Will Week 3 be the Saturday when the Polls get shaken up? With four of the nation’s Top 6 teams playing on the road, there are several potential upsets in the making if contenders are sleepy.
Kickoff Games of the Week
In this week’s issue of The Kickoff, we preview four games for Week Three: #1 Clemson at Syracuse, Arizona State at #18 (#12) Michigan State, Stanford at #17 (#24) UCF, and #19 (#20) Iowa at Iowa State.
There are three games tonight (Friday): North Carolina at Wake Forest, Kansas at Boston College, and #20 Washington State vs Houston.
Potential Upsets to Watch For this Weekend
Clemson is a four-touchdown favorite at Syracuse, but they’ve played hard against the Tigers. Oklahoma and Heisman frontrunner Jalen Hurts also seem a safe bet against UCLA team that’s already lost to Cincinnati and San Diego State. (6:30 pm ET, ABC)
Will #17 UCF be able to take out #7 Stanford? The Knights will take the opportunity to prove their worth against a Power 5 opponent. (2:30 pm ET, ESPN)
A bad Florida State team wants to redeem itself as #25 Virginia’s first real test this season. The Seminoles could be more of a threat if they figure out how to play for four quarters.
Nebraska could be vulnerable to a Northern Illinois team that played touch against Utah. (6:30 pm ET, ABC)
We don’t expect South Carolina to beat Alabama, but they’ll have a shot with a sellout crowd and a Crimson Tide team that’s complained about fatigue playing all day games in the southern heat. This is the first time these two teams have played since the Gamecocks stunned the Tide (under Steve Spurrier) and went on to capture an SEC East title in 2010. (2:30 pm ET, CBS)
The #6 Ohio State Buckeyes have won 23 straight against Indiana, and they are a near three TD favorite. An upset is possible – anything is possible – but we highly doubt we’ll see an ugly road loss. Which is exactly the sort of thinking that could allow a team like Indiana to surprise you. (11 am ET, Fox)
This is the first real test this season for #18 Michigan State. Arizona State might have a chance to upset the Spartans if tailback Eno Benjamin can break a few good runs against one of the Big Ten’s top defenses. (3 pm ET, Fox)
Kentucky is hosting #9 Florida. The fans in Lexington are fired up, but they’re also starting Troy transfer quarterback Sawyer Smith following a knee injury to Terry Wilson. It should be a fun one to watch if the Wildcats can keep it close going into the fourth quarter. (6 pm ET, ESPN)
Other action in the Top 25:
#3 Georgia hosts Arkansas State (11 am ET, ESPN 2)
#4 LSU plays Northwestern State at home (6:30 pm, SEC Network)
#7 Notre Dame hosts New Mexico (1:30 pm ET, NBC)
#8 Auburn hosts Kent State (6 pm ET, ESPN 2)
#10 Michigan travels to #14 Wisconsin (11 am ET, FOX)
#11 Utah hosts Idaho State (3:15 pm ET)
#12 Texas travels to Rice (7 pm ET, CBSSN)
#13 Penn State hosts Pittsburgh (11 am ET, ABC)
#15 Oregon hosts Montana (9:45 pm ET, PAC12)
#16 Texas A&M hosts Lamar (6 pm ET, ESPNU)
#19 Iowa travels to Iowa State (3 pm ET, FS1)
#20 Washington State (Friday the 13th at 8:15 pm ET, ESPN)
#21 Maryland visits Temple (11 am ET, CBSSN)
#22 Boise State hosts Portland State (9:15 pm ET, ESPN2)
#23 Washington plays Hawaii at home (6:30 pm ET, PAC12)
#24 USC at BYU (2:30 pm ET, ABC)
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