NCAA Week 3 picks

Thurs Sept 16
Cincinnati Bearcats at NC State Wolfpack:  This game could go either way, so I'm going to start the week with an upset pick.  Cincy hasn't been strong, so I'll pick NC STATE.

Fri Sept 17
Kansas Jayhawks at Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  Kansas has definitely slipped back this season.  Their offense isn't moving with nearly the same precision as they had the past three years.  SOUTHERN MISS

#7 California Golden Bears at Nevada Wolfpack:  Nevada's a good team this year, but Cal is very powerful.  No upset here.  CAL

Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Duke Blue Devils:  This should be a very one-sided game.  ALBAMA

Ohio Bobcats at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes:  Although MAC teams do well against Big Ten, the Buckeyes should easily win this battle of Ohio, sweeping Ohio teams this season.  OHIO STATE

Portland State Vikings at #3 Oregon Ducks:  The Ducks face a mediocre FCS team.  This one's obvious.  OREGON

Furman Paladins at #4 South Carolina Gamecocks:  Furman is a better FCS team, but I don't think they'll beat the Gamecocks.  SOUTH CAROLINA

Air Force Falcons at #5 Oklahoma Sooners:  Air Force has been a surprisingly strong force so far this seaosn, but they aren't strong enough to knock off the Sooners.  OKLAHOMA

#6 Boise State Broncos at Wyoming Cowboys:  Boise should continue their unbeaten streak, although Wyoming won't roll over easily.  BOISE STATE

Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #8 Oklahoma State Cowboys:  Tulsa gave themselves a tough schedule.  They've played well, but I think the Cowboys will simply overpower them.  OKLAHOMA STATE

#9 Utah Utes at New Mexico Lobos:  New Mexico is better this seaosn than usual, but not good enough to upset Utah.  UTAH

Baylor Bears at #10 TCU Horned Frogs:  TCU should roll over the poor Bears.  TCU

#17 Iowa Hawkeyes at #11 Arizona Wildcats:  These two teams are fairly evenly matched, so this game is practically a tossup.  I should pick the home team in that case, but I can't quite ignore the drive and determination of Rick Stanzi, and I have to favor a Big Ten team against a Pac-10 team.  IOWA

#12 Fresno State Bulldogs at Utah State Aggies:  Utah State isn't a strong team, so this should be an easy game for the Bulldogs.  FRESNO STATE

Massachusetts Minutemen at #13 Michigan Wolverines:  Michigan will roll over this FCS powerhouse.  They won't DARE let another "Appalachian State" happen!  MICHIGAN

#14 Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers:  Tennessee isn't the SEC force they used to be, although they tend to play Florida tough.  This might be a closer game than Urban Meyer might like, but Florida should still prevail.  FLORIDA

#15 Texas Longhorns at #18 Texas Tech Red Raiders:  This should be a nice high-scoring game.  The difference will be Texas' defense, which should slow Tech enough for the Longhorns to gain a lead.  TEXAS

Wake Forest Demon Deacons at #16 Stanford Cardinal:  Stanford is battling for the Pac-10 title this season, so they won't let Wake Forest get in their way.  STANFORD

Mississippi State Bulldogs at #19 LSU Tigers:  The Bulldogs usually produce one SEC upset each season, but I don't think the Tigers will be the one this year.  LSU

#25 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #20 Michigan State Spartans:  The Irish rarely sweep the Big Ten, and they won't this year, having already lost to Michigan.  They might win two of three, but I think the Spartans are strong enough to hang in there, and then pull off the surprising win in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.  MICHIGAN STATE

Arizona State Sun Devils at #21 Wisconsin Badgers:  Have you noticed that the Big Ten has some of the toughest non-conference games this week?  Iowa and Michigan State will both be in tough battles, and Wisconsin has a tough one here.  The Sun Devils could pull off the upset, but Wisconsin has an excellent record at home.  WISCONSIN

#22 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Washington Huskies:  Everybody seems to love Jake Locker and the Huskies this season.  They've been good, but not overly impressive.  If they upset Nebraska, though, they'll put themselves in contention for my Top 25, but I don't think they'll do it.  NEBRASKA

#23 East Carolina Pirates at Virginia Tech Hokies:  How bad is Virginia Tech this season?  How about an 0-2 start that is likely to become an 0-3.  EAST CAROLINA

Big Ten
Ball State Cardinals at Purdue Boilermakers:  Purdue is still steamed about the Notre Dame loss.  They'll take it out on Ball State.  PURDUE

Kent State Golden Flashes at Penn State Nittany Lions:  Penn State looked terrible against Alabama last week.  Kent State might see an opening, making this game closer than Penn State would like, but the Nittany Lions will pull off the win.  PENN STATE

Northern Illinois Huskies at Illinois Fighting Illini:  Northern Illinois is a good team, and could win this game, but I can't get over how well Illinois opened against Missouri.  ILLINOIS

USC Trojans at Minnesota Golden Gophers:  The Gophers hoped to be unbeaten coming into this game.  Their loss to South Dakota has to worry them, perhaps more than the Trojans coming to town.  USC

Indiana Hoosiers at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  Oh boy, I smell another FCS upset!  I'll pick Indiana, because they have good tools this season, but watch for the upset.  INDIANA

Northwestern Wildcats at Rice Owls:  Rice is struggling, which should give Northwestern the victory.  NORTHWESTERN

Other Games of Interest:
BYU Cougars at Florida State Seminoles:  It's BYU's offense against Florida State's defense.  In those types of match-ups, I usually go with the defense, but the Seminoles offense turns over the ball too much -- BYU should be able to capitalize.  BYU

Florida International Goledn Panthers at Texas A&M Aggies:  A&M should win this one in a cakewalk.  There should lots of scores, which means lots of kisses for the cadets.  TEXAS A&M

Houston Cougars at UCLA Bruins:  UCLA has a decent team this year, but Houston has a better one.  HOUSTON

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Clemson Tigers at Auburn Tigers:  The fur will fly in this battle of the Tigers!  Clemson's offense against the still-improving defense of Auburn?  Sounds like Clemson should have it, but I'm not sure the Tigers are used to the type of high-speed and physical punishment that Auburn dishes out.  I have to like Auburn's chances, although Clemson could win if Auburn makes a mistake in the fourth quarter.  AUBURN