Week 3 Predictions

     Alright football fans, it's Week 3 for College Football and I've got another great slate of games to analyze and make predictions on! I'll be up in the KRNU Radio Press Box for this game as I will be serving as our spotter for the school's radio broadcast. Thanks for reading and enjoy my predictions!

Week 2 Prediction Results: 6-5
Season Prediction Results To Date: 10-11


BYU at #6 Wisconsin

     The Cougars suffered a tough loss at home last week to Cal and will look to bounce back by traveling to Mad-town to take on the Badgers in Camp Randall. This is not the ideal game to "bounce back" with, but you've gotta play who's on your schedule. Wisconsin tends to start slow, but once they find their footing, the Badgers are nearly impossible to stop. Johnathan Taylor has nearly 400 rushing yards and 5 TDs so far this season, in just two games. Alex Hornibrook will have his hands full against a tough BYU defense. The Cougars play with a lot of physicality and really fly to the ball. I think Wisconsin should be steady in this one though, BYU gave up 174 yards on the ground to Cal last week, and Wisconsin is actually a running team! Badgers win 48-23.


#12 LSU at #7 Auburn

     The Tigers of the SEC West are set to clash with the other Tigers of the SEC West as Coach O and crew travel to Auburn. LSU really looked impressive in their opener against Miami, but the jury is still out on how Miami will really be this season. This will be a true test for Coach O and the Bayou Bengals in my opinion. Gus Malzhan will have his offense humming as they average nearly 500 yards per game, and I expect Jarrett Stidham to have a big night. Joe Burrow will be in a hostile environment when he steps into Jordan Hare stadium, and I'm not convinced he has full command of the offense yet. This is an intriguing game to watch because both defenses are very tough to break through, with loads of talent across the board. I expect a good fight out of this game, but I think home field advantage wins out. The AUBURN Tigers win it 26-14.


#17 Boise State at #24 Oklahoma State

     Expect the scoreboard to light up when these two teams take the field this afternoon, Boise State and Oklahoma State have two of the most high-powered offenses in the nation. Neither team has faced much competition so far this season, but that hasn't stopped QBs Brett Rypien (BSU) and Taylor Cornelius (OSU) from racking up the stats. This will definitely be a quarterback dual type game as Rypien has passed for 667 yards with 7 TDs and 0 interceptions and Cornelius has 728 yards with 6 TDs and 3 picks. The interceptions will be key to watch because Rypien's experience as a starter gives him a significant edge. I think that could be the difference maker and the Broncos come away with a big win in Stillwater! Boise State 50, Oklahoma State 38.


#22 USC at Texas

     Two traditional powerhouses stuck in mediocrity meet down in Austin as the Horns take on the Trojans of USC. This is a big game for both teams, not only because of the tradition, but simply because both teams suffered some bad losses early in the year and a win in this game would be a tremendous boost. The Trojans fell to a very good looking Stanford team last week 17-3 and now put JT Daniels on the road again into a tough, burnt orange arena. Daniels, like most true freshmen, really struggled on the road last week, completing just 47.1% of his passes and throwing 2 picks. Texas is still looking for its groove after losing their opening game on the road a Maryland (quite decisively) and then edging out Tulsa last week by 7. I'm still on the Sam Ehlinger train, but he's going to have to grow up quick this week. He really needs to cut back on the mistakes if he wants to keep his starting position, and USC's defense will be coming after him. This is a difficult game to pick because both teams have not impressed much this season. The atmosphere will be tough, but I'll give it to the Trojans on this one (partly because I cannot bring myself to pick Texas twice in three weeks). JT Daniels bounces back and the Trojan defense makes a couple of big plays to seal the victory. USC 34, Texas 20.


#10 Washington at Utah

     The Huskies are trying to recover from their Auburn loss, and nothing fixes that like a big conference win. They travel down to Salt Lake City to take on an upset-minded Utah team. The Utes haven't played a lot of great competition yet this year, but their defense has been very impressive thus far nonetheless. They've given up an average of just 8 points in their two games this season and just 143.5 total yards per game. Washington's offense is lead by one of the best QB-RB duo's in football with Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, so we'll see how tough the Utes defense is quite quickly. On the other side of the ball, Utah QB Tyler Huntley is the name to watch for. He's the big play-maker for the Utes, and he'll be going up against one of the best defenses in the country. Huntley is their best shot to win this game, but I think Gaskin will be too much in the end. Tough game, but Washington gets a big win down in Salt Lake City. Huskies 28, Utes 15.


#4 Ohio State vs. #15 TCU

    The final game of Urban Meyer's suspension could prove to be the most dangerous. The Horned Frogs of TCU have looked extremely explosive so far this season and have been waiting for this chance since the Buckeyes bumped them out of the inaugural College Football Playoffs. Ohio State has looked like Ohio State, blowing out their first two (cupcake) opponents and not having any issues. However, a road trip down to Texas in a hostile environment against a well-coached, upset-minded team is a good recipe for chaos. And we all know that there's nothing better in College Football than chaos! The key components to watch in this game are TCU's defensive line and how Ohio State deals with star Wide Receiver KaVontae Turpin. The Horned Frogs have 7 sacks this season already, and the Buckeye's haven't faced a pass rush like this yet in 2018. Look for TCU to bring lots of pressure to keep Dwayne Haskins off balance. On the other side, TCU QB Shawn Robinson has looked good thus far, and an effective ground game should make his life easier against the Buckeyes. The player to watch is #25 in purple however. KaVontae Turpin is arguably the fastest man in College Football. His play-making abilities on special teams makes him the Frogs' most dangerous weapon. Ohio State is going to have a tough time slowing him down. I've been feeling this upset all week long and I think Gary Patterson will have this team ready to go. Don't count out the Frogs yet from the CFB! TCU wins a big one, 37-31.


Troy at Nebraska

     Most coaches will always tell you that the greatest improvements for a team are typically made from week 1 to week 2. With the Huskers coming off of a tough loss to Colorado last week, I'm expecting to see this team really bring it come kickoff. Adrian Martinez is going to be a game time decision, so I would expect some Andrew Bunch action regardless of what is decided. I've been torn all week on my thoughts for this. On one hand, I would prefer Martinez to be healthy for Michigan, which would mean resting him. On the other hand, the kid has only played 3 1/2 quarters of football, so get him as much experience as possible. No matter what happens, Nebraska will run the ball like crazy today, especially after racking up 329 on the Buffs last week. This is a game Nebraska should be able to build a lead in, especially if the defense steps up again and continues to play well. Penalties should be a huge focus in this game, and hopefully cut down. There are still a lot of questions for this Husker team, so for now I'm just going to sit back and analyze. Nebraska gets Coach Frost his first victory by beating Troy 38 to 20.


Quick Hit Predictions

#5 Oklahoma at Iowa State- The Cyclones pulled off one of the biggest upsets in 2017 when they beat the Sooners in Norman, with a third string QB. Now that QB (Kyle Kempt) is questionable with an ankle injury and they'll have to lean on RB David Montgomery to get the offense moving after scoring just 3 points in their opener last week. Kyler Murray shouldn't have any issues and OU rolls this week. Sooners 45, Cyclones 17.

#1 Alabama at Ole Miss- The Tide travel to Oxford, MS to take on the "Landsharks" of Ole Miss. Bama is steamrolling everyone even more so now that Tua is in at QB. Ole Miss has struggled to slow down its opponents this season (gave up 41 to Southern Illinois last week), so their only chance to win is keeping pace in a shootout. That's not possible, but they keep it kinda close early on. Bama 45, Ole Miss 20.

Missouri at Purdue- This is a big game for Purdue and the BIG 10. As stated in my Week 2 Reflection post, the BIG 10 has not looked impressive in non-conference play so far this season, and Purdue being 0-2 and losing to Eastern Michigan last week did not help. This is a chance to start turning their season around and get a big win for the conference. The Boilermakers torched the Tigers last season in Columbia, but Drew Lock is looking for revenge. It pains me to do this, but I think the Tigers have this one. Missouri takes revenge and Drew Lock returns the torching. Tigers 42, Boilermakers 24.

Fresno State at UCLA- Could Chip Kelly get his first win as a Bruin this week? It's tough to say because a very tough and well coached Fresno State team walk into the Rose Bowl with plans of racking up some stats. There are a lot of issues in Pasadena, but I think Chip will get his team prepared for this one, UCLA pulls of a key win 30-27.

Thank you for reading my Week 3 predictions and enjoy all of the great games today! Look for me up in the Press Box and GO BIG RED!

#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando