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College Football Podcast: Previews, picks for biggest games of Week 3

SI’s Zac Ellis, Lindsay Schnell and Colin Becht break down the biggest games from Week 2 and preview Week 3’s marquee matchups.

With the season now two weeks old, we’re beginning to get real data about how the conference and playoff races could play out, and the matchups are only getting bigger. We’re here to break it all down on the SI College Football Podcast.

On this week’s episode, hosts Zac Ellis and Lindsay Schnell break down some of the biggest games from a wild Week 2 and preview the marquee matchups in Week 3, including picks for several critical conference and nonconference showdowns. They also take some reader questions on BYU and the state of the SEC.

Here are the games and topics Zac and Lindsay discuss:

Michigan State 31, Oregon 28: How should Vernon Adams Jr. be evaluated after his first two starts, including the Ducks' loss Saturday? Does Michigan State's win position the Big Ten to send two teams to the College Football Playoff?

Notre Dame 34, Virginia 27: How damaging is the season-ending injury of Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire? Should Notre Dame be concerned by its narrow victory?

Oklahoma 31, Tennessee 24 (2OT): Are the Sooners a threat to win the Big 12 after taking down the Volunteers? Does Saturday's loss mean Tennessee is still too young to contend in the SEC East?

Stanford at USC: After dominating Arkansas State and Idaho, how will the Trojans fare against their first real test? Can the Cardinal rebound from their Week 1 loss and re-emerge as a Pac-12 contender?

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame: How will DeShone Kizer perform in his first start under center? Can the Yellow Jackets' prolific run game plow over the Fighting Irish's stout front seven?

Ole Miss at Alabama: Will the Crimson Tide avenge last year's defeat to the Rebels? Can quarterback Chad Kelly and Ole Miss's offense continue its hot start with an upset of Alabama?

With a fairy-tale start headlined by Tanner Mangum’s heroics, does BYU have a legit chance to make the playoff?

After a shaky week in the SEC, which team is looking like the conference champ?

Subscribe to the SI College Football Podcast on iTunes here, and you can find more great Sports Illustrated podcasts at www.si.com/podcasts.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

ROUNDTABLE: Which team has disappointed the most through two weeks?

• BECHT: College football Power Rankings: Who leads after Week 2?

ELLIS: Georgia’s Nick Chubb looking to put his hometown on the map