Playing out the season: Part II

Photo Attribution: USATSI

Here’s Part I

And here is the second quarter of the season.

Game: at West Virginia
Date: Saturday, September 28

I’m so terrified of this game. I know WVU isn’t going to be good but hey, neither was Iowa State in 2011. This is going to be that silly 7 p.m. FX game probably and the final tally will be between 130 and 1,300 total points.

I’ve been preaching all preseason that you can’t look at these games in a vacuum (which is exactly what I’m doing, of course) and I think you can kind of look at bunches of games and say “not sure which one OSU is losing, but I think they’re losing at least one of them.” For me that’s the at Tech-at WVU combo. I know those are games OSU should win (and will be favored to win) but it feels like we’ll fall in at least one (I’ll pick the Tech one for the sake of this post).

Prediction: OSU by three
Record: 4-0

Game: Kansas State at home
Date: Saturday, October 5

Playing KSU under Synder is such a nightmare. It’s like playing the slow-mo version of yourself if you’re OSU. They don’t turn it over, have great special teams, and wreck havoc on defense. The one in 2011 nearly killed me, this one might go ahead and finish the job.

Prediction: OSU by two TDs
Record: 5-0

Game: TCU at home
Date: Saturday, October 19

This game should be a bloodbath. Devonte Fields will be fully back in the swing of things and you never want the terms “Devonte Fields” and “swing” to be used in the same sentence unless he is on your side of things. This will also be the first “hey, it’s fall, I can wear a pullover and not die of a stroke at the game” game of the season which means BPS should be swaying pretty good. Home crowd makes the difference in this one.

Prediction: OSU by seven
Record: 6-0

This stretch doesn’t exactly thrill me. I like the bye after KSU and before TCU even though I know Gundy said he thinks byes are stupid. I think it matters and I think it decreases your chances of blowing a strong one at home against the Frogs.

You can read the full 2013 football preview here.