Injury bug continues to bite in CFB
Week three gave us more exciting upsets like Stanford over USC and Ole Miss over Alabama, seven overtime games, a de-facto Big Ten-ACC challenge that the ACC won 3-2, how about this trend: Toledo beat Iowa State to have two wins over Power Five schools in the same season for the first time while Arkansas, which the Rockets beat in week two, lost again.
To recap the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, the ACC got wins with North Carolina over Illinois 48-14, Virginia Tech over Purdue 51-24 and Miami over Nebraska 36-33 while the Big Ten claimed two wins with Northwestern’s 19-9 win over Duke and Iowa’s field goal for the win over Pittsburgh, 27-24.
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Iowa’s Marshall Koehn hit a 57-yard field goal for the win over Pitt after he missed the first attempt but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi called timeout. That’s just one case in week three that special teams were a deciding factor in the game
Texas kicker Nick Rose missed what would have been a game-tying extra point with 1:11 left, Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Showdown in overtime thanks to blocking a Colorado State field goal and Wake Forest kicker Mike Weaver kicked the game-winner as time expired vs. Army.
Then there’s the miss that Iowa State kicker Cole Netten had at the end of regulation for the win so the Cyclones went to overtime with Toledo and the Rockets came out victorious. Another time-expiring kick took place in Manhattan with Louisiana Tech’s Jonathan Barnes sending the game to overtime as time expired although the Bulldogs would lose 39-33 in three overtimes. I don’t even know how to explain all of the special teams blunders or tricks that took place in the UConn-Missouri game.
But the most defining special teams play might have been in the Temple-UMass game with the Owls surviving all thanks to a blocked extra point that they returned for 2 points. Think about it, Temple took the lead with a little over a minute to go and UMass marched down the field to retake the lead and win the game, right? The Minutemen take a 23-20 lead and are kicking the extra point to go up 24-20. Instead, Temple blocks the kick and makes it a 23-22 game, gets the ball back and gets in field goal range in the final seconds for the 25-23 win. Had UMass made the extra point, Temple would’ve had to score a touchdown to win. Funny how things happen.
Week Four of college football doesn’t have the most attractive slate but those are always the weekends that sneak up on us and provide the best surprises. September is coming to an end, so it’s time to really learn something about these teams.
Fog clearing up in the SEC and Pac-12 South
There are huge implications in both the SEC East and Pac-12 South this week. The former has a clear favorite in Georgia but are Tennessee and Missouri still challengers to the Dawgs? Missouri horrendously struggled at home vs. UConn last week in a 9-6 win and if not for some special teams blunders, the Tigers may have been upset. Missouri can still put it all together but if the Tigers don’t, Kentucky could knock them off this week. As for Tennessee, the Vols have just 12 players on the roster that have been to Florida before in 2013. The Gators are looking for an eleventh straight win over Tennessee and a loss in Gainesville would drastically cool the SEC East championship hype the Vols carried in the summer. Then, it would truly be Georgia and everyone else in the SEC East. Missouri and Tennessee are in must-win situations to keep pace.
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Jack is UCLA's third defensive starter lost for the season. |
The Pac-12 South is wide open after USC’s loss to Stanford last week. USC now travels to Arizona State, who scored 62 on the Trojans last year, the most points USC has given up in program history. UCLA is headed to Arizona and the Bruins suffered more blows with the loss of Myles Jack and Fabian Moreau. Utah still might not have a healthy Travis Wilson at quarterback and goes up to Eugene, where the Utes haven’t won since 1994. Maybe the winner of UCLA-Arizona will become the favorite in the South but it’s hard to see a favorite in that wide-open decision. The only clear result will be the emergence of a proverbial front-runner. USC needs a win to keep pace.
A season's worth of injuries
As mentioned earlier, UCLA lost star linebacker Myles Jack to a torn meniscus and star cornerback Fabian Moreau to go along with the loss of Eddie Vanderdoes. Those are arguably UCLA”s three best players on defense out for the season. This is going to put some more pressure on Josh Rosen and the offense.
Michigan State seems to be coping with the loss of linebacker Ed Davis well with Chris Frey and Jon Reschke playing well but how many more hits can the Spartans take? Redshirt freshman cornerback Vayante Copeland looked very promising but revealed that he’s out for the season with a fractured vertrebra and Spartans right tackle Kodi Kieler is out indefinitely now with a leg injury. It appears Michigan State will bump right guard Donavon Clark out to tackle and replace Copeland with fifth-year senior Arjen Colquhoun although Darian Hicks and true freshman Josh Butler will get opportunities, too.
Then there’s Notre Dame. The Irish have already lost safety Avery Sebastian, running back Tarean Folston, tight end Durham Smythe and quarterback Malik Zaire. Now, add safety Drue Tranquill to the list. Tranquill tore his ACL while celebrating a pass breakup. Yes, he jumped up with his teammates and got hurt in the landing. Are the Irish cursed? Brian Kelly has done a great job of compiling talent in South Bend so guys like Elijah Shumate, Max Redfield and Matthias Farley are still there at safety but how many more injuries can Notre Dame withstand if it wants to make a run at the Playoff?
The team snubbed from the Playoff last year – TCU – is trying to make a case in 2015 but injuries are making it difficult. The Horned Frogs lost linebacker Sammy Douglas in week one, safety Kenny Iloka in week two and now cornerback Ranthony Texada on an already depleted defense is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in week three. The status of defensive end James McFarland is still up in the air as well.
Leading into week four, we’ve found out about more injuries. Alabama lost wide receiver Robert Foster to a torn rotator cuff, UCF – in desperate need of help at 0-3 – lost its go-to receiver Jordan Akins to a torn ACL, Cincinnati lost cornerback Adrian Witty, who was granted a 6th year for 2015, and Florida coach Jim McElwain says that linebacker Alex Anzalone will be out for awhile with the same shoulder he hurt last season.
Anzalone may be able to make it back but Auburn also disclosed that Carl Lawson will be out indefinitely with his hip injury that he suffered in week one after there was hope Lawson could return. Wisconsin running back Corey Clement was also banged up in week one against Alabama and hasn’t played since and now the Badgers say he will be out with surgery for a sports hernia. Ole Miss’ Tony Conner is also out 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered against Alabama.
Syracuse lost another starting quarterback after freshman Eric Dungey was knocked out from a targeting foul. Dungey was playing well in place of Terrel Hunt, who’s again missing the season. Syracuse now has to go to walk-on Zack Mahoney at quarterback. Then there’s the quarterback injuries that took place to Boston College’s Darius Wade and Boise State’s Ryan Finley as well.
The career of quarterback Chuckie Keeton at Utah State continues to be derailed by injuries as well as the Aggies star is now out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury as well. Keeton has started five season openers but hasn’t finished the last two seasons because of injuries and being granted a redshirt to return in 2015.
There’s certainly more crucial injuries that haven’t been mentioned. Therein lies the problem – that there’s too many to mention. It’s been a season’s worth of injuries and we’re only one-third of the way through.
Freshman Quarterbacks taking over
UCLA’s Josh Rosen and BYU’s Tanner Mangum have taken over the spotlight for freshman quarterbacks just to name a few but more are joining the party.
Boise State burned the redshirt on Brett Rypien as he started the second half in place of injured Ryan Finley. Rypien is the nephew of Super Bowl champion Mark Rypien and was sharp in his outing and could start. If you burn the redshirt of your prized quarterback, you should start him. South Carolina is going the true freshman route as well with its third different starting quarterback this season as Lorenzo Nunez was announced as the starter.
Boston College has a decision to make at quarterback between true freshman Jeff Smith and redshirt freshman Troy Flutie (Doug Flutie’s nephew) after Darius Wade broke his ankle last week.
Redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer at Notre Dame and Jerod Heard at Texas are settling into their jobs but Sean White at Auburn and David Blough at Purdue are now both going to get their shots with first career starts this week.
Who's No. 1?
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Jones is still the starting QB for the top-ranked Buckeyes. |
For me, it’s still Ohio State – for now. The Buckeyes still look to be the most talented team and haven’t lost yet but offensive struggles against Hawaii and Northern Illinois can’t continue. It’s getting close to reminiscent of Urban Meyer’s Florida squad the year that Dan Mullen left to become the head coach at Mississippi State. So far, Ohio State hasn’t gotten things to click on offense since Tom Herman left for the Houston job.
Ole Miss and LSU proved their worth as contenders this past week as well as the Rebels toppled Alabama and LSU blew out Auburn. LSU was a quarterback away from being a really dangerous team and the Tigers have instilled confidence back into Brandon Harris to be that guy. The Rebels are still fast and stingy on defense and as explosive on offense – with or without an inside running game – and upgraded at quarterback with Chad Kelly.
Michigan State also remains in the mix. The Spartans are just a sound football team but the injury bug is hitting them and the defense hasn’t been as dominant as year’s past when Pat Narduzzi was around.
Weird Road Trips
Week four has some weird road trips on the map. Kansas going to Rutgers for their first ever meeting looks awkward but Rutgers will make the return trip to Kansas in 2018. The Jayhawks haven’t won a road game since 2009.
LSU is the first SEC team to go up to Syracuse since 2001 when Auburn made the trip.
Nevada and Buffalo are meeting for the first time since 2004 with the Wolf Pack traveling 2,432 miles to upstate New York but worse than that, Hawaii is going 4,152 miles to Wisconsin, just two weeks after making the trip from the islands to Ohio State.
Then finally there’s NC State going to Mobile for the first time in what could potentially be the first of two trips to Ladd-Peebles Stadium for NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who stands on the Senior Bowl radar.
The second and final bowl rematch
Arkansas State visits Toledo this week for a rematch of the GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile. Toledo running back Kareem Hunt ran wild in that game with 275 yards and five touchdowns while Arkansas State quarterback Fredi Knighten threw for 403 yards and five touchdowns. The script is a little bit different this year with Toledo’s pass defense being vastly improved and Hunt questionable for the game with a hamstring injury but Damion Jones-Moore is more than capable of producing plays.
This is the second bowl rematch to take place this season with East Carolina and Florida meeting in week two. When’s the last time a season had two bowl game rematches the same year?
Games of the Week
Tennessee at Florida – Florida is looking for its first signature win under Jim McElwain and its 11th straight win over the Vols. Tennessee will have to move the pocket more and Josh Dobbs is going to need his legs to make plays vs. this Florida defense. The Gators are allowing just 1.9 yards per carry this season and I don’t think Tennessee’s offensive line can hold up for four quarters. Expect Will Grier to continue to grow at the quarterback position for Florida, especially without having to look over his shoulder at Treon Harris. My Pick: Florida 24, Tennessee 20
Matchups to watch:
-Florida WR Demarcus Robinson vs. Tennessee CB Cam Sutton
-Tennessee WR Marquez North vs. Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves
-Tennessee OT Kyler Kerbyson vs. Florida DE Jon Bullard
Texas A&M at Arkansas – This is a must-win game for Arkansas to regain its confidence and stay in the SEC West race after two straight losses to Toledo and Texas Tech. The Hogs are lacking for playmakers around Brandon Allen outside of the tight ends right now. Not having that 1-2 punch at running back is hurting. The Hogs have yet to allow a sack yet this season but now here comes Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall. The Hogs pass defense has been shaky too and that’s not a good sign against the Aggies. My Pick: Texas A&M 38, Arkansas 24
Matchups to watch:
-Arkansas OT Denver Kirkland vs. Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett
-Arkansas OT Dan Skipper vs. Texas A&M DE Daeshon Hall
-Arkansas OG Sebastian Tretola vs. Texas A&M DT Daylon Mack
UCLA at Arizona – The pressure might be mounting on Josh Rosen after having a QB rating under 30.0 since his tremendous debut. With the Bruins losses on defense, Rosen and the offense have to bear more of the responsibility to win games. Rosen hasn’t seen a 3-3-5 defense like Jeff Casteel will throw out yet. All the talk though is about these two quarterbacks in this game but the running game is going to be what decides it with UCLA’s Paul Perkins and Arizona’s Nick Wilson. My Pick: Arizona 31, UCLA 23
Matchups to watch:
-UCLA RB Paul Perkins vs. Arizona LB Scooby Wright
-Arizona RB Nick Wilson vs. UCLA LB Kenny Young
-Arizona OT Freddie Tagaloa vs. UCLA LB Deon Hollins
Utah at Oregon – The Utes have not won in Eugene since 1994 but this might be the best chance to do it. Both teams have quarterback injury concerns with Utah’s Travis Wilson battling the collarbone injury and Oregon’s Vernon Adams playing with a broken finger. The Utes are so stout in the front seven they’re going to have to slow down Royce Freeman. I think Utah can have more success against Freeman than Oregon can against Devontae Booker and Kendal Thompson gives the Utes a running threat at quarterback. My Pick: Utah 30, Oregon 27
Matchups to watch:
-Oregon OT Tyler Johnstone vs. Utah DE Hunter Dimick
-Oregon WR Dwayne Stanford vs. Utah CB Dominique Hatfield
-Oregon RB Royce Freeman vs. Utah LB Jared Norris
USC at Arizona State – This is already a must-win game for the Trojans or else the season could continue a downward trend. The Sun Devils scored 62 points against USC last season and the Trojans just gave up 41 to Stanford last week. There’s not a lot of confidence in that defense right now but Arizona State doesn’t have the playmakers it had a year ago. My Pick: USC 37, Arizona State 31
Matchups to watch:
-USC WR Juju Smith-Schuster vs. Arizona State CB Lloyd Carrington
-USC OT Chad Wheeler vs. Arizona State LB Antonio Longino
-Arizona State WR D.J. Foster vs. USC LB Su’a Cravens
Mississippi State at Auburn – I don’t think Sean White would be starting this game at quarterback if this game wasn’t at home. He’ll have the home crowd, who mostly wanted to see a change, behind him and I think White really sparks the Auburn offense. My Pick: Auburn 35, Mississippi State 27
Matchups to watch:
-Auburn OT Shon Coleman vs. Mississippi State DE Ryan Brown
-Auburn WR Duke Williams vs. Mississippi State CB Will Redmond
-Mississippi State OL Justin Malone/Jamaal Clayborn vs. Auburn DT Montravious Adams
More Upset Alerts
BYU at Michigan – BYU’s flair for the dramatic this season has taken attention away from how salty the defense has been. Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock has been turnover prone so far this season and needs to take care of the ball against ball-hawk Kai Nacua. Michigan’s defense isn’t to be underestimated either, the Wolverines have played very strong and aggressive defense so far under D.J. Durkin. Chris Wormley is having a breakout season. My Pick: Michigan 24, BYU 20
Matchups to watch:
-Michigan OT Erik Magnuson vs. BYU DE Bronson Kaufusi
-Michigan QB Jake Rudock vs. BYU S Kai Nacua
-BYU WR Mitch Mathews vs. Michigan CB Jourdan Lewis
Oklahoma State at Texas – Oklahoma State has won three straight trips to Austin and is one of three teams in the top 20 in both scoring offense and defense. The last time out though, Texas quarterback Jerrod Heard set a school record with 527 total yards and the Longhorns won in Stillwater last year. Connor Williams has been settling in at left tackle as a true freshman for Texas and will have his toughest task yet but Heard has proven he can be lethal outside of the pocket with his legs and I think that’s going to take the Cowboys by surprise. My Pick: Texas 28, Oklahoma State 24
Matchups to watch:
-Oklahoma State WR David Glidden vs. Texas CB Duke Thomas
-Texas WR John Burt vs. Oklahoma State CB Kevin Peterson
-Texas OT Connor Williams vs. Oklahoma State Emmanuel Ogbah
TCU at Texas Tech – TCU beat Texas Tech 82-27 last year. But this isn’t last year. The Red Raiders didn’t have experience on defense or Patrick Mahomes playing quarterback and TCU’s defense is close to depleted at this point in 2015. The Red Raiders are flying high right now while TCU’s defense has been a growing concern. The Horned Frogs are still going to get their share of points though so get ready for a shootout. This game might come down to a crucial change of possession and Texas Tech has forced 8 turnovers already this season. My Pick: Texas Tech 52, TCU 48
Matchups to watch:
-Texas Tech OT Le’Raven Clark vs. TCU DE Terrell Lathan
-Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes vs. TCU S Derrick Kindred
-TCU WR Josh Doctson vs. Texas Tech CB Justis Nelson
Missouri at Kentucky – Missouri has been unimpressive so far and better get things together offensively if it wants to contend in the SEC. Meanwhile, all three of Kentucky’s games this year have been within seven points. One stat of note is that Missouri has won a school-record 11 straight road games but if Kentucky can protect Patrick Towles and give him time, the Wildcats might pull this one out. My Pick: Kentucky 23, Missouri 20
Matchups to watch:
-Missouri OC Evan Boehm vs. Kentucky DT Melvin Lewis
-Kentucky OT Jordan Swindle vs. Missouri DE Charles Harris
-Missouri QB Maty Mauk vs. Kentucky S A.J. Stamps
Kansas at Rutgers – This is actually one of the more intriguing matchups of the week. Kansas hasn’t won a road since 2009, losing 33 straight. But the Jayhawks are starting to find its identity until David Beaty and getting more comfortable with the up-tempo offense and Rutgers is getting thin on defense and of course there’s the turmoil going on in Piscataway. This could be the perfect storm for Kansas. My Pick: Kansas 24, Rutgers 20
Matchups to watch:
-Rutgers OT Keith Lumpkin vs. Kansas DE Ben Goodman
-Kansas OT Jordan Shelley-Smith vs. Rutgers DE Kemoko Turay
-Rutgers WR Andre Patton vs. Kansas CB Brandon Stewart
Under-the-Radar Games
Cincinnati at Memphis – I thought this Memphis team would take a step back from the 10-win season a year ago but with all the attrition on defense, the offense is still scoring at a high level with Paxton Lynch. Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel is a game-time decision after a possible concussion last week but if Kiel plays, it’ll be quite the quarterback battle and neither team’s secondary has been good. This one could be another shootout like Memphis had against Bowling Green last week. My Pick: Memphis 45, Cincinnati 38
Matchups to watch:
-Memphis OT Taylor Fallin vs. Cincinnati DE Silverberry Mouhon
-Memphis WR Tevin Jones vs. Cincinnati CB Grant Coleman
-Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel vs. Memphis S Reggis Ball
Boise State at Virginia – Will the Broncos start sophomore Tommy Stuart or true freshman Brett Rypien? Both played well in relief of injured Ryan Finley last week. This will be a tough road test for the Broncos but a must-win game to stay alive for the Group of Five bid. Watch the Boise State front seven against this Virginia offense. Expect the Broncos to stuff the run and force Matt Johns to win the game. My Pick: Boise State 27, Virginia 24
Matchups to watch:
-Boise State OT Rees Odhiambo vs. Virginia DE Trent Corney
-Virginia WR Canaan Severin vs. Boise State CB Donte Deayon
-Boise State WR Thomas Sperbeck vs. Virginia CB Tra’ Nicholson
Georgia Tech at Duke – Duke has allowed just 280 total rushing yards this season while Georgia Tech was held to 216 by Notre Dame last week. The Blue Devils had the formula to win last year in Atlanta but Justin Thomas is a seasoned vet now. Georgia Tech’s Patrick Skov leads the ACC in scoring with seven touchdowns. Duke needs to establish its own running game, which could be tough against the Yellow Jackets front. My Pick: Georgia Tech 31, Duke 20
Matchups to watch:
-Duke WR Max McCaffrey vs. Georgia Tech D.J. White
-Georgia Tech OG Trey Braun vs. Duke DT Carlos Wray
-Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas vs. Duke S Jeremy Cash
Northern Illinois at Boston College – The Huskies held the nation’s attention last Saturday in an upset bid over Ohio State. Boston College is going to have a first time starter at quarterback while NIU wants to prove its performance against Ohio State isn’t an anomaly and knock off a power five team. Dealing with Boston College’s front seven will be the heavy task but this is a game NIU could win. My Pick: Boston College 17, Northern Illinois 16
Matchups to watch:
-Northern Illinois QB Drew Hare vs. Boston College S Justin Simmons
-Northern Illinois RB Joel Bouagnon vs. Boston College LB Steven Daniels
-Northern Illinois OG Aidan Conlon vs. Boston College DT Connor Wujciak
Maryland at West Virginia – This was a thrilling game last season that the Mountaineers won a field goal 40-37. West Virginia is flying under-the-radar through the first three weeks but Skyler Howard has been very good at quarterback and the offense is clicking. The Terps made the move to Caleb Rowe at quarterback and he’s sparked the offense but he’s also thrown five interceptions in two games. He has to limit those mistakes with WVU ball-hawk Karl Joseph lurking. My Pick: West Virginia 34, Maryland 23
Matchups to watch:
-West Virginia WR Shelton Gibson vs. Maryland CB Sean Davis
-West Virginia P Nick O’Toole vs. Maryland PR William Likely
-Maryland QB Caleb Rowe vs. West Virginia S Dravon Henry
Virginia Tech at East Carolina – The Hokies get a chance to enact revenge on the Pirates after last year’s loss. This game isn’t as marquee as the 2014 matchup because of the departures on ECU’s team but the offense can still put up points with Blake Kemp at quarterback. My Pick: Virginia Tech 30, East Carolina 21
Matchups to watch:
-East Carolina OT Ike Harris vs. Virginia Tech Dadi Nicolas
-East Carolina WR Isaiah Jones vs. Virginia Tech Kendall Fuller
-Virginia Tech RB J.C. Coleman vs. East Carolina LB Zeek Bigger
California at Washington – California is the only remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 north and this is a must-win game for the Bears to build momentum in conference play. Washington dominated this matchup 31-7 last year and Jared Goff didn’t have a touchdown pass. On the other side, Cal’s shaky defense could lead to a breakout game for Washington true freshman quarterback Jake Browning. My Pick: California 31, Washington 28
Matchups to watch:
-California QB Jared Goff vs. Washington S Budda Baker
-California WR Kenny Lawler vs. Washington CB Sidney Jones
-Washington RB Dwayne Washington vs. California LB Hardy Nickerson
Don’t Sleep On
UMass at Notre Dame – UMass has a good offense with quarterback Blake Frohnapfel and wide receiver Tajae Sharpe. The Irish shouldn’t take this game for granted with a trip to Clemson looming next week. This is a potential trap game. My Pick: Notre Dame 34, UMass 24
Matchups to watch:
-UMass WR Tajae Sharpe vs. Notre Dame CB KeiVarae Russell
-Notre Dame WR Will Fuller vs. UMass CB Randall Jette
-Notre Dame RB C.J. Prosise vs. UMass LB Jovan Santos-Knox
Western Michigan at Ohio State – Ohio State got tested by a MAC team in NIU last week and Western Michigan is arguably a better MAC team than the Huskies. P.J. Fleck has done a tremendous job there gathering talent and the Broncos have a more explosive offense than NIU had. This will be the first test for Ohio State’s secondary heading into next week’s trip to Indiana against the Hoosiers passing game. The Broncos will also be balanced too if Jarvion Franklin is cleared to play. Michigan State played Western Michigan earlier this year and won 37-24 and the Playoff Committee takes into account common opponents. My Pick: Ohio State 31, Western Michigan 20
Matchups to watch:
-Western Michigan OT Willie Beavers vs. Ohio State DE Joey Bova
-Western Michigan WR Corey Davis vs. Ohio State CB Eli Apple
-Western Michigan WR Daniel Braverman vs. Ohio State CB Gareon Conley
San Diego State at Penn State – Penn State’s offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack since the Temple debacle. Part of that is the level of competition so we won’t learn much here about the guys up front but San Diego State can put up points and grind out a game. They’re coming off a heartbreaker to South Alabama last week but don’t take the Aztecs lightly with Donnel Pumphrey and strong-armed Maxwell Smith. My Pick: Penn State 34, San Diego State 20
Matchups to watch:
-Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton vs. San Diego State CB J.J. Whittaker
-San Diego State OT Pearce Slater vs. Penn State DE Carl Nassib
-San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey vs. Penn State LB Jason Cabinda
LSU at Syracuse – The Orange are 3-0 but lost another quarterback with Eric Dungey likely out. Reports say the staff has confidence in Zack Mahoney. LSU’s defense should suffocate Syracuse but the Orange have been strong up front too. This might not be as easy as giving the ball to Leonard Fournette. LSU has to make sure it’s not sluggish going up north to Syracuse, where an SEC team hasn’t gone since 2001. My Pick: LSU 35, Syracuse 16
Matchups to watch:
-LSU WR Travin Dural vs. Syracuse CB Julian Whigham
-LSU OT Vadal Alexander vs. Syracuse DE Ron Thompson
-LSU RB Leonard Fournette vs. Syracuse LB Zaire Franklin
Arkansas State at Toledo – It’s the GoDaddy Bowl rematch and Arkansas State wants a different result. Toledo’s launch pad is gaining national attention after beating Arkansas and Iowa State. The Rockets defense has to be ready to go again the Red Wolves. Arkansas State tight end Darion Griswold needs to be more involved and will be a tough matchup. My Pick: Toledo 34, Arkansas State 24
Matchups to watch:
-Toledo OT Storm Norton vs. Arkansas State DE Chris Stone
-Arkansas State WR Tres Houston vs. Toledo CB Cheatham Norrils
-Arkansas State TE Darion Griswold vs. Toledo S Chaz Whittaker
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss – Don’t look ahead to that Oct. 3 roadtrip to Florida, Ole Miss. You’ve got a much improved Vanderbilt team coming to Oxford. The Dores might not score enough points to win this game but Ole Miss is going to be surprised by how much better this Vanderbilt defense is playing. My Pick: Ole Miss 30, Vanderbilt 17
Matchups to watch:
-Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell vs. Vanderbilt CB Torren McGaster
-Vanderbilt OG Jake Bernstein vs. Ole Miss Robert Nkemdiche
-Vanderbilt QB Johnny McCrary vs. Ole Miss S Trae Elston
Bowling Green at Purdue – Purdue’s offense needs a spark or else Bowling Green is going to run circles in Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers are going to give David Blough his first career start at quarterback. Bowling Green is the nation’s fastest moving offense and Roger Lewis is a tough player to contain. The Falcons are about to gain more attention by beating a Big Ten team on the road. My Pick: Bowling Green 42, Purdue 31
Matchups to watch:
-Bowling Green WR Roger Lewis vs. Purdue CB Frankie Williams
-Purdue WR DeAngelo Yancey vs. Bowling Green CB Darrell Hunter
-Bowling Green WR Gehrig Dieter vs. Purdue CB Anthony Brown
My Top 25
AFTER WEEK 3
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan State
3. LSU
4. Ole Miss
5. Baylor
6. Georgia
7. Notre Dame
8. Texas A&M
9. Alabama
10. Oklahoma
11. Oregon
12. TCU
13. Clemson
14. UCLA
15. Florida State
16. Arizona
17. Oklahoma State
18. BYU
19. Georgia Tech
20. Utah
21. Temple
22. Northwestern
23. Stanford
24. USC
25. Texas Tech
Out: Auburn, California
Also Considered: California, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Arizona State
Week Three Picks: 14-9 | Overall: 34-20 (.629)
Wins
Clemson 31-23 | Result: Clemson 20, Louisville 17
LSU 24-20 | Result: LSU 45, Auburn 21
Georgia 31-17 | Result: Georgia 52, South Carolina 20
California 45-24 | Result: California 45, Texas 44
UCLA 35-17 | Result: UCLA 24, BYU 23
Michigan State 35-21 | Result: Michigan State 35, Air Force 21
Syracuse 27-21 | Result: Syracuse 30, Central Michigan 27 (Overtime)
Oklahoma State 42-20 | Result: Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14
Virginia Tech 24-17 | Result: Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24
Toledo 31-30 | Result: Toledo 30, Iowa State 23(Double Overtime)
Texas Tech 34-28 | Result: Texas Tech 35, Arkansas 24
Florida 27-24 | Result: Florida 14, Kentucky 9
Penn State 31-14 | Result: Penn State 28, Rutgers 3
Iowa 28-21 | Result: Iowa 27, Pittsburgh 24
Losses
Georgia Tech 31-24 | Result: Notre Dame 30, Georgia Tech 22
Nebraska 34-30 | Result: Miami 36, Nebraska 33 (Overtime)
Alabama 28-17 | Result: Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37
Duke 23-20 | Result: Northwestern 19, Duke 10
Bowling Green 49-38 | Result: Memphis 44, Bowling Green 41
Louisiana Tech 24-17 | Result: Kansas State 39, Louisiana Tech 33 (Triple Overtime)
Western Kentucky 35-31 | Result: Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 3
Colorado State 30-27 | Result: Colorado 27, Colorado State 24 (Overtime)
USC 34-17 | Result: Stanford 41, USC 31