KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em Week 3 preview


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SALT LAKE CITY — BYU and Utah have yet to lose a game so far this season, but they also play a pair of undefeated teams this week in Arkansas and Weber State. Somebody has to lose, so who's it going to be?

Make your picks here and try to make sure it's not you!

Utah State (1-1) at Air Force (2-0)

Friday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. MDT (CBSSN)

The Aggies travel to Mountain West rival Air Force as they try to get above .500 on the young season.

Why Utah State will win: Utah State followed up a 10-point loss to Iowa in Week 1 with a 78-point explosion against Idaho State last week. It's the most points scored by a Utah team since Weber State dropped 76 on Montana-Western in 2017. No other team in Utah has scored more than 73 in the last 10 years.

Quarterback Cooper Legas is linking up early and often with receiver Terrell Vaughn this season, connecting on three touchdown passes already. Legas threw and ran for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter last year against Air Force to escape with a 34-27 win that turned around a 1-4 start for the Aggies.

Why Air Force will win: The Falcons dropped 42 points in the season opener against Robert Morris but were held to just 13 against a stout Sam Houston defense that held BYU to 14 points in Week 1.

Friday's game will mark three straight home games to open the season for Air Force, as dual-threat quarterback Zac Larrier looks to add to his 164 yards and two scores on the ground.

Line: Air Force -9.5

Over/under: 46.5

Weber State (2-0) at No. 12 Utah (2-0)

Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. MDT (Pac-12 Network)

The Utes welcome the Wildcats after defeating a pair of Power Five teams to start the season.

Why Weber State will win: The Wildcats are also 2-0 on the season, albeit against slightly lesser competition. Weber State dropped 35 and 34 points on Central Washington and Northern Iowa, respectively, in the first two weeks.

Running back Damon Bankston already has 263 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season, and the Wildcats will look to outscore a Utah offense that has scored just 24 and 20 points so far this season.

Why Utah will win: Forty-four points through two weeks might not seem like a lot, but against SEC and Big 12 defenses it's not much to be ashamed of.

Utah's defense held Florida and Baylor to 11 and 13 points, respectively, and elevated Nate Johnson to the sole backup quarterback this week after an inspiring second-half comeback from the redshirt freshman in Waco, Texas.

Line: N/A

Over/under: N/A

BYU (2-0) at Arkansas (2-0)

Saturday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)

The Cougars hit the road after a pair of wins in Provo to start the season.

Why BYU will win: BYU eventually got scored on after shutting out Sam Houston in Week 1, but still held Southern Utah to just 16 points and flipped the script on offense with 41 points after scoring just 14 in the opener.

Kedon Slovis has slotted in perfectly in Provo and has four touchdowns on 493 passing yards — with just a single interception — in his first two starts. The offense will have to continue its growth in Arkansas against a Razorbacks squad averaging 42 points through two games.

Why Arkansas will win: The Razorbacks have employed a balanced attack so far with averages of 205 yards through the air and 138.5 yards on the ground.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson has five passing touchdowns on 382 yards, and the defense has yet to allow more than 13 points, though the first two games did come against Western Carolina and Kent State.

Line: Arkansas -8.0

Over/under: 47.5

TCU (1-1) at Houston (1-1)

Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. MDT (FOX)

A couple of Texas teams just trying to make it in the Big 12.

Why TCU will win: It's not often a team scores at least 40 points in its first two games and finds itself at 1-1, but not all teams start their seasons against Deion Sanders and the Primetime Colorado Buffaloes.

The Horned Frogs dropped a tight one, 45-42, to Colorado in Week 1, and followed it up with a 41-6 win over Nicholls in Week 2. Chandler Morris is growing into his role as he replaces Max Duggan at quarterback with four touchdown passes and two interceptions on an impressive 542 yards already.

Why Houston will win: The Cougars of Houston have played two close games to start the season, and that likely won't change in Week 3.

A 17-14 win against UTSA in the opener was followed up by a double-overtime classic against Rice last week that ended in a 43-41 loss for Houston. Quarterback Donovan Smith has been lighting it up so far with four touchdowns and one pick on 493 passing yards.

Line: TCU -7.5

Over/under: 64.5

Fresno State (2-0) vs. Arizona State (1-1)

Saturday, Sept. 16 at 8:30 p.m. MDT (FS1)

"Pac-12 After Dark" anybody?

Why Fresno State will win: The Bulldogs escaped Week 2 undefeated after a 34-31 double-overtime win against Eastern Washington. Their first win was a close one as well, defeating Purdue 39-35.

The team hasn't struggled to move the ball, with sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene racking up 599 passing yards for six touchdowns and two picks through two weeks. Erik Brooks has been his favorite target early, putting up 265 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Why Arizona State will win: The Sun Devils nearly started the year 0-2 after a tight 24-21 season-opening win over Southern Utah and a 27-15 loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2.

Freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada has three touchdowns and one interception on 403 yards to lead a balanced, albeit somewhat underwhelming offense. The Sun Devils defense is limiting teams to 100 rushing yards on average and will have to reign in running back Elijah Gilliam who has 179 rushing yards and two scores for Fresno already.

Line: Fresno -3.0

Over/under: 50.5

Don't forget to make your picks!

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Caleb Turner, KSLCaleb Turner
Caleb Turner covers Real Salt Lake as the team's beat writer for KSL Sports. He also oversees the sports team's social media accounts.

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