Can Notre Dame recover from the loss to Northern Illinois? | Before the Snap
Can Notre Dame recover from the loss to Northern Illinois? | Before the Snap
So you think college football isn’t unpredictable? How about Northern Illinois going to Notre Dame as a four-touchdown underdog and coming away with a historic victory?
That seems par for the course in a sport where surprising results are the norm. So what should we be looking for in Week 3. Which games will feature these surprises? Who could be an upset victim? History has shown these unlikely results are coming – even when they are most unexpected. But where will they take place?
That’s why the USA TODAY Sports college football staff is here. Scooby Axson, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Dan Wolken weigh in with their bold predictions for Week 1 of the college football season:
Tulane pushes Oklahoma to the limit, again
In reality, Tulane had no business losing to Kansas State, blowing a 10-point halftime lead, but they have another opportunity to boost their resume when they take on Oklahoma.
Here is the story for the Sooners. The good: The defense is salty and is tied for the nation’s lead in turnover margin. The bad: The offense, especially on third down. The Sooners have converted a pitiful 5 of 26 on that crucial down through two games. For you math majors out there, that is 19%, ranking 131 out of 133 Bowl Subdivision teams. A repeat performance like last week against Houston isn’t going to cut it, especially when Tennessee comes to town the following week to open SEC play. If you need further proof of Oklahoma being on upset alert, just remember the last time Tulane came to Norman in 2021. — Scooby Axson
South Carolina puts LSU in trouble
Even with Jayden Daniels gone, the expectation for LSU this season was to remain a contender. But the Tigers haven’t looked like one at all so far. Southern California out-muscled them and it had a shaky performance in the win over Nicholls State. South Carolina is riding tons of momentum after thumping Kentucky, and with a raucous home crowd, the Gamecocks makes it another difficult day for LSU. Not sure what Brian Kelly will say after this one, but sitting at 1-2 with a tough SEC schedule, it’ll be a tough mission to not fall toward the bottom half of the conference by the end of the season. — Jordan Mendoza
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Billy Napier cools hot seat with Florida defeat of Texas A&M
It may not be a job-saving win, but Florida beats Texas A&M and at least gives coach Billy Napier a boost as the Gators try to manage college football’s toughest schedule. The Aggies’ reputation has already taken a hit after the competitive loss to Notre Dame to open the year was diminished by Northern Illinois’ huge upset of the Irish last Saturday, turning this into one of Florida’s best chances for a win in SEC play. While it wouldn’t guarantee a bowl bid, topping A&M would at least put the Gators back on track to contend for six wins in November. — Paul Myerberg
First road test for Alabama, Kalen DeBoer won’t go smoothly
It’s rare for the Crimson Tide to play on the road against a Big Ten. The last time was 2011 against Penn State. That team managed a win on its way to a national title. This time, the opponent is Wisconsin, which is struggling to find its identity under second-year coach Luke Fickell. It would seem a setup for a comfortable Alabama victory given the Badgers still haven’t seem to find a solution for the subpar quarterback play that has dragged the program down the past several seasons. But last week’s tight game against South Florida could portend some issues for Alabama and its new coach. Wisconsin still retains a strong defense that can slow down Jalen Milroe and keep this close. Don’t be surprised if this one goes four quarters and ends with a key play in the final minutes. — Erick Smith
Memphis pulls big upset at Florida State
Florida State’s 0-2 start inflicted collateral damage on this week’s opponent. Now Memphis, despite snagging a No. 25 ranking in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll, heads to Tallahassee with something of a no-win scenario.
Sure, it would still rate as a Power Four victory, a good asset to have in the bank should the Tigers go on to win the American Athletic Conference. But a Memphis win wouldn’t carry nearly as much weight as preseason rankings suggested, and a loss would now be considered actually harmful. In a twist, the game now presents a greater opportunity for the Seminoles to change the trajectory of their season with a ranked team coming to town.
But it won’t happen. The Tigers need to block out whatever is happening with the FSU program and take care of their own business, and they will. The issues with the Seminoles on both lines won’t have gone away despite a few extra days of prep time. There’s still talent on the FSU roster so it won’t be a cakewalk, but Memphis will make fewer mistakes and get out with the win. — Eddie Timanus
Washington State brings home Apple Cup
There is very little Apple Cup hype this year nationally, but the circumstances of Washington’s move to the Big Ten makes this opportunity one that Washington State fans and players have been waiting for all year. We still don’t know much about what Washington looks like under Jedd Fisch having opened its season against overmatched Weber State and Eastern Michigan. With Washington State coming off a dominant 37-16 win over Texas Tech, I’ll assume that the Cougars are pretty good and more battle tested and will pull an upset in Seattle on Saturday. — Dan Wolken