Today’s song is The Hills by Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd. Yesterday was all about T-Swift who sings a ton of great pop music almost from a good tragic perspective. On the other hand, The Weeknd makes great pop music from a darker ominous perspective. I try my best to write for everybody so there’s a bit of a contrast in styles.
The Hills came out in the spring of ‘15. It had a 6-week run on the top of the US Billboard Charts at #1. The song was popular internationally as it hit the top 10 in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. The Weeknd claims there are a whopping 67 versions of this tune. Initially, the song was called “Mood Music”. He decided to premiere a demo version at a party which was then uploaded by the audience to Soundcloud once it hit social media. It was one of the highest-played SoundCloud songs ever, but the recording obviously wasn’t studio quality.
“I lost my mind making that record because there are noises in the [SoundCloud] version that I tried to replicate in the studio — somebody in the crowd screaming right before the drop, that wasn’t there before, so I had to put a fake scream in the song! That’s what I deal with when I make music. And that’s just on a public level — now just imagine a song that I’m living with by myself!” - The Weeknd (Variety)
Wes Craven, who made The Hills Have Eyes movies, passed away later that summer of ‘15. The Weeknd Tweeted out that he was a huge inspiration to his work. When a lyric about a horror film is one of the more tepid parts of a song, you know the tune needs to be played around Halloween.
Anyway, on to Saturday’s slate, we got a good one…
Penn State and Ohio State have been football programs in America since the late 1880s. Even though the schools are just 5 hours apart and their states border each other, they don’t have a rich history against one another. They first played each other in 1912, when Penn State knocked the snot out of them 37-0. They only played each other less than a handful of times until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Ohio State holds the series advantage 23-14 and has not lost to PSU since ‘16. Both schools are undefeated as the Nittany Lions are ranked #7 in the country, while the Buckeyes are #3. Ohio State will be the host of College Gameday.
Penn State’s defense has the talent to play with anyone in the country. On the Edge, Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson have combined for 8 sacks so far this year. LB Curtis Jacobs has the speed and ability to cover pass catchers almost like a safety would. In their defensive backfield, the focus will be on CB Kalen King, who will guard WR Marvin Harrison Jr. King said “I’m very excited to go against him because I know MHJ is a very good player. He’s got all the intangibles of size and speed. That is the perfect challenge for me that I need to put myself up against if I want to be the top in the country.” As for the Penn State offense, QB Drew Allar is originally from Ohio and thus far has thrown 12 TD passes with no INTs.
Ohio State boasts one of the deepest defensive lines in the country featuring JT Tuimoloau, Michael Hall Jr, Jack Sawyer, and Tyleik Williams. They are facing some key injuries with WR Emeka Egbuka, RB TreVeyon Henderson, and CB Denzel Burke, with the latter two players expected to play. Since having a poor game for his standards against Notre Dame, WR Marvin Harrison Jr has caught 14 passes for 268 yards and 2 TDs the past 2 weekends. If Egbuka is out and MHJ is doubled, expect TE Cade Stover to pick up some slack as the LB-turned-TE is coming off a 2 TD performance last week. Penn State has not won in “The Shoe” since Joe Paterno was coaching them back in ‘11, I see the Buckeyes continuing to extend that streak.
Prediction: 32-27 Ohio State (-4.5 Ohio State & Over 45.5)
The Third Saturday in October rivalry is back for another go. They got the name because they traditionally would always set up a game on the 3rd Saturday of October, this is football, not rocket science. These two schools are only 310 miles apart and have played each other since 1901. Alabama leads the series 58 to 39, but Tennessee beat Alabama last year in a thrilling shootout by a score of 52-49. Both schools have one loss on their resume while still ranked with the Vols at #17 and ‘Bama at #11.
The Tennessee Volunteers have Joe Milton III at QB, who has had some ups and downs replacing Hendon Hooker (now in the NFL). The Volunteer offense last year was much more aerial than it is this season, with Tennessee leaning much more on the ground with RBs Jaylen Warren (7.1 yards per carry), Jabari Small (5.5 yards per carry), and Dylan Sampson (6 rushing TDs). On defense, the Volunteers have shown they can get after the QB. Led by sophomore pass rusher James Pearce Jr. with his 6 sacks on the season. They also have seniors in EDGE Tyler Baron (5 sacks) and LB Aaron Beasley (leads the team with 38 tackles) that make up a solid defensive front 7.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have also struggled to replace their elite QB from last year, the #1 overall pick in the draft, Bryce Young. QB Jalen Milroe has tried his best but hasn’t been on the same level as a passer compared to the likes of Young, Medicore Mac, Tua, or Jalen Hurts. That said, Milroe does lead the Tide in rushing TDs with 5. Saban’s Alabama is back to being more defense-first now, with pass rusher Dallas Turner leading the way. Turner, who Week to Week Notes ranked the #5 prospect in the country entering the season, has made that assessment look good as he leads Alabama in sacks with 7. After losing a shootout last year, I don’t see either team having the firepower on offense to want to run up the score like that so I would expect this to be more of a defensive duel. The Volunteers have not won a football game in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 20 years since ‘03, Roll Tide.
Prediction: 24-15 Bama (-8.5 Bama & Under 47.5)
Michigan and Michigan State have dueled within their shared land since 1898. They play for the Paul Bunyan – Governor of Michigan Trophy. The Wolverines own the rivalry, winning 72 of the 115 games. However, since ‘08, the Spartans have actually won 10 of the last 15 games. Michigan in blue is undefeated and ranked #2 in the country, while Michigan State in green is unranked and has lost 4 straight.
The scandal around the College Football world is that the NCAA is investigating Michigan for stealing signs and alleged in-person scouting. Anonymous Big Ten coaches are pissed off. We’ll see if anything comes of the investigation, but I think Michigan is off to a perfect start to their season in large part they really haven’t been tested yet. They still haven’t played a Top 40-ranked team, but you can only play who’s on the schedule and right now Jim Harbaugh has his Wolverines ranked #1 in scoring defense and #10 in scoring offense in the country. QB JJ McCarthy looks like he’ll be playing football on Sundays. His go-to WR Roman Wilson leads the nation in TD catches with 9. RB Blake Corum is still dominating the ground game too, as he has scored 12 rushing TDs (tops in the nation at rushing TDs).
Michigan State has dealt with an even bigger scandal involving its former head coach Mel Tucker. The Spartans suspended and then terminated Tucker for over-the-phone sexual harassment. The wild situation is still developing and is heading to federal courts after coming out on September 10th. As for the kids on the field, they haven’t won a game since. UConn transfer RB Nathan Carter is the team’s best player, as he has rushed for 529 yards and 4 TDs this season. I’m taking the Wolverines over the Spartans in this one.
Prediction: 28-0 Michigan (-24.5 Michigan & Under 46)
Duke and Flordia State have been ACC opponents in football since 1992. I purposely didn’t call them rivals because, since 1992, Florida State has beaten Duke every time they have played (21-0 FSU). Duke is ranked #16 with 1 loss, while Florida State is unbeaten and ranked #4.
Duke’s QB Riley Leonard is a game-time decision as he is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Not to be dramatic but whether Leonard plays or not is highly contingent on the crucial Week to Week Notes pick. For all our intents and purposes, we’ll assume that Leonard will gut this one out. Defensively, Duke is one of the best teams in the country as they have only allowed 8 TDs in 6 games. CB Myles Jones is 6’4” and long-armed. Jones is presently PFF’s favorite - they have him as the highest-graded cornerback in the country with a 90.7 rating.
Florida State’s offense this season has been excellent. The Seminoles have scored at least 31 points in every game thus far. QB Jordan Travis has been great at distributing the ball around but to his massive targets. The FSU receiving trio of TE Jaheim Bell, WR Johnny Wilson, and WR Keon Coleman create nightmare matchups. Bell is listed at 6’3” and he is the shortest of the bunch. Johnny Wilson is 6’7”, but I may be most impressed with the ability of Keon Coleman to go up and get the ball. Every week it seems he makes another elite contested catch. I’m interested to see who Duke decides to stick Myles Jones on, but the Seminoles have too much height. If Riley Leonard plays, Duke should keep it close and cover, but I’ll take the Noles on the scoreboard.
Prediction: 23-10 FSU (+14 Duke & Under 49.5)
USC and Utah have some history that dates back to 1915 but the two programs didn’t start consistently playing one another until the Utes joined the PAC-12 in ‘11. The Trojans narrowly hold the series lead over Utah 13-9, but the Utes have won the past 3 times. Both teams have a loss on the ledger, as Utah is ranked #14 and USC is ranked #18.
Last weekend, Utah’s starting Safety Sion Vaki rushed 15 times for 158 yards and 2 TDs. You read that right, I don’t need a coffee, Vaki became the first defensive back to have a rushing TD for the Utes since Eric Weddle scored in the ‘06 Armed Forces Bowl. Utah has been depleted at RB so the Utes coaching staff created a package of plays for Vaki to run. For his efforts, he earned the Paul Hornung Award of the Week given to the nation’s most versatile player. On defense, Vaki will still team up with another playmaker in Utah’s secondary with safety Cole Bishop. Utah is a scrappy team that plays a similar brand of football to the way USC will have to get used to once they join the Big Ten.
USC got trounced last week in South Bend. The Trojans have been playing some soft football of late and have relied too much on QB Caleb Williams to dance around in the pocket. WR Brenden Rice has now scored at least 1 TD in 5 straight games. Jerry’s son has benefitted from the absurd ways Williams gets him the football. The Trojans’ defense has been well below subpar all season, so we’ll skip over them entirely. I’m very conflicted with this game. On the one hand, Utah has beaten USC 3 times in a row which I don’t like in terms of streaks. On the other hand, USC is coming off a loss and is at home - a classic get-right game. Jeez, I’m so conflicted, I’ll go with Utah. I’d rather lose with a team that looks like they’re trying than what USC pulled last weekend.