Cy-Hawk Game in Week 3 Saturday, as ESPN Game Day airs in North Dakota

Last night, Friday night in College Football:

The University of Toledo was at the University of Cincinnati on ESPNU as the Bearcats opened the 2014 season after back to back bye weeks! QB Gunner Kiel had the Bearcats moving!

Baylor was at Buffalo on ESPN, which highlights Baylor's non-conference schedule, unlike the Big 12 brothers facing marquee Big 5 conference foes in Week 3.

Saturday, September 13th kicks off Week 3 of the 2014 College Football season. Who leads in the hunt for the College Football Playoff?

1. Florida State, defending BCS champion remains undefeated heading into Week 3 and a bye week!

2. Oregon, coming off a Week 2 win over Michigan State in Eugene!

3. Oklahoma and 4. Alabama haven't played anyone impressive, but they appear strong candidates for the CFP in '14.

Saturday's games ...

Boise State at UConn,11:00 a.m. on ABC / ESPN2 - the Broncos were supposed to play the Huskies as part of the Big East, as conference members, but thankfully the Big East dropped Football to return to its roots as a Basketball conference!

East Carolina at Virginia Tech,11:00 a.m. on ESPN - Could this be a trap game for the Hokies coming off big road win in Columbus last Saturday? Pirates seek to steal one ...

Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech, 11:00 a.m. on FSN Affiliates / (ESPN-GP / espn3) / FOX Sports GO / RSN - Battle for Georgia, not quite!

Indiana at Bowling Green, 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU - IU hits road coming off bye week, as BGU plays back to back B1G opponents, as MAC looks for Win #3.

Kent State at Ohio State, 11:00 a.m. on ABC / ESPN2 - Urban Meyer has lost one in Columbus in three years, so don't look for back to back loses, which isn't good for Golden Flashes ...

Ohio U at Marshall, 11:00 a.m. on CBSSN - The Rockets carry the MAC banner into C-USA territory in Week 3!

Pittsburgh at Florida International, 11:00 a.m. on FS1 - The Panthers hit the road to Florida, after road win in ACC opener @ BC.

Syracuse at Central Michigan, 11:00 a.m. on ESPN News - Can the MAC knock out another Big 5 Conference opponent?

UCF at Missouri, 11:00 a.m. on SECN - The Knights opened '14 in Dublin with a loss on the final play to PSU, so can they rebound coming off bye week in another road trip to Columbia?

UMass at Vanderbilt, 11:00 a.m. on FSN Affiliates - Vandy should roll!

West Virginia at Maryland, 11:00 a.m. on BTN - Last year was one sided 37-0 affair, so with everyone kicking the B1G right now; Terps beware!

Louisville at Virginia,11:30 a.m. on ACC Network - Bobby Petrino looks to get Cardinals to a 2-0 start in new ACC.

Wyoming at Oregon, 1:00 p.m. on PAC-12 Network (HD) - The Cowboys have back to back road trips at Oregon and Michigan State.

Alabama A&M at UAB, 2:30 p.m. on CSBA / ASN - FCS vs. FBS game in Birmingham!

Arkansas at Texas Tech, 2:30 p.m. on ABC - Bret Bielema heads to old SEC foe in Lubbock for an out of conference showdown ...

Arkansas State at Miami - FL, 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU - The Hurricanes warm up on Sun Belt before road trip to Lincoln next Saturday.

Georgia at South Carolina, 2:30 p.m.CBS - The Gamecokes lost the season/SEC opener to A&M, so an 0-2 start wouldn't be good for the ole Ball Coach's early season. UGA is highly respected with a strong running game!

ESPN Game Day is in Fargo for this game:
Incarnate Word at North Dakota State, 2:30 p.m. ESPN-GP / espn3 / NBC ND (cable) - the Bison opened '14 season with a 34-14 roll on the Cyclones. The three-year FCS champs surely take care of business today!

Iowa State at Iowa, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN - The Cy-Hawk series was renewed in 1977, when Iowa beat State 12-10. This is 125th anniversary of Iowa Football, 75th anniversary of the Ironmen, so Hawkeyes look to remain undefeated in '14.
Prediction: Iowa 25, Iowa State 15

Kansas at Duke, 2:30 p.m. on FSN Affiliates / FOX Sports GO / RSN - The Jayhawks vs. Blue Devils are both known for hardwood, not gridiron, though Duke has won lately.

Miami of Ohio at Michigan, 2:30 p.m., BTN - The cradle of coaches has lost 18 straight FBS schools, while Ann Arbor has become soft in the trenches.

North Carolina State at South Florida, 2:30 p.m. on CBSSN - The Bulls are showing a pulse, after 2-10 last year.

Illinois at Washington, 3:00 p.m. on FOX - The Huskies are better than Fighting Irish.

Louisiana Lafayette at Ole Miss, 3:00 p.m. on SECN - Could this be a game that the SEC has to worry, as top Sun Belt program comes to Ole Miss?

Minnesota at TCU, 3:00 p.m. on FS1 - The Golden Gophers face a hurdle against the Horned Frogs on the road!

Mississippi State at South Alabama, 3:00 p.m. on ESPN News - The Sun Belt seeks some PR hosting SEC opponent in Week 3.

Army at Stanford, 4:00 p.m. on PAC-12 Network (HD) - The Cardinal have a desire to flush Pac 12 opener and get back on track ...

Southern Miss at Alabama, 5:00 p.m. on ESPN2 - This should be a easy one for young Bama team for Nick Saban's '14.

Louisiana Monroe at LSU, 6:00 p.m. on ESPNU - Tigers have won two previous outings 49-7 and 51-0.

Tulsa at Florida Atlantic, 6:00 p.m. on DTV: 608 / Dish: 450 / FCSA (cable) - Why not?

UTSA at Oklahoma State, 6:00 p.m. on FSN Affiliates / FCSC (cable) / FOX Sports GO - Cowboys should win, but underdog is a good young program in FBS now ...

Wake Forest at Utah State, 6:00 p.m. on CBSSN - Some interesting Big 5 vs. FBS road match ups this year.

Kentucky at Florida, 6:30 p.m. on SECN - Mark Stoops brings Wildcats to Gainesville in SEC East play.

Purdue at Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m. on NBC - Fighting Irish won 31-0 over Michigan and Purdue has only 1 FBS win in young Darrel Hazell era in West Lafayette. 

Navy at Texas State, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN News - Go Midshipmen!

New Mexico State at UTEP, 7:00 p.m. on NESN+ / ASN - The Miners haven't been good lately, but looking for sixth straight in this series!

Penn State at Rutgers, 7:00 p.m. on BTN - B1G opener, as Scarlett Knights join the Big Ten in '14, but Nittany Lions are the clear favorite.

Portland State at Washington State, 7:00 p.m. on PAC-12 Network (HD) - The Cougars should take care of business vs. FCS foe.

Tennessee at Oklahoma, 7:00 p.m. on ABC - The Volunteers hope to sneak into Norman and steal a big win, but Bob Stoops and OU rarely lose at home in non-conference.

Texas vs. UCLA (Arlington), 7:00 p.m. on FOX / FOX Deportes - The Longhorns have lot of work to overcome, while Bruins are ready to breakout.

USC at Boston College, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN - This could be a letdown road trip for the Trojans, but BC wouldn't appear strong enough for the upset?

Rice at Texas A&M, 8:00 p.m.ESPN2 - Aggies eat up Owls ...

Arizona State at Colorado, 9:00 p.m.ESPNU - Pac 12 opener, as Sun Devils should take care of business early on Pac 12 road in '14.

Nebraska at Fresno State, 9:30 p.m. on CBSSN - The seven year itch, Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers hit the road for the first time in '14. QB Tommy Armstrong needs to lead and play better in passing game.

Nevada at Arizona, 10:00 p.m., PAC-12 Network (HD) - The Wildcats wrap up OOC play in Week 3 ahead of heading to Pac 12 play for '14.

Abilene Christian at Troy, 6:00 p.m. on espn3 - Time for Trojans to rebound after loss hosting Duke last week.

Air Force at Georgia State, 1:00 p.m. on espn3 -

Eastern Michigan at Old Dominion, 5:00 p.m. on Cox 110 (cable) - ODU should prevail.

Indiana State at Ball State, 2:00 p.m. on espn3 - The Cardinals lost a heartbreaker at Iowa, leading 13-3 in 4th quarter.

Northern Illinois at UNLV, 6:00 p.m. on MWC Video1 / MWC Video2 - Huskies look to reach 3-0 in Vegas, after nice B1G win at Northwestern.

Northern Iowa at Hawaii, 11:00 p.m. on MWC Video / Oceanic (cable) - Hawai'i should win, but Panthers can dream.

Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane, 7:00 p.m. on espn3 - Green Wave seek to make it seven - oh against SE LA!

UC Davis at Colorado State, 2:00 p.m. on MWC Video1 / MWC Video2 - The MWC looks to avoid a FCS upset in Fort Collins.

Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee, 6:00 p.m. on MyNashville 30 / WKU PBS (cable) - both teams lost at B1G schools last week, so time to lick wounds in C-USA opener for both schools.

Western Michigan at Idaho, 4:00 p.m. on espn3 - The MAC vs. Sun Belt, as the 0-1 Broncos head to Idaho seeking first win of '14 and second win in two seasons.

Can Hawkeyes pull out first conference road game @ #24 Michigan State?

From Michigan State on Saturday, with 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN, Iowa @ #24 Michigan State!

Iowa (3-2, 1-0 Legends, Big Ten) and Michigan State (4-2, 1-1 Legends, Big Ten) have faced one common opponent this season, with Central Michigan.  Looking at that game will not lead one to believe this game in East Lansing has much promise.  Our prediction on Saturday: Iowa 20, Michigan State 19, as the game looks very similar to the 2008 match up in East Lansing.  Which offense will click today?

IOWA CITY, Iowa - As the University of Iowa football team completes preparations for Saturday's Big Ten Conference clash at Michigan State, coordinators Greg Davis and Phil Parker know they will have their hands full as the Hawkeyes play their first conference road game of the season.

Michigan State (4-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, returning most of its key players from a squad that played in the first-ever Big Ten Conference championship game last season. The Spartans rank among national leaders in several defensive categories, including eighth in total defense and 10th in rushing defense.

Davis, in his first year as Iowa's offensive coordinator, has never attended a football game at Spartan Stadium; Parker is returning to his alma mater. After completing his playing career as a defensive back for the Spartans, Parker also began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on the Michigan State staff in 1987.

"We had a good bye week," said Davis. "And actually, you can have a bad off week, so it was good for us. Our last time out (31-13 win over Minnesota) we made improvements; continued to get better in the red zone among those improvements. One of the first things you notice about Michigan State is it returns eight starters from a team that played in the championship game."

The Spartan offense is led by veteran Le'Veon Bell (6-foot-2, 244 pounds), one of the most physical running backs in the country. Bell has rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown in two career games against the Hawkeyes.

"The open week gave us a chance to get some guys a little rest and get a little healthier," said Parker. "But we worked hard and are ready to go. Obviously, you have to stop the run first with Michigan State. He (Bell) is a heck of a back and they have won a lot of games when he gets going."

Game time Saturday at Spartan Stadium is 11:01 a.m., CT (ESPN).

Brian Ferentz Enjoys Busy Week

Offensive line coach juggles birth of his first child, football preparations

WAVERLY, Mich. -- It has been a busy and exciting week for University of Iowa offensive line coach Brian Ferentz . On top of preparing the Hawkeyes for their first Big Ten Conference road game of the season at Michigan State, he became a father Tuesday morning when his wife, Nikki, gave birth to their first child, Presley.
"It was a pleasant addition and she came at a pretty opportune time," Ferentz joked. "She was about three weeks early, but she must have known we were coming off a bye and I had a little time here. It's exciting and it's nice."
On the football field, Ferentz's young offensive line has steadily improved over the first seven weeks of the season. He is quick to point out that the sport he coaches is a team game, and the offensive unit needs everyone working together.

"Anytime you have some success as an offensive football team, whether it's throwing or running the ball, it's a team game," Ferentz said. "The key is 11 guys doing their job. We've been fortunate enough to be OK up front.

"We still need to improve and we have a long way to go in that regard," Ferentz said. "But if we get 11 guys on the same page, like we've had them, I think we have a chance to have some success."

That success can continue Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Iowa is coming off a bye week after a convincing win over Minnesota to open Big Ten play. Ferentz said the message during the bye week was pretty simple.

"Our focus was improving our football team," Ferentz said. "Getting better at the things we know we are going to be doing all season and for years to come. The key is improvement; working with some younger guys to bring them along, and getting older guys healthy and feeling better."

While the team was improving and working on fundamentals, Ferentz added that the bye week allowed the staff to get a start on preparing for the Spartans.

"You would be remiss if you didn't pick up a few extra days of preparation on your next opponent," Ferentz said. "It's a great chance to get a head start. We are excited to go out there and see the fruits of that labor."