Week 3 has arrived and conference play is finally kicking off for several teams. From an SEC shootout to an ACC defensive battle, here are the biggest games of the week locally.
Mississippi State at South Carolina
This game has all the makings to be the most entertaining game of the week. Featuring a QB duel between Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, there will be offensive heroics and fireworks all afternoon.
Edge rusher Dylan Stewart is expected to make his season debut against the Bulldogs. Adding the speedy, wrecking ball that is Stewart to this defensive line will be huge as the Gamecocks look to contain Taylor. Torching both UL Monroe and Minnesota, Taylor has been incredibly effective through the air and on the ground. However, he’s faced very little pressure and has been sacked only once. South Carolina’s pass rush will be the toughest matchup for the Bulldogs so far. If the Gamecocks can get to Taylor quickly, watch for the secondary to capitalize with turnovers.
Offensively the Gamecocks received good news as left tackle Jacarrius Peak is expected to return and make his USC debut. It’s impossible to know if South Carolina’s offensive line has improved based on two wins over lower level opponents. However, what I can say confidently is that Peak is a better offensive lineman than anyone USC has had in a few years. Inserting that caliber of player on the line should help the Gamecock offense.
South Carolina will likely need to work around Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones, one of the best defensive backs in the nation. One way for USC to do so is to push the ball away from Jones by incorporating running backs and tight ends more into the offense. Additionally, I’d expect a healthy dosage of Matt Fuller on the ground.
One of the most interesting aspects of the matchup is the mirror image of both teams’ offenses. Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and South Carolina OC Kendall Briles, who are brother in-laws, both run up tempo offenses built to spread defenses horizontally. With nearly identical offenses, the question is who has the personnel to run it better? I like South Carolina to take care of business at home and for Sellers to remind everyone why he became the talk of college football in 2024.
North Carolina at Clemson
Before the season started, I would’ve considered this game unwinnable for North Carolina. Now that both sides have played a pair of games, the Tar Heels look like they’ll be a competent team while the Tigers’ stock is plummeting.
The big story for Clemson is that QB Tait Reynolds, a true freshman, will be starting for the Tigers. Reynolds saw the bulk of the work against Georgia Southern and underwhelmed. Failing to top 200 yards, throw a touchdown, or complete 60% of his passes against a Sun Belt defense doesn’t inspire much confidence. Now Reynolds will face a Tar Heel defense that’s been built by UNC head coach Bill Belichick, who regularly confused and smothered inexperienced QBs at the NFL level.
One wrinkle for the Heels is the departure of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick this week. Safeties coach Brian Belichick will now be the defensive coordinator. However, I’m expecting Bill Belichick to be heavily involved with what the defense runs.
Clemson’s defense successfully shut down Georgia Southern last week, but appeared helpless when facing Lane Kiffin’s LSU offense. Which Clemson defense is the real one? It’s impossible to tell, but I suspect the defense will be the Tigers’ stronger side of the ball this season. UNC QB Billy Edwards will have his toughest task of the season, entering a hostile environment and facing a step up in competition. For UNC to win this game they don’t need Edwards to be Superman; instead they’ll need him to make smart throws and find his playmakers. Tight end Jelani Thurman will be at the top of Edwards’ target list, followed by receiver Jordan Shipp. If Edwards can get those two involved early, Carolina will be in business.
This is one of the toughest games of the week to pick. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has made an example out of North Carolina before in a “we’re still Clemson” game, as recently as last season. This could certainly be another spot where the Tigers put the foot down. However, I don’t believe Clemson has the talent anymore to do that and will be taking the Tar Heels to pull off the upset.
NC State at Vanderbilt
When was the last time NC State football won a road non-conference game against a power four team? You’d be correct if you guessed 2002, when the Wolfpack won a 51-48 shootout at Texas Tech. The Commodores appear to be vulnerable after winning in uninspiring fashion over Austin Peay and Delaware. However the same can be said about the Pack, whose 34-8 loss at Virginia remains a stark reminder of all of NC State’s flaws this year.
Vanderbilt is pushing the chips to the table for this win by starting true freshman Jared Curtis for the first time. Ranked the No. 2 high school prospect in his class by 247Sports, Curtis appeared in both of the Commodores first two games, but wasn’t the starter. If the offense is truly handed over to Curtis, I’d expect Vanderbilt to be explosive on offense. The most dangerous thing for NC State is the threat of Curtis tearing up the defense on the ground after struggling to contain UVA QB Beau Pribula, who ran for 110 yards against the Pack. If NC State manages to pull the upset, it will almost assuredly start with slowing Curtis’ legs.
The Wolfpack will also have to find a way to contain Vanderbilt’s top two running backs, Sedrick Alexander and MK Young. Alexander has 99 yards and Young has 62 yards through two games. While neither has been particularly impressive so far, both had strong seasons last year, averaging over 5 yards per carry. NC State’s run defense has already looked like barbeque chicken once vs Virginia; there’s a strong possibility it happens again here. However unlike the UVA game, NC State is now without its starting WILL linebacker, AJ Richardson. The pressure for NC State will be on linebacker Popo Aguirre Jr. to step up in Richardson’s absence.
For NC State to have a chance in this game, CJ Bailey will have to put together a strong performance. Bailey’s numbers decline sharply when he plays on the road, which is a real concern even if the atmosphere at Vanderbilt isn’t particularly daunting. Last year, Bailey threw nine interceptions, eight of which came in road games. Then in the opener at Virginia, Bailey tossed another pick. It’ll be critical for offensive coordinator Kurt Roper to give Bailey easy reads on short, quick passes to establish a rhythm early.
While the Wolfpack has a chance against Vanderbilt, I wouldn’t pick NC State to win this one. The matchup pits Vanderbilt’s strengths against the Wolfpack’s weaknesses. Even after taking all its anger out on Richmond last week, I don’t trust NC State yet after the debacle at Virginia.
Stanford at Duke
Duke is in a classic let down spot with Stanford coming to town. Coming off an upset victory at Illinois, the Blue Devils’ next challenge will be avoiding complacency against an inferior opponent.
The key for Duke is to get the run game rolling early. I’d expect running back Nate Sheppard to once again be center of the offense. Through two games, Sheppard is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has already amassed 374 yards on the ground. Notably, Stanford’s lone strength is run defense, which opens the door for a possible upset. Last week against Miami, Stanford held star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. to just 40 yards on 13 carries. While the Hurricanes pulled away with ease due to their passing game, the Blue Devils can’t trust the passing attack enough to feel comfortable if Sheppard can’t get going.
Defensively, the key for Duke is getting pressure home against QB Davis Warren. Through two games, Warren hasn’t thrown an interception, but he’s been shaky. When Warren was a starter at Michigan in 2024, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. While not really a gunslinger, Warren gets himself into trouble by staring down receivers and force feeding the ball rather than reacting to what the defense gives him. For Duke, getting pressure quickly on Warren while his top receivers remain covered would effectively neutralize Stanford’s passing game.
Overall, this is a game Duke should expect to win comfortably. The Blue Devils have already proven they can hang with quality competition. From the friendly confines of Wallace Wade Stadium, now Duke needs to make sure it doesn’t let its foot off the gas in its ACC opener. Stacking another win on its resume would quietly position Duke in the upper echelon of ACC teams competing for a chance to likely face Miami in the conference championship.