Week 3 Picks

One of these weeks there will be some mid-week updates. Blame my real job for keeping me too busy. On to the picks for week 3.

Wyoming at Colorado (CU by 7)

Steve: How is Colorado favored after dropping two stink bombs in their first two games? Their defense has been atrocious this year and their offense is crappy, so I don’t see them beating anyone by 9. Colorado 24 – Wyoming 21

Beav: Just like you've got to bet with the old guy at the craps table, I've got to keep riding the 'bet against CU' train. Wyoming 21 - Colorado 20

Duke at Kansas (KU by 23)

Steve: Kansas continues their non-conference cupcake contests. People will continue to be fooled into thinking Kansas has good running backs. They don’t, but they will still look good against Duke. Kansas 42 – Duke 14

Beav: Bill Self has some very talented freshmen who will make an impact this year and Phog Allen is always a tough place to play. I think the Duke offense struggles until Coach K figures out a way to replace Gerald Henderson. Kansas 82 - Duke 55

Kansas State at UCLA (UCLA by 12)

Steve: Is it too late for Snyder to have this game canceled and get UCLA replaced with Fort Hays State? UCLA 28 – Kansas State 10

Beav: Can't even feign enough interest to make a comment about this one. UCLA 41 - KSU 13

Nebraska at Virginia Tech (V Tech by 5)

Steve: Nebraska has looked good offensively against the Sun Belt teams. This game is a match-up of strength vs. strength (NU offense vs V Tech D) and weakness vs. weakness (NU D vs. V Tech D). If the Special Teams is the tiebreaker you don’t get much better than Virginia Tech special teams. Virginia Tech 31 – Nebraska 24

Beav: This Husker defense still looks as tentative and unathletic as they did in the Callahan years, and I think VTech has the athletes to exploit it. Since Tom Osborne left 12 years ago, nobody has gone broke betting against the Huskers in big road games. Virginia Tech 41 - Nebraska 31

Rice at Oklahoma State (OSU by 33)

Steve: Will Okie State come out all pissed off because of their upset loss last week, or uninspired because of it? I’m guessing Mike Gundy will slam an extra Red Bull or two to make sure he has enough energy to keep his team fired up. Oklahoma State 42 – Rice 14

Beav: This is going to be that game where an angry Mike Gundy leaves Dez Bryant in the game to rack up 290 yards receiving. Oklahoma State 55 - Rice 10

Tulsa at Oklahoma (OU by 17.5)

Steve: I think people are selling OU short. When Bradford went down against BYU, Landry Jones was not ready to step in. Instead of last week’s three minute talk and tossing the ball 10 times on the sideline to warm up, the coaches have had all week to prepare him. Oklahoma 45 – Tulsa 21

Beav: Tulsa already beat Colorado, right? No? Oh, that was Toledo. Didn't Tulsa just get smoked by BYU? Oh, that was Tulane. But Tulsa is where Matt Forte played, right? No? I guess that was Tulane, too. I can't ever keep these small schools that start with T straight. But I've always liked Tulsa's Brown & Baby Blue unis...and that elephant mascot is pretty sweet. What? That's Tufts? I have no idea here. OU 55 - Tulsa 0

UConn at Baylor (Baylor by 10)

Steve: UConn is no pushover, but Baylor is playing with confidence they haven’t had since the days of Mike Singletary. Plus, the Bears have had a bye week to prepare. Baylor 35 – UConn 21

Beav: When MLB started its interleague games, the schedule-makers put together some great regional rivalries like Yankees vs Mets, A's vs Giants, Royals vs. Cards...but then at the bottom of the list, they just had to pair up whatever crappy teams were left over. This game is the college football equivalent of Rockies vs. Blue Jays. No rivalry, no regional relationship, no impact on the big picture whatsoever. I'll take the home team to cover. Baylor 35 - UConn21

Utah State at Texas A&M (aTm by 17.5)

Steve: I’m sure all aTm fans are still jizzing in their pants after their week 1 win. I’m still not convinced they are for real, but they should be able to cover in this one. Texas aTm 35 – Utah State 14

Beav: Match-ups like this one and Baylor-UConn are why I love college football. aTm 28 - Utah State 10

Iowa State at Kent State (ISU by 1)

Steve: The Cyclones need this game. If they lose, it will probably end up being another 8 or 9 loss season. If they win, they will have a chance to become bowl eligible. Iowa State 38 – Kent State 35

Beav: I miss the days when there were only 3 or 4 college football games on TV each week, because at least I knew once the game came on I would see some good football. Unfortunately now, in the age of Versus and Fox sports, there's always the chance that I will flip on the TV and see something like last week's Iowa vs. ISU game. I can’t say that I've ever seen a Division I team look worse than ISU did. I don't know much about Kent State, but no way am I picking the 'Clones. Kent 38 - ISU 17

Texas Tech at Texas (Texas by 17.5)

Steve: Will Texas view this as a revenge game? I just doesn’t feel like revenge if there is no Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. Speaking of those two, Tech might miss them a little in this game. Texas 42 – Texas Tech 21

Beav: Wow...this line seems big. I like Texas to win, but spotting Texas Tech over 17 points seems a little excessive. Texas 41 - Texas Tech 31

Non-conference games of interest

Tennessee at Florida (Florida by 29.5)

Steve: There hasn’t been a battle between bigger douche bags since the most recent episode of MTV’s Road Rules/Real World challenge. Ask Mark Richt if Urban Meyer holds a grudge. Florida 56 – Tennessee 14

Beav: I was going to try to summarize how laughable Lane Kiffin's rise has been, but that probably needs its own post. Josh Baskin's rise to VP at McMillan Toy Company in Big was more legitimate...but I still think they cover. Florida 41 - Tennessee 21

Florida State at BYU (BYU by 8)

Steve: After Miami beat down Georgia Tech last night, my opinion of Florida State improved; however, this game still scares the crap out of me. The chances of Florida State could winning by 21 is about the same as BYU winning by 21. BYU 28 – Florida State 21

Beav: I'm not buying into BYU...I think they beat Oklahoma on the Sooners' worst possible day. It’s a tough road trip for FSU, but I think they knock off the Cougs. Florida State 24 - BYU 19

Last Week

Steve: 5-8 (13-15 on the season)

Beav: 8-5 (16-12 on the season)