Last week was weak for college football, with East Carolina, the nation’s newest Cinderella darling, making the most news with their second consecutive upset victory over national title contender West Virginia. The game wasn’t close, and there was little doubt they were the best team on the field last Saturday. They are now ranked number 12 in the nation, and have won their two most difficult games on their schedule. Keep your eye out for the Pirates as the season unfolds. The third week of the season offers a slate of games that should keep viewers very interested, headlined by Ohio State traveling to the Coliseum to take on USC. In this titanic battle, the loser will still have a shot at the BCS National Title Game, but the winner will be in great shape to make it there.
That’s not the only game to look forward to. On Friday, South Florida takes on Kansas in a matchup of emerging programs battling for conference supremacy between the Big 12 and the Big East. Last year, both programs became household names in the college football landscape with breakout seasons that resulted in the first 10-win campaign either program had seen in a long time. Saturday offers another top-25 showdown, with 10th ranked Wisconsin traveling west to face upstart Fresno State. Big programs haven’t had much success traveling to the west coast (see Tennessee) and this one could be the most exciting game of the day. This week will truly usher in college football season for the beloved fan in all of us, with rivalry games featuring Michigan/Notre Dame, Georgia/South Carolina, and Auburn/Mississippi State also on the schedule.
Todd Reesing and the Kansas Jayhawks enter this matchup with their first true road matchup against a ranked team since their program became a legitimate top-25 team last season. Last year’s games with
Missouri and Virginia Tech were played at a neutral stadium, so this will be expected to be their roughest game as a true road team in years. Reesing has looked strong in his first two games, including a career-high performance in a 29-0 win over Louisiana Tech last week. The Jayhawks have played mediocre competition in their first two games of the year, and will need to find another gear in this matchup at Raymond James Stadium, a venue that has been rough on road teams in the past.
USF had a tough test in their last game, being forced to go to overtime against in-state rival Central Florida last week. By all accounts that was a test to be expected against a team that that truly hates the Bulls, especially on the road. That 31-24 win will make the Bulls a stronger and seasoned team as they head into this game with Kansas. Coach Jim Leavitt always has his team pumped up for games at home, and this one should be no different. Expect Matt Grothe to have a solid performance, like he usually does, and lead his Bulls to a win in this one for revenge for a 13-7 loss to Kansas in his freshman year.
South Florida, 24-21
UCLA @ #18 BYU, 3:30 pm, ET
After an easy win in their first game, BYU had to endure a power struggle against a Pac-10 team in Washington, barely surviving a controversial call at the end of the game to win 28-27. Washington is expected to be a lower tier team in that conference, but the Cougars must step their game up a level in this one against the motivated Bruins, who are still on an emotional high after beating Tennessee on Labor Day on the first of the month. BYU has yet to show their “A” game this year, but will need to step up their level quite a bit against an inspired team looking to continue their momentum from a confidence building win in Week 1. Max Hall will be on the hot seat in this one and will need to show he can lead a team against a quality opponent if this team wants to get to a BCS game like they hope.
Rick Neuheisel showed plenty of faith in keeping Kevin Craft as his team’s signal caller after a rough first half where he threw four first-half interceptions. However, his team kept fighting away, especially on defense where the unit kept the Bruins in the game and UCLA was able to steal a game they had no business winning. This week, Neuheisel takes his team a step further by going on the road against a ranked opponent in a game where UCLA will have to play much better than they did against Tennessee. It’s hard to see that happening against a quality opponent, although UCLA’s defense should keep this one close for the first three quarters.
BYU, 27-13
Michigan @ Notre Dame, 3:30 pm, ET
This game used to be one of the games to look forward to on any given week, but this game has become a dud in recent years has both programs have regressed. The Wolverines have had a tough time adjusting to Rich Rodriguez’s spread and it has showed in their lackluster play. Michigan looked out of sorts for three quarters against Utah in their opener, and were struggling against Miami of Ohio before pulling out an unimpressive 16-6 win. Offensively, Michigan has looked lost; for a program that expects to be in Rose Bowl contention every year, they are still a train wreck that is years away from returning to primetime.
Notre Dame’s demise has been well documented, and after last week’s performance against San Diego State, it appears they are still pretty far away from being relevant. They struggled mightily for most of the game against the Aztecs, but managed to find a way to pull that one out. You can bet the Fighting Irish will come out with a different sense of urgency this week, with one of their most hated rivals coming to Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish should play much better this week knowing their opponent and what’s at stake. Those factors won’t be enough for this squad to pull through against a weak, but more talented opponent.
Michigan, 21-17
#5 Ohio State @ #1 USC, 8:00 pm, ET
This is the game everyone has been talking about since the college football schedule came out. The Trojans have risen to the top spot of the rankings, but still have plenty to prov
e. Mark Sanchez was sharp in the opener, throwing for a career high in yards and touchdowns. Rumors of his kneecap injury were much exaggerated against Virginia but could easily resurface against the stout Ohio State defense that forced five turnovers against Ohio. He’s still trying to form a rapport with his wide receiver core, a unit that leaves much to be desired. The defense he’s facing will be much less forgiving and will put pressure on the Trojan offense.
As much as USC has to prove in this game, the Buckeyes probably have more to show, coming off a 12-point win against a team that they were supposed to crush in Ohio University. Granted, they didn’t have Chris “Beanie” Wells, but their effort against an inferior team was discouraging
heading into a monumental battle like this. Coach Jim Tressel always finds a way to have his team at its best for big games like this (ignore the BCS letdowns) in the regular season. This game should be no different, but you have to wonder how a long trip to Los Angeles like this will affect his team. Vegas has USC as a ridiculous 10.5 point favorite; expect this one to be close, but not too much closer for Buckeye fans.
USC, 21-16
#10 Wisconsin @ #21 Fresno State, 10:30 pm, ET
Many have overlooked the Wisconsin Badgers, largely because of Ohio State and the struggles going on over at Michigan. They haven’t had a chance to show their muscle, but in this west coast trip, they have a great opportunity to do so. PJ Hill is one of the best running backs in the nation, and has the opportunity to be the gamebreaker in this hugely important game. The Big 10 has several scars to heal from, and a loss in this game would be the latest in an extremely disappointing performance in non-conference games over the last few years. There are holes to pick in the Fresno State defense, and unkno
wn quarterback Alan Evridge must hold up his end of the bargain.
Fresno State was happy to come away with a win 3,000 miles away at Rutgers, but deeper inspection shows some serious holes for the WAC favorites. The Bulldogs were lucky to be scoreless at halftime against the Scarlet Knights, and their defense was exploited without fail for major stretches of the game. Their defense will need to step it up a notch, especially against a running back like Hill who is dynamic enough to take it to the house on any given play. Their pass rush could have success against an unsettled QB like Evridge and will need to exploit that potential advantage. Offensively, it’s pretty simple. Run the ball with Ryan Matthews (three TD’s in Week 1) and let quarterback Tom Brandstater manage the game to victory. The pressure will be on Brandstater to show more than he did in the win against Rutgers. Although they are playing at home, the Bulldogs will have a tough test against the Badgers and will fall in the weekend’s most exciting game.
Wisconsin, 28-27
Last Week: 4-1
Season: 9-1
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