College Football 2018: 5 reasons to be excited about Rivalry Week

5. Points, points everywhere

Oklahoma and West Virginia aren’t quite age old rivals in the vein of the Iron Bowl or Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, but it is a battle of two high-scoring offenses and points will be everywhere. The Sooners have the top rated offense in the country per the S&P+ and are guided by superstar quarterback Kyler Murray who has to be a serious Heisman Trophy candidate.

The Mountaineers are led by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Will Grier and have the seventh best offense in the nation. These two programs guided by Air Raid coaches have created an over-under of around 80 combined points.

Prediction: Oklahoma by 3

Mississippi State head to Oxford, Miss., to face the Ole Miss Rebels. Joe Moorhead’s Bulldogs offense will try to outscore Phil Longo’s Rebels machine. Ole Miss has the eighth-ranked offense per the S&P+ while MSU has slid to 44th in year one of the Joe-Mo offense. Jordan Ta’amu and Nick Fitzgerald are set for another big matchup as Ta’amu replaced Shea Patterson in the Egg Bowl after an injury last season. The teams combined for 58 points in 2017 even without Patterson at quarterback.

Prediction: Mississippi State by 7

Houston and Memphis might be slipping off your radar but don’t forget them. The Cougars have the 10th-ranked offense while Memphis is ranked 13th. This game could easily see over 80 points put up on the scoreboard with Major Applewhite and Mike Norvell possibly being up for bigger posts in 2019. You can watch this arena football style scoring at noon, Friday on ABC.

Prediction: Memphis by 4