Auburn bringing toughness to fight against Penn State

Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero is the greatest resource for college football shenanigans on the internet. This is 13th season for Joe vs the pro and hero. Joe is reigning king of the picks.

Joe Goodman is the sports columnist for AL.com. He picks the most difficult college games of the week. Ben Abercrombie played football at Hoover High School and Harvard. He's a student at Harvard and an inspiration to all. Joe is a hack and a slacker who everyone loves to hate.

Joe and the Hero overestimated Alabama and Auburn in Week 2. Only Joe cashed with Kentucky's victory over Florida.

Joe is 9-3 straight up, 6-5-1 against the spread. Pro is 8-4 straight-up, 2-9-0 against spread, Hero 10-2 straight, 5-6- against spreads. Joe got the flu on his return flight from Texas.

Miami and Texas A&M are playing a showcase game between the SEC and ACC. Texas a&m lost to Appalachian State. Miami has momentum and should win the turnover battle.

Miami is ranked No.6 and Texas A&M is No 6. The Aggies haven't done much for almost 20 years. Texas Aggie's quarterback Haynes King will probably be on a short leash. Miami behind quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is getting better but is usually a slow starter.

A&M lost to App State last week. Miami beat Southern Miss. Mario Cristobal's team has a balanced offense under experienced quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and a strong defense.

South Alabama plays against UCLA. The Sun Belt is 20-7-1 against the spread. Joe likes the Jaguars' offensive line and the play of quarterback Carter Bradley.

Joe's pick: UCLA 31, South Alabama 24. Pro's picks: Auburn vs. Penn State, and UCLA vs South Carolina. Pro says Sun Belt teams are on a role.

The Jaguars are a team that has improved under second-year coach Kane Wommack. UCLA is trying to turn the corner under Chip Kelly. The Bruins have a powerful offense led by senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. South Alabama's improved offense will help the Jaguars keep the game close in the Rose Bowl.

Troy (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) plays Appalachian State (0-2, 1- 0 Sun Bowl) at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, N.C., on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. TV: ESPN+. Series: Appalachian leads 7-3. Spread: Troy by 12.5.

ESPN College GameDay is in Boone for the first time. The Mountaineers have won seven straight SBC openers. Troy has lost both of its last two games at App State.

Joe's pick is Appalachian State 45-28 against Troy. Pro's picks are Appalachian and Auburn. They both won their last games against the Trojans.

Troy brought back first-year coach Jon Sumrall from Kentucky to revive their program. Troy kept it close in Week 1 against Ole Miss. Appalachian State shocked the college football world by beating A&M in College Station last week. ESPN College GameDay is rolling into Boone, N.C. this week and I don't believe it's a good time to play the Mountaineers.

UAB lost at Liberty 21-14. The team fumbled four times. UAB plays Georgia Southern this week. GeorgiaSouthern is coached by Clay Helton. The Eagles' offense piled up 642 yards of offense last week against Nebraska.

Georgia Southern won at Nebraska. UAB lost to Liberty last week. The Blazers have rushed for 231 and 241 yards in their first two games. Georgia Southern has given up 335 rushing yards and returned two of its front seven on defense.

Georgia Southern beat Nebraska last week. UAB lost to Liberty last time. The Blazers are returning home to play at Protective Stadium.

Penn State is 24-24 all-time against SEC opponents. Auburn is proud and tough. Joe says that the Lions are going to play man-to-man defense and dare Auburn quarterback TJ Finley to throw.

Auburn has had two pillow fights against Mercer and San Jose State. The Tigers have struggled to score big points against Penn State's defense. They do not have a good offense. Penn state quarterback Sean Clifford has been playing well in the first two games.

Auburn beat San Jose State last week. They face Penn State at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers need to stop Penn Nittany Lions' running game and make their quarterback beat them.

No.2 Alabama plays Louisiana-Monroe at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. The series is tied at 1-1.

Alabama beat Texas 52-10. The Sun Belt has delivered some wild upsets this season. Alabama struggled with Florida last season and then destroyed Southern Miss 63-14 the next week.

Alabama beat ULM 21-14 in Nick Saban's first season in 2007. U LMU will be in the wrong place at the right time on Saturday at 3 PM.

Alabama beat Texas last week. This week they face a team coached by Terry Bowden. The Warhawks showed some improvement last time. Alabama will work hard in practice this week to correct the issues identified in the Texas game.