Matt: Welcome to another week of College Football! Ryan and I were very close on the picks this week, and in the end it came down to the Michigan-Notre Dame game. I went with Michigan while Ryan went with his Fighting Irish. In the end, I ended up taking Week 2 by one game. I went 61-14 (.813), while Ryan went 60-15 (.800). I may have taken week 2, but Ryan still has three games on me. Our overall records stand at 120-30 (.800) for Ryan, and 117-33 (.780) for myself. Here’s a few takeaways I took from week 2 of college football:
1. I had a great time at Memorial Stadium in Champaign last week as I watched Illinois knock off Cincinnati. I didn’t think I would be leaving the game early (I didn’t leave until about 8 minutes left in the fourth) because Illinois was up so much, but they looked really solid and it turned out to be one of the surpise games of the week, which tells me one of three things: Either Purdue is really bad (which may it, after only being a FCS team by 6), Cincinnati isn’t as good as I thought they were, or Illinois is a lot better than I thought they were. Either way, don’t take your eyes off Illinois, I think they could possibly be a sleeper team in the Big Ten this year.
2. The upsets have started, and they are making me upset. My Gators fell to Miami after a piss poor offense job. It’s games like those that make me miss Tim Tebow. It may seem pathetic to lose faith in a team after just one loss, but if you can’t perform against an ACC team, how are you going to perform against the SEC? Against teams like LSU and Georgia, it’s going to be a long road for Florida, and several other things are going to have to happen if they want to find themselves in the national championship, but I’m not too confident in them after last week.
3. Mack Brown should be sweating. Texas falls short against BYU, and just like Florida, how is one expect to perform against Big 12 teams if you can’t beat BYU? Texas will need to set their game up if they want to find themselves back in the top 25 and challenging for the Big 12 title.
Ryan: Last week opened my eyes to what this season is going to be all about for my teams. Florida’s offense is very bad. Losing to an ACC team and turning the ball over six times instills no confidence. If the Gators don’t start holding onto the ball, this could be a long year for them. It could also be a long year for the Purdue Boilermakers. Looking at the rest of the schedule, it looks like Purdue may be able to squeak out two or three more wins, which falls short of a bowl game. I believe now is the time to bench Rob Henry and put in Danny Etling. Notre Dame played well against the Wolverines in the big house. The defense struggled to stop Michigan throughout the game, but the offense was able to move the ball. A costly turnover and questionable home field calls gave Michigan the edge. However, looking at the rest of the Irish’s schedule, a BCS bowl game is still manageable. New Mexico got their first win of the season and did it in Lobo fashion: running it down your throat. Kasey Carrier went beast mode against the Miners with over 290 yards and four touchdowns. If the Lobos can keep up the run game, they may be able to make it to a bowl game this year. Other things I took from last week was Miami is for real, and their game against Florida proved that my pick to win the ACC is ready for the challenge. USC and Texas, two programs that have been great in the early 2000s, both got embarrassed against lesser opponents.
Matt: On to week 3! Lots of great games this week, including the rematch in College Station, once again we’ll be picking all the games, but here are 9 previews and predictions of games we’ll be watching this week!
TCU at Texas Tech Thursday, 7:30 ET ESPN
Matt: TCU starts Big 12 play without their starting quarterback, Casey Pachall, after losing the quarterback early in the game against Southeast Louisiana last week. Early reports are having him out as long as 8 weeks. That means it is time for Trevone Boykin to step up if TCU is going to challenge and win the Big 12. Last week after taking over for Pachall, Boykin threw for 133 yards and 2 TDs, but Texas Tech is no Southeast Louisiana. After two impressive wins against very decent schools in SMU and SF Austin, Texas Tech welcomes the Horned Frogs. Texas Tech is currently 2nd in passing in FBS. This game should be a good game, but in the end I think Boykin finds a way to set up and give the Horned Frogs their first Big 12 victory.
Winner: TCU
Winner: TCU
Ryan: The Horned Frogs lose their starting quarterback for at least four weeks after Casey Pachall broke his non-throwing hand. This is a huge setback for my Big 12 champion pick. Luckily, this week they play Texas Tech. Texas Tech has impressed so far this season, throwing for over 453 yards per game while only allowing 18 points per game. The Red Raiders have been flying under the radar all preseason and may still be. This is both teams opening conference game, and neither want to start the season off 0-1 in a down year in the Big 12. I believe TCU has a strong enough defense to shut down the fast paced Texas Tech offense.
Winner: TCU
Winner: TCU
UCLA at Nebraska Saturday Noon ET ABC
Matt: Tragedy has befallen on the Bruins football team. Freshmen wide receiver Nick Pasquale was struck by a car and killed on the 8th of September. However, football must go on. This will be a very emotional game. It will also be a very good game. UCLA is currently 7th in rushing yards in the FBS right now, after Jordan James had a very solid game at tailback gathering up 155 yards over 21 attempts with a touchdown. While on the other side of the ball, Nebraska is 8th in rushing, after having a scare against Wyoming week one, Nebraska came out and took care of Southern Miss. This is a huge game for Nebraska, this could be a Rose Bowl matchup down the line, so if Nebraska wants to prove themselves in the Big Ten they’ll need to find a way to win this one, and I think they will. It’s at Nebraska and I think the Cornhuskers are still trying to prove to themselves that they are an elite team in the Big Ten after a shaky first game. I’m going with Nebraska in this one.
Winner: Nebraska
Winner: Nebraska
Ryan: This game features two ranked opponents. Neither team has been tested yet this year with the Cornhuskers beating Wyoming and Southern Mississippi, and UCLA beating Nevada. This will be the first big game for both teams. Taylor Martinez leads the Cornhuskers while Brett Hundley anchors the Bruins. Both teams are run first, UCLA ranked seventh and Nebraska ranked eighth. This game is going to come down to quarterback play and defense, and area in which I think Nebraska has the edge. Taylor Martinez will lead the Cornhuskers to victory.
Winner: Nebraska
Winner: Nebraska
Bowling Green at Indiana, Noon ET, ESPNU
Matt: Last week’s game was real hard to watch. I’m not going to lie, perhaps I got a bit too excited after watching my Hoosiers run all over Indiana State, and last week’s Navy game brought me back down to earth and showed me the Indiana team I remember. Indiana only stopped Navy on offense once, on a kneel down at the end of the game. We had all spring to prepare for the triple option and we still came out looking like we had no idea what was going on. It doesn’t get any easier for my Hoosiers the rest of the year. This week we have a very tough Bowling Green team. Sure, they are a MAC team, but they are a top tier MAC team that laid the smack down on Kent State last week. Nate Sudfield will get the call this week, I’m sure of it, after having another solid game last week, but if the Hoosiers can’t stop the run, it’s going to be a long season. I’m going to pick my Hoosiers to win this one, but I’m not doing it with a whole lot of confidence.
Winner: Indiana
Winner: Indiana
Ryan: I have little knowledge on either of these two teams. Indiana struggled last week to stop the run against Navy, allowing 444 yards on the ground. Nate Sudfeld had a great game, throwing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception. This is his second game in a row with four touchdowns and only one pick. Bowling Green has been stout defensively, only allowing less than 300 yards a game and 14.5 points per game. The Falcons have a balanced attack on offense averaging 260 yards passing and 226 yards rushing. The ability to throw the ball is going to open up holes for Travis Greene. If the Falcons can create space for the running game, I believe they will win.
Winner: Bowling Green
Winner: Bowling Green
New Mexico at Pittsburgh Saturday, 12:30 ET, ESPN3
Matt: Well, I was foiled again by the Lobos. They were actually able to pull it out in OT against UTEP last week, and proved me wrong once again. However, this isn’t UTEP or UTSA, this is a power six FBS team. The Lobos travel all the way across the country to face Pitt in the Steel City. I don’t just see New Mexico coming out of this one looking too good. As much as I would like to pick the Lobos here, I’m going to have to go with Pitt in this one.
Winner: Pittsburgh
Winner: Pittsburgh
Ryan: The Lobos were finally able to show off their running game against UTEP, while Kasey Carrier broke free for 291 yards and four touchdowns. The Lobo passing game and defense are big concerns going into the Pittsburgh game. Neither one of New Mexico’s two quarterbacks have thrown more than 12 passes total. You can’t win big in college without a balanced attack. The defense has also given up 28 points a game to two weaker teams. The Panthers have gotten a whole week to prepare for the Lobos following a blowout loss to Florida State in week one. In that game, the Panthers took the early lead and then fell apart. Neither team looks to have the edge in this game. I have to pick the Lobos for a few reasons: Malher has been wrong every time so far this year, the Panthers are going to be overlooking the Lobos with a conference game at Duke next weekend, and the Lobos finally clicked in the run game.
Winner: New Mexico.
Winner: New Mexico.
Boston College at USC, 3:00 ET, Pac-12 Network
Matt: After getting embarrassed by fellow conference foe, Washington State, perhaps everyone will stop talking about USC. I don’t expect that Lane Kiffin will have his job there much longer if they are losing to teams like that, but that’s another story. Boston College comes into this looking really great. Only allowing an average of 12 points against them through the first two weeks, and they didn’t play cupcake teams either. Solid wins over Wake Forest and Villanova really make Boston College look half way decent. I’d like to say that USC will bounce back from a disappointing loss, but I don’t think they’ll do it against this team. I’m going with Boston College for this one.
Winner: Boston College
Winner: Boston College
Ryan: USC flat out looked terrible against Washington State. USC, who has been known to have great quarterback play, only accounted for 54 passing yards against the Cougars. The bad play has been a theme so far, with no quarterback throwing for over 150 yards and a 1:3 touchdown to interception ratio. With a receiver like Marqise Lee, it should be no problem amassing yards. However, Lee has been held to around 60 yards a game with no touchdowns. Boston College has come out strong winning both of their first two games. Boston College runs a pretty balanced offense, averaging 200 yards passing and 160 yards rushing a game. The Achilles heel of the Golden Eagles is their inability to score a lot of points. BC only averages 24 points a game, which could be bad news if USC decides to get hot Saturday. USC lost embarrassingly at home last week and hasn’t lost two home games in a row in over 12 years. Scares me to do it, but I have USC in this one.
Winner: USC
Winner: USC
Alabama at Texas A&M Saturday, 3:30 ET CBS
Matt: Whew, what a treat we have ourselves here. A rematch of Alabama’s only loss last year, Johnny Football vs the stout defense of the defending national champions. This honestly could determine who comes out of the SEC and finds themselves in the National Championship. I’m back and forth on this one. Johnny Football has looked real good the first couple weeks here, but has he looked good enough to take down the monster of Alabama? Can lightning strike twice? I’m not really sure who to pick in this one, and I think it’ll be a GREAT game. At the end it is going to come down to something very small, and after hours of thinking and mulling over it, I’m going to have to go with Texas A&M. As much as I don’t like Johnny Football as a person, he is one hell of a football player and this team was the only who figured out how to beat Alabama last year, and I think they’ll find a way again.
Winner: Texas A&M
Winner: Texas A&M
Ryan: Here is a game everyone has been waiting for, a rematch from last year’s matchup in which the Aggies upset the Crimson Tide. You can expect the Tide to be looking for some payback. We haven’t seen much from Alabama yet, seeing is how they have only played one game this year which was a win against Virginia Tech. In that game, the Alabama offense was anything but impressive. The Tide only accounted for 206 yards the entire game. Granted, they had two return touchdowns and an interception returned for a touchdown. Still, you can’t expect your defense to win you games especially against a high power offense such as Texas A&M. The Aggies have put up nearly 60 points a game and almost 600 yards. The return of Johnny Manziel has been very limited these past two games, due to suspension, on the field antics, and blowout wins. Now, those numbers are very skewed seeing is how the Aggies’ two opponents were Rice and Sam Houston. This game is going to come down to defense and experience, both of which Alabama have.
Winner: Alabama
Winner: Alabama
Ohio State at California, 7:00 ET FOX
Matt: For some reason, Ohio State keeps on slipping in the ratings even though they continue to win. Perhaps it is because their schedule isn’t as tough as the teams that are jumping them. Anyways, this game should be interesting. Braxton Miller left last week’s game early with an ankle injury, which most of the time if they aren’t too severe, don’t affect the player too much. If Braxton finds a way to be back on the field, I think this game will give Ohio State some more prestige. California isn’t a team to be overlooked, but I think Ohio State will come out and look solid with or without Braxton Miller and find a way to win this one.
Winner: Ohio State
Winner: Ohio State
Ryan: At the beginning of the year, this game looked to be a blowout. Now, with Braxton Miller still not cleared to play and California’s Jared Goff averaging over 450 yards passing a game, this game may not turn out as expected. The Buckeyes come into the game ranked fourth in the nation and beating Buffalo and San Diego St by almost 28 points a game. Cal is averaging the most passing yards a game, but are struggling rushing the ball and on defense. The defense has given up 37 points per game which ranks 108 in FBS. Goff also struggled to hang on to the ball against Northwestern, throwing three picks. Whether Miller plays or not, I have the Buckeyes in this one.
Winner: Ohio State
Winner: Ohio State
Notre Dame at Purdue, 8:00 ET ABC
Matt: Ricardo Allen saved the Boilermakers a lot of embarrassment last week when he intercepted the ball while Indiana State was on their last leg of hope to upset the Boilermakers. A six point win over an FCS team. There isn’t much more to say about this one, after getting crushed by a Cincinnati Bearcats team that fell to Illinois this week, Purdue fans should be highly worried moving forward, because it doesn’t get any easier this week. The Fighting Irish will come into West Lafayette for another battle in this historical rivalry, in the battle for the Shillelagh Trophy. In recent years, this has been a very lopsided rivalry, with Purdue not winning against the Irish since 2007. I don’t think this year will be any different. After a heartbreaking loss in Ann Arbor, the Fighting Irish are hunger to get another victory and who better to do against then their in-state rivals? I think the Irish are going to have their way with this Purdue team.
Winner: Notre Dame
Winner: Notre Dame
Ryan: Notre Dame struggled against Michigan defensively. The Irish were never out of the game, being within four points with nine minutes left in the fourth. A costly turnover at the end of the first half led to seven points for the Wolverines, as well as two questionable pass interference calls on third downs. Purdue looked as impressive as the McCutcheon Mavericks. Struggling to score towards the goaline, the Boilermakers barely escaped with a win against Indiana State. This week they are playing a much better team in the Irish. Purdue’s lack of quarterback play is very troublesome and will make for a long year. With Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix bearing down on Rob Henry, the Irish will be able to make some big plays on the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame in a route, which will be a nice little birthday present for me.
Winner: Notre Dame
Winner: Notre Dame
Ole Miss at Texas 8:00 ET Longhorn Network
Matt: The Longhorns are in trouble. It’s only week 2 and they have already fallen from the top 25. After a beatdown by BYU last week, the Longhorns are going to need to come out looking a lot stronger if they are wanting to contend in the Big 12. Luckily for them they have a bottom tier SEC team. However, it is still a SEC team, and I think this one will be fairly close. I hope the Longhorns can pull it out, and I’m going to stick with my guns because I did predict them to win the Big 12. I’m taking the Longhorns here.
Winner: Texas
Winner: Texas
Ryan: The Longhorns got embarrassed last weekend against the BYU Cougars. BYU put up over 600 yards on Texas. BYU. That’s a Mountain West team. Now they have to host an SEC team that has a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. The dual headed running game featuring Jeff Scott and Barry Brunetti look to have their way with this lack luster Longhorns defense. The Rebels are 25th in the nation and for good reason. Opening weekend, the Rebels went into Vanderbilt and came out with a come from behind win. Last week they mopped the floor with SE Missouri State. Granted, the Redhawks are no worthy opponent, but who would have thought the Cougars would trash the Longhorns. The SEC once again overpowers the weak Big 12.
Winner: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss
| MATCHUP | TV | Matt | Ryan |
| No. 24 TCU at Texas Tech | TCU | TCU | |
| Troy at Arkansas State | Troy | Arkansas State | |
| Tulane at Louisiana Tech | FOX Sports 1 | Tulane | Louisiana Tech |
| Air Force at Boise State | Boise State | Boise State | |
| No. 5 Stanford at Army | CBS Sports Network | Stanford | Stanford |
| No. 8 Louisville at Kentucky | Louisville | Louisville | |
| Tulsa at No. 16 Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |
| Akron at No. 17 Michigan | Big Ten Network | Michigan | Michigan |
| No. 18 UCLA at No. 22 Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | |
| Bowling Green at Indiana | Indiana | Bowling Green | |
| Western Illinois at Minnesota | Big Ten Network | Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Virginia Tech at East Carolina | FOX Sports 1 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech |
| Georgia State at West Virginia | West Virginia | West Virginia | |
| Southern Miss at Arkansas | ESPN 3 | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| Louisiana-Monroe at Wake Forest | ESPN 3 | Wake Forest | Wake Forest |
| New Mexico at Pittsburgh | ESPN 3 | Pittsburgh | UNM |
| Eastern Michigan at Rutgers | ESPN 3 | Rutgers | Rutgers |
| Fordham at Temple | ESPN 3 | Temple | Temple |
| Fresno State at Colorado | Fresno State | Fresno State | |
| Youngstown State at Michigan State | Big Ten Network | Michigan State | Michigan State |
| Boston College at No. 25 USC | Pac-12 Network | Boston College | USC |
| No. 1 Alabama at No. 7 Texas A&M | CBS | Texas A&M | Alabama |
| Tennessee at No. 2 Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | |
| Nevada at No. 10 Florida State | Florida State | Florida State | |
| Cal Poly at Colorado State | Colorado State | Colorado State | |
| Georgia Tech at Duke | Georgia Tech | Georiga Tech | |
| Stony Brook at Buffalo | ESPN 3 | Buffalo | Buffalo |
| Delaware at Navy | CBS Sports Network | Navy | Navy |
| Wagner at Syracuse | ESPN 3 | Syracuse | Sytacuse |
| Ball State at North Texas | Ball State | Ball State | |
| Northern Colorado at Wyoming | Wyoming | Wyoming | |
| Northern Illinois at Idaho | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | |
| No. 20 Washington at Illinois | Big Ten Network | Illinois | Washington |
| Iowa at Iowa State | FOX Sports 1 | Iowa | Iowa |
| UCF at Penn State | Big Ten Network | Penn State | Penn State |
| Howard at Old Dominion | Old Dominion | Howard | |
| Bethune-Cookman at Florida International | Florida Int | Bethune-Cookman | |
| Southern Utah at Washington State | Pac-12 Network | Washington State | Washington State |
| No. 3 Ohio State at California | FOX | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| Vanderbilt at No. 6 South Carolina | South Carolina | South Carolina | |
| Kent State at No. 9 LSU | LSU | LSU | |
| Mississippi State at Auburn | Auburn | Auburn | |
| Florida Atlantic at South Florida | ESPN 3 | South Florida | South Florida |
| Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette | ESPN 3 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| Northwestern State at Cincinnati | ESPN 3 | Cincinnati | Cincinnati |
| Massachusetts at Kansas State | Kansas State | Kansas State | |
| Memphis at Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee | |
| Eastern Washington at Toledo | ESPN 3 | Toledo | Toledo |
| Lamar at No. 13 Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | |
| Western Kentucky at South Alabama | ESPN 3 | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| Maryland at Connecticut | ESPN 3 | Maryland | Maryland |
| Kansas at Rice | CBS Sports Network | Rice | Rice |
| No. 14 Notre Dame at Purdue | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | |
| Ole Miss at No. 15 Texas | Longhorn Network | Texas | Ole Miss |
| UTEP at New Mexico State | UTEP | UTEP | |
| Marshall at Ohio | Ohio | Marshall | |
| Weber State at Utah State | ESPN 3 | Utah State | Utah State |
| Western Michigan at No. 19 Northwestern | Big Ten Network | Northwestern | Northwestern |
| Oregon State at Utah | FOX Sports 1 | Oregon State | Oregon State |
| Central Michigan at UNLV | UNLV | Central Michigan | |
| No. 21 Wisconsin at Arizona State | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| UTSA at Arizona | Pac-12 Network | Arizona | Arizona |
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