College Football KnowItAll: Week 3 Predictions

Welcome to Week 3 College Football fans! We had a wild Week 2, full of crazy games and upsets, so I'll share my thoughts on those ahead of my Week 3 Predictions slate. The Huskers were part of that wild week with a 28-10 beat down of the Buffaloes in Memorial. I've got a full breakdown of that game from what I saw and what to watch for in the coming weeks. Let's dive into my reflections from Week 2 and predictions for Week 3.

The Huskers hosted Colorado for an evening rivalry game in Memorial Stadium, and the much anticipated game lived up to they hype. The stadium atmosphere was rocking, Husker fans had plenty to cheer about and for the first time since my Junior year of college, Nebraska is 2-0. This breakdown will highlight some key points of the game I saw by using my GOOD, EXPECTED and BAD categories.

GOOD - First half Huskers and the 4th Quarter Light Show. From opening the game on a 3 & Out with a sack to finishing the half with a score in the final two minutes to go up 28-0, the Huskers were a dominant force unlike one we've seen in years during the first half of Saturday's game. The offense commanded the line of scrimmage, running the ball really well and once again, Dylan made the throws. My full nod of the first half goes to the Blackshirts though. From the jump, Nebraska was all over Shedeur Sanders. Tons of pressure combined with the pursuit and coverage of the backers and secondary led to the shut out. Nebraska came out to prove a point in this game, and did not disappoint in the opening half of this game. I also want to give a shoutout to my friends at HuskerVision and the Athletics Marketing team. Night games at Memorial Stadium are special no matter what, but the new 4th Quarter Light Show with the drones, fire and everything else, one of the absolute spectacles in college football. Everyone should experience a night game at Memorial Stadium.

EXPECTED - Struggles on Special Teams and very questionable officiating. I'm not one to complain about officials often, but there were some very frustrating flags thrown (and not thrown) last Saturday. There was a flag on nearly every play for probably 8 or 9 straight, but the officiating needs to be cleaned up. Both for Colorado and Nebraska, there were some pretty bad calls on both sides. As for the Special Teams, the Huskers need some help. Kick Return hasn't done much, but the bigger issue still lies with kicking. Field Goals are absolutely out of the question right now, and how can no one kick the football into the endzone for a touchback on a D-1 football team?

BAD - The second half Huskers and the Colorado culture. Nebraska did fall flat in the second half of their game last Saturday, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I really feel that the play calling from Satterfield became very conservative, and after the hype of the first half, it was a frustrating set of series to watch. I think this team still has a lot to learn about putting a full game together, but keeping the foot on the gas in a game like this would have been nice to see. Especially to break Colorado even more. Watching this team up close and reading more news about their locker room and practice cultures, it's just sickening. Deion has the flash and all the cameras on them, but they hype around what this program can do, it's over. I don't think there's much steak with this sizzle, and I am perfectly happy watching this ship go down in flames.

Week 2 Record: 13 - 8

Overal Record: 27 - 12

Week 3 Predictions:

#4 Alabama at Wisconsin

The Tide travel to Camp Randall to take on the Badgers in an SEC/BIG 10 battle. The Badgers have been a bit underwhelming under Luke Fickell, but a big opportunity to make a statement is set up with Bama being a home game. The Badgers done what they needed to, by beating both Western Michigan and South Dakota so far this season, but neither game has looked great. Alabama's offense hasn't followed off much with Kalen DeBoer now at the helm, and they've looked strong in their first two outings. This is a real test for him as the guy after Saban though, especially on the road. Bama puts a lot of points on the board, and even with a few stops, I'm not sure the Badgers can keep pace on offense. Give me Jalen Milroe and the Tide to have a big game and win 34-14 on the road.

#16 LSU at South Carolina

College Gameday heads down to Columbia, South Carolina as the Tigers take on the Gamecocks in an SEC battle. LSU is looking for a statement win after the opening loss to USC a couple of weeks ago, and South Carolina is looking to move out of the shadows if they can knock off a ranked team for the first time since Husker OC Marcus Satterfield was calling plays for them at the end of 2022. The Gamecocks looked dominant last week in their 31-6 road win over the heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats, and people are starting to wonder if Shane Beamer is starting to put things together. LSU is still looking for a ground game as RB John Emery Jr. tore his ACL in that USC loss. Defensively is where this game gets interesting as the Tigers are very quick in pursuit of the ball, but the Gamecocks practically live in the opponents backfield. South Carolina racked up 11 tackles for loss against Kentucky, and without a run game to keep them honest, they could put up similar numbers against LSU. I would love to see South Carolina come out and thump the Tigers, and I'm not completely out on that possibility. However, LSU is more established in recent college football powers, so I'll need one more game of proof before I'm buying stock on South Carolina. Give me the Tigers in a tough one on the road, 24-20.

#24 Boston College at #6 Missouri

The only ranked vs ranked matchup we have in Week 3 takes place in the other Columbia of SEC country, Mizzou. The [Mizzou] Tigers are ranked 6th in the nation and have yet to give up a point in the 2024 season. However, their competition has been very lackluster as opposed to Bill O'Brien's fighting Eagles. Most everyone is aware that Mizzou has one of the best receivers in the land with Luther Burden III, and better yet, Senior QB Brady Cook is there to throw it to him. BC rocked Florida State pretty well, and followed it up with a 56-0 performance over Duquesne, but Mizzou's offense is no joke. This one should be a very fun game to watch, but give me the Tigers at home 31-27. Fun fact, Boston College has won the only meeting between these teams just a few years ago in 2021.

#9 Oregon at Oregon State (The Civil War)

In my head, this is a long road trip for the Ducks because they're part of the BIG 10 now, but in reality it's just over 170 miles. Regardless of distance, we've got one of College Football's classic rivalries set as the Beavers host the Ducks for the Civil War. First and foremost, THANK YOU to both of these programs for continuing the Rivalry and keeping it on the schedule. It will be hard not having his during Rivalry Week, but it's better than losing it, so I'll count that as a win. Oregon State doesn't have much available in terms of statement wins, so beating their rival would be a big boost to one of the programs left behind. The Ducks have not been overly impressive to start the season, and narrowly escaped the Bronco's out of Boise State last week. Dillon Gabriel needs to get this offense in gear if they want to make a run at the BIG 10 Conference Title and the playoffs. Should be a good one, but Oregon State has been ripped apart too much so give me the Ducks 37-28.

Washington State at Washington (The Apple Cup)

Again, it's weird seeing this game in Week 3 rather than the last game of the season, but at least we have it. The Apple Cup Rivalry, much like the Civil War Rivalry, features one of the new BIG 10 members against their forgotten brother from the PAC 12. The Huskies' defense has looked impressive early on, and unfortunately that's one of the areas Wazzu tends to struggle. Both squads should air raid quite a bit in this one, and it could be fairly high scoring. I like Jedd Fisch in this matchup though. Dubs win it over the Cougars 33-27.

West Virginia at Pitt (Backyard Brawl)

West Virginia and Pitt meet for the Backyard Brawl Rivalry, and this should be an entertaining one during the afternoon slot. The Mountaineers are looking to build their momentum back after the opening week loss to Penn State, and no better chance to do that than against a rival. Pitt had a back and forth game against the Bearcats of Cincy last week, but won 28-27. This one should be a fairly close game as both teams are evenly matched. Pitt WR, Konata Mumpfield, is my key player to watch in this one. West Virginia had a tough time matching up with Penn State's receivers throughout the course of the game, and even though he's not the biggest receiver, Mumpfield has 10 catches for 179 yards and 3 TDs so far this season, so you don't want to lose contain on him. I'm anxious to see both teams prove themselves in this one, but give me Pitt at home. Panthers are a bit sneaky this year and WVU needs to step up to win this game. I'd love to see them prove me wrong, but right now I'm taking the Panthers 27-24.

FIU at FAU (Shula Bowl)

Just 59 miles of Atlantic Coastal Highway separate these South Florida rivals, and for just over 20 years, the Shula Bowl featuring the Don Shula Trophy has taken place. Both Florida Atlantic and Florida International had coaching ties to the great Don Shula when their programs were first started, so the tradition was built. FAU has dominated this series, winning 16 out of the 21 meetings, including the last 6. Their high flying offenses under Lane Kiffin and Glenn Spencer put up a lot of points that the Panthers could not answer. The two teams did not play last season, but FIU has some new swagger now with international music artist Pitbull in their corner. They opened their new stadium with a 52-16 win over Central Michigan last week, and FAU has started 0-2. It might be the hype of Mr. Worldwide hitting me, but I'm going with the Panthers, I think they're going to have a good year, plus their secondary is full of ballhawks. Against Central Michigan, 8 pass deflections and 5 picks. Cam Fancher has already thrown 3 picks in 2 games for FAU, so turnovers will be the difference. DALE FIU! Panthers win 34-21.

Colorado at Colorado State (Rocky Mountain Showdown)

The Rocky Mountain Showdown between Colorado and Colorado State takes place in Fort Collins this year, and the Buffs need to win badly. Last year's game was a double OT thriller that resulted in favor of the Buffs. It was one of the early season hype games that had most everyone believing Deion and crew were ready for big time ball. This game also had a lot of talk back and forth last year, so I'm anxious to see how this chapter shakes out. CSU was primed to be a better team this year after finishing 5-7 last year, but an opening shutout against Texas and a mediocre performance against Northern Colorado do have some people scratching their heads. The players are talking though, and they say this is a revenge game they won't miss on. As for the Buffaloes, the hype train is running off the tracks quite quickly as they rank dead last (134th) in the nation in rushing offense and have given up 7 sacks in 2 games. Shedeur has not looked great apart from a few deep shots and with no push on either line of scrimmage, this team is starting to implode. The locker room stories have not been helpful for Deion, so a win would quiet things down tremendously. I did say CSU would go bowling this year, and beating Colorado would be a big one to get there. I'm not sure I trust either team much, but having seen the Boulder boys up close, I like CSU. If you have any concept of a ground game, there's not much more you need to do in order to win. Plus, as stated many times before, I like seeing Colorado lose. Rams 30, Buffaloes 27.

Northern Iowa at Nebraska

The Huskers host Northern Iowa for another night game in Lincoln and after a big game like Colorado, I'm looking to see if this team can come back down to earth, get focused and win the way they are supposed to in a game like this. Northern Iowa is an FCS school, and should be treated as such. This is a tune up game ahead of conference play for the Huskers, and should allow a chance for the backups to play again. I want to see a football team that understands the assignment and uses this game to fix some of the mistakes from the first couple weeks. Fix your blocking assignments you missed, fix the run gaps you missed, fix the secondary break downs, score some points in the second half and for the love of all things football, FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN KICK. Nebraska has too many weapons not to drop another 40+ in this game the way they have played, but I'm sure Matt Rhule is on board when I say this is a good time to put together a clean game. Huskers flex a little bit and win easy going into a short week against Illinois. Nebraska 42, Northern Iowa 7.

Quick Hit Predictions:

Memphis at Florida State - Statement for Memphis, and I'm out on FSU right now. Tigers win 30-24.

Tulane at #15 Oklahoma - Sooners need to get their offense in gear, Oklahoma 28, Tulane 20.

#18 Notre Dame at Purdue - Fighting Irish rebound, win this one 33-17.

Texas A&M at Florida - I honestly don't know what this game will look like. Aggies 34-24?

Toledo at Mississippi State - Don't sleep on the Rockets, but the Bulldogs have little issue here, 45-17.

#1 Georgia at Kentucky - This is could be an easy overlook game, but Georgia handles business 35-7.

The Perfect Parlay:

1. Coastal Carolina -18 over Temple. The Owls do not have much to say about football this season and my beloved Chants have a high-powered offense with quite a few weapons. Even on the road I would take the points here.

2. Ole Miss -21.5 over Wake Forest. The Rebels put up points and never stop it seems. Plus the Demon Deacons gave up a 17 point half time lead to lose to Virginia last week and over 350 yards passing. Easy pickings for Ole Miss to go above 3 TDs when they've outscored opponents 128-3 in the first few weeks.

3. New Mexico +28 against Auburn. I'm not calling an outright here, but a Superdog pick is a good one as the Lobos have been fighters in both their games. Auburn just flopped at home to Cal with 14 points and 4 scores is a lot to trust Peyton Thorne with. Give me the Lobos to cover!

Thanks for reading my Husker Game 2 reflections and the mini rivalry week predictions for Week 3! I hope you all have a fantastic Saturday of College Football and GO BIG RED!