Week 3 of College Football

Hello everyone, and welcome to week 3 of the college football season. Let’s look at some key matchups, and make some predictions. 

Ohio State travels to the U to play the Miami Hurricanes in a game that many people are calling "The Inelligibowl." With the NCAA coming out with their punishment of OSU later this season, and Miami's recent scandals, it is likely that neither team will be playing in the post season. This doesn't make the rematch any less exciting. Ohio State is coming off of a near upset against Toledo, where their special teams was weak, the offense was not productive, and the defense had poor fundamentals. Needless to say, they can’t play the same way this Saturday and expect to win.

The defense is young, and future starting quarter back Braxton Miller didn’t play last week. If Luke Fickell can utilize Miller, and the defense can avoid costly mistakes, Ohio State should win. Miami, on the other hand, is coming off of a loss to Maryland in week 1. The turnover prone Jacory Harris will be returning against the Buckeyes. Last year he threw several interceptions at crucial moments in the game against Ohio State. If Miami can limit turnovers, they have a chance.

Prediction: Ohio State wins 24-17
Note: Jordan Hall (RB) is returning to the starting lineup.

Boise State is battling Toledo this week, in the Glass Bowl of Toledo, Ohio. This game wouldn’t be so interesting if the Rockets didn’t almost shock the world in a 27-22 loss to the Buckeyes. The worst part of the loss last week, to Toledo, was that they shot themselves in the foot with over 100 yards of penalties. The Toledo defensive line controlled scrimmage against the Buckeyes, and their offense seemed to confuse the buckeye secondary. If Toledo can limit their mistakes, they can give the Broncos a run for their money. Unfortunately for the Rockets, Boise St. is led by one of the most accurate passers in college football, Kellen Moore. A front runner for the Heisman race, Kellen Moore dissected Georgia’s defense 2 weeks ago, completing 28 of 34 passes for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Bronco’s defense showed some sloppiness against Georgia, which can be a problem against a solid passing game in Toledo. If they can limit defensive mistakes, this game shouldn’t be a problem.

Prediction: Boise St. 42 Toledo 14

The Biggest game of the week is when #1 Oklahoma travels to Florida St. This is likely the biggest test for Oklahoma on their road to, possibly, their first championship in over a decade. Led by Heisman contender Landry Jones, Oklahoma has a lot of offensive firepower. Not much went wrong in their previous game against Tulsa, if they Landry can get the offense cooking I don’t think FSU will slow them down. FSU, on the other hand, is currently ranked fifth in the nation. Are the a legitimate contender? Is the question most people are asking, and this game will likely answer that question. They won their first 2 games by a combined score of 96-10, and their defense hasn’t made any mistakes in those two wins. If they can limit interceptions, of which EJ Manuel has thrown 2 so far, FSU has a chance to win the game.

Prediction: Oklahoma 24 Florida St. 20

Other game predictions:

Michigan St. vs Notre Dame. Notre Dame is looking to bounce back from an 0-2 start to the season, while the Spartans are looking to keep an undefeated season going.

Michigan St. 31 Notre Dame 10

West Virginia vs Maryland. A ranked WVU goes up against a Maryland team with high expectations.

Upset alert: Maryland 21 West Virginia 14