What to look for: Week 2

Obviously the sexy matchup is USC at Ohio State, but let's look at some other stuff that might be of interest this weekend.

1: North Carolina @ UConn (this would be the best matchup of the week on the hardwood, no doubt). The ACC is in need of a big win, and while this isn't HUGE, it's still something. North Carolina is supposed to be for real under Butch Davis. UConn is the biggest test/best measuring stick the Tar Heels will have outside of conference (not that they couldn't lose to East Carolina...). Randy Edsall at UConn places a lot of emphasis on special teams, it's not Beamer Ball, but it's still pretty good. Early in the year, with offenses and defenses playing a little sloppy, that could be the key in this game.

2: The bounce-back game. How do teams respond after a poor showing in week 1? Virginia hosts TCU after losing to I-AA William & Mary (actually you can place almost all ACC teams in here...). Iowa travels to in-state rival Iowa State after a close call with I-AA in-state "rival" Northern Iowa. Ball State, Oregon, Georgia, Illinois, OU, New Mexico could probably all go on this list. Ohio State didn't play so hot last week either against a tough Navy team. The thing with playing Navy is: 11 guys hit 11 guys on EVERY play. How will the Buckeyes recover from that physicality, especially going against a team with a similar philosophy but bigger, stronger, faster athletes?

3: The let-down game. After picking up big wins or playing above expectations, will teams be able to carry the momentum in week 2? BYU is the major headliner here, heading into a different type of shrine, the Superdome. But North Texas, Oklahoma State, Alabama, California, Colorado State all played above expectations this week. Now some of these play I-AA teams this week, so there shouldn't be a letdown...Other teams I am interested to see in week 2 are Washington and Navy: though they lost their openers, they both played better than anybody thought they would (except for me...) against top 10-15 teams.

4: The upset bid. Last week you had an upset or two, will there be another one this week? There are some big teams playing road games against inferior opponents that might be able to shock them. Texas goes to Wyoming, Kansas travels to UTEP, BYU at Tulane, Utah at San Jose State. They are all big favorites in the game: but that is why you PLAY the game. Other ranked teams that may get a little more than they expect in home games: Florida from Troy's D, Oklahoma State with Houston's O, and Alabama from FIU's toughness.

5: The Mountain West's second overture. TCU plays at Virginia, BYU at Tulane, Wyoming hosts Texas, Air Force plays at Minnesota for the unveiling of their new on-campus stadium, New Mexico hosts Tulsa, Utah plays at San Jose State in a late game, and UNLV hosts Oregon State. The others play I-AA teams. They SHOULD get 5 wins, but it would do a lot for the conference if they could pick up 7 or 8. I don't think Wyoming or New Mexico can pull it off, but if Air Force could do what Navy couldn't quite do: beat a Big Ten on the road, and UNLV can shock Oregon State like it did Arizona State last season, the conference can crow for the second straight week about its worthiness to be a BCS conference. BYU and Utah are both playing trap games: light opponents on the road right before a big-time game against a big-name opponent.