Watch CBS News

'It's Going To Be Close': CBS Sports' Houston Nutt Previews #11 Kentucky Vs. #1 Georgia And 4 Other Games

(CBS Local Sports) - The college football season continues this week, with another full schedule of games on CBS and CBS Sports Network. Out of the SEC, #1 Georgia, who remains undefeated, faces another undefeated team in #11 Kentucky. Auburn also meets #17 Arkansas. In the Mountain West, #24 San Diego State looks to keep it going against San Jose State. Utah State plays UNLV, and Hawaii travels to Nevada. CBS's Norm Elrod talked to CBS Sports' Houston Nutt about the matchups.

Auburn @ #17 Arkansas: October 16, 12:00 p.m. ET on CBS

Seventeenth-ranked Arkansas has lost two straight. They gave up 52 points to Mississippi and were shut out by Georgia the week before. Can they turn things around against Auburn?

"They can, they can. They're at home. It's a home-field advantage. If you notice the way they played at home, especially against Texas, I think that's going to be a big help getting back home. And saying that, I think the running game. Coach Pittman, I think he'll be going ahead with that. I think KJ Jefferson is really playing better. When you look at the job that they did, really the offensive game plan on the road at Ole Miss was pretty good. They had their chances. They have to do a better job of stopping the run. So to me, in this game, it's going to come down to who can stop the run. And when you look at Tank Bigsby, when you look at Hunter, they're good backs too. I think Arkansas has an excellent chance at home. And they know what this game means. This is a very, very important game."

#11 Kentucky @ #1 Georgia: October 16, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Top-ranked Georgia has been rolling over teams all season. This week they face 11th-ranked Kentucky, who are also undefeated. Will the streak continue? Does Kentucky have any chance at an upset?

"Kentucky has a chance. I think it's a slim chance, because Georgia is so good. They're so good on defense. They're playing at home. You know what the 90,000 [fans] does. I'm thinking of the home field, when that home field participates. And the fan base at Georgia, they participate. Arkansas will tell you, they had three or four illegal procedures right when they opened the game, and they're not the only team that had that problem. So, the defense of Georgia is so good. What I'm so excited about in this game, especially being on CBS, is Kentucky. Mark Stoops, you can't say enough good things about what Mark Stoops has done with the program. He's developed it, in that they're physical, they're tough. Rodriguez is a excellent running back. They're physical, they'll try to get him the ball. I really think, because of the way they play, that's why I give them a chance, because the ball bounces funny. I would have never said last week -- if you and I had this conversation about Texas A&M and Alabama -- I would have never said to you Texas A&M has a good chance to win against Alabama. I didn't believe that. And then you go and look at Saturday night, look what happened on the field. Unbelievable advantage with the home-field crowd, and it's a totally different team. And so you never know about football. But the thing about Kentucky, this is the first time they've been undefeated since when Bear Bryant. So there's a lot of confidence there. They'll be excited. But they're going into a very hostile environment, and they're going against the defense they haven't seen before. I think it will be good. I think it will be a good football game. I think it's going to be close. But I think, at the end, Georgia will win."

#24 San Diego State @ San Jose State: October 15, 10:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Everybody in the Mountain West is gunning for San Diego State, ranked 24th. Can San Jose State stay with them?

"I think they can. Again, this game is so funny this year, but you just never know what can happen. The thing about it, they have to do a great job of stopping the run. In San Diego State, we know what the blueprint is. The blueprint is they're going to be very physical, hand the ball to Bell over and over and then play-action, boots and waggles and all those things. So San Jose State really has to buckle up both chinstraps and do a great job on the defensive side. But saying all that, they've found ways to score. They've found ways to win. I believe San Diego State will get it done, because of their running game."

Utah State @ UNLV: October 16, 7:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Another Mountain West battle, Utah State meets UNLV. Utah State has shown they can put up points on occasion. But Boise St. also held them to a field goal a few weeks back. Returning from a week off, will the winless UNLV provide any sort of challenge?

"I don't have much confidence there. And I know how tough it is when you're trying to get going. When you don't win, it creates some doubts. So it takes a great coaching job to keep those guys up and keep going. I think Utah State will win this game. This is the dose of medicine that Utah State needs, because they've been inconsistent. And I'm sure Coach is going to really harp this week about being consistent. Let's don't have foolish penalties. Let's take care of the ball. Because when we do those things, we can score. So that's going to be the emphasis there, and I just think Utah State will win it."

Hawaii @ Nevada: October 16, 10:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Hawaii was also idle last week. They return to face 4-1 Nevada on the road. How do you see this one playing out?

"I'm a big believer in Nevada, because Carson Strong, the quarterback, is outstanding. And I just think he's going outscore Hawaii. Now the thing about it, each and every game, you have to be ready. And Hawaii, they've shown, at times, they can put together drives. They play physical. Todd Graham has always done a good job with defense. So he's going to come up with a plan to try to mix Carson up. But I just think Nevada has too much, and Nevada is going to win this game."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.