College Football 2021: 5 bold predictions and best picks for Week 3
4. The best game of Week 3 will be Auburn vs. Penn State
The nation’s top scoring offense meets one of the best defensive team’s in the country in this prime-time game Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The first big game of the Bryan Harsin era is finally here. While his No. 22 Auburn Tigers (2-0) have put up huge numbers on offense. While Auburn is averaging 61 points per game, it’s been against Akron and Alabama State — not exactly perennial powerhouses. This game will be a useful indicator to see if the Tigers faithful made the right hire in bringing Harsin to lead their program to prominence.
Penn State looked poised when it handed then-ranked No. 12 Wisconsin a 16-10 loss in Week 1. You can expect this Penn State Football team to apply constant pressure to junior quarterback Bo Nix of Auburn. The Nittany Lions defense has already forced four interceptions this season.
Expect Penn State to leverage home field advantage to secure a victory over this SEC school in the best college football game of Week 3.
Honorable mention: Michigan State vs. Miami will be the best game this week
Michigan State (2-0) will head to Miami to take on No. 24 Miami (1-1). All eyes will be on the Spartans’ junior running back Kenneth Walker III after he’s gotten off to an electric start to the season. Walker has rushed for 321 yards and racked up five touchdowns on 30 carries through the first two games of the season.
The ‘Canes will be motivated to make a statement after squeaking out a 25-23 win against Appalachian State football in Week 2. The Spartans, however, will be a much tougher matchup for the Hurricanes.
The Miami Hurricanes are currently ranked 111th in points allowed per game, surrendering 33.5 points per game. The Spartans are one of the highest scoring teams in the country at 40 points per game, good enough for 27th out of 130 FBS teams this season. So far, Miami has only been able to average 19 points a game. Expect Michigan State football to beat the ranked Hurricanes in a convincing win Sept. 18 at 12 p.m. ET on ABC.