Week 3 Preview of College Football

[Chieftain2009]

I'm going to try something new, let me know if it's something you enjoy reading. A preview of week 3 of college football season.

The first ranked team to play this week sees #22 South Florida taking on an Illinois team that has started the year 2-0. After USF's game last week against UConn got cancelled, how will they come out and play this week? With wins against Ball State and Western Kentucky, will that prove to be enough game experience this year to try and stop the moving freight train that is the QB from South Florida. This game is Friday at 7pm on ESPN.

#7 Michigan takes on Air Force in the Big House. Will the Wolverines killer defense be able to shut down the triple option offense? How many points will Wilton Speight and Michigan be able to put on the board? This game is noon on Saturday on the Big Ten Network.

The 9th ranked Okie State Cowboys travel to Pittsburgh to play on Heinz Field. Will the Panthers be able to stop possibly the best offense in the Big 12? Oklahoma State is coming off two blowout wins against Tulsa and South Alabama. Pitt is coming off a loss to a potent Penn State offense, with their only win of the season coming by 7 points against Youngstown State. Game is at noon on Saturday on ESPN.

A new team to the top 25, UCLA travels to Memphis to try and keep their potent offense rolling. After a 34 point comeback against Texas A&M and a 33 point win over Hawaii, they'll be facing a team coming off a week where their game against Central Florida was cancelled. Their week one win came against Louisiana-Monroe by only 8 points. Game is at noon on ABC on Saturday.

10th ranked Wisconsin takes the field against BYU in Provo, Utah. The Badgers have a blowout win over Utah State this year, and a closer than expected win over Florida Atlantic last week. BYU has an offense that looks dreadful having only scored 33 points in 3 game so far this year. With a win against Portland State on opening weekend, and two losses to LSU and Utah the last two weeks. This should be a blowout for the Badgers. The game is at 3:30pm on ABC.

The 16th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies travel to East Carolina. After a 31-24 victor over West Virginia and a 27-0 win over Delaware, the Hokies should have no problem blowing out this less than impressive East Carolina team. The Pirates come into the game at 0-2 after getting blown out by FCS James Madison and being dismantled by West Virginia last week. This game is at 3:30pm on CBS Sports Network.

The next game up is #20 TCU, as they host SMU. SMU is coming off wins where they posted 50+ points in each of their first two wins of the season against Stephen F. Austin and North Texas. But, they'll have a hard time slowing down a potent Horned Frog offense, who has scored 91 points this season in two blowout wins against Jackson State and Arkansas. This game is at 3:30pm on ESPNU.

One of the bigger games of the weekend will see #23 Tennessee travel to #24 Florida. Will Butch Jones and the Vols finally prove they can contend in the SEC with all their talent? They'll have a chance against a dreadful Florida offense who are coming off a loss to Michigan and a cancelled game against Northern Colorado. The Vols have posted a 2-0 record so far this year in a thriller against Georgia Tech and a blowout against FCS Indiana State. Game is at 3:30pm on CBS.

#15 Auburn is coming into a cupcake week as they host Mercer. The Bears of Mercer come into the game at 1-1 with a win against Jacksonville and a loss against Wofford. Auburn comes into the game off a narrow loss last week to Clemson and a win in week one against Georgia Southern. Game is at 4pm on the SEC Network.

#8 Ohio State hosts Army in a game where the Buckeyes will look to get back on track, and try to figure out their offense. They are coming off a win in week one against Indiana, and a loss this past week to visitor Oklahoma in a game where the Sooners flexed their muscle. Army comes into the game at 2-0 with wins over Fordham and Buffalo. Game is at 4:30 pm on Fox.

#21 Washington State will host Oregon State in a game where they hope to prove they are one of the best in the PAC 12. They are coming off wins against Montana State and triple overtime victory over Boise State and boast a 2-0 record. Oregon State on the other hand is trying to fight off a poor season where they may only post 1-2 wins. They've played three games so far with a 1-2 record, scraping by Portland State for their only win and blowout losses to Colorado State and Minnesota. Game is at 5:30pm on the PAC 12 Network.

Newly #2 Oklahoma should come into this game pumped up after a huge win over Ohio State, they post a 2-0 record after blowing out UTEP in week one as well. They host Tulane who holds a 1-1 record with a win against Grambling and a loss to Navy. This game should be over quickly. The game is at 6pm but no network has picked up coverage rights yet.

#1 Alabama comes into week 3 with a 2-0 record with wins over Florida State and Fresno State and will host Colorado State who boasts a 2-1 record. This may be a game that Alabama has to fight a little harder for than some people might think. Colorado State has a pretty explosive offense, but I don't expect Bama to have too many issues in this one. The game is at 7pm on ESPN2.

#12 LSU travels to Starkville to take on Mississippi State in a game where not a lot is known about Mississippi State. LSU is coming off decent sized wins against two mediocre teams and has a 2-0 record. The Bulldogs also have a 2-0 record, albeit against Charleston Southern (typically a good FCS school) and Louisiana Tech. Game is at 7pm on ESPN.

#5 Penn State will play host to Georgia State on Saturday night. PSU is holding a 2-0 record with wins against Akron and Pittsburgh. While Georgia State comes into the game with only one game played and a loss to FCS Tennessee State. This is another game that should be over quickly. Game is at 7:30pm on the Big Ten Network.

#13 Georgia is just the next SEC team to host another FCS school this week, as they host Samford. Georgia comes into the game with a 2-0 record with wins against App State and previously ranked Notre Dame. They will play Samford who comes into the game with a 2-0 record as well, with wins against Kennesaw State and D2 West Alabama. This game could get out of hand quickly. You can catch this one at 7:30pm on the SEC Network.

Vanderbilt will play host to #18 Kansas State this week. Coach Snyder's squad comes into the game at 2-0 with wins over Central Arkansas and Charlotte where they have scored a combined total of 110 points and only given up 26. Vanderbilt also comes into the game with a 2-0 record, but those are against Middle Tennessee and Alabama A&M. This game will be on ESPNU at 7:30pm.

Possibly the game of the week, #3 Clemson travels to #14 Louisville. Clemson is coming off a blowout win over Kent State and a narrow victory over Auburn. While Louisville comes into the game with narrow wins over both Purdue and North Carolina. Will Lamar Jackson pull himself ahead of the rest of the pack in week 3? The game will be at 8pm on ABC.

#4 USC will host Texas. The Trojans have just avoided an upset against Western Michigan and a big win over rival Stanford and come into the game at 2-0. The Longhorns fell to Maryland in week one and blewout San Jose State in week two and will look to right the ship in this one against a top level opponent. This game will be at 8:30pm on Fox.

#6 Washington comes into this week hoping to post a blowout as they host Fresno State. The Huskies narrowly escaped Rutgers in week one and followed that with a old fashion beat down of FCS Montana in week two for a 2-0 record. Fresno State posted a shutout in week one over Incarnate Word (FCS) but then suffered a beat down against Alabama in week two. Game is at 9:30pm on the PAC 12 Network.

San Diego State will host #19 Stanford. San Diego State comes into the game with a 2-0 record with wins over UC Davis (FCS) and Arizona State. While Stanford comes in with a 1-1 record, with a win over Rice, and a big loss to USC this past week. The Cardinal will look to right the ship against a solid mid major opponent. This game is at 10:30pm on CBS Sports Network.

In what was shaping up to be a great matchup of #17 Miami (FL) @ #11 Florida State, we will have to wait to see that one. Last week, both these teams games were cancelled due to Hurrican Irma, and now their game has officially been postponed. No makeup date has yet to be released.

Another great week of college football? What say you?

[Raiderball]

Thanks Chieftain. On paper not many good matchups this week.

[Chieftain2009]

That Miami vs. Florida State would've been the best matchup of the week in my opinion, but we'll have to wait for that one later in the season. Tennessee vs. Florida should be a good game to watch though.