Let’s recap Week 3, shall we?
No. 16 West Virginia (3-0) at Maryland (1-1)
Pregame rant: This will be the first road game for the Mountaineers, but that’s not the major concern. New Maryland head coach Randy Edsall is not only one of the best coaches in the country, he’s had two weeks to prepare for WVU.
Postgame commentary: When a team has a 34-10 lead as WVU had and the opponent comes back and has a chance to win it in the end as Maryland had, games like that are bound to end with a turnover. Danny O’Brien had completed 14 straight passes for 94 yards before throwing an incomplete pass and an interception on his final two passes as WVU survived, 37-31. Got to give the Mountaineers credit for holding on, but when Edsall gets better players, Maryland will be a beast in the ACC.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has the nation's top-ranked team, but could the Sooners beat LSU, Alabama or Boise State? Hmmm./AP Photo.
No. 1 Oklahoma (2-0) at No. 11 Florida State (2-1)
Pregame rant: If the Seminoles are really back, this is the game to show it.
Postgame commentary: The Seminoles are closer than they were last year to reestablishing themselves as a national power, but they’re not there yet. It’s also safe to say Oklahoma isn’t the best team in the country, either. LSU, Alabama and Boise State have looked more impressive than the top-ranked Sooners.
Idaho (1-2) at No. 8 Texas A&M (2-0)
Pregame rant: This is one of those games that Texas A&M should have the back ups in midway though the third quarter. Shouldn’t even be a contest.
Postgame commentary: After sleep walking through the first quarter (committed two turnovers), the Aggies woke up and led 37-0 after three quarters en route to winning by 30 points.
Southeast Missouri State (0-2) at Purdue (2-1)
Pregame rant: Anytime an FBS school (Purdue) meets an FCS school (SE Missouri State), it shouldn’t be a contest. If Purdue wins, it should. If the Boilermakers lose, they’re the joke of the week.
Postgame commentary: Purdue won 59-0, had 627 yards of total offense (393 yards rushing) and SE Missouri State was just 4-of-15 on 3rd down conversions. Nothing funny about that performance by the Boilermakers.
Ronnie Wingo scored three touchdowns last week for Arkansas, but Alabama's defense is a tad bit tougher than Troy's./AP Photo.
Here are three games worth watching in Week 4.
No. 7 Oklahoma State (3-0) at No. 8 Texas A&M (2-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN/ABC
Great conference opener for these two Big 12 titans, but something has to give here. The Cowboys are second in the nation in total offense at 601 yards a game and third in the nation in points per game at 52.3. However, the Aggies has given up a total of 534 yards and 21 total points in their two games. Kyle Field is going to be rocking.
No. 14 Arkansas (3-0 ) at No. 3 Alabama (3-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS
The beauty of the SEC West is that as good as Alabama is, if Arkansas wins Saturday, it won’t be that big of an upset. The Razorbacks got some serious talent, but when you’re talking about being ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa, that’s a tall order. Look for the Tide to play ball control in this one.
No. 2 LSU (3-0) at No. 16 West Virginia (3-0), Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
With ESPN GameDay crew docking in Morgantown, W.Va. for the first time ever, the Mountaineers will be sky high for this one, but they’re going to have their hands full with arguably the nation’s best team. A guy to look out for is WVU junior quarterback Geno Smith. LSU isn’t going to let WVU run the ball so Smith, who is 82-for-118 for 1,007 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception, will have to consistently make big plays to keep WVU in this one.
Houston's Case Keenum should have a field day Saturday./AP Photo.
Snooze on these, though.
South Dakota (2-1) at No. 6 Wisconsin (3-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
Memo to Big Ten Network: You don’t have to show every Big Ten game. Better off showing a Big Ten classic game instead of this. It won’t be close and if it is, the Badgers aren’t nearly as good as I think they are.
No. 13 Virginia Tech (3-0) at Marshall (1-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
The Hokies aren’t playing your older brother’s Thundering Herd that had the likes of Randy Moss, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich. Ohio just pounded Marshall last week, 44-7. Now Virginia Tech didn’t look too impressive in beating Arkansas State, 26-7, but it has enough to light up Marshall.
Georgia State (1-2) at Houston (3-0), Saturday, 8 p.m.
The only reason to even keep tabs on this game is to join Houston senior Case Keenum’s countdown to breaking the all-time record for career touchdown passes. With 117, Keenum needs 18 more to pass Graham Harrell, who threw 134 career touchdowns to set the FBS record. The Panthers have given up 77 total points in their last two games that ended in losses to Old Dominion and at Jacksonville State. Prediction: Keenum will throw four touchdowns by halftime.