The opening weekend of college football began and ended with lots of excitement. In what is usually an anticipated, but uneventful weekend, the first week of action this year brought several marquee match ups within the top 25 that resulted in a lot of movement in the polls. BYU pulled off the biggest upset of the weekend with it’s win over #3 Oklahoma that vaulted them up 11 spots in the polls. In other action, Boise State knocked Oregon out of the top 25 and Alabama proved it will once again be a force at the top of the polls. Here’s a couple headlines you might see after week 2 is over, along with JIB Picks:

Jimmy Clausen and the Fighting Irish are hoping to knock off Michigan this weekend.

Next Coach Out?

No two head coaches have been more highly scrutinized than Notre Dame‘s Charlie Weis and Michigan‘s Rich Rodriguez. Going into this week’s match up in Ann Arbor, fans of both sides are satisfied. It’s definitely a new low for both schools when they are excited after wins over Nevada and Western Michigan, but one of them will be back into pessimistic mode after this game. Weis and his Fighting Irish have an easier road ahead of them. With exception to the USC Trojans making a stop in South Bend to pound the Irish in a couple weeks, the Irish do not play another ranked team and are catching most teams on a “down year.” The Big 10 (with 11 teams in it, and Notre Dame as an unofficial 12th team) is having a down year as a whole. Rodriguez and his Wolverines have the tougher road, having to play Ohio State and Penn Statethis year. A win against Notre Dame could be a nice springboard to prove to themselves they can win against a ranked team, but the Irish will dash those hopes and be the sixth team in eight games to beat Michigan in “The Big House” under Rodriguez.

Buckeyes Get Cracked

 Ohio State was exposed greatly as they nearly escaped Navy last weekend. Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor was pressured and the Buckeye defense seemed to be on their heels most of the game. USC’s greatest weapon they have against the Buckeyes will be their speed, on both offense and defense. Trojans freshman quarterback Matt Barkley was largely untested in his debut at home against an inferior San Jose State squad, his ability to stay poised and mistake-free will be a huge factor in the outcome of this game. Ohio State has struggled recently in big time games.  They lost last year’s match up to USC at the Coliseum and ended their season with a bitter loss in the Fiesta Bowl to Texas. Ohio State needs this win to prove themselves as a legitimate contender for the National Championship and to defend the accusation that the Big 10 Conference is on the outs, it’s too bad USC is standing in the way.

MWC Strikes Again

The Mountain West Conference has plead it’s case more than any other conference that they belong with the big boys. Last year they beat out the PAC-10 in head-to-head match ups, and had three teams finish in the top 25 (those same three also started this year in the top 25). The Utah Utes made a huge statement at the end of last year when they beat #4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and BYU made a huge statement last weekend by defeating #3 Oklahoma. UNLV is by no means a powerhouse in the MWC, but they do play well at home and defeated PAC-10 school Arizona State last year on the road. The Oregon State Beavers are well acquainted with the role of “giant killer,” they have filled that role in being USC’s worst enemy in recent years, this week they will be on the other side as UNLV will leave them not missing Vegas.

USC running back Joe McKnight is looking to carve through the Buckeye defense this weekend.

JIB Picks

Last Week: 17-3 / Overall: 17-3

#1 Florida – Troy / #2 Texas – Wyoming / #3 USC – #7 Ohio State / #4 Alabama – Florida International / #5 Penn State – Syracuse / #6 Oklahoma State – Houston / #8 Ole’ Miss (Bye) / #9 LSU – Vanderbilt / #10 California – Eastern Washington / #11 Boise State – Miami(OH) / #12 BYU – Tulane / #13 Georgia Tech – Clemson / #14 Oklahoma – Idaho State / #15 Virginia Tech - Marshall / #16 TCU – Virginia / #17 Utah – San Jose State / #18 Nebraska – Arkansas State / #19 North Carolina- Connecticut / #20 Notre Dame – Michigan / #21 Georgia – South Carolina / #22 Miami / #23 Cincinnati - Southeast Missouri State / #24 Oregon State - UNLV / #25 Kansas – UTEP

Tags: College Football

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