Can Dak Prescott and the Cowboys maintain their perfect pace?
Can TCU and its revolving door of quarterbacks put points on the board at Purdue?
And where, exactly, is West Lafayette, Ind., anyway?
The early football season is still awash in mystery, which is why astute bettors consider it their favorite time of the year. The Las Vegas oddsmakers are still occasionally fumbling point spreads, so there’s treasure to be found.
No more soup for you, North Texas, in other words, until you show us a defense.
In an alarming development, the wise and uncanny John Henry guessed 10 of 12 games correctly last week and has surged to the top of our standings with a 19-4-1 record after two weeks. An investigation is forthcoming.
In the meantime, here are our picks for Week Three:
Standings
John Henry, 19-4-1
Art Garcia, 17-6-1
Marjorie Lewis, 15-8-1
Gil LeBreton, 15-8-1
Jan Hubbard, 14-9-1
Jimmy Burch, 13-10-1
Anthony Andro, 13-10-1
Carlos Mendez, 12-11-1
Richie Whitt, 12-11-1
Matt Mosley, 11-12-1
JOHN HENRY
Last week: 10-2
Season: 19-4-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 – My advice is to stay away from this considering we don’t know if Boilermakers QB Elijah Sindelar will play. Without him, I still think Purdue will win a squeaker at home. Pick: Purdue
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 – Watched this new feel SMU team with a revived QB Shane Buechele dismantle North Texas last week. Texas State is not as mean as the Green. Pick: SMU.
Texas at Rice +32 – This week in 1962, JFK went to Rice and said, “We choose to go to the moon.” The Owls will do just that, Ralph Kramden style. Bevo is angry. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 – Matadors get their first real test – and first road game — under Matt Wells. They get bumped off in the desert by Kevin Sumlin’s fellas. Pick: Arizona.
North Texas at Cal -14 – The newest traveling exhibit is “North Texas football: This is what a young and inexperienced FBS defense looks like.” This week, it’s in Berkeley, where not even the hallucinogenic hippies in Haight-Ashbury can find anything positive to say about it. For the Mean Green, that side will be a seasonlong headache. Pick: Cal.
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 – Kansas State has surprised at least one guy – this one – with 101 points in two games under the new coaching regime. In Bill Snyder’s last year, the Wildcats scored 270 in 12 games! That truly warrants the underappreciated exclamation mark. Still, nine points in Starkville? Deep South State will also be playing for former star, and later mayor, Billy Stacy, who died this week. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 – I’m still a believer in the Cyclones, though that opener against Northern Iowa caused an anxiety similar to a traffic stop and not knowing whether that breathalyzer will read .05 or .08. What in the name of Luther Blue was going on? The Hawkeyes, looking for a fifth consecutive victory over Iowa State, were impressive in their first two. Drumroll … the Battle of the Children of the Corn, goes to … Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 – It’s Troy Aikman Coin Giveaway at the Rose Bowl. Bet this: It ain’t real money … not in California, as broke as Bernie Kosar and Art Schlichter put together. UCLA is broke, too, in every sense of the word. OOOOk-lahoma, where the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 – Unless there is a buried book written on golden plates somewhere that Joe Smith can translate, and it tells me something differently, I like the 2-0 Trojans on the road. Ding-dong. Pick: Southern Cal
Florida at Kentucky +8 – The Gators should avenge their first loss to Kentucky in three decades a year ago, but they’ll likely have to fight for it even with the Wildcats playing without their starting quarterback. This Kentucky program is not of the Rupp-Joe B. Hall-Eddie Sutton-Rick Pitino Era. Pick: Kentucky
Cowboys at Washington +5 – I’m not a convert just yet, but the Cowboys are probably as good – that doesn’t mean Super Bowl or bust — as we saw last week. Expect them to wipe away the Redskins as Mr. Clean does that kitchen floor. Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 – Packers have won six of the last 10 games between these teams at Lambeau Field with two ties, including last year. The Vikings are the better team, though. Pick: Vikings
ART GARCIA
Last week: 9-3
Season: 17-6-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — The week off gets the QB kinks out for the Frogs. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — Ponies feast on another state directional school. (Always Southwest Texas to me). Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Does Rice Stadium even have AC? Pick: Rice
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Kevin Sumlin needs this one. Pick: Arizona
North Texas at Cal -14 — Cal is set up for a letdown after the Washington upset. Pick: UNT
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — Powder puff slate ends for the Wildcats. Pick: Miss State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — Throw everything and corn out the window in this rivalry. Pick: ISU
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — The Troy Aikman Bowl is gonna get ugly for Chip. Pick: OU
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Cougars keep it close against this ranked Pac-12 foe. Pick: Utah
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Wildcats own this series now. Pick: UK
Cowboys at Washington +5 — Dak gonna pry another few million bucks out of Jerry’s wallet. Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 — Winner locks up the NFC North. Maybe. Pick: Vikings
MARJORIE LEWIS
Last week: 8-4
Season: 15-8-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — Coming off a bye and a lopsided victory in week one, TCU should be well rested and hungry. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — SMU will build on the momentum of last week’s victory over UNT with another nice offensive performance. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Texas will be reeling after a close loss to LSU and will take it out on the Owls. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Nothing Arizona has done this season hints at stopping Tech. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — Has the Fine shine faded? Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — Kansas State has a history of doing poorly at SEC venues. The skid continues. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — This is often a competitive rivalry, and Iowa State is home. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — UCLA is awful. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Southern Cal is a shadow of its former self, but it’s also not Tennessee. Pick: Southern Cal
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Two teams going in different directions. Pick: Kentucky
Cowboys at Washington +5 — Even a bad Cowboys team tends to do well in Washington. This is a good Cowboys team. Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 — Cousins will have to throw more than 10 passes in this game, and the Packers will be ready. Pick: Packers
GIL LeBRETON
Last week: 9-3
Season: 15-8-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 – Gary Patterson’s teams usually figure out a way to grind out a victory in games like this. A late Frogs field goal should be enough. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 – That’s a lot of points for a team like the Ponies to cover. They’ll win, but… Pick: Texas State
Texas at Rice +32 — Rice Stadium hasn’t had an air-conditioned visitors locker room in 69 years. Longhorns should be fine. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 – Home underdogs are frequently good bets, but I’ll gladly make an exception in Kevin Sumlin’s case. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at California -14 – Mean Green defense is allowing 40 points and 480 yards per game. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 – Bulldogs have a grad transfer QB from Penn State and are playing at home amidst their usual symphony of cowbells. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 – Cyclones’ defense and being the home underdog in a state rivalry game are the reasons here. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 – Originally, like six years ago, Sooners were scheduled to be playing at LSU this week. They certainly picked the right substitute. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 – Has any ranked team in the country had a crazier two weeks than the No. 24 Trojans? Not impressed by BYU’s road win at Tennessee. Pick: USC
Florida at Kentucky +8 – Weird things have been known to happen in Lexington. This won’t be one of them. Pick: Florida
Cowboys at Washington +5 – Dallas’ self-anointed Hot Boyz defense gave up 470 yards to the Giants. I’ll take the home underdog. Pick: Washington
Vikings at Packers -3 — Hate to pick against Green Bay at home, but the Vikings’ defense sways me. Pick: Vikings
JAN HUBBARD
Last week: 8-4
Season: 14-9-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 – Big test for Frogs. They pass: Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 – Ponies are 2-0 and 2-0 against the line. Add another. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Longhorns take out LSU frustrations on outmanned Owls. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 – In a loss to Hawaii, Wildcats gave up 436 passing yards and five passing TDs. The last team they want to see are the Red Raiders. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at California -14 – Mean Green surprised at 22-point loss to SMU. The 2-0 Golden Bears add to the early misery. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 – KSU has outscored two (bad) opponents 101-14. They won’t have that kind of output Saturday, but they will score enough to (kind of) silence the cowbells. Pick: Kansas State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 – Always a spirited battle. Home team gets the advantage. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 – Bruins are 3-11 in Chip Kelly era. OU always thinking about playoff qualification. It’s never too early for a blowout to impress the committee. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 – BYU has an impressive win at Tennessee and a tough loss to 14th ranked Utah. USC has two wins so this should be fun to watch. Pick: BYU
Florida at Kentucky +8 – Wildcats have two wins over MAC teams, who are usually competitive. But the No. 9 team in the country is very different. Pick: Florida
Cowboys at Washington +5 – Are Cowboys for real? Washington is – really bad. Dallas should have its second easy victory. Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 — Early season North Division game should be spirited. Question is can either team defend the pass. The one who does that the best wins. Pick: Green Bay
JIMMY BURCH
Last week: 7-5
Season: 13-10-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — The Horned Frogs should win this one by a touchdown if they can limit the Boilermakers’ lone playmaker, WR Rondale Moore. Expect GP to get that done. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — The Mustangs are on a collision course with their first 3-0 record since 1984 … three years BEFORE the death penalty. They also cover. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Longhorns win comfortably, but that is a big number to cover for a team that will spend most of this week looking ahead to next week’s Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State. Pick: Rice
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Can Arizona coach Kevin “Swagcopter” Sumlin lose at home to a rebuilding bunch of Red Raiders? In a word, “YESSIR.” Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — SMU took lots of air out of the Mean Green Hype Machine last week and Cal just knocked off a Top 25 Washington team. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — I’m still not sure what to think about K-State football in the post-Bill Snyder era, but I know the Bulldogs are 2-0 and play well at home. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 – The ESPN GameDay Crew makes its debut in Ames, Iowa to chronicle what the Cyclones do best: crumble at the first sign of outside expectations. Pick: Iowa
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — OU’s Lincoln Riley shows why he has replaced UCLA’s Chip Kelly as today’s recognized savant among offensive gurus in college football. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Former UNT play-caller Graham Harrell seems to be doing wonders in his new gig with the Trojans. Pick: USC
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Kentucky tends to come up short in season-defining games, regardless of where they play them. This is one of them. Pick: Florida
Cowboys at Washington +5 — If last week is any indication, and I think it is, this projects as another “How ‘Bout Them Cowboys!” Sunday. Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 — Until proven otherwise, I believe more in what I saw on opening day from the Vikings’ offense than the Packers’ defense. Pick: Vikings
ANTHONY ANDRO
Last week: 5-7
Season: 13-10-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — There’s a lot of questions about Purdue’s health. I have a lot of questions about TCU. Pick: Purdue
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — My son’s a Bobcat so they have that going for them. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Hopefully the Horns have AC to account for all the hot air Herman blows. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Kevin Sumlin really is a terrible coach. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — I’ve learned my lesson about putting too much faith in the Mean Green. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — The Bulldogs are at least this much better than K State. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — ESPN found its way to Iowa and I’m a believer in the home team. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — What I said about Kevin Sumlin applies to the current iteration of Chip Kelly. Pick: OU
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Even without their best QB the Trojans have gotten off to a solid start. Pick: USC
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Kentucky QB issues a good sign for Gators. Pick: Florida
Cowboys at Washington +5 — There was nothing in Week 1 to make me think Cowboys aren’t a lot better. Pick: Dallas
Vikings at Packers -3 — Think this will be a defensive game won by the home team. Pick: Green Bay
CARLOS MENDEZ
Last week: 5-7
Season: 12-11-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — Frogs are going to bring a bit more footspeed than Purdue saw from Nevada or Vandy. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — Tip of the helmet to Shane Buechele, who outshined Mason Fine last week. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — This matchup takes me back. I’ll take the points. Pick: Rice
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Footballs go farther in dry air? How’s what work exactly? Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — Looks like Cal still has a good defense. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — K-State hasn’t messed around with its cupcakes. Usually a good sign. Pick: K-State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — No-nonsense football right here. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — Most lopsided Aikman Bowl ever. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Seems to be a bit of an edge to this USC team. Pick: USC
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Kentucky has enough offense to keep up for a while. Pick: Kentucky
Cowboys at Washington +5 — This could be a repeat of last week for the Redskins. Their defense wins early, Cowboys offense wins late. Pick: Washington
Vikings at Packers -3 — The better quarterback at home? Seems reasonable. So let’s go the other way. Pick: Vikings
RICHIE WHITT
Last week: 6-6
Season: 12-11-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — Frogs have had two weeks to prepare for this make-or-break showdown. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — Okay, so Shane Buechele may have made the right choice in transferring to Dallas. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — Owls are so abysmal even Longhorns’ DBs can cover their receivers. Pick: Texas
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Wildcats’ pathetic defense allowed 45 to Hawaii and 41 to Northern Arizona. Yikes. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — Bears haven’t lost since that inspirational Cheez-It Bowl loss to TCU last December. Pick: Cal
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — Wildcats can score enough to keep it close. Pick: Kansas State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — Seems like this game is always 13-12, so give me the home team and the points. Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — Lincoln Riley has done it again with Jalen Hurts. Bruins lost to Cincinnati. Yuck. Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Inspired by departure of AD Lynn Swann, Trojans are rolling. Pick: Southern Cal
Florida at Kentucky +8 — Gators’ defense is much better, but too many points for an SEC team at home. Pick: Kentucky
Cowboys at Washington +5 — Well, if the Cowboys are indeed going 16-0 they have win Game No. 2, right? Pick: Cowboys
Vikings at Packers -3 — Minny’s swarming defense vs. Packers’ limp offense? First team to 10 wins. Pick: Packers
MATT MOSLEY
Last week: 6-6
Season: 11-12-1
TCU at Purdue +2 1/2 — Boilermakers looked salty last season, but this is once again a mediocre Big Ten team. Pick: TCU
Texas State at SMU -17 1/2 — SMU hasn’t started 3-0 since the Pony Express heyday, but the drought will end. Pick: SMU
Texas at Rice +32 — The angry night birds are plucky, but they will wilt in the DKR visiting locker room sauna. Pick: Horns
Texas Tech at Arizona +2 — Fascinating matchup, but I think Al Bowman slings it around the yard and the Red Raiders roll. Pick: Texas Tech
North Texas at Cal -14 — Mean Green will respond nicely to that Hilltop massacre. Pick: North Texas
Kansas State at Mississippi State -9 — The real Last Chance U is located in Starkville. These youngsters will role the Wildcats. Pick: Mississippi State
Iowa at Iowa State +2 1/2 — Cyclones are getting points at home vs the overrated Hawkeyes? Thank you!! Pick: Iowa State
Oklahoma at UCLA +23 1/2 — Chip Kelly may not make it to Week 4. This is the Mosley LOCK! Pick: Oklahoma
Southern Cal at BYU +4 1/2 — Trojans program is reeling. Give me the home Coogs. Pick: BYU
Florida at Kentucky +8 — I like this UK program, and I don’t buy into the Fake Craig James. Pick: Kentucky
Cowboys at Washington +5 — Too many points for these upstart Redskins at home. Pick: Washington
Vikings at Packers -3 — That Mike Zimmer D travels. Pick: Vikings