As we reach Week 3, many teams are staring down 2-0 or 0-2 starts and are reaching a critical proving ground about whether their efforts so far are a fluke or have follow-through. Heads can swell with early success, while hearts can sink with shortfalls. The question is how likely could the tide turn for those teams.

Last week we saw three Top 25 squads get bumped off by lower-ranked opponents, and this week all but two teams in the poll will be lining up. With that, Pat, Keith and I give your our thoughts and predictions for Saturday.

— Ryan Tipps

Game of the Week.
Ryan’s take: No. 5 Wesley at Delaware Valley.I remember where I was in 2008 when I read the front page headline “Wesley falls in belated opener.” A team that was getting looks as a possible No. 1 in the country lost its first game of the season after letting a halftime lead slip away, and Del Val took command of the game seconds before the final clock ran out. I remind you of this because I’m sure the Wesley veterans have been reminded of it all week, and with both teams having started their seasons 2-0, there’s that much more to be excited about.
Keith’s take: Rowan at No. 9 Cortland State. I’d be willing to bet there’s not as much difference between the Profs and Red Dragons as the rankings suggest. As openers go, Rowan’s 29-7 win at Lycoming was more impressive than Cortland’s 26-17 home victory against Morrisville State. But what makes this game, and others like it (Lousiana College at No. 15 Hardin-Simmons, No. 6 St. John’s at No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead) so important is that in conferences where three or more teams could contend, it almost functions as an early elimination game. It’s not 100 percent do-or-die, but with Kean, Montclair State and the rest of the NJAC looming, neither team can afford to drop a conference game so early.
Pat’s take: No. 14 Linfield at No. 21 Occidental. It’s the last game of the day, and I hope it’s worth the wait, not to mention the trip. I have some trepidation about Occidental after what seems like a lackluster performance in its opener at Menlo. But to be fair, I could think the same about Linfield, wondering how much of its win against Hardin-Simmons was Linfield, how much was the home field, and how much was HSU losing its All-American candidate quarterback. So I’ll be there in person, and you guys will be watching the live video stream, right?

Surprisingly close game.
Ryan’s take: Thiel at No. 8 Washington and Jefferson. Count me among those who aren’t yet convinced that this year’s Presidents deserve to be in the Top 10 — or even the Top 20. Tempered wins in the first two weeks against teams that are a combined 0-3 make me think that the Tomcats can offer W&J something new: a challenge.
Pat’s take: No. 1 Mount Union at No. 7 Ohio Northern. Surprisingly closer than five touchdowns, right? Who knows — if Ohio Northern can pick off Aaron Fanthorpe three times then what can it do with a quarterback making his second career start, or a freshman backup in game No. 2. The question will be whether that’s enough to get ONU on the board in sufficient quantities against a strong Purple Raider defense.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset.
Ryan’s take: No. 18 St. Thomas. With Ohio Northern having a week to rest after upsetting North Central in Week 1, it would would be nice to have the guts to pull the trigger on their game against Mount Union, but I think a repeat of ‘05 isn’t going to happen. But over in the MIAC, the Tommies and Oles are at the top of their conference in yards per game, and amid both teams’ ground-based attacks, the Oles are proving stouter against the run (opponents have averaged minus-26.5 yards rushing per game).
Keith’s take: No. 6 St. John’s. Two schools of thought on the Johnnies’ start: They beat two teams from the nation’s most powerful conference. Or, they’re lucky they aren’t 0-2. If the Cobbers’ win over Willamette means as much as pollsters seem to think, the Johnnies could be trouble this week, especially in Moorhead, which is the least-friendly road trip in the MIAC.
Pat’s take: No. 9 Cortland State. If the NJAC coaches poll is right — and when is a preseason coaches poll ever wrong? — then this isn’t an upset at all. But Rowan had this game right there for the taking last year and couldn’t pull it off. An especially tough defensive performance for the Profs puts them in good stead heading to New York, but they need to keep the penalties in check.

They’ll be on your radar.
Ryan’s take: No. 7 Ohio Northern. As hinted at above, I’m interested to see how this plays out. It’s well documented that Mount Union can turn highly ranked, well-oiled teams into a pile of rubble. But if — just what if — ONU keeps this one close …?
Keith’s take: No. 20 DePauw. I’m interested in how Ohio Northern fares as well, but we know something about the Polar Bears, from the North Central win. DePauw, on the other hand, is quite a mystery for a team favored to win its conference. That coach Robby Long took over not long before the season began added to that intrigue. Senior quarterback Spud Dick tossed five touchdown passes and led the offense to 665 yards in the opener, a 55-7 win over Anderson. But Centre is first in a line of tough teams that will visit Blackstock Stadium this season. Millsaps, Trinity, Austin and Wabash follow.
Pat’s take: Redlands. The poll doesn’t rank them this way, but I believe Redlands is the best team in the SCIAC and they’ll have a shot to put that to use against Whitworth. And I’ll tell you — we’re looking for radar teams. Not just on the radar but Top 25. Positions are open.

Which surprise 2-0 team is least likely to go 3-0?
Ryan’s take: Waynesburg. The Yellow Jackets opened the year against Wooster with a gutsy performance and piled on lots of points against a team that was touting the promise of its defense. Then Waynesburg turned around and made short work of Hanover. However, Thomas More is now waiting in the wings, and I’ll be impressed if anyone in the PAC is able to stop the Saints this year.
Keith’s take: Utica. After 62-7 and 62-10 wins over Becker and Castleton State, the Pioneers are likely riding high. But confidence won’t do the trick in a visit to RPI, which looked like its usual strong self in a 28-0 shutout of Endicott.
Pat’s take: Beloit. (at Monmouth). I was going to go with Austin, but opening against Southwest Assemblies of God and McMurry doesn’t qualify as surprisingly 2-0. Or I could take St. Olaf, since that’s how little I agree with Ryan’s upset pick. I expect St. Thomas to run for 250 yards more than St. Olaf has allowed on average.

Who needs to notch its first win more: Wooster, Baldwin-Wallace or Christopher Newport?
Ryan’s take: Wooster. Though the Scots’ path was surprisingly tainted already this year, their season feels more wide open than the other two, as if (to use the cliche) they control their destiny more. A big win could mean a big morale boost. The other two feel different than that. For B-W, every week in the OAC is going to be a massive, unpredictable challenge; and CNU has as good a chance as any in the USAC to rebound from nonconference play with a postseason bid via the automatic qualifier.
Keith’s take: Christopher Newport. The logic is that a nonconference loss wouldn’t hurt the Captains’ playoff chances much since they often handle business in the USAC. But if they don’t beat Salisbury this week, Wilkes looms, and there’s a very real chance they could limp into the conference schedule at 0-3. Besides, the Sea Gulls are coming off a loss to USAC rival N.C. Wesleyan, so assuming a CNU sweep of the conference might not be wise.
Pat’s take: Baldwin-Wallace. Unlike the other two, B-W could conceivably get an at-large bid at 8-2 because the second loss, presumably to Mount Union, tends to get forgiven by the playoff selection committee.

As introduced in this week’s Around the Nation, which NEFC game between Bogan and Boyd will be the most interesting?
Ryan’s take: Framingham State at MIT. Since learning last year that one of the country’s best rushers, MIT’s DeRon Brown, comes from my neck of the woods, I’ve been keeping an eye on him. This year, I’m expecting to see even bigger things. He and his team will be tested as the Rams stand up well against the run, and the interest lies in how well the Engineers cope with that obstacle.
Keith’s take: Coast Guard at Plymouth State. Both have already experienced heartbreaking defeat — the Bears lost the Secretaries Cup to rival Merchant Marine in the second overtime, while the Panthers never trailed against Division II St. Anselm until the fifth overtime. Both have been among the NEFC’s best too. Coast Guard backslid to three wins last year after consecutive eight-win seasons, while the Panthers are 19-3 the past two seasons. With high hopes and losses already on the ledger, this clash should be high stakes.
Pat’s take: Massachusetts Maritime at Endicott. And even if it’s not the most interesting team story line, after the performance Mass Maritime running back Nathan Sherr has put up in the first two weeks (15-162 with a touchdown against SUNY-Maritime and 26-325-3 against MIT), it provides an individual worth watching. By the way, for those keeping track, Sherr outrushed Brown by 177 yards last week.