) @ #10 LSU ( 5-1 / 2-1 SEC) (3:30pm CBS)

Florida Preview:

Coming off a convincing 20 point victory (30-10) over Arkansas the Gators face their biggest test since their week two loss to Miami (FL). Since , Florida has outscored their opponents 84-34. Florida’s defense is currently  ranked 4th overall in the nation allowing only 12 points a game. Their offense is another story as it has only put up an average of 25 points which is ranked 93rd nationally. After losing quarterback Jeff Driskel for the season in week three, junior quarterback Tyler Murphy has thrown for 530 yards and five touchdowns over the last two and half games. Florida’s defense only challenge so far has been Miami who has averaged 45 points a game, LSU averages 45 points a game. Can Florida stay up with a team that averages 20 more points then them? Florida who doesn’t have a solid rushing game will have to rely on Tyler Murphy to lead them to a victory. Florida will try to pull off one of the hardest feats in college football, beating LSU in Death Valley (Tiger Stadium), LSU has only lost two games at home since 2009.

Florida Players To Watch:

• Tyler Murphy – In his first big test of his career, Murphy will try to pull a small upset over LSU this week in Death Valley.
• Solomon Patton  – Florida’s top target will have his hands full trying to get free against one of the best secondaries in all of college football.
• Florida Defense – The 12th ranked Florida defense faces their biggest test arguably this season so far against a very strong LSU offense, can they pull off a repeat and hold LSU to six points as they did a year ago?

LSU Preview:

LSU, who is just two weeks removed from a heartbreaking loss to SEC rival Georgia will try to win their second straight game after a dominating win last week against Mississippi State. The LSU defense will have the courtesy of facing a non-veteran quarterback in Tyler Murphy has he makes his third career start this week. LSU’s quarterback Zach Mettenberger is one of the best in not just the SEC but all of college football, so far this season the senior quarterback has thrown for 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. With a 270 yard performance on Saturday, Mettenberger will have already thrown for 2,000 yards through LSU’s first seven games this season. Running back Jeremy Hill is also having a career season as he has ran for 593 yards and nine touchdown. The LSU defense, this season has not been as strong as years past but is still one of the stronger defense’s in the SEC.

LSU Players To Watch:

• Zach Mettenberger – The senior quarterback hopes to make up for LSU’s loss two weeks ago by defeating a big rival in LSU.
• Jeremy Hill – One of the best running backs in college football , Hill hopes to terrorize the Florida rush defense
• Odell Beckham- Mettenberger’s top target, Beckham has already almost 700 yards receiving to go along with his six touchdowns

Game Prediction:

LSU: 24

Florida: 20

In a tough and close battle for each team, LSU pulls away on top of this thriller as the Florida defense is able to hold LSU for most of the game, some key mistakes and penalties will untimely cost the Gators this rivalry win.

#18 Michigan (5-0 / 1-0 Big Ten) @ Penn State (3-2 / 0-1 Big Ten) (5:00 pm ESPN)

Penn State Preview:

Coming off a hugely disappointing 44-24 loss to the hands of Nate Sudfeld and the Indiana Hoosiers, Penn State faces easily their biggest challenge of all season when the 18th ranked University of Michigan Wolverines come to visit Happy Valley. Bill O’Brien in a weekly news conference on Tuesday, commented on this upcoming weeks game against Michigan courtesy of ESPN.com 

 “We tell them, ‘Look, this is an exciting opportunity. Penn State-Michigan. ESPN. 5 o’clock. 108,000 [fans],’ ” he said. “You got Nittanyville going crazy over there. It’d be crazy to think this is just another game.” – Bill O’Brien

In his his second year at Penn State, Bill O’Brien’s Nittany Lions have only suffered back to back losses once, those two games were O’Briens first two games as Penn State head coach losing to The University of Ohio (24-14) and The University of Virginia (17-16).  Since those two losses, Penn State has had a combined record of 11-4 over the last two seasons, their four losses coming to Ohio State, Nebraska , University of Central Florida and Indiana . Penn State has won each game following a loss over the loss two seasons since the Virginia loss in Week two last season.  All four of those victories following by losses have been by at least 23 points or more. Though, last week Penn State was only able to rush the ball for 70 yards against a team that has averaged over 200 rushing yards allowed per game this season including allowing 444 rushing yards against Navy during Week two.  Can Penn State’s 31st ranked defense return to top 20 form that Penn State has been noted for over the history of the school or will the defense that showed up and allowed 40 points for only the fourth time since 2002 show up for the Nittany Lions against the 28th ranked Michigan offense?

Penn State Players To Watch:

• Christian Hakenberg – How will the true-freshman quarterback play in his first major conference game against one of Penn State’s biggest rival?
• Allen Robinson– Hackenberg’s most frequent target and with out the doubt the best player for Penn State offensively, look for Robinson to show his worth this week under the lights
• Glenn Carson– Penn State’s defensive leader will have to play one of the best games of his life to help ensure even having a chance to beat Michigan.

Michigan Preview:

The undefeated Wolverines are coming into Happy Valley this weekend following 42-13 victory of the Minnesota Golden Gophers . So far the Wolverines’ most impressive victory was a week two win over at the time the 14th ranked Notre Dame. The two weeks after that was a whole another story for Michigan. Facing both Akron and Connecticut, Michigan defeated their two opponents by a combined seven points. Quarterback Devin Gardner is not exactly having the season that many expected him to as his touchdown and interception rate is currently 1:1 having both eight touchdowns as well as eight interceptions. The Wolverines are not exactly the team that many expected them to be this season as they had one of the top recruiting classes last year. The last team that Michigan played Penn State was in 2009 in Happy Valley where they suffered a 41-31 defeat in front of 108,000 strong Penn State faithful.

Michigan Players To Watch:

• Devin Gardner – Michigan’s star quarterback has a chance to prove the world that he can be a Top 25 starting quarterback
• Fitzgerald Toussaint – Michigan’s starting running back has 0nly rushed for 397 yards but has already rushed for seven touchdowns.
• Blake Countess – Countess, who is coming off an ACL injury last year already has four interceptions in the seasons first five games.

Game Prediction:

Penn State: 34    

Michigan: 28

In a very close game that comes down to the wire, Penn State upsets #18 Michigan  in a thriller 34-28 as true-freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg notches his first career primetime victory. Next stop: Columbus, Ohio

 Honorable Mention Games:
#25 Missouri @ #7 Georgia

Prediction- Georgia: 48 ; Missouri: 31

#10 Oklahoma @ Texas (Red River Rivalry)

Prediction- Oklahoma: 54 ; Texas: 31