College Football Week 3 Picks: Michigan State over Notre Dame

Each Monday, WhatIfSports.com's NCAA college football simulation engine will provide you with game predictions for every D-1 FBS game that upcoming week. The college football simulation engine generates detailed information for each game including each team's chances of winning (Win%) and the average points scored for both teams.

Make sure to share the college football information you gained here with your friends by either checking out our NCAA football widgets on the WhatIf To Go page or clicking on the social networking share bar at the top and bottom of this article.

Check out our 2012 College Football Season-to-Date page to follow our accuracy and for Upsets of the Week available on Wednesdays.

The statistical inputs to the thousands of college football simulations are based on rigorous analysis of each team's roster, depth charts and statistically based player rankings. Roster modifications are made in cases of injury or suspension and those players are removed from their team's game simulation for that week.

Game of the Week: Notre Dame at Michigan State

Brian Kelly insists there is no quarterback controversy in South Bend. This despite the Notre Dame head coach pulling redshirt quarterback Everett Golson in favor of Tommy Rees for the game-winning drive last Saturday against Purdue.

Golson was 21-31 for 289 yards and a touchdown prior to being yanked. However, the Irish struggled to get the offense clicking against the Boilermakers (they only rushed for 52 yards as a team with a fumble). It’s not like Rees, 3-8 for 35 yards, transformed into John Elway that final drive. At the end of the day, the Irish are 2-0 with their first win of the season coming in a contest across the pond in Dublin, Ireland over Navy.

Granted, it’s only two games and one came against an in-state foe from the Mid-American Conference, but the Spartans do boast a Top 10 defense (225.5 yards allowed per game). They’ve gone two weeks without allowing an offensive touchdown.

Wins over Boise State and Central Michigan have been paced by running back Le’Veon Bell on offense. Those who bleed green and white were calling for Bell to be named a Heisman Trophy finalist after Week 1. He’s rushed 62 times for 480 yards (4.5 YPC) with four touchdowns this season.

Quarterback Andrew Maxwell, trying to shake off comparisons to Kirk Cousins, has started the season 42-69 for 523 with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

We simulated the Spartans and Irish 101 times and it’s Sparty coming out ahead 59.4 percent of the time by an average score of 24-22.

College Football Week 3
Matchup	Win%	Avg Score
North Carolina Central Eagles	5.0	7	Boxscore
@ Duke Blue Devils	95.0	45
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Miami (FL) Hurricanes	95.0	48
Furman Paladins	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Clemson Tigers	95.0	52
South Alabama Jaguars	6.9	14	Boxscore
@ North Carolina State Wolfpack	93.1	35
Wake Forest Demon Deacons	25.7	20	Boxscore
@ Florida State Seminoles	74.3	27
Virginia Cavaliers	38.6	23	Boxscore
@ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	61.4	26
Connecticut Huskies	55.0	20	Boxscore
@ Maryland Terrapins	45.0	19
Stony Brook Seawolves	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Syracuse Orange	95.0	45
Delaware State Hornets	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Cincinnati Bearcats	95.0	46
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	38.6	18	Boxscore
@ South Florida Bulls	61.4	22
North Carolina Tar Heels	38.6	22	Boxscore
@ Louisville Cardinals	61.4	25
Virginia Tech Hokies	76.2	27	Boxscore
@ Pittsburgh Panthers	23.8	17
Northern Iowa Panthers	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Iowa Hawkeyes	95.0	47
Massachusetts Minutemen	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Michigan Wolverines	95.0	35
Charleston Southern Buccaneers	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Illinois Fighting Illini	95.0	42
Arkansas State Red Wolves	12.9	21	Boxscore
@ Nebraska Cornhuskers	87.1	32
Eastern Michigan Eagles	13.9	15	Boxscore
@ Purdue Boilermakers	86.1	29
Utah State Aggies	26.2	20	Boxscore
@ Wisconsin Badgers	73.8	29
California Golden Bears	34.2	22	Boxscore
@ Ohio State Buckeyes	65.8	28
Ball State Cardinals	37.6	23	Boxscore
@ Indiana Hoosiers	62.4	28
Boston College Eagles	38.1	21	Boxscore
@ Northwestern Wildcats	61.9	26
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	40.6	22	Boxscore
@ Michigan State Spartans	59.4	24
Navy Midshipmen	43.6	21	Boxscore
@ Penn State Nittany Lions	56.4	22
Western Michigan Broncos	44.6	25	Boxscore
@ Minnesota Golden Gophers	55.4	28
Morgan State Bears	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Akron Zips	95.0	31
Bowling Green Falcons	39.6	24	Boxscore
@ Toledo Rockets	60.4	28
South Carolina State Bulldogs	5.0	9	Boxscore
@ Arizona Wildcats	95.0	53
Portland State Vikings	5.0	9	Boxscore
@ Washington Huskies	95.0	50
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles	5.0	7	Boxscore
@ Oregon Ducks	95.0	57
Houston Cougars	36.1	25	Boxscore
@ UCLA Bruins	63.9	30
Brigham Young Cougars	60.4	23	Boxscore
@ Utah Utes	39.6	20
USC Trojans	76.2	32	Boxscore
@ Stanford Cardinal	23.8	24
Florida Atlantic Owls	5.0	10	Boxscore
@ Georgia Bulldogs	95.0	38
Idaho Vandals	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ LSU Tigers	95.0	38
Presbyterian Blue Hose	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Vanderbilt Commodores	95.0	43
UAB Blazers	12.9	14	Boxscore
@ South Carolina Gamecocks	87.1	30
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks	20.8	21	Boxscore
@ Auburn Tigers	79.2	30
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	28.2	17	Boxscore
@ Kentucky Wildcats	71.8	24
Arizona State Sun Devils	51.5	27	Boxscore
@ Missouri Tigers	48.5	26
Florida Gators	55.9	20	Boxscore
@ Tennessee Volunteers	44.1	18
Alabama Crimson Tide	65.8	27	Boxscore
@ Arkansas Razorbacks	34.2	21
Texas Longhorns	75.7	26	Boxscore
@ Mississippi Rebels	24.3	16
Rice Owls	34.7	25	Boxscore
@ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	65.3	29
Colorado State Rams	44.6	22	Boxscore
@ San Jose State Spartans	55.4	24
Northern Illinois Huskies	56.9	22	Boxscore
@ Army Black Knights	43.1	20
Western Illinois Leathernecks	5.0	9	Boxscore
@ Iowa State Cyclones	95.0	48
James Madison Dukes	5.0	8	Boxscore
vs. West Virginia Mountaineers	95.0	59
New Mexico Lobos	5.0	18	Boxscore
@ Texas Tech Red Raiders	95.0	36
Sam Houston State Bearkats	5.0	8	Boxscore
@ Baylor Bears	95.0	48
North Texas Mean Green	12.9	17	Boxscore
@ Kansas State Wildcats	87.1	32
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns	23.8	23	Boxscore
@ Oklahoma State Cowboys	76.2	34
TCU Horned Frogs	87.1	32	Boxscore
@ Kansas Jayhawks	12.9	20
Nicholls Colonels	5.0	9	Boxscore
@ Tulsa Golden Hurricane	95.0	46
FIU Golden Panthers	30.7	24	Boxscore
@ UCF Knights	69.3	29
East Carolina Pirates	32.7	22	Boxscore
@ Southern Miss Golden Eagles	67.3	27
New Mexico State Aggies	42.6	25	Boxscore
@ UTEP Miners	57.4	29
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders	54.5	25	Boxscore
@ Memphis Tigers	45.5	23
Ohio Bobcats	60.9	27	Boxscore
@ Marshall Thundering Herd	39.1	24
Texas A&M Aggies	79.2	28	Boxscore
@ Southern Methodist Mustangs	20.8	19
Northwestern State Demons	5.0	6	Boxscore
@ Nevada Wolf Pack	95.0	47
North Dakota Fighting Sioux	5.0	6	Boxscore
@ San Diego State Aztecs	95.0	45
Lamar Cardinals	5.0	7	Boxscore
@ Hawaii Warriors	95.0	42
Cal Poly Mustangs	5.0	7	Boxscore
@ Wyoming Cowboys	95.0	43
Miami (OH) RedHawks	17.8	20	Boxscore
@ Boise State Broncos	82.2	30
Colorado Buffaloes	28.7	21	Boxscore
@ Fresno State Bulldogs	71.3	25
Washington State Cougars	87.1	30	Boxscore
@ UNLV Rebels	12.9	15
Mississippi State Bulldogs	90.1	32	Boxscore
@ Troy Trojans	9.9	17
Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners	95.0	33	Boxscore
@ Georgia State Panthers	5.0	9