College Football Three and Out: Week 2

First and 4: Recapping week 1

Top-10 Bold Prediction: Alabama starts 0-1 for the first time in 15 years

USC came in with some swagger, and actually looked decent early in the game, particularly on defense.  But eventually it became clear that they were over-matched, as the Crimson Tide rolled to an easy 52 - 6 win.  It may still be early in the season, but Alabama looks like the real deal and as good a bet as any to be in the top 4 at the end of the year.

B1G Bold Prediction: Eastern Kentucky upsets Purdue in opener

It was somewhat close for a while, but the Boilermakers were in control for the most part.  Purdue took care of business, winning 45 - 24, but will face a bigger challenge next week when Cincinnati comes to town.

Buckeye Bold Prediction: BGSU limited to 15 or fewer points

This prediction was looking somewhat shaky when the Falcons recorded a pick-six on OSU's first offensive possession to take an early 7-0 lead.  But Bowling Green wouldn't reach the end zone again, and a second quarter field goal would be their only other points of the game.  The Buckeyes, on the other hand, showcased the young talent they have all over the field, setting records on the way to a 77 - 10 victory.  Number 4, Curtis Samuel, impressed in particular, as he made plays all over the field.  The scary part?  There is still a lot of room for improvement.

Why-not Bold Prediction: Auburn stuns Clemson

This was a close one, as predicted, but Auburn's late rally fell just short, as they lost 19 - 13 to Watson and Co.  What was interesting, though, was Swinney's decision to go for it on 4th and 4, instead of attempting a 34 yard field goal that would have given Clemson a 9-point lead with less than a minute in the game.  Was this simply a miscalculation or is Swinney doubting his kicker, Huegel, who was 2 for 2 on field goals but missed an extra point earlier in the game?  The decision didn't cost them, but it will be something to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Not-so-bold Bold Prediction: UC Davis forces Oregon to punt

The Ducks showed their usual offensive prowess, but still had to punt four times against the Aggies.  Oregon won 53 - 28, but time (and tougher opponents) will tell how good Helfrich's team really is.

Week 1 record: 2 - 3
2016 record: 2 - 3

Second and 3: Predicting the future!

Top-10 Bold Prediction: Charleston Southern scores 3 or fewer points against Seminoles

Florida State is coming off of a short week after an emotional come-from-behind win over Ole Miss on Monday night, so I don't expect them to be at the top of their game.  However, Charleston Southern is facing a much bigger challenge, as news broke today that 14 of their players will be suspended for their game against FSU.  It would have already been a tall task for the Buccaneers to upset the Seminoles, but now it seems impossible.  I'll go one step further, though, and say that they won't score more than 3 points.  Either way, the more newsworthy part is the horrible way the NCAA and CSU seems to be treating these athletes after what sounds like an honest (and entirely avoidable) mistake.

B1G Bold Prediction: Akron holds a lead over Wisconsin at some point in second half

Make no mistake, the Badgers will win this game, but they will have a slow start vs the Zips.  Both teams will find little success moving the ball early on, but a turnover by Wisconsin will give Akron an easy touchdown and the lead in the 3rd quarter.  But eventually the Badgers will take control and wear down the Zips.  A strong final quarter gives Paul Chryst's squad win number two, by a score of 31 - 13.

Buckeye Bold Prediction: Ohio State triples Tulsa's rushing yardage

Both the Buckeyes and the Golden Hurricane had dominating performances in the trenches in week 1.  OSU and Tulsa out-rushed their week 1 opponents 359 - 69 and 305 - 53, respectively.  The weather forecast for Saturday in Columbus looks a bit grim, so I expect both teams to try and establish a presence on the ground.  But I think only the Buckeyes find success, as they run over Tulsa, tripling their yardage total.  The score won't be quite as jaw-dropping as last week vs Bowling Green, but Ohio State still wins big, 49 - 17.

Why-not Bold Prediction: Arkansas knocks off TCU

The Razorbacks looked awful in their opener, barely surviving Louisiana Tech at home.  But the Horned Frogs didn't look too great themselves, allowing 41 points to South Dakota State.  If Arkansas can slow down TCU's spread attack, they will have a shot at an upset in Fort Worth.  Bert's Hogs win by 3, 24 - 21.

Not-so-bold Bold Prediction: Some teams will win, but at the same time, other ones will lose

The game of football is mostly about winning, but sometimes you lose.

Third and 2: You know nothing, John Snow

If you had any doubts about how meaningless preseason rankings were, look no further than week 1 of 2016.  Numerous ranked teams lost, including two in the top 5, while even more looked sloppy against sub-par competition.  Now, you can surely expect some sloppiness in the first game of the season, but when the SEC, the conference routinely touted as the best in country, goes 6-6 in non-conference games, it might mean something.  So, what does it all mean?  What do we know?

Alabama is elite again.  Unless USC isn't actually that good.  For the 5th straight year.

LSU and Oklahoma were overrated.  Or were Wisconsin and Houston underrated?

Texas is back, baby!  And/or Notre Dame is under-performing... again.

Florida State is still a second half team.  Either that, or Ole Miss is simply bad in the second half in 2016.

Louisville, Baylor, Ohio State, Michigan, Washington, Iowa, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Oregon have explosive, unstoppable offenses.  And/or they faced weak competition in week 1.

So, in conclusion... we know nothing.

Fourth down: Swinney says to go for it.  Eh, let's punt.