Week 3 Predictions: Fighting Hawks at Huskers

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Mike: Brides insisting on a fall Saturday for a wedding really should look into week three. My goodness, this week’s schedule is simply craptastic.

Patrick: When all else fails, look to the FCS

Andy: For those of you who actually do watch the 1-AA title tournament and don’t just tell everyone you do, remember that FCS teams need games with D1 teams to fund their programs. It’s not often fun to watch, but it is sort of necessary for the college football ecosystem.

Jarek: This also weirdly could be our toughest opponent in the non-con…

Purdue (+14) at UCLA

Patrick: University of California Los Angeles 27 Purdue University 10

Mike: I don’t think Vegas is ready to believe in UCLA. I don’t believe in Purdon’t. Bruins 38, Boilers 13

Andy: I don’t think UCLA’s as good as people think after a disastrous finish to 2025. I don’t think Purdue is as bad as people think. UCLA holds serve at home, but it’s close. Juicy LA 31 Purdue 27

Jarek: UCLA might have found a coach to help them turn a corner of sorts. Purdue hasn’t been good since Drew Brees. UCLA 34 Purdue 17

Southern Cal (-21.5) at Rutgers

Patrick: University of Southern California 43 Rutgers University 13

Mike: How bad is the schedule? This is the CBS late afternoon game. Trojans 49, Buttgers 17

Jon: I have no idea how Rutgers is going to get out of not being good very much at anything. It’s not like they can buy out Schiano’s coaching contract. They are horribly in debt. I don’t know how they’re going to get out of that. And they drag the Big Ten down with them. USC 84, Rutgers 3

Andy: I was ready to pick a Jon-sized wipeout. The only thing Rutgers might have to look forward to is tearing out their mind’s eye if that’s where Bill Belichick lands next. However, USC has had trouble covering spreads in any games which take them more than 50 miles inland since joining the Big 10. They say never bet against streaks or trends, but, yeah…USC 45 Rutgers 17

Jarek: You could have made this an 8 a.m Eastern kickoff. You could have made this a 11 p.m Eastern kickoff. Either way, Rutgers is getting drubbed. USC 41 Rutgers 10

Virginia Tech (-3) at Maryland

Patrick: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 32 University of Maryland 14

Mike: I guess there’s some bad blood between James Franklin and Mike Locksley. This week won’t help things. Hokies 27, Terps 17

Jon: I am shocked that this line is three. I would expect that Virginia Tech would beat them by at least 14 points today. It’d be nice if Maryland could pull off a wind. But no. VT 35, Maryland 14

Andy: The Old Dominion 44-21 score might be giving people pause, but Tech was up 34-6 at the half. Maryland is famous for starting 4-0 or 4-1 then failing to qualify for a bowl. I’m a Mike Locksley fan and respect him coming back to his home state to try & bring the Terps to respectability, but Maryland is only a destination job if your destination is retirement. Va Tech 33 Terps 23

Jarek: This is a good test for James Franklin. This is early season Maryland, the much tougher Maryland. However, it is still Maryland. Va Tech might have some down years occasionally, but overall they are still better. Va Tech 27 Maryland 17

Colorado (+3.5) at Northwestern

Patrick: University of Colorado 34 Northwestern University 31

Mike: Apparently Colorado isn’t a big enough opponent to justify opening up Northwestern’s spiffy new stadium…so this game wraps things up on their little temporary stadium by the lakefront. Perfect for games against Mountain West opponents. Wildcats 28, Buffies 20

Jon: Deion Sanders has changed the way that Colorado plays football. They are a good running team.They look like they can defend the run. They don’t do this throw the ball in the air, run around kind of stuff anymore.Or at least for this season. This will be a rock fight game. Northwestern 21, Colorado 20

Andy: Northwestern is the exact type of opponent Colorado doesn’t want – not loaded with 4-star/5-star recruits, but have a hard-nosed playing style that Deion’s Buffy-poos are not fans of. His squads typically enjoy hard-contact style of play about as much as a golfer. David Braun’s squads aren’t pretty, but they consistently over-perform & are just the types to disrupt a team with 45 transfers annually trying to mesh. Wildcats 29 Sissy-Buffs 23

Jarek: Let’s be real, we all want Northwestern to win. There are a multitude of reasons to hate Colorado. There aren’t many to hate Northwestern. I say go B1G or go home in this instance. Northwestern 24 Colorado 20

North Dakota (+24.5) at Nebraska

Patrick: University of Nebraska 30 University of North Dakota 21

Mike: Nebraska hasn’t exactly put together an entire four quarters of football in a single game. Sure, the second half against Ohio and first half against Bowling Green were pretty good, but that’s too much inconsistency. I suspect we’ll see a more focused performance this week. Huskers 42, F’n Hawks 10

Jon: I expect that if we’re a good team we will rush and pass the hell out of these people. They may score some points, but I feel good about our offense now. Defense, I guess we’re going to see as the season goes on. Nebraska 38, ND 13

Andy: Coaches and players tried to strike fear in everyone’s hearts this week about North Dakota after they ran up scores on (checking notes) the #240, #243 and #213 teams respectively (out of 267 ranked) in the Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings. And then they were outscored 49-42 in the second half of these games which doesn’t exactly suggest there’s a good deal of depth there. Nebraska may not be going to the CFP, but they’re not Long Island U. either. That could be some shock value right out the gate. HUSKERS 52 Hockey, not football, North Dakota 14

Jarek: 24.5 seems possibly steep here. It’s not like North Dakota is going to be a pushover, particularly in FCS play. This is a better team than the one Frost had gone against a few years ago. That said, so are we. This team beats every Frost team by 14+ weekly. I like how the Huskers look so far, and until they prove me otherwise, we cover the spread again. Nebraska 45 North Dakota 17

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