Week 4 Staff Picks

Week 4 offers a number of interesting matchups. Staff picks below.....

As there is no Miami game this week, some of us decided to weigh in on a game that seemed intriguing:

FSU at South Florida; Blain Bradley

Upset Alert: Well, it may not be an upset to the USF faithful, but the Bulls can beat a suspect, mediocre FSU team this week. USF is 3-0 and needs some respect. It’s about to get it. USF 28-21.

FSU at South Florida; Michael Grunewald

The really intriguing game for me is USF and FSU. Simply put, this could be a watershed moment for Willie Taggert and his Bulls. Since Quinton “Wanky” Flowers has taken over at QB for USF, the offense has been almost unstoppable since midway through last season until now. If USF wins this game, it won’t be an indictment on the Noles and how far they’ve fallen but rather how good USF has become in an 8-game span.

I think this could be a big mental let down game for the Noles after just getting throttled by Louisville. Flowers is a similar athlete to Lamar Jackson, though not nearly as talented (I mean, who is?) but a scrambling QB nonetheless.

USF 35-23

Clemson at Georgia Tech; Ricky Paolillo

With the Canes on a bye this weekend, no matchup interests me more than Clemson at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are undefeated (3-0) on the year and 1-0 in ACC play. They’re the first conference obstacle that stands in Miami’s way and whether they best the Tigers or not, how they perform on Thursday night is crucial to the Hurricanes’ game planning. Against the No. 5 Clemson Tigers, expect Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets to pull out all the stops, all while Hurricanes coaches, players, and fans pay close attention.

Clemson 38-21

FSU at South Florida; Daniel Tummeley

The South Florida - FSU game is intriguing to me, because the Bulls’ Quinton Flowers is a dual-threat QB that has the ability to take over the game. Last week the Seminoles struggled mightily in containing Louisville’s quarterback Lamar Jackson, and although the Bulls are less talented, they can pull off the upset.

USF 34-31

Florida at Tennessee; Craig T. Smith

Welp. I’m sitting here still trying to make a pick even as I write this. Sure, Florida is starting some guy named Appleby, a backup transfer from Purdue. Y’know....I remember some backup QB/converted WR from Kentucky that beat the Vols in Lexington in 2011 in the laugher of laughers. So, backup quarterbacks don’t concern me all that much, especially when Florida has the level of talent it does on defense. But one thing Tennessee can do to put some pressure on that Florida defense is run the ball with Josh Dobbs, who ran all over the Gators in Gainesville last year. If Mike DeBord can deviate from his default plan of running Jalen Hurd up the center’s butt enough to let Dobbs make plays, UT can put up points on this defense.

My head says Florida, mostly because I’m a pessimist and this is a believe-it-when-I-see-it situation with the Vols and Gators. I should listen to my head. But, I’ll stupidly listen to my heart instead and convince myself that UT will take enough chances offensively to sneak out a win.

UT 23, Florida 20