College Football: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 3

Sep 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner (24) warms up before playing the Penn State Nittany Lions at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 3.

The wife says I watch too much football. That may be true considering I only got 30 points last week. That puts me right about in the middle of the pack of the Fantasy CPR readers group. The good news is that the wild week took a toll on everyone.

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You know, 30 points isn’t all that bad for only getting four picks right. I got all of the big points right.

This week I will shoot for a modest goal of 50 points. There are a lot of games that seem pretty even, so maybe I should temper the expectations some. This is where the picks can start getting a little bit crazy. I need to gain some ground.

Here are my ESPN College Pick Em picks for week 2 in order from least confidence (1) to most (10):

(1) BYU over UCLA:

BYU’s defense has not been the problem. Taysom Hill is struggling to find his game since a lot of his game-breaking speed is gone. UCLA is struggling to find a rhythm with most of their skill players on both sides of the ball gone. I think the chances of Hill finding his stride are better than UCLA suddenly figuring out how to stop teams.

(2) Notre Dame over Michigan State:

What do we really know about the Spartans? They beat 1-AA Furman by 15. Is Furman better than Nevada? Doubtful. Look, Notre Dame lost to a Texas team that is possibly the best team in the Big 12(10) right now. Sparty failed to roll a 1-AA team. Notre Dame will have some problems with the Spartan D, but the Irish are no slouch on that side of the ball either. The Irish are just the more proven team, and therefore the safer pick.

(3) Oklahoma over Ohio State:

Bowling Green nearly lost to 1-AA North Dakota last week, so it’s no surprise that the Buckeyes rolled them. They did a great job defensively on a pretty good Tulsa offense. Oklahoma finally had the tune-up they needed before Houston. I’m tired of everyone viewing the Houston loss as a bad one. Houston has two bigger wins in the last four games than any team besides maybe Alabama. This is a must-win for the Sooners, and they are at home. If Ohio State starts slow again, Oklahoma will be able to do what Bowling Green and Tulsa couldn’t. The Sooners have enough talent to make them pay for it.

(4)Miami over Appalachian State:

Well how about this! Appalachian is hosting a major college team! Most of the players on the Miami team have no idea where Boone, North Carolina is. The Mountaineers played Tennessee tough, and this is the type of offense that could really give a young defense fits. I want to pick Appalachian to win this. I really do. But I just can’t take the leap. Good luck to them though. I would love to see it!

(5)Pittsburgh over Oklahoma State:

Yes, I get that the Cowboys should be 2-0, but I argue that they never should have been in that situation in the first place. They had chances to put that game away. James Conner ran well against a pretty good Penn State defense. Now he gets a Cowboys team that has had issues stopping the run. This could be a statement win for Pitt.

Next: Who Am I Most Confident In?

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs the ball in the second quarter as Mississippi Rebels linebacker Tayler Polk (24) defends at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

(6) Oregon over Nebraska:

Let’s get this out of the way: I am not impressed with Oregon. However, Nebraska has really only played three good quarters this year. Tommie Armstrong still does not hit open receivers as consistently as he should, and he still throws off of his back foot. Oregon just has too many athletes to lose this game. So why do I have it this low? Because this is the type of game that Mike Riley wins. He is very familiar with the Ducks. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Nebraska pulled it off, despite being the less talented team.

(7) Alabama over Mississippi:

Yes, I realize that Ole Miss has had the Tide’s number recently. That changes here. Alabama has looked like the most complete team out there. They dominated a USC team that maybe isn’t as good as we thought, but that’s the point: they have played like they are supposed to. Ole Miss is still feeling the sting of the Florida State loss. Bama is just the better team right now.

(8)Texas A&M over Auburn:

Auburn’s defense is looking like it could be one of the better units out there. The offense looked better against Arkansas State. But…..its Arkansas State. A&M is firing on all cylinders behind two Oklahoma transfers. I don’t see this being a really high scoring game, but I see Auburn having significant issues moving the ball.

(9) Florida State over Louisville:

I’m going to state this as simply as I know how: I can name a couple dozen teams that could dominate Charlotte and Syracuse. I can name maybe a dozen that could beat Ole Miss. Maybe a third of those could win after being down big like Florida State was. Dalvin Cook is an exceptional back, and the Seminoles have a really good defense. Lamar Jackson is a ton of fun to watch, but he has never faced a defense like this. I see FSU pulling away in this one.

(10) Stanford over USC:

I am more nervous about this than any ten pointer so far this season. That said, I know USC has no answer for Christian McCaffrey, and Stanford will be able to neutralize JuJu Smith-Schuster. Of course, USC’s lack of a consistent running game has a lot to do with that. This could get ugly because Stanford’s defense is capable of dominating.

Next: FanDuel Week 2 Quarterback Picks

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