Georgia Southern @ Ole Miss: 45-10 (Nate Donohue)
After another dominant performance, Ole Miss returns to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium looking to continue a perfect record.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart looks like a Heisman front-runner, with 1,172 passing yards on the season. Led by Tre Harris and Juice Wells, the receiving corps promises to give Georgia Southern secondary problems.
Running back Henry Parrish Jr. has rushed for six touchdowns through three games, including 100-yard performances in the past two games. On defense, the Rebels have yet to allow a touchdown all season and are seen as one of the nation’s top defenses after week three.
Georgia Southern is 2-1 — the loss coming against a solid Boise State team that nearly managed to beat No.7 Oregon two weeks ago.
Quarterback JC French, who has thrown multiple touchdowns in all three games this season, leads a capable offense.
The Golden Eagles have holes on defense. With a home advantage, the Rebels can most likely hand Georgia Southern its second loss of the season.
USC @ Michigan: 31-28 (Luke Dunavant)
In USC’s first ever Big 10 matchup, the Trojans will head to Michigan to face the reigning national champions on their home turf.
USC looks to have yet another quarterback, with Miller Moss lighting up LSU’s defense in week one. He threw for nearly 400 yards as the Trojans beat the Tigers 27-20.
In their home opener, the Trojans handed Utah State their first loss of the season 48-0. Trojan linebackers Eric Gentry and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold led the defense each recording seven tackles in USC’s shutout win.
On the other hand, Michigan’s offense looks lackluster. The Wolverines beat Fresno State 30-10, but they were up by only 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Alex Orji seems to have won the QB battle over Davis Warren, something that fans are somewhat upset about. Warren is a much better passer, but Orji is the more athletic player.
In the Texas vs. Michigan matchup, one of the most anticipated of this season, Michigan’s defense did not perform like they did the season prior and fell to the No. 1 ranked Longhorns 31-12.
This matchup will be a classic for two historically good football teams. If Moss and the USC offense perform like they have been doing, the Trojans can take home their first Big 10 win.
Tennessee @ Oklahoma: 31-20 (Tanner Shapiro)
Tennessee started week one with a bang, beating Chattanooga by 60.
Led by Nico Iamaleava — a talented young QB who put up three touchdowns and looked strong against Iowa last year in the bowl game — the Volunteers have outscored their opponents 191-13.
In last week’s win, the Volunteers scored 71 points and held the Kent State offense to zero — a feat the Sooners need to be aware of.
Oklahoma looks sharp, led by QB Jackson Arnold who had a four-touchdown game against Temple.
The key player of this game will be Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who is high on many NFL draft boards. Pearce will rack up two sacks in a tight game against the Sooners.
This will be a closely watched SEC matchup as both of these teams have high expectations going into conference play.
Arkansas @ Auburn: 35-17 (Dylan Liggett)
In their first SEC matchup of the year, Arkansas and Auburn both seek a crucial victory that will most likely set the tone for the rest of their seasons.
With quarterback Taylen Green, running back Ja’Quinden Jackson and NFL caliber tight-end Luke Haasand, Auburn has to come out strong offensively to make a statement against the Razorbacks.
While Auburn has talented receivers in both Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, alongside an effective ground game in running back Jarquez Hunter, weaknesses in both the defense and quarterback Payton Thorne will be the ultimate undoing for the Tigers.
Utah @ Oklahoma State: 34- 31 (Lily Green)
Utah versus Oklahoma State will be a more interesting matchup, as this is the first Big 12 matchup for the Utes. Both teams experienced blowout wins in their first games of the season, and each will have a chance to make this game close.
While Utah is favored for this game, Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State head coach, will look to seek an upset in his first conference game of the season.
However, Oklahoma State will have a challenge in scoring due to the Utes’ defensive skill, as they were ranked 10thn in the country in preseason ranking.
UCLA @ LSU: 38-14 (Sarah Fenton)
UCLA and LSU will meet for just the second time in Death Valley for a Big 10 vs SEC matchup. This will be one of UCLA’s toughest matches this season, so the Tigers will need to put up a strong front to find easy success in this game.
LSU stole one of the most exciting SEC games last week, barely squeezing by South Carolina 36-33 with a game-defining field goal. The Tigers are making up for their loss to USC in their season opening loss 27-20.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier went 24/40, 285 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. LSU’s game on the ground totaled 132 rushing yards.
The Bruins are coming off a tough loss last weekend in their first Big 10 matchup of the season, dropping game one to Indiana 42-13. Quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 14/23, 137 passing yards and threw an interception.
Despite a new conference and a new head coach in Deshaun Foster, after the departure of former head coach Chip Kelly, Garbers and the Bruins have a lot to prove in order to make a statement in Saturday’s game.
LSU has the opportunity to continue its win streak and should cruise past UCLA.
NC State @ Clemson: 35-21 (Ian Sparks)
NC State and Clemson open up their conference slate on Saturday. Playing at Death Valley is no easy task, making the Tigers a three-score favorite for this matchup. Clemson’s sole loss came at the hands of Georgia in the opener, losing 34-3. The Tigers responded with a convincing win over Appalachian State 66-20.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had a career night, throwing for 378 yards and five touchdowns and completing 24 of 26 passes. Clemson is coming off a bye week, so it will be interesting to see whether there is any early rust against the Wolfpack.
NC State’s sole loss also came to an opponent from the SEC East, No. 6 Tennessee. The Wolfpack have two wins over Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech.
This game could be close; however, the Tigers should pull away from NC State. The Wolfpack will struggle to contain Klubnik and the Tiger offense in what should be a high-scoring game.
