I’m just gonna dive right into this thing. I don’t have anything interesting to open with this week.

Actually, here’s a fun fact; if he had never scored a goal, Wayne Gretzky would still be the NHL’s all-time leader in points. Back in the earliest days of fantasy hockey, his goal and assist totals counted as two separate players. He was that dominant.

The ACC is Primed

Week three opens in Winston Salem, NC with the Demon Deacons hosting Mack Brown’s upstart Chapel Hill squad. Wake Forest is currently favored by three and for good reason. The Tar Heels have certainly been the bigger story thus far. The Demon Deacons have quietly been pretty solid the first two weeks. WF QB Jamie Newman has already thrown for 713 yards and six touchdowns through two games. He might be the best ACC quarterback not named Trevor Lawrence.

Chapel Hill has rallied for late wins over South Carolina and Miami, two games that many had penciled in as losses. They’ve got a ton of momentum and have a chance to really get off to a great start in ACC play.

Mack Brown has been a great story through two weeks, but he might finally be in for a little adversity as Chapel Hill struggles to keep pace with a sneaky-good Wake Forest.

UNC 27 Wake Forest 45

Clemson travels to Syracuse for the first time since they were upended in 2017. Not much to see here.

Clemson 56 Syracuse 21

El Assico

ESPN’s College Gameday is going to be in Ames, Iowa for the biggest game of the week. Unfortunately it won’t be a ranked matchup. Good job, Iowa State.

I get the feeling that Iowa is on the cusp of something special. They’ve got a nasty defense and for the first time in a while, an offense that offers some intrigue. Iowa’s Nate Stanley is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He’ll get a chance for a big day. Brock Purdy of Iowa State has all the talent in the world. For the first time ever, all eyes are on the quarterbacks heading into this rivalry.

But that doesn’t feel right. Iowa’s got one of the nastiest defenses in the Big Ten. AJ Epenesa is intent on proving his place as the Big Ten’s best pass rusher. The Hawkeye defensive backs are among the best in the Big Ten. As the defense continues to jell, this unit will only get better.

Iowa State makes it interesting, but in a poor twist of fate, they’re up against one of Kirk Ferentz’s best teams of the decade.

Iowa 27 Iowa State 13

On the Banks of the Red Cedar…

Michigan State will have to show that last week wasn’t a mirage. Although the opponent was Western Michigan, Michigan State played their best game in years. The offense was humming all night and for one night, it was a ton of fun.

Now it’s time to move forward. Arizona State has looked spectacular on defense and special teams. They’ve allowed 14 total points this season. The bad news for the Sun Devils? They’re bringing a true Freshman QB to East Lansing to face the Big Ten’s best defense. It’s his first road game. The ASU offense hasn’t been impressive, to put it politely. The uber-talented Jayden Daniels is in for a big test.

For Michigan State, they need to stay aggressive on both sides of the ball. Arizona State won’t turn over and let them get big play after big play. But Michigan State has the talent to make some things happen on that side of the ball. Last week they did a spectacular job of limiting mistakes and capitalizing on their opportunities to make big plays through the air. That will need to continue if Michigan State wants to split this home-home.

Arizona State 10 Michigan State 26

Upset Alert!!!!

Ohio State (-15.5) @ Indiana

Indiana is legit. Michael Penix (so, so close) Jr and Stevie Scott will be one of the best backfield duos in the Big Ten for at least the next two seasons. The Indiana defense has played fine against some pretty soft competition.

Ohio State, by all rights, should win this game and cover the spread. As much as I like Indiana and how they’re playing on offense, Ohio State is simply the much better team.

But things have gotten hairy in the Hoosier State for the Buckeyes over the years. Although it’s been Purdue kicking the Buckeyes in the shin, Bloomington has not always been an easy place for the Buckeyes to win.

Ohio State 49 Indiana 27

Kansas State (+8.5) @ Mississippi State

Mississippi State has not been impressive over the first two weeks of the season. Kansas State has played some pretty weak competition but they’ve looked good doing so. I actually like Kansas State to come away with the upset.

The Wildcats’ defense hasn’t just looked good because they’ve played Nicholls and Bowling Green. Skylar Thompson looks much-improved and they look like an energized team. This is a big opportunity for first-year coach Chris Klieman, who certainly knows how to win.

Kansas State 23 Mississippi State 20

Random Thoughts

UCF is has to be wishing they were first in line to ass-blast Stanford this year.

USC *needs* to look good against BYU.

Texas Tech and Arizona kick off at 10:30 EST. That’s going to be a ton of fun.

Northern Illinois might beat Nebraska.

It is absurd that Oklahoma is only favored by 22.5 against UCLA.

Hawaii looks to improve to 3-0 in PAC-12 play when they travel to Washington. I think they can pull it off.

Georgia State are ten-point underdogs @ Western Michigan. I’m not sure what to make of that.

Fun Fax

Saddam Hussein was a novelist during his free time. He wrote under the pseudonym “He Who Wrote It.”

Nintendo was founded in 1889. They mostly produced cards and toys until video games came along.

Oxford University predates the Aztec Empire by 200 years.

Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr were born in the same year.

Texas lost a football game to Kansas in 2016. Kansas’s most recent win over Texas before that was 1938.