After the Oklahoma Sooners’ shocking victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend, which culminated in a Sooner flag being planted in the middle of the Buckeyes’ logo, it’s time to move on to Week 3. Here are the top matchups of the upcoming college football weekend.
Texas Longhorns @ USC Trojans (-16)
Getting off to a rocky start this season, newly-hired Texas coach Tom Herman and his squad will hit the road this weekend to take on the fourth-ranked USC Trojans. The Longhorns gave up a whopping 263 rushing yards in Week 1 against Maryland and will need to defend much better this week against the explosive USC running back duo of Stephen Carr and Ronald Jones II.
Carr and Jones have already combined for an outrageous 463 yards in the first two games of the season. To add insult to injury, USC’s quarterback Sam Darnold was the preseason Heisman favourite. Darnold stuttered in his season debut against Western Michigan, but redeemed himself against a solid Stanford defense last week, airing it out for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Going into Saturday’s matchup, the Trojans seem to have too many dynamic weapons for Texas, but 16 points is a tough spread – especially in a Power 5 matchup.
Clemson Tigers (-3.5) @ Louisville Cardinals
The Clemson-Louisville game is an intriguing battle as it features two completely different teams. The third-ranked Tigers, going into Louisville as 3.5-point favourites, are the ultimate team. They field a very strong roster all around and an especially ferocious defensive front seven.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, rely heavily on one of the best players in college football and last year’s Heisman winner, Lamar Jackson. The junior quarterback seems hell-bent on repeating as the best player in the country again, having already combined for over 1,000 passing and rushing yards in just two games. He’s a one-man show that is definitely worth the price of admission on Saturdays. Will Clemson’s fierce defense be able to contain him? Doubtful, but they’ll certainly try.
Tennessee Volunteers @ Florida Gators (-4.5)
Going into the season, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones was considered by many to be a likely candidate to be let go if things did not get off to a promising start. The Vols managed an incredible comeback in Week 1 against Georgia Tech, prevailing in double overtime. The following week, they rolled over a pedestrian Indiana State team. This week, Tennessee travels to Gainesville as 4.5-point underdogs.
The Gators had a dreadful offensive start in Week 1 against Michigan, failing to reach the 200-yard mark. Florida is hoping to rebound this week as they welcome back the 10 players that were suspended for Week 1. They’ll need all the help they can get.
*Odds as of September 15, 2017