Sunday, September 10, 2023

NCAA 2023 Week 3 picks

 Thursday Sept 14

Bethune-Cookman at #12 Miami Hurricanes : We have a few FBS v FCS matchups left.  This is one of them. MIAMI by lots

Navy Midshipmen at #22 Memphis Tigers : Navy will grind out the game with their ground game, but the Tigers defense is tough, so it won't help them too much.  MEMPHIS by ten

Friday, Sept 15

Virginia Cavaliers at Maryland Terrapins : The Cabs make a short road trip to Maryland, but it may be a long ride home.  MARYLAND by 13

Army Black Knights at UTSA Roadrunners : The Roadrunners really pound the ball, and they move fast.  Army's defense will likely be confused by the myriad of UTSA formations.  UTSA by 18

Utah State Aggies at #25 Air Force Falcons :  Hmm, I wonder when was the last time that all military academies played BEFORE Saturday?  At least this one should lead to a win for the academy.  AIR FORCE by 11

Saturday, Sept 16

Top 25

Bowling Green Falcons at #2 Michigan Wolverines : Easy victory for the Wolverines.  MICHIGAN by lots

Central Michigan Chippewas at #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : The scheduling gods are being cruel to the MAC this week.  NOTRE DAME by lots

#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Tulsa Golden Hurricane : Another easy battle for a Top Five team.  OKLAHOMA by lots

#5 Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles : A conference match-up doesn't make it more difficult for the Seminoles, as BC is struggling.  A fourth easy pick in a row.  FLORIDA STATE by 34

Wyoming Cowboys at #6 Texas Longhorns : Wyoming is no longer the pathetic performer they used to be, but after beating Alabama, this is a relaxing game for Texas.  TEXAS by 30

#7 Washington Huskies at Michigan State Spartans : The Spartans defense is good, but are they good enough to slow down the Huskies?  I don't think so.  WASHINGTON by 16

South Carolina Gamecocks at #8 Georgia Bulldogs : The Bulldogs enter conference play, but they face a stiff opponent.  GEORGIA by 31

NC Central at #9 UCLA Bruins : Easy FCS v FBS game.  UCLA by lots

San Diego State Aztecs at #10 Oregon State Beavers : The Aztecs can be tough, but the Beavers are extra tough at home.I don't think an upset is too likely.  OREGON STATE by 21

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at #11 Ohio State Buckeyes : The Hilltoppers have a bit of a defense, but I don't think the still-developing Buckeyes offense will have much of a challenge.  OHIO STATE by 24

Northern Colorado at #13 Washington State Cougars : Another easy win.  WASHINGTON STATE

#14 Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini : For an alumnus like myself, this won't be pretty.  PENN STATE by lots

#15 Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators : The Vols have a potent team this year, while Florida would be considered "rebuilding".  TENN by 24

Samford at #16 Auburn Tigers : I only list this because it features a Top 25 team.  AUBURN by lots

Akron Zips at #17 Kentucky Wildcats : Another massive loss by the MAC.  KENTUCKY by 32

Colorado State Rams at #18 Colorado Buffaloes : Prime Time Part III will likely be a more commanding performance than either of their previous two games.  COLORADO by 16

Weber State at #19 Utah Utes : No upset concerns here.  UTAH by lots

Minnesota Golden Gophers at #20 North Carolina Tar Heels : Now HERE is an upset possibility.  The Tar Heels are a good team, but Minnesota has an interesting history of playing above themselves against ranked non-conference opponents.  Watch out, Heels!  NORTH CAROLINA by six

Northwestern Wildcats at #21 Duke Blue Devils : Northwestern bounced back last week, but that may have been assisted by a weak UTEP team.  Duke, on the other hand, will prove too much for the rebuilding Wildcats.  DUKE by 23

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at #23 Ole Miss Rebels : The Rebs face a tough defense, but there isn't much offense in the Yellow Jackets.  OLE MISS by 16

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at #24 Oregon Ducks : The sun has set on Hawaii.  OREGON by lots

Big Ten

Louisville Cardinals at Indiana Hoosiers : This might be the tightest contest of the day!  On paper, Louisville seems the better team, but the Hoosiers can be tricky with an arsenal of strange plays, and their defense shows up against tough opponents.  If the Cards are not careful, they will lose this game.  LOUISVILLE by four

Western Michigan Broncos at Iowa Hawkeyes : The Broncos falter against stiff defenses like the one possessed by Iowa. The interesting part of this game will be how much Iowa's offense improves.  IOWA by ten

Virginia Tech Hokies at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : The Hokies will lose to their second consecutive Big Ten opponent.  RUTGERS by 16

Northern Illinois Huskies at Nebraska Cornhuskers : Nebraska may be winless, but they were competitive in both of those games.  Northern Illinois collapsed last week, so I like the Cornhuskers to get their first win of the seaosn.  NEBRASKA by 13

Syracuse Orange at Purdue Boilermakers : Another Big Ten upset could be brewing.  The Orange are still a bit inconsistent, and Purdue bounced back well last week.  Purdue's defense will keep this close, and they might take the game-winning lead late in the fourth.  SYRACUSE by three

MAC

Liberty Flames at Buffalo Bulls : Buffalo may be the worst team in the conference.  LIBERTY by 16

Iowa State Cyclones at Ohio Bobcats : Believe it or not, Ohio has the best record in the conference.  That won't last.  IOWA STATE by 20

UMass Minutemen at Eastern Michigan Eagles : The Eagles are one of the better teams in the conference, and UMass doesn't have much.  Aside from a game against FCS, this might be the only MAC victory of the day.  EASTERN MICHIGAN by 11

Miami Ohio Redhawks at Cincinnati Bearcats : Nice easy game for the Bearcats.  CINCY" by 24

San Jose State Spartans at Toledo Rockets : And now we get to the BEST team in the conference.  This will be the best performance by a MAC team, and a rare win.  TOLEDO by 18

Other Games of Interest

LSU Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs : LSU has shown fragility, which could be exploited by the Bulldogs.  This is an upset spotter.  LSU by six

Kansas State Wildcats at Missouri Tigers : The Wildcats played easy opponents, so their strength is really unknown.  Missouri is a surprisingly effective team, and could give the Wildcats a hard time.  KANSAS STATE by eight

Idaho Vandals at Cal Golden Bears : Can Idaho generate two upsets in a row?  Maybe this is a good year for Idaho?  This game could tell the tale.  CAL by 12

BYU Cougars at Arkansas Razorbacks : BYU has been underachieving, which gives Arkansas a nice chance.  However, if the Cougars find themselves, they could win.  ARKANSAS by eight

TCU Horned Frogs at Houston Cougars : Coach Prime exposed some vulnerabilities in the Horned Frogs, and you bet Houston was watching.  They have enough skill to duplicate some of those moves, so I have my Upset Alert on this one -- and make the pick.  HOUSTON by four

Kansas Jayhawks at Nevada Wolfpack : Kansas won big last week.  Although they were supported by Illinois penalties, that game could boost their confidence going into this game.  KANSAS by 12


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