2015 NCAA WEEK 3 – BIG GAMES

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	Ole Miss has shown the ability to play defense this year but the real trick will be seeing how they handle Alabama stud RB Derrick Henry. Remember that while Ole Miss has an exceptional offense, Nick Saban can counter that by keeping them off the field. You don’t hear about in the media all that much, but ball control is absolutely vital to winning football. The Alabama defense is looking for statements. Locking up Ole Miss would be a huge statement to make & put the SEC on notice.
	I think this game really catapults either squad nationally. Notre Dame has historically struggled with this sort of team during Brian Kelly’s tenure, but the loss of Malik Zaire or Tarean Folston doesn’t affect the defense one bit. I think the Irish score, but the biggest point of emphasis will be Notre Dame’s ability to stop Paul Johnson’s triple option. To this point GT hasn’t had to rely on QB Justin Thomas, but you almost get the feeling Thomas has been waiting for this game to put his game face on.
	Keep an eye on Auburn’s rush defense. Through 2 games, War Eagle ranks 97th in the nation in rush defense & Leonard Fournette is coming to town. Fournette bruised up Mississippi St. last week to the tune of 159yds & 3TD on 28 carries. The beating was slow & methodical. Also note that LSU’s defense pretty much kept Dak Prescott in check & Jeremy Johnson isn’t nearly the QB Prescott is. Given how Auburn has played early & that this game is in Baton Rouge? Auburn finally slips.
	I think most people by now would have thought BYU would be 0-2. Instead they are 2-0 & you can’t help but notice the magic surrounding this football team. The Cougars were going to be good this year regardless of how they played at Nebraska & Boise State. What we didn’t know was that Taysum Hill would be out for the season against Nebraska & Taylor Mangum would become a glory magnet with 2 huge wins. Sure Missouri & Michigan are left but a win at UCLA sets BYU up for 12-0!
	Stanford looked better last week against Central Florida in a 31-7 win, but that still can’t erase the 16-6 disaster they posted against Northwestern. USC tuned up Arkansas St. & Idaho in preparation for Pac 12 play. I don’t think either team could be entering the game from more opposite directions. I think we can learn a lot here. If Stanford holds tough then you kind of have to wonder just how good Northwestern could be or rather if the loss was just a blip on Stanford’s season.
	Just think about 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2014 to realize how important this game is for Georgia. Sure the Bulldogs got a win in 2013 but Spurrier seems to own Mark Richt & Georgia in recent times. There is no way Georgia should lose this game. They are more talented. They are playing between the hedges. There are a number of other reasons but throw them out. Georgia doesn’t have great QB play so if the Gamecocks defense shows up against the run then who knows what happens!
	Blake Kemp & the East Carolina passing attack torched the Gators last week although Florida did walk away with a 31-24 win. Kentucky has been winning games with a solid rushing attack behind Stanley Williams & JoJo Kemp. One thing Florida is doing well is playing outstanding rush defense so it’ll be interesting to see if UK QB Patrick Towles can make some plays. Could you imagine saying Kentucky is out to a 3-0 start with wins over Florida & South Carolina? In football?
	I was really high on Pittsburgh before the season began because I thought Pat Narduzzi could do a good job with all the Panthers had returning. All-American RB James Connor was knocked out of the season in Week 1 but Qadree Ollison has stepped up in a HUGE way! I still like Pittsburgh but this game will be telling. Pitt’s defense stepped up against Akron but the Panthers might have a QB controversy on their hands. As for the Hawkeyes, a win is huge as the West is wide open!
	Can Arkansas bounce back from a humiliating home loss to Toledo? Whether you like Texas Tech or not, the Red Raiders are going to score some points. Tech has scored 64PPG in their first 2 games & QB Patrick Mahomes has already thrown 8TD passes! Arkansas had tremendous issues running the football on the Rockets which is almost impossible to imagine. Texas Tech ranks 121st in rush defense so if the Razorback defense can hold up, Arkansas should run wild.
	A really interesting game. It’s not among powerful teams but intriguing for what it can tell us. Duke has been flawless in their first 2 games outscoring their opponents 92-7. Northwestern has the huge opening win over Stanford. Duke QB Thomas Sirk has been almost perfect & the Blue Devils have some intriguing players. Duke is 19-8 over the past 2 seasons with an ACC Coastal title. This won’t be a walk, but a Wildcat win further solidifies Northwestern.
	Texas is in complete shambles at this point. After the 38-3 drubbing at the hands of Notre Dame, HC Charlie Strong completely shakes up the staff. The following week Texas wins an uninspiring home opener over Rice & the school fires the athletic director. Maybe getting rid of Mack Brown wasn’t such a fantastic idea even if he wasn’t winning national championships. I love this game for Cal because it’s a resume builder & Cal can start turning some heads.
	Louisville hasn’t looked so good starting the season 0-2 but the Cardinals have lost both games by 10 points so they are this close to being 2-0 & if that were the case we’d be thinking about this game in a completely different light. Let’s face it, Louisville has a freshman QB in Lamar Jackson who is struggling mightily. Two of his starting receivers are out & Louisville is allowing 32.5PPG. This is a game Clemson should win by 20. Let’s see if they do it.
	The opening home loss to BYU was a gut-punch for the Cornhuskers but Nebraska fans might be clamoring for Bo Pellini should they lose to Miami-FL and start the season 1-2! I think it’s amazing how Nebraska has fallen by the way side as a national power. It’s not unlike Miami-FL has done since Butch Davis left Coral Gables. This is a great game when you think historically, but not so much today. I’d like to see the Hurricanes get to 3-0 & get noticed.
	I don’t think Michigan St. is going to turn around and lose a home game to Air Force after securing the biggest win in college football this year, but I do think this will be a tough game. Michigan St. is exceptional with their run defense & Air Force runs that triple option & they do it exceedingly well. Because of this I think Air Force can keep it close & cause the Spartans some trouble. These games can be bruising so keep an eye on Sparty’s injury report as they head into B10 play.
	It’s worth noting that over the past 5 seasons, Northern Illinois is 57-13 with 3 MAC Championships. That isn’t to say they’ll beat Ohio St., but NIU isn’t your typical run of the mill MAC doormat that the Big 10 so likes to dominate. Drew Hare is a solid QB running that system & NIU has looked good in their first 2 games. I will say that the last time the Huskies faced a ranked opponent was 2011 when Wisconsin beat them 49-7. I’d expect the same, but maybe NIU can stick around.
	I love this game. I’d love it even more if they would just play the home & home instead of going to Denver. Seeing the Buffaloes in Ft. Collins is an awesome sight plus it puts the rivalry moreso in the students’ hands than the alumni in Denver. I think Colorado St. is one of those programs just under the radar that needs a great head coach that wants to be there for awhile. They are a Dan Hawkins or Chris Petersen or Gary Patterson away from becoming the new Boise State.
	Rutgers is an absolute dumpster fire at this point. They were this way early with all their player dismissals & suspensions but now HC Kyle Flood has been suspended for inappropriately contacting a faculty member our players’ grades! The Big 10 has to feel awful allowing the Scarlet Knights admission but there they are. Given all that is going on with Rutgers, nothing less than a blowout for Penn St. is acceptable but can they do it? Coaching Penn St. is a little tougher than coaching Vanderbilt!