58.NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL @ DUKE
Thankfully for Duke, they get this at the right time since they’re banged up. Jones may be out for a while but at least it’s during the stretch where they play North Carolina Central of the FCS. Duke backup Quintin Harris looked the part with a nice win at Baylor.
57.GARDNER WEBB @ APPALACHIAN STATE
App State was supposed to play Southern Miss but the hurricane called for the cancellation of the game. Gardner Webb is 1-2 on the FCS level but this should still be blowout city.
56.DUQUESNE @ HAWAII
Duquesne got blown out by Umass in week zero and well not they travel about as far as you can regarding America. Hawaii is coming off a tough road loss to Army where the Rainbow Warriors had a 4th and goal and lost the game.
55.TEXAS SOUTHERN @ HOUSTON
Texas Southern is 1-2 and fresh off a loss to Alcorn State. Houston is 2-1 and fresh off a tough road loss at Texas Tech where the Cougars were simply outgunned. They need this one to get back on track.
54.KENT STATE @ OLE MISS
Kent State is 1-2 and fresh off a blowout loss at Penn State but the offense does look a lot better than recent years. Ole Miss went up 7-0 on Alabama before they gave up 62 unanswered points. Ole Miss wins big.
53.NEW MEXICO STATE @ UTEP
UTEP surprisingly played Tennessee a lot better than I figured they would lose just 24-0. New Mexico State lost their rivalry game against New Mexico and now it’s on to their 2nd rival UTEP. This one should be a close one.
52.TEXAS STATE @ UTSA
I still don’t understand how Texas State somehow managed to lose that game last week against South Alabama without their starting QB. UTSA is winless but the hard part of their schedule is done. 0-3 with losses to Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas State isn’t as bad as one would think.
51.ARMY @ OKLAHOMA
It wasn’t always pretty but Oklahoma found a way to get the win in Ames. Army has rebounded well since the Week 1 loss to Duke with a nice home win against Hawaii. This one should be blowout city but maybe Army can control the clock some.
50.MCNEESE @ BYU
McNeese is 3-0 and fresh off a double-digit win against Nicholls State. BYU better not think this is a gimme or McNeese will bite you. BYU is coming off their biggest win in a few years with a win at Wisconsin.
49.ARKANSAS @ AUBURN
I know it’s only year one but the Chad Morris hire is already looking shaky with losses to Colorado State and North Texas. Auburn is in need of a big performance after LSU upset the Tigers.
48.RICE @ SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss should be well rested after the Hurricane canceled their matchup at Appalachian State. Rice is 1-2 and coming off a week off as well since they had to travel back from Hawaii where the Rainbow Warriors got the best of them.
47.UCONN @ SYRACUSE
Uconn started the season with maybe the toughest two games of any team in the country with a home game against Central Florida and a road game on the blue turf at Boise State. Last week the Huskies came back home to beat Rhode Island of the FCS. Syracuse is off to their best start in some time.
46.NORTH TEXAS @ LIBERTY
Mason Fine and North Texas blew out the Razorbacks of Arkansas last week and suddenly North Texas has emerged as a potential team that could run the table and potentially goes for new years 6 bowl. Liberty is 1-1 and looking to remain unbeaten at home.
45.TULANE @ OHIO STATE
Tulane is 1-2 and is coming off another tough loss to UAB. Ohio State is 3-0 and survived life without Urban Meyer. Meyer is back this weekend so expect blowout city here.
44.VIRGINIA TECH @ OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion has been one of the most disappointing teams to me. Last week against Charlotte they couldn’t stop the Charlotte offense and to make things even worse they couldn’t make an extra point. Virginia Tech had a bye week because the hurricane so they should be ready for this one. Blowout city.
43.SOUTH ALABAMA @ MEMPHIS
South Alabama lost their starting QB to a DUI and the Jaguars struggled with Texas State before finally cracking it open late in the game. Memphis destroyed Georgia State at home. When the Memphis offense gets rolling it really gets rolling.
42.MIAMI (OH) @ BOWLING GREEN
Miami (OH) is winless but to be fair every opponent they have faced is still undefeated. Bowling Green needed a 4th quarter comeback just to beat Eastern Kentucky from the FCS level. This is a big one as MAC play tips off.
41.CHARLOTTE @ UMASS
Umass is coming off a blowout loss at Florida International and is 1-3 on the year. After the hot start, they’ve really started to sputter. Charlotte is 2-1 and coming off a nice win against Old Dominion. They’ve got a bowl game in mind. This should be a good one.
40.ILLINOIS STATE @ COLORADO STATE
Illinois State is a good FCS school. Colorado State finally finished the tough opening schedule run and this is a must win if the Rams want to find themselves in a bowl game.
39.FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL @ MIAMI (FL)
FlU may have a chip on their shoulder with a bunch of Florida kids on their roster who never got the offer from Miami. That alone makes this game watchable. Miami is coming off a nice road win at Toledo. Miami finds a way to get it done but it’ll be a dogfight for a little.
38.PENN STATE @ ILLINOIS (FRI)
Illinois almost pulled off the win against South Florida but it all came crashing down. Penn State struggled with App State but has been blowing out everybody since. I’ll take the Illini and the points but I don’t really like the game.
37.NEVADA @ TOLEDO
Nevada squeaked one out against Oregon State as the Beavers kicker missed a game-winning field goal. Toledo is coming off a loss to Miami and needs to get back on the winning track of things.
36.WESTERN MICHIGAN @ GEORGIA STATE
Western Michigan earned its first win after blowing out Delaware State to go 1-2 for the season. Georgia State lost its 2nd game in a row after getting blown out in Memphis on a Friday night. Both teams are 1-2 so something has to give.
35.WESTERN KENTUCKY @ BALL STATE
Ball State is 1-2 but they look better than a 1-2 team only losing to Notre Dame by 8 points in South Bend. Western Kentucky is winless including a loss to FCS Maine. The Hilltoppers did give Louisville all they could handle last week.
34.COASTAL CAROLINA @ LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE
Lafayette got blown out last week and looks to get back on the winning side of things. Coastal Carolina is looking for their 3rd win which I should add was what the win total was set at the beginning of the year. This should be a fun one.
33.UNLV @ ARKANSAS STATE
Both these teams are 2-1 and both teams one loss came from a well-known power 5 school. Arkansas State is one of the favorites to win the Sun Belt while UNLV is looking to go bowling for the first time in a while. Gimme Ark State to get things done at home.
32. TROY @ LOUISIANA MONROE
Last week Troy came into Lincoln, Nebraska and upset the Cornhuskers. Troy did that last year to LSU but followed that game up with a bad home loss to South Alabama. Can they avoid the letdown game this year? Louisiana Monroe is coming off a big loss to Texas A&M and would sure like to get things back on track.
31.MAINE @ CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Maine has already upset FBS Western Kentucky in their own backyard and New Hampshire from the FCS. This Black Bear team has the talent to knock off Central Michigan if CMU doesn’t bring their A game. Central Michigan is winless so one would think they find a way to grab their first win of the season.
30.NAVY @ SMU
I feel like these games are always crazy. Two teams completely different in style but similar at the same time. SMU looks like they are in for a tough year but then again that may just be brutal out of conference schedule they have. Navy has gotten things back on track since the week 1 loss at Hawaii.
29.TULSA @ TEMPLE (THURS)
Tulsa really probably should of beat Texas but they made too many turnovers. Temple has been inconsistent all year but they did find a way to beat Maryland who looked great prior to that game. This should be a close one.
28.BUFFALO @ RUTGERS
In the offseason, I wrote about how this Rutgers defense should be really impressive and then after giving up just 7 points in week 1 to the Sun Belt’s Texas State, I felt like the man I really hit that on the nail. Then Ohio State scored 50 on them in Columbus and I’m like “Okay it’s Ohio State and they’re on the road” and then came the game at Kansas where the Jayhawks put up 50 plus and now I’m in panic mode. Buffalo is legit. The Rutgers D better find a way to show up.
27.EASTERN MICHIGAN @ SAN DIEGO STATE
Our gals found a way to shut down Arizona State in the 2nd half and prevail despite a questionable call at the end of the game. Rocky Long has always been a great coach so it doesn’t surprise me too much that he beat a ranked team with a backup QB. Eastern Michigan is a tough MAC team that is 2-1 with a win at Purdue. I’m excited to watch this one.
26.ARIZONA @ OREGON STATE
Oregon State could easily be 2-1 if they could make a field goal. Losing at Nevada was bad but at least the team showed some heart and guts despite losing. Arizona earned their first win of the year by opening up things in the 2nd half and pulling away from FCS Southern Utah. This is a big game for both programs.
25.OHIO @ CINCINNATI
A nice little battle for 2nd or 3rd place in Ohio here. Assuming Ohio State and Toledo is the top 2 dogs in Ohio. Cincinnati is undefeated and looking pretty darn good in Luke Fickell’s 2nd year at the helm. Ohio is coming off a tough loss to Virginia in Nashville. Watch out for Ohio on the upset watch here.
24.AKRON @ IOWA STATE
Akron had maybe it’s the biggest win in 100 years last week so you’re thinking this has got to be a letdown week right? I’m not sure. Iowa State isn’t healthy at the QB position and although I love what Matt Campbell is doing in Ames. Terry Bowden is working some nice magic in Akron with that huge win at Northwestern and a birth in MAC Championship game last year.
23.NORTHERN ILLINOIS @ FLORIDA STATE
It’s this simple. If Willie Taggart losses this game the program is in deep trouble and Taggart may only get 1 year in Tallahassee. This is a must-win game. Northern Illinois has the defense to potentially hang around but the real question is can the offense do anything against FSU?
22.EAST CAROLINA @ SOUTH FLORIDA
East Carolina has been in Orlando for a week after their game was canceled they got out of town and have been hoteling it ever since. South Florida came from behind to beat Illinois their 2nd power 5 wins in two weeks. The Pirates may show up for this one.
21.PITTSBURGH @ NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina was supposed to have a bunch of their players back for this game but since last weeks game was canceled the suspensions carry over to this week which kind of ruins this game. Maybe Carolina can make a game out of it but Pitt should be the more talented team when the teams kick off.
20.LOUISIANA TECH @ LSU
LSU lost one to a mid-major last year in Troy. Hopefully, they learned their lesson because much like Troy but to a little lesser extent Louisiana Tech is a tough team that almost won at South Carolina last year so why not Baton Rouge? Skip Holtz has had success with mid-majors upsetting the big boys before. Can he find that magic again?
19.AIR FORCE @ UTAH STATE
A nice little mountain west conference game to end the Saturday night. I like both these teams but Utah State really was close to upsetting Michigan State and being undefeated. Both these teams are 2-1. Air Force lost its lone game at Florida Atlantic in somewhat of a back and forth battle.
18.CLEMSON @ GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech has looked like dog shit this season and one would think Paul Johnson’s seat should be incredibly hot. Clemson is one of the favorites to make the College Football Invitational. If Johnson can somehow score an upset I think he’d be okay for another year or so on the job front.
17.KANSAS @ BAYLOR
Kansas scored 50 plus points and won against a power 5 school last week. I repeat Kansas scored 50 plus points and won against a power 5 school last week. No way the Jayhawks win 3 games in a row right? Baylor is coming off a bad loss at home against Duke.
16.LOUISVILLE @ VIRGINIA
Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals have been really struggling this year despite being 2-1. Petrino is doing so bad that he’s making a QB switch which was announced earlier this week. Virginia is coming off a nice win over Ohio in Nashville will continue to strive to make another bowl. This will be a good one. Give me Virginia minus the points.
15.MINNESOTA @ MARYLAND
Row the boat, row the boat. This seems to be working in Minneapolis with the golden gophers being 3-0 but can it work on the road? Maryland is coming off a bad home loss to Temple and I think they’ll be ready for this one.
14.NOTRE DAME @ WAKE FOREST
Notre Dame hits the road for the first time this season. Wake Forest has been playing much better than I expected with their freshman QB but they’re going to need an amazing performance from him if they want to beat Notre Dame and it’s defense that’s looking really solid.
13.FLORIDA @ TENNESSEE
Can Tennessee get an SEC win? This is a huge game for Jeremy Pruitt who if he wins this it won’t matter how bad Tennessee plays the rest of the year. The fans will probably give him a pass. The Tennessee offense looked awful last week but maybe just maybe they were looking ahead to this week. Florida hasn’t really beaten anyone good yet and I’m not sure Tennessee is good but give me the Gators minus the points.
12.KANSAS STATE @ WEST VIRGINIA
Bernie Lomax goes to West Virginia for Weekend At Bernies 4. I like the sound of that. Kansas State is a weird team the older Snyder gets the more I feel the team takes time to develop. The Wildcats struggled against Mississippi State but that was week 2 and if you start slow that’s kind of what happens. West Virginia is coming off a bye week because the hurricane canceled the NC State game. This is the Mountaineers chance to really shine.
11.SOUTH CAROLINA @ VANDERBILT
Maybe I’m overrating this game because Vanderbilt looked much better than I expected last week. Perhaps they will contend with South Carolina. Carolina is coming off a bye week so the team is just 1-1 with the one win coming over Coastal Carolina. Give me the Gamecocks minus the points here.
10.MICHIGAN STATE @ INDIANA
Okay, Michigan State lets see if you wake up after the bye week. Okay, Indiana lets see if you guys are really going to be legit this year and make a serious run. Regardless of whatever happens we’ll be more educated on the Big 10 after this game.
9.TEXAS TECH @ OKLAHOMA STATE
Oh man. I just feel sorry for the defenses. These games are always straight shootouts with tons of offense and I have a feeling this one will be much more of the same.
8.GEORGIA @ MISSOURI
Okay, Drew Lock, you came back for your senior season now is the time to have the game of your life. Georgia is loaded but haven’t faced a QB as good as Lock. Can Mizzou make this thing a game?
7.NEBRASKA @ MICHIGAN
This is only the 7th best game if Martinez plays. If not it could be one of the worst rated games haha. I think Martinez is going to play but who knows how healthy he’ll be. Michigan struggled on offense against SMU during the entire 1st half. If they do that again and Martinez is healthy they could be in for a game.
6.MISSISSIPPI STATE @ KENTUCKY
The last time there was a huge game in Lexington it was last year against Florida and Kentucky forgot to cover a wide receiver on a 4th and goal late in the game. Hopefully, they’ve learned from that. This is must-watch TV. Miss State could be a contender in the West. This is a big test.
5.FLORIDA ATLANTIC @ CENTRAL FLORIDA (FRI)
I gotta admit I just like the two mid-major football schools that had double-digit wins last year go head to head story. I feel like this could be a big game for some fertile recruiting grounds. FAU is 2-1 and well UCF hasn’t lost a game since 2016.
4.TEXAS A&M @ ALABAMA
This is 27 point spread! I know Alabama looks amazing but Texas A&M has talent. 27 points? I’m sorry but I’m taking the points. Bama gets the win but only by 14.
3.STANFORD @ OREGON
Who knows how good Oregon is. They’ve literally played the easier schedule out of all 130 teams throughout the first 3 weeks. Jim Leavitt is the Ducks DC and one thing I know about Leavitt is normally when year 2 comes the defense makes amazing strides and they become legit. Well, this happens to be Leavitt’s 2nd season in Eugene. Bryce Love is healthy. Something must give. Can’t wait for this one.
2.WISCONSIN @ IOWA
Two teams that are somewhat mirror images of themselves. Wisconsin’s offense hasn’t been what I thought it would be. Iowa’s defense has been better than I thought it would be. This game is going to be a great one.
1.TCU @ TEXAS
TCU really should of beat Ohio State but they made too many mistakes through special teams and turnovers. Texas finally woke up and beat up a USC team that looks like they may have their work cut out for them if they want to go bowling. This is must-watch TV.
