Another weekend in college football, and a few teams are starting to play a conference game. I held my own with my picks last week with a record of 20-2 (missed Notre Dame, and all but said Houston would beat OK. State but didn't call it outright), so we'll see if I can keep it rolling this weekend. I don't think I'll be watching any of these games on Saturday, but I'll go ahead and make my predictions!
#1 Florida vs. Tennessee: I almost feel bad for the Vols. I think Florida is the better team in every aspect of the game and this probably won't even be respectable. It reminds me of one of the classic quotes from Tommy Boy when Michelle says, "your mothers will cry when they see what I've done to you!"
#2 Texas vs. Texas Tech: This appears to be the first big stage for Colt McCoy to show himself as the leading Heisman Trophy candidate this season. I think McCoy and the Longhorns will put up big numbers and win comfortably.
#3 USC @ Washington: At one point in the past week, I heard someone ask if Matt Barkley might win the Heisman! Are you kidding me? Let's have that conversation in 2011. This week, USC will go without Barkley at quarterback and they're playing against the former USC offensive and defensive coordinators. I think the Trojans will win, but it could be close.
#4 Alabama vs. North Texas: It's only week three, but the Tide appear to be banged up on the offensive side of the ball. Mark Ingram and Julio Jones are both struggling with injuries, but it shouldn't matter against North Texas. Alabama wins behind their powerful defense.
#5 Penn State vs. Temple: The Nittany Lions appear to have one of the most laughable non-conference schedules in college football. They'll kill Temple and prove nothing in victory.
#6 Ole Miss vs. SE Louisiana: Unfortunately, Ole' Miss' non-conference schedule is even more pathetic than Penn State's! The Rebels win this game and just pray no one gets hurt.
#7 BYU vs. Florida State: To me, this might be the most intriguing game of the weekend. Two weeks ago, a Florida State receiver dropped a game winning touchdown pass against Miami and now everyone is talking about how Miami is back and the Noles are falling apart. I don't know which team feels more pressure going into this game in Provo, UT. For FSU, they need a good win against a quality opponent and they need to build some momentum as they head into conference play. For BYU, the Cougars need to impress voters in these non-conference games if they hope to run the table and possibly contend for the national championship. Both teams have talent, but I'm going to take BYU because of coaching and the home-field/altitude advantage.
#8 California @ Minnesota: Everyone should jump on the Jahvid Best bandwagon while there is still room! Best and the Bears will roll into Minnesota and take care of business with a victory.
#9 LSU vs. LA-Lafayette: This game makes me laugh because I think the LA-Lafayette players are probably big LSU football fans. I bet they'll pull for the Tigers in every other game this season and they'd probably like to take pictures of the stadium as they're coming onto the field. Sadly, I doubt LSU will show any mercy.
#10 Boise State @ Fresno State: It could be a good game tonight but I think Boise State will continue their march to the BCS with a win.
#11 Ohio State @ Toledo: Now that we've seen the Browns and Bengals play, it appears Ohio State and the Cincinnati Bearcats are the two best football teams in the state. Ohio State played tough against USC last Saturday and I think they'll get back to their winning ways against Toledo.
#12 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa: For anyone who doesn't follow football closely, you might look at this game and think it's a pushover for Oklahoma. Nope! Tulsa has one of the best offenses in the country and they've won 21 games over the past two seasons. However, even without Sam Bradford, I'm still a believer of the Oklahoma defense and I think they'll lead the Sooners to a victory.
#13 Virginia Tech vs. #19 Nebraska: Nebraska was able to put up some points against Florida Altantic and Arkansas State, but I don't think it'll be so easy in Lane Stadium. I think Tyrod Taylor will make some big plays and the defense will feed off the energy of the crowd and the Hokies will get a good win at home.
#14 Georgia Tech @ #20 Miami (FL): Played Thursday night. The Miami defense made the Georgia Tech offense look absolutely terrible.
#15 TCU vs. Texas State: I don't know anything about Texas State, but I know they're not winning this game.
#16 Oklahoma State vs. Rice: How 'bout them Cowboys! I felt like they wouldn't show up against Houston and they didn't let me down! I think they'll get things turned around this week and beat Rice now that all the hype has worn off. Oh, and Dez Bryant is still overrated.
#17 Cincinnati @ Oregon State: A really interesting game in Corvallis this weekend. I'll take Cincinnati because I think they're too strong offensively for the Beavers, but it will be a hostile environment and Oregon State is a good football team.
#18 Utah @ Oregon: Utah will have their hands full in this one as Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the country. But, I think Oregon is a team in turmoil and Utah has too much talent for the Ducks to get the upset.
#22 Kansas vs. Duke: Last week, we had UConn vs. UNC. Now, we get Duke vs. Kansas! If only these were basketball games! The Jayhawks will win this, but Duke is a team headed in the right direction under David Cutcliffe.
#23 Georgia @ Arkansas: As I look at the Georgia schedule, the Tennessee Tech game is the only one I can look at as a certain victory for the Dawgs. The Georgia defense just doesn't appear to be very good, and it's tough to win games in the SEC without a good defensive unit. I'll take Georgia because there's something about the way Mark Richt gets his guys focused in road games, but I'm not optimistic about the Dawgs.
#24 North Carolina vs. East Carolina: North Carolina needs to find some offense to go along with the stout defense Butch Davis has put together. The Heels will win this game and maybe develop some offensive rhythm.
#25 Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan: If I were a Michigan fan, I'd be worried about a let-down after the big win over Notre Dame. Fortunately, the Wolverines could have a let-down and they'll still beat Eastern Michigan.
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