\nLine: Pittsburgh by 4.5<\/p>\n
Steen:\u00a0<\/em>This Pennsylvania rivalry should embody the ethos of both schools in terms of hard nosed, run heavy football. Both Penn State and Pitt will look to keep the other team off the scoreboard, and gain enough yards on the ground to earn a victory. Pitt needs this win for national credibility, while for Penn State it’s a chance to show they are slowly making their way back from sanctions induced struggles.<\/p>\n Both teams are good, but not great, and I don’t trust Pitt until they show me something, that’s why I have to go with Penn State by a small margin. Penn State<\/strong> 21, Pitt 17<\/p>\n Yesh:<\/em>\u00a0For some reason, Pitt is not getting any love in the national media after a great season last year and brining back one of the best running backs in college football. Penn State struggled against Kent State for a half and the offense never looked good. That’s trouble against a Pat Narduzzi defense.\u00a0Pittsburgh<\/strong> 28, Penn State 6<\/p>\n John:<\/em>\u00a0Saturday’s game between the Nittany Lions and Panthers will be the 96th all-time meeting between the two stalwarts of college football in Pennsylvania dating back to 1896. But they haven’t played against one another since 2000, a 12-0 win for Pitt.<\/p>\n All the pressure appears to be on PSU heading into this one. Head coach James Franklin enters year three of his tenure having led the school to consecutive 7-6 finishes. That’s not going to get it done for a fanbase looking to reemerge as an elite Big Ten program. On the other side of the field will be Pat Narduzzi who led Pitt to an impressive 8-5 record in his inaugural season as head coach.<\/p>\n Narduzzi is a defensive mastermind and it showed last week when they held Villanova to just 172 yards in a 28-7 victory. More could be expected at Heinz Field in week two against Penn State. If the Panthers can neutralize running back Saquon Barkley, it remains to be seen whether or not Trace McSorley can pick up the slack.\u00a0Pittsburgh<\/strong> 24, Penn State 17<\/p>\n Mike:<\/em>\u00a0In a match-up of two teams trying to find their way, Penn State makes the relatively short trip to Pittsburgh for a Big Ten vs. ACC match-up. This is the third season for James Franklin at Penn State, and with Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan State on the schedule, this is a critical game if the Nittany Lions want to get past the seven win plateau of the last three seasons. Anything less, and Franklin\u2019s status will become shaky. Penn State was less than impressive last week against Kent State going 5-15 on third downs and 354 total yards of offense. But it was a win and Pittsburgh had a similar game against an even lesser opponent in Villanova. Pat Narduzzi\u2019s squad finds themselves in a more competitive ACC Coastal Division and needing this win as well, with Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Miami, and Clemson all ahead. Pitt\u2019s Defensive line and experience make the difference . Pittsburgh<\/strong> 30, Penn State 21<\/p>\n Arkansas at #15 TCU<\/strong> (Saturday 7:00 P.M.) Steen: <\/em>Arkansas has to go on the road, and it’s a tough matchup for then, as TCU’s spread, led by Texas A&M transfer Kenny Hill, should be able to put up points against their defense. Will their power running game be able to keep up? TCU defense was a disaster last week against a (very good) FCS opponent in South Dakota State, and that should give the Hogs hope. I have to think TCU will outrun their opponents at home though, this would be a big resume win for one of the Big 12 favorites TCU<\/strong> 42, Arkansas 31<\/p>\n Yesh:<\/em>\u00a0TCU’s defense was atrocious last week. Luckily for them, Arkansas looked atrocious on both sides of the ball. Unless there was some rapid improvement, we might be in for an ugly game. Unfortunately, I don’t think Arkansas will be able to stop the Horned Frogs at all. John:\u00a0<\/em>Both teams avoided the upset bug in week one. Arkansas needed a late touchdown pass from Austin Allen to escape Louisiana Tech 21-20. Meanwhile, TCU led South Dakota State by just four in the fourth quarter before eventually pulling away 59-41.<\/p>\n The Razorbacks struggled to get very much offensive production last week, finishing with just 297 total yards. That could be a problem if they get involved in a shootout with the Horned Frogs, who had over twice as much total offense in week one albeit against an FCS team. Look for Texas A&M transfer Kenny Hill to light up a suspect Hog pass defense.\u00a0TCU<\/strong> 42, Arkansas 31<\/p>\n Mike:<\/em>\u00a0Another match-up featuring two teams with lackluster week one performances. Arkansas survived an upset bid from Louisiana Tech with a fourth quarter touchdown drive. The Razorback defense will have to contain Kenny Hill\u2019s passing attack, and the offense has to find a rhythm with Austin Allen. TCU survived a shootout with South Dakota State. If SDSU can put up 41 against the Horned Frogs, is it crazy to think Arkansas stay in this game offensively? TCU<\/strong> 41, Arkansas 35<\/p>\n BYU at Utah<\/strong> (Saturday 7:30 P.M.) Steen:\u00a0<\/em>BYU is playing it’s rival Utah in Salt Lake, which will produce a split crowd, and their new head coach has installed a more run focused ethos. The Cougars are a tough team that knocked off another PAC-12 opponent in the form of Arizona on a late field goal last week. Utah is solid, but not great, this year as well, and the Utes will be looking to draw some national attention this week with a win. After BYU let Arizona come back last week, I’m confident that Utah will be able to score in this one, and Taysom Hill doesn’t appear to be as sharp as he once was. Utah<\/strong> 27, BYU 17<\/p>\n Yesh:<\/em>\u00a0It’s the Holy War. BYU had high expectations coming into the season but really underwhelmed against Arizona, especially on offense. Utah played very conservatively in their opener, not giving much away for this game. I think the Cougars’ defense will keep it close, and Taysom Hill will find some magic at the end. John:<\/em>\u00a0“The Holy War” is one of the more underrated rivalries in college football. These are two programs with no love lost between one another which always makes for an action-packed game. Expect no different this year in the 97th all-time meeting between the two in-state foes.<\/p>\n The Cougars will certainly be out for revenge given what happened the previous time these two teams played in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl. Utah jumped out to an early 35-0 lead, buoyed by five BYU turnovers in the first quarter. Though they recovered to score 28 unanswered points to lose by just seven, the bad memories from that game are undoubtedly fresh in the minds of the Cougar players.<\/p>\n Last week, BYU invaded a Pac-12 stadium and came out with a win, surprising Arizona 18-16 for head coach Kalani Sitake’s first ever win. Behind an experienced offense led by quarterback Taysom Hill, they may be in line to repeat the feat.\u00a0BYU<\/strong> 26, Utah 24<\/p>\n Mike:\u00a0<\/em>BYU is one game into the post-Mendenhall era and things look different in Provo. They won last week with defense and rushing, not a potent passing attack. One thing remains the same \u2013 the dramatic last second victory, this time on a field goal. Meanwhile, 2015\u2019s surprise team, Utah, had a very solid start to their season with a shutout of Southern Utah and a solid night from quarterback Troy Williams. This game will be close, but I like what Kyle Virginia Tech vs. #17 Tennessee<\/strong> (Saturday 8:00 P.M.) Steen: <\/em>The horrible\u00a0sight lines\u00a0of the massive stadium at Bristol Motor Speedway will be sure to leave the losers fans frustrated in this game. Bud Foster’s Hokie defense should be able to stymie Tennessee, if they can’t get it going. The Vols struggled last week against a good App State team, but their defense ended up carrying them through. VA Tech struggled with FCS Liberty, but they are still more talented than App State and will test the Vols big time in this one. I expect Tennessee to underwhelm, but win another game. Tennessee<\/strong> 24, Virginia Tech 14<\/p>\n Yesh:<\/em>\u00a0Last week I picked Appalachian State to upset Tennessee. That didn’t happen, but the Volunteers looked much worse than I expected. They were dominated on both lines, really. That does not bode well against the bigger and stronger Virginia Tech linemen. Joshua Dobbs also needs to show some signs of improvement. Virginia Tech<\/strong> 21, Tennessee 13<\/p>\n John:<\/em>\u00a0This might be the most intriguing matchup of the week if anything due to the venue. The Hokies and Vols are set for a clash at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of the more famous NASCAR tracks in the country. It should make for an interesting viewing experience both in-stadium as well as on-camera.<\/p>\n Tennessee will be looking to atone for a less than impressive performance in their season opener. Against Appalachian State, the Vols never led during regulation but figured out a way to escape with a 20-13 win in overtime. It came as quite a shock considering UT’s preseason top ten ranking.<\/p>\n It’s never easy to replace a legend but that’s exactly what first-year VT head coach Justin Fuente is doing after Frank Beamer retired after after the 2015 season. A total of 15 starters on both sides of the ball return so the talent is there, especially on defense. The Tennessee skill position players will have their hands full but should be ready after their less than stellar showing last week.\u00a0Tennessee<\/strong> 31, Virginia Tech 21<\/p>\n Mike:<\/em>\u00a0Both of these teams are looking to rebound from slow starts in Week 1 in what will be the biggest crowd to watch a college football game ever. Expect a circus-like environment in Bristol with GameDay in attendance. Tennessee looks to right the ship on offense by giving Joshua Dobbs a bigger role in the offense and shoring up the offensive line play. The Hokies will continue to implement new coach Justin Fuente\u2019s passing attack and try to copy Appalachian State\u2019s defensive game plan. All the pressure is on Tennessee here. Fans will be nervous if the Vols don\u2019t show a significant improvement. In the end, Tennessee wins the Appalachia Cup with their second straight win over a mountain school. Tennessee<\/strong> 38, Virginia Tech 27<\/p>\n Cal at San Diego State<\/strong> (Saturday 10:30 P.M.) Steen:<\/em> San Diego State has an outside Heisman contender in RB Donnel Pumphrey, and Rocky Long’s team is one of the best non Power 5 teams in the country. Playing out on the west coast doesn’t help with their media attention, and they don’t have the toughest schedule, but the Aztecs are not a team to sleep on. Cal can throw and score thanks to Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb, and I expect them to put up points, but their defense leaves much to be desired, and I expect SDSU to tear them to shreds when the Aztecs have the ball. San Diego State<\/strong> 48, Cal 38<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0<\/em>No one knows how good San Diego State is, but this team is loaded with talent. Donnel Pumphrey is the best running back you’ve never heard of, and he will be licking his chops at a defense that gave up over six yards per carry against Hawaii. San Diego State<\/strong> 31, Cal 21<\/p>\n John:<\/em>\u00a0Fresh off their first double digit win season since 1971, San Diego State look to keep the momentum going in 2016. Sixth-year head coach Rocky Long has turned the Aztecs into a regular Mountain West contender, winning the conference twice during his tenure including last year. Defense has been an emphasis under Long and it showed in the team’s season opener when they shut out New Hampshire 31-0.<\/p>\n Cal opened their season Down Under in Sydney, Australia with a 51-31 win over Hawai’i. A week later, they make the trek down I-5 to face another Mountain West opponent. The Aztecs should be a much more formidable challenge and the spread illustrates this. With Jared Goff having departed and four starters returning on offense, they could be in for a rough go at Qualcomm.\u00a0San Diego State<\/strong> 38, Cal 27<\/p>\n Mike:<\/em>\u00a0Don\u2019t sleep on San Diego State. The Aztecs were Mountain West Champions in 2015 and won 11 games. But they didn\u2019t fare well against their two G5 opponents, losing to Cal and Penn State by a combined score of 72-28. They also had a very good defense, which will need to show up with a Cal team that put up 51 against Hawaii in Sydney two weeks ago. Cal has had two weeks to watch film and make improvements. Replacing Jared Goff will be no easy task, but lower expectations and less visibility might benefit Sonny Dykes\u2019 squad \u2013 especially transfer signal caller Davis Webb. Cal<\/strong> 27, SDSU 20<\/p>\n Results from last week:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Main Photo:<\/p>\n
\nLine: TCU by 7<\/p>\n
\nPrediction: TCU<\/strong> 45, Arkansas 28<\/p>\n
\nLine: Utah by 3<\/p>\n
\nBYU<\/strong> 21, Utah 17<\/p>\n
\nWhittingham is doing in Salt Lake. Utah<\/strong> 28, BYU 21<\/p>\n
\nLine: Tennessee by 11.5<\/p>\n
\nLine: San Diego State by 7<\/p>\n![\"14302514_10210599234883778_1971703929_n\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/14302514_10210599234883778_1971703929_n.jpg\")
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