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Rick Neuheisel predicts major college football upset in Week 3

Joe Cox|
CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel picked a major Week 3 upset on Inside College Football
CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel picked a major Week 3 upset on Inside College Football | Mark Henle, Mark Henle/The Republic

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Georgia BulldogsTennessee Volunteers

Former college football coach and CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel delivered an upset pick in a major Week 3 college football battle. Neuheisel set his upset sights on a significant early SEC battle and explained his underdog pick on Inside College Football. Neuheisel is calling for a surprise Tennessee home win over Georgia.

Neuheisel's Pick

Had you told me I was going to take Tennessee, in the preseason, I would have said, 'You're crazy.' But having watched a couple weeks, I'm still concerned about Georgia. They played Marshall and they played Austin Peay and yet they're still only averaging 214 yards per game rushing. That number, if they're really going to be a running team, should be up around 300.... I'm wondering what's wrong. Put it all on Gunner Stockton, but Gunner Stockton is now going on the road for the first time.... I just feel like Tennessee-- when I watched those highlights, that looked more like a Georgia defense than the Georgia defense has looked this far. Maybe I'm wrong, because I think Kirby Smart is as good as they come, but I'm going to go with Tennessee.
Rick Neuheisel

Behind Neuheisel's pick

After a run of six straight UGA/UT games that were decided by a single score (with Tennessee winning the last two), Georgia has taken control of the series with eight straight wins. Not only has Georgia controlled the series, the Bulldogs have dominated it, with only one game being as close as 14 points in that run.

But, as Neuheisel notes, Georgia opened with a pair of lightly-regarded opponents. Tennessee, meanwhile, blasted Syracuse 45-26 in Week 1 behind new QB Joey Aguilar. Aside from Neuheisel, there's another voice leading the chorus for the Vols to pull the upset-- a computerized one. ESPN's FPI gives Tennessee a 51.5% chance of pulling out the victory. Whether the coach and the computers align to be correct is to be determined on Saturday.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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