SPOTLIGHTED GAMES (All on Saturday)

-VIRGINIA TECH AT LSU. This game appears to have major BCS implications because both teams are ranked in the top ten. Virginia Tech struggled on the offensive end last week, but they were playing a pretty good defensive team in East Carolina. LSU rolled all over Mississippi State on the road and appears to be as good as advertised. The winner of this game is not only solidly in the BCS picture, but in the National Championship Picture. Virginia Tech will have to play better on offense, which won’t be easy in such a hostile environment. The fact that the game is at night should add to the enthusiasm level in the stadium.

-TCU AT TEXAS. TCU is in the top 25, and they definitely belong there. They have a very strong defense, a solid running game, and an adequate passing game. Texas is a top ten team and clearly appears to be the better team in this match-up. They are in the BCS picture now and a win in this game certainly keeps them there. However, they did struggle against Arkansas State last week, and if they don’t play any better this week TCU will beat them. A win for TCU will catapult them way up the rankings and into the BCS picture, which is always a big deal for a team who is not in a BCS conference.



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH:

-OREGON STATE AT CINCINNATI. Both teams managed wins in their first week of action. This appears to be an evenly matched game against two teams who are really looking to jumpstart their seasons. If Cincinnati wins this, their next three opponents are Miami OH, San Diego State and Marshall. A 5-0 start would be great for the Bearcats. In the case of Oregon State, they are knocking on the door of the top 25 and a win in this game should assure them a 3-0 record as they head into conference play. Both teams should make bowls, but winning this game would go a long way as far as making a splash on the national scene.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT LOUISVILLE. Middle Tennessee is much better than the Murray State team Louisville faced in their first week, but they still don’t appear to be good enough to give the Cardinals a competitive game. MTSU is coming off a rather surprising loss to Florida Atlantic, so things are not boding well for them in this one.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH:

-NAVY AT RUTGERS. Rutgers breezed past Buffalo in their season opener, but will get a much bigger challenge out of Navy in this game. The Midshipmen defeated Temple in their season opener and appear to be well on their way to a bowl game. If they pull the upset in this game it would really turn some heads. Don’t expect to see the ball in the air all that often seeing as how both of these teams love to run the football.


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH:

-COLORADO AT ARIZONA STATE. Colorado won a thriller against rival Colorado State to open the season, but winning at Arizona State is a much taller order. Still, it would be a huge victory for a team that is trying to turn themselves around. Arizona State blew out a pretty good San Jose State in their first game, and I would expect them to win handily again today. They are going to be a force in the Pac Ten.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT AUBURN. South Florida has been excited about this one for quite a while. A win would be a huge statement for a program that is trying to build itself up and place itself on the national stage. Auburn won an exciting game against Kansas State last week, and will definitely need to play well in order to defeat South Florida and improve to 2-0. This is also a big game as far as the Big East is concerned because it would be a statement win for a league that still feels it does not collectively receive the respect they deserve. Both teams should end up in a bowl, and Auburn appears to be in contention for the BCS, but they’ll need to win this game if they want to stay on track.

-NORTH CAROLINA STATE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). Boston College won a big game against a pretty good Wake Forest team last week, whereas NC State was stunned by UCF. Boston College is definitely the favorite to win this game, which would improve them to 2-0 on the season and in the conference.

-TOLEDO AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (MAC). Both teams lost their season openers by convincing margins, but this is the conference opener between two teams looking to make it to bowl games. The two division champions generally go, plus one other team, and these are two of the favorites.

-CALIFORNIA AT COLORADO STATE. Colorado State lost a heartbreaker to rival Colorado last week and they really have their work cut out for them this week against a California team who just beat a pretty good Tennessee team. Cal can improve to 2-0 and remain on pace to compete for the BCS with a win today.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT EAST CAROLINA. Big day for the state of North Carolina. This is one that ECU fans have been looking forward to for a long time. They suffered a 17-7 loss against a highly ranked Virginia Tech team in a hard fought game where the defense played well, but that shouldn’t do much to dampen the enthusiasm that their fans will bring into this one. North Carolina won their season opener against James Madison, but suffered some injuries in the process.

-MARYLAND AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL. How in the world did FIU get Maryland to give them a home game?? FIU’s 2005 season was their first as a 1A team, and it was a promising one where they went 5-6. Since then, they’ve lost 13 straight games and I don’t think the streak is going to end to day, or for that matter the next two weeks. Maryland won their opener against Villanova, and even though Nova is not 1A they may have given Maryland just as good a game as FIU will.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Both teams won in the first week, but Georgia looked much more impressive. They beat a pretty solid Oklahoma State team rather handily, whereas South Carolina struggled against Louisiana Lafayette. It’s the conference opener for both teams, so it is a huge game. Georgia is looking to make the BCS so every game is big for them. If South Carolina pulls the upset they could find themselves in the rankings, but that isn’t too likely.

-SYRACUSE AT IOWA. Syracuse was hammered in their first game and will most likely have an even tougher time today against a pretty good Iowa team. Iowa defeated Northern Illinois in their season opener and can improve to 2-0 with a win in this game, which keeps them on pace to make a pretty decent bowl game.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT KANSAS STATE. San Jose State was beaten really badly in their first game against Arizona State. It isn’t surprising that they lost, but the margin was a little shocking. Kansas State looked very good in a losing effort on the road against Auburn. This is a good chance for them to rebound from that and build up some momentum. They should be a force in the Big Twelve North this year if they can play as well as they did last week all season long.

-KENT STATE AT KENTUCKY. Both of these teams won their season openers and are looking to make it to bowl games this year. This should be an interesting game to watch. Kent State defeated Iowa State on the road last week and really controlled the entire game. Kentucky won easily against Eastern Kentucky, but will get a much tougher challenge today. Starting out 2-0 would be a big step toward making a splash on the national scene for both of these teams.

-HAWAII AT LOUISIANA TECH (WAC). Hawaii won easily last week, as did Louisiana Tech. This is the conference opener for both teams. If Tech wants to pull the upset they’re going to have to do something to stop Hawaii’s high powered passing attack. Hawaii can improve to 2-0 and remain on pace to make the BCS with a win.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT MARSHALL. This is an in-state rivalry that West Virginia is probably reluctantly participating in. The good news is that they appear to be way under matched. WVU rolled over a pretty good Western Michigan team last week, and should do the same this week to improve to 2-0.

-OREGON AT MICHIGAN. Oregon really looked impressive against a pretty good Houston team in their opener and appears to have a very good team this year. It will be interesting to see how Michigan and their fans react in this game after the stunning upset last week to Appalachian State. The bad news for the Wolverines is that Oregon runs an offense similar to Appy State, and that could really give Michigan some trouble. There is a lot at stake for both teams. Oregon is looking to improve to 2-0 and stake a claim as a legitimate national power this season, and Michigan is trying to get a big win and pick itself up after what happened a week ago.

-BOWLING GREEN AT MICHIGAN STATE. Michigan State won easily last week, but has a bit of a tougher challenge this week. Bowling Green pulled off what was somewhat of a surprising win in an overtime thriller against Minnesota last week. Both teams appear to be in a stage of rebuilding, so starting off 2-0 would be a big step in the right direction.

-MISSOURI AT MISSISSIPPI. Both teams played regional rivals in their openers and won in exciting fashion. Missouri appears to be a bowl caliber team and should challenge for the Big Twelve North title. Ole Miss could struggle to make a bowl, so starting off 2-0 would be good for them.

-AKRON AT OHIO STATE. Ohio State should win this game, but Akron may be able to give them a scare. Ohio State defeated Youngstown in their opener rather easily, but Akron is one of the better teams from the MAC. The Zips did struggle in their opener against Army, but they should be ready to play today. A win for Ohio State gets them to 2-0 and keeps them solidly in the BCS picture.

-MIAMI, FL AT OKLAHOMA. Miami won their opener against Marshall and is trying to get back to being a top 25 caliber program. A win today on the road against Oklahoma would be a major statement in regards to them being back. They would go from being unranked to being squarely in the BCS picture. Oklahoma blew out North Texas in their opener and appears to be a good team, but it’s hard to say for sure how good they are just yet. After today we’ll have a better idea of how good both these teams are.

-NOTRE DAME AT PENN STATE. This game could really get ugly if Notre Dame doesn’t play any better than they did last week. It’s at night in a very hostile environment. Penn State appeared to be sleepwalking a little bit against Florida International, but that shouldn’t be the case today. Notre Dame won handily last year and Penn State could be looking for a little payback.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT TENNESSEE. The Vols are coming off a disappointing loss to Cal, and they may want to be on upset alert for this game. Southern Miss is a pretty solid team out of Conference USA that is capable of pulling a surprise if someone isn’t ready for them. They won their opener last week against Tennessee Martin, but winning this game would really get people’s attention.

-FRESNO STATE AT TEXAS A&M. I’m anxious to see this game. Fresno State had a very talented team last year, but underachieved big time. They appear to be talented once again this year, and if they can just pull it together they could really surprise some people. They’ve never been afraid to take on the big boys, and today is a chance to once again take on a heavyweight. A win will really get them out of the slump they’ve been in. Texas A&M won easily in their opener, but is in for a tougher task today. I’m curious to see how this one will come out.

-UTEP AT TEXAS TECH. Texas Tech went on the road to SMU and won in a big way last week. UTEP also won their opener against New Mexico, but they didn’t look anywhere near as impressive as Texas Tech did. UTEP, like everyone else, will really struggle against Tech’s passing game.

-BYU AT UCLA. BYU won rather handily in their opener against Arizona and UCLA didn’t have much trouble going on the road and beating Stanford. BYU is knocking on the door of the top 25, and they can kick it down with a win today. It would also keep whatever BCS hopes they have alive. UCLA is very tough, though and needs to win games like this if they want to make the BCS. The margin for error is very slim, so this is a huge game for both teams.

-WISCONSIN AT UNLV. Both teams won their openers, but Wisconsin looked much more impressive. They should win this one in a landslide and remain in the BCS picture.

-AIR FORCE AT UTAH (Mountain West). Utah lost their quarterback and running back for the season last week, which really hurts their chances to make a bowl. They’ll need to take care of business today in their conference opener against Air Force.

-ALABAMA AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Alabama won easily in their opener last week, as did Vanderbilt. Neither team played against a 1A opponent, though. Alabama appears to be the better team here despite the fact that they are in what most people consider to be a rebuilding year. The Tide could end up having a big season, but losing today would hurt them.

-NEBRASKA AT WAKE FOREST. The atmosphere should be electric at this game, but Wake does have some things to be concerned about. They lost their season opener against Boston College last week, which is costly because it was a conference game, and quarterback Riley Skinner won’t play due to a separated shoulder. Nebraska thumped Nevada last week and although this will be a tougher test, they still appear to be the better team, especially since they are at full strength.

-BOISE STATE AT WASHINGTON. This game could turn out to be much better than what most people expect. Washington looked very impressive in their road win last week against Syracuse. Syracuse isn’t really all that good, but for a team that is trying to build itself up, to go on the road and win as convincingly as that is a huge step forward. A win today would be another big step forward. Boise State has won 14 straight games, but they lost some key contributing players off of last year’s Fiesta Bowl team. This is a real challenge for them on the road.

-INDIANA AT WESTERN MICHIGAN. This is a big game for two teams who are really fighting to make a bowl game. Indiana won their opener easily against Indiana State, but to go on the road and face a Western Michigan team that appears to be among the best in the MAC is no easy task. The WMU fans should be excited for this one, and it will give us a chance to see how well Indiana can play on the road against a decent team.



BUY GAMES (All on Saturday)

-NORTHERN ARIZONA (nondiv1) AT ARIZONA. Arizona lost their first game against BYU, but still has a decent shot at a bowl. They should be able to even their record today at 1-1.

-LOUISIANA MONROE AT CLEMSON. Clemson just played on Monday night so it was a short week for them, but they shouldn’t have any trouble knocking off UL Monroe and improving to 2-0.

-MAINE (nondiv1) AT CONNECTICUT. Connecticut blew out Duke last week, and should improve to 2-0 with a win today.

-TROY AT FLORIDA. Troy was able to stay with Arkansas for a little bit last week, but came up short. They are a good team and should win the Sun Belt, but don’t stand much of a chance today against the Gators, who will improve to 2-0 with a win.

-UAB AT FLORIDA STATE. Florida State got off to a rough start against Clemson, but looked much better down the stretch. They shouldn’t have too much trouble evening their record at 1-1 today against a struggling UAB team.

-SAMFORD (nondiv1) AT GEORGIA TECH. Georgia Tech looked pretty impressive against Notre Dame last week and should win in a landslide this week.

-WESTERN ILLINOIS (nondiv1) AT ILLINOIS. After a heartbreaking loss to Missouri in the season opener, this is a good chance for Illinois to even their record at 1-1.

-SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA (nondiv1) AT KANSAS. Kansas looked very impressive in their season opener last week and should have little trouble improving to 2-0 this week.

-NEVADA AT NORTHWESTERN. Nevada was spanked by Nebraska last week and should have a rough time again this week. Northwestern can improve to 2-0 this season with a win in this game.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT OKLAHOMA STATE. Florida Atlantic won their opener against Middle Tennessee, but has a much tougher challenge today against a quality Oklahoma State team who is looking to rebound from last week’s loss and improve to 1-1.

-GRAMBLING (nondiv1) AT PITTSBURGH. Pittsburgh beat Eastern Michigan rather easily last week and should have little trouble improving to 2-0.

-EASTERN ILLINOIS (nondiv1) AT PURDUE. Purdue won convincingly on the road against a Toledo team that typically plays very well at home, so they may have a pretty solid team this year. A win today improves them to 2-0.

-UTAH STATE AT WYOMING. Wyoming blew out Virginia last week and shouldn’t have too much trouble improving to 2-0 this week. The Cowboys could end up having a big year this year.