Week 3 Pick Em'

Finally some real football is played. After a rather boring first couple of weeks in the Big Ten, Week 3 should be the exact opposite. There are five games this week that I think could have a huge effect on the rest of the season.

1. The biggest game of the week is Ohio State at USC which will probably determine the national championship fate of both teams.

2.Then there is the in-state rivalry of Iowa v. Iowa State with both teams coming in at 2-0.

3.Although both teams look sluggish Michigan at Notre Dame is always a grind it out game.

4. Purdue v. Oregon should be an interesting contest where two high powered offenses go head to head.

5. Lastly is Wisconsin at Fresno State. This game should show a lot about Wisconsin this year as they have been able to over come slow starts so far this year.

Looking at just those five games already has me excited for this weekend because I can finally see some highly competitive teams. This week will also tell everyone in the country how the Big Ten will be this year.

Week 3 Picks

Ohio State 17, USC 35
- Even with running back Chris "Beanie" Wells this would have been a tall order for the Buckeyes but now that there is even a possibility he won't play tells me that he's not healthy enough to make the impact they need to pull out a victory in L.A. USC offense and defense just too much for the Buckeyes especially at home.

Iowa 27, Iowa State 17
- Cyclones run into a stout Iowa defense that doesn't allow them to put up the points they were in their first two contests. Iowa running game led by Shonn Greene leads the Hawkeyes to a 3-0 start and Iowa regains state bragging rights.

Michigan 17, Notre Dame 13
- Not much offense in this game. The Michigan defensive line limits Jimmy Clausen and the Irish offense while their offense does just enough to get the win.

Purdue 28, Oregon 38
- This game will be tight early on. But I think Oregon's team speed proves too tall a task for the Boilermakers.

Wisconsin 24, Fresno State 35
- After already posting an impressive 24-7 win at Rutgers in Week 1 I think the Fresno State Bulldogs pull this one out. Slow start finally catches up to the Badgers on the road.

Penn State 48, Syracuse 7
- I think Penn State has been the most consistent team in the Big Ten so far and could give the Buckeyes a run for the Big Ten title. Nittany Lions are too strong of a team and run all over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

Northwestern 31, Southern Illinois 24
- The Wildcats offense gets things together against the Southern Illinois' defense but the Saluki's offense is able to keep it close.

Illinois 48, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
- Illini defense still has work to do but Juice Williams and the offense will carry the team to victory against an over matched Louisiana-Lafayette team.

Minnesota 28, Montana State 14
-Minnesota offense struggles early as they try to replace running back Duane Bennett. But the Golden Gophers don't let an upset like last year to North Dakota State happen again.

Michigan State 38, Florida Atlantic 21
- Florida Atlantic offense is able to test the Spartans defense but Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer has big game against a Florida Atlantic defense that hasn't been able to get it done so far this year.

I've been waiting for this week to come so that I can finally see where teams are at and get a little clearer picture on how the Big Ten could turn out. There could be numerous upsets but who should really be on upset alert this weekend?