Week 2 College Football Picks

Game of the Week:

Texas A&M vs Arkansas

Once again, Texas A&M makes game of the week. This is the first SEC matchup the aggies have since 

announcing they will join the conference. A&M will come out ready to play as they will try to prove they can play with the big boys. They face a solid middle of the road SEC team in Arkansas who is coming off a lost to arguably the best team in the country, Alabama. This old Southwest Conference rivalry will be played in the flashy new Cowboy's Stadium. 

Both teams had a tough loss last week. A&M held a nice lead at halftime against Oklahoma St. and as I predicted, they collapsed in the second half. Arkansas fought well but was simply outmatched in their game against Alabama. The difference here is that A&M had expectations of winning the Big 12. They saw their hopes cut down right in front of them as they helplessly let the game slip away. Arkansas was hoping to upset Alabama but never really had a shot at winning the SEC. A&M needs to mend their broken spirits and focus on this week or they will not be in the game very long.

Key factors:

A&M Defense - The A&M defense fell flat on their face when the game mattered most last week against Oklahoma St. The loss of Von Miller has proven to be vital. The defense looked lost without a leader on the field and simply could not put any pressure on Brandon Weeden. There is plenty of experience on this defense and they will need to bring their A game this weekend. If the A&M defense can recover and hold the Arkansas offense, they will win this game.

Arkansas Offensive Linemen and QB Tyler Wilson - Arkansas plays football at an incredible speed. This is mostly because they are forced to play that way in order to compete in the SEC. They have just finished playing Alabama and they will be ready to defend the A&M offense. They key in this game for Arkansas is the protection for quarterback Tyler Wilson. Wilson is a solid quarterback, he is not exceptionally gifted and can't take over a game by himself but he can take care of the football and manage the offense. If he is given time to make his reads and go through his progression, he will pick apart this A&M defense. However, the offensive line must step up. The line did not do a great job against Alabama and that hurt Arkansas badly. Granted, the offensive line will have an easier task this week because the A&M defense is nowhere near the caliber of Nick Saban and Alabama's defense. If Arkansas is able to protect Wilson and move the ball, they will win this game.

Prediction - Texas A&M finds out that they are nothing more than an average SEC team. They will play a good game with Arkansas but they will fall short. Arkansas is simply too prepared. After having played Alabama, A&M will seem like a much easier opponent. A&M will come out fired up but they haven't recovered from the devastating loss last weekend and that will cost them.

A&M - 31 Arkansas - 34