By Sean McCann ’14
Week 3 of the college football season is upon us, and with it, a few interesting matchups present themselves. From the SLIGHTLY hyped showdown between #6 Texas A&M and #1 Alabama to the (sort of) equally enthralling throwdown between #21 Notre Dame and Purdue, I’ve got you guys covered. Without any further ado, here it goes. (Note: generally I will provide predictions for games involving ranked teams, unless other interesting games between unranked teams are on the slate for that week).
#16 UCLA at #23 Nebraska (12:00 PM): This matchup features high-powered offenses led by two explosive quarterbacks- UCLA features talented sophomore Brett Hundley, and Nebraska has dual-threat senior Taylor Martinez at the helm. UCLA took home the W last year in a 36-30 game that went down to the wire. I expect a close game this year as well; however, I think that Big Red Nation, fueled by the home crowd and a superior defense, will take home the W this time around. Prediction: NEB 43, UCLA 38
Akron at #11 Michigan (12): Devin Gardner and the blue team’s offense will absolutely annihilate the hapless Zips. In addition, Akron will stand no chance against the Wolverine defense. I have no other words, other than words of hatred. Prediction: MICH 66, AKRON 10
Bowling Green at Indiana (12): This one’s for you, Mr. Nolan. I feel that Indiana, at home against a seemingly inferior MAC team, will be compelled to overlook the mighty Falcons of Bowling Green, and thus will spell out their own doom. The underrated Falcons, potentially a ranked team down the road in my opinion, will pull the upset in Bloomington. Prediction: BGSU 31, IU 30
#7 Louisville at Kentucky (12): These fierce in-state rivals (more so in basketball, but still) meet again, this time in Lexington, KY. Simply put, Heisman candidate Teddy Bridgewater and the high-0ctane Cardinals offense will roll right over the rival Wildcats of Kentucky. The game may start out somewhat close, but all doubt will be put aside by the 3rd quarter, if not by halftime. Prediction: LOU 45, UK 13
Tennessee at #2 Oregon (3:30): I don’t see this game being very interesting. Tennessee does bring one of the nation’s best offensive lines to the table, but based on what they have at the skill positions it doesn’t seem that the Vols will be able to maximize the effect of this superior blocking. Meanwhile, the Ducks offense is as lightning-quick and brutally efficient as ever, even without Chip Kelly at the reins. Furthermore, the Ducks defense seems to improve every year. The bottom line is, there may not be much joy back on the Rocky Top for Tennessee after this one is over, while the patrons of “The Zoo” (nickname for Oregon’s stadium) will be thrilled. Prediction: ORE 52, TENN 24
Nevada at #10 Florida State (3:30): Honestly, my only reason for including this game is so I can mention “Famous” Jameis Winston, FSU’s stud redshirt freshman quarterback. The dude is crazy. He threw two incompletions last week against Pitt!!!! Two!!! I don’t care what anybody says; that is a BCS conference team in the Pitt Panthers, and Winston sliced and diced right through them for 356 passing yards and 4 TD’s on the strength of a 25-27 passing day. This guy is the real deal, and that is a direct quote. Prediction: FSU 59, NEV 20
#19 Washington at Illinois (6): This is an interesting matchup, to be sure. Both teams are coming off of blowout victories against notable opponents (UW 38-6 over then-#19 Boise State, Illinois 45-17 over Cincinnati), and thus both teams seem to be capable. Both also have senior dual-threat quarterbacks leading their offenses, with Keith Price at the helm for the Huskies and Nathan Scheelhaase for the Illini. Overall, I think this one is going to be a tight ballgame, with whichever team that gets some crucial defensive stops down the stretch coming out with a win. Personally, I’ll put my money on Washington in a lower-scoring game than expected. Prediction: UW 27, ILL 21
#4 Ohio State at California (7): After a sloppy 40-20 opening win over the Buffalo Bulls and a thorough 42-7 romp over San Diego State, the Bucks travel to Berkeley, CA to face off with the Golden Bears. Last year, OSU was nearly upended by Cal as the Buckeyes barely eked out a 35-28 win at the Horseshoe. This year, with a yet more talented team, and one that will be bolstered by the return of star cornerback Bradley Roby from suspension, I expect Ohio State to have a bit more breathing room in this game. With or without star QB Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes will not have much trouble in this one. Prediction: OSU 41, CAL 20
#21 Notre Dame at Purdue (8): The classic in-state rivalry is renewed as the Fighting Irish travel to West Lafayette to clash with the Boilermakers. The Irish, of course, are coming off of a disappointing loss to a certain blue team, while the lovable Boilers have an impressive 20-14 victory over Indiana State to look back on. Unfortunately for Purdue, I do not see this one ending well for the home team. ND is the superior team in terms of talent and will be very eager to get back on track after their disappointing Week 2 loss. That is a recipe for disaster for the plucky Boilers and first year coach Darrell Hazell. Prediction: ND 37, PUR 17
#1 Alabama at #6 Texas A&M (3:30): This is the one that everybody has been waiting for. The defending champion Crimson Tide still have one sour taste left in their mouths from last year, and that would be a shocking upset loss at home to a Texas A&M team led by a certain self-confident Heisman Trophy quarterback. The ridiculously talented Tide, despite what they say, have been anticipating this game for quite a while, and certainly can’t wait to get the opportunity to take it to the Aggies. However, don’t count out A&M just yet. This team is still led (if led is the right word) by a certain Jonathan Manziel, and this team is without a doubt quite talented themselves. Nevertheless, as I see it, ‘Bama is superior defensively and can match A&M offensively, with talented skill position players including veteran senior QB AJ McCarron, sophomore RB TJ Yeldon, phenomenal sophomore WR Amari Cooper, and more. On the flip side, while the offense has been (expectedly) very good, A&M’s defense has looked shaky at times thus far in the season. At the end of the day, the Tide’s motivation in addition to their usual stacked team gives them the edge in this one, despite being on the road in a very hostile environment. Prediction: ALA 30, TAMU 24
There ya have it boys. Aside from the big one, this isn’t exactly the most thrilling lineup of games, but there are certainly many great weeks to come! Stay tuned in!
