College Football Week 3 Expert Picks

The Big 10 is officially back…so now what? Sure, I’m thrilled…more big name college football teams will be playing this Fall. But where is my Pac-12?

Some of you can relate to the next analogy and others won’t. I feel like I’m scrolling on Facebook and seeing photo after photo of my friends in happy relationships…and here I am, still single. That’s the equivalent to me of the Pac-12 not having committed to playing football this season while the other major conferences have. (Fortunately while I can relate to some of that analogy, I’m not the envious type.)

How can you consider yourself a ‘Power’ conference and not play when the other four are doing so? Don’t give me state restrictions and such as excuses…where there’s a will, there’s a way (as the Big 10 just found out).

It’s going to be amazing to watch Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and the others playing each other in a 9 week battle royale. As I see it, the Buckeyes are the best team in the country and should absolutely end up in the College Football Playoff, if not win the whole thing. Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin could also be considered long shots as making the Playoff.

With the exception of Oregon and MAYBE USC, I’m not sure the Pac-12 can say the same.

But all is not lost…An early bold prediction – by next week’s column, the ‘experts’ and I will be re-picking our Final Four including both Big 10 and Pac-12 teams.

In the meantime, at least none of the four of us are fans of the Big 12 which was an unmitigated disaster in Week 1! Kansas State, Iowa State, and Kansas all losing at home to Sun Belt teams…what an embarrassment! Texas and Oklahoma should cakewalk through that conference but if the teams split the regular season & Big 12 Championship Game, will that cost them a Playoff berth considering their weak conference schedules? A definite likelihood…

On to the games that are being played…at least the four of us had some success picking games in Week 2…and I’ll give myself props for picking the Louisville and Miami games dead on with the correct scores!

Now that those teams are playing in Week 3’s featured game, let’s see how the four of us will pick it + 8 others!

Bold Predictions:

EC: The Big 12 manages to avoid another week of utter disaster as Oklahoma State and Baylor take care of business rather easily. I’ve never said this before…but I can’t wait for SEC Football to start back up…the games this week aren’t compelling in the least outside of potentially Miami-Louisville.

AL: I can’t say this one is too bold…but the Big12 will be left out of the College Football Playoffs; perhaps the Sun Belt takes its place.

JB: D’Eriq King takes Manny Diaz off the hot seat by leading a second half comeback to guide EC’s Hurricanes over Louisville in a Week 2 thriller. 

SM: Chuba Hubbard has an incredible game vaulting him up to 2nd in the current Heisman race just below Trevor Lawrence. Hubbard finishes the game with 248 yards rushing and 4 TDs.

Last week I went 4-1 in the the new column addition, the Pick 5…which is any five selections against the spread college and/or pro. Can I continue these winning ways?

Week 2 Pick 5 Selections:
Last Week: 4-1
Season: 4-1
South Florida +25.5 at Notre Dame
Louisville -2.5 vs. Miami
Titans -9 vs. Jaguars
49ers -6.5 at Jets
Seahawks -4.5 vs. Patriots

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