College football is entering its third week, which means it’s time for conference play to begin. After another rollercoaster week of close games and down-to-the-wire finishes, college football’s rankings have shifted around once again. After week three, there are four Big 12 teams and five Pac-12 teams in the AP Poll with four Big 12/Pac-12 teams in the top ten.
Based on this week’s media bowl projections, Oregon and Oklahoma are considered to be favorites to appear in this year’s Valero Alamo Bowl.
Media Projections
Mark Schlabach (ESPN): #12 OREGON vs. #16 OKLAHOMA
Brett McMurphy (ESPN): #10 UCLA vs. #16 OKLAHOMA
Jerry Palm (CBS): #20 ARIZONA vs. #16 OKLAHOMA
Bill Bender (Sporting News): #12 OREGON vs. #16 OKLAHOMA
Jason Kirk (SB Nation): #6 USC vs. #16 OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma sits at #16 after stealing a 31-24 win at Tennessee in double overtime. After trailing 17-3 at the end of the third quarter, the Sooners outscored the Volunteers 28-7 the rest of the way to improve to 2-0. Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield accounted for two touchdowns in overtime including the game-winning throw to senior standout wide receiver Sterling Shepard. The Sooners return to Norman this weekend to take on in-state rival Tulsa (2-0) at 11:00 A.M. CST on Fox Sports 1. Oklahoma has won eight straight meetings against the Golden Hurricane.
The Ducks faced arguably their toughest road test of the season, traveling to East Lansing, Michigan to face off against #4 Michigan State. Despite 236 total yards and two touchdowns for junior wide receiver Bralon Addison coupled with a valiant comeback effort in the fourth quarter, the Ducks fell 31-28. The 12th-ranked Ducks return home next weekend to play Georgia State (1-1) at 1 P.M. CST on the Pac-12 Network. Look for another big game for the Ducks’ high-octane offense led by senior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
Notable Week 3 Matchups
TEXAS (1-1) vs. CALIFORNIA (2-0)- 6:30 P.M. CST- FOX SPORTS: In a battle of Pac-12 and Big 12 teams, the California Bears will travel to Austin to square off against the Texas Longhorns. The Bears toppled San Diego State last week 35-7 at home and the Longhorns outpaced the Rice Owls 42-28.
#6 USC (2-0) vs. STANFORD (1-1)- 7 P.M. CST- ABC: Two Valero Alamo Bowl contenders from the Pac-12 meet in Memorial Coliseum Saturday night as Stanford travels to #6 USC. The Cardinal bounced back from its season-opening loss at Northwestern to beat UCF at home 31-7. The Trojans overpowered Idaho State 59-9 in the Coliseum, amassing 737 yards of total offense.
#10 UCLA (2-0) vs. #19 BYU (2-0)- 9:30 P.M. CST- FOX SPORTS 1: In their toughest test of the season so far, the #10 UCLA Bruins will host #19 BYU Saturday night in Pasadena, California. The Bruins showcased a strong performance on the road at UNLV last week winning 37-3. However, they will face a ranked BYU squad with loads of momentum after the Cougars pulled off another miraculous last-second Hail Mary win vs. Boise State last week.
