Well, No. 2 was right on the mark last week by calling the 'Canes-Gators matchup as the "must-see match of the week" but way off with his prediction the Terps would upset the 'Noles.
MSU and U-M will finally have a real nonconference test in week 4, not that the Spartans ever make it easy on themselves. The Irish stumble into Ann Arbor after a long night in South Bend, Ind., last weekend with Washington State, and the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech will be out to prove that, regardless of their 48-9 loss to Miami, they can play with the big boys.
No. 1 (Jon Styf) improved to 9-1 after enjoying a perfect week, while No. 2 (Jon Malavolti) slipped to 7-3.
Michigan State vs. Louisiana Tech
No. 2 - As tough as it is to comprehend what Terry Bradshaw is talking about on TV, it's even tougher to figure out how good his alma mater, Louisiana Tech, is.
The Bulldogs were blown out at home by Miami in their season opener, 48-9. Then, a week later, they stomped all over my Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette (Yes, I do have the hat), 34-3.
Still, I'm banking on MSU to do what they do best. Bulldogs head coach Jack Bicknell posts an odd 4-14 record when his team has fewer penalties than its opponents. The Spartans rank at the not-so-odd spot of worst in the Big Ten at committing penalties. So, by logic yet uncovered by science, MSU will head into South Bend undefeated, barely. MSU 31, La. Tech 24
No. 1 - With dreams of Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards in their minds, Luke McCown and Chris Norwood are set for an aerial attack against the Spartans.
The unfortunate part for the Spartans is that their pass defense is their biggest worry. Agim "The Dream" will catch his touchdown pass from "The Manheim Steamroller" Jeff Smoker. Just think, after this he'll only need 11 straight games to tie Charles Rogers' NCAA record.
This will be a high-scoring affair and this might be a shocker. I think the MSU season will go downhill from here. Don't hate me for this pick, Spartan faithful. I'm just going with recent history on this one. La. Tech 42, MSU 38
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 15 Notre Dame
No. 2 - If things went according to my plans, both teams would be abducted by aliens and dropped off on the dark side of the moon. But just like Maryland proved last weekend, things hardly ever go my way.
Can Chris Perry keep rolling over opponents, or will Notre Dame's overtime energy last long enough to pull off a victory at the Big House? The Irish allowed only 55 yards on the ground against the Cougars, but 274 in the air. This one will come down to exactly what no single "fan" of the Maize and Blue wants to hear - the play of John Navarre.
The Irish played ugly last week until the fourth quarter, but they won't be able to turn on the jets if they stumble out of the gates in Ann Arbor. At least the Wolverines will soften up Tyrone Willingham and company in a tight contest - one week before MSU plays the Irish. U-M 27, ND 24
No. 1 - Notre Dame has the "luck of the Irish," so don't think last week's close win over Washington State means a thing.
Michigan and Perry will get knocked off their national championship dreams in this one.
The Irish's secret weapon: Their receivers. Omar Jenkins, Maurice Stovall, Rhema McKnight and Jared Clark are great targets, it's just a matter of whether Carlyle Holiday can get them the ball.
Julius Jones and Ryan Grant are running close to six yards per carry, so that can't be good for the suspect Michigan run D. ND 24, U-M 14
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 24 North Carolina State
No. 1 - Philip Rivers. That's all you need to know. Yeah, they lost last week. But Rivers threw 49 times.
Superback T.A. McLendon is likely out again, so it will all be up to Rivers, and that gives the Buckeyes' superior defense a lot of room to attack the passing game.
The Bucks - yes, it's a stupid nut - have one of the best defenses in the country and they'll make it tough for the Wolfpack to win this one. OSU 28, N.C. State 20
No. 2 - Rivers won't overcome the Buckeyes, but off-the-field distractions will. Rumors swirling about Maurice Clarett's future will have the defending champs' heads spinning so fast they're going to spin out this weekend against the Wolfpack.
The Buckeyes just don't have that same drive they harnessed so well last year en route to the Fiesta Bowl. N.C. State is coming off a tough loss to Wake Forest (I'm getting ready to jump on the Demon Deacon bandwagon) and they are hungry to get back above .500. N.C. State 24, OSU 21
No. 4 Southern California vs. Hawaii
No. 1 - Timmy Chang is likely coming back, and Southern Cal doesn't have to deal with the Hawaii travel jinx, so they should have an easy time with this one.
Matt Leinart has fit in well since replacing Carson Palmer and the Warriors (formerly known as the Rainbows) defense isn't going to be much of a challenge.
It will be a shootout, but the Trojans will win. USC 49, Hawaii 31
No. 2 - With the probable return of Chang, I'd like to say Hawaii will hang tight with the Trojans. But the preseason All-American Warriors quarterback probably won't be 100 percent and USC will storm all over him.
USC is ready to prove its shutout of Auburn was no fluke. Hawaii won't be a season-defining test, but more so than BYU, which USC defeated last week. Another big win here will vault the Trojans into the minds of many when it comes to the Sugar Bowl. USC 44, Hawaii 17
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 25 South Carolina
No. 1 - This is the Gamecocks' biggest rival outside of Clemson; it's just a matter of whether the fans from the Palmetto State can find their way out of the state and to Athens.
South Carolina quarterback Dondrial Pinkins is an unknown and true freshman backup. Tailback Demetris Summers is the most explosive newcomer in the nation.
The only problem is the Bulldogs' combination of quarterback David Greene to receiver Fred Gibson. That means trouble for the Gamecocks. USC 31, UGA 21
No. 2 - The only thing uglier in college football than fans packed at the Big House is Uga, the sixth version of Georgia's mascot. But Uga is still not as ugly as this game will be.
This matchup of good ol' boys - which has been around since 1894 - will result in some bad new bruises. The winner of this game will have to be strong enough to survive this classic SEC border-war, and I'll take a Bulldog over a Gamecock any day. The defending SEC champs will march right into the conference season with a big win. UGA 28, USC 19
