We will preview week three of college football

Games to Watch

USC vs. Ohio State, 8:00 PM ET
Before the year started I would have predicted Ohio State to win this game, but they looked awfully shaky against the Ohio University last week minus “Beanie” Wells.  The big question I have is, “Was Ohio State playing opossum?”  That seems like a silly question, but I suppose it could be legit.  More than anything, “Was Ohio State trying to as little as possible to in the game?”  There is something to be said for not wanting to show USC everything.  It seemed that the problem was offensively.  Certainly, Ohio State is better with “Beanie” Wells in the game, but what about Senior QB Todd Boeckman?  He looked pretty good against LSU last year in the BCS game when his team trailed and they put him in the shotgun.  I expect that Ohio State was trying to win without doing too much.  Does that mean they’ll beat USC?  Not necessarily.  Also, how good is USC?  We don’t really know.

Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday, 8:00 PM ET
Todd Ressing has been great for Kansas thus far this year.  South Florida has struggled.  This is the first chance for Kansas to show that last year was no fluke.  Will South Florida help redeem the reputation of the Big East, or will Kansas carry the Big 12 banner?

Wisconsin vs. Fresno State, Saturday, 10:30 PM ET
A lot of people were talking about this game before the year started because it has a legitimate BCS team in Wisconsin traveling to California to play at Fresno.  Give Wisconsin credit for answering the bell.  Last year Wisconsin almost got upset at UNLV, but they are willing to go wherever.  Fresno has already created a stir by beating Rutgers in Piscataway.

Ike is Coming

Ike is doing some interesting stuff with college football this week.  Hurricane Ike that is.  Ike appears to be headed for the Texas coast.  The Texas vs. Arkansas game in Austin (2:30 PM CT) appears to be in jeopardy with officials exploring the option of postponing or moving the game.  TCU has already announced that it is moving its game with Stanford in Fort Worth to 12:00 PM CT in stead of the scheduled start of 6:00 PM CT.

LSU seems to be intent with playing its game in Baton Rouge with North Texas on Saturday (7:00 PM CT).  There is also no word from Waco about a change in the Baylor game (11:30 AM CT).  The Houston Cougars are moving their game with Air Force to SMU’s Ford Stadium at 2:30 PM ET.  It will be a windy, wet mess throughout Southern, Central and North Texas.

I received a few questions from John who is behind the Nebraska Sports Journal.  I contribute from for them once in a while.  If you have a chance, check them out.  They are Cornhusker nuts!  They are eager for the return of the “Blackshirts.”  I have to say, I was watching a replay of the Nebraska game today on my new cable TV from AT&T Uverse, and coach Bo Pelini looked good as a Husker coach.  He looked like he belonged on their sidelines.  I hope he is able to restore their proud tradition.

Now the questions.

1. What kind of season do you think A & M will have. They have a strong Husker connection from last year’s coaches and also Tim Cassidy.

2. How good is Alabama? Can they beat Georgia on a neutral field today or USC? Is Saban that good of a coach/ He has a pretty good track record with wins.

3. Who do you think will win the North in the Big 12? Is Missouri a lock?

4. What is your game of the week? It could have been Florida and Miami but Miami has gone down hill.

Here are my answers.

Games of the Week

Wake Forest vs. Mississippi–WF defeated Baylor soundly, and Ole Miss looked pretty good in Houston Nutt’s debut.  We have a game between a coach who turned down the Arkansas Razorback head football coach job and a coach who left the Arkansas football head coaching job.  This will be a good early test for the Rebels to see if they are bowl worthy, and it will be a chance for the Deacons to get a little redemption for the ACC.

Louisiana Tech vs. Kansas–A lot of people weren’t talking Jayhawks coming into the season.  Back to earthy they would say about KU.  Louisiana Tech beat a Mississippi State Bulldog team that went to a bowl game last year and most people think Sylvester Croom has headed in the right direction.  Is La Tech for real?  We’ll see if they can stop KU’s “Blue Collar” spread attack.

I just don’t know about A&M. Their fans have already written them off for the season, but I have to think they have enough talent to be at least 6-6. However, it seems Oklahoma State is much improved, but Baylor ought to be someone they can beat.

About Alabama. I saw a mature, seasoned team on the field with Clemson. They dominated the line on both sides of the ball. They appeared to have made the offense more manageable for John Parker Wilson (the QB), and they seem to have the horses to run the ball. Their TE was super Saturday, too. As far as them beating Georgia or USC, that is hard know just yet. Alabama has a lot of freshmen on the field. They will make a mistake (most likely) at some point. I think that they might be able to line it up and go toe to toe with both teams.

As far as the Big 12 North goes, I am not sure about Mizzou. The score in the Illinois game tells me that their defense is not there yet. They gave up 451 yards to a QB who was known for his feet. Either way, giving up that many yards to any QB says that your defense is not quite ready to win a championship. I need to evaluate Kansas and Nebraska before making my analysis. Also, Colorado.

Todd