CFB: Week 3 Preview
Team Rankings:
1. Clemson (2-0)
2. Alabama (2-0)
3. Ohio State (2-0)
4. Oklahoma (2-0)
5. Georgia (2-0)
6. Notre Dame (1-0)
7. LSU (2-0)
8. Michigan (2-0)
9. Utah (2-0)
10. Florida (2-0)
#1 Clemson is hanging onto the top spot for the third week in a row after defeating Texas A&M, 24-10, behind Justyn Ross' 94 yards and seven receptions. The Tigers are the only other ACC program in our rankings. Alabama (#2), Georgia (#5), LSU (#7), and Florida (#10) follow from the SEC. LSU had the best win of the week as they took down #8 Texas on the road, behind Joe Burrow's 471-yard performance. Ohio State (#3) and Michigan (#8) are the only two teams from the Big Ten but they had very different weekends. The Buckeyes blew out Cincinnati, 42-0, while the Wolverines barely survived an overtime scare from Army. #4 Oklahoma won their second straight blowout, taking down South Dakota by 56 points. #6 Notre Dame moves up after their bye, while #9 Utah defeated Northern Illinois at home.
Week 3 Picks:
#1 Clemson @ Syracuse
Iowa @ Iowa State
Arizona State @ Michigan State
#4 Oklahoma @ UCLA
#10 Florida @ Kentucky
Caleb Henderson: 8-2
Charles Post: 8-2
Chinedum Wejinya: 8-2
Tyler Taylor: 10-0
Syracuse, coming off a disappointing blowout loss to Maryland, hosts #1 Clemson with an eye on pulling off a second upset over the Tigers in three years. The last time Clemson lost in the regular season was almost two years ago against the Orange. Iowa travels to Iowa State as road favorites, as ESPN FPI gives the Hawkeyes a 57.7% chance to win. In the Big Ten, Michigan State hosts Arizona State. The Sun Devils pulled off the upset last season. #4 Oklahoma heads to Southern California to face UCLA, who is looking for their first win of the year. Lastly, in the SEC, #10 Florida is looking to get revenge on Kentucky on the road. The Gators haven't lost to the Wildcats two seasons in a row since 1976-77. We'll take Clemson, Iowa State, Michigan State, Oklahoma, and Florida.
Heisman Standings:
1. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma)
2. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
3. Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)
4. Justin Fields (Ohio State)
5. Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)
Tua Tagovailoa had the top spot in our Heisman rankings for the first 10 weeks of the season last year, but there have already been three different players this time around. Trevor Lawrence came into the year with the #1 spot, Tagovailoa took over after Week 1, and now Jalen Hurts takes over. Hurts threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns on 77.7% passing in a 70-14 win over South Dakota. Tagovailoa follows after a 227-yard outing against New Mexico State. He had three touchdowns in the victory. Lawrence looked better in his second game of the year, throwing for 268 yards and a score with a 68.6% completion rate. Justin Fields has continued to look really good, going for 224 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati. Jonathan Taylor rounds out the list after rushing for 102 yards on 19 carries.
Photo Credit: Hawk Central.
