Emory's Past Picks
Tigers Coach T.C. Taylor has Jackson State doing some impressive things since taking over for Coach Prime. Wire to wire, this has been the best team in the SWAC all season long and have dominated on both sides of the ball.
Miami understands what's at stake and will be able to attack the Orange secondary throughout the game. Playing indoors gives this offense the ideal conditions to be able to thrive and cover this double-digit spread.
What I love most about the Southern Jags in this game is their ability to run the ball. They have a three-headed monster in the backfield and do a fantastic job of leaning into who they are physically. Grambling does have a solid passing game, but has been inconsistent all season. Look for the Jags to take care of business in their annual rivalry game.
This is a fantastic rivalry game and I would look for the Ragin Cajuns to be able to move the ball at ease against this Warhawk defense. Even with QB Chandler Fields under center, this Cajuns offense hadn't missed a beat.
Quietly, the Duke Blue Devils have only lost to Miami, SMU and Georgia Tech this season. Everyone else on their schedule they've been able to take care of rather soundly. This is a very good team that does a great job of excelling on both sides of the ball against teams they're better than or equal to. This is one of those games.
Despite the loss to Notre Dame last week, Army has more than enough talent to still be a relevant opponent. Their run game and defense are still good, and they play disciplined enough to avoid back-to-back let downs vs an explosive UTSA team.
Army is better than people think because of their ability to shut teams down in the red zone. Also, they play both assignment sound and disciplined on that side of the ball as well. This is a massive game and in massive games we see things played and called a bit tighter, which will keep this under this two touchdown number.
Rivalry games mean everything, but in this matchup it may not mean much for the Sacramento State offense. UC Davis is one excellent defensive football team that does a great job of getting off the field. Offensively, they have two amazing talents at QB & RB, look for RB Lan Larison to have a huge day.
Too much at stake today for both teams for it to be more than a 4-point game. I would expect with the conference title and auto-bid to the FCS playoffs at stake, the Tigers will match wits with the RedHawks throughout the game. Add the fact that this game is at home will make it even more challenging for SEMO.
Buffaloes understand the assignment, and have essentially been playing playoff games since the Kansas State game. The defense is strong and are going up against a mistake-prone QB. I trust the Buffs offense and defense in a tight match more than the Jayhawks.
One thing about Clemson, Dabo Swinney in games like this, especially at this juncture of the season, is that he understands how style points matter. There's no letting up from the Tigers and they'll score throughout the game.
The Jackrabbits are playing on a whole different level despite the Bears transitioning to FBS next season. We saw the NDSU Bison blow out Missouri State last week and just using a small bit of transitive property here, expect the Jackrabbits to do the same.
Lumberjacks have the advantage over Eastern Washington in the scoring department....on defense. This defense does a good job of both getting off the field and minimizing consistency inside the red zone. While the Eagles can score, they won't find it as easy against NAU.
Soul Bowl rivalry will yield some big time plays that'll favor Jackson State. This team is on a roll and is the best team in the SWAC. They won't overlook the Braves en route to their trip to the SWAC Title game next week vs Southern.
Mercer has had one of their best seasons in program history because of their ability to shut down on defense. Offensively speaking, they can definitely score in an explosive fashion. But it's the defense facing a lethargic Paladins offense that gives me faith in their ability to cover.