Three games to watch

The first week of college football did not disappoint. There was a lot of upheaval and many dramatic finishes. My choices went 2-1 directly and 2-1 against the spread. Let's move on to the second week and the three games not to be missed.

# 12 Texas A & M at # 1 Clemson (3:30 pm EST on ABC)

Texas A & M has worked well with Texas State for the first week, but the Aggies now have to travel to South Carolina for a date with the reigning national champions. Clemson still seems to be part of the giant after routing Georgia Tech in his first game of the season.

Travis Etienne is the biggest hometown threat in the country and he looked incredible against the Yellow Jackets, with more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in just 12 runs. Trevor Lawrence, the second-year phenomenon that led the Tigers to the national title last year, was very rusty. He was 13-over-23 for 168 yards, one touchdown and two selections. The performance was rather devoid of character for Lawrence, as he only launched four interceptions throughout his first year campaign. Clemson has the talent to endure such a performance and continue to win, but it will make life much more difficult for the Tigers if Lawrence does not play like him.

Kellen Mond almost led the Aggies to a Clemson number 2 surprise last year at College Station. Kelly Bryant, now in Missouri, helped spark the Tigers' attitude and help them escape with a 28-26 victory. Mond led the Aggies in assists and runs in this match, scoring 430 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 33 yards rushing. He will have to play another monster match if Texas A & M wants a chance to win.

Texas A & M had four interceptions against Texas State, but I do not think his high school will be able to replicate this kind of dominant performance this week against a much better team. Overall, the Aggie defense did a great job against the Clemson attack last year, but the Tigers were a very different team a year ago. Since the start of the 2018 season, there have been only two games in which Clemson has not won by at least 20 points. Texas A & M was first, then Syracuse, three weeks later, the second. Tigers are a legitimate juggernaut.

The propagation: Clemson (-17.0)

My choice: Texas A & M almost defeated the home Tigers last year and it took a great Kelly Bryant performance to save the game as Clemson escaped with the win. The champions will certainly not neglect the Aggies. I think that Étienne will have another great match and I see Lawrence bouncing back after his mediocre performance in the opening match. I choose Clemson to win, but I think the line is a bit too high, so I'll take the points.

LSU No. 6 in Texas No. 9 (7:30 pm EST on ABC)

LSU and Texas looked great at the opening of their season. Joe Burrow attached a academic record with five touchdown passes in the first half, the Tigers overwhelmed Georgia Southern with its defense and new offensive in expansion. LSU scored 21 points in the first quarter. The Tigers failed to score 21 points in a single quarter of last year. Needless to say, I think the system is good for Burrow.

Meanwhile, Sam Ehlinger had 276 yards and four touchdowns while Texas was lagging behind for Louisiana Tech. Ehlinger is a stallion and can hurt opponents with his arms and legs. I think he could make his way outside the conversation with Heisman and that's why I think the X factor of this match will be Ehlinger against LSU linebackers. LSU had to replace Devin White, who was unquestionably the best linebacker in the country last year and the fifth overall selection in the NFL draft, but this group remains very sporty and very good. If they can blitz and put pressure on Ehlinger, as well as prevent it from taking off on the ground, this will greatly help to limit this dangerous Texas offense.

After going under the Big 12 last year and beating Georgia at the Sugar Bowl, Texas can really say that he's back on the national scene. The hype is considerable, as is the pressure. It's a big match for LSU, but it's a huge game for Texas. If Texas loses, he would almost certainly have to move to the Big 12 table to qualify for the college football playoffs. The Longhorns could possibly win with two losses, but in this scenario, they would probably need to beat Oklahoma twice, win the conference and have some help.

Interestingly, Ed Orgeron and Tom Herman were both candidates for the LSU head coach position when the Tigers returned Miles back in 2016. Tom Herman eventually traveled to Texas to replace Charlie Strong and Orgeron at replaced Miles at LSU.

The propagation: LSU (-6.5)

My choice: LSU is very motivated to win a victory as he did when he beat Georgia at home last year. This is an opportunity for the Tigers to make this statement. I think Ehlinger will make a good game and make big games, but LSU's sports defense will keep him from having a monster match. I take LSU to win and cover.

# 23 Stanford to USC (10:30 pm EST on ESPN)

The injuries of the quarterback make this game particularly interesting and difficult to predict. Neither team had a great performance in their first game of the season. Stanford struggled to beat Northwestern in Palo Alto while USC stood firm at home to defeat the Fresno State.

JT Daniels of USC is outside for the year after having torn the ACL and meniscus at the right knee. Meanwhile, K.J. of Stanford Costello took his forearm to the chin and had to leave the first game of the season against Stanford against Northwestern. Real freshman Kedon Slovis will start for USC. He was 6-of-8 for 57 yards and an interception when he relieved Daniels.

I expect the Trojans to try to rely heavily on their running game to ease the pressure of Slovis. Since Costello was ruled out for this match, the cardinal will probably do the same. I think the X factor for this game is the battle between offensive and defensive lines at the line of scrimmage. Stanford striker Walker Little will miss at least a month with a leg injury and left goaltender Dylan Powelldoubtful " for the game. This will have a huge impact on the battle in the trenches as the left side of Stanford's offensive line is now much weaker.

Redshirt, Davis Mills' Davis, Davis, second in the ESPN class rankings in 2017 and 7-on-14, offered 81 relief races at Costello last week, will start at USC in the place of Costello. Can he stay balanced in a conference game in a hostile environment? Attack line injuries could make it very difficult to establish the runway in addition to protecting Mills from USC pass attacks.

The propagation: USC (-1.0)

The choice: I think the Cardinal defense will have an excellent performance against the Trojans, especially after the start of his career for Slovis and the fact that they have to withdraw without Costello. With USC favored by a single point, Vegas basically said that it was a stunt. With Costello absent and the left side of the Stanford offensive line decimated by an injury, I take the Trojans to win and cover.