Even the “undercard” this week is littered with match-ups worth checking out. That’s the Smart choice after last week’s slim 26-24 home escape over Nicholls State which mostly featured freshman QB Jacob Eason. Almost 35 years later the two teams will duke it out for an early advantage to take a spot in the College Football Playoff.
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Reason to watch for USC: If we’re talking about rivalries, USC and Notre Dame tops this one by far. This game could go either way, and it looks to end in a close, dramatic fashion.
Deondre Francois and Florida State square off against high-flying Louisville. Don’t expect the Rebels to make it a third straight Saturday.
College Football: Hand Him The.
The Cardinals look to prove a point on the field. Louisville has posted 70 points over Charlotte and 62 points over Syracuse, so all the light bulbs in the scoreboard better be working in this one.
Either way, this should be an interesting game, so tuning in is a must.
Already with a loss to FSU, No. 19 Ole Miss looks to notch its third consecutive win over No. 1 Alabama roughly two years after Katy Perry made her presence felt on The Grove. Things have to change so Saban can avoid his first ever three game loss to one team in his Alabama coaching career.
Hey, maybe that two-loss team will make the big football dance this season.
Week 3 could be a deal-breaker for several teams – can Ole Miss bounce back from that FSU loss in Week 1? “Weeks like the first week of college football … add a lot of intrigue and excitement”.
The 5-day “weekend” around Labor Day was stuffed with compelling matchups between teams that might not have met in a pre-playoff world. Can the youth of Ohio State handle one of the most hostile environments in the country in Norman, Oklahoma? Ohio State isn’t as powerful as it has been in the past few years with a young team and the Sooners are its first tough opponents of the season. Still, the Buckeyes’ defense remains one of the top in forcing turnovers, potentially keeping Oklahoma’s offense from spending much time on the field. At night. 2 years ago they did play-and beat LSU in Tiger Stadium and won.
It looks to be a game filled with history, rivalry and major motivation, so missing this game may be unwise.
Oklahoma, Notre Dame and MS all fell on opening weekend.
However, if Notre Dame wants to continue its three-win streak against the Spartans, Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer and his receivers need to get past the Spartans’ defense.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett is the stalwart for Ohio State, but he had a slow start against Tulsa last week. This matchup is for the Megaphone trophy and Notre Dame now has yet to give it up to Michigan State. If you do watch (7:30 ET on NBC), be prepared to hear countless references to the 1966 “Game of the Century” between these two teams.
No. 6 Houston vs. Cincinnati on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 12:30 p.m.
No. 11 Texas at California, 9:30 p.m., ESPN – The surprising Longhorns now take their act outside the state borders where the Golden Bears currently do not rest among the Top 25 elite, but must be considered a more than capable opponent on their own turf.
No. 22 OR vs. Nebraska on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
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Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU (-14) (6 p.m., ESPN2): The Bulldogs are a top-15 run defense (2.13 yards allowed per rush) facing a team that can not throw the ball.
