Week 3 may not feature a battle between two highly ranked teams such as last week’s Ohio State/USC clash, but the schedule more than makes up for it with a slew of quality games and intriguing storylines.
Here is Part 1 of 2, a preview of the some of the bigger games this weekend:
(Rankings courtesy of AP Top 25; Point spreads courtesy of wsex.com)
#14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at #20 Miami Hurricanes (-5) (7:30 PM ET, Thursday, ESPN)
This is a game that the Miami Hurricanes have had circled on their calendar for quite some time. When these two teams met last November, Tech ran for a whopping 476 yards en route to a 41-23 victory. The game was not even as close as the score indicates as Miami was down 41-10 heading into the 4th quarter. It’s a bit absurd to label a game as “must-win” in the middle of September, but if head coach Randy Shannon and his Miami Hurricanes are serious about making the leap back to America’s elite, these are the types of games you have to win. Expect a whole lot of points in this one but I think Miami’s passing game will be the difference in this one.
Final Score: Miami 34, Georgia Tech 24
#10 Boise State Broncos (-7) at Fresno State Bulldogs (9:00 PM ET, Friday ESPN)
After dropping a heartbreaker in overtime last week on the road at Wisconsin, Fresno State gets Boise State at home before having to hit the road the next two weeks against #17 Cincinnati and Hawaii, respectively.
Talk about a brutal four-game stretch.
For Boise State, this game represents no walk in the park as it is never easy being a highly ranked team playing on the road. Everyone gives you their best shot, and then some, and Fresno State certainly has the horses and the running game to pull off an upset.
Final Score: Fresno State 27, Boise State 24
#11 Ohio State Buckeyes (-20.5) vs. Toledo Rockets (12:00 PM ET Saturday, ESPN360/ESPN Game Plan)
*Game will be played at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, OH
Is Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel’s seat getting warm in Columbus? Probably not, but Buckeye fans are not happy of late with more than a few of Tressel’s decisions. Throw into the mix the shaky quarterback play of Terrelle Pryor and the loss of right tackle Jim Cordle, and this is a team that suddenly has a lot of question marks surrounding them.
Toledo, on the other hand, comes in riding high after throttling Colorado last week, 54-38. QB Aaron Opelt has shown he can get in done against the big boys, throwing for 742 yards and 7 touchdown passes in two games this season against Purdue and Colorado. Unfortunately for Opelt, neither defense compares to what he will face this Saturday.
Don’t be surprised if Toledo keeps this one close for much of the game.
Final Score: Ohio State 31, Toledo 17
Tennessee Volunteers at #1 Florida Gators (-29.5) (3:30 PM ET Saturday, CBS)
Perhaps you’ve heard about this one? Much like the Incredible Hulk, you wouldn’t like Gators head coach Urban Meyer when he’s angry.
Expect points and expect a lot of them. Mercy sold separately.
Final Score: Florida 52, Tennessee 14
#3 USC Trojans (-19.5) at Washington Huskies (3:30 PM ET Saturday, ABC)
Teacher meets mentor as former USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian plays host to Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans. Sarkisian has the people of Seattle fired up about this team and this is the type of victory that could propel the Huskies out of the basement of the Pac-10. Trojans QB Matt Barkley looked uncomfortable at times on the road last week and could encounter a few more freshman jitters this week. Huskies QB Jake Locker is what Ohio State fans hope Terrelle Pryor can become, and if UW is going to have any chance of pulling off the upset, he is going to have to be a lot better in his decision making than Pryor was last week against the same defense.
Washington is a program on the rise but it isn’t their time just yet.
Final Score: USC 34, Washington, 17
***Check back on Friday for Part 2***
