Week 3: Feeling Swamped

As much as Urban Meyer likes to run the football, that plays right to the strength of Tennessee. The key for Florida will be to unleash the SEC's top passing attack against the one weakness of the Tennessee defense, its secondary.

It's very important for Florida to mix in enough of the running game to keep Tennessee's great defensive front off balance, but the main objective has to be to get the ball downfield to Chad Jackson and one of the country's best group of receivers.

As great as quarterback Chris Leak is, he's not going to beat Tennessee with his running ability. But if he can just threaten enough with his legs, his arm clearly is strong enough to cause some problems.

For Tennessee, the key is to establish Gerald Riggs Jr. and the ground attack. If the Vols can get their running game going, the play-action passing attack is sure to follow.

Man for man, Tennessee will have the most talent on the field. But as matchups go, if the Gators can get it down to their passing attack against the Volunteer secondary, the game will go in Florida's favor.

But turnovers will be the deciding factor – as they are in most big games – and Tennessee will have fewer turnovers and a couple more points.

Pick: Volunteers

Boston College's first conference game in the ACC will go a long way toward determining who will win the Atlantic Division. This game comes down to a classic battle of speed against size. Just as Florida State will not face a team that is more physical than BC, the Eagles will not see this kind of speed again this season.

For BC to win this game, it must utilize a strong, veteran offensive line to control the clock and keep the explosive Florida State offense off the field. If FSU cannot get penetration and wreak havoc in the Eagle backfield, the Eagles will move the ball downfield with a classic running attack and dangerous play-action game.

Senior quarterback Quinton Porter has all the poise and experience to gain the edge over Florida State's young signal-caller, Drew Weatherford.

If Florida State is going to win this game and retain the Atlantic Division lead, it's going to come down to big plays, either from running backs Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker or its many gifted wide receivers.

The bottom line: Expect an ACC classic. But FSU will show the newcomers why it has won at least a share of 11 of the last 13 conference crowns.

Pick: Seminoles

A lot of eyes will be on this game involving two teams very much affected by Hurricane Katrina. Tulane, in particular, had to overcome more than any team in recent college football history just to line up for this game, which has been moved to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.

You have to kind of be pulling for the Green Wave to have something good happen. However, one only has to understanding Mississippi State's recruiting area to realize that the Bulldogs have faced a pretty difficult situation also.

Let's hope for both teams to see some measure of success. I can't imagine any team in the country who could use a victory more dearly than Tulane. I don't know what the final score will be, but the fact that Tulane is playing this game is somewhat a victory. These guys have been through so much.

This game could go a long way toward proving whether Fresno State belongs in the top 25. You'd expect a game between these two teams to be an offensive shootout. For Fresno State to get the victory, the Bulldogs must force Oregon to become one-dimensional on offense.

Although the Ducks are 2-0, they have shown the lack of a consistent running game. Running back Terrence Whitehead has been held to 67 yards rushing so far (quarterback Kellen Clemens is Oregon's leading rusher), and the Ducks must somehow find a way to run better in new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's spread offense. Clemens has thrown for more than 600 yards, but without any running attack, the Ducks will be hard pressed to beat the Bulldogs.

Fresno State has been a giant-killer before but hasn't faced stiff competition this season. If quarterback Paul Pinegar has a great game, the Bulldogs have a great chance for another road victory over a big-conference school.

Pick: Ducks

Last but not least, if any of you SEC fans out there are hoping Arkansas will put a scare into Southern California, forget about it. The Razorbacks had their chance for a victory last week against Vanderbilt. You'd better hope the Hogs keep the margin of defeat under 50.

Pick: Trojans