Week 3 Preview: Thursday and Friday

THURSDAY
7:30 PM

#2 West Virginia (2-0) @ Maryland (2-0)
Maryland just outgained their first I-A opponent since 2005, so they're improved from last year, but baby steps. I give them a slight chance here, if only because Marshall put a scare into the Mountaineers for a half or so, but I don't see how the Terrapins contain White and Slaton for all four quarters.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence (out of 5): 4

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8:00 PM

TCU (1-1) @ Air Force (2-0)
Air Force is a much better team than expected, mostly since it seems that they haven't phased out the option, as was rumored. If Air Force had a better defense, I could see them shutting down the suspect TCU offense enough to both run out the clock and run into the end zone enough to pull out a win, but I expect the TCU defense to lead the Horned Frogs to victory. Still, Air Force is enough of an unknown quantity that they could pull this one out, or at least throw a scare into a better team, like they did against Tennessee last season.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 3

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FRIDAY
8:00 PM

Oklahoma State (1-1) @ Troy (0-2)
Two disappointing teams. OK State smashed Florida Atlantic last week, but the bad taste from their performance against Georgia still lingers. Troy's offense hasn't looked too hot, admittedly against SEC defenses, but they seem to get yardage through quantity rather than quality. It's hard to get a read on Troy's defense, since while it's still probably good for the Sun Belt, it's had to face both Arkansas and Florida. OK State should by all means pull this out; Troy's defense should be a step up from FAU's, but the Cowboys have the firepower to at least put up a good game. Still, if things falter, especially with a brewing QB controversy, I wouldn't be all that surprised if OK State's defense let up enough points to let Troy win. I'll go with the Cowboys, but I have the gut feeling that this could be an upset.
My Pick: Oklahoma State
Confidence: 2