Week 3 Predictions

Week 3 Predictions 

Week 2 of college football certainly did not disappoint and gave us a little bit of everything. From low scoring, defensive struggles to high scoring shootouts, upsets, blowouts, Saturday had it all. Georgia is back in the headlines again this week! However, this time they are on the winning side as they took care of South Carolina at home 41-30 to take over the drivers seat in the Eastern division. Both USC and Texas fell out of the AP Top 25 after their losses to Washington State (ouch!)  and BYU, respectively. Clemson took care of business against South Carolina State at home despite a slow start and last but not least, the ACC picked up another big win over the SEC as Miami upset (then) #12 Florida (21-16). Hard to believe its already week 3! With Clemson on their first bye week I'm gonna enjoy watching other games stress-free. Here's a few that I'll be keeping an eye on this weekend....

Week 3 Predictions: Take Your Pick 

#2 Oregon vs Tennessee 

Both squads enter this game undefeated at 2-0. The Ducks high powered offense will be looking for its 22nd straight victory at home. Oregon is averaging just over 62 points per game right now and are simply too much for this Volunteer defense to handle. The Ducks will take care of business and leave no doubt they are worthy of their #2 ranking.

The Pick: Oregon 

#13 South Carolina vs Vanderbilt 

This is a game South Carolina should handle with ease. They are the better team and get the Commodores under the lights in Williams Brice Stadium. The key here is to get an early start and not allow Vanderbilt to build any confidence. Shut the door on them early. If South Carolina has any hopes of making it to the SEC Championship they will need some help but they have to take care of their own business first and win out. Bottom line...if you are looking for an upset, look elsewhere.

                                                                                    The Pick: South Carolina

#25 Ole Miss @ Texas 

The Rebels, who currently lead the West division, are on the rise and catch a struggling Texas squad that may very well be looking for a new coach after this weekend. Mack Brown's days at Texas are numbered. A change in Defensive Coordinators isn't going to save the Longhorns season and probably won't save them Saturday either.  Ole Miss picks up the road win and the Rebels start to make a little more noise in the SEC-East.

                                                                                    The Pick: Ole Miss

Boston College vs USC

Another head coach finds himself on thin ice out in California as the Trojans fell to Washington State last weekend. Boston College is 2-0 and hoping to make some strides this year within the ACC and beyond. A win Saturday against USC could go a long way in building this team's confidence down the stretch. Look out for the ACC as they pick up another big win early in this 2013 season.

The Pick: Boston College 

**Bonus Pick of the Week**

Presbyterian  vs Furman

The Blue Hose travel to Greenville to take on the Paladins this weekend. Last year, Furman came into Bailey Memorial Stadium and left with a 31-21 victory. The year before, Furman had a field day on the PC defense en route to a 62-21 woodshed beating. I promise you these guys have not forgotten about those games. With revenge on their minds and a better overall team taking the field, I think PC finds a way to get it done against the Paladins.

The Pick: Presbyterian 

And last but not least.....

Christopher's Game of the Week

#1 Alabama vs #6 Texas A&M

Preview: 

We've been waiting for this one since last year's showdown ended. The winner of this game not only can make a statement to the SEC but to the rest of the college football world as well. Last year's contest was quite the ball game with Texas A&M sneaking out of Tuscaloosa with a stunning 29-24 victory. This game has huge SEC and BCS title implications and ticket prices are higher than ever for a regular season game. This one is going to be another classic. No matter who you pull for, if you aren't intrigued by this game, there has gotta be something wrong with you. Here we go! 

 Players to Watch: 

Texas A&M-

QB Johnny Manziel, WR Mike Evans, RB Tra Carson, RB, RB Ben Malena

Alabama- 

QB AJ McCarron, RB T.J. Yeldon, WR Christion Jones

My Thoughts: 

Johnny Manziel has been in the spotlight all offseason and most of the time it wasn't a good thing. I'm interested to see how he plays in the first major game of the season. Mentally and physically will he be ready? Texas A&M has been dubbed a BCS title contender by more than a few and we could be watching either of these teams play in Pasadena in Janurary. I think this is going to be another relatively low scoring game as it was last year with the game coming down to late in the fourth quarter. Alabama didn't look so hot against a not-so-great VT squad in week 1. I'm sure Saban has address those issues during their bye week last weekend. 

Bottom Line: 

College Station is going to be rocking and the 12th man will definitely be making its presence known Saturday afternoon. Manziel caught many of us off guard last season but I think teams will be better prepared this year. However, Johnny Football is still going to make plays and put up some points. Lets not forget that Alabama is coming in well rested off their bye week and they will be ready to give the Aggies everything in the tank.....and then some. I think this comes down to who can come up with a big turnover or have that one game-changing play that sways the momentum. Hard to judge a team so early in the year and if this game was played two weeks from now, I might have a different choice. However, for now, looks like its going to be two in a row over Alabama for Texas A&M. 

The Pick: Texas A&M