WEEK THREE. LET IT BE. LET IT BE.

After a frustrating weekend of mixed results, the words of Paul McCartney provide some comfort as we move into Week Three.

"...in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be, let it be."

Last weekend was not kind to us.

We went 4-4 again with our Great Eight picks but at least we're consistent. So we look for words of wisdom and hope that Lady Luck comes to us.

To ease the pain though, we did hit on one of our UPSET SPECIALS by taking UL-Monroe and the points over Oklahoma. So that counts for something, right? Especially when last Saturday's slate of games was a wee bit pale compared to the robust opening weekend a few days prior.

But enough whining. Let's get back to winning. We're looking forward to some great games this Saturday and the chance to Make Mo' Money.™

SIDELINES...What We learned in Week Two

Def Con 5 for Jones

• Tennessee still has offensive line problems as they struggled with Virginia Tech. They seemed to finally find themselves late in the game but by that time the Hokies were worn down after so many turnovers. And the defense looked really bad in the early going,  giving up 198 yards and two quick touchdowns in the first 3 drives by the Hokies. Good news: on the next 12 drives, VT had only 72 yards, 5 punts and 4 fumbles. If the Vols are going to be successful they've got to stop spotting the opposition with early leads otherwise it spells doom when they start playing big boy SEC teams like Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

• Speaking of Georgia, their offensive line actually looked worse than Tennessee's. They barely squeaked by Nicholls State 26-24 despite being 46.5 point favorites. It's early, but the love affair with qb Eason might be waning. Memo to mutt fans: he's just a freshman. To make things a bit edgy with newcomer Kirby Smart, Chubb was held to 80 yards for the game; well below what the Dawgs need to be successful especially when they open SEC play.

• Elimination Saturday? We know it's only week three but a couple of teams are facing potential elimination from the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss (which faces Bama) and Oklahoma (plays Ohio State) each opened the season with high profile losses. A second loss makes them extreme long shots of reaching the CFP. And Notre Dame faces that same scenario when they host Michigan State.

• Seems that struggling with the little guys is contagious. Clemson escaped with a 30-24 win over lowly Troy, leading 13-10 at the half. Also, in another example of stupidity, Clemson's Ray-Ray McCloud let go of the football before he crossed the goal line for an apparent Tiger touchdown. Troy recovered for a touchback. Memo to players: it's real simple. It ain't a touchdown until the ball clearly breaks the plane. Capiche?

Headed for the hotseat?

• Big Ten looking big again. Last Saturday the best of the Big Ten flexed it's muscles. Ohio State beat Tulsa 48-3; Michigan downed UCF 51-14; Wisconsin zipped Akron 54-10; Iowa stormed the Cyclones 42-3. Okay, the competition was not that stiff. But we'll get a better idea of Big Ten toughness after this weekend's huge slate of games: Buckeyes visit Norman; Sparty hosts the Irish, and Nebraska welcomes the Oregon Ducks to Lincoln.

• What the hell is going on in Evanston? Northwestern is 0-2 after losing to two FCS cupcakes, Western Michigan and Illinois State. We recognize that the Wildcats are rebuilding, but fagettabout it. Pat Fitzgerald's stock has been rising in recent years but if he doesn't correct whatever is going on then he'll quickly find himself on the hotseat.

Husker hopeful, Jumping Jeff

Coming Friday....

Jumping Jeff will be checking in from Lincoln where he hopes his Huskers can shoot down a few Ducks. He'll be on hand to tell us what Riley's crew has to do to have a chance at slowing down a high flying Oregon offense.

We'll also have our Great Eight™ for Saturday which features some pretty pretty tasty matchups. So look for our email alert and check which of your many credit cards still has room for a few wagers. See you then.

MAKE MO' MONEY with MARK™