12:00 PM
Buffalo (1-1) @ #8 Penn State (2-0)
You know, if Anthony Morelli struggles, I could see this being close for a quarter or two, as Buffalo is starting to look like a I-A team. Still, it's more close in the 3-0 variety than some sort of shootout, so the stout PSU defense should be able to hold the Bulls at bay enough where Penn State can put up a touchdown or two (at least) and win easy. That was probably horrible grammar, but I refuse to edit it.
My Pick: Penn State
Confidence (out of 5): 4
The Citadel @ #10 Wisconsin (2-0)
Next.
My Pick: Wisconsin
Confidence: 5
Akron (1-1) @ Indiana (2-0)
Indiana's been pretty impressive, especially in smashing Western Michigan, one of the better MAC teams. Akron, in contrast, is not one of the better MAC teams, and eked out a win against Army before putting on an absolutely pathetic performance against Ohio State. If Akron shows signs of life, it'll be a moral victory.
My Pick: Indiana
Confidence: 4
Central Michigan (1-1) @ Purdue (2-0)
Ehhhh. CMU has a shot if it develops into a shootout and things break right, but Purdue has too much firepower, and the Chippewas' crushing loss at Kansas still comes to mind. Purdue QB Curtis Painter is quietly having a great year so far, completing 66% of his passes for 592 and 10 TD, and he should continue that pace, at the very least.
My Pick: Purdue
Confidence: 3
Cincinnati (2-0) @ Miami of Ohio (1-1)
Cincinnati's probably slightly overrated after Oregon State turned it over so many times against them, and Miami is a MAC darkhorse, but the Bearcats are playing well enough that they should have no problem beating a MAC team.
My Pick: Cincinnati
Confidence: 4
Temple (1-1) @ Connecticut (2-0)
You're killing me, Connecticut. UConn stomps teams like this easy, and Temple being annihilated at home by Buffalo suggests that the same will happen here. For those of us hoping to see how good the Huskies actually are, it'll be at least another week.
My Pick: Connecticut
Confidence: 5
Eastern Michigan (0-2) @ Northern Illinois (0-2)
A hard one to choose, since this could go either way. Preseason wisdom would say EMU has a chance, since they've improved from last year's horrible team, but NIU had enough talent to win easy, MAC parity aside. Still, while EMU's performed about as expected, NIU has been horrible so far this year, with no running game after the loss of Garrett Wolfe, and actually losing to I-AA Southern Illinois last week. I'll give NIU the benefit of the doubt at home, especially since, again, they have more talent, but based on performance and, again, the ever-present parity of the MAC, it could go either way.
My Pick: Northern Illinois
Confidence: 1
Illinois (1-1) @ Syracuse (0-2)
Ron Zook could managed to coach this one way, but I can never, in any circumstances, pick Syracuse. Illinois is a much better team, but Syracuse has to win ONE game, don't they? This is one of those weird games where I feel it could be an upset despite any rationality, but I won't pull the trigger and assume Wannstedt will be the guy to choke against the Orange.
My Pick: Illinois
Confidence: 2
Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Michigan State (2-0)
Speaking of! I would've picked Pitt easy before Bill Stull went down, but now it's fairly intriguing. MSU played the only opponent of note, holding off Bowling Green, but the other three games the teams have played have been against Grambling, UAB and Eastern Michigan. This essentially boils down to a pick 'em, and since MSU is at home, doesn't have Dave Wannstedt as a coach, and is Michigan State in September, I'll call for them to win here.
My Pick: Michigan State
Confidence: 1
Virginia (1-1) @ North Carolina (1-1)
Crazier things have happened, but I'd like to think a veteran UVA team is better than East Carolina, even if I do like the ECU team. UNC has enough young talent and UVA's been lackluster enough that this could be a defining win for the Tar Heels this season, but I'll hold onto my last scraps of hope and call for Virginia to pull this one out. INERTIA!
My Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 2
12:30 PM
Mississippi State (1-1) @ Auburn (1-1)
Another very tempting upset, since Auburn's offense has been so lackluster, but I expect yet another ugly game from the Tigers, and this time one they should win. MSU's perfectly decent, but if Kansas State's offense struggled against the Auburn D, Mike Henig seems like a fairly safe bet to throw enough picks to keep the Bulldogs out of it.
My Pick: Auburn
Confidence: 3
1:00 PM
Western Carolina @ #15 Georgia (1-1)
It really seems like Western Carolina gets smashed by an SEC team every week.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 5
Furman @ #21 Clemson (2-0)
Clemson should win this easy. Insight!
My Pick: Clemson
Confidence: 5
Minnesota (1-1) @ Florida Atlantic (1-1)
FAU's a good Sun Belt team, but this is the litmus test for if Minnesota's secondary can allow ANY team into the game. FAU may keep it close, but if Miami of Ohio couldn't beat the Gophers, I don't think the Owls can.
My Pick: Minnesota
Confidence: 2
1:30 PM
Ohio (2-0) @ #16 Virginia Tech (1-1)
It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that Ohio someone pulls this one off, but come on now. ECU's much better than the Bobcats, and at the very least, the defense should roll. Maybe. Probably.
My Pick: Virginia Tech
Confidence: 3
Iowa (2-0) @ Iowa State (0-2)
Iowa State is fucking terrible. I'll bump down my confidence in Iowa's win just because anything can happen in a rivalry game, but this is a Cyclones team that lost handily to Northern Iowa. That said, that probably only adds to the motivation for an ISU win, but if it's not now, it's probably never.
My Pick: Iowa
Confidence: 2
2:00 PM
Western Michigan (2-0) @ #17 Missouri (2-0)
If this were the opener, I'd give WMU a shot due to their elite secondary, but after their performances against WVU and Indiana, that secondary doesn't look too elite. With this at Missouri, there's pretty much no reason to pick WMU, although Broncos QB Tim Hiller could make this a shootout against what is still a bad Missouri defense.
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 3
3:00 PM
Texas Tech (2-0) @ Rice (0-2)
Rice is fucking terrible. Probably fucking terribler than Iowa State. Texas Tech has been humming right along, and Rice shows absolutely no ability to exploit the Raiders' defensive concerns, even with WR Jarett Dillard. TTU gets the "they could put up 90" warning usually only reserved for Hawaii.
My Pick: Texas Tech
Confidence: 5
3:30 PM
Utah State (0-2) @ #3 Oklahoma (2-0)
Well, USU's probably better than North Texas. That's where the good news ends.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 5
#5 Texas (2-0) @ Central Florida (1-0)
UCF is a good C-USA team, as their upset over NCSU showed, and Texas has their weaknesses, as their close win against Arkansas State showed. This could be a Michigan/Appalachian State-esque conflation of two of my thoughts ("Michigan is pretty vulnerable"/"Appalachian State could upset a good team"), but I don't think UCF can play with the Longhorns for all four quarters.
My Pick: Texas
Confidence: 3
#9 Ohio State (2-0) @ Washington (2-0)
The Boise win was impressive for U-Dub, but this is a QB in his third start against a defense that absolutely pantsed Akron then shoved them down some stairs. In my mind's eye I can see the insane upset and Washington being this year's team that wins on momentum and conflciting statistical evidence, but I don't think Jake Locker's this ready this soon. If OSU was a team built on offense, maybe, but come on now. It was Syracuse.
My Pick: Ohio State
Confidence: 3
Tennessee (1-1) @ #13 Florida (2-0)
Florida's such an x-factor it's hard to call it. Tennessee's fairly easy to peg - they can pass as well as anyone, and they can give up passing yards as much as anyone. Tim Tebow could exhibit the form he showed against Western Kentucky and Troy, or he could go through some sophomore growing pains. The Florida defense could be absolutely fine, or their disappointing performance against Troy could've been an omen. I'll pick Florida, since Tebow's been stellar so far, and he's really the one key to this game; a win here would go a long way in showing that the Gators are slowly living up to that #5 ranking.
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 2
Norfolk State @ #23 Rutgers (2-0)
Yeah, Rutgers is gonna kill 'em.
My Pick: Rutgers
Confidence: 5
Army (1-1) @ Wake Forest (0-2)
Wake's a perfectly fine team that, as I've said before, still feels like a team that is going to win some games it shouldn't. Army's the shits.
My Pick: Wake Forest
Confidence: 4
Florida International (0-2) @ Miami (1-1)
The fight last year is the most interesting thing about the game this year.
My Pick: Miami
Confidence: 5
Notre Dame (0-2) @ Michigan (0-2)
Holy shit I am so psyched for this. Michigan has Mike Hart, which is probably the difference here. The gameplan to beat the Wolverines is very obviously out there, but does UND have the personnel to execute it? Or, really, any personnel at all? New Michigan QB Ryan Mallett may be the worse of the two starters, but, again, the Wolverines offense at least has something proven in Mike Hart. I really just don't know where to start or where to end with the complete circus of ineptitude that is this game. Michigan should win based on talent, but is so absolutely defeated that there's no reason to believe they will - BUT, how the hell is Notre Dame going to beat them? They're so bad! This is just one big showdown of suck, and while I'd really like to pick UND here, partially out of spite and partially since I can't believe Lloyd Carr can motivate this team to victory, but it pretty much seems that if Michigan was actively trying to lose, Notre Dame's bad enough to not let them.
My Pick: Michigan
Confidence: 1
4:00 PM
Delaware State @ Kent State (1-1)
Yawn. Kent beat ISU, and I assume Delaware State is worse than the Cyclones. I hope so.
My Pick: Kent State
Confidence: 4
4:30 PM
New Hampshire @ Marshall (0-2)
If I remember right, UNH is a I-AA power, so they could actually pull one out here. Also, insert joke about backup QB murdering someone here.
My Pick: Marshall
Confidence: 3
5:00 PM
Ball State (1-1) @ Navy (1-1)
And this, folks, is how Navy gets 8 wins.
My Pick: Navy
Confidence: 4
UCLA (2-0) @ Utah (0-2)
Utah's absolutely crippled, and while UCLA shouldn't have won against BYU and still has the difficulty of being a Karl Dorrell-team, they have the talent to smash Utah in a similar manner that they did Stanford. Think of this as a fight between a bear with brain damage and a three-legged dog.
My Pick: UCLA
Confidence: 4
6:00 PM
Southern Miss (1-1) @ East Carolina (1-1)
Intriguing. Both teams are stout on defense, but I'll give USM the edge since they're more proven on offense. ECU QB Patrick Pinkney has looked good as an unexpected starter, but USM's Jeremy Young torched what is admittedly a suspect Tennessee secondary, and hey, that RB duo of Damion Fletcher and Antwain Easterling? Pretty great.
My Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 1
Wofford @ NC State (0-2)
If NCSU loses this one, Tom O'Brien is officially absolved of his disappointing start, and the Wolfpack field should be checked for, like, carbon monoxide or something.
My Pick: NC State
Confidence: 4
6:30 PM
Louisiana Tech (1-1) @ #24 California (2-0)
It's time to play WHOSE SECONDARY IS WORSE? Well, only one team has the weapons to exploit the other, so the world may never know.
My Pick: California
Confidence: 4
Idaho State @ Oregon State (1-1)
Oregon State's QB play has more or less been a disaster, but it should be a non-factor here -- expect Beavers RB Yvenson Bernard to run his way over the ISU defense and into our hearts/end zone.
My Pick: Oregon State
Confidence: 5
6:45 PM
Arkansas (1-0) @ #11 Alabama (2-0)
Alabama's QB play has been just suspect enough for me to be a bit way here. Darren McFadden's very good. Unfortunately, the Alabama running backs have been pretty good so far this year, and all Arkansas really has is Darren McFadden being very good. And really, for my comment about Alabama's QB play, Arkansas's is probably going to be worse.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 3
7:00 PM
South Carolina State @ #7 South Carolina (2-0)
FIREWORKS!
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 5
Louisiana-Monroe (0-2) @ #12 Texas A&M (2-0)
A&M's been a frustrating team to watch, especially as someone who put them at #12 on the year. This has the potential to be another nail-biter if TAMU is lackluster, as ULM has a pretty high-powered offense. Still, the Aggies should eventually pull away and win this handily.
My Pick: Texas A&M
Confidence: 4
Fresno State (1-1) @ #14 Oregon (2-0)
Fresno State seems back to their usual state of pulling off upsets and generally annoying people with their scrappy overratedness. Since Oregon isn't an overrated team like Washington and Kansas State were that one year (god, that wasn't only 2005, was it?), the Ducks should smash them good, even if Fresno may make a game of it at times.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 3
SMU (1-1) @ Arkansas State (0-1)
Arkansas State is somewhat of an unknown, with their one game being a loss to Texas that was too close to be part of a trend, while SMU...is a 6-6ish team with a good QB and an absolutely unnotable nothing else. ASU's at home and they played well against Texas, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
My Pick: Arkansas State
Confidence: 1
Texas State @ Baylor (1-1)
Baylor just beat Rice, and really, six of one, half a dozen of the other.
My Pick: Baylor
Confidence: 4
Houston (0-1) @ Tulane (0-1)
I'll take the team that looked impressive losing to Oregon that the one that looked futile losing to Mississippi State.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 5
Toledo (0-2) @ Kansas (2-0)
Kansas was an absolute buzzsaw in destroying Central Michigan, the team that beat Toledo last week. Toledo has the MACtastic high-octane offense and low-octane defense, so the same result as Kansas-CMU wouldn't be all that surprising. Toledo has a shot, but if Kansas smashes them too, I may just have to deem them legit.
My Pick: Kansas
Confidence: 2
McNeese State @ Louisiana-Lafayette (0-2)
ULL's shown signs of life, so they should win this just fine.
My Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Confidence: 4
Mississippi (1-1) @ Vanderbilt (1-1)
A bit of an intriguing one. Vanderbilt's the better team, and definitely looked like such after week 1, where Ole Miss got a win against Memphis that they really didn't deserve. Then the Rebels proceeded to light up the Illinois defense in a loss, so maybe this team has potential after all. I'll give Vandy the slight benefit of the doubt, but really, this is pretty much a pick 'em.
My Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 1
Alcorn State @ UAB (0-2)
UAB's pretty horrible, but showed some life against Michigan State and Florida State. Enjoy what could be your one win, Blazers.
My Pick: UAB
Confidence: 3
7:05 PM
Missouri State @ Kansas State (1-1)
I-AA opponents in Manhattan, Kansas, it brings a nostalgic tear to my eye.
My Pick: Kansas State
Confidence: 4
7:30 PM
#6 Louisville (2-0) @ Kentucky (2-0)
Hell, if MIDDLE TENNESSEE scored on Louisville like that, Kentucky easily has a shot. Should be a fun shootout, but Kentucky's level of offense is essentially Louisville-lite.
My Pick: Louisville
Confidence: 3
8:00 PM
Middle Tennessee State (0-2) @ #1 LSU (2-0)
MTSU's performance should echo their game against Florida Atlantic than their excellent game against Louisville.
My Pick: LSU
Confidence: 5
#4 USC (1-0) @ #20 Nebraska (2-0)
USC's still an unknown, winning easily but not impressively against Idaho and then taking a bye last week. Still, Nebraska had trouble containing the speed of Wake Forest last week, and Huskers QB Sam Keller hasn't exactly lit the world on fire, so this game could be over early and be ugly late.
My Pick: USC
Confidence: 4
Boston College (2-0) @ #25 Georgia Tech (2-0)
GT's another team that's hard to gauge - they've smashed weak competition, while BC looked good against Wake and destroyed NCSU in a game that the Wolfpack gave away. GT's at home, and hell, I have them ranked higher, so I'll give them the narrow edge. Yet another pick 'em-type situation.
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Confidence: 2
Wyoming (2-0) @ Boise State (1-1)
Intriguing little game. Wyoming had to come back from behind against Utah State, so that hurts their stock a bit in my eyes. Still, the Cowboys have the QB, RB, and to a lesser extent defense to hang with Boise, but the Broncos, likely led by RB Ian Johnson, should pull this out with time.
My Pick: Boise State
Confidence: 3
Duke (0-2) @ Northwestern (2-0)
Northwestern's perfectly acceptable. Duke...isn't. I don't really know what to say about this game, as Duke has pretty much shown me no reason to have any faith in them. GOD THESE GUYS ARE SMART!
My Pick: Northwestern
Confidence: 3
Jacksonville State @ Memphis (0-1)
Win number one! What is there to say, really?
My Pick: Memphis
Confidence: 5
UTEP (1-1) @ New Mexico State (1-1)
UTEP's been a PAMM (Perfectly Acceptable Mid-Major, an acronym I came up with just now and will probably never use again), while NMSU has quietly been a very disappointing team. With the passtastic standards the Hawaiis and Texas Techs of the world have set, NMSU is...meh. But, much like UVA, I will hold onto my scraps of hope. C'mon Aggies, you know you want that shovel! I think this game is for a shovel or something.
My Pick: New Mexico State
Confidence: 2
9:00 PM
Brigham Young (1-1) @ Tulsa (1-0)
BYU should've beaten UCLA, most likely, and with that in mind, there's an obvious favorite. Tulsa's a good enough team to pull off an upset, especially at home, but I still have some reservations in their transition to a new offense, and I expect their offense to be unable to keep up with BYU's.
My Pick: Brigham Young
Confidence: 3
9:05 PM
Nicholls State @ Nevada (0-2)
Nicholls State looks to go 2-0 against rebuilding I-A teams, but Nevada is way better than Rice. Rice is FRIED!, or some other forced newspaper headline-ish type statement.
My Pick: Nevada
Confidence: 4
9:30 PM
#22 Hawaii (2-0) @ UNLV (1-1)
After Louisiana Tech took Hawaii to OT, I no longer know what to believe. UNLV had enough to nearly upset Wisconsin, and could do the same here, plus this game isn't on the Islands. Still, I can't pick against that tantalizing Colt Brennan-run offense. Mmmm shiny passes.
My Pick: Hawaii
Confidence: 2
10:00 PM
San Diego State (0-1) @ #18 Arizona State (2-0)
SDSU was outclassed against Wazzou; ASU is Wazzou but about 5 times better. Eep.
My Pick: Arizona State
Confidence: 4
New Mexico (1-1) @ Arizona (1-1)
Arizona's new offense got humming against Northern Arizona, but their yardage seemed to be more quantity than quality, as QB Willie Tuitama wasn't that impressive. UNM stopped the UTEP offense en route to a 10-7 loss, and held NMSU to enough to pull out a win, so I'll give the edge to a solid UNM team facing an Arizona team in flux.
My Pick: New Mexico
Confidence: 1
Florida State (1-1) @ Colorado (1-1)
FSU struggled against UAB. Colorado's a young team, but has looked impressive. Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh. I'll pull the trigger, mostly since FSU this year is beginning to reek of last year's team, where they lose to teams that are fine, but definitely shouldn't beat the Noles. And hey, here's one!
My Pick: Colorado
Confidence: 1
Idaho (1-1) @ Washington State (1-1)
The Robb Akey bowl! Idaho may put up a fine performance, but the Wazzou offense is just going to annihilate a suspect WAC D. 45-17 or something sounds like a best-case scenario for the Vandals.
My Pick: Washington State
Confidence: 4
San Jose State (0-2) @ Stanford (0-1)
Oh, hell, I don't know. SJSU's been disappointing after a breakout year, and UCLA just performed absolutely unspeakable acts on Stanford. Jim Harbaugh's gotta motivate Stanford to a win sometime, and this is as good a place as any.
My Pick: Stanford
Confidence: 1
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