Pigskin Pick'Ems

Week 3 

Record:

Thomas 1-2

Meredith 2-1

Jaxson 1-2

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.

San Diego (0-2) v.s. #13 Montana State (1-1) (-31)

Saturday, Sept. 18 @ 1 p.m. in Bobcat Stadium 

Thomas 

The Cats showed up under the bright lights on Saturday and dominated Drake on both sides of the ball. MSU’s offense put together several impressive touchdown drives and the defense kept Drake to just one score. Meanwhile, San Diego lost its second game of the season and is now 0-2. Look for the Cats to win big at home again this Saturday. Score: Cats 42 - Toreros 13

Meredith 

The Bobcats’ first home opener in over 600 days did not disappoint. After a dominating win against Drake, the Cats look to replicate their energy and excitement on the field this weekend against San Diego. With San Diego going 0-2 this season, losing to both Cal Poly and UC Davis, the Cats’ motivation could be nearly unstoppable. Plus coming off a winning high, the Bobcats have a major advantage. San Diego will fall to the Bobcats this weekend...Score: MSU wins 38-7

Jaxson 

Bobcat football opened up the 2021 home football season in style. In front of a crowd of nearly 20,000, the Cats stomped on the Bulldogs from Drake, winning 45-7. The Cats will look to replicate their success against the Toreros of San Diego. San Diego opened up the season with two losses to Big Sky opponents (Cal Poly and UC Davis). I expect the Cats’ defense to trample the struggling Toreros and Bobcat quarterback Matt McKay to have another big game. Cats delight the home fans, winning 41-10.

#1 Alabama (2-0) @ #11 Florida (2-0) (+15)

Saturday, Sept. 18 @ 1:30 p.m. on CBS 

Thomas 

After finishing the 2020 season with three consecutive losses, the Florida Gators are back on their feet with two strong wins to kick off the 2021 season. Their offense looks dominant and their defense appears satisfactory against the fairly weak opposition they have faced thus far. That being said, they’re going up against college football’s equivalent of the Death Star. Defending national champion Alabama picked up right where they left off with a convincing week one win against Miami and a predictable blowout in week two against a school that nobody has ever heard of. Bryce Young has been flawless in his first season as a starter and Nick Saban’s defense is once again exceptional. Two high-powered offenses will keep this game interesting but Alabama will pull away early in the second half. Roll Tide. Score: Alabama 41 - Florida 23.

Meredith 

Alabama has been and seemingly always will be a major powerhouse team. Despite losing some major players as they went off to the NFL this season, Alabama retains its strength. The Florida Gators have seemingly had a good start to their season, something that can be celebrated as their wins this season have been high scoring. However, Alabama is no stranger to high-scoring games and despite Florida’s achievements and the close game against ‘Bama in the 2020 season, I have a strong suspicion Alabama will take the win this weekend. The game may be close but Alabama will keep the tide rolling and take home a win. Score: Bama wins 42-24

Jaxson 

The Alabama Crimson Tide is rolling early in the 2021 season. Nick Saban has built what’s sure to be a powerhouse in both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and nationally. Alabama handily beat the Miami Hurricanes in week one, 44-13, followed by another dominating win against Mercer. The Tide’s starting quarterback has been immaculate early on in the season, completing over 70% of his passes in both games and throwing for 571 total yards and seven touchdowns. The Tide will get off to a rocky start in their first SEC matchup of the season before opening up a lead and closing the door on the Gators’ hopes of pulling off an upset. Alabama rolls on and wins, 35-17.

#22 Auburn @ #10 Penn State (2-0) (-6.5)

Saturday, Sept. 18 @ 5:30 p.m. on ABC 

Thomas 

Can someone please explain to me why Penn State is still ranked behind both Ohio State and Texas A&M? The Nittany Lions pulled off a huge win in week one against Wisconsin before absolutely crushing Ball State in week two. They have tons of offensive power and their defense has given up only 23 points so far this season, making them a well-rounded and downright scary opponent for any team in the nation. Auburn is also undefeated, but all they have proven so far is that they’re really good at scoring lots of points against truly terrible football teams. Kind of cool, not very useful. Penn State cruises past Auburn this weekend and confirms its status as a top-five program. Score: Penn State 21- Auburn 13

Meredith 

Penn State certainly took a win against the Wisconsin Badgers a few weekends ago, something a strong Wisconsin fan like myself was devastated to see. They kept their win streak going as they faced Ball State last weekend with a great score of 44-13. With a strong defense and an offense that can power through defensive lines relatively easily, Penn state certainly looks to be a team to beat this season. The team that will beat them? Auburn. While Auburn did annihilate their last two teams this weekend, the competition was low and Penn State will certainly be their first test this season. The Auburn Tigers, however, are also a strong team and have developed since the Tigers played the Lions last in 2003. This will be a very close game. I’m going to say Auburn wins this game for two reasons...One because I think they’ve been a strong team and I think they can pull it off. Reason two, my dad is a huge Auburn fan and I’m sure I’ll hear a boatload from him if I predict Penn State. Although, it would be really cool for Penn State to take home the win and part of me is hoping they do. Score: Auburn wins 21-17

Jaxson 

In Penn State’s famous annual White Out Game the Nittany Lions will host the Tigers from Auburn. This BIG 10 SEC crossover is a rarity for the Nittany Lions as they have only hosted teams from the SEC twice (Alabama in 2011 and 1989). Penn State has won the past 17 non-conference home games and I expect that trend to continue. Thus far Auburn has not faced a team of any sort of quality. They faced the ‘mighty’ Akron Zips and ‘tough’ Alabama State Hornets, winning by a combined score of 122-10. On the flip side, the Nittany Lions vanquished the #12 Wisconsin Badgers 16-10 (sorry Meredith) behind 247 yards from Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and five receptions for 102 yards for wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Auburn will leave State College with nightmares of a sea of white. The Nittany Lions crush the Auburn Tigers of the SEC dreams of a perfect season, winning 27-17.