College Football has kicked off in style and the ball keeps rolling this week with some cracking matches lined up. The Stats Insider model has you covered with all the pre-game model predictions. 

Houston Cougars' senior punter, Australian ice-cream salesman turned superboot, Dane Roy, dives into the matches to keep an eye on in 2019.

University of Texas Longhorns vs Louisiana State University

This Saturday night we see the #6 ranked LSU Tigers travel up to Austin to play the #9 University of Texas Longhorns, in what is primed to be a very exciting matchup. The last time the two teams played each other was way back in the 2003 Cotton Bowl, where the Longhorns beat the Tigers 35 to 20. This massive game will set up the whole season for the winner, but for the loser, a loss will all but demolish their CFB playoff hopes.

The Tigers will hope to continue their winning start to the 2019 season after an easy win over Georgia Southern in week 1. Senior QB Joe Burrow threw for 278 yards going 23/27 with 5 TD last week, setting a single-game school record for 5 touchdown passes before half time. Burrow threw 16 touchdowns all up last season, so it looks like he has found some good form early on.

On the other side of the field are the Longhorns. Junior QB, Sam Ehlinger, also had an impressive start to the season, guiding Texas to a comfortable win over Louisiana Tech. Ehlinger threw for 276 yards with 4 TD while going 28/38 on passes.

Obviously both QBs weren’t really tested by the opposition defense, so it will be interesting to see how the both react to a tougher challenge this week.

Look out for: 

Aussie punter Ryan Bujcevski for the Longhorns. Bujcevski took over from former Sydney Swans Academy product and now NFL punter Michael Dickson in 2018. Bujcevski averaged 40 yards per punt last season.

Verdict:

LSU look to have both the talent and the motivation to beat the Longhorns in Texas and should do so. But expect to see Texas stay with them until the very end.

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University of Clemson vs University of Texas A&M

The #12 Texas A&M Aggies take on the #1 Clemson Tigers in a non-conference match up for the second year in a row. Last year the Aggies hosted the Tigers and looked like certain winners until a video review in the final moments of the game changed a touchdown into a touchback, making the Tigers the eventual winners, 28-26.

Texas A&M looked impressive in week one as they defeated Texas State 41 to 7. The Aggie defense collected four interceptions and junior QB Kellen Mond settled in very well as he completed 19 of 27 passesfor 194 yards and four touchdowns. Mond’s career best game came last year versus the Tigers when he threw for 430 yards with 3 TDs.

The reigning National Champions are obviously a well-rounded team, with a solid defense and offense. If you look at last week’s game versus Georgia Tech, they easily accounted for them, winning 52 to 14. But if we focus on 2018 Freshman of the Year and current QB Trevor Lawrence, his stats don’t show what he is capable of. Lawrence completed 13 of his 23 passes for just 168 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. If the Tigers expect to retain their weekly #1 ranking Lawrence will need to improve on his week 1 statistic.

Look out for: 

Mond and Lawrence to go head to head in this old-fashioned shoot-out.

Verdict:

Expect it to be a lot closer than what the experts think. This is A&M’s chance at redemption after last year’s heart-breaker, but they don’t call Clemson’s home stadium Death Valley for no reason. It could prove to be too much of a task for the Aggies.

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Ohio State University vs University of Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats travel to “The Shoe” to face the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday morning. The ever-improving Bearcats got off to a good start to their 2019 campaign last week, defeating ‘Power Five’ team UCLA, 24-14. Cincinnati and Ohio State have played each other 16 times, with the last win for the Bearcats coming over a century ago, in 1897.

Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder played as expected last week throwing for 242 yards with 18 of 26 completions, including 2 TDs. But the sophomore has a much harder task this week against the big Ohio State defense. Helping out Ridder again will be junior RB Michael Warren II, who had a nice day out last week with 92 yards and a TD from 26 carries. If the Bearcats are to cause an upset here, they will need Ridder and Warren II to play career best games.

Last week Ohio State easily accounted for Florida Atlantic, 45-21. The Buckeyes scored 4 TD in the first quarter, which put the game to bed rather early. Sophomore QB Justin Fields threw for 234 yardswith 4 TDs and 1 rushing TD, and junior RB J.K. Dobbins had 91 yards and a TD from 21 carries. Fields will face more of a challenge this week against the Bearcats defense and that could prove to be the difference in the game.

If the Cincinnati defense can hold the Buckeyes to a manageable score, the Bearcats could pull off a memorable win, which could set them up for a big season.

Look out for:

Aussie punter, James Smith, for the Bearcats. Smith averaged 45 yards from 4 punts last week and looks set to continue his good form from last year into his junior season this year.

Verdict: 

The Buckeyes are ranked #5, but it is early in the season and it's probably the best time for the Bearcats to face them. If everything goes right for the Bearcats and they get the rub of the green on most of the plays, they should be able to take it up to the Buckeyes. Expect Ohio State to hold them off and take the win, just.

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