Week 3 College Football Preview

Miami is 9-0-1 lifetime versus Louisville including a 41-38 victory in the 2004 Orange Bowl. If they hope to make that 10 wins, they’ll need their defense to stay strong and their offense to keep running the ball successfully. The Hurricanes' defense has allowed only 23 points in two games so far this season, while the Miami rushing attack had four different backs rush for more than 60 yards versus Florida A&M last week.

The Cardinals appeared to be in big trouble when they lost starting running back Michael Bush for the season in Week 1. The Louisville offense has quickly rebounded though, as demonstrated by their 62-0 drubbing of Temple last week. Quarterback Brian Brohm threw for over 300 yards in that game despite sitting out midway through the third quarter when Louisville was assured the victory. The Cardinals’ running game looks fine without Bush, as the committee of George Stripling, Sergio Spencer and Kolby Smith has carried the load. The trio combined for 230 yards and four touchdowns last week.

The Cardinals opened as a 2.5-point favorite in this game, but by Friday afternoon the line had moved to put Louisville as a 4.5-point favorite.

Michigan (11) at Notre Dame (2) – Saturday, 3:30 pm EDT

The Wolverines hope a healthy Mike Hart will be the deciding factor when they travel to Notre Dame this weekend. When Michigan faced Notre Dame last season they came away with a 17-10 loss, but they only had Hart in the game for one quarter due to injury. Hart has been a juggernaut behind a strong Wolverines' offensive line so far this season. Last week versus Central Michigan, Hart rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 carries to lead Michigan to a 41-17 victory.

The Fighting Irish got their offense going last week in a reassuring 41-17 win over Penn State. After a slow start in Week 1 Irish QB Brady Quinn broke out last week, throwing for 287 yards with three touchdowns. While the Irish offense was supposed to put up big points, the Notre Dame defense has surprised with some stellar play so far. The Irish D has only allowed 27 points in their first two games this season. That unit will find out how good they really are when they try to stop Hart.

The Fighting Irish were a 7-point favorite when the line was first posted for this game. By Friday, the Irish had fallen to only a 5-point favorite.

LSU (6) at Auburn (3) – Saturday, 3:30 pm EDT

The game of the week could very well be LSU at Auburn. The battle of the Tigers has been an important one recently, as the winner of this game has gone on to represent the SEC West in the SEC Championship game the last three seasons. Last year LSU narrowly defeated Auburn 20-17 in overtime. That game is remembered as the contest where Auburn kicker John Vaughn only connected on one of six field-goal attempts.

LSU has posted two easy victories this season, with identical 45-3 victories over both Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona. The LSU defense has been impenetrable so far this season, but the offense could still use a little work. Despite the lopsided 45-3 score last week versus Arizona, the LSU offense struggled at times and turned the ball over three times on sloppy plays.

The Auburn defense showed they’re just as good as LSU last week after a 34-0 shutout of Mississippi State. On offense, Auburn has a reliable quarterback in Brandon Cox and a solid running game behind Kenny Irons and Brad Lester. Irons has tallied 252 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries this season, while Lester has been just an impressive with 77 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries.

LSU was a 6-point favorite when they defeated Auburn 20-17 last season. Auburn is favored this time after opening as a 2.5-point favorite. Auburn had moved to a 3.5-point favorite by Friday afternoon.

Note: All NCAA football lines subject to change.

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