It’s only week three of the college football season, but it feels like a lifetime ago that we watched the Dublin game. There is so much crazy that has already happened, and this weekend looks like it will be no different. Let’s take a look around the league at some of the biggest games that could add to the craziness.
Houston @ Texas Tech (-7.5)
Some Friday night football to kick us off. Are you taking the over or under 3.5 QBs that play in this game? I’m hammering the over. We are going to find out a lot about both teams in this game. If Texas Tech comes away with a convincing win, then I think we can pencil them in for the Big 12 Championship game. More than likely vs BYU. If Tech loses, I think we can pencil in BYU vs ? for the Big 12 Championship. That other spot is completely up for grabs. We all know about the Texas Tech oil money. We know that this roster is loaded, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any questions. There’s obviously a question at QB, but the talent around that QB is good enough that I am not that worried in the long run. Where I will be watching is the defensive line. They struck gold at that position last season, but it’s hard to strike gold twice in a row. I’m not saying that the defensive line is bad, but through 2 games I haven’t seen them live up to the level that we think they can reach. I will be curious to see how to hold up against Houston.
Speaking of the Cougars, they are a touchdown underdog on the road in this game. Do not sleep on Houston. Willie Fritz is a phenomenal coach, they are loaded on offense, and I don’t hate the defense. If Texas Tech’s defensive line is just okay, Conner Weigman and Makhi Hughes could make their life hell. On the flipside, if this defense is as good as I think they can be, they can take advantage of an offense where QB is their biggest question. If Will Hammond is not it, and this offense struggles, then watch out. Houston has enough weapons on offense, they have the better coach, and they have been great on the road. Give me Houston with the upset.
SMU @ Louisville (-1.5)
Is this an ACC Championship elimination game? I think we can all agree that Miami will be playing that game, but it’s just a matter of who they play. SMU and Louisville are 2nd and 3rd respectively when you look at the betting odds to win the ACC. The loser of this game is going to have a tough road ahead.
Both teams already have a Power 4 game under their belts. SMU won theirs while Louisville lost, yet the vibes around both teams coming out of those games could not be more different. Louisville took Ole Miss to the wire, while SMU squeezed out a win against Florida State. SMU was lucky that they played Florida State. They turned the ball over 4 times, missed a FG, and had some costly penalties. Now it was the first game of the season and we can’t fully judge a team from that. What I will say though is that I haven’t been high on SMU’s run game. Louisville has a great defensive line and solid LBs. That does not bode well for SMU’s offense. Louisville’s defense is going to make Kevin Jennings beat them with his arm, which he might just do. Louisville’s secondary got torched by Trinidad Chambliss. Now is Kevin Jennings as good as Trinidad? No, but he is a good enough QB to tear up that secondary. This is a long winded way to say that SMU has a chance. I don’t think they come away with the win, but they have a chance. I think Louisville’s offense has too many weapons, and the defensive line is going to be too much for SMU. Louisville with the win.
LSU @ Ole Miss (+2.5)
The energy around this game is absolutely electric. The amount of vitriol and hate that will be spewed from that crowd will be unmatched. Are you taking the over or the under on 1.5 times the game is stopped due to the crowd? I lean under, but wouldn’t be shocked with the over. I cannot wait to watch this game, and I don’t know your opinions on Lane Kiffin, but I guarantee whatever it is, you’re in the right. Personally, I love Lane. He is one of my top 5 favorite coaches. I love the trolling, I love the cockiness, and I love the idgaf attitude. Now if you root for a team that has to play against him often, or you root for a team he as coached, then I don’t blame you at all if you hate him. As someone on the outside, I love it.
At times in this young season LSU has looked like one of the most dominant teams in the country. The defense has only allowed 2 touchdowns so far, both in garbage time vs the backups. The offense is averaging 48 points a game and nearly 600 yards a game. Regardless of who they’ve played, that’s impressive. You will also notice though that Sam Leavitt has turned the ball over 4 times so far. That’s a little concerning. Then we flip over to Ole Miss who still has their star in Trinidad Chambliss. As long as he’s playing, Ole Miss has a shot in every game, but it’s everyone surrounding him I’m concerned with. The run game through 2 games hasn’t been great, and the tackles struggled with Louisville. If they struggled with Louisville, they’re going to struggle with LSU. Defensively the Ole Miss front 7 is very good. The secondary on the other hand, did not look great vs Louisville in that 2nd half.
Both teams will try and establish the run, and it will not be easy for either team. When picking this game it starts to come down to which QB I trust more. To me, that answer is a no brainer. It’s Trinidad Chambliss. Whether Sam Leavitt is healthy enough to play Saturday, or whether it’s Landen Clark or Husan Longstreet. I’m taking Trinidad Chambliss every single time. The Ole Miss offensive line and secondary are the 2 things holding me back from going all in on Ole Miss. I’ve flipped back and forth on this game, but at the time I’m writing this, I’m leaning Ole Miss. There’s still enough time between now and kickoff that I could change my mind.
North Carolina @ Clemson (-3.5)
This game maybe isn’t as high profile as the other 3 games I touched on, but it still has a chance to add to the craziness. I think we can all agree that this is the end of Dabo Swinney, but losing this game would put the final nail in the coffin in my opinion. Clemson’s defense looked lost vs LSU, but better vs Georgia Southern. The offense however has looked inept in both games. The offensive line is terrible. They’ve allowed over 20 tackles for loss in just 2 games. The QB play hasn’t been much better. They’ve officially handed the reigns over to true freshman Tait Reynolds. Now they take on a UNC team that has a defensive line that has been great. Xavier Lewis has been a dog and already has 4 sacks through 2 games. This is a UNC team who is good enough offensively to score a little, and is good enough defensively to dominate this Clemson offensive line. I know Clemson is favored, but I have a hard time seeing them pull this one off.
Week 3 is shaping up to be another exciting weekend of college football. I only touched on 4 games, but there’s a handful of other games that could easily top these 4. When you look through the Week 3 slate, which games stand out to you? Which ones are you most excited to watch?
I’m fascinated by Belichick versus Dabo for some reason. Two old-school head coaches hanging on for dear life at their schools. Personally I’ll be rooting for Belichick and UNC to knock of Clemson.
I hate when we see legendary players/coaches go out in a disappointing way. Unfortunately that’s going to be the case for one or both of these coaches. I’m with you, I’m pulling for Bill and UNC in this matchup.