Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo Kansas receiver Daymond Patterson makes a move against the Georgia Tech defense during the first quarter, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 at Kivisto Field.

Week 3 in the Big 12 Conference should produce a plethora of captivating games that could go either way when trying to predict a winner.

For my picks on all 10 conference games this weekend, check out the latest episode of Conference ChatterTV:

Here’s a bit more on what I make of the third week of action, which is shaping up to be the most entertaining week yet:

Toughest game to predict: Kansas at Southern Miss, 7 tonight.

With these two squads set to square off in a primetime showdown on ESPN, the mind races from one corner of the brain to the other in trying to predict a winner.

Which Kansas (1-1) squad will show up against Southern Miss (1-1)? The team that couldn’t decide on a quarterback and only mustered three miserable points against North Dakota State? Or the team that found its leader in red-shirt freshman quarterback Jordan Webb, to go along with a few breakout playmakers in Daymond Patterson and James Sims?

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo Kansas receiver Daymond Patterson makes a move against the Georgia Tech defense during the first quarter, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 at Kivisto Field.

My sense is we’ll see a KU squad somewhere in between games 1 and 2, particularly since it’s the first game the Jayhawks will play this season away from Lawrence.

KU is 4-8 the last two seasons away from Memorial Stadium and has dropped five of its last six contests outside of Lawrence.

Prediction: Southern Miss 28, Kansas 27.

Good news for Jayhawk fans: I’ve missed picking both KU games this season.

Upset pick of the week: Hawaii at Colorado, 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

I’m hopping aboard the Warriors wagon on Saturday. Hope there’s room.

I may be off here in going with Hawaii, but I feel like I need one bold prediction this weekend. Why not this one? It’s baffling to me the Buffaloes are 12-point favorites.

Hawaii (1-1) has already proven it can win on the road (31-28 victory at Army last week). The Warriors hung around with USC to open the season, but lost a shootout, 49-36, at home.

Yes, Colorado (1-1) won its opener against Colorado State, 24-3, but how good does that look now? Last week, Colorado State was drilled, 51-6, at Nevada. Furthermore, Colorado was completely outmatched in a 52-7 pasting at California last week.

Could be a lot of scoring in Boulder on Saturday, but I’m taking Hawaii and its second-ranked passing attack in the country in the event of a shootout.

Prediction: Hawaii 40, Colorado 37.

Game of the week: No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Gotta love the storylines involved in this battle of undefeated 2-0 squads.

• How will Texas sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert fare in his first Big 12 start?

• Texas coach Mack Brown is 3-3 in six trips to Lubbock. Will he make it over .500? If not, UT’s hopes of playing for a second consecutive BCS Championship may be in danger.

• It will be interesting to see the offensive game plan first-year Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville engineers against Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who held the same position at Auburn in 2006 and 2007 under then-coach Tuberville.

• It will probably be played a zillion times on the ABC broadcast, but the last time these two teams met in Lubbock, Tech won, 39-33, in one of the most memorable games in Big 12 history. Surely, you remember Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree in 2008, to spoil UT’s bid at an undefeated season:

Prediction: Texas 21, Texas Tech 20.

The Longhorns don’t throw the ball nearly as much as last season. They rely more on running the football and counting on their solid defense to create favorable field position. As a result, more low-scoring games could be in UT’s future.

Are the Blackshirts legit? No. 8 Nebraska at Washington, 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

A commenter last week suggested I consider the opponent before calling the Huskers’ defense legit. Fair enough. This road game at Washington (1-1) should bring us to a more definite conclusion.

The Huskies are led by quarterback Jake Locker, a 6-foot-3, 226-pound senior who has made NFL scouts drool over the past year. I’ve seen Locker on NFL mock drafts for next April as the potential No. 1 overall pick. The efficient Locker has five touchdown passes versus zero interceptions in two games.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker (10) throws against Syracuse in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Should Locker light up the Cornhuskers (2-0), I might back off my claim.

Prediction: Nebraska 28, Washington 21.

Enjoy the Friday and Saturday games, all. And as always, discuss.