Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

IU fans, rejoice! We know the Hoosiers will be taking the field soon. Until the Big Ten joins the fold, we can enjoy other college football action and of course, win some money. The SEC opens play next weekend and this Saturday’s action leaves a lot to be desired but let’s get to it. I am now 4-1 on the season and if I was smart, I would quit while I am ahead but I am not smart so let’s keep wagering!

Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-21.5) – Noon on ACCN

I am taking the Panthers in this one for two reasons. Reason number one, Syracuse looked horrible against North Carolina. They are playing with a makeshift offensive line and the offense was toothless. Tommy DeVito has not taken any steps forward in his career and I’m not sure how much motivation the Orange have to play this season. The second reason is that I actually really like Pittsburgh. They basically “mercy-ruled” Austin Peay in a blowout last weekend and Kenny Pickett is a really good quarterback. The best part of this squad is the defense and they’ll terrorize Syracuse.

Navy at Tulane (-7) – Noon on ABC

Willie Fritz is one of my favorite smaller school coaches to follow. I think he is a really good program builder and an adaptable coach that will bend his style to his personnel. The Green Wave survived a tough test from South Alabama last week and now take on Navy. The Midshipmen were a complete mess against BYU. I don’t think that nine or ten days of practice will fix their issues. Tulane is used to option attacks so that will not be a shock to them. I think Tulane will run the ball effectively and do enough to keep Navy’s offense off the field. Give me the Green Wave to win by more than seven.

Miami (+2.5) at Louisville – 7:30 on ABC

The primetime clash features a pair of 1-0 ACC squads that impressed in week one. Louisville competently dispatched of Western Kentucky while Miami dominated UAB by running the ball. New offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has the perfect quarterback for his attack in D’Eriq King. The transfer from Houston is uber-athletic and I think he’ll be more comfortable in his second game. I love the young running backs for the Hurricanes, particularly Jaylan Knighton and I think the Miami defense is going to be vastly improved this season. They looked athletic, fast and disciplined against UAB. This is a good game and I really like Scott Satterfield but I’ll take the slight underdogs. This is not me saying that Miami is “back”…I do think they are the winner though.

Keep an eye on a few other interesting games: Houston at Baylor, Tulsa at Oklahoma State, UCF at Georgia State, Appalachian State at Marshall (on CBS at 3:30…wow). I am thoroughly disappointed that we don’t get BYU and Army this week as that would have been my must watch for the week. As I wrote earlier, light slate but buckle up, things are about to get really fun next weekend.

The Huddle

National College Football Preview: Week Three

Hoosier Huddle