Both our progsters are picking the Spartans to slay the Irish. If they're right, expect a flag to be planted in the press box.

Steve Highfield (8-3) is a State News football reporter. Reach him at highfie4@msu.edu.

Ethan Conley (7-4) is a State News football reporter. Reach him at conleyet@msu.edu.

No. 12 Notre Dame at MSU

at Spartan Stadium

ON TV ABC

SH: MSU 34, Notre Dame 31

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time, MSU was an underdog against an unranked Pittsburgh team, and Notre Dame was untouchable as the No. 2 team in the country. A week later, Notre Dame's weaknesses on defense have been exposed, and MSU's offense is rolling. The Spartans won a thriller in South Bend, Ind. last year against a more talented Irish team, so logic says they can pull this one out. MSU football doesn't always follow logic, but I'm sticking with them until they prove me wrong.

EC: MSU 45, Notre Dame 38

Michigan didn't do MSU any favors last week with the beating it gave Notre Dame. The Irish are going to come out swinging and try to show the Spartans that last week's embarrassing loss was a fluke. But this is MSU-Notre Dame. It's not going to be a blowout — it's going to come down to the wire. And MSU (finally) seems to have hit its stride after working out the last kinks in the first quarter against Pittsburgh. MSU wins in another shootout. Don't be surprised if the two teams combine for at least 1,000 yards of total offense.

No. 24 Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State

3:30 p.m. Saturday

at Ohio Stadium

ON TV NBC

SH: Ohio State 27, Penn State 13

I really hope this game turns out to be a close contest between two elite Big Ten teams, but I just can't see it happening. Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli was just 11-of-27 at home last week against Division I-AA Youngstown State. A quarterback with a Mike McMahon-esque completion percentage has little chance of going on the road and knocking off the No. 1 team. Very little.

EC: Ohio State 35, Penn State 10

The Nittany Lions have looked progressively worse each week. Last year's team thrived because of a great defense that gave Michael Robinson a chance to make clutch plays late in games. Neither factor exists on this year's team. Penn State has great sophomore talents at running back and wide receiver, but it's not nearly enough. The Buckeyes will roll.

No. 22 Arizona State at No. 21 Cal

3:30 p.m. Saturday

at Memorial Stadium

SH: Cal 31, Arizona State 24

College football's schedule-makers overloaded on great matchups last week, so we're stuck with this game for this week. Here's what I know about Arizona State — after quarterback Sam Keller was named the starter Friday before classes started this fall, Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter abruptly reversed that decision and offered up gems like, "I made a mistake on the quarterback position, and I'm changing my mind," and, "It didn't have anything to do with how the quarterbacks played." That must be reassuring for all the Sun Devils who were worried their performance on the field would affect their playing time.

EC: Cal 38, Arizona State 28

Koetter isn't the only coach with a case of quarterback indecision. Cal's starter for the season opener, Nate Longshore, couldn't move the offense to save his life against Tennessee. Joe Ayoob hasn't been much better. But I'll take the Golden Bears for two reasons — home-field advantage and running back Marshawn Lynch. The scoreboard operator will be busy, though — what else would you expect from a Pac-10 game?