Week 3 and the bubble is burst, at least for a lot of college football fans. We wait the entire off-season, follow who is coming in and out, listen to our coaches hoping for clues, and ignore or even ridicule those who try to tell us that our teams aren’t going to be what we think they are.
At least we aren’t Notre Dame fans losing to MAC school Northern Illinois or Florida State falling from being expected to be in the playoff to completely out of the rankings.
This week sees a lot more schools getting into conference schedules, a lot fewer of the body bag games involving opponents expected to take a beating for a paycheck, although a few don’t cooperate with that plan.
With the increasing tens of millions of dollars involved some coaches may already be worrying a little about how long they will be welcome in their current jobs.
No Tuesday or Wednesday games yet but we have some Thursday action.
Arizona State (2-0) isn’t expected to be very good this year but they don’t want to take a loss this early at a SunBelt school like Texas State (2-0) who put a loss on P4 Baylor last year.
The other Thursday game brings two bad schools together with one leaving with their first win of the year. FCS Northwestern State (0-2) is at South Alabama (0-2).
Fridays games leave us a little flat, flat like Kansas which is where both happen. Let’s hope they aren’t as boring as Kansas is.
Kansas (1-1) which fell from the rankings hosts UNLV (2-0) which has dominated their games so far. The other game is one of the week’s battles of ranked teams. (20) Arizona (2-0) visits the Rotten Apple of Manhattan, KS and (14) Kansas State (2-0.) Winner should move up and have a good start on the conference standings.
Saturday includes a number of games that are pivotal for the teams, even this early in the season. Florida State (0-2) was expecting to be pushing for the top 5 at this point. Instead a conference loss to visiting Memphis (2-0) would leave them reeling and wondering if they can get a decent bowl or if their coach will be secure.
Usually by this point an undefeated Wisconsin (2-0) would be ranked but they haven’t made believers yet. Even without Saban as their coach visiting (4) Alabama doesn’t have that problem. Oddsmakers don’t expect this one to be close.
(24) Boston College (2-0) has already knocked off a top 10 team this year. (6) Missouri (2-0) doesn’t plan to let them do it again and is more than a two TD favorite.
An unexpected game to keep an eye on. Tulane (1-1) who gave ranked Kansas State a scare last week goes to (15) Oklahoma (2-0) who barely escaped against winless Houston last week. If the Sooners can’t fix their issues this could be an upset opportunity.
Some serious rivalry games this week including West Virginia (1-1) at Pittsburgh (2-0) who escaped another rivalry game last week with a big comeback against Cincinnati.
In that same mid-afternoon time slot are two big in-state rivalry games that for decades were PAC 8/12 conference battles. (9) Oregon (2-0) is at Oregon State (2-0,) while Washington State (2-0) is at Washington (2-0) which has fallen from the playoff last year to unranked this year despite being undefeated.
Also mid-afternoon are a couple of redemtion/recovery games that are huge for this early in the season. (18) Notre Dame (1-1) can’t afford to lose at Purdue (1-0) to have hope for the playoffs.
Notre Dame started the season beating Texas A&M (1-1) who now plays at Florida (1-1) who opened with a loss to Miami. Going 1-2 at either school would mean some very tough questions by the fans.
And then the schedule falls off for the late games. Indiana (2-0) is at UCLA (1-0,) a new B1G battle with undefeated teams who haven’t played anyone good.
Garbage game of the week involves the Akron Lost their Zips (0-2) hosting the Colgate Raiders (0-2.) Colgate so far has lost by a combined 45-17 against less than notable FCS teams. Topping that Akron has lost their two games by a combined 101-23.
Blowout of the week has Kent State (0-2) at (7)Tennessee (2-0) who believes they should be ranked in the top 5. Oddsmakers currently have this as only a 47.5 point spread, that should go up.
And a new category for “What are they thinking?” Iowa (1-1) just fell out of the top 25 hosts Troy (0-2.) No question that the Hawkeyes are a much better team but oddsmakers have them as 22.5 point favorites. Even if they pitch a shutout some question if the Iowa offense could score more than 3 TDs against tissue paper or the Fort Lewis defense (same thing.)
Some B12 action with Central Florida (2-0) at TCU (2-0.)
Locally Air Force (1-1) has struggled to find an offense but has a chance to beat a P4 team at Baylor (1-1) who isn’t very good and has struggled to find institutional morals.
In what used to be a yearly war in the old WAC Wyoming (0-2) is home against BYU (2-0.) Wyoming is not good this year and hoping not to get blown out after losing to an FCS school at home last week. BYU gets them before the winds in Laramie turn bitter cold.
Northern Colorado (0-2)surprisingly gave CSU more trouble than they expected last week. This week they get Abilene Christian (1-1) in Greeley. Abilene Christian almost picked up an upset over a P4 in the opener losing 52-51 to Texas Tech in OT. Expect Northern Colorado to return to losing big, after all they aren’t called UNC for Northern Colorado but rather for Usually Not Competitive.
Speaking of not competitive we have Fort Lewis back on the schedule. They get Arizona Christian at home who only won two games last year but one was blowing out Fort Loser.
The winning programs are playing as well. (15)Western Colorado (1-0) is at West Texas A&M (1-1) who lost to Colorado Mines last week.
(5)Mines goes to Kansas to play Washburn (0-1) who would be better called Washout as in 2-9 last year, most of them not close.
Toughest game and one worth watching has (22)CSU Pueblo (2-0) hosting traditional power (3)Grand Valley State (1-0.) Grand Valley eliminated Pueblo in OT last year in the playoffs before losing to Colorado Mines. This one should be worth the drive to Pueblo to see.
At least we aren’t Notre Dame fans losing to MAC school Northern Illinois or Florida State falling from being expected to be in the playoff to completely out of the rankings.
This week sees a lot more schools getting into conference schedules, a lot fewer of the body bag games involving opponents expected to take a beating for a paycheck, although a few don’t cooperate with that plan.
With the increasing tens of millions of dollars involved some coaches may already be worrying a little about how long they will be welcome in their current jobs.
No Tuesday or Wednesday games yet but we have some Thursday action.
Arizona State (2-0) isn’t expected to be very good this year but they don’t want to take a loss this early at a SunBelt school like Texas State (2-0) who put a loss on P4 Baylor last year.
The other Thursday game brings two bad schools together with one leaving with their first win of the year. FCS Northwestern State (0-2) is at South Alabama (0-2).
Fridays games leave us a little flat, flat like Kansas which is where both happen. Let’s hope they aren’t as boring as Kansas is.
Kansas (1-1) which fell from the rankings hosts UNLV (2-0) which has dominated their games so far. The other game is one of the week’s battles of ranked teams. (20) Arizona (2-0) visits the Rotten Apple of Manhattan, KS and (14) Kansas State (2-0.) Winner should move up and have a good start on the conference standings.
Saturday includes a number of games that are pivotal for the teams, even this early in the season. Florida State (0-2) was expecting to be pushing for the top 5 at this point. Instead a conference loss to visiting Memphis (2-0) would leave them reeling and wondering if they can get a decent bowl or if their coach will be secure.
Usually by this point an undefeated Wisconsin (2-0) would be ranked but they haven’t made believers yet. Even without Saban as their coach visiting (4) Alabama doesn’t have that problem. Oddsmakers don’t expect this one to be close.
(24) Boston College (2-0) has already knocked off a top 10 team this year. (6) Missouri (2-0) doesn’t plan to let them do it again and is more than a two TD favorite.
An unexpected game to keep an eye on. Tulane (1-1) who gave ranked Kansas State a scare last week goes to (15) Oklahoma (2-0) who barely escaped against winless Houston last week. If the Sooners can’t fix their issues this could be an upset opportunity.
Some serious rivalry games this week including West Virginia (1-1) at Pittsburgh (2-0) who escaped another rivalry game last week with a big comeback against Cincinnati.
In that same mid-afternoon time slot are two big in-state rivalry games that for decades were PAC 8/12 conference battles. (9) Oregon (2-0) is at Oregon State (2-0,) while Washington State (2-0) is at Washington (2-0) which has fallen from the playoff last year to unranked this year despite being undefeated.
Also mid-afternoon are a couple of redemtion/recovery games that are huge for this early in the season. (18) Notre Dame (1-1) can’t afford to lose at Purdue (1-0) to have hope for the playoffs.
Notre Dame started the season beating Texas A&M (1-1) who now plays at Florida (1-1) who opened with a loss to Miami. Going 1-2 at either school would mean some very tough questions by the fans.
And then the schedule falls off for the late games. Indiana (2-0) is at UCLA (1-0,) a new B1G battle with undefeated teams who haven’t played anyone good.
Garbage game of the week involves the Akron Lost their Zips (0-2) hosting the Colgate Raiders (0-2.) Colgate so far has lost by a combined 45-17 against less than notable FCS teams. Topping that Akron has lost their two games by a combined 101-23.
Blowout of the week has Kent State (0-2) at (7)Tennessee (2-0) who believes they should be ranked in the top 5. Oddsmakers currently have this as only a 47.5 point spread, that should go up.
And a new category for “What are they thinking?” Iowa (1-1) just fell out of the top 25 hosts Troy (0-2.) No question that the Hawkeyes are a much better team but oddsmakers have them as 22.5 point favorites. Even if they pitch a shutout some question if the Iowa offense could score more than 3 TDs against tissue paper or the Fort Lewis defense (same thing.)
Some B12 action with Central Florida (2-0) at TCU (2-0.)
Locally Air Force (1-1) has struggled to find an offense but has a chance to beat a P4 team at Baylor (1-1) who isn’t very good and has struggled to find institutional morals.
In what used to be a yearly war in the old WAC Wyoming (0-2) is home against BYU (2-0.) Wyoming is not good this year and hoping not to get blown out after losing to an FCS school at home last week. BYU gets them before the winds in Laramie turn bitter cold.
Northern Colorado (0-2)surprisingly gave CSU more trouble than they expected last week. This week they get Abilene Christian (1-1) in Greeley. Abilene Christian almost picked up an upset over a P4 in the opener losing 52-51 to Texas Tech in OT. Expect Northern Colorado to return to losing big, after all they aren’t called UNC for Northern Colorado but rather for Usually Not Competitive.
Speaking of not competitive we have Fort Lewis back on the schedule. They get Arizona Christian at home who only won two games last year but one was blowing out Fort Loser.
The winning programs are playing as well. (15)Western Colorado (1-0) is at West Texas A&M (1-1) who lost to Colorado Mines last week.
(5)Mines goes to Kansas to play Washburn (0-1) who would be better called Washout as in 2-9 last year, most of them not close.
Toughest game and one worth watching has (22)CSU Pueblo (2-0) hosting traditional power (3)Grand Valley State (1-0.) Grand Valley eliminated Pueblo in OT last year in the playoffs before losing to Colorado Mines. This one should be worth the drive to Pueblo to see.
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