NCAA College Football 2008 Week 3 Picks late games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 3 Picks - late games

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Fearless Rick's College Football Week 3 Picks - Late Games

Rick Gagliano | September 13, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for early games.

Saturday, Sept. 13

3:30 pm Michigan (-1, 36 1/2) at Notre Dame - The line suggests a close contest, but reality says Notre Dame is barely better than last year's 3-9 squad. After just barely getting a win over a weak San Diego State team, 21-13, a week ago, the Fighting Irish look more like the Scrapping Scooby Do's than a top flight collegiate football team. With Michigan, you have the makings of a classic pasting by a team hungry for respect. The Wolverines are 1-1 after losing their opener to a tough Utah team, and then slipping by with a 16-6 win over a very solid Miami (OH) team from the up-and-coming MAC.

Let there be no doubt, however, that Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines are going to get much better as the season progresses, while there's little upside for the Irish. Charlie Weiss has not recruited well enough and it shows. The differences will be glaring in this game.

Prediction: Wolverines 31 Fighting Irish 13

3:30 pm Oregon (-8, 60 1/2) at Purdue - That's a pretty hefty line for a road team, but the Boilermakers have lost 14 straight to ranked opponents and the Ducks pose many difficulties with their powerful offense. Oregon has scored 110 points in their first two wins and are averaging nearly 600 yards per outing. Oregon leads the nation with an average of 592 yards per game.

Purdue racked up a 42-10 win over Northern Colorado in their opener, but the opposition is going to be vastly different in this one. The Boilermakers simply don't appear to have the firepower to match up with the Ducks nor sufficient defense to keep them in check.

Prediction: Ducks 41 Boilermakers 24

3:30 pm Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (-7, N/A) - Interestingly, the Hokies are installed as a one TD favorite here despite an opening-day loss to East Carolina. They rebounded with a walkover win against Furman, though the 24-7 score hardly impressed anyone. VaTech has problems offensively and the Yellow Jackets are likely to make them pay dearly. Georgia Tech already has one upset win to their credit - a 19-16 win at Boston College - and they can make a statement early in the ACC season with a win here.

The Yellow Jackets won at BC despite three first half fumbles as the defense showed remarkable grit and resilience. Expect a low-scoring, hard-hitting affair with the Jackets winning a close one.

Prediction: Yellow Jackets 20 Hokies 17

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7:00 pm Auburn (-10 1/2, N/A) at Mississippi State - Last season, the Bulldogs put a damper on Auburn's season with an early 19-14 win at Auburn and completed their best season in years, finishing 4-4 in the SEC, but 8-5 overall. The Tigers rebounded for four straight wins and a 9-3 record overall. The Tigers are 2-0 after wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss. The Bulldogs are 1-1, opened with a loss at Louisiana Tech, 22-14, but rebounded against Southern Louisiana, 34-10, last week.

The talent level on both teams is high, but Auburn's defense may prove to be the difference. This one may not be decided until late in the game, but despite the largess of the line, the Tigers should prevail and cover the line.

Prediction: Tigers 34 Bulldogs 19

8:00 pm Ohio State at USC (-10 1/2, 45) - Who needs the Rose Bowl when you get the best from the PAC-10 and Big 10 together like this? Obviously, this is the most highly-anticipated game of the weekend and for good reason. The winner may very well be playing for the national championship the first week of January.

For Ohio State, the task is to find ways to score against what may be the best defense in the nation and possibly one of the best college defenses of all time. The Trojans have future pros at just about every position and will make life difficult for OSU QB Todd Boeckman and RB Chris Wells, who was cleared to play late Tuesday.

The Trojans will counter with an exceptional offense which may prove to be unstoppable, even by a very, very good Buckeye defense. In the end, the Trojans just have too many great players at too many positions and should win this one going away.

Prediction: Trojans 34 Buckeyes 17

10:30 pm Wisconsin (-1 1/2, 49 1/2) at Fresno State - Surprising that the Badgers are actually going to travel to the West coast as favorites, and that can only serve to motive the Fresno State players - and fans - even more. The Bulldogs have already knocked off Rutgers, slamming them on the road, 24-7, so this home opener should have everyone geared up for action.

It's not like Wisconsin is a pushover, only that they are somewhat inexperienced in big games, especially on the road. The Badgers hammered Akron and Marshall in their first two games, but the quality of opponent goes way up here. In what shouldn't even be called an upset, Fresno State should get the home win.

Prediction: Bulldogs 27 Badgers 24

All times Eastern - Click here for early games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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