NCAA 2014 Week 3 picks

Not to jinx things, but I'm having a good season, despite the poor Big Ten performances last week.  Let's see if I can keep it up.

Thurs Sept 11
Houston Cougars at #9 BYU Cougars:  Well, we know a Cougar will win this game.  Given how Thurs evening games have been going this season, BYU should be concerned.  They have been very powerful so far, so I think they will overcome the "curse of Thurs", but this game may be closer than BYU would like.  BYU by nine

Fri Sept 12
#11 Baylor Bears at Buffalo Bulls:  It appears that Buffalo's great season last year was a one-time deal.  Regardless, few teams could keep up with the offense shown by Baylor so far.  BAYLOR by 30

Sat Sept 13
Top 25:
#1 USC Trojans at Boston College Eagles:  USC is off to a great start, and they want to keep that going.  If they can avoid a letdown after beating Stanford, they should overcome BC.  USC by 21

Purdue Boilermakers at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  After what both Notre Dame and Purdue did last week, this should be an Irish cake walk.  NOTRE DAME by 34

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at #3 Alabama Crimson Tide:  The Tide should roll here, as Southern Miss is starting off sputtering.  ALABAMA by 26

#10 Tennessee Volunteers at #4 Oklahoma Sooners:  The Vols are a tough squad this year, but this opponent will be too much.  I'm not even sure the Vols defense can keep it close.  OKLAHOMA by 24

Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at #5 Ole Miss Rebels:  The Rebs have an easier opponent, and should roll just as easily.  OLE MISS by 35

#25 Kentucky Wildcats at #7 Florida Gators:  Kentucky won't stay in the Top 25 after this.  Florida made up a cancelled game by rolling last week, and they have momentum.  FLORIDA by 28

Rice Owls at #8 Texas A&M Aggies:  The Aggies have an offense as strong as when Johnny Manziel led them.  That proves too much for Rice.  TEXAS A&M by 34

#13 Arizona State Sun Devils at Colorado Buffaloes:  The Buffs aren't a real threat, so Arizona State should excel.  ARIZONA STATE by 32

Wyoming Cowboys at #14 Oregon Ducks:  After coming back against Michigan State, this game should be easy.  Even if they relax, they should still overwhelm Wyoming.  OREGON by 34

Army Black Knights at #15 Stanford Cardinal:  The Cardinal wants to redeem themselves for the close loss to USC.  Army is a great punching bag.  STANFORD by 20

East Carolina Pirates at #16 Virginia Tech Hokies:  The Hokies pulled off a defensive shocker last week.  If they don't let down, they should beat East Carolina in what should be a defensive showdown.  VIRGINIA TECH by 13

#18 Mississippi State Bulldogs at South Alabama Jaguars:  The Jaguars aren't tough, so this will be another easy victory for the surging Bulldogs.  MISS STATE by 31

#19 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Fresno State Bulldogs:  The Fresno State Bulldogs aren't nearly as strong as the Miss State Bulldogs, so Nebraska should have an easy win.  NEBRASKA by 23

UCF Golden Knights at #20 Missouri Tigers:  Will the extra week to prepare help UCF pull off the upset?  I don't think so, although they may keep it close in the first half.  MISSOURI by 17

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at #21 LSU Tigers:  Another easy win for the SEC.  LSU by 31

#22 Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers:  This game could go either way.  Both teams have played well so far.  Virginia has had slightly tougher opposition, so they may be better prepared, but I'll give a slight edge to Louisville, who can come up with surprising plays sometimes.  LOUISVILLE by three

Georgia Southern Eagles at #24 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  This battle of Georgia will go to the Yellow Jackets.  GEORGIA TECH by 24

Big Ten:
Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio State Buckeyes:  The Buckeyes blew it last week, but Kent State doesn't have the same muscle as Virginia Tech.  OHIO STATE by 24

Indiana Hoosiers at Bowling Green Falcons:  If this was the first week, I'd pick Bowling Green with no hesitation, but the Falcons have sputtered.  Indiana could win, but I'll still pick the Falcons.  BOWLING GREEN by 12

West Virginia Mountaineers at Maryland Terrapins:  West Virginia was very impressive in their loss to Alabama.  Maryland hasn't exactly been slacking off in the first weeks, either.  This will be a close game, and I'll favor the home team.  MARYLAND by four

Miami Ohio Redhawks at Michigan Wolverines:  Michigan couldn't do anything against Notre Dame, but the Redhawks defense isn't nearly so tough.  MICHIGAN by 17

Iowa State Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes:  Iowa was one of the few Big Ten teams to win last week, although their play was mediocre.  Iowa State's play has been worse, though, so a victory should be assured here.  IOWA by 20

Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCU Horned Frogs:  TCU has an extra week to prepare for this game, but their only game has been against FCS weakling Samford.  Have they adequately prepared?  I'm not so sure, so I'm picking an upset.  MINNESOTA by six

Illinois Fighting Illini at Washington Huskies:  The Huskies defense sucks, as they proved in giving up 52 points to FCS Eastern Washington.  Illinois outplayed Western Kentucky, who had a phenomenal first week.  I think Illinois will outscore Washington, although the game will be close.  ILLINOIS by seven

Penn State Nittany Lions at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Since Rutgers joined the Big Ten, this is the first conference game of the season.  Both teams have played okay so far, but Rutgers is used to weaker opposition.  I give the advantage to Penn State.  PENN STATE by eleven

Other Games of Interest:
Ohio Bobcats at Marshall Thundering Herd:  Marshall definitely has a good team this year.  A strong win here, plus some games pitting Top 25 teams against each other, could allow Marshall to enter the rankings.  MARSHALL by 28

Boise State Broncos at UConn Huskies  Boise State's defense slacked off when they led Colorado State, almost allowing the Rams a chance to come back.  UConn doesn't have the power, though, so Boise will keep a strong lead in this game.  BOISE STATE by 20

Kansas Jayhawks at Duke Blue Devils:  Kansas has fallen apart so far, and I expect Duke to keep that going.  DUKE by 24

GAME OF THE WEEK -- #12 Georgia Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks:  The Gamecocks are still looking to redeem themselves from their Thursday night embarrassment against Texas A&M.  Unfortunately Georgia has a good team, and so they may need to wait a week.  The Gamecocks will battle hard, though, so this game will be close, but I think South Carolina will fall just short.  GEORGIA by six