Week 3 Recap

This was one of those classic “there are no good games on the slate, so expect chaos” weeks. The Big 12 came into the week underrated and left with some TD+ upsets, as Kansas won a non-conference road game at Boston College, K-State went to Starkville and earned an SEC win, and West Virginia took down NC State. There were many other heavy-hitter upsets, including Temple toppling the Terrapins with a goal line stand; Sparty with too many men on the field and losing to Arizona State; and BYU getting another major P5 OT win, this time over USC. One upset that most certainly did not happen this week was in West Lafayette and the two entrants who picked the Boilermakers last week deserved the fate they received (though I respect the game-theory of picking against the Frogs here, knowing it’ll be underselected). Ultimately the winner this week went way out on a limb and cashed in on the two biggest upsets of the week, backing the Jayhawks and Sun Devils.

I finally had a successful week myself and Yours Truly made its way onto the overall leaderboard. Week 3 winner ILikeRum is now fully in the hunt to take home the Grand Prize, showing you can ride a big week up the ranks - so even if you haven’t gotten in the game yet, join now.

My Week 4 Picks

1. Oklahoma State (+6) vs. Texas – I promise I am not a Longhorn hater, there may even be unfortunate photos of me in burnt orange before I knew better, but think the Pokes have some incredible firepower that is comparable to the talent from LSU that overpowered Texas already this season. This one will have so many points scored, as OSU has certainly given up a lot of points to much lower competition. In a shootout anything can happen and clearly oddsmakers perceive OK State as a strong match for UT: with the obligatory home field advantage and “public side” value for Texas indicating that these teams are essentially even. I’m really excited to watch this game and see how these teams start stacking up in the Big 12 pecking order.

2. Auburn (+4) vs. Texas A&M – I promise I am not an Aggie hater, though I can be fairly certain there are no unfortunate photos of me in maroon, but think this line is driven purely by Kyle Field. If this game was in Jordan Hare instead of College Station, I imagine the Tigers would be 4 point favorites and in that case I’d be picking A&M here. Being basically equal talents on the field, I’ll take the underdog

3. Appalachian State (+3.5) vs. North Carolina – Mack Brown’s Tar Heel Homecoming Tour got off track a bit last week, as the clock operators allowed time to expire without one last chance for UNC to stay in the game. Now UNC has to host the Boone Bullies, perhaps actually the best team they’ve played so far, despite already holding 2 Power 5 wins. Also, UNC has to host a tiny ACC foe next week as Clemson comes to Chapel Hill, so perhaps some focus turns towards that contest and away from the Mountaineers.

4. Pittsburgh (+12.5) vs. UCF – Pitt is coming off one of the worst coaching decisions to end a game you could possibly imagine, deciding to kick (and miss) a FG from the goal line, down by a TD on the road at #13 Penn State. Now they return to Heinz Field to host G5 juggernaut Central Florida. UCF has not lost a regular season game since November 2016, so what makes me think this lowly Pitt team is the one to end our national nightmare? I really have no reason, except that I could really use 12.5 points to get back into the game and this is a home Power 5 underdog to a G5 opponent and Pitt seems to pull some weird win that makes no sense. Since they couldn’t get it against PSU, maybe they can take down the Golden Knights.

5. USC (+4) vs. Utah – The Utes are a top 10 team and the Pac 12’s best shot at a Playoff team. The Trojans are starting a true Freshman QB and just lost to a BYU team that Utah beat by 18 points. How is Utah only favored by 4 points? The Coliseum will be an empty cavernous ghost town at 6:00 PM Pacific on an LA Friday evening, so there can’t realistically be home field advantage considered here. Perhaps Kedon Slovis is really the real deal and here to save USC and Clay Helton.

Your Picks

There are some massive games this week that will have a major impact on how the season ultimately plays out. Will you put your interest into some of those marquee match ups or go under the radar where no one else is looking. Fill out your selections in the form below or click HERE if your browser doesn’t show the form on this page. Remember to get your picks in before the start of games you select – Week 4 Schedule. Good luck!