Rece Davis revealed his picks for Week 4’s biggest games on Thursday during The College GameDay Podcast with Pete Thamel, and one of those showdown games is the SEC matchup in Norman on Saturday that features 2 ranked teams.
It’ll be No. 22 Auburn facing No. 11 Oklahoma, with former Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold facing his old program. It’ll be a battle of 3-0 teams who are playing their SEC openers, and it’ll have many eyes on it as a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC. Arnold will be heading into hostile territory in Norman, where things didn’t work out the past 2 seasons with Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables.
But things have gone well so far for Arnold on the Plains, with him throwing for 501 yards and 4 touchdown passes with 0 interceptions in Auburn’s 3 victories while adding another 192 yards rushing and 4 TDs on the ground.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma has been led by John Mateer, the guy who replaced Arnold behind center. Mateer has thrown for 944 yards with 5 touchdowns in the Sooners’ 3 wins, which includes a showdown victory over Michigan at home in Week 2. Mateer has also shown his ability to hurt defenses with his legs, running for 161 yards and 4 TDs.
For Davis, he has a feeling about this game, and he let it be known on the podcast.
“This is like one of those gut-feeling games. I am really tempted to take Auburn in this game. I think I just can’t,” Davis said. “I can’t do it because of Mateer, a little more proven. We want these guys to be successful, but we don’t know for sure if Jackson Arnold is a high-level quarterback going against this defense on the road. Auburn some good pieces on defense, but they are susceptible to some big plays, and Mateer is the guy who can make them. I’m going to take Oklahoma, but I think Auburn is going to have a chance to win the game.”
It’s one of the biggest early season games in college football, and we’ll know after Saturday whether Arnold had the last laugh on Oklahoma or not.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
