Week 3 College Football Predictions

Thursday
Maryland at West Virginia (+16): Terps' fans better hope that the Turtles were looking past two previous opponents in Division I-AA William and Mary and Middle Tennessee. Maryland won both games by a combined 51-24 margin. Well, sorry to say it, but they weren't looking past anybody.
West Virginia 42 Maryland 17

Friday
Kansas at Toledo (+5): The Rockets gave it their all two weeks ago against Big XII Iowa State in a 45-43 double overtime loss to the Cyclones. They then had a let-down week this past weekend in a beating against Western Michigan. At home and with their heads back in the game against a major conference opponent, the Rockets should be focused and should attain their first win of the season.
Toledo 35 Kansas 28

Saturday
Nebraska at USC (+18.5): Not much is known about either team coming into the game. All I know is that is one huge spread for a team who just lost Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and Lendale White. I also know that there's a big difference between dominating the likes of Louisiana Tech and Division I-AA Nicholls State at home and going to play USC in the Coliseum.
USC 31 Nebraska 21

Arizona State (+9.5) at Colorado: Colorado's one gimme non-conference game they lost to Division I-AA Montana State (who later lost to the mighty Chadron State) 19-10. Then they fell to in-state rival Colorado State 14-10. After they game, they face Georgia. What's all that equal? An 0-4 start for the Buffaloes.
Arizona State 28 Colorado 14

Iowa State at Iowa (No Line): It appears that both teams looked past last week's games to this rivalry. Iowa State beat UNLV 16-10 and it took Iowa two overtimes to finally defeat Syracuse 20-13. Based on what I've seen thus far, I have to give the slight edge to the Cyclones. One thing's for certain; there should be a few points scored in this one.
Iowa State 31 Iowa 24

Marshall at Kansas State (+10): The Wildcats have had their problems with Marshall in the past and from what I've seen of the Thundering Herd's offense thus far, this year should be no different.
Marshall 28 Kansas State 24

Missouri (+13.5) at New Mexico: Missouri always seemed to get upset at least once a year when Brad Smith was quarterback. Troy got them on a Thursday night. New Mexico beat them just a year or two ago. If tailback Dontrelle Moore was still around in Lobo land, I might take them in the upset here, but he's not and the fact that New Mexico lost their opening game to Division I-AA Portland State makes that very unlikely to happen again on Saturday.
Missouri 42 New Mexico 10

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State (+28): Let's see here. Kansas State almost lost to Division I-AA Illinois State and the beat Florida Atlantic 45-0. If K-State can do that to FAU, Okie State should have no problem doing likewise.
Oklahoma State 49 Florida Atlantic 7

Oklahoma at Oregon (+4): Oklahoma's struggled some in their first two games, beating the likes of UAB and Washington by a combined 24 points. Oregon looked very impressive in their opening victory over Stanford and outlasted the always pesky Fresno State Bulldogs last week. With the game being in Autzen, I have to give the edge to the Ducks.
Oregon 31 Oklahoma 24

Texas (+30.5) at Rice: Do I even have to go into this one? Let's just hope that freshman quarterback Colt McCoy doesn't keep his head down following the loss to Ohio State. If Texas plays the way they're capable, they should have no problems in this one.
Texas 42 Rice 7

Army at Texas A&M (+27.5): Franchione has quite the non-conference schedule, doesn't he? The Citadel, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Army? Whew coach. Did you plan this one yourself, being on the hot seat and all? A&M should win this one easily, but I don't think they'll quite cover the spread.
Texas A&M 31 Army 10

Texas Tech (+2) at TCU: TCU has been hyped as a potential BCS team this year. They'll have to win this game in order to get the potential opportunity. But, with how they've fared against the likes of Baylor and UC Davis, I can't see them pulling this one out. Texas Tech at least played against a pretty decent UTEP team last week to prepare for this one.
Texas Tech 35 TCU 24

Baylor at Washington State (+13.5): I know it's early, but the Cougars appear to be a team that could contend for a bowl spot in the Pac 10. Following USC, Oregon, Cal, and Arizona State, they may be battling UCLA for that fifth spot in the conference. Baylor got a victory last week, but that was against Northwestern State. With the game in Pullman and with the opponent being, well, Baylor, I have to go with WSU.
Washington State 31 Baylor 17

BYU at Boston College (+7): This could be a dangerous game for O'Brien's Eagles, coming off that dramatic double overtime conference win over Clemson a week ago. But, with O'Brien's discipline, I honestly can't see that happening. BYU should keep it close, but BC will pull it out in the end.
Boston College 28 BYU 21

Syracuse at Illinois (+3): How do I pick a winner for this game? Syracuse was given numerous opportunities via the penalty last week to prolong the game against Iowa and eventually win it, but couldn't score on seven consecutive plays from inside the two-yard line. Ouch. Illinois was down 30-0 to Rutgers at halftime. I'm going to just go with homefield advantage on this one, because honestly, what else do I have to go on?
Illinois 24 Syracuse 10

Temple at Minnesota (+41.5): In two games this year, against Buffalo and Louisville, Temple has scored a total of 3 points. If they even put up a touchdown in this game, Minnesota will have reason to be disappointed.
Minnesota 42 Temple 0

Cincinnati at Ohio State (+30): The Buckeyes should win this one, but don't be surprised if they don't play at the high level they played at last week and because of that, they won't cover the spread. Cincy played Pitt tough last week and should be in the game for a half or so.
Ohio State 31 Cincinnati 14

Duke at Virginia Tech (+35): With the game being in Lane Stadium and against Duke, it's a no-brainer to take the Hokies in this one, but if they come with the kind of gameplan that they had a week ago, they may not cover the spread.
Virginia Tech 31 Duke 3

Wake Forest at UConn (+6): Wake got extremely lucky a week ago that they were playing Duke, sneaking out with a 14-13 victory against the perennial doormats of the ACC. The same won't hold true on Saturday with a similar showing. UConn got an extra week to prepare for the underachieving Deamon Deacons.
UConn 28 Wake Forest 24

Western Michigan at Virginia (+8.5): It's easy to say I have not been impressed with Virginia in their first two games. They got pounded by Pittsburgh 38-13 and then needed overtime to beat Wyoming 13-12. While they didn't fare well in week 1, Western Michigan dominated Toledo 31-10 a week ago and while I'm not fully confident they'll pull off the upset, I'm fairly confident they'll beat the spread.
Western Michigan 21 Virginia 17

Ohio at Rutgers (+17): A battle of 2-0 teams. Who would've thought that? Ohio beat a solid Northern Illinois club and Rutgers has started the season with non-conference wins over North Carolina and Illinois. Ohio may battle and keep it close through two quarters, but Rutgers will get the best of them when all is said and done.
Rutgers 31 Ohio 14

Ball State at Purdue (+16): I'm going to be very uncertain about taking Purdue at any point in the season. They've allowed a combined 66 points in their opening two wins very Division I-AA Indiana State and also Miami (Ohio). So, good news for Ball State fans is that you may actually see the Cards rack up some yards and points this weekend. The bad news is Purdue will rack up more yards and score more points. They've tallied 98 points in the two games I just mentioned.
Purdue 42 Ball State 28

Akron (+2.5) at Central Michigan: Although the teams combine for a 1-3 record, this should be a fun and competitive game. The three losses come at the hands of Penn State (by 18), Boston College (by 7), and Michigan (by 24). The lone win is against NC State (by 3). So, these guys haven't messed around with the patsies of the college football world. They should be plenty ready for in-conference action and while I'm wary of a let-down by the Zips, I think they are the overall better team and if they play to their potential, they should come out on top.
Akron 31 Central Michigan 28

Kent State at Miami (Ohio) (+11): Miami is 0-2 against the Big Ten this year, losing by a combined 25 points. Kent State is 0-1 against the Big Ten, losing 44-0 to Minnesota. They also have a three point overtime loss to Army along the way. When it comes to talent, preparedness, and coaching, the edge definitely goes to Miami.
Miami (Ohio) 28 Kent State 10

Eastern Michigan at Northwestern (+17): What do we make of the Wildcats? They start the season with a pretty impressive win against Miami (Ohio) 21-3. Then they fall flat against Division I-AA New Hampshire 34-17. If they lose this game, Pat Fitzgerald's name and start may be compared to that of Dan Hawkins at Colorado, but fortunately for Pat, his 'Cats should come out on top in this one.
Northwestern 24 Eastern Michigan 7

South Florida at Central Florida (+2): George O'Leary's Golden Knights severely disappointed me last week in their 42-0 loss to Florida. South Florida has not been playing pretty ball in their first two outings, but have a 2-0 record to show for it. While this game won't receive the pub that battles between the three big Florida schools would receive, it's a big game for the two schools. It's a chance for one to stand out as the fourth best among the schools in Florida and to hopefully land some Florida recruits for doing so. With the game at their home stadium and wanting to redeem themselves for a poor showing last weekend, I think O'Leary will have his team pumped up and ready to go for this one.
Central Florida 35 South Florida 24

San Diego State at Wisconsin (+14): The Badgers have not proven me anything in their first year away from Barry Alvarez. If this game was played in San Diego, I'd probably go with the Aztecs. They've given other Big Ten teams problems, the most notable being Ohio State. While I don't think they'll pull off the upset in Camp Randall, I do think it'll be closer than the spread indicates.
Wisconsin 28 San Diego State 21

Boise State (+8.5) at Wyoming: Wyoming is not a bad football team anymore, but Boise State impressed me a great deal last week against Oregon State. Even when they fell behind 14-0 early on, they didn't panic, largely in part to the experience they have on the team. Tailback Ian Johnson had a career day and is a guy to keep an eye on. Quarterback Jarod Zabransky is often characterized as having a typical Boise State quarterback-type arm, but the guy is fairly mobile as well, which often times seems to go unnoticed. Not only is their offense potent, as usual, but their defense is very experienced and will be tough to beat, especially in the WAC.
Boise State 42 Wyoming 21

Michigan State at Pittsburgh (+2): The Spartans have proven they can score on the likes of Idaho and Eastern Michigan. They've also shown that their defense is nothing to write home about. Pitt, meanwhile, pounded Virginia and put Cincinnati away late after a tough battle from the Bearcats. Based on what I've seen thus far, it's much more likely that Pitt's defense can contain MSU's offense than MSU's defense containing Tyler Palko and the Panther offense. Based on that and the game being in Pitt, I'm going with the Panthers.
Pittsburgh 31 Michigan State 24

Florida (+3.5) at Tennessee: After thinking that Florida was going to get a battle from Central Florida last week, I'm not going to make that same mistake again. Tennessee will put forth a valiant effort, but senior quarterback Chris Leak will be too tough to overcome.
Florida 28 Tennessee 21

Michigan at Notre Dame (+7): Georgia Tech, Penn State, and now Michigan. It never gets any easier for the Irish, does it? Michigan made too many errors against the Irish a year ago inside the red zone. They basically handed the game to the Irish. This year, they won't even need to do that, because Notre Dame will win the game with or without Michigan's help.
Notre Dame 35 Michigan 24

Miami (Florida) at Louisville (+5): Louisville has been so close to beating the 'Canes in recent years. Miami has just always found something in the end to push them forward to victory. With Miami's ferocious defense, the same should hold true this year.
Miami (Florida) 31 Louisville 24

Fresno State (+3.5) at Washington: The only question one needs to ask about this game is, "Will Fresno State's head be in the game after a disappointing loss to Oregon last week?" Considering the fact that they're facing a Pac 10 opponent, the answer should be a resounding yes.
Fresno State 28 Washington 14

Ole Miss at Kentucky (+3): It's hard for me to pick Kentucky in football. Even though Ole Miss has fallen on some pretty hard times without Eli at quarterback, they still beat Memphis this year in two games. Kentucky's lone win came against Division I-AA Texas State.
Ole Miss 31 Kentucky 24

Memphis at East Carolina (+1.5): These two teams are a combined 1-3, with the lone win coming against a Division I-AA team (Chattanooga) and the three losses coming by a combined 13 points. It should be a close game from start to finish, but I'm giving the slight edge to the Pirates.
East Carolina 24 Memphis 21

UAB at Georgia (+17): As Oklahoma can attest to, UAB is no pushover, but based on how Georgia put South Carolina away, I'll have to go with the 'Dawgs.
Georgia 24 UAB 10

Tulane at Mississippi State (+10.5): Here it is! The game where Mississippi State can finally score a point! They have lost to South Carolina and Auburn by a combined 49-0 margin. Their defense is quick and solid, but it hasn't done much good with them being out on the field for the majority of the game. Not the case this time around. In fact, they may have something to party about on Saturday night!
Mississippi State 21 Tulane 7

NC State at Southern Miss (+2.5): Southern Miss is always a pesky team, but for them to actually be favored over NC State should say something in and of itself. Yeah, the Wolfpack are in some trouble this year, especially after falling victim to Akron a week ago. Well, might as well chalk up a second consecutive loss to a mid-major team for the Wolfpack. Chuck Amato may be out after this season unless they drastically improve.
Southern Miss 21 NC State 14

Arkansas (+6) at Vanderbilt: Vandy may have something to be excited about in their new dual-threat quarterback. But, that excitement won't be truly necessary until next year and the year after. Vandy should be a pest, as always, but the 'Hogs will come out victorious in this one.
Arkansas 21 Vanderbilt 10

LSU at Auburn (+3): If one liked the Miami (Florida) and Florida State game not long ago, they'll love this battle. Expect a lot of hard hits, dirty jerseys, some talking between players, and not too many points on the scoreboard by the end of the contest. It should be a good old fashioned slugfest, one in which the home team shall prevail.
Auburn 17 LSU 14

Buffalo at Northern Illinois (+23): I tell you what, NIU better get their head out of their rear, because Buffalo gave Bowling Green a run for it last week in a triple overtime loss to the Falcons. Just hand the ball off to stud tailback Garrett Wolfe and NIU should find their way to victory.
Northern Illinois 35 Buffalo 21

Clemson at Florida State (+5): Florida State struggled in their sandwich game a week ago against Troy. Clemson lost another close one at the hands of Boston College. With their speed on defense and focused again on this week's game, Bobby's 'Noles should beat Tommy's Tigers.
Florida State 24 Clemson 17

Utah (+20) at Utah State: Utah may have the better and more talented of the two teams, but Utah State has a decent defense and should make it a game.
Utah 21 Utah State 7

Colorado State at Nevada (+3): Nevada's run into some tough matchups early in the season with Fresno State and Arizona State. With two tough games under their belt, the Pistol offense should be ready to tee off on the Rams' defense.
Nevada 31 Colorado State 21

Navy at Stanford (+2): After last week's 35-34 loss to San Jose State, it'll be tough for me to pick Stanford in a game this year.
Navy 24 Stanford 21

UNLV at Hawaii (No Line): It's hard for me to know much about these teams at this point in time. Hawaii played Alabama tough, but so did Vanderbilt the week following. UNLV played Iowa State to the end, but so did Toledo. Based on UNLV giving it their all last week and falling short, along with the travel, and Hawaii having last week off, I'm going to go with the Rainbow Warriors in this one.
Hawaii 31 UNLV 28

Troy at Georgia Tech (+17): All the odds are against the Trojans in this one. They put it all out there last week and came up just a little bit short against Florida State. It'll be unlikely that they can play a similar type game two weeks in a row. Tech should win big.
Georgia Tech 35 Troy 10

Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama (+24.5): Alabama has looked anything but impressive in their first two games of the season, beating Hawaii and Vanderbilt by the combined score of 38-27. Louisiana-Monroe comes into the game at 1-1, with the loss coming by two points to Kansas. Given the fact that Alabama rarely scores 25 points in a game, I'm going to pick them for the win, but against them for the spread.
Alabama 24 Louisiana-Monroe 14

Bowling Green (+5) at Florida International: FIU has lost some very close ball games this year. In fact, they're 0-2 and for a team with two losses can attest to, one could not be 0-2 and be any closer to winning a game. No, I'm not exaggerating. They lost 7-6 to Middle Tennessee and then 21-20 against South Florida. They're 0-2 and have lost by a combined 2 points. Ouch! While I think they will lose by more than one point this time around, they should keep it fairly close and interesting.
Bowling Green 28 Florida International 21

North Texas at Tulsa (+19): North Texas was an underdog to SMU last week and they won by 18. Shows what these "experts" know. Meanwhile, Tulsa got shelled by BYU 49-24. I think Tulsa should rebound and win this game, but it'll be closer than what those "experts" think.
Tulsa 31 North Texas 24