Heck of a Saturday for college football tomorrow, which is odd considering the second week of the season is typically a bunch of non-conference games between decent mid-majors and lousy BCS teams or good BCS teams and low-tier I-A or I-AA schools. But then again, after what Appalachian State pulled off last weekend, everyone's radar is now on high alert.
But we're not talking Cinderella when it comes to this Saturday's slate; we're talking about flat-out good games. We present you the top 10 games to watch this weekend, complete with Vegas lines, who to watch for and who to take. In descending order...
10. BYU (+7.5) at UCLA
6:30 p.m. EST, Versus
UCLA racked up 645 yards in an opening week beatdown of Pac-10 rival Stanford, blowing open a reasonably close 14-7 game at halftime with three Ben Olson touchdown passes in the second half. BYU went up 20-0 on Arizona before the Wildcats scored a late TD to make the final score a semi-respectable 20-7. So two Pac-10 patsies down, but now these teams will get a much better barometer of where they're at. UCLA likes to think it's the closest competition to cross-town rival USC in the Pac-10 (though Cal would certainly have something to say about that), and a win here against a solid Cougar team will strengthen their non-conference schedule should that come into play, say, in December.
Olson will face his former team here, so that certainly adds to the storyline here. The 24-year-old junior will face a fellow transfer, BYU sophomore Max Hall, who left Arizona State for the Mormon university. Both teams like to throw the ball, but Kahlil Bell, who ran for nearly 200 yards, will be the difference in a UCLA victory.
The pick: UCLA 29, BYU 20
9. Nebraska (-8) at Wake Forest
Noon EST, ESPN
Wake Forest won the ACC title last year seemingly out of nowhere, but their title defense got off to a rocky start last week with a 38-28 loss at Boston College. Not exactly the easiest task to open the season, but it goes down as an "L" nonetheless. Now, Nebraska rolls into town fresh off a 52-10 pasting of Nevada. Marlon Lucky is still running toward the end zone for the ‘Huskers, who racked up 444 rushing yards.
Riley Skinner, Wake's quarterback, threw three picks (to the same defender) before leaving with a separated shoulder. Brett Hodges performed pretty well in relief, and he'll get the start vs. the ‘Huskers. Against a lesser opponent, this would be a textbook look-ahead game for Nebraska; after all, USC rolls into Lincoln next weekend. But on the road against a team that won its conference championship a year ago, don't look for Bill Callahan's squad to be taking Wake for granted.
The pick: Nebraska 31, Wake Forest 24
8. Boise State (-3) at Washington
3:30 p.m EST, Fox Sports Net
Last year's bowl darlings won't have anything to look ahead to here, either. The trip to Seattle is quite possibly the only test on their schedule before a trip to the islands the day after Thanksgiving to take on Hawaii. Washington came out strong on opening weekend with a 42-12 win at Syracuse, but then again, all things Orange are to be taken with a grain of salt. Boise State took down I-AA Weber State as they broke in new quarterback Taylor Tharp, who has more of a "Friday Night Lights" feel to his name than the man whose shoes he has to fill, Jared Zabransky (but hey, Zabransky does have Tharp in video game covers, 1 to 0).
Boise will have plenty of motivation on Saturday; they've played with the big boys before, but they've never beaten a BCS school on the road, going 0 for their first 12 tries. But Washington will be fired up for this one. The Huskies are in search of their first winning season since 2003, and with Ohio State making the trek to the Pacific Northwest next weekend, the Huskies will be looking at the Broncos as the perfect appetizer.
The pick: Washington 37, Boise State 31
7. Notre Dame (+17) at Penn State
6:00 p.m. EST, ESPN
Irish eyes aren't smiling. They spent last Saturday squinting at their TVs in disbelief, watching Notre Dame get dismantled, 33-3, at home to previously unranked Georgia Tech. The Charlie Weis top-secret quarterback carousel got off to an even rockier start, as all three prospective signal-callers got a chance to play, each without much success. But despite being the third guy off the bench last weekend, star freshman Jimmy Clausen will be tossed to the Nittany Lions in State College. Notre Dame couldn't run the ball last week, and that will be even more difficult against a Penn State defense that is among the nation's best.
Penn State disposed of Florida International without breaking a sweat, and they're eager for some revenge after losing 41-17 at Notre Dame a year ago. As even Ray Charles can see, much has changed for the Irish, but much has changed for Penn State too. Anthony Morelli looks like a different quarterback, and he has four quality receivers who can stretch the field. If Penn State can get its running game going early, those Irish eyes will be crying.
The pick: Penn State 40, Notre Dame 13
6. South Florida (+7) at Auburn
9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2
The Big East has gone from laughingstock to possibly the third or fourth best conference in the country in just two years. Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia can boast national championship aspirations while Cincinnati, Pitt and particularly South Florida are programs on the rise. The Bulls opened with a ho-hum victory over Elon, but this would be their first chance for a win over a non-Big East power. Not bad for a school that's only had a football program for 10 years.
While South Florida may have coasted to a victory against a I-AA team, Auburn found itself unable to move the football for most of three-and-a-half quarters in its opener against Kansas State. Were it not for a few questionable calls, the Wildcats could have easily walked out of Jordan-Hare Stadium with a victory. Brandon Cox, who threw two costly interceptions against KSU, will have to improve if the Tigers are going to beat a much tougher opponent in the Bulls. Look for freshman running back Mike Ford to get more than six carries against Auburn, after having burned Elon for 83 yards on those limited carries.
The pick: South Florida 23, Auburn 19
5. Miami (Fla.) (+10.5) at Oklahoma
Noon EST, ABC
This is a dangerous game for Oklahoma. They're coming off a 79-10 thrashing of North Texas and have to think they're on top of the world offensively. Miami didn't look spectacular in a win against Marshall, but established a solid identity running the football, something they'll have to do more of if they're to hang with the Sooners.
For the Hurricanes, this is their chance to reestablish their identity of dominance under new coach Randy Shannon. If they can go into Norman and knock off a top 5 team that arguably looked more dominant than anyone on opening weekend, the disaster that was last season will be forgotten almost as soon as it happened. Stopping Sam Bradford's passing attack and a tailback attack that has four capable runners will be no easy task, but Miami's Calais Campbell and Kenny Phillips are two of the best defenders in the country. Freshman quarterback Kirby Freeman will be the key to this one. If he delivers, the ‘Canes will have a chance. If not, it's back to the drawing board in Coral Gables.
The pick: Oklahoma 28, Miami 20
4. Oregon (+8) at Michigan
This might be the most intriguing game in the country just for the train-wreck factor. Does Michigan rebound after the most embarrassing loss in school history? Or do the players, back in school and primed for a national championship run that ended before it began, let the Appalachian State loss hang with them? Everyone will be curious to find out, because if Michigan lets this one get away, the season may truly be a train wreck.
And wouldn't you know it - Oregon has the same type of attack that tortured the Wolverines last week. Dennis Dixon is a mobile quarterback who can make plays with his legs and his arm, and the Ducks have speedy wideouts who can do damage on the perimeter. The problem for Oregon is its defense. Despite beating Houston by three touchdowns in Eugene last week, the Ducks defense gave up 545 yards of offense. The Wolverines, for all that can be said about them, still have an offense with as many weapons as any attack in college football. Dixon and his troops may have to pace themselves up and down the field in this one, because the last thing the Oregon defense wants to see is Chad Henne, Mike Hart and Mario Manningham on the field more than necessary.
The pick: Michigan 41, Oregon 24
3. South Carolina (+4) at Georgia
5:45 p.m. EST, ESPN2
This has to be one of the strangest lines in recent memory. South Carolina wins by a lackluster 28-14 margin against Louisiana-Lafayette, while Georgia smokes chic upset pick Oklahoma State 35-14. The Gamecocks couldn't score a point at home against the Bulldogs last year, yet somehow come into this game being given just home-field advantage points from Georgia.
Blake Mitchell is back at quarterback for South Carolina after serving a one-game academic suspension last week, and while he did come on strong at the end of last year, he also struggled big-time early in 2006, including, you guessed it, against Georgia. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford looked like the star recruit that he once was in the ‘Dawgs opening win against Oklahoma State and Georgia's defense shut down the Cowboys completely in the second half. A lot will depend on Mitchell's return to the lineup, but Spurrier's previously feted offenses have come up remarkably short in big games since he's been in Columbia. Don't expect that to change in this one.
The pick: Georgia 22, South Carolina 10
2. Virginia Tech (+12.5) at LSU
9:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
LSU rolled to a 45-0 win against Mississippi State in the kickoff to the 2007 college football season, intercepting Bulldogs quarterback Michael Henig six times. It was a clash of one of the game's top defenses, LSU, against far and away one of the sport's worst offenses, so it's a bit premature to be drooling over how good the Tiger defense truly is.
That said, it isn't exactly getting the '99 Rams rolling into Baton Rouge this week. Quarterback Sean Glennon and the Hokies' offense looked sluggish at best in their opening victory over East Carolina. And while you could blame some of that on the emotional tone of playing the team's first game in Blacksburg since April's senseless shootings, that excuse is out the window for this one. All-conference running back Brandon Ore will have to do better than his three yards-per-carry average if Virginia Tech is to hang with the Tigers. On the other side of the ball, LSU didn't quite light things up against Mississippi State offensively. And the Hokies have quite a stout defense themselves, to go along with their always stellar special teams. A blocked punt or field goal could turn the tide down on the Bayou.
The pick: LSU 20, Virginia Tech 13
1. TCU (+9) at Texas
7:00 p.m. EST, Fox Sports Net
This is what we like to call a measuring stick game. Lesser program gets its shot at a big boy to measure where it's at as a team. South Florida vs. Auburn is sort of on that level, but this one is different because it's an intrastate clash. If TCU beats Texas in Austin, Longhorns fans may not care if they beat Oklahoma and win the rest of their games. They'll have to live with having lost to a lesser program, from the same state, in their house, for, well, the foreseeable future. The two aren't currently scheduled to meet again.
Texas looked less than inspired in its opening win against Arkansas State, and needed what the Big 12 later admitted was an incorrect call on an onsides kick to ensure victory. Colt McCoy looked subpar again after having closed an otherwise remarkable freshman season poorly. The Horned Frogs have beaten Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the past two years, and adding the Longhorns to their list may just elevate their program to another level. One of the nation's best defenses expects star defensive end Tommy Blake back for the game after he sat out the Frogs opener against Baylor, and they'll need him. Don't expect McCoy to struggle again.
The pick: Texas 27, TCU 25
Bonus locks of the week: San Jose State (+17.5) at Kansas State
Arizona State (-15) over Colorado
Georgia (-4) over South Carolina
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Kim Cloutier
Hilary Rhoda



Comments (3) Add A Comment
Wow! Great stuff. Short and sweet, to the point.
I picked similar results in another blog as well:
LSU 24 - VTech 13
Texas 24 - TCU 14
Georgia 27 - S. Carolina 21
Miami 21 - OU 17 (Upset Central)
Nebraska 34 - Wake 17
Not in my article, but here are my picks:
BYU 27 - UCLA 17
Michigan 44 - Oregon 27
Penn State 41 - Notre Dame 17
Auburn 31 - S. Florida 20
BCSBusters
Eugene , OR
Total Comments (85)
Please don't let the Texas game be that close. I can't handle another nail-biter. Good Blog.
hookem431*BS
Richardson, TX
Total Comments (548)
u still dont think miamis any good do u
catapack
Brusly , LA
Total Comments (43)
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