By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports
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Throughout the college football season, I’ll be giving my just-for-fun picks, but I’m competitive, so I do some research.
I’m off to a 28-5 start in my fearless picks this year. Last season I got 70% right.
I went 8-2 a week ago, missing on Colorado and San Diego State.
This week I’m making picks for the following 10 games:
– Clemson at Cal
– San Diego State at Toledo
– Utah at Iowa State
– UCLA at Maryland
– Boise State at Western Michigan
– Oregon at USC
– Arizona at Washington State
– Oregon State at UTEP
– Georgia Tech at Stanford
– Minnesota at Washington
You will also want to read Stephen Vilardo’s Big Ten Column, Dane Miller’s Big 12 Column, and my Pac-12 Column.
Six back and chill.
Let’s get on to the picks!
Clemson at Cal
Friday, September 25
7:30 PM PT, ESPN
This is an important game for both teams; both squads got off to a slow start but are 1-0 in conference play.
It could also serve as a changing of the guard in the ACC. If Cal wins this contest, they’re slowly creeping their way into the upper echelon of the conference.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is probably the biggest game changer on the field, but he’s not the key to this matchup. One of the biggest factors in this game is which team’s rushing attack plays better.
Cal should be able to run the ball against Clemson. The Tigers allowed 214 rushing yards against North Carolina last week, and 309 against LSU. That should allow Adam Mohammed to shine.
Flipping the coast, Cal must find a way to limit the production of Gideon Davidson, who rushed for 105 yards, one touchdown, and averaged 6.6 yards per attempt last week.
The Bears should also find a way to pressure CU signal caller Tait Reynolds, who struggled in his first two outings, but looked a tad better against UNC. If Cal can force him into some early mistakes, his confidence may waver.
Cal has been doing Cal things for awhile and they’ll keep doing Cal things.
Friday Night Lights are bigger in the South.
Clemson 35, Cal 28
San Diego State at Toledo
Saturday, September 26
9:00 AM PT, CBS Sports
Something needs to change in San Diego. The Aztecs embarrassed themselves last week.
It’s one thing to lose to a pretty good UCLA team; it’s another to suffer a loss at home against James Madison, which was treading lightly.
Sean Lewis needs to figure things out immediately, or else a team from where he earned his credibility is going to end his credibility.
The key to this contest is for San Diego State to get better play out of its quarterback.
Jayden Denegal isn’t quite figuring things out, and he has talent around him. Denegal completed 55 percent of his passes for 209 yards and two interceptions in the loss against the Dukes.
Even though Toledo has a new Head Coach in Mike Jacobs, this is a program that hasn’t had a losing season since 2009. If they sense weakness, SDSU is in trouble.
This offense has combined for 23 points in two games against Power Four opponents. If the Aztecs intend to change signal-callers or schemes, the time is now.
Javion Kinnard shined with Lucky Sutton out, who proved to be a dual-threat running back against JMU.
But John Alan Richter is off to a hot start for the Rockets; he’s thrown for 877 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception.
Lewis needs to get his team moving—FAST.
San Diego State 21, Toledo 17
UCLA at Maryland
Saturday, September 26
10:30 AM PT, BTN
This is one of those annoying contests that UCLA needs to win. The Bruins are off to a phenomenal start under Bob Chesney, but a loss in the DMV would kill the short-term vibe.
The key to this contest is getting Nico Iamaleava in a rhythm. Iamaleava is off to a slow start this year, and Maryland will likely load the box against UCLA.
Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns last week. Hopefully, Iamaleava can find similar success. If he gets going, it feels unlikely the Terrapins will be able to keep pace.
Flipping the nation, the Bruins must find a way to stop Maryland quarterback Malik Washington. Washington’s probably their best player on offense, and has gotten off to a blistering start this season.
He’s thrown for 892 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His completion rate is 72 percent.
Another factor to watch in this contest is whether UMD can stop UCLA’s rushing attack. The Bruins lead the nation in rushing yards per game, but Maryland’s rush defense has proven tough in the early season.
Chesney isn’t returning to his old neck of the congress to lose.
Josephine and Joe make tortoise soup.
UCLA 42, Maryland 24
No. 15 Utah at Iowa State
Saturday, September 26
12:30 PM PT, FOX
Iowa State enters this game against Utah hoping to get their marquee victory of the Jimmy Rogers era.
If Rogers’ squad is going to make it happen, they need to find success out of their quarterback Jaylen Raynor, who has thrown for 434 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception this year.
He’s more of a dual-threat signal caller, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cyclones rank seventh in the nation in rushing yards per game, but Raynor will need to make plays through the air because Morgan Scalley will destroy his soul if they become one-dimensional.
In a lot of ways, U of U is what ISU hopes to become. A big reason for this is the productivity of Devon Dampier. If Dampier does his normal thing, it feels like too much for Iowa State to overcome.
Rogers’ defenses are usually sturdy, but if they’re on the field for extended time, the castle will crumble.
Wayshawn Parker is also proving to be a dual-threat option out of the backfield. Parker has three rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns in 2026.
Braden Pegan is also making an impact at wideout, leading the team with 15 receptions.
The Utes power through the storm.
Utah 31, Iowa St 21
Boise State at Western Michigan
Saturday, September 26
12:30 PM PT, ESPN2
Boise State got a little cocky last week, but they got the win.
This matchup feels unfair in a lot of ways. Western Michigan deserved to get the dub against Michigan, but the Broncos are also gonna be pissed off heading into this matchup.
At the very least, BSU will take the Broncos seriously. It’s Bronco Buster time.
WMU boasts a solid defense, ranking 33rd nationally in points allowed per game.
Last year, Western Michigan ranked ninth in this same statistic. The main difference between the two teams, however, should prove to be Boise State’s rushing attack.
BSU’s firepower in the backfield is Power-Four level. Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley have combined for 688 yards and four touchdowns as rushers.
Riley is the better runner, but Gaines has added a dual-threat option out of the backfield.
The crowd should also be juiced for this contest, but this is where the experience of Maddux Madsen is clutch. Madsen has played in bigger games than this, but results are expected here.
Western Michigan’s defense may be able to stymie Boise for a bit, but it feels unlikely it’ll happen for sixty minutes. WMU woke up the big dawgs when they beat the Wolverines, and big dawgs gotta eat.
Boise State 38, Western Michigan 14
No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC
Saturday, September 26
4:30 PM PT, NBC
The marquee matchup in the West this week is Oregon vs. USC.
The Ducks are looking for redemption after Oklahoma State embarrassed them. USC is looking to make a statement that they should be considered a top team in the Big Ten.
The key to this contest is how the Ducks respond to facing another good quarterback. Jayden Maiava is a Heisman contender, and he’s off to a torrent pace this year.
Maiava has thrown for 1,173 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception. OSU’s Drew Mestemaker threw for 371 yards against UO, so they need to learn from their mistakes.
Oregon also needs to do a better job of protecting the quarterback. The Ducks rank 102nd in sacks allowed per game.
For the Trojans, it’s all about their confidence. SC has the talent to win this matchup, but they haven’t beaten the Ducks since 2016. If they fall behind early, they may start to feel like pretenders.
It’s also important to see how USC handles Oregon’s rushing attack. The Trojans rank 44th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game, while the Ducks rank 105th nationally in rushing yards per contest.
Making Oregon one-dimensional would give USC’s secondary a chance.
But there are always Ducks on the pond.
Oregon 35, USC 31
Arizona at Washington State
Saturday, September 26
4:30 PM PT, CBS
In a lot of ways, this feels like the Pac-12’s last chance to earn some P4 respect this season.
If Washington State gets blown out by Arizona at home, they will have gotten beaten by a mid-tier team from their old conference.
The Cougars’ defense feels like they should be able to hang in this matchup, but going against a Noah Fifita-led Arizona squad means the offense will need to do things.
The Wildcats found their rhythm against Northern Illinois, scoring 42, and Fifita threw for 325 yards, four touchdowns, and finished with a 91.2 percent completion rate.
He also set the U of A all-time passing yards record in the contest.
WSU played well against Duquesne, but looked pretty bad against Kansas State. The offense cannot play at that level if they expect to compete in this game.
The Cougs’ biggest problem is figuring out who will replace Tony Freeman. He would’ve been Washington State’s best skill player on offense, but he’s out for the year.
Maxwell Woods looked like he could be the guy, but he’s still unproven against better competition. Branden Ganashamoorthy also made nice snags about the Dukes.
The Pac-12 is 0-11 against Power Four teams, but there’s one more chance.
Arizona 27, WSU 24
Oregon State at UTEP
Saturday, September 26
6:00 PM PT, MW+
Oregon State feels like the surprise team that the Pac-12 needs. The Beavers looked nice the first three weeks of the season. The blowout of Montana is also more impressive than it seems.
But if they lose to UTEP, their credibility would take a hit. This feels like a game OSU would have lost in past seasons.
This Beaver team should be different this time, though; they’re battle-tested against two top-25 teams that have both looked the part.
The Miners could be one of the worst teams in the country, but it’s difficult to know where they really stand at this point in the season; they’ve played either elite or subpar competition.
UTEP’s schedule has actually been tougher than Oregon State’s, having already played Oklahoma and Michigan.
The Miners’ best offensive player is probably quarterback EJ Colson Jr., who is playing solid in the early season. He has thrown for 377 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception.
Another important player is safety Xavier Smith, who leads the team with 21 total tackles. Even though UTEP has struggled defensively this season, they’ve forced four fumbles, so the Beavs need to protect the ball.
Oregon State needs to be ready for UTEP, which would love to notch a win over a Pac-12 team for the Mountain West.
Oregon State 38, UTEP 20
Georgia Tech at Stanford
Saturday, September 26
7:30 PM PT, ESPN
The loser of this matchup will need to address some problems immediately. A loss for Stanford sends them to 0-3 in the ACC. Even if they had a tough schedule, 0-3 is 0-3.
This game is the conference opener for Georgia Tech, but a loss to what might prove the worst team in the ACC would be troublesome.
One important key in this contest is whether the Cardinal can get Micah Ford. The Yellow Jackets rank 134th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game, so the Tree should be able to capitalize.
Mercer ran for nearly 200 yards against them last week. Ford’s gotten off to a decent start this year, rushing for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
It doesn’t really matter who’s productive on offense, but they gotta find someone. Averaging 6.5 points per game against conference foes is unacceptable.
It’s also important that Stanford finds a way to beat up GT’s defensive line. Georgia Tech struggled in the early season, ranking near the bottom of the conference in rushing offense and sacks allowed.
Offensive lineman Ethan Mackenny and Jameson Riggs also might miss this contest.
Davis Warren’s experience gives the Cardinal the edge in this one.
Stanford 27, Georgia Tech 17
Minnesota at Washington
Saturday, September 26
8:00 PM PT, FOX
This is a weird season for Washington, but if they want to avoid getting crapped on by the media, they have to beat Minnesota.
The Huskies’ offense has gotten off to a miserable start this year except the Eastern Washington game. They only combined for 40 points against two Group of Six opponents.
The Golden Gophers are always talented on defense, but this is more about UW. Washington’s extremely injured at halfback and needs to find production at the position.
Brian Bonner Jr. played well against the Eagles, but he only carried the ball six times.
Dezmen Roebuck and Rashid Williams look like they’re the top two wideouts, but this game tells the truth.
Minnesota has struggled against elite quarterbacks during the P.J. Fleck era. Demond Williams Jr. may not be off to a hot start, but he has enough talent to fit this mold.
Flipping time zones, UMN features a traditional pocket passer in Drake Lindsey. While Lindsey lacks speed, he’s got a live arm, meaning the Huskies better be in the right spots in coverage.
TJ Thomas and Javon Tracy are their other playmakers on offense.
The Dawgs should win this contest; a loss would be Fischy.
Washington 28, Minnesota 14
Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.
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