College Football Week 3: What To Watch for This Weekend

Although we expected week two to be among the most thrilling weeks of college football all season, blowouts turned in by favorites Oklahoma, Alabama, and in a sense, Ohio State, made for a somewhat non-eventful week for football fans. All three games were rematches of past national championships, in which Florida State, Penn State, and Miami (FL) were expected to give some of the current national powerhouses a run for their money early in the season. None of these games were really worth watching too closely come the 4th quarter. Despite the lack of marquee big-time match-ups in store for us this weekend, we could actually be in store for a much more interesting week of college football, as many teams will get the opportunity to separate themselves as a true contender or not. This article will examine each of the games I plan on watching this weekend.

Thursday Night: Cincinnati (1-1) at North Carolina State (2-0) (ESPN, 7:30 PM)

While I would most likely not watch this game if it were not the only game on Thursday night, looking deeper into it it could end up being a very intriguing match-up. Both programs are looking at a possible middle of the pack finish in conferences that have not been impressive thus far, and a win Thursday night could get each team an inch closer to the six wins needed for bowl consideration. The Bearcats are definitely rebuilding after losing head coach Brian Kelly and multiple players, including offensive threats Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard, to the NFL. Their flaws showed up in a week one loss on the road to a talented Fresno State team, but they rebounded last week to have no problems with FCS opponent, Indiana State. N.C. State, on the other hand, has been fairly impressive so far despite letting a mediocre UCF team back into the game last week in Orlando. Freshman RB Dean Haynes has been very impressive so far for the Pack, but veteran QB Russell Wilson needs to step up his game from last week.

Prediction: Cincinnati: 21, N.C. State: 24

Friday Night: California (2-0) at Nevada (2-0) (10:00, ESPN2)

Honestly, I may tune in a bit for the Kansas/Southern Miss contest (8:00, ESPN) Friday night, but my main attention will be towards this attractive showdown in Reno. Colin Kaepernick for Nevada is an extremely talented dual-threat QB who tends to get less recognition than he may deserve. After 402 total yards on offense in a 51-6 win over Colorado State on Saturday, the Nevada Wolf Pack look like one of the major contenders to knock off #3 Boise State, when they host them on Black Friday, 11/26. But first they will need to prove themselves against a strong Pac-10 opponent in the Cal Bears that have been impressive so far as well. The Golden Bears, behind QB Kevin Riley, have won their first two games by a combined score of 100-30, including a 52-7 beat-down of Big-12 opponent Colorado last week. This could be a thriller between two high powered offenses in Reno.

Prediction: California: 42, Nevada: 35

Saturday: Connecticut (1-1) at Temple (2-0) (12:00, ESPN3)

I will be in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday afternoon, rooting for my Huskies who are coming off of an impressive 62-3 dismantling of Texas Southern. After losing to Michigan in a rout during week one, the Huskies will try to get on a bit of a roll that could lead them to the top of the Big East. Temple, is coming off of a very strong win against Central Michigan, and is 10-4 since the start of last season. While the Huskies will be favored, the Owls are certainly a much more talented team than Texas Southern and UConn will have it's work cut out for them. In the end, though, I expect the better team to prevail.

Prediction: Connecticut: 25, Temple: 14

#8 Nebraska at Washington (3:30, ABC/ESPN3)

I will probably not be in too big of a rush, as the 3:30 slate of games this Saturday is nowhere near as impressive as it appeared to be last week, but when I do get to a TV or computer, this one seems to be the most intriguing for me. Jake Locker is great, maybe not quite as good as the hype he's gotten from ESPN and such, but he is surely one of the elite quarterbacks in the country. That being said, the rest of his team has looked very mediocre in the first two weeks, losing to an average BYU team before starting off very slow in a 41-20 win over Syracuse on Saturday. Nebraska appears to deserve it's top 10 ranking so far, as they are 3rd in the country in rushing yards with speedy QB Taylor Martinez and RB Roy Helu Jr. I expect Nebraska to go into Seattle and come out with a somewhat contested victory.

Prediction: Nebraska: 28, Washington: 21

Notre Dame at Michigan State (8:00, ABC)

The Irish need to win this one to make up for their heartbreaking loss to Michigan at home last week. Taking on a Michigan State team who appears to be in the middle of the pack in a very strong Big-10, in East Lansing, is by no means an easy task. But, if Dayne Crist can stay healthy and play the whole game, the Irish defense have too many weapons to pick up their 2nd loss in a row. Kyle Rudolph is the best pass catching tight-end in the country, and will be seeing major action Saturday night for sure.

Prediction: Notre Dame: 35, Michigan State: 24

#9 Iowa at #24 Arizona (10:30, ESPN/ESPN3)

This is, to me, by far the most intriguing game of the week, and it will be the last game on ESPN Saturday Night. Both of these team have looked very strong so far, especially on defense where both teams are in the Top 10 in the country in points allowed. Both have very strong and accurate veteran leaders at QB, in Ricky Stanzi and Nick Foles, but neither have seen a defense anywhere close as talented as the one they will be facing this week. Iowa RB Adam Robinson has emerged as a sleeper Heisman candidate with his 7.0 YPC and 4 TD's in the first two weeks. If Iowa were to win, they would emerge as easily the 2nd best team in the Big-10, and the biggest threat to knock off Ohio State in Iowa City later this year. If Arizona were to win they would become a legitimate top-15 team in the country, and a contender for the Pac-10 title. Both of these teams have something to prove and should leave it all on the field Saturday Night.

Prediction: Iowa: 14, Arizona: 17

There you have it, my predictions for all the game I plan on tuning into this weekend as we all anxiously await for another week of college football. I will leave you with a list of numerous other games that deserve consideration for watching.

-#12 Arkansas at Georgia (12:00, ESPN)

-Georgia Tech at North Carolina (12:00, ESPN3)

-Maryland at #21 West Virginia (12:00, ESPNU)

-East Carolina at Virginia Tech (1:30, ESPN3)

-BYU at Florida State (3:30, ESPNU)

-Air Force at #7 Oklahoma (3:30, FSN)

-Arizona State at #11 Wisconsin (3:30, ABC)

-Baylor at #4 Texas Christian (4:30, Versus)

-Clemson at #16 Auburn (7:00, ESPN)

-Mississippi State at #15 LSU (7:00, ESPNU)

-#6 Texas at Texas Tech (8:00, ABC)