College Football Predictions for Week 3

The college football season has already been packed to the brim with some stunning upsets and awe-inspiring dominations by the best teams in the country, and a Week 3 slate of games that features multiple quality non-conference games should promise more of the same.

TCU vs Purdue

Jeff Brohm and the Boilermakers conclude their rough non-conference schedule against Gary Pattersen's Horned Frogs in West Lafayette. Quarterback Elijah Sindelar and superstar receiver Rondale Moore are locks for the all-conference team, but their torrid start to the year should be slowed down by Pattersen's 3-3-5 defense. TCU can ride the two-QB system of Alex Delton and Max Duggan along with their own speedy deep threat in Jalen Reagor to a close win over Purdue.

TCU 28, Purdue 27

North Carolina vs Wake Forest

Mack Brown's Tar Heels have been the talk of the conference after consecutive wins over South Carolina and Miami to start the season. The momentum of Brown and freshman quarterback Sam Howell could come to a screeching halt in Winston-Salem, however. Dave Clawson's Demon Deacons have been operating one of the fastest, most efficient offenses in the country, with quarterback Jamie Newman as the mastermind behind it all. Look for Newman to feast at home against that defense and for Wake to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Wake Forest 38, UNC 27

Kansas State vs Mississippi State

Chris Klieman has done a fine job with Kansas State since coming over from FCS power North Dakota State, but he could be in for a rude awakening on a swampy afternoon in Starkville. Skylar Thompson looks much improved from last year, but he could be on his back most of the afternoon without Dalton Risner to blunt the attack of the Bulldogs' pass rush. That defense and an efficient day from Tommy Stevens at quarterback should hand Joe Moorhead and Mississippi State the win.

Mississippi State 28, Kansas State 14

Hawaii vs No. 23 Washington

Some of the shine has come off former Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason after he and Washington were upset by Cal. Luckily, Eason has a chance to rehab both his NFL draft stock and his aura of intimidation in Week 3. While Cole McDonald leads a frightening Rainbow Warriors offense, the usually stout Washington defense should be able to at least keep him in check while Eason slices up a already porous Hawaii secondary. It'll be a shootout, but Eason and the Huskies should be victorious.

Washington 48, Hawaii 28

Florida State vs No. 25 Virginia

If not for a missed extra point at home against Louisiana-Monroe, Willie Taggart and the once-mighty Florida State could be in line for an 0-3 start. Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers should be the favorites to win the ACC Coastal this year, and Bryce Perkins should have no trouble with a Seminoles defense that would make Bobby Bowden and Mickey Andrews hang their heads in shame. It's not a matter of if Taggart gets canned in Tallahassee, it's when. And a loss to Virginia could accelerate that.

Virginia 37, Florida State 20

No. 21 Maryland vs Temple

Mike Locksley's Terrapins have been going berserk in their first two games, averaging north of 70 points per game, including a 63-21 rout of a then-ranked Syracuse team. Rod Carey's physical Temple team should be at least a step up from whatever the Orange put out on the field last week, but Josh Jackson, Anthony McFarland, and the Terrapins have every intention of moving the ball as well as they did a week ago, and should start Big Ten play with a 3-0 record.

Maryland 41, Temple 24

No. 24 USC vs BYU

Good news for USC fans. Kedon Slovis is the real deal, and he confirmed as much by leading the Trojans to an upset win over David Shaw and Stanford. Bad news for Trojan fans. BYU gunslinger Zach Wilson is also the real deal, as evidenced by a win over Tennessee at Rocky Top. Wilson's ultra-accurate style and Slovis' rocket arm should make for an interesting watch, but ultimately Slovis and USC will take away the win in Provo due to their depth in the backfield and on defense.

USC 24, BYU 23

Arizona State vs No. 18 Michigan State

Herm Edwards surprised many when he managed to upset Brian Lewerke and Michigan State last year behind strong games from quarterback Manny Wilkins and wide receiver N'Keal Harry. With Wilkins now in Green Bay and Harry in New England, freshman Jayden Daniels has shown that he is more than capable of carrying the load for the Sun Devils. Kenny Willekes and that defense will be quite the challenge for Arizona State, but the trio of Daniels, future NFL running back Eno Benjamin, and receiver Brandon Aiyuk could be too much for the Spartans.

Arizona State 17, Michigan State 14

No. 20 Washington State vs Houston

D'Eriq King has stumbled out of the gate in Dana Holgorsen's offense after an offseason of Heisman hype, but his matchup against Mike Leach and Washington State is screaming breakout. If the Cougars and their shaky defense can bend but not break against Anthony Gordon and Leach's Air Raid offense, then King should have enough time to break down Wazzu's defense and establish Houston as one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country.

Houston 35, Washington State 34

No. 17 UCF vs Stanford

UCF could literally start one of three quarterbacks in this game, as McKenzie Milton's trusted backup Darriel Mack, Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush, and true freshman Dillon Gabriel could all theoretically start. Combined with KJ Costello returning for Stanford, this is looking grim for the Knights. However, the explosive UCF offense should rip off a few chunk plays behind Adrian Killins and Greg McRae, while the loss of future NFL left tackle Walker Little for the season could mean the UCF defense tees off on Costello and the Cardinal offense.

UCF 20, Stanford 17

Pitt vs No. 13 Penn State

Watching Penn State early this season, you wouldn't know that they're missing a three-year starter at quarterback, as Sean Clifford has thrown for six touchdowns through his first two games against Idaho and Buffalo. Pat Narduzzi's Pitt should give Penn State more of a challenge than in years past due to the presence of Kenny Pickett at quarterback, but the loss of Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall to the NFL will make it hard for the Panthers to get anything going on the ground against Yetur Gross-Matos and that line.

Penn State 34, Pitt 21

No. 19 Iowa vs Iowa State

One of the most reliable ridiculous rivalry games in the country, the Hawkeyes come into this game as the favorites thanks to an offensive line that features two NFL first-round locks in Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson protecting Nate Stanley, but Jackson will be out of action. Compared to 2018, Stanley is looking like a much more composed, efficient passer. That bodes well against a Cyclones team that needed overtime to beat Northern Iowa at home. Unless Brock Purdy goes nuts, Iowa State is likely going to fall to their hated rivals once again.

Iowa 24, Iowa State 21

No. 9 Florida vs Kentucky

While it's easy to look like a Heisman candidate against UT-Martin, Feleipe Franks looked like a much more confident passer than during his up-and-down performance in Week 0 against Miami. He leads the Gators into a matchup against a Kentucky team that's lacking the services of quarterback Terry Wilson for the remainder of the season. Sawyer Sith can make some nice throws, but he's likely getting tossed to the wolves if the performance of Florida's pass rush is anything to go by.

Florida 31, Kentucky 10

No. 6 Ohio State vs Indiana

Justin Fields has been as good as advertised since touching down in Columbus, having outclassed FAU and leading the Buckeyes to a beatdown of a quality Cincinnati team. His first taste of Big Ten action comes against Tom Allen and an Indiana team that has given the Buckeyes problems in recent years. Michael Penix Jr. has proven that he can play, but Fields and JK Dobbins in the same backfield is going to be too much for the Hoosiers, who will give Fields his first win in conference play.

Ohio State 45, Indiana 21

No. 2 Alabama vs South Carolina

Congrats on earning the starting quarterback job, Ryan Hilinski! Now go beat Alabama! Hilinski looked as cool and composed as anyone against Charleston Southern last week, but Bama is a totally different beast. Expect the usually aggressive Alabama defense to give Hilinski a rough introduction to SEC play, while Tua Tagovailoa and his parade of star receivers prance all around the field in a convincing win over Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks.

Alabama 51, South Carolina 17

No. 1 Clemson vs Syracuse

This matchup might have lost some of its luster after Maryland curb-stomped the Orange, but Syracuse always hangs with Clemson, even handing them their last regular season loss at the Carrier Dome in 2017 and almost beating them on the road in 2018. Besides the shambolic defense, one key factor in this game that will swing it in favor of the Tigers is the fact that Tommy DeVito is not Eric Dungey at quarterback. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne should be able to bulldoze Syracuse and move to 3-0 on the year,

Clemson 49, Syracuse 24