2010 College Football Week 2

Week 1 was good, but Week 2 should be better. Here are my picks and some mini-analysis.

GAME OF THE WEEK

1. #18 Penn State @ #1 Alabama - May be surprised that I see this as the game of the week instead of the one in Columbus. But I'm really intrigued by this game. Bama is the clear favorite but don't count out Penn State. This game reminds me of OSU-USC a year ago when a freshman QB just managed a game well and then the defense did its job against a pretty good offense. If PSU can put up 17-20 points, this game could be very interesting. Alabama 24-7

BEST OF THE REST

2. #12 Miami (FL) @ #2 Ohio State - There's a lot of talk surrounding this game. A lot of it isn't even warranted considering the players that are playing in this game have no history. But all the talk is sure to make this an intense game on the field. The 'Canes have talent for sure but I don't think their O-Line and run game is going to be able to compete with the Ohio State defense. Also, Terrelle Pryor looks very comfortable in the pocket, which can only mean bad things for the 'Canes defense. Ohio State 23-10

3. #22 Georgia @ #24 South Carolina - The loss of A.J. Green will hurt UGA in this game. They are going to need offense, especially since Stephen Garcia and the Gamecocks look to have found their stride (finally). UGA is bigger, faster and stronger but in this rivalry, that really doesn't matter. South Carolina 31-24

4. #17 Florida State @ #10 Oklahoma - FSU looked impressive in their opener. Oklahoma did not (24-17 win over Utah State?!?). Landry Jones really struggled too, even though he had 12 starts a year ago. Oklahoma should wake up while FSU will fall back down to earth a little bit, now that they play a big boy. Oklahoma 28-17

5. South Florida @ #8 Florida - It's safe to say that Florida is not as bad as they played against Miami (OH). If they do play that bad though, South Florida has the talent to pull off the upset. The Gators say they have the snapping snafu figured out. So maybe once and for all we'll find out how good the team is. Florida 31-24

6. Michigan @ Notre Dame - It was just a year ago when Michigan looked impressive and everyone thought the Wolverines had arrived. last week, the Wolverines looked impressive. So have they arrived? I think not. Notre Dame is a tougher test than UConn and it won't be at the Big House. Notre Dame 31-13

7. #7 Oregon @ Tennessee - I thought Oregon would miss Jeremiah Masoli. After looking at their Week 1 performance, I'm not so sure about that. The Ducks were just about flawless on offense. But playing in Neyland Stadium is never easy, even when you're the better team. Oregon 34-24

8. #23 West Virginia @ Marshall (FRI) - This rivalry has been a bit lopsided. Actually, incredibly lopsided considering Marshall has never beaten the Mountaineers. If there's ever been a chance, here it is. WVU is still trying to figure out how good they are while at the same time, probably underestimating how good the Herd are after they lost 45-7 to OSU. West Virginia 30-24

9. #19 LSU @ Vanderbilt - LSU probably should have lost to North Carolina but got lucky down the stretch. Now, Les Miles goes from a game he probably needed to win to one he has to win. Not only is it an SEC game but it's Vandy. But Vandy played well against Northwestern last week and are capable of winning this game if they just play turnover-free football. LSU 34-14

10. Iowa State @ #9 Iowa - With this game being at Iowa, the chances of the upset in this rivalry game are much less. But because it is a rivalry game, you can't count out the Cyclones. They are coming off a surprising 7-win season last year and will play like there's no tomorrow against the Hawkeyes. I just don't see Iowa's defense giving up more than 10 points though. Iowa 27-10

11. #21 Auburn @ Mississippi State (THURS) - One of those classic too close to call SEC games. Auburn isn't an overly impressive team so having to beat an up and coming Mississippi State team on the road will be no easy task. This one will probably come down to which team makes the least mistakes considering neither team has the offense or defense that can really take a game over. Auburn 31-21

12. #25 Stanford @ UCLA - I'm a big fan of Stanford's offense. Even without Toby Gerhart, I think they have the talent to put up 45-50 on just about anyone. That includes UCLA, who is starting to show strides with Rick Neuheisel leading the way. Stanford 38-20

13. #15 Georgia Tech @ Kansas - It's never easy to beat the Yellow Jackets, especially when you only get a week to prepare for their potent triple option attack. For Kansas, it'll be all but impossible to win, at least it will be if the same Jayhawks team that lost to North Dakota shows up. Kansas scored just 3 points in that game last week. They're gonna need a lot more than that this week. Georgia Tech 33-14

14. Central Michigan @ Temple (THURS) - Quality MAC opener for both teams. Central Michigan is trying to prove they can win without Dan LeFevour, their 4-year starter at QB. Temple came one win away from winning the MAC East last year and return a good core that should make another run. The loser here already falls one back in their respective divisional race. Temple 17-13

15. Toledo @ Ohio - The Rockets never left the launch pad against Arizona last week, scoring just 2 points while giving up 41. Yikes. The 'Cats didn't exactly look stellar against Wofford but like other teams in the first week, got the job done. Beating Toledo shouldn't be a problem. Leaving this game relatively injury free would be a nice perk for OU, who face the Buckeyes next week. Ohio 27-13