Frogs O’ War Staff Picks: College Football Week 3

Big 12

Colorado Buffaloes at Houston Cougars – Fri. Sept. 12, 6:30 PM, ESPN

Anthony: Although I don’t put much on a Friday night home field advantage in Houston, the Cougars win. Whatever personnel advantage the Buffs may have does not overcome the coaching advantage of Willie Fritz over Deion Sanders.
Austin: Houston has looked improved thus far, but the Cougars’ pair of victories has come against Stephen F. Austin and Rice. I’ll side with the Colorado Buffaloes and Ryan Staub this week.

Caleb: Houston’s continuity from weeks 1 & 2 to 3 is certainly a strength when considering the QB shakeup Colorado is dealing with. I’m not sure how valuable it was to be the best QB against Delaware, since they earned a road start with a short leash. Give me Willie Fritz & the Cougars to start Big 12 play with a W.
Drew: Neither team looked dominant last week against two inferior opponents, but I have more faith in Willie Fritz and Connor Weigman to bounce back than a former third-string quarterback on the road in a night game. I’ll take Houston here.
Russ: Deion Sanders is making a bold move starting a third-string quarterback on the road as a light underdog. Despite beating mediocre opponents, I think Houston walks away with the home win.

Kansas State Wildcats at Arizona Wildcats – Fri. Sept. 12, 8:00 PM, FOX

Anthony: I just cannot quit my preseason priors on Kansas State, there is just no way the team is actually this bad. Army can be a tough match up (unless you are Tarleton State) and KSU bounces back in a more traditional opponent in this “non-conference” Big 12 showdown.
Austin: Who would’ve guessed the Kansas State Wildcats would have been 1-2 entering this matchup? Although Kansas State is favored, the Arizona Wildcats take this one at home.
Caleb: Arizona’s defense has given up single digit points this year, albeit against inferior competition. I think they hold up enough to limit the Wildcat offense while Fifita dices up the reeling K-State defense. Give me ‘Zona.
Drew: Kansas State has really struggled in all three games this season while Arizona appears to have bounced back from a disappointing 2024 season. I have Noah Fifita and Arizona winning this one at home.
Russ: I have to believe Kansas State turns things around eventually. A loss here would send alarm bells off across Manhattan. Give me the Wildcats to earn a much-needed victory.

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Oregon State Beavers – Sat. Sept. 13, 2:30 PM, FOX

Anthony: The Red Raiders’ pointless non-conference slate mercifully comes to an end with this one, finally seeing a team with the slightest of hint of a pulse. WR Trent Walker is a machine for the Beavers, but TTU walks away with another easy win
Austin: Texas Tech wins handily. The Red Raiders have scored 60-plus in two straight games, and although they won’t eclipse 60 once more, they’ll drop 45 on the Beavers.
Caleb: Tech rolls and we’re inundated by more Cody Campbell commercials. This is their biggest test so far, but that doesn’t say much for Kent State & Arkansas-Pine-Bluff. Maybe they’ll get caught looking ahead at Utah and slip up to make it competitive, we can only hope.
Drew: Texas Tech is rolling offensively to start 2025 and Duke transfer Maalik Murphy has struggled to find his footing through two games with the Beavers. I have Texas Tech winning this one by multiple scores.
Russ: The Red Raiders have been nearly impossible to stop offensively thus far. I’ll roll with the hot hand and choose Texas Tech for a home win against Oregon State.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pitt Panthers – Sat. Sept. 13, 2:30 PM, ESPN

Anthony: I couldn’t have been more wrong in my faith for Rich Rod last week at Ohio and now the Mountaineers will be without pre-season All-Big 12 RB Jaheim White for the season. It may already be a lost year in Morgantown and will surely be a lost Backyard Brawl, Pitt wins.
Austin: Pitt knocks off the Mountaineers for the second consecutive season. There’s not much confidence to be had in West Virginia after losing by a touchdown to Ohio last week.
Caleb: It would be very Mountaineer to lose to Ohio and then beat Pitt. Does Rich Rod have it in him? No, I don’t personally think so. Pitt has a solid team and I expect them to control this game fairly handedly.
Drew: West Virginia struggled to move the ball last week against Ohio and while the Bobcats are a solid group of five team, Pitt will be a step up in competition. I have the Panthers winning this one.
Russ: West Virginia is much worse than I thought they would be entering this season. I’ll take Pittsburgh to claim this year’s Backyard Brawl.

Iowa State Cyclones at Arkansas State Red Wolves – Sat. Sept. 13, 3:00 PM, ESPN2

Anthony: Why do Big 12 teams keep scheduling true road games at G5 stadiums. Cyclones are on a roll and riding high, but this game may be trickier than it should be. Iowa State still rolls to the victory.
Austin: Iowa State wins by at least four scores. The Cyclones have taken care of business thus far, and the Red Wolves won’t pose much, if any, of a threat.
Caleb: Arkansas State got dusted by Arkansas last weekend, I have tough time envisioning any sort of challenge for the Cyclones. Iowa State takes this one easily.
Drew: Iowa State has looked excellent through the first few weeks and Rocco Becht looks to be in complete control of the offense. I’ll take the Cyclones in a blowout.
Russ: Rocco Becht continues his strong start to the season and the Cyclones dominate Arkansas State by multiple touchdowns.

Utah Utes at Wyoming Cowboys – Sat. Sept. 13, 7:00 PM, CBS Sports Network

Anthony: Another G5 road trip and Laramie is a tough place to play, just ask Texas Tech fans how that can go. This Utah team is much better equipped to handle the elements and runs away with a clean win.
Austin: Wyoming is 2-0, but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies for the Cowboys. The Utah Utes take care of Wyoming on the road to start the season 3-0.
Caleb: Another snooze fest, Utah has manhandled decent competition so far and I don’t think this one will be much different. The difference in talent between middling Mountain West and a standard B12 team has peaked in the NIL era. Utah will likely show that.
Drew: Devon Dampier has been a big upgrade for the Utes at quarterback and the defense has been great through two games. I’ll take Utah here.
Russ: Utah has been a somewhat promising team to emerge out of the Big 12 early in the season. I’ll roll with the Utes for a road victory over the Cowboys.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas State Bobcats – Sat. Sept.

13, 9:30 PM, TNT/HBO Max

Anthony: Texas State may actually be a better team and better coached than the Mississippi State squad that defeated the Sun Devils last week. It turned out having a couple cowbells in practice didn’t help replicate the atmosphere in Starkville. Now back home in Tempe and ASU gets back into the win column
Austin: Arizona State barely defeats the Texas State Bobcats. I went back and forth on this matchup, but ultimately sided with the Sun Devils in Tempe.
Caleb: ASU will be on the other side of a wake-up call and Texas State will be coming down from the emotional high of their last victory. I think they meet in the middle and ASU gets right on their home field.
Drew: Texas State picked up a very nice win in a rivalry game against UTSA last Saturday and has a very explosive offense that can score in bunches. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their defense is prone to giving up as many big plays as their offense creates and Arizona State should be focused after an upset loss last week. I’ll take the Sun Devils in this one.
Russ: I have to shout out Texas State for winning me some money against UTSA last weekend, but I’ll choose Arizona State for the get-right win here.

Top National Games

Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Sat. Sept. 13, 11:00 AM, ESPN

Anthony: The Tigers got caught looking ahead to this one, sleepwalking through the game vs. Troy and almost took a devastating loss. I expected Clemson’s depth to be so strong that an injury to a player, even one as dynamic as WR Antonio Williams, could be over come, but perhaps he’s more important to that offense. If he returns, I see Clemson turning on the jets; even without him the Tigers get the win.
Austin: Clemson hasn’t looked very good, scoring only 10 points against LSU, then barely fending off Troy. Nonetheless, the Tigers get it down against a sizable opponent in Georgia Tech. Although, it’ll be a close one.
Caleb: Clemson took half the game off last week so they should be well energized for Georgia Tech. The health of Haynes King is a question and that can’t be good for the heart & soul of this Hornet team. Clemson conquers as they often do in the ACC, it’s the non-conference stuff they struggle with.
Drew: Clemson has not looked good through two games with a disappointing loss to LSU in week one and a narrow win over Troy in week two. I think Georgia Tech will be able to run the ball and keep Clemson’s offense off the field enough to pull off an upset win at home with a big game on the ground from Justice Haynes. Give me the Yellow Jackets here.
Russ: I think there’s a lot more at stake for the Tigers here. Clemson bounces back.

Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers – Sat. Sept. 13, 2:30 PM, ABC

Anthony: Is this one worthy of tearing down the goal posts and carrying them to the Tennessee River? I guess we’ll never know, Bulldogs win.
Austin: Tennessee wins at home. The Volunteers’ offense is arguably better with Joey Aguilar at quarterback, dropping 45 on Syracuse before scoring 72 against East Tennessee State. Even though the Bulldogs typically hang their hats on their defense, the offense hasn’t looked the part. The Volunteers win by a field goal.
Caleb: What a great win by Tennessee over East Tennessee State last week, very deserving of the 7 spot jump in the AP poll that makes this matchup look better on paper than it should. Bulldogs look like they’re in good form & I trust Kirby to start SEC play with a win.
Drew: Joey Aguilar appears to be an upgrade from Nico Iamaleava at quarterback for the Vols and Neyland Stadium will be jumping but I think Kirby Smart’s defense creates a few extra possessions for the Georgia offense and the Bulldogs pick up a road win.
Russ: With Haynes King banged up, Clemson bounces back and gets a win over the Yellow Jackets.

USF Bulls at Miami Hurricanes – Sat. Sept. 13, 3:30 PM, CW Network

Anthony: The U will not be overlooking the Bulls after USF has two of the nation’s best wins this season, toppling ranked teams Boise State and Florida. Hurricanes smash Cinderella’s glass slipper and take a dominant win.
Austin: Miami puts a stop to USF’s storybook season, but the game is much closer than the 17.5 spread would suggest.
Caleb: What a meteoric rise for the Bulls, they’ve become darlings of the AP and pushed Florida to the brink of terminating Billy Napier. Mario Cristobal and his Hurricanes will sweep them into the Atlantic this weekend and bring them back to earth. I wouldn’t label this as an elimination game, however, and USF should still be eligible for an at-large bid by season’s end.
Drew: USF appears to be in the driver’s seat for the group of five playoff bid this season but going on the road to beat Miami will be tough. I have the Hurricanes in this one.
Russ: South Florida is off to a greart start, but I’ll take the Hurricanes to win at home here.

Florida Gators at LSU Tigers – Sat. Sept. 13, 6:30 PM, ABC

Anthony: Upset Alert! There is no rational reason for this, but I think the Gators are going to walk into Baton Rouge and stun the Tigers. Billy Napier again saves his job by defeating the program that made clear it didn’t want to hire him. The shine has worn a bit from LSU’s marquee win over Clemson and Florida is better than it showed last week.
Austin: Florida is in shambles after losing to USF. The LSU Tigers take advantage, win, and cover the 8.5 spread in Baton Rouge.
Caleb: The SEC has much less parity than the Bug 12 and games like this show the distance from the top to the bottom. I expect LSU to roll pretty easily here,
Drew: I really like what I saw from Garrett Nussmeier against Clemson and Billy Napier appears to be back on the hot seat after a loss last week. DJ Lagway still has a few improvements to make for the Gators to be true contenders and I have LSU winning this one at home.
Russ: Garrett Nussmeier turns in another strong performance and the Tigers roll over the Gators.

Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Sat. Sept. 13, 6:30 PM, NBC

Anthony: I remain unsold on this version of the Irish. They will have to rely on the run game and hope to grind out a low-scoring victory, but the Aggies have the horses in every phase of the game to pick up a signature road win
Austin: There’s not a team I often pick against more often than the criminally overrated Texas A&M Aggies. Despite being 2-0, Texas A&M has merely defeated UTSA by 18 points and Utah State by 22. The Fighting Irish are winless, yet battle-tested, having faced off against the Miami Hurricanes. The Fighting Irish win their first game of the season in front of their home crowd.
Caleb: The Irish have been stewing on this game for two weeks, coming off of their Miami loss. I expect the combo of home-opener & redemption game to lift the teams spirits to a solid win. Even with Marcel Reed expected to play, the Aggies have had the comfort of home field advantage all season and couldn’t best Notre Dame
Drew: CJ Carr showed some juice down the stretch against Miami in week one once the coaching staff opened up the playbook and I am not a big believer in the Texas A&M passing game. I have Notre Dame here.
Russ: Marcel Reed has played very well to start this season, but I’ll take the Fighting Irish in a battle.