Not going to say too much about either of these losses because I did not really watch the games. I had a plan to watch most of the UVa game but by the time I got to a TV, it was already 28-7. And I was working during the Dallas game. Sometimes, I like to go back and watch losses on recording because it helps me get through and process them but this is not one of those cases since the efforts by the Cavs and 'Boys were so bad. I did go back and watch Virginia's scoring drives.
Virginia: The Wahoos put up a pitiful showing in a 56-20 loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Going into the game, I did not think they would win, but I thought they would at least keep it close. Virginia was completely outclassed on offense and defense. The game started out with a bit of a surprise -- a pass and touchdown on the Yellow Jackets' first offensive play -- and spiraled downhill from there. The Cavs surrendered 594 yards, the most in a decade, and 56 points, the most since Illinois lit up the scoreboard with 63 in the 1999 Micronpc.com Bowl in a 63-21 pounding of the 'Hoos. The offense was pretty poor once again, gaining only 297 total yards, 98 of them rushing. Kevin Parks gained 52 yards on the ground and was still running extremely hard in the fourth quarter so kudos to him. Perry Jones managed just 15 yards on five carries. Jones has rushed for all of 81 yards in three games (27 per game) after rushing for almost 1,000 last year. Quarterback Michael Rocco completed 15 of 25 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two picks. One was a bad throw by him and one was a tipped ball , not necessarily his fault -- but he has to do a better job of getting air under the ball sometimes on short throws. The touchdown pass was a nice, 19-yarder to tight end Jake McGee who hurdled a defender at the goal line. McGee started his first game Saturday and now has two receiving touchdowns on the season, most on the team. The other two touchdowns ended up being firsts for the 'Hoos involved. In the fourth quarter, Phillips Sims entered the game at quarterback and threw the first two touchdowns of his career, the first to E.J. Scott, and the second as time expired to Zachary Swanson. Those touchdown catches were also the first for those two guys. Sims ended up completing 6 of 8 passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed some surprising mobility on a scramble and run. He looked pretty good, but once again, it was against backup defenders. He looked good against Richmond in mop-up duty as well. When he was playing against starters in the Penn State game with the contest on the line, he looked lost and the results were not as positive. I don't know if the staff necessarily saw enough of him to think he should start over Rocco. We did not lose the game because of Rocco. The defense lost the game from the opening whistle. Virginia was not able to run the kind of offense it wanted because it got behind so quickly. I don't think starting Sims would have meant we would have won the game 50-49 or something crazy like that. If this season starts to get out of hand, then I guess starting Sims would be the way to go to get him some experience early in his career, especially if he is expected to be the quarterback in 2013 and 2014.Starting him this week would be a mistake, I think. Virginia travels to face TCU on the road, and the Horned Frogs have a very good defense. I also don't know if starting Rocco or Sims matters a ton, right now, because the offensive line isn't good and isn't protecting the quarterback. Any UVa quarterback right now is going out there without the benefit of a good running game as well.
Virginia should be embarrassed by the loss Saturday. No team should lose like that. I am actually more worried about the offense than I am the defense. The defense is young and we knew it would struggle. Georgia Tech came right out with a sneak attack pass and the rest was history. The defense will rebound and play better against offenses that are more familiar. The offense, however, was supposed to be a strength of the team and is really struggling. The Cavs are seventh in the ACC right now, averaging 379 yards per game and dropping. Hopefully the Cavaliers look in the mirror this week and really clean some things up. They play TCU on national television Saturday and we don't want two embarrassments in a row in front of the entire country.
Dallas: The Cowboys went into Seattle and got manhandled by the Seahawks in a 27-7 loss Sunday. This coming off a great performance in a Week 1 win over the Giants in New York. Seattle is a pretty good team at home but I thought the game would be a close Dallas win. I was at working watching the score on espn.com thinking Dallas would eventually score some more points and at least make it interesting at the end maybe but nothing like that happened. The Cowboys seem to be having the same problem Virginia is right now -- the offensive line is not looking too solid. DeMarco Murray managed just 44 yards against the Seahawks. On the other hand, Marshawn Lynch gashed the Cowboys for 122 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Tony Romo was 23 of 40 for 251 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was a much more efficient 15 of 20 for 151 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. The rookie who went to N.C. State and Wisconsin also rushed for 28 yards. Dallas plays its first home game Sunday against the Buccaneers.
I am more worried about Virginia than Dallas. The Cowboys should be fine. I don't know if they will make the playoffs, but they should be competitive in most of their games. If there is one thing we all should have learned in the NFL the past few seasons, anything is possible. Just look at what happened over the weekend: The Cardinals are 2-0 after beating the Patriots on the road. The Ravens crushed the Bengals in Week 1 then lost to the Eagles in Week 2. Philadelphia turned the ball over a lot against both Baltimore and its Week 1 opponent, Cleveland, but managed wins. The Giants were getting beat badly at home by the Bucs but came storming back in a 41-34 win with Eli Manning throwing for 510 yards. The Bills, who were crushed by the Jets in Week 1, housed the Chiefs 35-17 after being up 35-3 at one point. Those Jets, by the way, barely scored any touchdowns in the preseason but ran up 48 points on the Bills in Week 1. The Redskins, after beating the Saints in New Orleans in Week 1, lost to the Rams, one of the worst teams in the league the past few years. The NFL is getting harder and harder to predict week to week. So I am less worried about the Cowboys simply because they will probably win some unexpected games and lose some more unexpected games as well. Virginia could definitely be in some trouble because after TCU, it faces another test back home against Louisiana Tech, another team that can light up the scoreboard.
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COLLEGE PICKS
I am 17-12 on the year in college picks and 5-6 in NFL picks. Last week I went 4-5 in both college and NFL games. Gotta get it going a little here.
Baylor at Louisiana-Monroe, today 8 p.m. ESPN
Monroe is asking to be noticed. The Warhawks, a team that gambles a lot and goes for it on fourth down more than your average team, nearly defeated SEC opponents in consecutive weeks. Two weeks ago, they upended Arkansas 34-31 in overtime. Saturday, they took Auburn to overtime on the road but lost 31-28. Baylor has yet to be tested in the post-Robert Griffin III era. The Bears have beaten SMU and Sam Houston State in its first two games. We will find out what they are made of soon enough: After facing the Warhawks, Baylor has to face West Virginia, TCU, and Texas three weeks in a row. In front of a raucous crowd, I'll take Monroe in a bit of an upset.
Louisiana-Monroe 40, Baylor 38
Saturday's games
Maryland at No. 8 West Virginia, Noon FX
The Terrapins came out of the gate as a bit of a surprise, beating Temple to get to 2-0. Randy Edall lost to his old team, UConn last week, however. The Terrapins won't be able to keep up with the high-scoring Mountaineers, who have put up 69 and 42 points thus far in their two games.
West Virginia 45, Maryland 24
Bowling Green at Virginia Tech, Noon ESPNU
Pittsburgh pulled off maybe the biggest shocker of last weekend's games when they beat the No. 13 Hokies 35-17. It wasn't even close as the Panthers staked a 21-0 lead. Virginia Tech never got close than 11 points. Now the Hokies must pick up the pieces and face a MAC school that will obviously be hungry and sensing a weakened team. Virginia Tech will come out with lots of resolve at home and play a solid football game, though some struggles will continue. The Falcons gave Florida a hard time in Gainesville in a 27-14 loss Sept. 1.
Virginia Tech 23, Bowling Green 7
Miami at Georgia Tech, 3 p.m. ESPN3.com
The Yellow Jackets are probably licking their chops. After getting its offense clicking over the past two weeks, Georgia Tech faces a defense that has given up piles of points so far. Miami gave up 32 while beating a mediocre Boston College squad Sept. 1 and then gave up 52 in a loss to Kansas State the next week. The Hurricanes better hope they tighten up their defense and learn from Virginia's mistakes, or this one could turn into a laugher. I think Miami will do a better job than the Cavaliers of keeping it close, but the Jackets will win going away.
Georgia Tech 45, Miami 24
East Carolina at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ESPNU
After a great start in a Week 1 win over Elon, the Larry Fedora era at North Carolina has slowed down the past two weeks in losses to Wake Forest and Louisville. It is the defense that has been letting the Tar Heels down. The offense is still scoring points -- it got 27 against the Deacons and 34 against the Cardinals. I doubt the Tar Heels will fall to 1-3 at home but the possibility is there, given how bad most of the ACC has been outside the conference thus far.
North Carolina 31, East Carolina 24
Temple at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
The Nittany Lions play their third home game in four contests against the Owls, who beat Villanova in Week 1 but then suffered a disappointing loss to Maryland in Week 2. Penn State picked up its first victory of the Bill O'Brien era last week against Navy. Temple gave Penn State all it could handle last year in a 14-10 loss at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. I like Penn State at home in this one, but not by much.
Penn State 21, Temple 17
No. 2 LSU at Auburn, 7 p.m. ESPN
Auburn is probably going to fall to 1-3 here, but the Tigers should be ok because they have winnable games coming up: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and New Mexico State all in a row. The Bayou Bengals of LSU have barely been tested thus far this year and could struggle early but I see them pulling away in the second half.
LSU 38, Auburn 24
No. 18 Michigan at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. NBC
Could it be the Fighting Irish are for real this year? A good Notre Dame team, while hated by me and lots of other Americans, would certainly be a good get for the ACC in a couple years, or whenever they end up joining the conference. I know, I know. They aren't really joining for football, but they will play five games per year against ACC squads and basically be a semi-member. They can lend credibility to a conference starved for success on the national stage. The difference with Notre Dame this year compared to the last few years is it seems to be packing a defense finally to go along with its offense. The unit hasn't given up more than 17 points in any game so far, and last week, it held then-No. 10 Michigan State to just three points. Good thing the defense is improved because Michigan comes to South Bend this weekend and Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson has been playing a lot better since the Alabama disaster three weeks ago. This game was an instant classic last year under the lights in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame was up 24-7 to begin the fourth quarter but Michigan came back and won 35-31. I expect another good game this year, a little more low scoring, as the Irish get some revenge.
Notre Dame 27, Michigan 24
No. 15 Kansas State at No. 6 Oklahoma, 7:50 p.m. FOX
Neither team has been tested yet. Kansas State has wins over Missouri State, Miami, and North Texas and Oklahoma has victories over UTEP (a bit of a struggle with a final of 24-7) and Florida A&M. I'll give the edge here to the homestanding Sooners who had an extra week to prepare for this matchup.
Oklahoma 28, Kansas State 25
No. 10 Clemson at No. 4 Florida State, 8 p.m. ABC
The spotlight is on the ACC for once. College GameDay will be in Tallahassee and hopefully the Tigers and Seminoles don't disappoint. The 'Noles haven't really played anybody yet on their way to a 3-0 record, but still, outscoring opponents 176-3 is impressive no matter what. And I definitely didn't expect them to shut out Wake Forest last week to the tune of 52-0. The Deacons had won four of the past six meetings between the two teams. Maybe that pounding was a sign this is a different FSU team. Clemson is 3-0 as well but has been less impressive, barely beating a struggling Auburn team, and then giving up 27 points to Ball State. Even last week, against Furman, the Tigers gave up only seven points but 352 yards. New defensive coordinator Brent Venables said some of the defensive play him sick. Clemson better figure out how to stop teams fast, because the Seminoles bring a very potent offense into this game. And a good defense, too. The Seminoles are giving up just a little over 100 yards per game. Clemson hasn't played on the road yet and I think they are in for a rude awakening.
Florida State 45, Clemson 23
Virginia at No. 17 TCU, Noon ESPN
Casting aside TCU as one of those cute non-BCS schools that makes a run from time to time doesn't do the Horned Frogs justice. First of all, TCU is in the Big 12 this year, so it does have the backing of a BCS conference. Second of all, this team has had one of the best defenses in the country year in and year out since Gary Patterson became coach 12 years ago. Third, TCU boasts another terrific quarterback two years removed from the senior year of Andy Dalton, now with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. This signal caller is named Casey Pachall, a junior who stands 6-foot-5, 226 pounds. He's completed an incredible 33 of his 39 passes in two games. He actually went 9 for 9 in TCU's 56-0 opening drubbing of Grambling State two weeks ago so he didn't throw an incompletion until facing Kansas last week. Last season, emerging from the shadow of Dalton, Pachall set TCU records in completions (228), completion percentage (66.5), and passing yards (2,921). So you see, if Virginia isn't careful, this will likely be the second blowout in two weeks on national TV.
Are there any chinks in the Horned Frogs' armor? Maybe. Last week, TCU turned it over four times. But it still beat Kansas 20-6 so the outcome probably would have been worse had it not been for those mistakes (the Jayhawks had two turnovers as well). This week, Patterson has probably been driving into his players' heads that Virginia is a solid team and they can't turn the ball over like and expect to win. The sample size isn't big, but perhaps TCU is careless with the ball. Let's say it is. Even so, Virginia has not been a turnover creating machine thus far. The Cavaliers have forced just one turnover in three games, and that was just a muffed punt by Georgia Tech last week.
TCU took a hit in the Kansas game when Horned Frogs junior running back Waymon James injured his knee. He is out for the season. James rushed for over 800 yards last season and more than 500 as a freshman. This also probably won't be a big problem for the Frogs, though. Senior reserve Matthew Tucker will get the start and should fill in nicely. He's rushed for more than 600 yards every year in his career and already sports a 5.3 yards per carry average this season.
I do expect a better game from the Virginia defense this week. It can't get much worse, right? Last week, the young Cavalier defense was shredded by a well-oiled triple option attack by Georgia Tech. The unit should have buckled down this week in practice and cleaned up some of the mess. Plus, TCU runs an offense more like what Virginia is used to seeing so that familiarity should help.
The main issue this week is scoring. This wasn't supposed to be a problem with this team but is now the biggest problem. I think it will be very difficult for the 'Hoos to score on this Horned Frog defense. I suppose the chance is there that TCU looks at Virginia's result last week and rests on its laurels a little bit and UVa ends up playing a ton better than last week to spring the upset. I don't think that is a signature of Patterson's TCU teams, however, and he should have them focused. I might be generous with a 17-point guess for the Cavaliers if the offensive line hasn't improved much.
TCU 38, Virginia 17
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NFL PICKS
Rams at Bears, 1 p.m. FOX
The Bears looked alternately good and bad in their first two games, first crushing the Colts then getting manhandled by the Packers. The truth on this team probably lies somewhere in the middle. I think they'll squeak one out against a much-improved Rams team.
Bears 30, Rams 27
Buccaneers at Cowboys, 1 p.m. FOX
Like Chicago, the Cowboys looked great in a Week 1 win over the Giants and then were dominated by the Seahawks on Sunday. The Bucs beat Carolina in Week 1 then almost pulled off the upset over the Giants last week. They made more headlines by trying to cause a fumble on the Giants' final kneeldown. Giants coach Tom Coughlin was not a fan. Bucs coach Greg Schiano is building a tough team in Tampa Bay.
Cowboys 20, Buccaneers 14
Jets at Dolphins, 1 p.m. CBS
Mark Sanchez was fantastic two weeks ago against the Bills and pretty bad against the Steelers last week, although he didn't throw any interceptions. The Dolphins were handled by the Texans in Week 1 before rebounding last week with a great performance by running back Reggie Bush in a rout of a Raider team that looks horrible. I think this will be a good close game the Jets pull out in the end.
Jets 21, Dolphins 20
Bengals at Redskins, 1 p.m. CBS
Excitement will be high for Robert Griffin III's home debut for the Redskins and I think the team will bounce back to beat a scrappy Cincinnati squad.
Redskins 28, Bengals 24
Eagles at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. FOX
A pair of surprising 2-0 teams with bird mascots face off in Arizona. The Eagles have turned the ball over nine times, making their 2-0 start strange and no one expected the Cardinals to be 2-0, although they did end last year strong. Still, that success came with John Skelton under center and he is hurt and Kevin Kol b is due to make some mistakes.
Eagles 27, Cardinals 24
Falcons at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. FOX
We should see how good both of these teams really are in this one. The Chargers haven't played a good team yet, dominating both the Raiders and Titans. Atlanta cruised in Week 1 at Kansas City and then got up on the Broncos early Monday night and held on down the stretch. Difficulties have arisen for the Falcons in recent seasons when they go on the road to face strong teams. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is looking like he has extra focus this year after getting off to a bad start a year ago. He's thrown just one interception in two games compared to four touchdowns.
Chargers 24, Falcons 21
Texans at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. CBS
The Texans are another team that hasn't been tested yet. They've cruised in victories over the Dolphins and Jaguars. Peyton Manning threw three interceptions against the Falcons last week and the Texans defense has been one of the best since Wade Phillips became the defensive coordinator last season. Manning plays better than last week but the Broncos come up a bit short in a game that could go either way. Houston QB and former UVa player Matt Schaub has just one touchdown so far this season but has been very efficient with no interceptions (46 of 66, 461 yards).
Texans 23, Broncos 21
Patriots at Ravens, 8:20 p.m. NBC
The Patriots were shocked at home last week against the Cardinals. The Ravens looked great in crushing the Bengals in Week 1 but then couldn't beat the Eagles last week even though Michael Vick threw two picks. New England has been very good under Bill Belichick after losses and I look for the Patriots to come out with a lot of focus in this one.
Patriots 28, Ravens 27
Monday night
Packers at Seahawks, 8:30 ESPN
The Packers got on track last Thursday by beating the Bears after getting controlled by the 49ers in a Week 1 loss. Seattle bounced back from a close loss at Arizona to beat the Cowboys at home. I expect this to be a close one and the Seahawks crowd is one of the best in the NFL.
Packers 27, Seahawks 23
Virginia: The Wahoos put up a pitiful showing in a 56-20 loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Going into the game, I did not think they would win, but I thought they would at least keep it close. Virginia was completely outclassed on offense and defense. The game started out with a bit of a surprise -- a pass and touchdown on the Yellow Jackets' first offensive play -- and spiraled downhill from there. The Cavs surrendered 594 yards, the most in a decade, and 56 points, the most since Illinois lit up the scoreboard with 63 in the 1999 Micronpc.com Bowl in a 63-21 pounding of the 'Hoos. The offense was pretty poor once again, gaining only 297 total yards, 98 of them rushing. Kevin Parks gained 52 yards on the ground and was still running extremely hard in the fourth quarter so kudos to him. Perry Jones managed just 15 yards on five carries. Jones has rushed for all of 81 yards in three games (27 per game) after rushing for almost 1,000 last year. Quarterback Michael Rocco completed 15 of 25 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two picks. One was a bad throw by him and one was a tipped ball , not necessarily his fault -- but he has to do a better job of getting air under the ball sometimes on short throws. The touchdown pass was a nice, 19-yarder to tight end Jake McGee who hurdled a defender at the goal line. McGee started his first game Saturday and now has two receiving touchdowns on the season, most on the team. The other two touchdowns ended up being firsts for the 'Hoos involved. In the fourth quarter, Phillips Sims entered the game at quarterback and threw the first two touchdowns of his career, the first to E.J. Scott, and the second as time expired to Zachary Swanson. Those touchdown catches were also the first for those two guys. Sims ended up completing 6 of 8 passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed some surprising mobility on a scramble and run. He looked pretty good, but once again, it was against backup defenders. He looked good against Richmond in mop-up duty as well. When he was playing against starters in the Penn State game with the contest on the line, he looked lost and the results were not as positive. I don't know if the staff necessarily saw enough of him to think he should start over Rocco. We did not lose the game because of Rocco. The defense lost the game from the opening whistle. Virginia was not able to run the kind of offense it wanted because it got behind so quickly. I don't think starting Sims would have meant we would have won the game 50-49 or something crazy like that. If this season starts to get out of hand, then I guess starting Sims would be the way to go to get him some experience early in his career, especially if he is expected to be the quarterback in 2013 and 2014.Starting him this week would be a mistake, I think. Virginia travels to face TCU on the road, and the Horned Frogs have a very good defense. I also don't know if starting Rocco or Sims matters a ton, right now, because the offensive line isn't good and isn't protecting the quarterback. Any UVa quarterback right now is going out there without the benefit of a good running game as well.
Virginia should be embarrassed by the loss Saturday. No team should lose like that. I am actually more worried about the offense than I am the defense. The defense is young and we knew it would struggle. Georgia Tech came right out with a sneak attack pass and the rest was history. The defense will rebound and play better against offenses that are more familiar. The offense, however, was supposed to be a strength of the team and is really struggling. The Cavs are seventh in the ACC right now, averaging 379 yards per game and dropping. Hopefully the Cavaliers look in the mirror this week and really clean some things up. They play TCU on national television Saturday and we don't want two embarrassments in a row in front of the entire country.
Dallas: The Cowboys went into Seattle and got manhandled by the Seahawks in a 27-7 loss Sunday. This coming off a great performance in a Week 1 win over the Giants in New York. Seattle is a pretty good team at home but I thought the game would be a close Dallas win. I was at working watching the score on espn.com thinking Dallas would eventually score some more points and at least make it interesting at the end maybe but nothing like that happened. The Cowboys seem to be having the same problem Virginia is right now -- the offensive line is not looking too solid. DeMarco Murray managed just 44 yards against the Seahawks. On the other hand, Marshawn Lynch gashed the Cowboys for 122 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Tony Romo was 23 of 40 for 251 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was a much more efficient 15 of 20 for 151 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. The rookie who went to N.C. State and Wisconsin also rushed for 28 yards. Dallas plays its first home game Sunday against the Buccaneers.
I am more worried about Virginia than Dallas. The Cowboys should be fine. I don't know if they will make the playoffs, but they should be competitive in most of their games. If there is one thing we all should have learned in the NFL the past few seasons, anything is possible. Just look at what happened over the weekend: The Cardinals are 2-0 after beating the Patriots on the road. The Ravens crushed the Bengals in Week 1 then lost to the Eagles in Week 2. Philadelphia turned the ball over a lot against both Baltimore and its Week 1 opponent, Cleveland, but managed wins. The Giants were getting beat badly at home by the Bucs but came storming back in a 41-34 win with Eli Manning throwing for 510 yards. The Bills, who were crushed by the Jets in Week 1, housed the Chiefs 35-17 after being up 35-3 at one point. Those Jets, by the way, barely scored any touchdowns in the preseason but ran up 48 points on the Bills in Week 1. The Redskins, after beating the Saints in New Orleans in Week 1, lost to the Rams, one of the worst teams in the league the past few years. The NFL is getting harder and harder to predict week to week. So I am less worried about the Cowboys simply because they will probably win some unexpected games and lose some more unexpected games as well. Virginia could definitely be in some trouble because after TCU, it faces another test back home against Louisiana Tech, another team that can light up the scoreboard.
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COLLEGE PICKS
I am 17-12 on the year in college picks and 5-6 in NFL picks. Last week I went 4-5 in both college and NFL games. Gotta get it going a little here.
Baylor at Louisiana-Monroe, today 8 p.m. ESPN
Monroe is asking to be noticed. The Warhawks, a team that gambles a lot and goes for it on fourth down more than your average team, nearly defeated SEC opponents in consecutive weeks. Two weeks ago, they upended Arkansas 34-31 in overtime. Saturday, they took Auburn to overtime on the road but lost 31-28. Baylor has yet to be tested in the post-Robert Griffin III era. The Bears have beaten SMU and Sam Houston State in its first two games. We will find out what they are made of soon enough: After facing the Warhawks, Baylor has to face West Virginia, TCU, and Texas three weeks in a row. In front of a raucous crowd, I'll take Monroe in a bit of an upset.
Louisiana-Monroe 40, Baylor 38
Saturday's games
Maryland at No. 8 West Virginia, Noon FX
The Terrapins came out of the gate as a bit of a surprise, beating Temple to get to 2-0. Randy Edall lost to his old team, UConn last week, however. The Terrapins won't be able to keep up with the high-scoring Mountaineers, who have put up 69 and 42 points thus far in their two games.
West Virginia 45, Maryland 24
Bowling Green at Virginia Tech, Noon ESPNU
Pittsburgh pulled off maybe the biggest shocker of last weekend's games when they beat the No. 13 Hokies 35-17. It wasn't even close as the Panthers staked a 21-0 lead. Virginia Tech never got close than 11 points. Now the Hokies must pick up the pieces and face a MAC school that will obviously be hungry and sensing a weakened team. Virginia Tech will come out with lots of resolve at home and play a solid football game, though some struggles will continue. The Falcons gave Florida a hard time in Gainesville in a 27-14 loss Sept. 1.
Virginia Tech 23, Bowling Green 7
Miami at Georgia Tech, 3 p.m. ESPN3.com
The Yellow Jackets are probably licking their chops. After getting its offense clicking over the past two weeks, Georgia Tech faces a defense that has given up piles of points so far. Miami gave up 32 while beating a mediocre Boston College squad Sept. 1 and then gave up 52 in a loss to Kansas State the next week. The Hurricanes better hope they tighten up their defense and learn from Virginia's mistakes, or this one could turn into a laugher. I think Miami will do a better job than the Cavaliers of keeping it close, but the Jackets will win going away.
Georgia Tech 45, Miami 24
East Carolina at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ESPNU
After a great start in a Week 1 win over Elon, the Larry Fedora era at North Carolina has slowed down the past two weeks in losses to Wake Forest and Louisville. It is the defense that has been letting the Tar Heels down. The offense is still scoring points -- it got 27 against the Deacons and 34 against the Cardinals. I doubt the Tar Heels will fall to 1-3 at home but the possibility is there, given how bad most of the ACC has been outside the conference thus far.
North Carolina 31, East Carolina 24
Temple at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
The Nittany Lions play their third home game in four contests against the Owls, who beat Villanova in Week 1 but then suffered a disappointing loss to Maryland in Week 2. Penn State picked up its first victory of the Bill O'Brien era last week against Navy. Temple gave Penn State all it could handle last year in a 14-10 loss at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. I like Penn State at home in this one, but not by much.
Penn State 21, Temple 17
No. 2 LSU at Auburn, 7 p.m. ESPN
Auburn is probably going to fall to 1-3 here, but the Tigers should be ok because they have winnable games coming up: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and New Mexico State all in a row. The Bayou Bengals of LSU have barely been tested thus far this year and could struggle early but I see them pulling away in the second half.
LSU 38, Auburn 24
No. 18 Michigan at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. NBC
Could it be the Fighting Irish are for real this year? A good Notre Dame team, while hated by me and lots of other Americans, would certainly be a good get for the ACC in a couple years, or whenever they end up joining the conference. I know, I know. They aren't really joining for football, but they will play five games per year against ACC squads and basically be a semi-member. They can lend credibility to a conference starved for success on the national stage. The difference with Notre Dame this year compared to the last few years is it seems to be packing a defense finally to go along with its offense. The unit hasn't given up more than 17 points in any game so far, and last week, it held then-No. 10 Michigan State to just three points. Good thing the defense is improved because Michigan comes to South Bend this weekend and Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson has been playing a lot better since the Alabama disaster three weeks ago. This game was an instant classic last year under the lights in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame was up 24-7 to begin the fourth quarter but Michigan came back and won 35-31. I expect another good game this year, a little more low scoring, as the Irish get some revenge.
Notre Dame 27, Michigan 24
No. 15 Kansas State at No. 6 Oklahoma, 7:50 p.m. FOX
Neither team has been tested yet. Kansas State has wins over Missouri State, Miami, and North Texas and Oklahoma has victories over UTEP (a bit of a struggle with a final of 24-7) and Florida A&M. I'll give the edge here to the homestanding Sooners who had an extra week to prepare for this matchup.
Oklahoma 28, Kansas State 25
No. 10 Clemson at No. 4 Florida State, 8 p.m. ABC
The spotlight is on the ACC for once. College GameDay will be in Tallahassee and hopefully the Tigers and Seminoles don't disappoint. The 'Noles haven't really played anybody yet on their way to a 3-0 record, but still, outscoring opponents 176-3 is impressive no matter what. And I definitely didn't expect them to shut out Wake Forest last week to the tune of 52-0. The Deacons had won four of the past six meetings between the two teams. Maybe that pounding was a sign this is a different FSU team. Clemson is 3-0 as well but has been less impressive, barely beating a struggling Auburn team, and then giving up 27 points to Ball State. Even last week, against Furman, the Tigers gave up only seven points but 352 yards. New defensive coordinator Brent Venables said some of the defensive play him sick. Clemson better figure out how to stop teams fast, because the Seminoles bring a very potent offense into this game. And a good defense, too. The Seminoles are giving up just a little over 100 yards per game. Clemson hasn't played on the road yet and I think they are in for a rude awakening.
Florida State 45, Clemson 23
Virginia at No. 17 TCU, Noon ESPN
Casting aside TCU as one of those cute non-BCS schools that makes a run from time to time doesn't do the Horned Frogs justice. First of all, TCU is in the Big 12 this year, so it does have the backing of a BCS conference. Second of all, this team has had one of the best defenses in the country year in and year out since Gary Patterson became coach 12 years ago. Third, TCU boasts another terrific quarterback two years removed from the senior year of Andy Dalton, now with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. This signal caller is named Casey Pachall, a junior who stands 6-foot-5, 226 pounds. He's completed an incredible 33 of his 39 passes in two games. He actually went 9 for 9 in TCU's 56-0 opening drubbing of Grambling State two weeks ago so he didn't throw an incompletion until facing Kansas last week. Last season, emerging from the shadow of Dalton, Pachall set TCU records in completions (228), completion percentage (66.5), and passing yards (2,921). So you see, if Virginia isn't careful, this will likely be the second blowout in two weeks on national TV.
Are there any chinks in the Horned Frogs' armor? Maybe. Last week, TCU turned it over four times. But it still beat Kansas 20-6 so the outcome probably would have been worse had it not been for those mistakes (the Jayhawks had two turnovers as well). This week, Patterson has probably been driving into his players' heads that Virginia is a solid team and they can't turn the ball over like and expect to win. The sample size isn't big, but perhaps TCU is careless with the ball. Let's say it is. Even so, Virginia has not been a turnover creating machine thus far. The Cavaliers have forced just one turnover in three games, and that was just a muffed punt by Georgia Tech last week.TCU took a hit in the Kansas game when Horned Frogs junior running back Waymon James injured his knee. He is out for the season. James rushed for over 800 yards last season and more than 500 as a freshman. This also probably won't be a big problem for the Frogs, though. Senior reserve Matthew Tucker will get the start and should fill in nicely. He's rushed for more than 600 yards every year in his career and already sports a 5.3 yards per carry average this season.
I do expect a better game from the Virginia defense this week. It can't get much worse, right? Last week, the young Cavalier defense was shredded by a well-oiled triple option attack by Georgia Tech. The unit should have buckled down this week in practice and cleaned up some of the mess. Plus, TCU runs an offense more like what Virginia is used to seeing so that familiarity should help.
The main issue this week is scoring. This wasn't supposed to be a problem with this team but is now the biggest problem. I think it will be very difficult for the 'Hoos to score on this Horned Frog defense. I suppose the chance is there that TCU looks at Virginia's result last week and rests on its laurels a little bit and UVa ends up playing a ton better than last week to spring the upset. I don't think that is a signature of Patterson's TCU teams, however, and he should have them focused. I might be generous with a 17-point guess for the Cavaliers if the offensive line hasn't improved much.
TCU 38, Virginia 17
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NFL PICKS
Rams at Bears, 1 p.m. FOX
The Bears looked alternately good and bad in their first two games, first crushing the Colts then getting manhandled by the Packers. The truth on this team probably lies somewhere in the middle. I think they'll squeak one out against a much-improved Rams team.
Bears 30, Rams 27
Buccaneers at Cowboys, 1 p.m. FOX
Like Chicago, the Cowboys looked great in a Week 1 win over the Giants and then were dominated by the Seahawks on Sunday. The Bucs beat Carolina in Week 1 then almost pulled off the upset over the Giants last week. They made more headlines by trying to cause a fumble on the Giants' final kneeldown. Giants coach Tom Coughlin was not a fan. Bucs coach Greg Schiano is building a tough team in Tampa Bay.
Cowboys 20, Buccaneers 14
Jets at Dolphins, 1 p.m. CBS
Mark Sanchez was fantastic two weeks ago against the Bills and pretty bad against the Steelers last week, although he didn't throw any interceptions. The Dolphins were handled by the Texans in Week 1 before rebounding last week with a great performance by running back Reggie Bush in a rout of a Raider team that looks horrible. I think this will be a good close game the Jets pull out in the end.
Jets 21, Dolphins 20
Bengals at Redskins, 1 p.m. CBS
Excitement will be high for Robert Griffin III's home debut for the Redskins and I think the team will bounce back to beat a scrappy Cincinnati squad.
Redskins 28, Bengals 24
Eagles at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. FOX
A pair of surprising 2-0 teams with bird mascots face off in Arizona. The Eagles have turned the ball over nine times, making their 2-0 start strange and no one expected the Cardinals to be 2-0, although they did end last year strong. Still, that success came with John Skelton under center and he is hurt and Kevin Kol b is due to make some mistakes.
Eagles 27, Cardinals 24
Falcons at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. FOX
We should see how good both of these teams really are in this one. The Chargers haven't played a good team yet, dominating both the Raiders and Titans. Atlanta cruised in Week 1 at Kansas City and then got up on the Broncos early Monday night and held on down the stretch. Difficulties have arisen for the Falcons in recent seasons when they go on the road to face strong teams. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is looking like he has extra focus this year after getting off to a bad start a year ago. He's thrown just one interception in two games compared to four touchdowns.
Chargers 24, Falcons 21
Texans at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. CBS
The Texans are another team that hasn't been tested yet. They've cruised in victories over the Dolphins and Jaguars. Peyton Manning threw three interceptions against the Falcons last week and the Texans defense has been one of the best since Wade Phillips became the defensive coordinator last season. Manning plays better than last week but the Broncos come up a bit short in a game that could go either way. Houston QB and former UVa player Matt Schaub has just one touchdown so far this season but has been very efficient with no interceptions (46 of 66, 461 yards).
Texans 23, Broncos 21
Patriots at Ravens, 8:20 p.m. NBC
The Patriots were shocked at home last week against the Cardinals. The Ravens looked great in crushing the Bengals in Week 1 but then couldn't beat the Eagles last week even though Michael Vick threw two picks. New England has been very good under Bill Belichick after losses and I look for the Patriots to come out with a lot of focus in this one.
Patriots 28, Ravens 27
Monday night
Packers at Seahawks, 8:30 ESPN
The Packers got on track last Thursday by beating the Bears after getting controlled by the 49ers in a Week 1 loss. Seattle bounced back from a close loss at Arizona to beat the Cowboys at home. I expect this to be a close one and the Seahawks crowd is one of the best in the NFL.
Packers 27, Seahawks 23
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