NCAAF (Philly) PREVIEW – WEEK 8: Temple Looks to Knock off a Third-Ranked Opponent to Stay Unbeaten in AAC Play
The Temple Owls would be on the cusp of a historic season if not for their play in Buffalo. Temple is going for its third win over a ranked opponent. All three opponents have been undefeated going into game day. Their opponent this week (SMU) is coming off of a bye week.
The Blue Hens of Delaware hope to bounce back after an ugly loss to Elon. They’ll take on a scalding hot New Hampshire team in Newark.
Penn rebounded last week against Sacred Heart, and have a big Ivy-League match up against rival Columbia.
Pennsylvania at Columbia
After holding off a late Sacred Heart rally, the Quakers set their focus on Ivy-League rival Columbia who is coming off of three straight losses. Despite being 1-3, Columbia has been in every game late thanks to their defense. It won’t be easy for Penn to score, but their efforts should be on ball control. Columbia has struggled to move the ball, and score points. If Penn can limit their time of possession, and force them into long drives, they should hang on for a close victory.
Prediction: Pennsylvania 23, Columbia 21
No. 22 New Hampshire at No. 24 Delaware
Blue Hen savior Nolan Henderson left last week’s game early with a concussion. His replacement, quarterback Pat Kehoe was terrible in relief. Kehoe lost his starting job, because of his knack of giving the ball to the other team, and he picked up right where he left off against Elon. Delaware coach Danny Rocco isn’t giving star running back Will Knight the number of carries he needs, and with Henderson likely missing Saturday’s game, there’s almost no way the Hens can win. If Knight gets at least 25 carries, and wild cat action, the Hens might have a slight chance at victory.
Prediction: New Hampshire 25, Delaware 20
Temple at No. 19 SMU
Temple crushed Memphis’ NY6 and perhaps college football playoff hopes on Saturday. They’ll get a chance to do it again against another AAC West opponent. If Temple wins this game, that Buffalo loss will sting even harder. That defeat likely ended any NY6 hopes that Temple might have had. SMU’s offense, however, is a machine. They’ve been held below 40 once this season when they scored 37 in their season-opening victory. The well-rested Mustang offense might be too much for Temple to keep up with, especially on the road. The good news is, if they lose, the Buffalo loss won’t hurt as bad.
Prediction: SMU 30, Temple 28
FEATURED IMAGE:
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.