College Football Week 3 Preview (Heisman Top 10 included)

Ug, last week felt like such a bad week for my picks. While I did go 19-6 (bringing me to 45-10 for the season) for the 25 games I picked, I missed on the two biggest games of the weekend and it wasn't close. Well, I hope I do better calling the games this week.


Week 3


#1 Alabama @ Duke


While Duke has impressed me somewhat with their offensive production, I think there is no way they’ll be able to hang with the Crimson Tide.



Ohio @ #2 Ohio State


The smaller school baring the Ohio name may be able to compete in the MAC, but not against the Buckeyes.



#3 Boise State @ Wyoming


Boise State needs to pay attention to this game. Like I said last week, Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels is an underrated quarterback and could very easily give Boise State more trouble than they expect to get. Boise State still wins.



Baylor @ #4 TCU


This game is similar to the Boise State game. Robert Griffin III has the potential to give that Horned Frog defense fits. TCU will win though.



Portland State @ #5 Oregon


This should be an easy one for the dynamic Ducks offense.



#6 Texas @ Texas Tech


Texas Tech is playing surprisingly well considering the turnover in coaching staff and could pull the upset against the Longhorns. I’m not going to call for that though, Longhorns win.



Air Force @ #7 Oklahoma


Air Force proved last week that they are ready to take a big step forward in the Mountain West. That doesn’t mean too much against the dominant Oklahoma offense. Sooners win.



#8 Nebraska @ Washington


While Jake Locker is having a nice season, I don’t think that the Huskies are ready for Nebraska. Cornhuskers win.



#9 Iowa @ #24 Arizona (Game of the Week)


A great match-up of two upstart programs with two very different offensive identities, this should be fun to watch. Iowa is more of a ball control, run offense while Arizona likes to spread the field to pass then run to the outside. It’ll be interesting to see how each defense attempts to counter the strengths of their opponent. I’m actually going to go with the upset and pick Arizona to win, mostly because Nick Foles looks like he could be the best quarterback in the Pac-10 with no one talking about him as such.



#10 Florida @ Tennessee


This game could be a surprise. Tennessee could step up and provide Florida with the same kind of challenge that Miami (Oh) did. But, that’ll only happen if the Vols start causing turnovers like mad, because the Tennessee offense just isn’t up to par with the Florida defense. Gators win.



Arizona State @ #11 Wisconsin


This is a matchup that is probably going to be surprisingly good. Arizona State’s offense has been playing much better than most thought they would and they have the talent defensively to stop John Clay. I still think Wisconsin wins, but it will an interesting game.



#12 Arkansas @ Georgia


The Razorbacks have been on a roll recently, while Georgia has been stumbling out of the blocks. With A.J. Green still suspended, I don’t think that Georgia can stay with Arkansas. Razorbacks roll.



Furman @ #13 South Carolina


After a difficult game against Georgia, South Carolina gets an easy run against Furman. Look for Marcus Lattimore to have a monstrous game.



#14 Utah @ New Mexico


New Mexico has fallen apart in recent years and should pose little threat the Utes.



Mississippi State @ #15 LSU


Mississippi State played a tough game last week, in spite of their loss. I look for similar toughness this week, as well as a similar result. LSU wins.



Clemson @ #16 Auburn


Clemson is playing extremely well and could find themselves in the AP 25 should they pull out this victory. However, I’m not of the opinion that they will be able to compete with the improving Auburn.



#17 Miami (Fl.): Bye


#18 USC @ Minnesota


Minnesota had a rough game last week and will probably have another long Saturday. USC rolls.



Wake Forest @ #19 Stanford


Wake Forest has been playing very well considering they lost their four-year starter at quarterback Riley Skinner. That being said, Stanford is just on a different level right now.



Massachusetts @ #20 Michigan


Denard Robinson should continue to impress. Michigan wins.



Maryland @ #21 West Virginia


A clash of two undefeated teams, West Virginia should get the bounce back they need after a disappointing performance against Marshall.



Kent State @ #22 Penn State


Penn State should have a good game after a rough loss to Alabama.



#23 Houston @ UCLA


If UCLA’s defense can keep the run-and-shoot contained, they should pull off the upset. They won’t, Cougars win.



Louisville @ #25 Oregon State


Oregon State gets a relatively easy game after their major challenge in the first week. The Beavers should dominate.



Other Games of Note



Cincinnati @ North Carolina State


When the year started, I probably wouldn’t have listed this as a game to pay attention to; however, North Carolina State has looked much better in these first two weeks than they did a year ago. Combine that with the fact that Cincinnati looks just a little out of sorts with a new coaching staff, leads me to select NC State as the winner of this game.



California @ Nevada


Yet another interesting matchup between a top tier non-BCS school and a middle tier BCS school. Both teams have their quarterback playing quite well for them, Kevin Rile being very efficient in the passing game while Colin Kaepernick is contributing as both a passer and a rusher. I think Kaepernick is the superior player and that the impact he has on Nevada is such that his presence alone will be enough to lift the Wolf Back over the Golden Bears.



Georgia Tech @ North Carolina


Georgia Tech needs a big game to make up for a severely disappointing game against Kansas. I think they will get that big game, since North Carolina is still dealing with suspension issues. Georgia Tech wins.



East Carolina @ Virginia Tech


Two weeks ago this wouldn’t be a blip on the radar. However, with Virginia Tech going winless for the first two weeks of the season and East Carolina playing extremely well in their first two weeks, this looks like a big game. Virginia Tech needs the win more, but Ryan Williams hasn’t been able to get himself going and I think that East Carolina is just too hot to stop right now. The Pirates are-a pillaging in Blacksburg.



BYU @ Florida State


Both teams are coming off of disappointing losses (oddly enough against two teams who are facing each other this weekend), and need a win to regain their confidence. Florida State’s defense looked terrible against the spread last week, but they were facing a spread that was commanded by an experienced quarterback. I think the Seminoles take advantage of the inexperience of BYU’s freshman quarterback to pull out the victory.



Tulsa @ Oklahoma State


This matchup looks like a shootout between two high flying offenses. However, Oklahoma State has been relying on the running of Kendall Hunter to succeed while Tulsa has relied on the arm of G.J. Kinne. While I think that Tulsa will be able to keep the game close, I don’t think they’ll be able to overtake the Cowboys. Okie Doke State wins.



San Diego State @ Missouri


This game is the true high flying, high scoring matchup. Both teams utilize spread offenses and their quarterbacks (Ryan Lindley and Blaine Gabbert respectively), are well suited to carrying out the game plans associated with those offenses. I’m picking Missouri to win, mostly because Gary Pinkel of Missouri, has had more time to settle his team into the offense he runs, unlike Brady Hoke of San Diego State.



Fresno State @ Utah State


Another very interesting game to watch, if only to see whether or not the Utah State offense is as good as we saw in their opening game against Oklahoma. I’m picking the more experienced Fresno State team to win however.



Top 10 Heisman Candidates



1. Kellen Moore – He’s not dropping on this list because of a bye week.


2. Terrelle Pryor – Another Strong performance, but he was better on the ground than through the air. He still has not completely convinced me though.


3. Case Keenum – Still dominant, but if he misses games because of the concussion, he will fall on this list.


4. John Clay – Maintaining his position as the best runningback Heisman candidate.


5. Ryan Mallett – He had almost exactly the same game as a week ago, just with a hundred extra yards.


6. Matt Barkley – Solid enough to hold his spot.


7. Andrew Luck – Took a step back, but wasn’t bad enough to lose his spot.


8. Colin Kaepernick – Passing well + Rushing well = Heisman.


9. Daniel Thomas – While he didn’t repeat his performance from week 1, he continued to roll up the yards.


10. Denard Robinson – I wasn’t willing to buy the hype after one game. Now with Robinson leading the nation in rushing yards and being a have decent passer, he’s getting some love for the Heisman.