College football week 3: Three games you need to watch - Washington Examiner

College football week two had great games (LSU-Texas), upsets (BYU-Tennessee), and near-misses such as (Army-Michigan). Through it all, my picks stood tall and went 3-0 straight up and 3-0 against the spread. Hopefully, I can keep it rolling in week three's biggest matchups.

Record after week two: Straight up: (5-1). Against the spread: (5-1).

No. 19 Iowa (2-0) at Iowa State (1-0) (4 p.m. EST on FS1)

I always look forward to this in-state rivalry. The last two games in the series were decided by a combined total of 13 points. ESPN’s College Gameday will be on site and the Hawkeyes are rolling into Ames having won four straight games against the Cyclones.

While Miami (Ohio) and Rutgers aren’t the two toughest teams to open a season, Iowa took care of business and won by a combined score of 68-14. Iowa’s defense made Rutgers look absolutely inept. Granted, Rutgers can do a pretty decent job of that by itself, but Iowa still dominated on the defensive side of the ball.

Hawkeyes quarterback Nate Stanley has been efficient and careful with the ball. He has thrown for almost 500 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions and he’s completing nearly 64% of his passes. Meanwhile, Mekhi Sargent and Toren Young are averaging over 5 yards a carry on the ground. I don’t expect that to continue in this game since it’s on the road and Iowa State has an above-average defense, but the run game will definitely be a strength and an asset for Iowa.

Iowa State, which was ranked to start the season, had to rally with a field goal in the final minute just to send its home and season opener against Northern Iowa into overtime. Once the Cyclones got there, it took three overtimes to fend off the Panthers. Iowa State was off last week, so the Cyclones had a bye week to move on and prepare for their bitter rivals.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is a gamer and a grinder. He’s got the clutch gene and all the intangibles you want in a guy leading the huddle. He’s completing over 73% of his passes and he had a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. The offense gained a lot of yards against the Panthers, but only managed 13 points in regulation. That’s not going to get it done against Iowa.

The X-factor in this game will be the battle between the offensive and defensive lines on both teams. Iowa has the ability to enforce its will on both sides of the ball and dictate the tempo on offense, as well as frustrating and pressuring Purdy and the Cyclones on defense. Purdy has the ability to beat Iowa with his arm, but it’ll be tough to do that if his offensive line doesn’t give him time to throw against the Hawkeyes’ pass rush. Iowa is very balanced on offense, so look for the Hawkeyes to try and establish the run early and then let Stanley air it out with play-action.

The spread: Iowa (-2.5)

My pick: I think the Cyclones will give the Hawkeyes a scare, but I’m taking Iowa to win on the road and cover the spread.

No. 1 Clemson (2-0) at Syracuse (1-1) (7:30 p.m. EST on ABC)

Syracuse went to unranked Maryland last week ranked 21st in the country and left College Park with its tail between its legs. The Terps unleashed a complete and total beatdown on the Orange. The final score was 63-20.

Maryland ran for over 350 yards and averaged almost eight yards per carry. Those stats would seem to indicate that more bad news is on the horizon for Syracuse fans because the Orange now have to face one of the country’s best offensive lines and the biggest home-run threat in the country in Travis Etienne.

After a slow start against top-15 Texas A&M, Clemson woke up and started to play dominant football in the second quarter and enforced its will in the second half en route to a 24-10 win at home. Syracuse nearly upset Clemson on the road last year, but these two teams are clearly in very different places since last year’s contest.

One bright spot for Syracuse in last week’s humiliating loss was that quarterback Tommy DeVito threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but much of the pressure was off because the Orange were down quickly and were never really competitive.

Etienne had a monster game against Georgia Tech in the season opener with over 200 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries, but Texas A&M did a good job of containing him last week. Based on what I saw from Syracuse last week, Etienne is primed for another monster game. And while Trevor Lawrence’s numbers last week won’t necessarily wow you, he made clutch throws under pressure from a really good defense and led the Tigers to a hard-fought win.

The spread: Clemson (-27.5)

My pick: Vegas is teasing us with a line that high, but Clemson has one of the nation’s best offensive and defensive lines in addition to a quarterback and running game that can beat you single-handedly. Syracuse may be playing at home, but nothing in that shameful display against Maryland gives me any reason to think this game won’t get ugly quickly. I’m taking Clemson to win and cover.

No. 5 Oklahoma (2-0) at UCLA (0-2) (8 p.m. EST on FOX)

Let’s start with the UCLA Bruins. After losing on the road in their season opener to Cincinnati, they lost last week to San Diego State, a team they had never lost to in its 100-year program history. They’re now 0-2 for the second time in as many years, making this the first time UCLA has had back-to-back 0-2 starts since World War II.

That vaunted offense and innovation that Chip Kelly was supposed to bring to the Rose Bowl? I hope you’re not holding your breath. As ESPN’s Edward Aschoff noted, the Bruins have scored just 28 points and rank 127th nationally with 239.5 yards of total offense per game. The Bruins are also averaging just 3.7 yards per play, which ranks 128th nationally.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma is averaging nearly 60 points per game, an almost unfathomable pace. Head coach Lincoln Riley turned transfers Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray into Heisman Trophy winners. Jalen Hurts could be next after transferring from Alabama. He’s completing nearly 83% of his passes and has thrown for six touchdowns along with almost 600 yards. He also has another 223 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Oh, and he has yet to throw an interception this season.

While the number isn’t sustainable, Oklahoma is currently averaging almost nine yards per carry. The Sooners’ running game is one of the best in the country. I expect Trey Sermon to have a great game, but I also think Jalen Hurts could combine to score another five or six touchdowns. The X-factor in this game will be Hurts against UCLA’s linebackers. Can they contain Hurts and force him to be one-dimensional? If Hurts is able to break free for big gains, it’s going to be a very long night for the Bruins.

The spread: Oklahoma (-23.5)

The pick: The Bruins look terrible so far this season and they’re set to look terrible again tonight. Oklahoma’s offense is as explosive as any in the nation, and I expect the Sooners to have a great night on offense and defense. I’m taking Oklahoma to win and cover.

Noah Niederhoffer (@NNiederhoffer) is a producer at SiriusXM and a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Originally from Atlanta, he now lives in Washington, D.C.

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