Week 3

 Week 2 served up some much needed excitement after some disappointing week 1 match-ups, with 3 of the games on my list not decided until the final play.  Now it starts to get tough, as fewer teams have cupcakes available on their schedules for easy wins, but I believe I have another set of games that any college fan should watch.

Auburn @ Clemson (9/17 at 12:00 pm ET, on ABC)

Auburn shot down critics last week with its surprising (though not quite dominating) victory against Miss State.  Barrett Trotter is coming along nicely at QB while the TB combination of Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb is one of the deadliest in the SEC.  The problem is that their D has given up 72 combined against MSU and Utah State, hardly an encouraging number.  Clemson's offense has started slowly each of the last two weeks though, so if Auburn can open a big lead, then might have enough in the tank to hold off against a late charge.  Clemson, with a lot of speed on offense and talent throughout, has struggled mightily against lesser opponents in Troy and Wofford, and head coach Dabo Swinney's critics continue to question his leadership skills.  But talent alone will suffice against Auburn's D, so if he can just muster some big plays from that of his own team, he can certainly pull off the W.

Prediction: This one will be close, but Auburn will have 1-2 more big plays in them and win by 3.


Washington @ Nebraska (9/17 at 3:30 pm ET, on ABC or ESPN/ESPN3)

Washington has had defensive issues so far this season, giving up big points to Eastern Washington and Hawaii.  And on top of that Nebraska hammered them by 5 TDs in Washington last season.  Keith Price has thus far been a quality replacement for graduated QB Jake Locker, but they're going to need some defense if they want to hang with high-flying dual-threat QB Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers.  The fact that Nebraska displayed some defensive woes last week against Fresno State shows that this game could actually be a lot close than anyone thinks. 

Prediction: But Nebraska is still too much at home, and takes this one by 16.

Texas @ UCLA (9/17 at 3:30 pm ET, on ABC or ESPN/ESPN3)

Texas looked improved last week in their come-from-behind win against BYU, and is set to give Case McCoy a shot to follow in his older brother's footsteps as the next star Longhorn QB.  True-freshman Malcolm Brown has been solid in the backfield for Texas despite having not yet reached the endzone, but I predict that to end this Saturday against a porous UCLA D that gave up 38 to Houston.  UCLA has yet to find an identity on offense, and if they don't pick it up soon, the highly-talented Texas D and huge DE Jackson Jeffcoat will make them pay.  Texas, however, hasn't had much road experience recently as they travel out of state for only the 3rd time in their last 14 games, the last one being a 25-point mauling by Kansas State.  Their lack of road experience will be something to keep in mind for Saturday.

Prediction: UCLA pulls the upset by just 1 point.

Ohio State @ Miami (9/17 at 7:30 pm ET, on ESPN/ESPN3)

The Battle of Off-Season Controversy is upon us.  This has definitely been one of the most anticipated games of the season, for all the wrong reasons.  Both teams will continue their attempts to push their scandals behind them when they clash this Saturday in Miami.  The Ohio State struggled badly last week against in-state foe Toledo, with Joe Bauserman having some difficulties in his first season taking over for Terrelle Pryor.  But sheer talent on both sides of the ball have more than made up for other deficiencies.  Miami's week 1 loss to Maryland was nothing short of a disappointment, and head coach Al Golden will have his work cut out for him attempting to revitalize his down-trodden troops.  His intact coaching staff is one of his only advantages in this game, but if he can't encourage his boys to come up with some big stops, then TOSU will run away with it in the end.

Prediction: Ohio State does indeed pull away in the 4th quarter, winning by 18.

Oklahoma @ Florida State (9/17 at 8:00 pm ET, on ABC) - Game of the Week

Two top-5 teams go at it for the second time this year, and you can be sure that this match-up will be better than the week 1 Oregon/LSU meeting.  Jimbo Fisher has got FSU rolling again, and with ridiculous loads of talent, this is their chance to make a statement in Tallahassee.  QB might be their only weakness, but they'll score points regardless.  FSU exemplifies "Florida speed," reminding me of the Gator teams of a few years back.  But Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles, and the rest of the Sooners are absolutely loaded, with a more physical defense behind them.  This will be a game in which one timely mistake could be the difference between victory and defeat.  This is "Big Game" Bob Stoops' chance to show the college world that he can still win the big one.  And the winner of this game will very likely be playing for the national title in January.  Make sure you don't miss the fireworks here.

Prediction: FSU is at home and just has too many weapons; they win by 7.