J. Harris, Boston Mountain Publishing
Friday, September 15, 2022, 1:51 PM
Week 3, Top Matchups of the Weekend: Preview and Predictions
(9) Michigan State vs Washington
6:30(c), Seattle, WA - ABC
One of this weekend's top matchups will be in primetime this Saturday night as Michigan State will take on Washington to continue their impressive start to the season. For the Spartans, a victory in this game would add value and a quality win to their schedule down the road. As for Washington, this game could bring them back in the spotlight as they haven't been considered a big contender in the Pac 12 the past few seasons. With the game being in Seattle this weekend, Husky Stadium will be loud.
Prediction: Michigan State
(11) BYU vs Oregon
2:30(c), Eugene, OR - FOX
Will Oregon be able to put up a fight? BYU has been impressive to kick off the year after beating the Baylor Bears last week in overtime. They are truly looking like a Top 10 team. Oregon on the other hand had a really rough start to the year after getting demolished by Georgia in Week 1, but a home game is what they may need. So, the question for BYU will be, can they come in and play their best game after such an emotional win last week? And for Oregon, will the Ducks be ready to defend their reputation with the media after their Week 1 debacle?
Prediction: Oregon
(19) Penn State vs Auburn
2:30(c), Auburn, AL - CBS
After last season's thriller between these two teams, everyone is excited to see this game being held in War Eagle Stadium and the energy the fans will bring Saturday. Penn State is riding some momentum right now and they are experiencing high expectations heading into this game. A win here will shine a huge spotlight on Coach James Franklins program. Auburn has been seen as one of the worst teams in the SEC so far this season, but Coach Harsin will have the opportunity to turn some heads if they can pull off the upset here against Penn State down on the plains?
Prediction: Auburn
(13) Miami vs Texas A&M
8:00(c), College Station, TX - ESPN
After being upset by Appalachian State last weekend, will the Aggies be able to recover against Miami who has had a really hot start to the year? A&M has struggled since Week 1, but this week they will be starting LSU transfer QB Max Johnson to offer some hope for the Aggies. There has been plenty of inconsistencies with this 2022 team, but this is the game where they can flip the script on their season.
Prediction: Texas A&M
Texas Tech vs (15) North Carolina State
6:00(c), Raleigh, NC - ESPN 2
With such high expectations to start the year at North Carolina State, they have not necessarily met them just yet. The East Carolina game left some questions, but the Wolfpack are 2-0 to start the season. They are facing a football program in Texas Tech with no expectations coming into this season, so the Red Raiders could be ready to come in and upset NC State, especially after their big OT win over Houston last week.
Prediction: Texas Tech
Sleeper games
(17) Ole Miss vs Georgia Tech
2:30(c), Atlanta, GA - ABC
Ole Miss has been a quiet team this year. So far, they have not played anyone great. Coach Kiffin hasn't had any outlandish press conferences. They have just been winning games they should be winning. Georgia Tech on the other hand did play Clemson in Week 1 and had a real shot in that ball game until midway through the 3rd quarter. I'm not quite sure that Ole Miss is on Clemson's level, so this could be a close ball game.
Prediction: Ole Miss
Fresno State vs (6) USC
9:30(c), Los Angeles, CA - FOX
This game could provide us with USC’s first close call of the year. Fresno State just went toe to toe last weekend with Oregon State who is looking like a solid team in the Pac-12 this season. Fresno is going to be hungry to win after coming off such a close loss. For USC, they just beat rival Stanford by a good margin, so they are feeling really good about themselves at this moment under Coach Riley.
Prediction: USC
(7) Oklahoma vs Nebraska
11:00(c), Lincoln, NE - FOX
Can Nebraska recover their season? After Coach Scott Frost was fired this week at Nebraska, the Huskers will be heading into their first game under associate Head Coach Mickey Joseph against one of their oldest rivals in Oklahoma. The Sooners struggled last week before pulling away in the second half. Crazy things happen in rivalry games, and this could very well be one of those games that shakes up the college football world.
Prediction: Nebraska
Kansas vs Houston
3:00(c), Houston, TX - ESPNU
Is Kansas back? This might be a legitimate question this season. Kansas is 2-0 after a great win at West Virginia where the Jayhawks battled back and won the game in a comfortable place. Houston was just upset on the road at Texas Tech in OT. How will they bounce back from that loss with another tough Big 12 opponent on their schedule?
Prediction: Kansas
Upset pick of the week
UTSA vs Texas
7:00(c) - Austin,TX
For the upset pick of the week, I will be going with UTSA over Texas. After a week where Texas almost beat one of the best teams in the country against Alabama, they fell short in an emotional home game. There is a lot of hype after the close game, but Texas did lose their starting QB for 4-6 weeks. I'm not sure the Longhorns are ready for UTSA this week, as the Roadrunners have played in back-to-back thrillers. They will be ready for a battle, and I think they will pull it off in Austin.
Prediction UTSA
Check out this week's team rankings here:
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