Texas A&M-Miami and all our Top 25 picks and bold predictions for Week 3 in college football – USA TODAY

What can college football do for an encore after a wild weekend that saw two top-10 teams shocked at home and a coaching change at one of the sport’s high-profile programs after just three games? The table is set for another round of drama with a pair of interesting non-conference matchups.
The lead showdown is No. 13 Miami (Fla.) traveling to No. 22 Texas A&M. The Aggies were one of those aforementioned teams that were upset last week – a loss to Appalachian State. They’ll look to bounce back at home against the Hurricanes, who are facing their first big test with new coach Mario Cristobal.
The other matchup of ranked opponents sees No. 24 Oregon hosting No. 14 Brigham Young. The Cougars are fresh off beating then-No. 8 Baylor but must hit the road and may again be without their top two receivers. The Ducks were blown away against Georgia in their opener. Now they have a chance to regain their footing and avoid a second loss.
The other significant matchups see No. 6 Oklahoma visit Nebraska in the second game in successive seasons between the former Big Eight and Big 12 rivals; Washington welcomes No. 9 Michigan State for an important showdown between the Big Ten and Pac-12; and No. 23 Penn State heads south for a matchup with Auburn.
PODCAST: College Football Fix talks Notre Dame, Nebraska struggles
BEHIND CENTER: SEC contingent rises in latest quarterback rankings
BOWL PROJECTIONS: New Year’s Six matchups shuffled after upsets
Scooby Axson
For Nebraska, Saturday’s game will show one way or the other if the players are bought in on the program as a whole. Former Husker quarterback Mickey Joseph takes over for Scott Frost on an interim basis and is the first Black head coach in any sport in the school’s history. 
Joseph stressed that this time of transition is about the players making sure they are focused on the game. The Huskers are 11-point underdogs to Oklahoma but expect an inspired team who still has the rest of the season to play for. The game will be close throughout and not be decided until late in the fourth quarter.
Jace Evans
Don’t be surprised if Nebraska upsets Oklahoma. Yes, it’s been a chaotic week for the Cornhuskers following the firing of Scott Frost. But maybe, just maybe, his departure is exactly what this team needed. Frost went 5-22 in one-score games at his alma mater, an astounding figure that speaks to two things: His team had the talent to hang in almost every game; and Frost himself was clearly doing something wrong repeatedly to prevent his team from getting over the hump. A cloud has been hanging over Frost and this program for a while now, but with it removed perhaps the team plays less tight and can challenge a Sooners team that struggled to get off the ground last week vs. Kent State.
Paul Myerberg
Brigham Young beats Oregon as slight underdogs for a second win in a row against Power Five competition. One week after topping Baylor in double overtime, this road win would raise the possibility that BYU could run the table and make a strong case for the College Football Playoff. The Cougars were terrific on defense against the Bears and have one of the more overlooked quarterbacks in the country in Jaren Hall.
Erick Smith
At first glance, you might want to just check off No. 9 Michigan State as a winner this week at Washington. After all, the Spartans won 11 games last year and have won their first two games of the season comfortably. But trips to Washington are never easy and the Huskies will be playing with plenty of emotion given its the first significant game under coach Kalen DeBoer. Washington, like Michigan State, is 2-0 and in those wins have scored 97 points, a sign that the recent struggles on offense might be a thing of the past with the new regime. Look for an upset here as the raucous environment plays a critical role in a tight game.
Eddie Timanus
Wake Forest is a week away from arguably the most anticipated home-field opportunity in the football program’s, well, not exactly storied history when Clemson comes to Winston-Salem. Though the Tigers’ iron grip on the ACC slipped last season, they’re still regarded as the team to beat. The 18th-ranked Demon Deacons, who also have aspirations of returning to the conference title game, hope to do just that.
Before that, however, Wake has a homecoming date with a 2-0 Liberty squad seeking a major upset of its own. The Flames are 0-2 in their prior encounters with Wake Forest, but those meetings in 2006 and 2012 occurred before Liberty’s transition to the Bowl Subdivision. Given what is on the horizon, it looks like a classic trap game for the Deacons.
But it won’t happen that way. Wake is not a program that takes its football success for granted. Quarterback Sam Hartman, in his second game back after missing time with a medical condition, will not let his offense just go through the motions. The Deacons win, and win big.
Dan Wolken
Though Penn State is a Top 25 team, technically, it is hard to figure why the Nittany Lions are a favorite going on the road against Auburn. Penn State was fortunate to escape Week 1 with a win at Purdue, driving down the field for the winning touchdown with less than a minute to go. Auburn is a better team than Purdue, and even though the Tigers have not looked super impressive early this season either, it’s going to be a tall order for Penn State to come down to Jordan-Hare Stadium and play against a pretty physical team. Auburn wins a very low scoring game and solidifies Bryan Harsin’s job status, at least until next week. 

source

Leave a Comment