NCAA Week 3 Preview and Free Picks

By: Rich Douglas

We've got our week 3 preview here, featuring 4 games from around the nation that provide some good value both for watching and playing.

TCU at Texas Tech (+3)
The Red Raiders so far this season have taken care of business against both opponents.  Baker Mayfield has completed 71.1% of his passes for over 8.7 yards per attempt, without tossing a pick yet.
He's been impeccable on third downs as well, converting 12 of 15 attempts with 4 plays of  15 yards or more.  TCU was not so good stopping third down conversions against LSU, allowing 13 of the Tigers 19 attempts to convert.  The TCU LBs are also not great in coverage, where they will need to be against Jace Amaro, who in just 6 quarters of action is averaging 16.7 yards per catch.  The Red Raiders defense has also been very stout against the run, with 16 tackles for loss already and allowing just 2.7 yards per attempt on the ground.  This will be necessary to force the game out of BJ Catalon's hands after his 5.84 yards per attempt performance so far, and into the hands of Trevone Boykin, making his first start at QB this season.


BGSU (+2.5) at Indiana
The Hoosiers started the season explosively by putting up 73 points against Indiana State.  They followed it up with a solid offensive performance against Navy, despite falling to the Midshipmen by 6.  The Falcons though have shown they are equipped to stop offenses, holding opponents so far to just 14.5 points per game.  They've done it by limiting plays on the ground from getting out of hand with just 4 run plays of 10 yards or more, ranking 13th in the nation.  The Falcons have only allowed 3.6 yards per run in all situations, with LB Gabe Martin second on the team with 11 tackles and 2 of them for loss.  The Hoosiers also have not really been tested in the passing game, where QB Matt Johnson has stepped in and dominated for the Falcons, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt and completing 62.5% of his passes.  The Falcons do need to be wary of protecting their Sophomore QB, already having allowed 4 sacks.


UCF +5.5 at Penn State
A strong Knights team strolls into Happy Valley after outscoring Akron and FIU 76-7. Blake Bortles has begun this season just as he finished last season as the accurate passer has now 217 consecutive throws without throwing an interception. Bortles can also make plays with his feet as well, but will mainly rely on RB Storm Johnson to break up the Nittany Lion front 7. Johnson has found the endzone 5 times which is tied for the national lead early on in the season. The run defense will have to come up big for UCF as Penn State has 3 rushers who have already topped 100 yards on the season. They held FIU to just 31 yards rushing last week and while the competition is a few steps up, UCF should be able to contain the Penn State offense in more ways than one. PSU has already shown cracks in their line as they've already allowed 7 sacks. Take the points and bet UCF.


Wisconsin at Arizona State -5
The Sun Devils look to be in a great spot to win the Pac 12 South after USC's demise last week to Washington State. A big non conference win against the Badgers would turn them into a legitimate contender. Taylor Kelly is arguably the best passer in the Pac 12 as he made a weak Sacramento State secondary look terrible after throwing for 300 yards with 5 TDs and 0 INTs. Marion Grice, DJ Foster and Deantre Lewis will be sharing time in the backfield and will look to wear out a Badger defense that is allowing just 72 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry. The up tempo pace will be something Wisconsin won't be able to keep up with as the often overlooked Sun Devil offense is very explosive. The defense will be key in covering this game and will need to stop an always talented Badger rush attack. Still, I don't think Stave is good enough to manage the game and keep the ball out of the hands of ASU's offense. Look for the Sun Devils to win by at least a touchdown.