Welcome to Week Three of The Lowe Down.
“The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.” — Jim Rohn
This year’s season-opening weekend of college football was billed as the best in the history of the sport. And rightfully so.
But Week Three’s slate of games is pretty darn impressive in its own right.
The storylines: Can Alabama avoid its third straight loss to Ole Miss? Will Oklahoma, a sexy preseason favorite to make the College Football Playoff, be all but eliminated from the 128-team race after the season’s third week? Can Louisville cement itself as a legit ACC title contender with a win over FSU? Will Notre Dame reassert itself as a potential Top-10 team by earning a victory over Michigan State? And which team in the SEC West (Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas), if there is one, will compete with the Crimson Tide if Nick Saban’s team puts the Rebels behind the eight-ball early with a divisional loss.
The answers to the aforementioned questions will help give us a better idea who is for real and who isn’t fairly early on in the season. But be advised, there are always teams that are overrated, just like there are teams that are underrated.
Last week’s record was 16-5, bringing the yearly record to 31-10. To the games we go…
@MattLowe777
Friday, September 16
No. 21 Baylor (2-0) at Rice (0-2) 7:00 p.m. CT
Baylor doesn’t look like the offensive juggernaut it has been the past few years so far under interim head coach Jim Grobe, but that doesn’t mean the Bears aren’t still potent on that side of the ball. Quarterback Seth Russell looks like he’s getting more comfortable after returning from a neck injury that forced him to cut his 2015 season short prematurely, but he — and the offense — need to clean up the mistakes before Oklahoma State comes to Waco next week. Last week the Bears had 14 penalties against SMU. That’s got to improve if Baylor wants to compete for a Big 12 title.
The Lowe Down: Baylor 48, Rice 13
Saturday, September 17
No. 2 Florida State (2-0) at No. 10 Louisville (2-0) 11:00 a.m. CT
Beating Charlotte and a rebuilding Syracuse team is one thing; beating FSU is another. But if there is ever a time for Louisville to flex its Papa John-pizza-eating muscles, then now’s the time. Cardinals’ quarterback Lamar Jackson is known for his speed and big-play ability as a runner, but head coach Bobby Petrino, the de facto play-caller, has done an excellent job of developing the strong-armed Jackson as a passer. The dynamic sophomore has been hitting his backs out of the backfield like a champ, and he’s also shown a nice touch on Petrino’s famed crossing patterns, particularly in the red zone. FSU’s defense suffered a major blow when stud safety Derwin James went down with a knee injury in last week’s win over Charleston Southern, and that will benefit the home team. But don’t sleep on quarterback Deondre Francois, the Seminoles electrifying redshirt freshman. He, stud tailback Dalvin Cook and a veteran offensive line have just as much talent on O as Louisville does. Wait, did I just say that?
The Lowe Down: Florida State 34, Louisville 41
No. 1 Alabama (2-0) at No. 19 Ole Miss (1-1) 2:30 p.m. CT
It’s been three years! Three dag ‘um years since Alabama has beaten Ole Miss. And considering the Crimson Tide is 50-6 overall in its last four years, the losses to Hugh Freeze’s squad alone have really put a dent into the winning percentage (wink, wink) over that time. Look, Ole Miss has good athletes all over the place, especially at receiver and along the defensive front, but if the Rebels want to go for the trifecta, then their offensive line will have to block Alabama’s front seven — and I’m not sure if that’s possible, especially at the tackle spots. Left tackle has been a revolving door for the Rebels between junior Rod Taylor and top-ranked recruit Greg Little, a true freshman, and the rest of the front wall is made up of mostly sophomores. That group will face a major challenge dealing with the likes of Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and company.
The Lowe Down: Alabama 37, Ole Miss 16
No. 22 Oregon (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0) 2:30 p.m. CT
Nebraska fans have had this game circled for a while now, so expect Memorial Stadium to be rocking. A major key in the game will be Nebraska’s front seven against the high-powered Oregon run game, led by 5-11, 230-pound Royce Freeman, who enters the contest averaging 9.2 yards per carry. The Huskers did a nice job of bottling up Wyoming tailback Brian Hill — one of the better ball carriers in the country — last week, so that was a nice tune up for the Ducks. But it will be paramount that Nebraska limits Freeman and forces quarterback Dakota Prukop, a former FCS star, to make plays. Prukop’s counterpart, Tommy Armstrong, is off to a red-hot start, as is the Nebraska offense, which makes a shootout highly probable.
The Lowe Down: Oregon 33, Nebraska 39
Pitt (2-0) at Oklahoma State (1-1) 2:30 p.m. CT
Oklahoma State has the wrong opponent entering its house after a heartbreaking loss to Central Michigan last week. The Panthers, led by quarterback Nate Peterman, tailback James Conner and one of the best offensive line’s in the country, are executing at a high level on offense, and the defense, under the direction of head coach Pat Narduzzi, is fundamentally sound. I know the Cowboys are always tough at home, but I really like this Pitt team and I think it has the mojo working.
The Lowe Down: Pitt 37, Oklahoma State 30
No. 17 Texas A&M (2-0) at Auburn (1-1) 6:00 p.m. CT
Auburn put up the second-most yardage in school history (706 yards) in its 51-14 win over Arkansas State last week, but I need to see if Gus Malzahn’ crew can have similar success against an SEC defense before I anoint the Tigers as an SEC West contender. Auburn has talent at every position, and the defense has been a major bright spot through the team’s first two games, but consistency on offense, especially in the run game with tailbacks Kerryon Johnson and Kam Pettway, is a must. Former Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight has fit in nicely into Noel Mazzone’s offense and has played well in the Aggies first two wins. But he has a tendency to make bad decisions if he’s pressure (don’t all QBs?). Auburn’s D-line is one of the best in the country and can do just that. If Knight has time to throw, A&M’s rangy, talented receiving corps could give the Tigers secondary a lot of problems. If not, the home team will benefit.
The Lowe Down: Texas A&M 20, Auburn 28
No. 12 Michigan State (1-0) at No. 18 Notre Dame (1-1) 6:30 p.m. CT
Notre Dame carries a three-game winning streak into this storied rivalry, but this is the first time the two teams have locked horns since 2013. Following an unimpressive (10 penalties, two turnovers) performance against Furman in the season-opener, Michigan State has had two weeks to prepare for the Irish, who are coming off a dominating 39-10 performance against Nevada. DeShone Kizer is Notre Dame’s go-to signal-caller now after head coach Brian Kelly toyed with a two-QB look in the overtime loss to Texas in the opener. But Kizer has settled in and is playing at a high level, and it will be interesting to see how well he plays against yet another stout Spartans defense, led by All-Big Ten performers Malik McDowell (defensive tackle) and Riley Bullough (middle linebacker). If the Spartans can limit the Irish on offense, they’ll have a good shot to win.
The Lowe Down: Michigan State 20, Notre Dame 17
No. 16 Georgia (2-0) at Missouri (1-1) 6:30 p.m. CT
The Bulldogs laid an egg against Nichols State after a big win over North Carolina in the season-opener, but they still got the win. Now comes the big test for freshman quarterback Jacob Eason: his first road game, at night, against a solid defense. There is potential for an upset here, but look for Georgia to edge the Tigers by say… a dog bone.
The Lowe Down: Georgia 23, Missouri 22
No. 3 Ohio State (2-0) at No. 14 Oklahoma (1-1) 6:30 p.m. CT
Paging Big Game Bob. Paging Big Game Bob. Ah yes, the Sooner faithful will be on pins and needles when a young but talented Ohio State bunch comes to town. The Buckeyes, behind dynamic quarterback J.T. Barrett, impressive tailback Mike Weber and a powerful O-line, look to be in midseason form on offense after destroying Bowling Green (yawn) and Tulsa (yawn) to open the year. That’s likely a major concern for OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops (not a fan of his play-calling skills) considering the Sooners had all sort of problems stopping Houston’s offense — especially dual-threat Greg Ward Jr. — in the season-opener. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield has been playing at a high level in the team’s first two games and will need to play well once again if the Sooners want to keep their playoff hopes alive after just three weeks. I’m just not sure the OU defense can slow Barrett and company however.
The Lowe Down: Ohio State 34, Oklahoma 28
USC (1-1) at No. 7 Stanford (1-0) 7:00 p.m. CT
I learned a lot about the state of the USC program during the game against Alabama. Not only did the Trojans get whipped, but their complete lack of sportsmanship (trash talking, kicking a guy in the groin when he is lying on the ground, more trash talking) was a downright disgrace to college athletics — and any athletics for that manner. And that all falls on the coach in my humble opinion. With that said, Stanford, behind tailback Christian McCaffrey and talented quarterback Ryan Burns, runs roughshod over a weak Trojans defense.
The Lowe Down: USC 17, Stanford 38
In other Saturday games:
No. 25 Miami 30 at Appalachian State 23
Georgia State 10 at No. 9 Wisconsin 48
Vanderbilt 24 at Georgia Tech 28
Colorado 17 at No. 4 Michigan 45
San Diego State 37at Northern Illinois 23
East Carolina 30 at South Carolina 23
Mississippi State 17 at No. LSU 33
UCLA 26 at BYU 29
No. 11 Texas 48 at Cal 27
WEEK ONE RESULTS
WEEK TWO RESULTS