College Football Week 7
Once again, not many intriguing college games this week. Hopefully, that will pick back up next week, but with cancellations and everything, here are a few interesting games.
#3 Georgia @ #2 Alabama
Two College Football Playoff Contenders and a conference rivalry. As usual, this should be a good game. After struggling in the first half of the opener, QB Stetson Bennett has the Georgia offense on a roll. He's already thrown for 689 yards and five touchdowns in just two and a half games. The Bulldogs' defense has been as advertised- giving up no more than 21 points and 215 total yards in any game so far to go along with +3 turnover margin. They will have their biggest test by far on Saturday. The Alabama offense is averaging 51 points per game in its first three games of 2020--including 52 against #11 Texas A&M. The Tide did have a close call last week against Ole Miss, but that was mostly because of the defense giving up over 600 yards. Alabama has given up over 400 yards twice in three games, so there may be advantages for a Georgia team that is more skilled and balanced than anyone the Tide has played yet.
Boston College @ #23 Virginia Tech
Boston College has made an impressive transformation so far this year-- coming close to upsetting a top 10 North Carolina team and defeating Pittsburgh in overtime last week. Now, they have a chance for a signature win for first year head coach Jeff Hafley. QB Phil Jurkovec already has 1,181 passing yards and eight touchdown passes. The defense hasn't quite been up to speed, and the team overall is polarizing because they look good one week then take a step back the next. Which one will we see against VA Tech? The Hokies also suffered a close loss to North Carolina after battling back from a huge first half deficit. They were supposed to have a great defense, but teams have been able to score on them so far. A struggling Duke offense was able to score 31 points on 418 yards, while North Carolina shredded the Hokies' run defense for 399 yards. They'll need to have their entire unit ready for this one.
Kentucky @ #18 Tennessee
Kentucky hasn't had the start it wanted but hasn't played particularly badly either. The Wildcats are 1-2 after starting the season ranked 23rd. After struggling against Auburn's defense, the offense found its way against Ole Miss and was able to carry some of that over against Mississippi State last week. The Wildcats held Mike Leach's offense to under 300 yards and forced six turnovers, all after allowing big chunks of yardage in the first two games. Kentucky has the offense to stay in this, but which defense will they get? Tennessee is 2-1 and looking to build off a promising start. They played well against Georgia for three quarters last week and will be looking to put that kind of effort together for an entire game. One key for the Vols will be their running game, which had -1 yards last week against the #1 run defense. Kentucky ranks 8th in that category, so we should see more passing from Jarrett Guarantano. A win for either team helps them take the next step, but a loss would be more damaging for Tennessee.