Last week: 6-2 Overall: 14-10
No. 12 Georgia at No. 23 Ole Miss, Noon ESPN
The 1-2 Rebels are a 7.5-point favorite over the 3-0 Bulldogs, who have two close wins over Missouri, 28-27, and Nicholls State, 26-24, since defeating North Carolina in Atlanta, 33-24. The Rebels have had a much tougher slate so far, losing 45-34 to Florida State after being up big and falling 48-43 to Alabama in a competitive game. They also own a blowout of Wofford. I like host Ole Miss to hand Georgia its first loss.
Ole Miss 38, Georgia 28
No. 13 Florida State at South Florida, Noon ABC
I'm putting the Seminoles on upset alert. They are a five-point favorite at USF, a team that has taken strides under fourth-year coach Willie Taggart. The Golden Bulls have improved each year under him, from 2-10 to 4-8, to 8-5 last year. They are 3-0 in 2016 with wins over Towson, Northern Illinois, and Syracuse. They'll be ready for this shot against a big brother. FSU comes limping in after taking perhaps the worst loss in its history, 63-20 at Louisville. These teams have only played three times with FSU winning two meetings. The last matchup was last year with FSU winning, 34-14, at home. I think USF will be competitive, but FSU will be able to bounce back.
Florida State 35, South Florida 27
No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State, Noon Big Ten Network
Between these undefeated teams, the Badgers had owned the best win of the season, 16-14 over then-No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field, until last week. The Spartans, perpetual underdogs despite winning the Big Ten two of the past three seasons and three times since 2010, went into South Bend and downed touchdown favorite and No. 18 Notre Dame, 36-28. Since beating LSU, Wisconsin has won two home games, 54-10 over Akron, and 23-17 in a struggle against Georgia State. The last thing this team needs right now is the first true road game of the season to be in East Lansing. Should be a close game, but I like MSU.
Michigan State 31, Wisconsin 24
East Carolina at Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m.
The Pirates and Hokies are actually meeting for the 21st time. Tech leads the all-time series, 13-7. Interestingly, ECU has played Tech more times than only four other teams, and only one of those teams -- Memphis -- is its conference, the American Athletic. ECU has won the past two matchups the past two years (35-28 and 28-21), the latter being in Blacksburg. Even more incredibly, the Pirates have won six consecutive games against ACC teams, and this year beat N.C. State at home, 33-30. The Hokies are 12.5-point favorites, which feels high to me. Tech looked great last week in beating down Boston College, 49-0. But this is no time to being feeling good with a team coming in that has the confidence to beat the Hokies. Last week, ECU went into South Carolina and lost by just five, 20-15. Plus, BC's offense looks to be very bad again. On the other hand, ECU QB Philip Nelson leads the country with a 79 percent completion rate, and Tech has been one of the best so far at stopping teams through the air. So this should be another great matchup. I'll take the Hokies to stop the mini-win streak the Pirates have in the series and the longer one against ACC teams, but another upset being in the cards would not be shocking in the least.
Virginia Tech 27, East Carolina 21
No. 19 Florida at No. 14 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. CBS
It's tough to figure out these two teams. Florida looks to have a fantastic defense again, but we are still learning about the offense after blowouts against Massachusetts, Kentucky, and North Texas. Forty-five points against UK looks nice, but a really good offensive team would've put up more than 24 against UMass and 32 vs. UNT. And overall, the Gators have had an easy schedule so far. The Volunteers, meanwhile, have struggled in close wins over Appalachian State and Ohio and then blown out Virginia Tech in Bristol after being down 14-0 early. Who are the real Volunteers? We should get some answers at Neyland Stadium and find out if either of these teams can challenge Alabama in a possible SEC title game matchup (the Vols also play the Tide in the regular season Oct. 15, when we will learn the most). The Gators have won 11 straight in the rivalry, but I like Tennessee to be ready and to break that streak.
Tennessee 20, Florida 17
Pittsburgh at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ESPNU
Miami is the highest-ranked ACC Coastal team, and Virginia Tech could certainly make some noise, but these 2-1 teams are definitely in the running for the division title. Defending Coastal champ UNC would be ranked if not for losing to Georgia, and Pittsburgh would be, at the very least, probably receiving votes had the Panthers went to 3-0 with a win at Oklahoma State last week. They lost, 45-38. It's tough to see much defense being played in this one, with Pitt also giving up 39 to Penn State and UNC giving up 28 to James Madison last week. UNC won this game at Pitt 26-19 last year and I expect another close one, just with a higher score.
North Carolina 40, Pittsburgh 38
No. 17 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, 9 p.m. ESPN
Both teams are 3-0, but the Razorbacks have had two close calls, beating Louisiana Tech at home, 21-20, and downing ranked TCU on the road, 41-38. The other win was a blowout of Texas State. The Aggies, meanwhile, have put the turmoil of last year behind them so far (3-5 in last eight games and some transfers) and beaten a ranked UCLA team at home, 31-24, and Auburn on the road, 29-16. The other victory was a dismantling of Prairie View A&M. In Arlington, where A&M fans are sure to outnumber Arkansas supporters somewhat, I like the Aggies, who have been a little more dominant thus far.
Texas A&M 30, Arkansas 24
Central Michigan at Virginia, 12:30 p.m. CSN
Twenty years ago, UVa played Central Michigan in the teams' first and only other meeting. Running backs Tiki Barber and Thomas Jones were both on that Cavaliers team. Barber was a senior and ran 16 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns while Jones, making his collegiate debut, sprinted 57 yards on his first carry. He finished with five carries for 76 yards and a TD. Virginia won, 55-21. Wow, to have both those guys on the same team and to dominate an inferior opponent like that.
Now back to reality. The Chippewas come into the game as the three-point favorite, even with the game being played at Scott Stadium. And that could be kind. CMU is 3-0 and owns a top-25 road win at then-No. 22 Oklahoma State two weeks ago, 30-27. The ending was crazy but actually shouldn't have happened. By rule, in college football, there should not have been an untimed down at the end of the game following an intentional grounding call on fourth down against Oklahoma State. But I'm sure CMU will accept the victory. Video is below:
Throwing that Hail Mary for the Chippewas was an NFL prospect, four-year senior starting QB Cooper Rush, a 6-3 230-pounder who has 11 touchdowns this season. He's closing in on elite company in the MAC record book. He's just behind Chad Pennington (Marshall) for ninth in career passing yards and behind Ben Roethlisberger (Miami of Ohio) for eighth in career passing TDs. You might've heard of Big Ben. His favorite target on the Steelers is Antonio Brown, a CMU alum. He's turned into a pretty good NFL wideout I'd say. Rush is helping CMU average 41 points. CMU's defense is pretty good, too. The Chippewas are allowing just 17 points per game and have allowed just two plays of more than 30 yards, third best in the country. There should be no reason UVa feels like it is the better team and comes in overconfident. The 'Hoos just
can't be in that position against anybody.
Virginia was undefeated against MAC teams until 2006 when Western Michigan came to Charlottesville and left with a 17-10 victory. And in 2013, what ended up being a 10-win Ball State team essentially crushed the Cavaliers, 48-27, also in Charlottesville. MAC teams runs the gamut. Kent State is terrible, and Virginia got an easy win over it in 2014, but some MAC teams can be formidible, and two of the past three UVa has drawn are solid squads. CMU is a deserving favorite, and, honestly, I just hope UVa can keep it close. The Cavs have shown me nothing to expect a win. The offense has taken steps here and there, and from the the second half of the Oregon game through halftime of the UConn game, Virginia outscored those two opponents, 30-17. Then, the second half of the Huskies game happened. The offense stopped moving the ball, and Virginia's momentum was gone. The defense played well enough to win, but I've already cataloged the sort-of breakdown that happened at the end of the game that prevented a win or tie. Point is, not enough parts of the team have been working together at one time to come up with a win yet. All I can hope for at this point is for the team to continue to make strides and get better.
Central Michigan 31, Virginia 21
No. 12 Georgia at No. 23 Ole Miss, Noon ESPN
The 1-2 Rebels are a 7.5-point favorite over the 3-0 Bulldogs, who have two close wins over Missouri, 28-27, and Nicholls State, 26-24, since defeating North Carolina in Atlanta, 33-24. The Rebels have had a much tougher slate so far, losing 45-34 to Florida State after being up big and falling 48-43 to Alabama in a competitive game. They also own a blowout of Wofford. I like host Ole Miss to hand Georgia its first loss.
Ole Miss 38, Georgia 28
No. 13 Florida State at South Florida, Noon ABC
I'm putting the Seminoles on upset alert. They are a five-point favorite at USF, a team that has taken strides under fourth-year coach Willie Taggart. The Golden Bulls have improved each year under him, from 2-10 to 4-8, to 8-5 last year. They are 3-0 in 2016 with wins over Towson, Northern Illinois, and Syracuse. They'll be ready for this shot against a big brother. FSU comes limping in after taking perhaps the worst loss in its history, 63-20 at Louisville. These teams have only played three times with FSU winning two meetings. The last matchup was last year with FSU winning, 34-14, at home. I think USF will be competitive, but FSU will be able to bounce back.
Florida State 35, South Florida 27
No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State, Noon Big Ten Network
Between these undefeated teams, the Badgers had owned the best win of the season, 16-14 over then-No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field, until last week. The Spartans, perpetual underdogs despite winning the Big Ten two of the past three seasons and three times since 2010, went into South Bend and downed touchdown favorite and No. 18 Notre Dame, 36-28. Since beating LSU, Wisconsin has won two home games, 54-10 over Akron, and 23-17 in a struggle against Georgia State. The last thing this team needs right now is the first true road game of the season to be in East Lansing. Should be a close game, but I like MSU.
Michigan State 31, Wisconsin 24
East Carolina at Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m.
The Pirates and Hokies are actually meeting for the 21st time. Tech leads the all-time series, 13-7. Interestingly, ECU has played Tech more times than only four other teams, and only one of those teams -- Memphis -- is its conference, the American Athletic. ECU has won the past two matchups the past two years (35-28 and 28-21), the latter being in Blacksburg. Even more incredibly, the Pirates have won six consecutive games against ACC teams, and this year beat N.C. State at home, 33-30. The Hokies are 12.5-point favorites, which feels high to me. Tech looked great last week in beating down Boston College, 49-0. But this is no time to being feeling good with a team coming in that has the confidence to beat the Hokies. Last week, ECU went into South Carolina and lost by just five, 20-15. Plus, BC's offense looks to be very bad again. On the other hand, ECU QB Philip Nelson leads the country with a 79 percent completion rate, and Tech has been one of the best so far at stopping teams through the air. So this should be another great matchup. I'll take the Hokies to stop the mini-win streak the Pirates have in the series and the longer one against ACC teams, but another upset being in the cards would not be shocking in the least.
Virginia Tech 27, East Carolina 21
No. 19 Florida at No. 14 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. CBS
It's tough to figure out these two teams. Florida looks to have a fantastic defense again, but we are still learning about the offense after blowouts against Massachusetts, Kentucky, and North Texas. Forty-five points against UK looks nice, but a really good offensive team would've put up more than 24 against UMass and 32 vs. UNT. And overall, the Gators have had an easy schedule so far. The Volunteers, meanwhile, have struggled in close wins over Appalachian State and Ohio and then blown out Virginia Tech in Bristol after being down 14-0 early. Who are the real Volunteers? We should get some answers at Neyland Stadium and find out if either of these teams can challenge Alabama in a possible SEC title game matchup (the Vols also play the Tide in the regular season Oct. 15, when we will learn the most). The Gators have won 11 straight in the rivalry, but I like Tennessee to be ready and to break that streak.
Tennessee 20, Florida 17
Pittsburgh at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ESPNU
Miami is the highest-ranked ACC Coastal team, and Virginia Tech could certainly make some noise, but these 2-1 teams are definitely in the running for the division title. Defending Coastal champ UNC would be ranked if not for losing to Georgia, and Pittsburgh would be, at the very least, probably receiving votes had the Panthers went to 3-0 with a win at Oklahoma State last week. They lost, 45-38. It's tough to see much defense being played in this one, with Pitt also giving up 39 to Penn State and UNC giving up 28 to James Madison last week. UNC won this game at Pitt 26-19 last year and I expect another close one, just with a higher score.
North Carolina 40, Pittsburgh 38
No. 17 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, 9 p.m. ESPN
Both teams are 3-0, but the Razorbacks have had two close calls, beating Louisiana Tech at home, 21-20, and downing ranked TCU on the road, 41-38. The other win was a blowout of Texas State. The Aggies, meanwhile, have put the turmoil of last year behind them so far (3-5 in last eight games and some transfers) and beaten a ranked UCLA team at home, 31-24, and Auburn on the road, 29-16. The other victory was a dismantling of Prairie View A&M. In Arlington, where A&M fans are sure to outnumber Arkansas supporters somewhat, I like the Aggies, who have been a little more dominant thus far.
Texas A&M 30, Arkansas 24
Central Michigan at Virginia, 12:30 p.m. CSN
Twenty years ago, UVa played Central Michigan in the teams' first and only other meeting. Running backs Tiki Barber and Thomas Jones were both on that Cavaliers team. Barber was a senior and ran 16 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns while Jones, making his collegiate debut, sprinted 57 yards on his first carry. He finished with five carries for 76 yards and a TD. Virginia won, 55-21. Wow, to have both those guys on the same team and to dominate an inferior opponent like that.
Now back to reality. The Chippewas come into the game as the three-point favorite, even with the game being played at Scott Stadium. And that could be kind. CMU is 3-0 and owns a top-25 road win at then-No. 22 Oklahoma State two weeks ago, 30-27. The ending was crazy but actually shouldn't have happened. By rule, in college football, there should not have been an untimed down at the end of the game following an intentional grounding call on fourth down against Oklahoma State. But I'm sure CMU will accept the victory. Video is below:
Throwing that Hail Mary for the Chippewas was an NFL prospect, four-year senior starting QB Cooper Rush, a 6-3 230-pounder who has 11 touchdowns this season. He's closing in on elite company in the MAC record book. He's just behind Chad Pennington (Marshall) for ninth in career passing yards and behind Ben Roethlisberger (Miami of Ohio) for eighth in career passing TDs. You might've heard of Big Ben. His favorite target on the Steelers is Antonio Brown, a CMU alum. He's turned into a pretty good NFL wideout I'd say. Rush is helping CMU average 41 points. CMU's defense is pretty good, too. The Chippewas are allowing just 17 points per game and have allowed just two plays of more than 30 yards, third best in the country. There should be no reason UVa feels like it is the better team and comes in overconfident. The 'Hoos just
Virginia was undefeated against MAC teams until 2006 when Western Michigan came to Charlottesville and left with a 17-10 victory. And in 2013, what ended up being a 10-win Ball State team essentially crushed the Cavaliers, 48-27, also in Charlottesville. MAC teams runs the gamut. Kent State is terrible, and Virginia got an easy win over it in 2014, but some MAC teams can be formidible, and two of the past three UVa has drawn are solid squads. CMU is a deserving favorite, and, honestly, I just hope UVa can keep it close. The Cavs have shown me nothing to expect a win. The offense has taken steps here and there, and from the the second half of the Oregon game through halftime of the UConn game, Virginia outscored those two opponents, 30-17. Then, the second half of the Huskies game happened. The offense stopped moving the ball, and Virginia's momentum was gone. The defense played well enough to win, but I've already cataloged the sort-of breakdown that happened at the end of the game that prevented a win or tie. Point is, not enough parts of the team have been working together at one time to come up with a win yet. All I can hope for at this point is for the team to continue to make strides and get better.
Central Michigan 31, Virginia 21
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