Week 2 Preview

The opening week games were analyzed and previewed to death. Everyone knew who was playing who and had talked about it for months. The second week is a different animal. Teams that performed well in their openers are looking to stay focused and begin to prove they are for real. Teams that got off to a bad start need to turn it around. I am going to do a little break down of some of the most interesting games this weekend. Tomorrow, I will preview the IU-Western Michigan game.

Notre Dame at Michigan (3:30 on ABC)
Michigan impressed everyone by blowing out Western Michigan in their home opener.  I thought Tate Forcier looked like a very confident and competent quarterback and Denard Robinson looked like one of the best athletes in the Big Ten.  The defense did a very good job on the Broncos usually high-scoring offense.  Notre Dame also impressed in week one by blasting Nevada.  The Irish did not give up any points to a team that finished second in the country in rushing offense a year ago.  These two rivals meet in the Big House in a game that has suddenly become very intriguing.  Notre Dame's roster is better and deeper than the Wolverines and I expect the Fighting Irish to win.  However, I expect this one to be close because Michigan looks much better than I thought they would.  My prediction is Notre Dame 35-24.

USC at Ohio State (8 on ESPN)

This game is a statement game for three different sides.  Ohio State has not won a marquee game for a few seasons (USC, Florida, Penn State, Texas).  People have begun to put OSU in the very good but not great category.  I happen to agree.  Ohio State is simply not on the same level as Florida, Texas or USC.  They don't have the athletes or the speed to match up.  The Big Ten is in the same boat as the Buckeyes.  The perception is that the conference is no longer an elite one.  USC is looking to prove that they are legitimate national contenders.  Despite a freshman quarterback and a completely rebuilt defense, they want to show the nation they are a force to be reckoned with this season.  I think the Trojans have the horses to get their statement across.  USC wins 42-17.

Houston at Oklahoma State (3:30 on ABC-regional action)

Talk about a trap game.  Oklahoma State is coming off the "biggest win in school history".  Now, the Houston Cougars come rolling into Stillwater.  The Cougars are very dangerous Conference USA squad with a lot of firepower.  Case Keenum is a good quarterback and they have the wide receivers to give the Cowboys trouble.  This is a much better offense than OK State saw last week against Georgia.  The problem for Houston is that the Cowboys have a very good offense as well.  I think Oklahoma State scores just enough to get the win at home, 42-35.

Purdue at Oregon (10:00 on FSI)

This game looked like a blowout if you saw it on the schedule a couple of weeks ago.  However, Oregon looked lost at Boise State and they won't have the services of their running back for the rest of the season.  Purdue was pretty impressive on offense against Toledo in their opener.  I don't expect the Boilers to win this game but I would not be surprised if it was interesting for a while.  Oregon will pull away in the fourth quarter for a 35-24 victory.  

Okay, I will preview the Indiana-Western Michigan tomorrow.  By the way, if you are an IU basketball fan, check out www.insidethehall.com.  There is a really cool video from Tom Crean's twitter account, a six-minute video about the individual workouts.  I love Tom Crean, a serious man crush.  Until next time, stay vigilant and God Bless America.