Week two of the college football season taught us a few things to keep in mind going forward. First, the Big 10 is in trouble with regards to making the four-team playoff, as Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State all got beat last weekend. Michigan State’s loss at Oregon is probably the most forgivable, but they need to run the table now to have a shot. Second, there are some teams that we don’t know as well as we thought we did. Third, this week will be “step-up or step-off” time for a few teams. Ladies and gentlemen, we present week three.
Week Three College Football Preview
South Carolina (1-1) vs. Georgia (1-0): This has quickly become a must-win for South Carolina, even in week three. South Carolina’s defense was eviscerated in week one by Texas A&M, and the Gamecocks needed a second half comeback to beat East Carolina last week. Now, enter Georgia, who blew out Clemson in week one before getting last week off. And while South Carolina’s defense is the team’s current Achilles’ heel, Georgia brings in offensive machine Todd Gurley. If you have not seen him yet, do yourself a favor and make time to watch at least some of this game. Gurley is the starting running back, but also returns kicks and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He is shifty and explosive in one play. South Carolina is getting its third consecutive home game to start the season, a good omen for the Gamecocks as Georgia has scored more than 18 points in just one of its last nine visits to Columbia. The winner takes command of the SEC East.
Oklahoma (2-0) vs. Tennessee (2-0): Tennessee is undeniably improved this season under head coach Butch Jones, primarily on defense. But Tennessee’s victories have also come against Utah State and Arkansas State. Step up to the big stage, Volunteers, and meet the Oklahoma Sooners, a very real contender for one of the four playoff spots at the end of the season. The Sooners routed Tulsa last week, needing just 57 seconds to score their first touchdown. Quarterback Trevor Knight is on pace to break numerous school passing records this season, and don’t think for a minute head coach Bob Stoops won’t turn him loose all game if he can. Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 62-3 in the first half of games this season and Stoops has been very outspoken over the last nine months about what he sees as the overrated status of the SEC. Now he has a chance to make a point at the expense of one of the conference’s up and comers.
Texas (1-1) vs. UCLA (2-0): We are going to call this the question mark game, because no one could possibly know what to expect. Texas has no idea what to anticipate from its own team. The Longhorns got battered by a very physical BYU team last week and will play the Bruins without starting quarterback David Ash (concussion symptoms), wide receiver Jaxon Shipley (head injury), receiver Daje Johnson, and offensive tackles Kennedy Estelle and Desmond Harrison (suspensions). On the other sideline, coach Jim Mora is trying to figure out which UCLA team is the real one: the team that got three defensive touchdowns to beat Virginia in week one or the team that gave up 460 yards to an agile Memphis quarterback last week. Are they the team that could barely muster any offense against Virginia in week one or the team that passed for nearly 400 yards last week? The Bruins are a mystery to this point. They win unimpressively and drop in the rankings. Keep it up and at this rate, they could soon be undefeated and out of the top 20. One telltale sign for this week will be how they handle Longhorn reserve quarterback Tyrone Swoopes. He is big and mobile, exactly what gave UCLA troubles against Memphis.
Maryland (2-0) vs. West Virginia (1-1): There isn’t much reason to watch this game. Neither team figures to be a major factor in conference races this season. So why did we add it to the weekly list? Because if you can find it on your cable provider, you need to watch long enough to check out Maryland’s uniforms. Under Armour has been doing for Maryland what Nike does for Oregon. The Terps show out uniforms with everything from a helmet covered in the state flag, to one that looks like a terrapin shell. This week, the must-see look is in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. The Maryland uniforms will actually display the lyrics to the national anthem, which of course was written in Maryland. Hey, if you get bored with the game, at least you’ll have something to read.
BYU (2-0) vs. Houston (1-1): Football fans are going to want to keep an eye on BYU. Quarterback Taysom Hill has eight touchdowns already and has completed 73 percent of his passes. In the game last year against Houston, the Cougars had 680 yards of offense, but still needed a touchdown in the final minute to secure the win.
Notre Dame (2-0) vs. Purdue (1-1): Just as they are giving up the Michigan rivalry for the next several years, so goes Purdue from the Notre Dame schedule after this game. With the Irish agreeing to several games against ACC teams, there just isn’t as much room for some of the more traditional rivalries. Notre Dame is off to a better-than-expected start, handing Michigan its first shutout in the last 365 games with a 31-0 blowout last weekend. Quarterback Everett Golson is throwing at a 61 percent completion clip and Notre Dame is tied for first in division 1 football for turnover margin.
Boston College (0-1) vs. USC (2-0): Give credit to USC for being one of the few west coast schools willing to travel cross country for a non-conference game, but expect this one to be over early. Boston College got hammered by a decent Pitt team last week, and the Trojans are coming off an emotional win at Stanford. It wasn’t pretty, as Stanford got nine drives inside the Trojan 25-yard line and managed only 10 points, but USC will take the credit for the grit and grind. No need for Pat Haden to intervene with the game officials Saturday. Steve Sarkisian should be able to handle it on his own this week.
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