College Football Tournament Week 3 - Clear the Path

Week 2 Recap

We’ve got 99 teams, but a Bruin ain’t one. Chip Kelly and UCLA were one of four Power 5 teams to be discharged from the Tournament, along with 15 teams from the G5 ranks. The Zombies even got in the action, as previously eliminated Navy and ECU rose from the dead to upset and eliminate Memphis and UNC, respectively. ULM-Southern Miss was probably the best elimination game, opening with a TD on the first play of the game and ending with an interception during the game-winning drive.

FOW reader picks: Week 2: 5-4; Season: 10-7 (59%)

---

Week 3

This is the last opportunity for the conferences to truly stack up against each other before most conference schedules get rolling in full. These games will continue to wipe away undeserving pretenders, while the true contenders will further separate towards long-term survival. Another seven teams are guaranteed to depart this week, including at least two Power 5 teams. Who will make it through the season’s first quarter?

1. Hawaii @ Army (-6.5) – Cole McDonald has an arm, E-I-E-I-O! #DadJokes And that arm has slung 13 TDs and no interceptions with a 70% completion percentage to lead Hawaii through three elimination games. This is likely to be the toughest test yet for the Rainbow Warriors – traveling from Honolulu to West Point has to be the furthest trip for any team this season to face a fierce Army squad that will be looking to survive to a trip to Norman next week.

Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 11:00 AM, CBS Sports

---

2. Rutgers @ Kansas (-3) – Yoooooo sound the alarms, let the air horns ring out *bwah bwah bwah bwahhhhhhh* Kansas Jayhawks are favored against a Power 5 team! In Football! In 2018! This is not a drill. KU strolled out of Central Michigan with an away win as a TD underdog and now gets an opportunity to defend its home turf against an invading B1G squad. Rutgers served as a sacrifice to the Buckeyes last week, allowing OSU to sleepwalk into TCU week. Forget whatever happens in Arlington, this is the B1G vs. XII showdown that matters in Week 3.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 11:00 AM, Fox Sports Net

---

3. Troy @ Nebraska (-11.5) – A tough start to the Scott Frost era: after cancelling the tune up game against Akron, the Huskers were sluggish in a home loss to Colorado and now finds itself in an elimination against a strong G5 opponent. Troy already took a loss to Boise, but could jump back into the NY6 mix with a B1G win. If Soundcloud rapper Lil’ Red can protect his gates from the Trojans, Nebraska will put its hopes on the line next week in the B1G opener in the Big House.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 11:00 AM, B1G Network

---

4. Georgia Tech (-3.5) @ Pittsburgh – The mighty ACC has already lost one contender and could lose up to four more in Week 3, including this head-to-head guaranteed elimination showdown. Pitt was unable to complete its patented annual shocking win last week, as Penn State embarrassed the Panthers at Heinz Ward Field. The rambling wreck had a 10-point lead in the 4^th quarter against USF, but couldn’t contain Alabama/ASU transfer QB Blake Barnett

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 11:30 AM, Fox Sports Net

---

5. Eastern Michigan @ Buffalo (-5) – EMU is coming off one of its biggest wins in program history, halting the Jeff Brohm hype train and eliminating Purdue in Week 2. Chris Creighton has lifted the Eagles from one of the worst FBS programs into at least respectability. On the other side, given the struggle of the local NFL team, the Bulls may have their city’s best QB in Tyree Jackson – rated by @nfldraftscout as the #10 QB draft prospect headed into this season (1 spot behind hype hero Will Grier). Jackson’s efficiency numbers won’t impress, but he has the Mahomes-ian cannon arm, and Osweiler-esque size that turn NFL teams into howling cartoon wolves.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 5:00 PM, ESPN+

---

6. Arkansas State (-2) @ Tulsa – The Golden Hurricane almost brought Texas all the way back last week, but couldn’t quite pull off the late comeback. The Red Wolves faced a slightly better team than Tulsa did last week, becoming another in what will be a long line of Tagovailoa victims. Although Tulsa, a city with no gold and no hurricanes, is in no risk of getting hit by the brewing storms, Arkansas State will be looking to send Golden Hurricane fans into a tropical depression.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 6:00 PM, CBS Sports

---

7. Oregon State @ Nevada (-4) – These two teams are significant contributors to where TCU stands in the College Football landscape today. I was converted to a lifelong Wolf Pack fan on Black Friday 2010. Whatever you may think of Colin Kaepernick’s chops as a Nike spokesman, all Frog fans must be thankful for his performance on that fateful Thanksgiving weekend. Commonly known as The Kyle Brotzman Botching, that night Nevada defeated Boise State in perhaps the most important non-Frogs game in TCU Football history to end any discussion regarding who would earn the non-BCS bid to the Rose Bowl. That season started with a win over this OSU in Jerry World….here’s to another big Frog win over another OSU in Arlington to get the 2018 magic rolling.

Where to watch: Sat. 9/15, 6:00 PM, ESPN3

---