2019 College Football Insider | Week 7

2019 // week 7

WEEK 7 WHAT’S NEW QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I think the players probably fed off me, so I told those guys, the first half is on me, the second half, just relax and play football.”

SMU Head Coach Sonny Dykes after the Mustangs’ 3OT win over Tulsa Photo credit of Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News

TEAM TO WATCH: PENN STATE It’s hard to decide if No. 10 Penn State has a stronger offense or defense.

The undefeated Nittany Lions have outscored opponents at a ridiculous 235-37 margin. Penn State will try to add to its perfect start against its first ranked opponent, No. 17 Iowa on Saturday. As seven-time Fiesta Bowl champions, the Nittany Lions are no stranger to digging deep against the Hawkeyes. During the 2017 regular season game at Kinnick Stadium, they had a heroic last second touchdown by Saquon Barkley to defeat Iowa en route to a PlayStation Fiesta Bowl berth.

BOWL PREDICTIONS

TEAM OF THE WEEK: FLORIDA As its schedule gets harder, Florida keeps winning.

Last weekend, the Gators beat No. 7 Auburn, increasing their record to 6-0 for the first time since 2012. Shawn Davis and Freddie Swain earned SEC Player of the Week honors for their effort. Now in the heart of SEC play, No. 7 Florida’s next stop is Baton Rouge for a top-10 matchup against No. 5 LSU. This won’t be the last time the Gators will play a top-10 team as they host No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, November 2 at 12:30 p.m.

WEEK 7 RANKINGS 1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Ohio State Georgia 5. LSU

6. Oklahoma 7. Florida 8. Wisconsin 9. Notre Dame 10. Penn State

For full rankings, click here.

ESPN Bonagura: Oklahoma vs Clemson

ESPN Bonagura: Texas Tech vs Arizona

CBS: Clemson vs Oklahoma

CBS: Nevada vs Colorado

Stadium McMurphy: Ohio State vs Oklahoma

Stadium McMurphy: West Virginia vs Washington State

USA Today: Alabama vs Clemson

USA Today: Kansas State vs Washington State

247 Sports: Clemson vs Ohio State

247 Sports: Texas Tech vs Arizona State

Sporting News: Clemson vs Ohio State

Sporting News: Kansas State vs Washington State

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2019 | WEEK 7

WEEK 7 WHAT’S ON TAP GAMES OF THE WEEK #6 OKLAHOMA AT #11 TEXAS 10.12 | 9 AM | FOX

#1 ALABAMA AT #24 TEXAS A&M 10.12 | 12:30 PM | CBS

FLORIDA STATE AT #2 CLEMSON 10.12 | 12:30 PM | ABC

#10 PENN STATE AT #17 IOWA 10.12 | 4:30 PM | ABC

#7 FLORIDA AT #5 LSU 10.12 | 5 PM | ESPN

For a full schedule of Week Seven games, click here. (All times in AZ)

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT: DESHAUN WATSON He was the 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game and now he’s shining as quarterback for the Houston Texans. In college, Watson helped Clemson win the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, 31-0, in front of a sellout crowd. Fast forward to 2019, Watson continues to build off his success and had quite the week, throwing for 426 yards, five touchdowns with no interceptions against Atlanta while earning a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3.

FIESTA BOWL FOOTBALL FOCUS PODCAST EPISODE 1 – URBAN MEYER Welcome to the Fiesta Bowl Football Focus Podcast. We’re excited to bring you this new series that will bring you a new interviewstyle conversation twice a month with some of the biggest names in college football and college athletics – covering behind the scenes of college athletics, television and our guests’ personal experiences with the Fiesta Bowl organization. Please subscribe and keep an eye out for our updated episodes. This week we are joined by former Utah, Florida and Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer.

WHERE IS COLLEGE GAMEDAY? ESPN’s College Gameday is heading down south. One of the most popular college football pregame shows will broadcast from the SEC top-10 matchup of the week, No. 7 Florida vs. No. 5 LSU. Gameday has broadcast 30 games featuring the defending PlayStation Fiesta Bowl champions since the show’s inception in 1993, sixth most all-time. This is the second week in a row the Gators will be featured on the show and the third time this season. Last season’s matchup between Florida and LSU ended in a 27-19 victory for the Gators. Kickoff in Baton Rouge is on Saturday, October 12 at 5 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2019 | WEEK 7

FIESTA BOWL FACTS TWEET OF THE WEEK

SHORT AND TWEET Who will be this year’s draft picks? Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, powered by @ DriveTime will host Draft Day at SNEAKY BIG on Tuesday, October 29. Live stream will be available on fiestabowl.org

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT On Saturday, October 5, 300 kids participated in the Fiesta Bowl Youth Football Clinic held at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. This free event was led by former NFL player Michael Bankston for boys

Purchase tickets today! Get your tickets for the @Fiesta_Bowl and @CheezItBowl before they’re sold out. Buy here: fiestabowl.org/tickets

and girls ages 6-14.

The participants rotated through different stations practicing their punting, kicking and passing skills.

This is just one of the many charity events hosted by the Fiesta Bowl organization this year. Next up is the Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Par 3 Challenge, presented by Chapman Automotive on October 24 and 25 at The Short Course at Mountain Shadows.

The @WellsFargo Fiesta Bowl Par 3 Challenge presented by Chapman Automotive is on October 24-25! Prizes on every hole including a chance at $1 MILLION. Reserve your foursome today: Fiestabowl.org/events/ fiesta-bowl-par-3-challenge

FIESTA FEATURE: MONICA KRUCK By day, she’s a Network Manager for Cigna Health. By night, she’s the Chair of the Fiesta Bowl Ambassador program and oversees the 26 active members. The Ambassadors enhance the Fiesta Bowl experience though hospitality, leadership and community involvement.

Kruck is not just an ambassador for the Fiesta Bowl, but an ambassador for what it means to give back. She’s been volunteering with the Fiesta Bowl since 2013.

“I love seeing how the community loves the Fiesta Bowl,” she said. “It’s a legend in Arizona.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2019 | WEEK 7

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