While the first two weeks of the season offered a plethora of exciting games that likely will have an effect on the college football playoff down the road, this weekend isn’t nearly as exciting.
Sure, we have the SEC showdown between South Carolina and Georgia, but the rest of the schedule is bit of a dud.
That’s OK, though. We needed a minute to catch our breath after an exciting two weeks and this week will allow several teams that either lost those big games or have had rough starts to the season, a chance to rebound.
With that said, here’s a look back at what you might have missed in Week 2:
Apparently Notre Dame had this big win against Michigan or something that elicited this response from Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
Stanford had some offensive issues against USC and suffered a rare early-season loss.
Meanwhile, rival Oregon had a come-from-behind win against Michigan State to become the new “it” team in the college football.
Speaking of the Big Ten, here’s how a lot of people are feeling after the conference’s rough two weeks to begin the season.
But few programs are sadder than Vanderbilt, which has been outscored 78-10 in its first two games against Temple and Ole Miss. So, coach Derek Mason, what has gone right for your team?
Mason: I thought our punting was excellent. In terms of our execution on offense and defense, it needs to be better.
— VandyFootball (@VandyFootball) September 9, 2014 I feel like this song is playing on a loop throughout the Vanderbilt football facility.
All right, I think that’s everything. Let’s look ahead to this week:
Game of the week:
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 24 South Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ET
When the SEC schedule came out, this game was definitely circled as one of the more entertaining early-season contests. Of course, that was before South Carolina laid an egg against Texas A&M in the season opener. Still, this game could go a long way in determining an SEC East that has a lot of contenders who could turn out to be pretenders in the next couple weeks. Among those might be South Carolina, which probably can’t weather another SEC loss this early in the year and still come out with better than a nine-win season. As for Georgia, it needs to prove that running back Todd Gurley wasn’t just a one-hit wonder and that he has the durability to not only take the Bulldogs to an SEC title, but the College Football Playoff. And he should have his opportunities against a very suspect South Carolina defense.
Game to watch:
Tennessee at No. 4 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET
No one thought this would be a good game before the season started and, in all honesty, it probably won’t be when it’s all said and done. The key for Tennessee will be getting out of the first quarter with minimal damage. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 42-0 in the first quarter and 62-3 in the first half. Yeah, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa probably aren’t as good as the Vols, but this is a Sooner team that likes to put its opponents in a very deep hole. If the Vols can weather the first half, it might have a chance. But in Norman, with a fired-up crowd and Tennessee rocking a youth-heavy squad it might be a tall order.
Also check out…
UCF at No. 20 Missouri, 12 p.m. ET
This game is interesting because no one knows what to make of either of these teams so far this season. UCF lost on a last-second field goal to Penn State in Ireland and Missouri has defeated South Dakota State and Toledo. This will be a good chance to see how good the Missouri offense is against a tough defense like UCF. Similarly, UCF quarterback Justin Holman came into the second half of that Penn State game and re-energized the Knights. He will be a handful for a Missouri defense that hasn’t really been tested so far this season. If anything, this game should be one of the more entertaining choices among the early games.
Don't waste your time with:
No. 12 UCLA vs. Texas, 8:15 p.m. ET
Have you watched these teams play? Bad offensive lines and inconsistent quarterback play. Even the defenses, which provided a glimmer of hope in the first game, looked terrible in their second games. Even if this game did end up being a good game, it will either be a blowout as neither defense shows up, or a “defensive struggle” as neither offense shows up. And besides, Oklahoma-Tennessee will be a much better show.
Keep an eye on:
Hutson Mason, QB, Georgia
Mason didn’t have to be great in the season opener against Clemson because running back Todd Gurley — and the rest of the running game — took over. But he might not get so lucky against a South Carolina defense that appears to be better despite giving up a season’s worth of yards to Texas A&M in the season opener. And if that game taught Georgia anything, it’s that the passing game is Mason’s if he can take it. This is his first year starting, so we don’t quite know what he’s going to be longterm to the Georgia offense. This will be a good chance to find out.
Upset alert:
East Carolina (+10) at Virginia Tech
This sets up as the classic letdown game after the Hokies defeated Ohio State last week. East Carolina is a decent team. It gave South Carolina an early scare and has consistently played its in-state Power Five foes tough. Each of the past two meetings between these teams has been decided by a touchdown. So, while Virginia Tech will probably win this game, I think the Pirates will cover.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - What to Watch, Week 3: The doldrums of the nonconference schedule
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