Section 400’s Week 3 College Football Roundtable

Happy Saturday to all that celebrate! As they do every Saturday the guys from Section 400 will go through the top storylines heading into the monstrous slate on each College Football Saturday.

Find out below what Section 400 writers Brian Hauch, Matt Kolen, Jack Albanese, and Zach Meyers are most intrigued about in week three.

Ducks and Eagles

While this week’s slate isn’t nearly as entertaining as the first two, there still are some intriguing matchups across the board. Which game(s) are you tuning into this weekend?

BH: This is a pretty easy answer for me. The Oregon Ducks left the PAC 12 for the BIG 10 this offseason and have struggled to find themselves early in 2024. In-state rival Oregon State is one of the two holdovers remaining in the soon-to-be rejuvenated “Conference of Champions”. The line is 16.5. That is exactly what the line was when Auburn hosted Alabama last November at Jordan-Hare. I’m not comparing Reser Stadium to Jordan-Hare, nor am I saying this game has the same amount of juice. BUT, there are plenty of similarities making me believe the Beavers have a chance to shock the west coast on Saturday.

MK: The “Backyard Brawl” easily! Pitt has a chance to move to 3-0! In a bad ACC, the sky is the limit for the Panthers.

ZM: Indiana travels to UCLA in a BIG 10 matchup. If Indiana wins this game, the Hoosiers could they be a sneaky dark house for the playoff thanks to an easy schedule and new head coach. I’m also keeping an eye the game in Norman, Oklahoma. Tulane could pull of the huge upset!

JA: No. 16 LSU traveling to South Carolina to take on the 2-0 Gamecocks should be a lot of fun. I’ll also be keeping an eye on Oregon State vs. Oregon.

A New Top Tiger?

Missouri has taken the college football world by storm over the last year-plus and the Tigers are now ranked in the AP top 10. Brady Cook and company host No. 24 Boston College this Saturday with the opportunity to go 3-0. Where does this team finish in the SEC?

BH: I had the Tigers ranked No. 4 in my preseason SEC Pool. My opinion hasn’t changed, although my preseason No. 2 (Alabama) falling awfully close to to Missouri for the No. 4 spot. “Mizzou” probably makes its way into the Playoff as the No. 7 or No. 8 seed, and I could see Brady Cook leading his squad all the way to the Semi-Final.

MK: I love “Mizzou”! The defense hasn’t let up a single point on defense yet, and while that will likely will change this weekend, this team still has a legit shot to play in that SEC title game.

ZM: “Mizzou” is LEGIT. The Tigers can make a SEC Championship game. I still have Georgia winning the conference, but Missouri is very, very, talented.

JA: Like Matt said, their defense hasn’t let up a point through two weeks. If “Mizzou” keeps up this high level of play, the Tigers could be a backend playoff team.

Storms’ a brewin’

Florida State has started 0-2 and videos are surfacing of the ‘Noles shooting water guns at practice. Clemson got blown out by Georgia and hasn’t looked great either. Who the heck is winning the ACC, and the College Football Playoff bid that comes with it, in 2024?

BH: This conference is likely going to come down to a Championship game between Miami and Clemson. I think Louisville (shoutout our good friend Will Kuhn) has a chance to make some noise as well, but gun to my head, I’ll take Miami (+115) to head into the Playoff with the automatic bid.

MK: I am a big fan of the Syracuse Orange and transfer quarterback Kyle McCord. If they can beat Miami at home in the final game of the regular season, they’ll get it done. Unfortunately, it’s looking like Miami (+115) takes the conference.

ZM: Matt may not be all-in on the Syracuse Orange (+2500) but I am. The ACC goes to Kyle McCord in his first season in up-state New York!

JA: Miami. The Hurricanes win the ACC pretty easily too.

See You At The Cash Counter

Favorite bet(s) today?

BH: Oklahoma played against a Houston team that refuses to throw the ball more than 6 yards downfield in week two. It was ugly and no-fun. Now they host a Tulane team that managed 27 points against No. 14 Kansas State. This total of (45.5) points should be closer to (54.5). Take the over with confidence. Old Dominion hosts Virginia Tech in a game the Monarchs always get up for. ODU covers (+14.5). I’d caution against taking the spread at (+13.5) if it gets bought down though.

MK: Let’s go with three bangers today. Baylor (-17) against Air Force, Appalachian State (-1) on the road against East Carolina, and Pittsburgh money line (+106) in the “Backyard Brawl” against West Virginia.

ZM: I’ll give you three as well. Florida (+3) at home against Texas A&M, Wake forest (+21.5) hosting Ole Miss, and Kentucky (+22) at home against No. 1 Georgia.

JA: Sorry Zach, your getting faded. I’ll take Ole miss (-20.5) against Wake Forest, Georgia (-21.5) at home against Kentucky, and Nebraska (-30.5) hosting Northern Iowa.

 

Pesky Little Critters

Which underdog shocks the world today?

BH: I mentioned Old Dominion always plays Virginia Tech close. I’ll go with the Monarchs at (+490) to capture their first win of 2024.

MK: I have four. Pittsburgh (+106) over West Virginia, Florida (+152) against Texas A&M , South Carolina (+184) at home against No. 16 LSU, and Memphis (+208) to drop Florida State to 0-3.

ZM: I love Florida (+152) in “The Swamp” against Texas A&M.

JA: Purely because I love seeing Colorado lose football games, Colorado State (+217) at home against Travis Hunter and the Buffs. I also like Rice (+163) against Houston in an in-state contest.