NCAA Football 2019 Week 3 picks

Thursday evening games finally begin, and we get to see how some teams respond to the results of last week's upsets.

Thurs Sept 19
Houston Cougars at Tulane Green Wave:  Houston can always be a tough and tricky team, but Tulane has been a strong force this season.  They've been building a good squad over the past couple of years, and this is the culmination of that effort.  TULANE

Fri Sept 20
#13 Utah Utes at USC Trojans:  Prior to last week, I would have said this could be an interesting matchup.  It still might, but I don't give USC as much of a chance to win.  The Trojans were exposed last week, and while they will work to rebound from that loss, Utah is a strong enough team that does their homework, so the upset is unlikely.  UTAH

Air Force Falcons at Boise State Broncos:  Here's a potential upset.  Boise State is strong, but the Falcons are flying this season, too.  Boise has the better talent, but they have to prevent the errors that sometimes plague them in critical games.  BOISE STATE

Sat Sept 21
Top 25:
Charlotte 49ers at #1 Clemson Tigers:  Charlotte has been impressive in just their second year of FCS play, but they aren't ready to compete against the top team in the land.  CLEMSON

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide:  South Carolina gave the Tide some fits in the first half of last week, but the Golden Eagles won't be as tough.  ALABAMA

#22 Michigan Wolverines at #3 Wisconsin Badgers:  Can you believe some national analysts think Michigan will win this one, some by more than ten points?  That shows how little respect Wisconsin gets.  I'm not surprised.  Most national analysts love teams that have flashy quarterbacks that produce highlight-reel plays.  Wisconsin has a decent QB, but they are a "pound it out" ground game mentality.  They have the best running back in the nation to support that, and an offensive line that can open holes for him.  This year, they also have the defense.  What Army showed two weeks ago is that Michigan's run defense is weak, and I don't think having an extra week to prepare for Wisconsin will improve them that much.  WISCONSIN

Miami Ohio Red Hawks at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes:  The Buckeyes will shine in this game, but an impressive Badgers performance will keep them from creeping into the Top 3.  OHIO STATE

#5 LSU Tigers at Vanderbilt Commodores:  LSU rolls in their conference opener.  LSU

#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #6 Georgia Bulldogs:  This could be the most exciting game of the day!  It will likely be a close game, too.  It can be tough for visitors to play between the hedges, so I'll give the edge to Georgia.  If this game were played on a neutral field, I might think twice.  GEORGIA

#10 Auburn Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies:  I may be surprised by analysts favoring Michigan against Wisconsin, but I am absolutely flabbergasted that the Aggies are ranked in the national Top 25.  They are the underdog in FIVE games that remain, meaning they are expected to go 6-6.  THAT is considered Top 25 material?  Pathetic!  The Aggies gain the second of a long string of upcoming defeats.  AUBURN

UCLA Bruins at #11 Washington State Cougars:  The Bruins are as threatening as teddy bears this year, while the Cougars may be the best team in the Pac-12.  WASHINGTON STATE

#17 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #12 Texas Longhorns:  This will be another exciting game!  Texas has the advantage as they have already faced a ranked opponent.  They didn't win, but they played it close.  That experience should help prepare them for this matchup.  TEXAS

#15 Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal:  How's this for an unusual situation?  Stanford is currently the worst team in their division, and neither team comes to this Week 4 matchup unbeaten.  Neither situation was anticipated.  Does that mean we'll get an usual game?  Between these two, anything is possible, but the outcome will still match their rankings.  OREGON

#16 UCF Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Panthers:  Pitt battled Penn State close last week, but that was a rivalry game.  There is little history here, and it's been written by UCF.  UCF

#19 Washington Huskies at BYU Cougars:  Washington and all teams in the Pac-12 owe a debt of gratitude to BYU for upsetting USC.  That doesn't mean Washington will go easy on them.  BYU might surprise here, as they did against USC, but two consecutive upsets seems a little unlikely.  WASHINGTON

#20 Michigan State Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats:  The Spartans want a nice game to recover from their upset to Temple last week.  Northwestern can be unpredictable, though, and they have escalated themselves after their loss to Stanford.  This may not be easy, but the Sparty defense should make the difference.  MICHIGAN STATE

Elon Phoenix (FCS) at #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  Nice easy game for the Deacons first week in the Top 25.  WAKE FOREST

Old Dominion Colonials at #24 Virginia Cavaliers:  The Cavs have a nice easy game, too.  VIRGINIA

#25 Baylor Bears at Rice Owls:  Baylor has a fairly easy opponent as well, nearly assuring that the many of the teams at the bottom of the Top 25 will have a successful week.  BAYLOR

Big Ten:
Boston College Eagles at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  The Eagles need to bounce back from a shocking upset last week.  Fortunately the struggling Scarlet Knights are the perfect antidote.  BOSTON COLLEGE

UConn Huskies at Indiana Hoosiers:  Indiana got skunked by Ohio State last week, but they not a bad team.  The Huskies will be able to attest to that after this game.  INDIANA

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini:  The Illini showed that their defense stinks.  That is good news for Nebraska.  If the Cornhuskers can prevent giving away this game with mistakes and penalties, they should win.  NEBRASKA

Other Games of Interest:
Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators:  The Vols love to play Florida tough, but they just don't have the talent to do that this year.  FLORIDA

Cal Golden Bears at Ole Miss Rebels:  Cal has the power this year to make this an interesting game. What should make it really interesting is that they are likely to win.  CAL

SMU Mustangs at TCU Horned Frogs:  TCU wiped out Purdue last week, but this might be their first real challenge.  They should be up to it.  TCU

Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs:  This should be an interesting game!  If this were played at Kentucky, I'd pick the Wildcats with no hesitation.  However, as the visiting team, can the Wildcats overcome the fervor of the Bulldog fans?  Probably, but this game might be uncomfortably close.  KENTUCKY

Ball State Cardinals at NC State Wolf Pack:  NC State should be able to bounce back from their upset last week.  NC STATE

Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona State Sun Devils:  Here's a fun one!  The Buffaloes suffered an upset while the Sun Devils engineered one.  Arizona State proved to have a tougher defense than we thought, and that might give Colorado fits.  ARIZONA STATE