PIGSKIN PICK 'EMS

Record: 

Thomas: 4-2 (3-0)

Meredith 4-2 (2-1)

Jaxson 4-2 (3-0)

This weekly series offers a dive into some of the biggest games of college football around the country. Follow along as the Exponent ‘experts’ offer our analysis of the upcoming weekend’s slate of games, featuring some of the most storied NCAA football programs alongside the weekly Cats’ game. Don’t be afraid to pull up in the comments and tell us when we drop the ball, we don’t bite.

#12 Notre Dame @ #18 Wisconsin (-5.5)

Saturday, Sept. 25 @ 10 a.m. on FOX

Thomas 

The Fighting Irish are technically undefeated after three weeks, but their season has been far from a success. Notre Dame barely survived Florida State in week one, squeaked by Toledo in week two, and beat Purdue by two scores in week three. Their offense is finding the end zone often enough, but their defense has more holes than a block of swiss cheese. That’s going to be a big issue against a Wisconsin squad that’s playing with the ferocity of, well, a badger. Wisconsin has been virtually impervious on the ground and their secondary has given up a modest 161.5 airborne yards per game so far, stifling opponents and keeping games low-scoring. Wisconsin will tear up Notre Dame’s embarrassingly weak defense this weekend en-route to a triumphant victory in Chicago. Score: Wisconsin 48 - Notre Dame 15

Meredith 

Oh, the grand ole Badger State. Just like every other fan in Wisconsin, I’m jumping around at the matchup this week where the mighty Wisconsin Badgers take on the ‘Fighting Irish.’ Notre Dame has been nothing more than ‘fine’ in recent years and, with their hardly convincing wins this season, Wisconsin has more to bring to the table. Only allowing an average of 11.5 points against them each game, the Badgers are certainly going to be tough competition for the Irish. Wisconsin also has a total of 441 yards this season with Notre Dame barely even reaching 400. Notre Dame only has one small advantage against the Badgers this weekend and that is their current quarterback and recent transfer from Wisconsin, Jack Coan. Keep your eye out for sophomore wide receiver Chimere Dike (a rising star since his high school days), this weekend as he helps lead the Badgers to a win. On Wisconsin!  Score: Wisconsin 31-14

Jaxson 

To all the Notre Dame fans out there, I apologize in advance (no I don’t). The ‘Fighting’ Irish have been remarkably mediocre this year and last, despite finding themselves in the College Football Playoff last season, thanks to an overtime win against Clemson. Mind you, Clemson was missing the best college football quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, due to COVID-19. This season, Notre Dame has barely escaped defeat against Florida State, Toledo and Purdue. They have struggled defensively keeping opponents out of the endzone, not a recipe for success when you are facing a top-ranked team. The Badgers, however, are coming off a bye week, and an impressive win against Eastern Michigan. The Badgers will absolutely devour Notre Dame and make Meredith extremely happy.The Luck of the Irish doesn’t save Notre Dame as they fall to the mighty Badgers, 41-9.

#7 Texas A&M @ #16 Arkansas (+5.5)

Saturday, Sept. 25 @ 1:30 p.m. on CBS 

Thomas 

Arkansas is playing with a chip on their shoulder this season, probably because the Exponent sports staff all picked against them in week two. Arkansas won with ease and style in their first three games, which included a huge week two upset against Texas. Meanwhile, Texas A&M has stayed undefeated and inside the top ten despite narrowly avoiding a catastrophic loss to Colorado in week two. These teams are remarkably similar in terms of statistics through three weeks of play, which should result in a tooth-and-nail battle right down to the wire. The Razorbacks will remain undefeated while the Aggies slink home to lick their wounds. Score: Arkansas 23 - Texas A&M 22

Meredith 

Texas A&M is a strong team. They remain undefeated this season with some lopsided wins against Kent State and New Mexico. The Arkansas Razorbacks have also been a very strong team, despite the constant denial of their abilities this year, as they also come into this matchup undefeated. The Aggies have put up a fight as their defense shuts down other teams with ease. Giving up fewer points on average than the Razorbacks, Texas A&M looks to have a good chance to beat Arkansas this weekend. I believe it’s unlikely the Razorbacks will defeat two Texas teams in three weeks.Score: Texas A&M wins 24-21

Jaxson 

Arkansas sure has been a surprise thus far in this early season. In week two the Razorbacks pulled off an upset that not many expected, including all of us here at the Exponent. Now Arkansas sits at #16 in the AP college football rankings and is set to take on fellow Southeastern Conference foe, Texas A&M. Texas A&M has had convincing wins against Lamar and Kent State but barely escaped Boulder, Colorado with an unconvincing 10-7 win. The Aggie defense has been stout in all three contests, only allowing 17 points across three contests. With experienced head coach Jimbo Fisher, I expect the Aggies pull out a win, albeit close. The Aggies offense will be bolstered by the start of SEC play and some key defensive plays will be the difference in this game. The Razorbacks fall to the Aggies, 21-17.

#13 Montana State @ Portland State (+12.5)

Saturday, Sept. 25 @ 3:05 p.m. on ESPN+ 

Thomas

The Cats have looked great this season and there’s no reason for the pattern to cease against Portland State. MSU’s offense bulldozed their way through both Drake and San Diego while holding each opponent to a single touchdown. Our week one loss to Wyoming stings even less now that we’ve outscored our FCS opponents, 97-17. Portland State is 1-2 this year, but both losses have come against FBS opponents. PSU should constitute a solid test for the Cats, but we’ll walk away with our first Big Sky Conference win of the season. Score: Cats 34 - Vikings 20

Meredith 

The Exponent team is all tied up with our predictions so far this season, and it is certainly fair to say that while we’ve all agreed that Montana State will come away with a win, we were all strongly impressed by the Bobcats ability to move down the field with ease. Portland state, however, has been crushed by both Hawaii and Washington State. Despite this, the Vikings have shown that they are strong offensively. This game will be intense as it is the first Big Sky matchup of the year, but be loud, be proud and expect the Bobcats to bring back a win despite their first loss on the road to Wyoming. Score: Bobcats win 31-14

Jaxson 

The Cats put on a show this past weekend against San Diego, pummeling the Toreros on both sides of the ball and owning the line of scrimmage. The Vikings may be 1-2 but both of their losses are to FBS opponents where PSU has shown the ability to move the ball and score. However, the Cats have held FCS opponents to only 17 points and held FBS opponent Wyoming to only 19 points. Expect a battle in the trenches to open Big Sky Conference play with the Cats coming out on top. This game, on the road, will test the 13th ranked Cats, but I expect the Cats to escape Portland victorious. The Bobcats pillage Portland, defeating the Vikings 27-10.