College Football Week 3 Recap

    The College Football season rolls on, and week 3 just wrapped up last weekend.

    We saw #1 USC fall to #21 Stanford, in the second huge upset this season (UL Monroe beating Arkansas was the first). USC will fall in the rankings, but they still can take the PAC 12 crown. The loss was early in the season, and their title hopes are still strong.

Stanford after their upset of #1 USC

    #2 Alabama shut out Arkansas by a score of 52-0. Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson did miss the game, but that is not an excuse to loose by 52 at home. If Arkansas was truly worthy of a #9 preseason ranking, they should be able to compete with Alabama, even with Wilson out. A top 10 team doesn't loose like that at home when only the starting QB is out. Right now, it looks like Arkansas is far from taking down Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.


    #3 Florida State made a statement with a 52-0 beat down over Wake Forest, Utah was able to rebound and beat BYU, and Florida proved they are more powerful than Tennessee in the SEC East. It remains to be seen if they are as good as #8 Georgia and #7 South Carolina, and can reclaim the top of the SEC East.

    #20 Notre Dame visited #9 Michigan State, and embarrassed Sparty in East Lansing. Michigan State was shut down on offense, and there has been a big drop off at QB from Kirk Cousins to Andrew Maxwell. When Le'Veon Bell is unable to run the ball like he was vs Notre Dame, Maxwell is not a reliable option to take the reigns and lead the offense. Having poor WR play doesn't help much either though.

    A very surprising upset was Pittsburgh beating #10 Virginia Tech. Pitt was 0-2, with a bad loss to FCS Youngstown State during week 1, 31-17. During week 2, they lost to Cincinnati 34-10 on Thursday night. Most people had given up on Pitt, but with this upset over VT, the Panthers appear to be back.


Top 25:

1. Alabama 3-0
2. Florida State 3-0
3. LSU 3-0
4. Oklahoma 2-0
5. Oregon 3-0
6. South Carolina 3-0
7. Georgia 3-0
8. Texas 2-0
9. Clemson 3-0
10. West Virginia 2-0
11. USC 2-1
12. Stanford 3-0
13. Notre Dame 3-0
14. Ohio State 3-0
15. TCU 2-0
16. Michigan 2-1
17. Louisville 3-0
18. Michigan State 2-1
19. Kansas State 3-0
20. N.C. State 2-1
21. Northwestern 3-0
22. Florida 3-0
23. Mississippi State 3-0
24. UCLA 3-0
25. Boise State 1-1

Next 5 In: Virginia Tech 2-1, Nebraska 2-1, Utah 2-1, Arizona 3-0, Cincinnati 2-0



What To Watch:

BYU (2-1) @ #25 Boise State (1-1)
9:00pm ET, ESPN 

This will be Boise State's chance to redeem itself after the loss to Michigan State. If they cannot win this game, the Broncos will only prove they are not the same power they were in the past.

Prediction: BYU 28 Boise 16

Missouri (2-1) @ #6 South Carolina (3-0)
3:30pm ET, CBS

Missouri has another chance to show it can hang with the SEC heavy weights. South Carolina can show they deserve a top 10 ranking with a win.

Prediction: South Car 37 Mizz 20

Oregon State (1-0) @ #24 UCLA (3-0)
3:30pm ET, ABC/ESPN2

Both are two teams from the PAC 12 that emerged with multiple week 2 upsets. Oregon State has only played one game, and UCLA has played three. The Beavers may have gotten lucky vs a Wisconsin team that is nowhere near as good as we thought, but Oregon State is still not a very good team. UCLA should roll.

Prediction: UCLA 37 OSU 17

#16 Michigan (2-1) @ #13 Notre Dame (3-0)
7:30pm ET, NBC

This could be the last chance for Michigan to prove they are a BCS-contender. If they loose, they will be written off for the season and be counted as another very disappointing team from the Big Ten this year. Notre Dame has a chance to prove they are back as one of the top teams in the country.

Prediction: ND 28 Mich 20

#19 Kansas State (3-0) @ #3 Oklahoma (2-0)
7:50pm ET, FOX

Both teams have a lot to prove in this game. The Sooners had a shaky game week 1 vs UTEP. They rolled over Florida A& M in week 2, so we have yet to see this team tested. Kansas State can prove they are a BCS contender and not stuck behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas for the Big 12 crown. I could see the upset here, but Oklahoma should get the win.

Prediction: OU 36 KSU 30

#9 Clemson (3-0) @ #2 Florida State (3-0)
8:00pm ET, ABC

The first test for FSU. They will have to show they are a title contender with a win over Clemson. Clemson is out to show they are the kings of the ACC. If Florida State can win this, the Seminoles are back to national prominence. This should be close and already has the feels of a classic.

Prediction: FSU 28 Clem 25

   

SEC Preview

    
ACC   Big East   Big 10   Big 12   Pac 12   Other Conferences   Bowls and Top 50
    
    
    The SEC is hands down the best conference in college football, and a SEC member has won the last six BCS titles. They will once again have many teams in the top 10, with almost all teams making a bowl game.

    The best team is defending national champion Alabama. Despite losses to the NFL, they won't hurt much at all and have a very solid chance of an undefeated season. But with USC and Oklahoma most likely winning all of their games too, the Tide will need to win out to have a chance of repeating.

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

    LSU is down a bit this year, but still an elite program. They may not make the BCS, but will be one of the top teams in the SEC. Arkansas, led by Tyler Wilson, will challenge Bama and LSU for the top spot in the SEC West, but are just not as good as those two. 

     Auburn may surprise people this year and put up eight to ten wins. Crazy as it sounds, the Tigers are the most likely team to knock off Alabama this year. The Tide get LSU at home, and should get by Arkansas. I still think the Tide will win the Iron Bowl, but Auburn may spoil Alabama's season in the last week.

     To round out the West, Mississippi State is an underrated team, and could pull an upset or two. But the SEC West is the toughest division in football by far and it will be hard for the Bulldogs to post more then seven or eight wins. Texas A & M is a new comer this season. The Aggies are better then Ole Miss, but will most likely win six or seven games. Ole Miss will be at the bottom once again.

     The SEC East is not as stacked as the West. South Carolina is being overlooked by some in favor of Georgia, but the Gamecocks are the best team in the East, and the fourth best team in the SEC. They have a very good chance of making a BCS bowl, and the SEC championship this season. They do not draw Alabama and get Georgia at home. A road trip to Florida could spoil it. LSU and Arkansas will be tough games as well, but the Gamecocks should be in the SEC title game.

     Georgia is also a very good team that could get into the SEC title game for the second straight year. But the Bulldogs drop games often in the early season, and a road trip to Missouri on September 8th could be a recipe for disaster for Georgia.

    After those two teams is Florida. The Gators are in a slump right now and are heading into the season without a full time starting QB named. A team will not win many games when multiple QBs are used every game, and this may be another disappointing season for the Gators. A bowl game is still a given though.

    After those three is Vanderbilt, who is only getting better. Tennessee and Missouri are next, and both of them will be in a bowl game with six or seven wins this season. Kentucky is at the bottom, and they will struggle this year.

Projected Standings:

East:

1. South Carolina 10-2 (7-1)

2. Georgia 9-3 (5-3)

3. Vanderbilt 7-5 (4-4)

T4. Missouri 7-5 (3-5)

T4. Tennessee 7-5 (3-5)

T4. Florida 6-6 (3-5)

7. Kentucky 3-9 (1-7)

West:

1. Alabama 12-0 (8-0)

2. LSU 10-2 (7-2)

3. Arkansas 9-3 (5-3)

4. Auburn 8-4 (4-4)

T5. Mississippi State 7-5 (3-5)

T5. Texas A & M 6-6 (3-5)

7. Ole Miss 4-8 (1-7)

SEC Championship: Alabama over South Carolina