Week 3 picks and other miscellania

Nick Saban will be able to pick the score this weekend against Arkansas. My sources tell me he will literally pick a score from last season at random and challenge his team to match that score (to keep them from looking past this game to Florida Atlantic). This should give Arkansas a 1 in 13 chance of winning, but I'm not sure even Nick Saban could coax 9 points out of Arkansas on Saturday.

Yeah, this isn't going to help

Utah St will beat Wisconsin this weekend. The Badgers are 14 point favorites in Vegas and the model likes them by 12 (33-21), but karma says this one is going to the Aggies. After blowing leads and losing close games all season last year, Utah St wins a game in overtime against in-state rival Utah? Something's rotten in the state of Wisconsin (and most of the Big 10) and Utah St will pile on the dirt.

I painted their uniforms red to give you a visual preview of Saturday.
That's the kind of production value you find at CFBTN and nowhere else

Houston is allowing 247 rush yards/game and UCLA is averaging 1,000,000 rush yards/game. UCLA is averaging 7.4 yards per attempt on the ground while Houston is allowing 5.2. UCLA is scoring 43 points/game, Houston is allowing 43 points/game. Do you see where this is going? Johnathan Franklin might reach 1,000 yards rushing in just three games. That's probably a record, or will be until Shoelace racks up 1,500 yards this weekend against the Minutemen. 

Two schools will be leaving a Bowling Green this weekend to play in-state rivals. There is a 9% chance that both teams will win this weekend. Twice since the 2009 season have these two schools won in the same weekend, both in the last half of 2011. Someone, somewhere will find that noteworthy 

You might be thinking that Pitt is one of the worst teams in the country, but by the transitive property we know they are significantly better than Valparaiso; Valpo lost to Youngstown St by 59 last weekend. That's something, right? (PS, Arizona St is scoring 54 points per game; more on that later.)

Florida St is second nationally in points/possession and points/possession allowed. The Seminoles jumped up in points/possession when they were able to rack up some early points against Savannah St and then call the game before they had to stop scoring. I they manage 4.8 points/possession against Wake I'll be really impressed (it won't happen). Seven of the top 9 teams nationally by points/possession are in the Big 12. The other team is Arizona St, who is completing 80% of their passes and getting almost 15 yards per completion. I don't think they'll be able to keep that up all season. I definitely know Pitt couldn't keep that up all season . . . or do it at any point in the season.