There are bad weeks, and then, there’s this week. There isn’t much excitement on the board for the casual college football fan. For me, this is perfect. As someone who has a wedding this weekend, I need college football to be as dull as possible. It’s looking good for this week. I’ll gather my record when I have more time, but let’s get into it. (Photo Credit @GrantRamey)
Must-Watch Games
2. Florida State (-1.5) at 10. Louisville 11:00 am ABC – I would give anything to have this as our night game. First game of the day starting off with such a bang could mean major disappointment for the rest of the day (I doubt it). Lamar Jackson is winning the September Heisman like Geno Smith and Kenny Hill before him. Jackson could be the real deal though. He leads this impressive Cards team on Saturday, but can they stop anyone? Deondre Francois could have his way versus the Louisville defense. This could be a ton of fun. I’m concerned with Florida State’s defense without Derwin James. He was the heart and soul of the Noles defense. I like Jackson to lead a final drive to give the Cards a last-second victory. UL 42-38
3. Ohio State (-1.5) at 14. Oklahoma 6:30 pm FOX – Nothing like a massive non-conference game in Week 3. Gus Johnson on the call. My question for this game is if Oklahoma couldn’t stop Tom Herman’s Houston offense, what makes us think the Sooners can do it with Ohio State? Devil’s advocate could say Oklahoma has real film on this offense and saw it already in front of them. A part of me wonders if this young Buckeyes team is ready for big game atmosphere like Norman. Trusting Big Game Bob in a game like this is trusting a wet fart after Chinese takeout, but that’s what I’m doing. Ohio State’s offense looked a bit sluggish last week, and I worry that becomes an issue again. OKLA 35-30
12. Michigan State at 18. Notre Dame (-8) 6:30 pm NBC – What Irish defense shows up this week? The ones who looked like world beaters vs Nevada or the one who gave up 50 points to Texas? Michigan State is still very unproven with Tyler O’Connor at quarterback, and only one game against Furman. DeShonne Kizer going up against that defense will be the story of this game. Riley Bullough and Malik McDowell will have their hands full with Kizer all game long. I’m taking the Irish in this game. I can’t trust Spartans offense right now and think Kizer can do enough against Sparty’s tough defense. ND 24-21
1. Alabama (-11) at 11. Ole Miss 2:30 pm CBS – Crimson Tide haven’t lost to Rebels three straight times ever. Hugh Freeze has the magic against Nick Saban of late. Bama is hungry for revenge, and The Grove sets the scene on Saturday. Jalen Hurts will face his first real defense, and it will be fascinating to see how he reacts to it. Chad Kelly knows what the Bama defense looks like and can handle himself in the pocket. I’m a bit concerned with the Rebels relying solely on Kelly. My Bama worry is they have zero running game in the first two weeks, and that’s asking a lot of Hurts. I’m taking Bama, but it’s going to be very close. TIDE 21-20
Bucky’s Opponent
Georgia State at 10. Wisconsin (-34.5) 11:00 Big Ten Network – Check out our preview from earlier.
Definitely Keep An Eye On
22. Oregon (-3) at Nebraska 2:30 pm ABC – Oh boy this could be a lot of fun. There’s going to be so much offense in this one. Tommie Armstrong Jr. could have a big day against a struggling Ducks defense. They haven’t looked good against subpar competition in the last two weeks. Nebraska and big games haven’t been great in the past couple of years, and Mike Riley’s coaching staff have lost seven straight versus the Ducks. Royce Freeman proves to be the difference as Oregon escapes late. OREG 37-31
17. Texas A&M at Auburn (-3.5) 6:00 pm ESPN – Texas A&M will have their answer if they can stop the run on Saturday. That’s what Auburn wants to do with Kamryn Pettway and company. If the Aggies are Texas A&M of old, this will be a dominating outing for the Tigers. If John Chavis changed things in the past year then we’re looking at an emerging Aggies team. I think we see that version. Trevor Knight does just enough offense to aid that defense. TAMU 28-23
North Dakota State at 13. Iowa 11:00 am ESPN2 – Keep a watchful eye on this game. Iowa is really good this season with two all Big-Ten worthy running backs, and their defense looks great. Still, I would be shitting bricks against a team like the Bison. Hawkeyes win, but they pull away in the second to ease the worries. IOWA 35-17
Upset Watch
25. Miami (-3.5) at Appalachian State 11:00 am ESPN – OH BABY. I couldn’t love this game more if I tried. Miami is still getting through a bunch of suspensions, and their offense hasn’t looked great for the first two games of the year. App State has quite the defense, and this will be their biggest game of the year. Love App State here. APPST 20-16
Bet Of The Week
USC at 7. Stanford (-8.5) 7:00 pm ABC – Apparently, USC is going to take Stanford more serious than Alabama or whatever that means. I love Stanford in this game. This is our bet of the week. Here’s the thing… Stanford is a top five team. They will be when the first College Football Playoff rankings come out. Christian McCaffery will run through the Trojans, and their defense will give Max Browne all sorts of trouble. STAN 34-14
SnoTap Bar Watch
11. Texas (-7.5) at California 9:30 pm ESPN – First road trip for Shane ‘Don’t Call Me Matt Sarcern’ Buechele. He gets a Cal defense that he should be able to carve up. Bears still have issues with their defense, and Davis Webb can only do so much offense. This isn’t that tough of an environment. Give me the Horns in a rout. TEXAS 45-10
Worth a channel flip
Colorado at 4. Michigan (-19.5) 2:30 pm Big Ten Network – Don’t be surprised if this one is closer than expected at halftime. Buffs are the real deal this season, but the Wolverines continue to be a machine. MICH 41-17
Mississippi State at 20. LSU (-14) 6:00 pm ESPN2 – Tigers are rocking some sweet gold unis and I have zero faith in Miss State even though they always give the Tigers a game. We’re going to start seeing LSU work it’s way back up. LSU 31-7
16. Georgia (-6.5) at Missouri 6:30 pm SEC Network – If you watch this game, I pity you. Give me the Dawgs but not to cover. UGA 17-13
Sleep off your hangover
South Carolina State at 5. Clemson 11:00 am ACC Network
Portland State at 8. Washington 7:00 pm PAC 12 Network
Ohio at 15. Tennessee 11:00 am SEC network
21. Baylor at Rice 7:00 pm ESPN (Played on Friday)
North Texas at 23. Florida 6:30 pm ESPNU
Texas State at 24. Arkansas 6:30 pm SEC Network