Week 3 of college football is here and it’s going to be a good one. Here is one bold prediction for every top 25 team. Too bold? Or not bold enough?
See Also: How did the Week 2 bold predictions turn out?
The nature of this post is boldness. We’re not going to hit on all 25 calls every week, but a few of the more shocking results will be foretold in these picks.
What went right? Last week we nailed Lamar Jackson‘s terrific outing against North Carolina and were one acrobatic touchdown away from correctly calling a Kansas State shutout. LSU recorded three more quarters without allowing a touchdown, not four. But all in all, not too shabby.
On the “whoops” side, last week we called for a Notre Dame win over Georgia at home, Luke Falk to have a banner day and Stanford to best USC. What about Week 3? Here are 25 bold predictions for the Top 25 this week.
Bold prediction: This is the week that Josh Rosen‘s luck runs out. The senior quarterback has been nothing short of spectacular in his first two games throwing for 820 yards, nine touchdowns and no interception. He throws two picks away from home, the second coming in a one-score game in the fourth quarter. The Bruins escape with the win, but Rosen does not play well.
Bold prediction: The Gators will find some offense, sort of. Through four quarters, Florida has yet to score an offensive touchdown. They scratch across four against the Volunteers on Saturday – two via Feleipe Franks‘ passes and two more from Malik Zaire runs.
Bold prediction: Butch Jones joins the hot seat conversation. What’s more “Tennessee” than to follow a fantastic overtime victory with an inexplicable loss? Not much. The Gator offense is not good, and there isn’t even much confidence that more suspensions are out of the question, still Tennessee won’t be able to move the ball against Florida. Turnovers doom them early and this one is out of reach quickly.
Bold prediction: USF gets its signature win. If there is any hope of a New Year’s Six Bowl (and technically a berth in the College Football Playoff), the Bulls need to go undefeated. The Bulls face their only Power-5 opponent of the year this weekend and do everything they can to make it a memorable game. Quinton Flowers runs away with this one, literally, sending the Bulls to 3-0.
Bold prediction: Luke Falk bounces back. After being benched for poor playing during a wild win over Boise State in Week 2, the Washington State leader in career passing yardage lights up a beleaguered Beavers secondary. Four touchdowns, 400 yards and no picks for Falk in an easy win for the Cougars.
Bold prediction: Kenny Hill doesn’t throw a pick. Not bold enough for you? Hill has thrown at least one interception in 16 of his last 20 games. That’s an 80 percent clip. This is one of his not-worse weeks, but that’s only because the Horned Frogs stick to the script and run the football like crazy, gashing SMU on the ground all game long.
Bold prediction: Stanford narrowly avoids an upset. Falling the way they did to the USC Trojans a week ago is going to take an emotional toll on this Cardinal squad. A road trip to San Diego State is not the best time to regroup. The Aztecs are one of the best teams in the Mountain West and they’re going to give the Cardinal everything they can handle. Stanford trails at half but gets things together, winning this one in way-too-close-for-comfort fashion.
Bold prediction: Kansas State quietly takes care of business. Bill Synder’s team never has the hoorah around it that Oklahoma, Texas or even Oklahoma State does year after year. The Wildcats will travel to SEC country and pick up a win in which they never feel threatened. The national media doesn’t take notice and there isn’t a SportsCenter Top 10 play, but that’s just fine with Synder and Co.
Postponed
Bold prediction: The Hokies obliterate ECU. The Pirates opened their season with a loss to James Madison, then West Virginia’s Will Grier threw for five touchdowns against them in Week 2. Virginia Tech joins the party as seven different Hokies score touchdowns in a route that sees backup quarterback AJ Bush throw the final touchdown pass.
Bold prediction: Tigers rush for 500 yards. If there’s anything that Auburn is supposed to do it’s run the football. The Tigers were held in check by the Clemson defense averaged an astounding 0.9 yards per carry (with sacks). Lead running back Kamryn Pettway didn’t fare much better, averaging just 3.3 yard per carry. Auburn torches Mercer on the ground in a get-right game of epic proportions.
Bold prediction: Lamar Jackson gets five touchdowns, no turnovers, but still loses. This is going to be a Heisman worthy game for Jackson. Because it will come in a losing effort, its greatness won’t be full realized until later in the season. However, when the race is coming to an end people will look back at remember the only man who was able to lay a finger on the mighty Clemson defense. At the very least, this game is going to ensure his second trip to New York City.
Bold prediction: Jake Fromm has his best day yet, throwing for three touchdowns and 250 yards. After earning a victory in South Bend in his first career start last weekend, Fromm is finally going to get the chance to settle in to the offense. More practice time and chemistry that has built up over the past weeks will be on display as the Bulldogs easily dispatch of Samford, but not without the help of Fromm who confidently leads the Bulldogs down the field repeatedly.
Bold prediction: Derrius Guice becomes the player to beat in the Heisman race. Despite the award being dominated by quarterbacks in recent history, Guice’s performance against Mississippi State is going to have people dropping their jaws in amazement. He breaks his own school rushing record and tacks on three touchdowns in a trouncing of the home team.
Postponed
Bold prediction: The Badgers shutout BYU. The Wisconsin defense is elite. BYU’s offense is pathetic. Those two together in one game spell trouble for the hometown Cougars. BYU is averaging 6.3 points per game. After Saturday that number will fall to 4.8 points per game and people start having to refresh the box scores out of a concern that they’ve accidentally pulled the stat sheet for BYU’s backup point guard on the basketball team.
Bold prediction: Oklahoma State scores two touchdowns each quarter. In Week 2, Penn State let Pitt hang around. Even if it was for just a short moment, the Panthers were able to control the clock and run the football. Pitt is able to move the ball, but Oklahoma State counters with a quick touchdown after every Panther drive. Before long Pitt gives up hope and starts to take to the air with very little success.
Bold prediction: J.T. Barrett has more turnovers than touchdowns, again. Last week Barrett struggled mightily against Oklahoma. The Buckeyes’ starting quarterback was 19-of-35 for 183 yards and an interception with 66 yards rushing. He did not get into the endzone. With questions surrounding the legitimacy of his claim to the starting job, Barrett lays another dud against an Army team and the chatter gets louder.
Bold prediction: Wilton Speight leads a fourth quarter comeback. He might not be the best passer in the Big Ten, but there’s something about Speight that gives me confidence that he’s going to find a way to get it done. It’s going to be another ugly win for the Wolverines this weekend, but head coach Jim Harbaugh will be more encouraged than ever as Speight drives the length of the field to put the maize and blue in front by seven with time ticking down.
Bold prediction: Myles Gaskin rushes for 200 yards. Everyone knows how good Jake Browning is, but people are sleeping on his backfield mate Myles Gaskin. Fresno State was pounded by thee different Alabama running backs last weekend and Jalen Hurts, ceding 305 yards on the ground to the Tide. Gaskin is going to keep the train running, doubling the century mark against the Bulldogs.
Bold prediction: Penn State defense scores twice. Quarterback Trace McSorely has had some moments, and so has running back Saquon Barkley. But what about the defense? The Nittany Lions prove they’re a complete football team by taking two turnovers back the other way against Georgia State.
Bold prediction: Trojans beat Texas by 50 points. Entering this game all the talk will be centered around Tom Herman‘s penchant for major upsets. His Houston team beat Lamar Jackson, why can’t his Texas team beat Southern Cal? Because they’re in different universes. The Trojans absolutely crushed a very good Stanford defense last week. They’re going to run all over Texas. It’s going to be a momentum crushing blowout for the Horns.
Bold prediction: Clemson becomes the national championship favorite. It’s somewhat hard to believe that the defending National Champions had to earn their way back into the season, but after Week 3 is done they’ll once again be on top of the mountain. Clemson will then have victories over Auburn and Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson. No school in the country has a pair of wins that impressive. Kelly Bryant will toss a couple of touchdowns and start to hear his name being mentioned among the nation’s best quarterbacks.
Bold prediction: Kyler Murray rushes for a touchdown and throws for a touchdown. That’s how one-sided this one is going to be. The Sooners disposed of UTEP 56-7 in Week 1, allowing Murray a good amount of playing time in which he went 10-for-11 for 149 yards and a passing touchdown. He’ll exceed all of those marks this weekend in another landslide victory for Oklahoma.
Bold prediction: Jalen Hurts has 200 yards passing, 200 yards rushing and two touchdowns. For a guy that took his team to the National Championship game a year ago, he sure does have a lot of doubters. He’ll take one more step to silence them with a complete performance against a solid Colorado State team. He won’t be asked to win the game, but he will show that he can make every throw he needs to and more the ball down the field with ease.
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While Week 3 might lack some of the marquee matchups of Week 2 there are still plenty of intriguing matchups worth keeping tabs on. Texas and USC, regardless of the final outcome, is going to be on my tv at some point as will UCLA against Memphis and Kansas State’s trip to Vanderbilt. It’s college football people, and it’s going to be another great weekend.