Week 3: Thirsty Thursdays

By Kyle Magin
Tonight's the night week 3 kicks off and we're pumped here at TNG for showdowns in the B1G, SEC, ACC and Pac 12. I feel this much excited:

Wake Forest @ Florida State -28
This has been one of the biggest line swings of the week, with FSU going from a 24-point favorite Sunday to a 28-point favorite Wednesday night. Injuries up front on the offensive line and a rotten running game—even against a lightweight like Liberty in week 1 the Deacons managed just 98 rushing yards—are going to hurt Wake Forest against a potential juggernaut in FSU. QB Tanner Price is averaging more than 12 yards per completion, but he can't get solid protection, leading to a pair of sacks and picks on the young season. Expect his problems with hurries to worsen this weekend, as FSU has recorded seven sacks on the young season, albeit against far inferior competition. FSU's two games against the hapless Murray State and clinically dead totally hapless Savannah State tell very little about the team. We do know they have a top-flight QB in EJ Manuel, who has been on a hot streak for the last four games leading back to last season; we do know they have one of the best D-lines in the nation; we also know they've struggled against Wake Forest, losing four of their last six to the Deacons. This game will be very telling, and I'm not sure yet if I'd get near 28 points.

TCU -21 @ Kansas
TCU enters its first game in the Big 12 as a bit of an unknown—we learned very little in a 56-0 blowout against Grambling State in week 2. QB Casey Pachall is tailor-built for the Big 12's pass-happy league and has an impressive group of WRs and an OL that gave up only a sack per game last season and returns this year as a more experienced unit, led by guard Blaize Foltz. The defense won't knock your socks off, but it gets progressively stronger as you get toward the linebackers and backfield and won't give away many plays—a hallmark of Gary Patterson-coached squads. Kansas, surprise surprise, cannot pass the ball this season or protect QB Dayne Crist, who has been sacked twice and intercepted thrice in the Jayhawks 1-1 start. The o-line's lost 75 starts since last year and Crist's only passing for 156 yards per game this season. KU is 12-16 ATS as a home dog in the past 10 years.

Texas A&M -12 @ SMU
We're going to find out a lot about these Ponies this week. They've suffered a blowout loss to Baylor before turning around and spanking Stephen F. Austin. The offensive line is a joke—allowing three sacks and failing to launch a good group of running backs but somehow sustaining a pretty strong passing game. A&M has a solid defense—especially the linebackers—and forced five punts and two field goals in last week's loss against Florida, a less functional but more talented offense than they'll see this week. Keep an eye on the Aggies' junior defensive end Damontre Moore, who has three tackles for loss for 21 combined yards—he can wreak havoc against an O-line like SMU's. I have a feeling, though, that this game will come down to A&M's offense—will Johnny Manziel get the protection he needs to move A&M down the field? He was sacked three times last week and needs more time to pick a team like this apart.