Week three of the college football season sees 56% of the top 25 teams (14 total) going against one another. That means that there’s bound to be some shifting of the nation’s top teams. Here’s a quick look at the 7 games on tap.
(6) LSU (2-0, 0-0 away) at (3) Auburn (2-0, 1-0 SEC) LSU’s QB JaMarcus Russell is off to a great start and so is his team. The home team has won the last six meetings and these teams are evenly matched, look for the game to be a battle between the LSU passing game and the strong Auburn running game led by Kenny Irons. This is a fight between two teams that are considered to be the two top clubs in the SEC West Division. Like last year, this game could come down to a field goal. Auburn is -3.5, which means home field advantage.
(11) Michigan (2-0, 0-0 away) at (2) Notre Dame (2-0, 1-0 home) The Michigan Wolverines are going into the Fighting Irish’s den and although the Irish are 6-point favorites with Brady Quinn they stand to win by more.
(19) Nebraska (2-0, 0-0 away) at (4) USC (1-0, 0-0 home) The Trojans are favored by 17.5 points at home. This is not an unreasonable projection. Nebraska hasn’t beaten a top 10 team on the road since 1997 and the rested USC team looks to use its excellent running game to dominate and wear down the Cornhuskers.
(7) Florida (2-0, 0-0 away) at (13) Tennessee (2-0, 2-0 home) Tennessee is a 4-point underdog, which means that the Volunteers have a chance against the Gators. This is the other big SEC contest this week with the two top East Division clubs battling it out. Although Florida is favored, Tennessee played exceptionally well in its opener against number 9 California this season and Florida tends to have difficulty on the road. However last week, Tennessee held off a last quarter push by Air Force to win 31-30.
(17) Miami (FL) (1-1, 0-1 ACC) at (12) Louisville (2-0, 1-0 home) The Cardinals of Louisville are 4-point favorites. Although the Cards lost Heisman candidate RB Michael Bush in their season opener, they still have a strong backfield. Miami comes in having never lost to Louisville (9-0-1) but the Cardinals have the top rated offense in the country. This could be the year that they blow the Hurricanes off the field.
(15) Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0 away) at (18) Oregon (2-0, 1-0 Pac-10) The visitor, Oklahoma, is a 4.5 point underdog. The Oregon Ducks have never beaten the Sooners (0-6). In a battle of running backs, it’s Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson (56 ATT, 304 YDS, 5.4 AVG, 3 TDs) versus Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart (23 ATT, 171 YDS, 7.4 YDS, 3 TDs). Oregon looks better on paper but the field will be the true test.
(24) Texas Tech (2-0, 1-0 away) at (20) TCU (2-0, 1-0 home) With TCU as a 2-point underdog, this game looks close but Texas Tech’s offense is much stronger than their host’s. But TCU’s defense could be the difference in this one. If they can keep it close, TCU will have the advantage in this one.
By Monday, there should certainly be some “adjustments� in the nation’s top 25 after a weekend of tough battles.
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