Season record: 17-12-1
Last week: 2-3 (Illinois +19.5, Ole Miss +3, Alabama -21.5, Houston -14, Oklahoma State -3.5)
Last week was my worst week to date. It got off to an awful start with Wisconsin burying Illinois 45-7. Freshman Graham Mertz outplayed my expectations, throwing five touchdowns and only one incompletion. Mertz has a bright future in Madison, unfortunately he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and will have to quarantine for 21 days following Big Ten guidelines.
Ole Miss was a different story as I was a victim of a questionable call. Ole Miss took a 28-27 lead in the fourth quarter and on the ensuing kickoff the ball appeared to touch Auburn returner Shaun Shivers.
Play was not even stopped for an official review. Auburn would go on to win 35-28. The SEC admitted the officials made a mistake, but also fined Lane Kiffin for criticizing them. Kiffin had more to say after the fine, insinuating that he would pay it in pennies.
I nearly went 3-0 in my remaining picks. However, Iowa State scored in the final minute against Oklahoma State to make it 24-21 so I missed the cover by half a point.
It was not a great week, but there is no need to panic. I am still at 58% for the year. I just need to finish October strong.
#4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-4) | October 31 | Bobby Dodd Stadium
Line: Notre Dame -20.5 | Total: 56.5
Ian Book and the Notre Dame passing game came alive last week against Pittsburgh. Book threw for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns against a pretty good defense.
Notre Dame’s defense was dominant in their own right. They held the Panthers to only 162 yards of offense. On the season, the Fighting Irish are holding opponents to only 273 yards per game.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, is having a rough go as of late. In their last two games they have been outscored 121-34 by Clemson and Boston College.
I expect the Irish to roll. Notre Dame -20.5 is my pick.
Texas Longhorns (3-2) @ #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0) | October 31 | 3:00 PM CT | Boone Pickens Stadium
Line: Oklahoma State -3.5 | Total: 58.5
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders returned to action against Iowa State. Sanders made some big plays in the passing game, throwing for 235 yards. Running back Chuba Hubbard continued his success on the ground with 139 rushing yards.
Texas counters with a powerful offense of their own. The Longhorns average 45 points per game. Their offense runs through quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who leads the team in passing as well as rushing. Ehlinger averages 8.0 yards per passing attempt and 4.5 yards per carry.
Oklahoma State has been very good defensively, but Texas presents their biggest challenge to date. Oklahoma State is eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 12.0 points per game. However, the Cowboys have not played an offense that averages more than 32.2 points per game. That average belongs to West Virginia and is skewed due to scoring 56 points against Eastern Kentucky.
I lean towards Oklahoma State, but over 58.5 is my play here.
#3 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) @ #18 Penn State Nittany Lions (0-1) | October 31 | 6:30 PM CT | Beaver Stadium
Line: Ohio State -12 | Total: 63.5
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was nearly perfect in the season opener against Nebraska. Fields completed 20 of 21 passes for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was in total command as Ohio State ran away with a 52-17 win.
Penn State, meanwhile, lost an overtime thriller against Indiana. Penn State actually outgained Indiana 488 yards to 211, but were unable to finish drives. Quarterback Sean Clifford threw two interceptions.
While Ohio State did give up 370 yards to Nebraska, the Buckeyes did force five three-and-outs.
I think the Buckeyes are in a class of their own in the Big Ten. I am taking Ohio State -12.
Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2) @ #8 Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) | October 31 | 6:30 PM CT | Kyle Field
Line: Texas A&M -12.5 | Total: 55.5
The Arkansas defense is full of ball hawks. In fact, the Razorbacks lead the country with 10 interceptions. Their defense also expects to get back defensive end Dorian Gerald, linebacker Bumper Pool, and cornerback Montaric Brown are expected back after missing the Ole Miss game.
Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond was great against Florida. Mond threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. However, he has not been the most consistent quarterback. On the season, Mond is completing 61.5% of his passes which is seventh in the SEC.
The Aggies have been really good on the ground in their last two games. Texas A&M has rushed for 205 yards and 186 yards against Florida and Mississippi State, respectively. Meanwhile, Arkansas has struggled against the run as of late. Auburn ran for 259 yards and Ole Miss ran for 242 yards against the Razorbacks.
Those rushing numbers give me pause, but I expect the Razorbacks to be ready, especially with the return of tackling machine Bumper Pool.
Arkansas +12.5 is my pick.
Missouri Tigers (2-2) @ #10 Florida Gators (2-1) | October 31 | 6:30 PM CT | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Line: Florida -13.5 | Total: 61.5
Florida returns to action after a two-week COVID-19 hiatus. Florida was defeated by Texas A&M their last time out. Their defense gave up 543 yards in that contest.
Missouri enters this game on a two-game winning streak. The Tigers have beaten LSU and Kentucky as underdogs. Quarterback Connor Bazelak is a big reason for their success. Bazelak completed 78% of his passes for 607 yards in those games. I expect his success to continue against a Florida defense that gives up 331 passing yards per game.
On the other side, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask leads the SEC in passing touchdowns despite only playing three games.
I expect a quarterback duel in Gainesville, so I am taking over 61.5.
OUTTA HERE!
Clarknado Sports 
One response to “Nado’s Notions: Week 8”
[…] Last week: 3-2 (Notre Dame -20.5, Oklahoma State/Texas over 58.5, Ohio State -12, Arkansas +12.5, Florida/Missouri over 61.5) […]
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