You’re On Your Own Kid | College Football Week 2 | YouTube Rabbithole
Happy Birthday Dad, COYBIG!
(IOU a Johnny Cash tune soon.)
Alright @YouTheReader,
Better yet @FellowSwifties, c’mon we all know all the strictly sports fans skip over the Swiftie intros. You’re On Your Own Kid is the 8th tune off Taylor Swift’s Midnights that’s been on in the background during Week to Week Notes. Anti-Hero, Mastermind, Lavender Haze, Karma, Vigilante Sh!t, Maroon, and Midnight Rain have thus far been used. I didn’t really listen to this song until this past August. After the first listen, I liked it, and then by the 4th or 5th time hearing it, this song f***** destroyed every fiber of my inner core.
Some of the internet thinks the blood-soaked gown line is a reference to Stephen King’s Carrie. When Taylor Swift received her crowning achievement at the VMAs Kanye tried making the whole thing about him.
I don’t know where this tune falls on my Taylor Swift Songs Power Rankings just yet but it nearly strikes the same chord as All Too Well (Sad Girl Autumn Version - Recorded at Long Pond Studios), it’s just not 10 minutes long.
@YouTheReader: Now that is one way to intro a Week 2, ‘23 College Football Pick’em…
These two neighboring state schools at one time were fierce rivals. They used to be a part of a College Football Conference called the Big 8, which was around 1948 to 1996 when it became the Big 12. Nebraska and Colorado would play each other every year from 1948 to ‘10 until Nebraska realigned to the Big 10. At their program peaks in the 90s during the Big 8 era, these schools were competing for National Championships. While Nebraska has dominated the series, winning 49 times in 71 games, former Colorado coach Bill McCartney in the 80s proclaimed these two schools as rivals and wouldn’t let his Buffalo players wear red. In an homage to the former head coach of Colorado, the current Buffalo coach, Deion Primetime Sanders is setting the same rules.
Nebraska is under the new leadership of their new head coach Matt Rhule. The former Carolina Panthers head coach before jumping into the NFL was known as a program builder in college. Nebraska lost in Week 1 to Minnesota in a lousy 13-10 game. For Nebraska, LB Luke Riemer is their hardest worker on the field. The now senior started his collegiate career as a Huskers walk-on and earned a scholarship as a sophomore. Last year he led the Huskers in tackles with 86 and he earned Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten honors.
After shocking the College Football world with their Week 1 performance, the Colorado Buffalo jumped into the Top 25 Ranking, being placed at #22. Shedeur Sanders really put the CFB on notice throwing for a school record of 510 passing yards in his debut. After watching the tape, Sanders said he “missed a lot of stuff” and he even received a text message from Tom Brady stating, “Don’t be satisfied.” Safe to say I don’t think Shedeur will overlook his Week 2 opponent. Deion’s son wasn’t the only star for Colorado last Saturday as WR/CB Travis Hunter also balled out with 11 catches for 119 yards and a goal-line interception. I’m rolling with Team Primetime for the foreseeable future, the best story of the young college football season so far.
Prediction: 35-13 Colorado (-3 Colorado & Under 59)
Tulane University is located in New Orleans and Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) is only about an hour away from the Mississippi River. I wonder if the River was the mode of transportation used when these two schools first played each other back in 1893. This is the 1st time that Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium will be hosting an SEC school. From the ‘70s to ‘13, Tulane used to play home games at the Superdome, which is where they beat Ole Miss in the 1st College Football Game the Superdome ever hosted. Tulane has since become a much smaller school on the CFB landscape but is in the midst of a nice run, ranked #24 in the nation. Ole Miss on the other hand is ranked #20.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is 24-13 as the Rebels coach, this being his 4th year with the program. Kiffin’s offenses have had no trouble moving the football under his watch ranking no lower than 8th in the nation in yards per game. Last week they destroyed Mercer University 73-7 and WR Tre Harris caught 4 TDs in the process.
For Tulane, their QB Michael Pratt is coming off an almost perfect performance where he threw 14 completions on 15 passes for 294 yards and 4 TDs. Pratt has been one of the more under-the-radar college QBs in the nation as this ‘23 season is his 4th year as the starter for Tulane. In his career, he has thrown for 72 TDs to 21 INTs. Pratt got hurt at the end of Tulane’s Week 1 game against South Alabama, but according to Tulane coach Willie Fritz, “He’s fine.” Last year both of these teams averaged over 30 points per game but I’m taking the under and think Kiffin’s Rebels will defeat the Green Wave.
Prediction: 35-27 Ole Miss (-7 Ole Miss & Under 66.5)
Texas A&M and Miami U are richly established college football programs with big-time boosters. It’s a bit of a surprise that they have only met each other 4 times in CFB history. Last year they met in Week 3 where the Aggies got by with a 17-9 victory. The Aggies are ranked #23 in the nation while the Hurricanes are outside the Top 25.
Texas A&M is coached by Jimbo Fisher and he recruited some studs on his offensive line, such as Bryce Foster at center (#65 W2WN Big Board) and Reuben Fatheree (#84 W2WN Big Board) at tackle. These two block for their new QB, Conner Weigman, who just became the first Aggie to throw for 5 TDs in regulation since Johnny Football back in ‘13. Fisher said of the big fellas up front, “Offensive line did a really nice job. We had time to throw the ball. We had clean pockets. We could drive the ball down the field and give us space to be able to do the things we want to do. You can draw it up all you want, but if you don’t have time and space, it doesn’t work.”
After a so-so performance against Miami, Ohio, Leonard Taylor (#34 W2WN Big Board) will need to create penetration upfront against the likes of Foster & Fatheree for the Hurricanes to be successful defensively. If Weigman has pressure in his face, The U has an elite backend safety tandem in Kamren Kinchens (#30 W2WN Big Board) and James Williams (#60 W2WN Big Board). Miami’s offensive passing game is underwhelming but if they can establish the run and Taylor, Kinchens, & Williams play well, The U could be a nice home underdog play.
Prediction: 24-23 The U (+3.5 The U & Under 51)
Two of the biggest college programs in the country face off for a Saturday night affair, this is the College Game of the Weekend. Last year these two played each other in Week 2 in an exciting 20-19 victory for ‘Bama at Texas. This year the Longhorns have to travel east and it will be the 1st time they play in Tuscaloosa since 1902. People forget that Texas was in the ‘10 National Championship with Colt McCoy and lost to Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide who were at the time led by Julio Jones. It would kick off Saban’s dynastic national championship run. Saban will face off against a former assistant of his, Steve Sarkisian, and holds a lifetime is 28-2 against his former understudies.
For Longhorn fans, they will always think they had ‘Bama beat last year had QB Quinn Ewers not got injured. If Ewers were to go down again, things could get interesting as Arch Manning might get thrown into the spotlight on a Nationally Televised Saturday Night affair. Manning did not see any playing time against Rice last week, as Texas actually brought in another backup QB Maalik Murphy to mop up their win, but that would be one helluva storyline after Manning chose Texas Forever over ‘Bama. In terms of what is actually expected to play out on the field rather than these cooked-up hypotheticals that may never happen, WR Xavier Worthy is the man to watch for with the Longhorns. He runs crisp smooth routes and has excellent shiftiness and speed.
Saban will try to negate Xavier Worthy by sticking his shutdown CB Kool-Aid McKinstry on him. The ‘Bama defense should be all the way back with the like so McKinstry and Terion Arnold are at corners while Malachi Moore plays the slot. Dallas Turner is their best pass rusher and they also have a LB named Deontae Lawson who played well while recording his first career sack last week against Middle Tennessee. Lastly at QB, Jalen Milroe looked awfully comfortable replacing Bryce Young. Milroe threw for 3 TDs and rushed in 2 more, and is the best rushing QB ‘Bama has had since Jalen Hurts. Roll Tide.
Prediction: 42-10 ‘Bama (-7 Alabama & Under 53.5)
This storied rivalry of West Coast Cali colleges dates back to 1905 and as of ‘24 they are not set to play each other for the foreseeable future. With USC moving out of the Pac-12 next year for the Big Ten, they put pressure on Stanford to move to the ACC. With both of these Pac-12 schools abandoning their conference for more money, a bit of college tradition dies. These two programs have played each other exactly 100 times and Southern Cali has won 63 times.
For David Shaw’s Stanford squad to have any shot at keeping this game close, their stud pass rusher David Bailey will need an encore. Last week Bailey was the Pac-12 Player of the Week for his 3 sacks and 6 tackle performance. Stanford was also able to move the ball offensively with a big game from their TE Benjamin Yurosek who had 9 catches for 138 yards and a TD.
Through two games, QB Caleb Williams the ‘22 Heisman Trophy winner looks every bit the part of a top overall pick in this upcoming NFL Draft. The question is, does he really want to play for the Cardinals? While he may not make the same guaranteed money in school, he can at least now make over-the-table NIL cash for another year if he wants leverage in deciding where he ends up in the NFL. Aside from Williams, USC may have found another star RB in MarShawn Lloyd. The South Carolina transfer decided on playing for the West Coast USC and scored his 1st TD as a Trojan last week. USC should win this one comfortably but 30 points may be stretching it.
Prediction: 45-24 USC (+29.5 Stanford & Under 70)
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