ScoopDuck Roundtable: Other Games to Watch and Predictions

We are back with our fourth roundtable of the week for game week. While all of our eyes will be on Oregon this weekend, I’m certain most of you will be watching other college football games this weekend as well. There are some intriguing matchups and big-time games starting on Thursday night. Check out which games have us excited for the weekend. Nathan Bishop Oregon State 28 @ Houston 21 It’s week one and the wait is finally over. We have real college football again…. or do we? JHop wants a score prediction for a matchup other than Oregon/Boise State, and so here we are. Trying to find an interesting game in week one is like trying to find a Trojans fan in that sea of red empty seats. Who do we pick? Cal against UCLA? SMU facing off against Florida State? We could go with a real grudge match like Merrimack vs Delaware. I’m sticking with our in-state little bros in the Oregon State vs Houston matchup. This game is on the road against the Cougars, The Beavs have a new coach in JaMarcus Shephard. Maybe I’m breathing in the hopium but I think the Beavs will give Cougars a run for their money. They will go into Houston and shock the #23 ranked team… 28-21. Max Torres SMU 35 Florida State 24 I don’t have a lot of confidence in the Seminoles. The Mike Norvell era has been largely underwhelming aside from the 2023 season when they won the ACC before losing Jordan Travis to a broken leg. SMU probably has a top-three roster in the conference and an experienced quarterback to boot in Kevin Jennings. I thought about giving the Mustangs even more points, but either way I just see them handling business against the Seminoles. Brandon Gibson UCLA 17 @ Cal 23 Both UCLA and Cal both have new coaching staffs in place, with former JMU head coach Bob Chesney taking over the Bruins and former Duck DC Tosh Lupoi taking over the Bears. Both programs are coming off of disappointing seasons, albeit that Cal showed more signs of life in 2025. The two programs hit the transfer portal hard and added talent to the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, but becoming a cohesive team may take a bit of the season. The uncertainty of this game and the excitement of new regimes makes this one of the most exciting games of week 1, on paper. I think the first half will be a defensive struggle as the teams adjust to their new offensive systems and players. UCLA will likely follow the playbook of JMU and try to control the clock through the run game and not put too much pressure on Nico Iamaleava. Cal will expect big things from JKS and hope that the home crowd can lift them up in this classic Big Ten vs. ACC matchup. I think that playing at home gives Cal the edge in the end, winning a close game with most of the action coming in the second half. Doug Scott (Dougts) UCLA 35 @ Cal 37 Classic West coast after dark shootout between two quarterbacks. Jhop Clemson 28 @ LSU 24 There won’t be a more-watched game this weekend in college football. That’s what the Lane circus brings to the table. But the reality is, this is a season-defining game for both teams, more so both head coaches. Dabo fighting for relevancy and Lane fighting to prove he was worth all of the money and headache. Clemson with the upset in Baton Rouge and things get ROWDY for Lane this week.