#1 Ohio State

Walter - The Buckeyes started slow against Cincinnati but still ended up winning in a blowout. Not surprising given their matchup with Penn State looming this week (the Nittany Lions beat them last season), but truly great teams show up for every game. Remember the name Jim Laurinaitis, the young Buckeye linebacker playing like a seasoned veteran.

Frazier - Ohio State did what they needed to do on Saturday. They won 37-7, and weren't legitimately tested. They avoided serious injuries which is far more important in this game to this team than whether they started slow or not.

#2 Auburn

Walter - Unbelievable performance by the Tigers defense holding the same LSU offense that hung 45 on Arizona and 43 on Miami in the Peach Bowl to zero touchdowns. For an old school football guy such as myself, the hard hitting, smashmouth game on Saturday was one of the most enjoyable I have ever seen. Auburn's matchup with Florida on Oct. 14 could be even better.

Frazier - Auburn's defense was spectacular on Saturday, as they made big plays all over the field. Irons had a tough day against another great defense, but Cox managed the game well enough to get the win. If their defense plays to its' ability, and the offense is solid and doesn't make mistakes, they will be right in the title hunt.

#3 Michigan

Walter - Never in a million years could anyone predict that Michigan would come up with such an utterly dominant offensive performance. True the Irish defense looked slow and a step behind all day, but if Michigan can continue with that kind of offensive balance they are going to be tough to beat.

Frazier - I'm still worried that the Wolverines of old will reappear, and waste the immense talent that they showed on Saturday. Still, they walked into Notre Dame and simply smacked the #2 team in the country around for four quarters. Harder to have a more impressive win. The offense was electric, and the defense made Brady Quinn look like a freshman, and Charlie Weiss like he was in over his head. Amazing.

#4 USC

Walter - USC's overall performance against Nebraska was nothing special. They always seemed poised to pull away from a Cornhuskers team more concerned with not getting blown out that actually winning the game. Lost, however, was the performance of John David Booty who was outstanding for the third straight week and has a 69% completion percentage, 518 yards, and six TD's without a pick so far this season. If it's possible, the Trojans aren't missing Matt Leinart at all.

Frazier - Booty was excellent, and the USC defense showed that it has the talent to shut down just about anybody. Last year's team would have taken the final step and utterly demolished Nebraska, but it's hard to quibble with such a dominating performance on both sides of the ball.

#5 Florida

Walter - Unlike Oklahoma, the Gators did not let a blown call (the phantom clipping penalty) snatch defeat from the hands of victory. If the season ended today Chris Leak would be in NY for the Heisman ceremony, and the Florida offense has a lot more weapons that it has since Spurrier left town (Harvin, Leak, Caldwell, Wynn). With their defense, the Gators may only lose to Auburn at Auburn, and they'd potentially have an opportunity to avenge that loss in the SEC title game.

Frazier - Chris Leak has shown incredible poise, especially with all the rumblings he's been hearing about Tebow this year. Still, he has been excellent, and combined with an excellent Gator defense, this bunch is going to be a very, very tough out. They walked into a rabid environment, and got out with the win, making the plays down the stretch that needed to be made.

#6 Louisville

Walter - If Bobby Petrino's value was ever questioned, let it be put to rest after he continued to shred a very talented Miami defense with a scarcely recruited RB (Stripling) and a walk-on QB (Hunter Cantwell). The kid Cantwell can play, and at a rocket armed 6'5'' he looks like a potential NFL pick who is more than capable of holding down the fort until the showdown with West Virginia. If Brohm is back for that game, it should still be for a spot in the BCS and the national title game if Louisville wins.

Frazier - If you'd told me that Louisville would dominate Miami in the second half with both Brohm and Bush watching from the sidelines, well, I would have said you're crazy. Absolutely insane. The reason they pulled it off is because of the guy standing next to them on the sidelines, Bobby Petrino. Cantwell looked very solid, and confident in the offense, and his coach put him in a position to succeed. This Louisville program is going to be legit for a long, long time, no matter who is running the plays. An absolutely virtuouso performance. I can't wait for the WVU game, and I can only hope that Brohm is 100% for that clash.

#7 Georgia

Walter - True it was against UAB, but a second straight shutout is impressive. If the Bulldog defense can keep playing this well while Freshman Matt Stafford gets his feet wet, this team may be ready to compete with the likes of Florida, Auburn and LSU prior to 2007 (as I initially predicted). Still, this teams looks likely to start 8-0 and finish 10-2.

Frazier - Another week, another shutout. It's become a matter of pride to the Bulldog defenders, as they simply don't want to get scored on under any circumstances. This is definitely a good thing considering they have an inexperienced freshman running the other side of the ball. Still, Stafford looked solid both running and passing, and a consistent, mistake-free effort from him along with Georgia's defense will give them a shot against anybody. Poor Joe T, he's missing all the fun.

#8 West Virginia

Walter - The Steve Slaton show was awesome on Thursday night, but lets remember that it was against Maryland. This team's schedule is so bad that they don't deserve to play for the national title even if they beat Louisville at Papa John's stadium. Awarding them a place in the national title game for going undefeated does nothing more than penalize other teams for scheduling tough non-conference games instead of the East Carolinas and Marylands of the nation. We all loved OSU-Texas, and USC-Nebraska, to make sure those games happen in the future, West Virginia must be penalized. [OK I will not get down from my soap box.]

Frazier - I'll worry about title implications when/if we get there. For now I'm just enjoying watching this team play any time I get the chance. Like everyone else, I'd love to see them take on some more legitimate opposition. Still, you play the opponents on your schedule, and Slaton and Co. have been pasting that bunch. Remember, this schedule was set years ago, and the Big East defections have caused lots of scheduling issues. I don't think there is a team in America who really knows how good that spread option attack really is, and are hoping that Louisville will prevent them from having to find out.

#9 Oregon

Walter - Oregon is such a phony it's no longer funny. The officials handed them the game on Saturday, and in doing so embarrassed the Pac-10. This team is lucky to be 3-0 (they should be 1-2), and they have angered the football Gods. I say their luck runs out over the next four weeks (at Arizona State, at California, UCLA at home, at Washington State) and the Ducks are FAR removed from national prominence by the time they head into USC on Nov. 11.

Frazier - I am not defending the officials. Oklahoma should have won that game, and if they did, they would be here. But Oregon got an excellent performance from Dixon at the helm, and Stewart had another fabulous, tough, game. It's too bad the effort, and performances of the Duck players has been overshadowed by all the controversy. It's not like they cheated, they got some breaks, just like they did against Fresno St. and they took advantage of them. A lesser team would not have been able to. Bellotti has been a very good coach for a number of years now, and his team deserves credit for hanging tough.

#10 Boston College

Walter - After two straight double OT wins BC finally sneaks into the power 10. Their win against Clemson looks a lot better after they dropped FSU in Tallahassee on Sat. and now the Eagles find themselves in the drivers seat for the ACC title. Unlike other ACC contenders (outside of Clemson) BC can both run and throw the football effectively. QB Matt Ryan is one of the best kept secrets in the nation, and the Eagles enviable depth at RB (LV Whitworth, Andre Callender, and the electrifying freshman Jeff Smith) ensure that they will be a tough game for any opponent. Assuming they don't have a let down this week against NC State (a good bet given coach Tom O'Brien's track record), the BC-Virginia Tech game looms ever larger as both teams could find themselves ranked in the top 15.

Frazier - The 323 is going with the home town team for this last spot. The rule over here is that if you have a loss, you have to actually beat someone to make the power rankings. That's why LSU, which is still an excellent team in theory didn't make it. They lost against the only legit opponent they've played. Oh, and no Notre Dame bullshit, close losses are still losses. No moral victories here. So BC gets the nod, because they beat a quality Clemson team that handled Florida St. at home. The Eagles have been escape artists this year, and their overtime victory over BYU wasn't a brilliant game, but they have shown grit and determination, and have made clutch plays in dire circumstances. Excellent coaching and offensive balance have propelled BC to these lofty heights, although they need to keep improving, and not suffer a letdown after some emotionally and physically draining battles, to remain in such exclusive company.

I was right about the Louisville-Miami matchup. Brohm's deadly accuracy on the crossing patterns and underneath routes opened the field vertically for Mario Uruttia (rather than the other way around) and was ultimately the Hurricane's undoing. On offense, Miami couldn't get anything going against a Cardinals front 7 that is better than they get credit for. Miami really missed Ryan Moore, or any other gamebreaking WR, as they were unable to take advantage of the less skilled Louisville secondary. You think that may come into play against West Virginia.

I was wrong about the Michigan-Notre Dame matchup. Well, kind of. Michigan won the game exactly how I argued they could in my "Why Michigan Will Win" post. The problem was that I didn't buy that argument when making my picks. The Notre Dame defense showed its true colors when forced to defend against a complete offense. The Irish have proved they can stop a one dimensional team, but Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, and Co. were just way way way too much.

I was right about Tennessee and Erik Ainge. They played tough on defense, and Justin Harrell's performance was inspiring, but they were clearly the inferior team on Sat. Erik Ainge reverted back to his old mediocre self while Chris Leak carried his team when he needed to. Tennessee's offense was totally overmatched, needing a trick play to stay in the game, which, not so coincidentally, produced the best Tennessee passing play of the day (it wasn't thrown by Ainge).

I was wrong about Florida. They may be the most talented team in the country top to bottom. They have game breakers on offense (Leak, Caldwell, Harvin), and a ferocious defense (Siler, Moss). They are more complete and more balanced than any team in the top 10 and if not for a brutal schedule (which is looking easier by the week by the way) they might be the favorite to win the SEC.

I was right about Clemson. That spread was absolutely absurd. Like I said, if not for that flukey play at BC the spread would have been 1 or 2 points. Clemson was clearly the better team against FSU and would have blown them out if not for some inexcusable special teams breakdowns.

I was wrong about Bill Callahan. Nebraska has a ton of offensive talent but Callahan's gameplan was as ridiculous as the play of the Clemson PAT unit. Nebraska is a West Coast offense team yet they only attempted 17 passes the entire game. They averaged 1.9 yards per carry yet still attempted 36 running plays! USC never put the game away, and Callahan's gutless play calling cost his team a chance to win.

I was right about Oregon being total frauds. They couldn't handle Oklahoma all day and needed a desperation play, several blown calls by the officials, and yet another desperation play to win a game at HOME. Honestly, the Ducks stink. They were lucky to win against Fresno, and they were touched by the hand of God against Oklahoma. This isn't karma, it's luck. Oklahoma badly outplayed them and deserved to win that game. Oregon's season will be all downhill from here.

I was wrong about Oklahoma's defense. As bad as the refs were, the Sooners defense still had a chance to step up and make a play. They didn't, they lost. I was shocked Bob Stoops commented on the officiating rather than taking his defense to task for letting Oregon march down the field twice in the last two minutes. Put it this way, Bill Belichick would never have made those comments.

Just felt the need to explain the official 323 rationale regarding the Heisman race. While from time to time either of us might mention someone as a "Heisman hopeful" or "having a shot at the Heisman" we aren't really into tracking individual awards this early in the season. We feel that we should give all players an equal opportunity to state their case for the prize before we start picking favorites. With our power rankings we understand that by the end of the year there will only be a couple of undefeated teams, and so what we think now ultimately won't decide the thing. This is less true of the Heisman, where perception is often a lot more important than results. So at some point later in the year we'll start handicapping the Heisman race, and maybe some of the other major awards, but for now we just want to take the opportunity to enjoy the performances, and evaluate all these players in a vaccuum.

This was a tough week for me, as I consistently out-smarted myself. I made some really pertinent points in our preview of the games, and then I went against my own logic with my picks. In a lot of ways I think I was wrong because I got too caught up with the inertia, and was too resistent to change. College football is many times a game of inertia, teams build up winning streaks, and certain teams just have another team's number. So I figured that Miami still had an edge on Louisville, even though I knew the talent was on the Cardinals' side of the field. And I bought into the inertia of my inability to think about Notre Dame rationally, so I decided I'd stop thinking about them, and just go with the flow. Anyways, it's another Monday, and I've got another huge helping of crow on my plate, and plenty more excuses to follow.

I was right about:

Being concerned with Jamarcus Russel. His team needed a big game, and he failed to deliver. No matter how good your defense is (and his was phenomenal) you really need more than 3 points to win, especially on the road.

I was wrong about:

Michigan. They came to play, their talented skill position players showed up, as Hart, Henne and Manningham all had excellent games. The defense was solid, and opportunistic, and this team had the balls to just bury a team when they had the chance. They were ruthlessly efficient turning mistakes into points, and created plenty of mistakes.

I was right about:

Notre Dame. I know I picked them, ok. I know this. But I've also been telling anyone who will listen that this is on overrated bunch, that the hype machine is at full blast, and they still haven't proven anything. So far in his tenure Charlie Weiss has the same record Willingham had, and both were blown out by Michigan. I think Charlie is the better coach, but they really haven't shown me anything. Quinn was dreadful, Samardzija looked like he should stick to baseball, and their secondary, which looked like a serious weakness heading into the year, was abysmal. I am furious with myself for not picking the upset. I knew it was going to happen to a Big Ten school with offensive balance, I just bet on the wrong horse.

I was wrong about:

Louisville worrying about Miami. I knew the Cardinals had the talent, I just didn't think they'd get over the hump.

I was wrong about:

Miami's defense. They needed a huge preformance to have a shot, and they simply failed to deliver. The quarterbacks had too much time, the replacement backs ran solidly, and they made some huge plays in the passing game, which simply wasn't supposed to happen.

I was right about:

Petrino being as brilliant as Coker is terrible. In their last seven losses, Miami has been outscored 79-3 after halftime, and 21-0 on Saturday. What does Coker do during the break, while other teams are finding ways to win? Petrino proved that Louisville's best player is whoever is running his plays.

I was wrong about:

Miami being able to bring back the swagger. They tried, by stomping the Cardinal's logo at midfield, but they couldn't back that up, proving themselves to be nothing more than a paper tiger.

I was right about:

That 40-3 drubbing by LSU being a turning point for Hurricane's program, and not the good kind.

I was wrong about:

Tennessee. They may have lost, but they fought hard as hell, and showed some real guts even in defeat.

I was right about:

Erik Ainge. He reverted to form. While he might not have single-handedly lost that game, if he manages something better than 17/33 for 184 yards and 2 interceptions his team can probably overcome the single point defeat.

I was wrong about:

Florida St. I was just wrong. Another team that can't rely on its' history, it's athleticism, and it's swagger. They just got out-played, and their offense is downright putrid.

I was right about:

The Oklahoma-Oregon game. If not for the absolutely absurd call at the end, the final would have been 33-27, slightly off my predicted score of 31-27. Peterson was an absolute beast, with 34 carries for 211 yards. Credit to Jonathan Stewart, he was great, and Oregon made some plays, but the officials get the victory.

I was wrong about:

More scoring in LSU-Auburn. I mean, I knew the game would be a defensive showcase, and yet I convinced myself that these teams would find a way to score. They didn't. LSU did essentially shut down Irons, and Cox was nothing spectacular, although he didn't need to be, and a lot can be said for avoiding mistakes. I was even right that Russel wouldn't have enough to get it done. Really, I should have called the final 10-7 like I wanted to, and just have been done with it.

I was right about:

Nebraska-USC, sort of. Since Nebraska simply played not to get blown out, the final margin is somewhat deceiving. An alleged "west coast" offense, Nebraska consistently tried to pound the ball, bleed the clock, and get out with some semblence of "respect" in regards to the final score. Except that they made virtually no effort to actually win the game. Still, USC opened the big margin I predicted, except that Nebraska didn't bother trying to throw the ball to close the gap in the last minutes. Also, USC would have scored more if there had been any need, and if Nebraska hadn't been so determined to bleed the clock when they were in a huge hole. I'm taking credit for this one, dammit.

I was wrong about:

Oh, I probably shouldn't have called them the Michigan Wolver-choke-artists. Yeah, they shut me up. It's amazing what happens when you actually play up to your ability.

Ok, I need to pick these weeks games so I don't have to post a whole "Student Body" column about my points from the preview. I was making an argument, not picking winners. Here's how I really think it will play out (and now I get to be wrong about the scores too, dammit).

Notre Dame -7.5 vs. Michigan

I'm not betting against these guys for awhile, especially at home, especially when the Michigan Wolver-choke-artists are in town. Notre Dame has a fast start for the first time this year and never looks back. Notre Dame 34-20.

Miami +6 at Louisville

I am not impressed with Miami, don't get me wrong. And maybe this IS the year the Cardinals break through. But, I doubt it. Miami escapes 24-20.

Oklahoma +3.5 at Oregon

They won the bowl game last year, and I don't see any reason this year is different. Adrian Peterson runs wild. Oklahoma 31-27.

Florida St. -5 vs. Clemson

Only one Bowden in this contest is worth a damn, and it ain't Tommy and it ain't Jeff. Pops has saved Tommy's job before, but not this time. 'Noles 21-10.

Nebraska +18.5 at USC

USC wins the game handily, but since Nebraska can pass the ball now, they can close any gap with garbage touchdowns. I like the big man's predicted final, we'll tweak it, 38-24.

Auburn -2.5 vs. LSU

Jamarcus Russel worries me. I think he makes the big mistakes in the big game, with the intensity level just too much for him. Another disappointing game, 24-13.

Florida -4 at Tennessee

The Gators are favored on the road for a reason. Injuries are too much for the Vols, Ainge reverts to form, and the Gator D finally gets some love. Florida 27-17.

@ Notre Dame -7.5 over Michigan

What's that famous saying, losers bet against streaks, winners bet with them? Michigan hasn't won a road opener in six seasons and has dropped 3 of it's last 4 games to the Irish. Still, the Wolverines present the biggest test to Notre Dame this season until they travel to USC. As my pick may indicate, count me as a one who has been converted by the new and improved Irish defense that probably still isn't getting the credit it deserves. Particularly the Irish secondary has shown marked improvement in 2006. True Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson (who is utterly uncoverable) made plays against them, but they completey erased every other Yellow Jacket reciever (the next highest Tech reciever had 2 catches for 10 yards). Against Penn State, the Irish secondary held Derrick Williams to 3 catches for 12 yards. Michigan doesn't have any reciever as good as either of those two, nor do they have anyone tough enough to go over the middle and pick up first downs against the terrifying safety duo of Tom Zbikowski and Chinedum Ndukwe. With Charlie Weis and Brady Quinn leading the Irish offensive attack they are going to put points on the board. They torched Penn State for 41, and Michigan has yet to prove they have the type of playmakers on defense that can slow the Irish down. With the Irish running up and down the field, Michigan won't be able to rely on their best offensive player, RB Mike Hart, and will have to rely on a passing game that is inconsistent at best, turnover prone at worst. If the Irish get a lead early this could become a laugher. Let's call it Notre Dame 30-17.

@ Louisville -6 over Miami

While losing Michael Bush is devestating for this game, Brian Brohm and the Cardinals are just the better team right now even without Bush. To be honest, as good as Michael Bush was, he wasn't going to win this game for Lousiville. Miami has proven time and time again that they can shut down anybody's running game (just ask Florida State). But Lousiville presents an incredibly intriguing matchup that pits Bobby Petrino's "spread west coast offense" against the top secondary in college football. This matchup is where the game will be won and lost and there are two reasons it favors Lousiville: (1) Bobby Petrino is the top offensive passing game coach in the world right now, and (2) Brian Brohm has absolute mastery of this offense. The way you beat this Miami secondary is to take what they give you (you listening Drew Weatherford?). Hurricane corners and safeties have always been ball hawks, and love to capitalize on mistaken reads. Expect Petrino to stretch the Miami defense by sending receivers deep, but run a lot of crossing patterns and option routes underneath. Brohm is smart enough to take what Miami will give him so expect a high completion percentage, and lots of short throws. In essence, Petrino will use these underneath routes as a defacto running game, because he has enough faith in Brohm throwing these balls that they are just as safe as a handoff. Louisville won't put up 50 points or anything, but they will put up more than enough to win. The Miami offense has yet to show any consistency, and even the return of top tailback Tyone Moss is not going to provide enough big plays. The Cardinals defense is actually very stout agains the run. Where they struggle is in the secondary, and the Canes loss of top WR Ryan Moore is really going to hurt them in this game. Expect Kyle Wright to put up decent numbers, but without his top wideout he will be fighting an uphill battle. Louisville wins and covers at home, but just barely at 27-20.

Oklahoma +3.5 over @ Oregon

Okay, this could be it for me and Oregon. If they are able to knock off the Sooners I might be forced to admit defeat. But I don't think it's gonna happen. Look for lots and lots of points to be scored in this one. Oregon's defense has been inconsistent this season and now has lost starting corner Jackie Bates for the rest of the year. Oklahoma's offense revolves around Adrian Peterson (duh!) and this is a bad thing for Oregon. Against Fresno State, the Bulldogs pounded on the Oregon front 7 all night, with Dwayne Wright ripping through them time and again. It's hard to imagine the Ducks coming up with an answer for the best back in the nation. At the back end, the very young Oregon secondary had been playing outstanding football for most of the season despite losing both starting corners to graduation. Even when healthy, the Oklahoma passing game was supposed to provide the unit with its first real test. Paul Thompson took a big step forward against Washington, completing 21 of 33 passes and 2 TD. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Sooners found their big play wideout in Malcolm Kelly who caught 6 passes for 121 yards and both of Thompson's touchdowns. Look for the Sooners to run the ball and force Oregon to bring stud safet Patrick Chung into the box. Even with 8 in the box I am not convinced the Ducks can stop Adrian Peterson, but it will at least provide Thompson and Kelly with more opportunities to make plays in the passing game. On the other side of the ball it is hard to say what is going to happen. The Sooner defense is probably more talented than the Ducks offense, but Mike Bellotti's spread formations traditionally give nonconference teams fits. Duck tailback Jonathan Stewart was outstanding in his first game, but he probably won't be 100% for this one. The Ducks have a veteran O-Line and the Sooners a veteran front 7, Oregon will make some plays on the ground but this game could come down to Dennis Dixon's arm, something Bellotti does not want. There will be a lot of points scored and this should be a close game. This will be Paul Thompson's statement game for Oklahoma as the Sooners vault back into the national title picture with a 35-34 win.

Clemson +5 over @ Florida State

I think one thing is for certain in this game, it won't be decided by the running games. Florida State boasts the uncommon combination of top run defense in the nation, and second to worst run offense in the nation. However, I may be getting ahead of myself somewhat by saying that. In Clemson, the Seminoles face the strongest running game they have seen this year led by James Davis and dynamic freshman CJ Spiller. Conversely, due to a rash of injuries to the linebacking corpse, Florida State should be seeing the weakest front 7 they have faced yet (don't hate on Troy, they traditionally play excellent front 7 defene as evidenced by the number of players they have in the NFL). Still, expect very few big plays from either running game. Thus, the game will be in the hands of the two quarterbacks, Will Proctor and Drew Weatherford. All summer we heard how Weatherford looked so great, had worked so hard, had mastered the ofense, blah blah blah. In two games this season Weatherford has looked like the second coming of Chris Rix, even with as talented a stable of wideouts this side of USC. On the other hand, maligned Clemson quarterback Will Proctor has played very well thus far, and nearly carried his team to victory against BC last week. Chanci Stuckey is the best wideout you've never heard of and both Davis and Spiller catch the ball very well out of the backfield. The bottom line is this, if not for the fluke play by BC wideout Kevin Challenger last week that turned an interception into a 30 yard gain leading to the tying touchdown, Clemson is 2-0 and probably only 1 or 2 point underdogs in this game. I expect a low scoring affair (which always favors taking the points) but its too close to call. Oh hell, give me Clemson 13-10.

Nebraska +18.5 over @ USC

This is perhaps the most ridiculous line of the entire weekend. Let's make one thing clear, Nebraska is NOT winning this game. BUT, to expect USC to blow them out by 18+ points is absurd. I think the media perception is that Nebraska is still running the option 30 times a game, because I just cannot understand this line. When Bill Callahan installed the west coast offense in Lincoln there were growing pains as one would expect. However, since October 8 of last season the Cornhuskers have averaged over 30 points per game including 30 spots against Michigan and at Colorado. The bottom line is that this offense has a ton of talent (and speed!) and is finally grasping Callahan's scheme. At the same time, USC has lost their starting safety and best secondary player (Pinkard) for the year. That is not a good thing when you are about to face a team that will throw the ball 30+ times a game. Make no mistake, Nebraska is fired up for this game and they view it as an opportunity to retake the nation spotlight. I wouldn't be suprised to see 30,000 or more Nebraska fans in the Coliseum on Sat night, something that will help dispell some of the Trojan mystique. Now, all that said, USC will still win the game, and rather handily. The Nebraska defense is led by ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore. They will need to create consistent pressure on John David Booty for the Cornhuskers to have a chance. The Nebraska linebacking corpse is deep and very adept at stopping the run. However, their linebackers are traditional farmboys who are good at two things: plowing the fields, and tacking. They struggle in coverage and in space, two things that spell death against a Pac-10 team. USC's offense just has too much talent and speed to be stopped. Nebraska will keep it close for some of the game, but Pete Carroll is an outstanding defensive coach and in the end his defense will make more plays in this shootout. Call it USC 35-21.

@ Auburn -2.5 over LSU

In my mind, this is by far the most intriguing matchup of the weekend, which, given the absurd college football slate, is saying something special. While this matchup may not have the same cachet as the #1 vs. #2 contest of last week, it could have as big of an impact on the national title picture and promises to be a more competitive game.

Both teams have played extremely well in the firs two weeks of the season. LSU has dominated inferior competition to the tune of a 90-6 combined score, and Auburn is coming off of a 35-0 shellacking of a physical, if nothing else, Mississippi State team. The key to this game is going to be the LSU offense. As well as the Bayou Bengal defense has played, it appears unlikely that they are going to slow down the Auburn running attack. Auburn and Kenny Irons have been flat out mauling opponents for over a year now. Tommy Tubberville loves the power running game and has recruited monster offensive lineman to pave the way for Irons. Any questions of the Auburn offensive line struggling without Tiger legend Marcus McNeil have been put to rest, thanks to the emergence of King Dunlap. Last year Irons ran wild at LSU to the tune of 218 yards. Expect more of the same, and lots of points from the Auburn offense. Which brings us to the LSU offense. To win this game they will need to score often, but more importantly they will need to score early. Jamarcus Russell has been outstanding thus far, but he faces his stiffest test against a staunch Auburn defense that boasts as much speed as anyone in the nation. Cornerback David Irons is the type of physical, shut down corner that can take Russell's top target, Dwayne Bowe, completely out of the game. Another reason Russell's numbers are so good through the first two weeks of the season is that he has had all day to throw the football. Auburn's defensive line is relentless, with both Quentin Groves and Marquis Gunn, so expect Russell to have to get rid of the ball quicker than he will want to. This is exactly what happened in last year's game, with LSU only winning because they cranked out over 200 yards on the ground. Well their workhors from 2005, Joseph Addai, is gone, and their key back now, Alley Broussard and Justin Vincent, both look like players still recovering from major injuries (which they are). LSU's offense just doesn't have the firepower to stay with Auburn. Call it Auburn 24-17.

Florida -4 over @ Tennessee

I have to say that I have been more impressed with Florida than any other team in America through the first two weeks of this season. Many will credit Chris Leak (who deserves praise in his own right) for mastering Urban Meyer's spread offense, but the real credit should go to Meyer himself for tailoring his offense to Leak's skills.....namely throwing. Last year Leak looked like a square peg in a round hole. With his 2006 results, it appears as though Meyer spent all summer sanding and reshaping that round hole until it was square. Florida has way too much talent on offense for the TN defense to handle. The Volunteer defense played exceptional against California in the opener, but struggled giving up 31 points to Air Force last week. Couple that inconsistency with two injured starters and you have a recipe for a long day for the Volunteers. Defensive tackle Justin Harrell, by far the Vols best defensive lineman, is expected to play depsite rupturing his bicep last week, but one has to wonder how effective he can be. The same cannot be said for starting corner Inky Johnson, who was lost for the season against Air Force. Breaking in a new corner against Florida will be a Herculean task. On the other side of the ball, everyone is talking about Erik Ainge's renaissance. True he has been playing better, but was I the only one who noticed that the vast majority of his numbers against California came because of poor tackling by the Bears? Ainge and top wideout Robert Meachum will need to be huge this week for TN to have a chance, especially since their explosive tailback Arian Foster appears unlikely to play because of injury. If both teams were fully healthy I would still pick Florida to win the game, but not by much. With these injuries I have no problem picking Florida to win and cover. Call it Florida 30-17.

Last week: 5-3
Season: 11-8

On to the second half of Saturday's games:

Notre Dame-Michigan

Why Notre Dame Will Win:
Anyone who reads the 323 (and I know you're out there, dammit) knows that we're not exactly fans of the golden domers. Well, we ain't. But that doesn't change the fact that Michigan is in for a world of hurt on Saturday. First, Notre Dame is at home, under the watchful eyes of Touchdown Jesus, where opposing teams always struggle, especially when they wake up the echoes. Second, Weiss is one of the best offensive minds at any level of football, so you know he'll have a thoughtful, effective game plan in place. Third, Brady Quinn is probably the most polished quarterback in college this year. He makes some throws every game that you simply cannot defend. He had a handful of those against Penn St. where a defender just has to shake his head after Quinn lofted it perfectly over their outstretched hands. He's gonna make those throws, and he doesn't make many mistakes. Watch out. Fourth, the line has provided nice protection for Quinn, and Walker has been solid as a receiver and runner from the backfield, oh, and Samardzija is due to break out in the spotlight. Finally, and possibly most importantly, the defense has been exceptional this year. They shut down Penn St. until the game was hopeless, and they held an experienced Georgia Tech offense, supposedly the strength of that team, to only 10 points. The defense has played out of its' mind, and another solid performance will turn this one into a laugher. Not to mention the fact that Michigan hasn't started well on the road in recent years, and has really underpreformed lately. This isn't the game where they turn that around.
-Frazier

Why Michigan Will Win:
While Georgia Tech and Penn State were formidable in their own rights, the Wolverines boast the most talented and balanced offense that the "new and improved" Irish defense will face yet. Michigan does not have a wideout the caliber of either Calvin Johnson or Derrick Williams, but they have two solid players in Mario Maningham and Steve Breaston. Both are capable of breaking big plays, and this will be the first time this season that the Irish cannot simply focus on stopping a single player. Moreover, when healthy, which he is, Mike Hart is a complete running back, and best the Irish have faced thus far. If Michigan can stay balanced on offense and keep Chad Henne clean, they have the ability to put up points on the Notre Dame defense. On the other side of the ball the Irish have shown a bit of weakness in preventing sacks on Brady Quinn. As usual Michigan has a fearsome front four led by DE LaMar Woodley. If they can get to Quinn, they can slow down the Irish enough to win this game.
-Walter
Florida-Tennessee

Why Tennessee Will Win:
I know last week Tennessee had a tight one against Air Force, but Erik Ainge was impressive again. He is completing 75% of his passes, and last week went 24/29 for 333 yds and 3TDs. Not exactly like he had an off game. The running back combo of Foster and Hardesty has provided some excellent balance, and with David Cutcliffe running the show, the offense should be potent once again. Also, although the defense has suffered some injuries, they were the key against completely shutting down a very, very talented Cal team. They went up 35-3 on a team with tons of talent and experience, and they certainly have the talent to do it again. Also, this game is in Knoxville, with 113,000 screaming maniacs singing "Rocky Top" and generally making Chris Leak's life miserable. Leak may have started well this year, but we all know he isn't a good fit for Meyer's offense, and he has a history of stumbling when the spotlights are the brightest. Anybody can stomp 1-AA teams, it takes a man to take the show on the road and pull out a victory against a very good SEC rival. Chris Leak has given me no reason to believe that he is that man, and Tennessee will play the respect card, get fired up, and force the perennial underachiever into another mistake-filled debacle.
-Frazier

Why Florida Will Win:
Simply put, as the teams are constituted at this moment Florida has more talent on both sides of the ball. Urban Meyer looks like a genius after tweaking his offensive schemes to better comport with Chris Leak's skills, and freshman sensation Percy Harvin looks like the real deal. On defense, the Gators boast the top defensive line in the nation and solid linebackers led by Brandon Siler. Tennessee, while playing well overall this year, will be without several key contributors. Starting cornerback Inky Johnson was lost for the year, starting DT (and perhaps the Vols best defesive player) will play with a ruptured bicep, and top offensive threat Arian Foster is unlikely to suit up. That puts just a little too much pressure on Erik Ainge and Robert Meachum to carry the offense. TN is at home so they can keep it close but Florida is clearly the better team right now.
-Walter

Auburn-LSU

Why LSU Will Win:
This is really the big daddy game. We all knew that the Tiger defense would be vicious, but I don't think anyone expected this. Dual 45-3 drubbings has this defense clicking, and ready to tear into Auburn. Many people thought that after losing so much talent the defensive line would suffer, but they've looked even better than last years highly regarded bunch, and they will provide solid push and harrassment, while making Kenny Irons earn every yard. Another Irons preformance like last week where he gained 69 yards for only 3.3 yds/carry, will spell doom for Auburn's hopes. Cox is not ready to carry this team with his arm, and by slowing up Irons, LSU will force Cox into an uncomfortable situation, and some mistakes. None of the Auburn receivers has really shown anything this season. Both defenses are excellent. It's definitely a toss-up. The biggest difference Saturday will actually be on the offensive side of the ball. Jamarcus Russell has looked poised and confident this year, as he has completed 70% of his passes. Dwayne Bowe has been explosive in the passing game, and the Tigers have been scoring points in bunches recently. Remember, they ended last year with a 40-3 humiliation of Miami, and picked up this year right where they left off. No team has looked as impressive on both sides of the ball as LSU this year, and their better balance will be the key to putting up enough points to slip by Auburn.

Why Auburn Will Win:
Well the most important reason Auburn will win is because this game is played at Auburn and not LSU. Aside from that, Auburn appears to be the better overall team. As well as LSU is playing (outscoring opponents 90-6 so far this season), they are not as complete a team as Auburn. Auburn's Kenny Irons has played like the best player in the nation over the first two weeks, and the Tiger offensive line has been straight up mauling people. Tommy Tubberville deserves a ton of credit for recruiting such big and strong offensive lineman every year. In the passing game, Brandon Cox has proved me right in annointing him one of the most underrated players in the nation. While not blessed with a huge arm or great speed, Cox executes the Tiger passing game efficiently. He does what any great running team needs their quarterback to do: pick up first downs, and score in the red zone. For LSU, Jamarcus Russell has played great this season. But much of that has been a product of poor competition and all day to throw the football. He will have neither against the speedy Auburn front 7 led by All-SEC caliber defensive ends Marquis Gunn and Quentin Groves. Auburn also has the secondary talent, led by shutdown corner David Irons, to muscle up and lock down top LSU wideout Dwayne Bowe. Last year when Russell struggled against the Auburn defense, the Bayou Bengals were bailed out by their running game and stud tailback Joseph Addai. Well Addai now plays on Sudays, and the top two LSU tailbacks, Justin Vincent and Alley Broussard, look like shells of their former selves as they are still recovering from major knee injuries. Auburn's combination of power and balance of offense, coupled with their speed on defense will be too much for LSU to overcome.
-Walter

I called the big man after Steve Slaton's long, snaking 37 yard touchdown run through the Maryland defense so say one word, "yikes". Of course we started debating how the game was going, how to slow up, if not actually stop, the Mountaineer offense. After a couple of minutes of conversation, I hung up the phone, looked up, and noticed WVU punching another one in the endzone. Yikes.

West Virginia can be stopped. It really is possible. They got a huge lead, and got disinterested, almost allowing Maryland to pull a Georgia and climb back in the thing. Maryland made the type of mental errors you simply can't make when playing such a talented team on a huge stage at their home stadium. Maryland also made the cardinal sin when playing this offense, they overpursued. Rich Rodriguez has based his offense on the tendency of young players, college players, to make mistakes. Pro teams do it too, like the Bills did last week, which is why players like Lavar Arrington, who was a stud in college, can't translate their talent to the next level. Discipline is key. Rodriguez suckers defenses in, and then flips the play on them. Drawing defensive ends into his backfield, sending linebackers careening out of position on passing downs, or having four defenders attempt to tackle a blocking Steve Slaton, only to have White dump it over their heads for a wide, wide open score. A team with good athletes playing disciplined football really does have a chance to shut them down. West Virginia really didn't do too much between the tackles, this isn't a power bunch.

Still, they took advantage of every mistake that Maryland made (the mark of a good team) and they completely confused, beffudled, and bewildered the Terrapin defenders until the game got out of hand, and they stopped paying attention. If you're not ready for West Virginia, they will smack you in the mouth so fast, and so hard, you may not be able to get back in the game. They hit the field like a tornado, and don't stop until they have blown your house down.

I still have concerns about this team. It doesn't get big yards between the tackles, White isn't ready to win a game with his arm, and the defense is undersized and has to gamble to make plays. The Maryland offensive line really pushed them all over the field. It may have been a different game if the Terrapins had a chance to establish a running game, control the clock, and grind down the undersized Mountaineers. Of course, WVU didn't give that chance, exploding for points and turnovers early, and putting the game away before I could crack a second beer. And that's how West Virginia plans to play every game, and if they do, they might not be beat this year, as they look awful good when firing on all cylinders. I just don't think they can do it.

Wait, did the big man fail to mention that Northern Illinois got beat by Ohio? No, not the Buckeyes, the Bobcats. Now, I actually like Ohio. Frank Solich gives that team a chance week-in and week-out, so I'm not terribly surprised. I can't forget when he badly outcoached Wanny last year, and handed Pitt a particularly embarrassing loss. Anyways, I just wasn't going to allow my esteemed co-blogger to ignore the plight of the leader of his "Five Up" teams, especially since I've certainly had a large helping of crow this week. However, let's not take anything away from Garrett Wolfe, who had 196 yards in that effort, and 367 yards in just two games, with a sterling 7.3yds/rush. Still, an 0-2 start in a solid MAC will be a big obstacle to overcome for the Huskies.

Ok, the slate of games this weekend is simply too good to be ignored. We at the 323 have decided to start previewing some games, beyond simply the picks section. They deserve a bit more debate and discussion than we have been giving them. Of course, this week has so many stellar games that we had to break this into two parts. Here is the first:

Nebraska vs.USC

Why Nebraska Will Win:
We have come to assume that USC can overcome any injuries due to their enviable depth. Well, they better pray that is true. The loss of Pinkard, their stud safety, and his replacement with a raw freshman, couldn't have come at a worse time. Furthermore, the loss of NT Sedrick Ellis is another tough blow for the young defense. These injuries are more problematic because they weaken the Trojans against both the run and the pass, against a Nebraska team that has been incredibly balanced (and dominant) on offense this season. Add that to the fact that the blackshirt defense has been rebuilt, with Carriker leading the assault, and an inexperienced front line for the boys from Troy, Booty could end up flat on his, well, booty. USC played well in its' only game this year, but it's hard to believe they won't buy their hype, when what they really needed was another week to get better in a real contest, not read all their headlines about how they haven't lost a step. This team hasn't proven anything yet, and on Saturday they'll only prove that you can't be excellent every year.
-Frazier

Why USC Will Win:
Well in my mind it's not whether USC will win this game, but rather by how much. Bill Callahan has done a tremendous job in Lincoln, and transformed that program back into the national power it should always be. But this game isn't in Lincoln. It's in Southern California where the Trojans haven't lost since 2001, back when Carson Palmer was nothing more than an underachieving Junior. I think that this Nebraska team has the firepower on offense, and the team speed on defense, to keep this game closer than the ridiculous spread this matchup has been handicapped at. But in previewing this game, certain themes are self evident: (1) Nebraska's defensive strength is their front 7, and they have nobody that can cover the tandem of Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett; (2) USC has possibly the only pair of tackles in America who are good pass blockers to slow down the terrifying pass rushing combo of Adam Carriker and Jay Moore; and (3) Pete Carroll has had two weeks to scheme and prepare his defense for Callahan's west coast offense attack (which Carroll should be very familiar with, lest we forget he was defensive coordinator under west coast guru George Seifert in San Francisco).
-Walter

Oregon-Oklahoma

Why Oregon Will Win:
As much as the big man might hate on the Ducks, they have been a hell of a lot more impressive than the Sooners. Adrian Peterson will get his yards, no doubt, but Paul Thompson will face his first real road test, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. It's tough enough coming halfway across the country to play anyone, it's harder when that team has enviable balance on offense, and a defense that has done enough to stop a good team when they had to, and created a pair of turnovers last week. Oh, and when that game is in Autzen Stadium, one of the loudest, most difficult places to play in all of college football? Yeah, good luck Paul. The Ducks also mark the return of Jonathan Stewart, their stud tailback, and this a week after the ducks ran for almost 150 yards against a tough Fresno St. defense. The Oklahoma defense has yet to show any real signs of life, and they have started slowly in their first two games against weak competition. Another slow start could mean a big Oregon lead, and would force Oklahoma to try to win the game on the arm of Paul Thompson, who has been mistake-prone in his first two starts. I think the Ducks like their chances in that type of game, and it's the type of game they're going to get.
-Frazier

Why Oklahoma Will Win:
While I won't argue with results, I do think it's a tad premature to label this Duck team worthy of their preseason hype. Witness the fact that they beat a TERRIBLE Stanford team (who followed up that stinker by losing to San Jose State), and should have lost to Fresno State if not for an inexcusable special teams brain fart. While Oklahoma has done nothing to warrant its hype, neither have the Ducks. Now as for the players on the field. Oregon's defense has been inconsistent all season. Their primary concern was supposed to be their pass defense after losing both starting corners to graduation. The pass defense looked fine against Stanford but once again has to be a concern after losing starting corner Jackie Bates for the season. On the flip side, Oklahoma's Paul Thompson played much better in the Sooners' second game, and the emergence of speedster wideout Malcolm Kelley (6 catches, 121 yards, 2 TD against Washington) bodes poorly for the Ducks. Of course there is also the matter of Adrian Peterson matching up against the Ducks rush defense that was absolutely TORCHED by Fresno State's Dwaye Wright. Wright is a great back in his own right, but Peterson is on another level. The Sooners have the ability to put up some major points in this one, and they have enough defensive talent to at least slow down Jonathan Stewart (who won't be 100% for this one despite not playing against Fresno) and the rest of the Oregon offense.
-Walter

Louisville-Miami

Why Louisville Will Win:
I know I'm going to hear a lot about Michael Bush, and he's a hell of a player, but this offense runs through Brian Brohm, and he's a hell of a player too. Louisville has a couple of solid options in the run game, which will keep the Louisville attack balanced, and shouldn't allow Miami to tee-up against the pass. If Miami can't protect their home field against a team that the following week almost shit the bed against Troy (nee Troy St.) than how can you expect them to come in to Louisville and shut down such a dynamic offense. If you think Miami's offense will win them this game, you are sorely mistaken. 51 points might look impressive, but that was a pathetic 1-AA opponent, and Miami hasn't shown any offensive life for a long time now. The Hurricanes officially lost their swagger when LSU took them behind the woodshed to the tune of 40-3 in their bowl game last year. Louisville has been on the verge of breaking through, but couldn't quite get past the aura of this program. Well, that aura is dead as a door nail, stiffer than Jimmy Johnson's hair, and Bobby Petrino is so much the superior coach, that it isn't worth discussing. If the game is even close at halftime, Petrino will find a way to make the necessary adjustments to win the game, while Coker will probably just sit around wondering if he can find a way to get balder.
-Frazier

Why Miami Will Win:
While I believe Bush is the better player, it is hard to argue with my esteemed co-blogger's annointing of Brohm as the penultimate Cardinal. That said, this is the game where Bush's injury will devestate Louisville's season. The strength of Miami is obviously their defense. But more specifically it is their pass defense and you aren't going to find a better secondary that's not playing on Sundays. As good as Brohm is, he still needs his recievers to get open, and that is going to be a chore against Brandon Merriweather, Kenny Phillips and Co. Without Michael Bush to run the ball and force a safety into the box, my money is on the Hurricane secondary staying with the Cardinal recievers until the front four converge for a sack. On offense, the Hurricane's have been abysmal all season. That could change with the return of star tailback Tyrone Moss this week, who provides Miami with the kind of gamebreaker they have been sorely lacking.
-Walter

This is a very bad sign for Georgia's season: QB Tereshinski vows quick return to field.

If his doctor is a true UGa fan he's giving Joe T. treatment like, "Ok, I want you to wear roller skates and try to run up that hill. If you hear a crack, keep going, that's the bone fixing itself."

This is the time of the week where I bestow the kiss of death on some poor, unsuspecting team. Last week I waxed philosophical, played the disrespect card, and generally got on my knees for Penn State. Of course they imploded after a solid start, and got blown out by Notre Dame. This week I wanted to send some credit towards Rutgers, who was a finalist for my "Five Up" post a couple of weeks back. My reasoning was that the lack of depth in the Big East would allow a second-tier team to have a startlingly good record with the potential to only lose to WVU and Louisville. The team I ultimately chose was UConn, since they have been solidly improving that program for years now, have more experience, and because Rutgers has such a tradition of ineptitude. Oh, and it's in Jersey.

Anyways, although UConn blew out URI in their only game this year, Rutgers' 33-0 whipping of Illinois has been making me second guess myself. Especially considering Rutgers won AT North Carolina, which is a solid win against an ACC foe on the road. The showdown between these two "could be's" is slated for October 29, and the winner should have a shot at a fairly prestigious bowl, and a legitimate shot at a 10-win season.

Oh, and Pittsburgh was not eligible for this discussion because their coach is a moron, at any level of the game. He was a terrible pro coach, is a terrible college coach, and would be a terrible high school coach to boot. He'd probably make a terrible garbage man. Although he might make a good porn star. He already has the moustache.

It's week two for the323 power rankings, and things are still very fluid around here. It's obvious who is number one, but after that there are several claims as to who should constitute numbers 2-10. Some teams may have already peaked at the Power 10, while others are just beginning their ascension. Oh, and if you want to be in our rankings, don't lose. Here's how things are looking after our second week of games.

#1 Ohio State

Walter - Is their any doubt as to who the number one team should be after the Buckeyes laid that beat down on the Longhorns? As great as Ohio State played, I think we saw that Texas and Colt McCoy really aren't as good as we thought. I still think that the young Buckeye defense will struggle with some of the more balanced offenses of the Big Ten (Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State). Still, they are the clear number 1 this week.

Frazier - This is the definition of a no-brainer. They dominated an experienced, athletic Texas team at home. They were bigger, faster (wow!) and stronger than the boys from Austin. Now maybe Texas isn't as good as we might think, but as I've said, they were a top ten team before Vince Young, and they should be now, and the Buckeyes simply made it look easy. Troy Smith was a revelation at quarterback, with accurate, decisive passing.

#2 Notre Dame

Walter - The Irish defense has been outstanding this season. Albeit against two pedestrian looking offenses, you can't argue with results. We all know about the offensive firepower, but an improved pass rush and secondary play has been the difference so far. Still, their showdown with Michigan could be the most interesting game of the week, as Michigan presents the most skill position talent that the Irish have faced this season.

Frazier - They made a Penn St. team that I really liked look completely overmatched. They took advantage of the opportunities given them, and their defense was excellent in a second straight outing. Quinn made some throws that were completely undefendable. Michigan will be a challenge, but I'm not betting against the Irish with the way they played last weekend.

#3 Auburn

Walter - As of right now, there just isn't a whole lot of difference between Auburn and LSU. That will all change on Saturday. Auburn's Kenny Irons has been one of the top tailbacks in the nation and Brandon Cox has been his usual efficient self. But the biggest suprise has been the smothering Auburn defense. They aren't very big (especially at Linebacker) but they are FAST. Very fast. LSU presents their biggest test to date, but Auburn has the team speed to match up with them, and the shutdown corner (David Irons) to lock down star Tiger reciever Dwayne Bowe.

Frazier - Auburn really couldn't look more dominating in its' first pair of games. The defense pitched a shutout last weekend, and Kenny Irons is eventually going to get the recognition he deserves. This team is fast, and lethal, and has look unstoppable so far.

#4 LSU

Walter - While LSU has not played the greatest competition (LA Lafayette, Arizona), all that needs to be said is the combined score of their two wins this season is 90-6. The defense has been outstanding, but the Auburn offense is on an entirely different level. QB Jamarcus Russell has been solid so far this season, although he has the reputation for making poor decisions in big games.

Frazier - Well, they aren't going to win a third straight game 45-3, but any kind of win against Auburn would be huge. We knew the defense would be formidable, but it's the balanced offensive attack that has really impressed. They have excelled in all phases of the game, now they have to do it on a much larger stage.

#5 Georgia

Walter - The Joe Tereshinski injury actually helps Georgia as he has been their worst player thus far. Super frosh Matt Stafford looked shaky in his first collegiate game, but his ability is undeniable and he will certainly improve with more playing time. The bottom line, though, is this: Any undefeated team that shuts out a Steve Spurrier coached team makes the power rankings top 5.

Frazier - Joe T. finally found a way to make this offense click, he broke his ankle. By the time he returns Matt Stafford will have gotten through the freshman jitters, and he will find himself the answer to a Bulldog trivia question. Shutting out a Spurrier-coached team is an ubelievable feat, and makes them the third straight SEC team in the top five.

#6 USC

Walter - The Trojans were off this past week so there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. USC is still clearly the class of the Pac-10, although Arizona State has looked magnificent under Rudy Carpenter. That Oct. 14 tilt at USC looms larger and larger each week.

Frazier - USC has had an extra week to gear up for Nebraska this weekend, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing with such a young team. Still, I wouldn't want to be the 'Huskers.

#7 Oregon

Walter - I am stubborn. I know this. It's a flaw. Inasmuch, I am still not ready to admit I may have been wrong about the Ducks. Winning at Fresno was impressive, although the way they did it was not. The Ducks had no answer for Dwayne Wright and the Bulldog power running game (which does not bode well for their chances against Adrian Peterson this week), and really should have lost the game if not for a special teams brain fart by Fresno State. Still 2-0 is 2-0, and a road win against Fresno gets you respect around here.

Frazier - I don't have as much bias against the Ducks as the big man. In fact, I kind of like them. Especially the way they gutted out a win against a tough road foe without their starting running back (although it's looking like they might have a two-headed monster at the position). Oklahoma is a tough test this weekend, but it's in the confines of cozy Autzen stadium.

#8 Florida State

Walter - 1 rushing yard against a stacked Miami defense is somewhat excusable, but an anemic attack against Troy is not. The Seminoles did win the game so we can't drop them all the way out of the power 10, but they look like a team without an offensive identity. That's not a good thing.

Frazier - A let down after such a huge road win, and a short week, is certainly understandable. Still, the lack of a running game is a serious concern, although you have to like the way this team eventually pulled itself together. Hopefully they got this sort of performance out of their system, or old Bobby is going to have some sleepless nights.

#9 Florida

Walter - The power rankings are a strange animal because if Florida was to play Florida State tomorrow, the Gators would dominate. Yet, Urban Meyer's crew are ranked behing the Seminoles. The reason is that the Gators have yet to play anybody and FSU has beaten Miami in Miami. Still, the Gators have been playing like one of the best teams in the nation and my bet is they have their first signature win after this weekend (at TN). The defense has been nothing short of stellar (they gave up a TD on their opponent's first possession of the year and nothing since), and Chris Leak has put up the best numbers of any QB in American thus far. I think this is the lowest Florida will be ranked on these rankings for a while.

Frazier - The Gators are the fourth SEC team in the rankings this week, and so far it's been hard to really say which team is the cream of the crop. This weekend will help seperate these teams into more definable tiers. So far Florida has played excellent football, and have blown out the teams they should blow out. A trip to Knoxville will seperate the men from the boys.

#10 Louisville

Walter - Losing Mike Bush is devestating but the Cardinals have yet to feel the sting yet averaging 60 points in their first two games. Miami has been giving up only 11 points per game. Something has to give this week. It will be interesting to see how Lousiville performs against top competition without their best player.

Frazier - What, is Brian Brohm not playing? Arguments about the identity of their best player aside, they are going to need a balanced attack against a fast, physical, swarming Hurricane defense. This game is a real measuring stick for them. A win propels them into the hunt for a BCS game, and the potential for a record-breaking season. A loss leaves them in the second tier of teams for another season. There really is no middle ground when you play in the talent-thin Big East. For the Cardinals, it's now or never.

I was right about Texas' loss of Tarelle Brown. The Longhorns had enough secondary talent to hold Ted Ginn in check somewhat (he did have a TD though), but were really hurt by Anthony Gonzalez. Gonzalez was the player who killed the Longhorns on Sat night (8 catches, 142 yds., 1 TD), not Ginn (5 catches, 97 yds., 1 TD).

I was wrong about the Texas running game being able to keep them in the game. While they did average 5.5 ypc and generally push around the Buckeye defense, I did not take into account the fact that OSU's best counter for the UT running game would be their explosive offense forcing the Longhorns to throw the ball.

I was right about the Auburn-Miss. St. game....almost eerily so. Not only did I correctly predict an Auburn blowout, but I also called the shutout, and the big game from Brandon Cox. Forgive me for missing slightly on the score (I said 30-0, it was 35-0).

I was wrong about the other SEC game I predicted. As pedestrian as the Georgia offense looked under the direction of the323 whipping boy Joe Tereshinski, they were the much better team against South Carolina. Steve Spurrier just does not have enough talent to compete on a national recognition level just yet.

I was right about Fresno State running back Dwayne Wright. For those of you haven't seen him play yet you are missing out. In fact Mr. Wright has officially become my official the323 favorite (call him the anti-Tereshinski). Wright stands 6'1'' and 225 lbs. and runs like a man demonically possessed. The next time I see the first tackler bring him down will be the first. He torched a solid Oregon defense for 154 yards and 1 TD in a losing effort.

I was wrong about the rest of this game....kind of. While it goes in the books as a wrong prediction for me, if not for a special teams brain fart (trying to recover a blocked FG) Fresno not only covers the spread for this game, but they probably win outright. I am still not sold on Oregon, although I will admit defeat if they beat Oklahoma.

I was right about Arizona. They play hard on defense but QB Willie Tuitama gave LSU more points (7-INT return) than they Wildcats scored (3).

I was wrong about Penn State. Although not as much as Frazier so I will let him eat most of the crow for that one.

I was right about BC-Clemson. I had the pleasure of watching this game live and let me tell you it was the most fun I've ever had in my life. Clemson played well, but BC won the game on the back of their power running game. The best player on the field Saturday was BC guard Josh Beekman. Any time the Eagles needed to run the ball they did so behing Beekman. He paved the way for first downs, and eventually the winning points. Clemson lost the game because they couldn't run the ball to kill the clock when they needed to......well that and a breakdown on their PAT team.

Well, another week down, and once again there were some surprises, and a couple games we here at the 323 pretty much nailed. Of course you're all going to be paying attention to my complete fumble of the Notre Dame-Penn St. game, and I guess I deserve that. I'll try to defend myself a little later. It was an interesting weekend of games, but ones that were incapable of living up to the unbelievable hype. The most exciting games of the week were ones that were more or less over-shadowed by some showdowns with national title implications. The big man will fill everyone in on the thrilling BC-Clemson tilt, if he remembers it. As for myself, I want to take a moment to give recognition to the Oregon-Fresno St. game that kept me glued to my couch into the wee hours. Kudos for Mike Bellotti for using some fancy trickeration to get kicker Paul Martinez into the endzone with the winning score. The 323 loves kickers coming through in the clutch, but a clutch touchdown? that's the first one I've heard of, congratulations to him. Now all the other little fella's will be jealous the rest of the year. Ok, enough rambling, on to what went right, and what went wrong, for my crystal ball this week.

I was right about:

Ohio St. More or less all-around. Their offense was unbelievable, and deserves all the credit it is getting. The 323 was stunned that Troy Smith has turned into such a polished passer, and that only makes this team more lethal. While the defense certainly deserves plenty of credit for holding Texas to only 7, they showed both their talent, and their inexperience. A fortuitous fumble really changed this game, and Texas could very easily have found themselves in control in the first half. The Longhorns seemingly ran the ball at will, punishing the Buckeyes with six, seven, eight yard runs on first down. I'm not entirely sure what happened, or why this fact didn't have a bigger impact on the final result.

I was wrong about:

The inexperience at Penn St. not being a real concern. Look, the Nittany Lions should have been winning this game early, they outplayed ND badly in the first quarter, and for most of the half. However, botched field goal attempts, costly turnovers, and stupid penalties put them on their heels. Once the bounces started going ND's way, this team simply imploded. These were the types of errors they avoided last year, and it helped them win close games all season. If they had kept their composure, this might have ended up an excellent game, as it was, PSU simply folded when they couldn't catch a break.

I was right about:

Clemson. This team is always going to underachieve in pressure situations, especially on the road. BC played an excellent game, and deserves tons of credit, but Clemson had plenty of opportunities to win this game, and failed to do so. Of course. C-L-E-M-S-OOOOOO-go to hell! Bastards.

It seems I was wrong about:

Notre Dame's defense. They looked very solid again in their big win. Penn St. did not get into the endzone until late in the game. I'm still not entirely sold on this unit, but the results speak for themselves. I guess I'll have to lay off until they completely implode and cost this team its' season.

I was right about:

Joe Tereshinski. Congratulations, son, you are the official 323 whipping boy. I know he's injured, and it might seem cruel, but he really is just abominable. The numbers were 2/3 for 18 yards, but watch, Georgia will see an offensive bump for wonder-boy Stafford. While his youth may eventually cost them a shot at the title, if he cuts down on rookie mistakes he will certainly provide far more firepower than the hopeless Joe T ever could.

I was wrong about:

LSU's offense. I know I haven't talked about the Tigers much this year, but I figured there wasn't a lot to say. An excellent team, brilliant defensively, that will have its' offense fail them. Well, maybe I should start paying a little more attention. They'll get all the can handle in an absolute showdown at Auburn this week. They'll need an excellent offense to put some points on an Auburn defense that is playing as well as anyone in the country right now.

I was right about:

Louisville not missing Bush right away. I know it was Temple. I know. I know. But they really will be alright without their massive running back. Maybe it will show up against a brilliant Miami defense, maybe it will prevent them from controlling the clock and slowing down West Virginia later in the year, but Louisville still has a ton of weapons, and shouldn't lose hope just because they lost one player, no matter how talented.

I was wrong about:

Texas' defense. Since when did these guys seem a step slow against anybody? But Ginn and Gonzalez ran passed, through, and around them. Stunning.

I was right about:

Terrell Brown's legal troubles being a serious, serious concern. Not a terribly hard one to call, but that young man must be feeling pretty awful about now.

I may be wrong about:

Chris Leak and Urban Meyer. Looks like they found the same page, although Tebow had some impressive numbers, and still is a better fit for the system. That being said, 350 yards passing and 4TD's in three quarters, against anybody, is nothing to sneeze at.

I was right about:

Remaining cautious with Tennessee. For as good as they looked against Cal, they almost threw it all away against Air Force, and barely, barely escaped. They also lost two defensive starters, although Ainge was excellent (24/29, 333yds, 3TD's) and David Cutcliffe is reminding everyone of his powers as a quarterback guru, this team still has a lot to prove.

Finally, I may have been wrong about:

The Penn St. linebackers. Paul Posluszny looked a step slow, and not fully recovered from his serious knee injury. Darius Walker is not the fastest back in the world, but he motored passed the all-everything linebacker several times. The ND game plan was to throw into what was supposed to be the heart of the PSU D, and they completed pass after pass over the middle. These guys needed a great performance, they did NOT deliver, they need to step up in a hurry. I got a new turtle on Saturday, and decided to name him Posluszny. After watching the game on Saturday, I'm beginning to wonder if Little Pos could out-run his namesake. (I will admit, he is a surprisingly quick turtle).

Auburn -19 over @ Miss. St.

While I know it is always dangerous to lay so many point on the road, this game appears to be such a mismatch that I am willing to do it. Last week, Mississippi State's game against South Carolina unfurled just as expected. The defense was very good, the offense was very bad, and Steve Spurrier was able to manufacture just enough points for the win. With the loss of starting QB Michael Henig, the Mississippi State offense has gotten worse (if possible). Tray Rutland is probably a more talented player, but his inexperience showed last week in a 6-15, 2 INT showing against the Gamecocks. Auburn is a better team that South Carolina in every aspect of the game and Kenny Irons should have no problem wearing down a Mississippi State defense that will no doubt spend more time on the field than they want to. Really, this game comes down to whether Auburn is going to score 19 points themselves since points from Mississippi State look unlikely. Expect another donut from the Mississippi State offense, and a suprisingly strong game from Auburn QB Brandon Cox as the Bulldogs will not doubt put 8 or 9 men in the box to slow down Irons. It won't be close to enough, call it 30-0 Auburn.

Penn State +7 over @ Notre Dame

This is an intersting game because after Week 1 people seem to be covinced Penn State is better than expected, and Notre Dame may be worse (off course, we here at the323 know better). Notre Dame looked eminently beatable against Georgia Tech but the fact remains that they were able to pull out a big opening week win against a tough ACC opponent. Plus, any road win is a good win. Look for Notre Dame to play much better in the friendly confines of South Bend and under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus. That said, the Nittany Lions are a much better team than the Yellow Jackets so the Irish will still have their hands full. The difference for Notre Dame against Georgia Tech was Darius Walker. In fact, after watching about 10 0f their games from the past two seasons, it is apparent that he is their most important offensive player (even more so than Quinn). As great as the Irish offensive line played last week, this Penn State front seven is far better than Georgia Tech's. Look for Penn State's trio of all Big Ten caliber linebackers to shut Walker down. That will leave the game in the hands of Brady Quinn, a seasoned veteran passing against a very young seconday for Penn State. This game will be won by the team who's quarterback plays better. Oddly enough, with Anthony Morelli at the helm, Penn State is more equipped this season to play in this type of shootout game than they were when they went 11-1 in 2005. Quinn is the better player right now so lets call it 31-28 Notre Dame.

@ BC -1 over Clemson

As a rabid BC fan this pick could look like a homer. And it is, BUT I can, and will, defend it. The difference in this game will be the BC running game. The Eagles relied way too much on Matt Ryan (48 pass attempts) to win their opener, and I doubt they will make the same mistake twice. Clemson, aleady without one starting linebacker, lost all ACC caliber linebacker Anthony Waters in their first game and seem vulnerable to a big, physical running attack such as the one BC can now muster. Look for BC to exploit the loss of Waters and pound the ball between the tackles behind all-everything guard Josh Beekman. On the flip side, BC proved that they are very stout against the run by holding Central Michigan's all MAC back Ontario Sneed in check for their entire game. While James Davis and CJ Spiller are more talented backs, the BC front seven is very experienced and anchored by mammoth defensive tackle BJ Raji. Look for the Eagles to move safety Jamie Silva up into the box to stop the run and put the pressure on Will Proctor and the Clemson passing game. Expect a few big plays out of Clemson, but Boston College should be able to control the clock and grind out a win in front of their home crowd. Call it 28-25 BC.

@LSU -14.5 over Arizona

We here at the323 absolutely love what Mike Stoops has done at Arizona. That said, they are not ready to tango with a team as loaded as LSU, especially away from the friendly confines of Tuscon. The Wildcat defense was outstanding in the opener against BYU, holding a very good offense to 13 points. Expect more of the same from them. Conversely, the Wildcat offense was inconsistent at best, abysmal at worst, against a weak BYU defense. While Willie Tuitama's talent is unmistakable, his inexperience showed last week and will no doubt rear its ugly head against a much faster Tiger defense. Unless LSU turns the ball over, or breaks down on special teams, I think it is going to be incredibly difficult for the Wildcats to muster any semblance of a consistent offensive attack. Look for Antoine Cason and Arizona to slow down the LSU offense in the first half, but the opportunistic Tiger defense will come up with a few turnovers that will lead directly to points. The star of this game should be Tiger tailback Alley Broussard who should be motivated to show he is fully healed from his ACL injury before next week's pivotal matchup at Auburn. Arizona is close, but not there yet. Call it 30-14 LSU.

@ South Carolina +2 over Georgia

Simply put, we here at the323 just do not believe in Joe Tereshinski as a legitimate Division I quarterback. Well, that and Steve Spurrier being the best coach of the past 20 years. In anti-Spurrier fashion, though, the Gamecocks are going to try to win this game on defense. After shutting out an admittedly terrible Mississippi State offense last week, South Carolina should have some defensive confidence entering this matchup. And while the Georgia offense is a much more talented offense than that of Mississippi State, they have yet to bear that out on the field. In their opener against Western Kentucky, the Bulldogs couldn't muster 300 yards of total offense with Tereshinski leading the ineptitude. While the Georgia trio of backs is as good as anyone in the nation, the passing game is just terrible. In addition to the mediocre play of Tereshinski the recieving corpse was virtually invisible last week. Georgia's leading reciever was RB Thomas Brown with three catches for 30 yards. Supposed number 1 wideout Mo Massaquoi hauled in just one pass for 2 yards. Look for the Gamecocks to stack the box against the Georgia running game with 8 and sometimes 9 guys. The South Carolina linebackers and secondary are athletic enough to run with the Bulldog recievers, and I don't think Tereshinski can win this game by himself. Oh, and as usual Spurrier will squeeze just enough out of his mediocre offense to win the game. This is a statement game for South Carolina and Steve Spurrier and will put the rest of the country on notice that they have arrived in the SEC. Let's call it 21-17 South Carolina.

@ Arizona State -14.5 over Nevada

I love and respect this Nevada team. But I also love and respect this Arizona State team. I think Dirk Koetter made the right choice by choosing Rudy Carpenter as his starter, even if it meant losing Sam Keller to Nebraska. Any faithful read of the323 knows that I think Jeff Rowe is the real deal for Nevada. What this game will come down to is skill position talent, and Arizona State just has more. Converted RB Rudy Burgess was outstanding at WR for Arizona State in game one, notching over 100 yards. He is virtually uncoverable because of his straight line speed, agility, and ability to quickly change directions. Look for a huge game from both him and Carpenter. On the flip side, Jeff Rowe and Robert Hubbard (over 100 yards last week against Fresno) are no slouches. But Arizona State showed surprising pass rushing ability last week, led by Derron Ware who was credited with 3 sacks against Northern Arizona. He will create problems for Jeff Rowe and the Pistol Pete offense. Look for a ton of points to be scored in this one, with the Sun Devils just having too much offense for the Wolfpack to contend with. Call it 45-30 Arizona State.

@ Fresno State +3.5 over Oregon

I am not ready to admit defeat on Oregon just yet. Their domination of Stanford notwithstanding (Stanford is awful), I am not ready to drink the Mike Belloti Kool-Aid just yet. Let's see what the Ducks can do outside the confines of comfy Autzen Stadium against a team that is going to smack them right in the mouth as Fresno State will. In their opening win against Nevada, Fresno tailback Dwayne Wright looked like a man possessed. He was ripping through tackles all night and I doubt he was brought down by the first man at all. Oregon will have their hands full stopping him. However, the same can be said for Duck tailback Jonathan Stewart. He was everything Oregon hoped he would be an more against Stanford rushing for 168 yards. However, Stewart did hurt his ankle late in that game and it is unclear whether he will be 100 percent against Fresno. If the game is put in the hands of QB Dennis Dixon, the advantage goes to Fresno in front of their home crowd. This pick may look foolish if Stewart is healthy (if he is Oregon should win this game), but for now lets go with Fresno 24-23 over Oregon.

Ohio State +2.5 over @ Texas

There aren't enough superlatives to describe this game. I am tired of hearing about all the comparison's to last year's game and how the roles are totally reversed from when they met in 2005. It's just silly. The 2005 Longhorns beat the 2005 Buckeyes. That has no bearing on what will happen on Saturday at 8 PM. When analyzing this game it is actually quite easy to see where it will be won or lost. The key matchup is the Texas Offensive Line against the Ohio State front seven. If Mack Brown had his way, Colt McCoy wouldn't throw a single pass the entire game. Texas has perhaps the best offensive line in all of college football. They are big, strong and ugly (trust me, as a former offensive lineman ugly is complimentary). The Ohio State front seven looked lost against Garrette Wolfe and Northern Illinois. The Buckeye's didn't tackle (at all), they didn't get off of blocks, they didn't run to the ball......the list goes on. The bottom line is that this Buckeye defense is not as good as what we have come to expect from them. Against Northern Illinois they looked slow, something they haven't been since Jim Tressell took over. I can't say I expect them to look any fast playing against the Big Uglies from Austin in the unbearable Texas heat and humidity (game time temperature is supposed to be close to 90 degrees). BUT, with all that said, Texas is going to have to run the ball to put points up and that takes time. This is both good and bad because it keeps the powerful OSU offense on the sidelines, but it also makes it difficult to overcome an early deficit or put points up in the last few minutes of the half. The loss of Tarell Brown (suspended) in the secondary is a huge one for Texas. They still have enough talent back there to take away Tedd Ginn Jr. (who is due for an invisible performance after busting out against Northern Illinois), but look for Troy Smith to find Anthony Gonzalez several times. In fact, that is where the loss of Brown is really going to be felt. Gonzalez is a talented reciever and I believe he is going to break out in this game. This game is too close to call so I do what I always do when that is the case.....take the points. But forced to choose, as a former offensive lineman I will go with the team who can pound the ball, pick up first downs, and eventually run out the clock. Plus, being in Austin doesn't hurt. Call it Texas 21-20.

Last week: 6-5
Season: 6-5

Just wanted to take a moment to comment on Boise St. I chose them as one of my "five up" teams, and they were certainly worthy of that position in an utter domination of Oregon St. last night. The Beavers aren't a great team, but they beat the Broncos last year, and were a win shy of making a bowl from the PAC 10 last year, so it's not like they are a bunch of chumps. Boise St. ran roughshod over them, with 300 yards on the ground, including a 22 carry, 240 yard performance from Ian Johnson. It's always fun watching a white kid playing in Idaho race passed defensive backs from a BCS conference team.

Zabransky was efficient as a passer, 8-13 for 105 yards and a touchdown without giving the ball up. After falling behind 14-0 early, Boise St. simply took over and scored 42 unanswered points. They also only gave up one offensive touchdown (the other was a punt return) and created 3 turnovers. Simply a dominating game from the kids from Idaho, which gave me a warm, tingly feeling all over.

Just wanted to take a moment to comment on a team that may not crack our power rankings for the first week but deserves some discussion. Last year Penn St. went 11-1 with their only loss coming in the final seconds against Michigan. That season included a thrilling victory over Ohio St. (whose only other loss was a close one to the national champs) and a defensive battle against Florida St. (a game that was poorly played offensively and in the kicking game, but featured two great defenses). This year, with many key players returning, they dropped to preseason #21, which seems ridiculously low considering many of the teams in front of them do not have possibly the best young receiving threesome in the country, and the country's best linebacker.

Now this year features trips to both Notre Dame and Ohio St. so another one-loss season will be difficult. The Buckeyes may be nearly unbeatable at home. While Notre Dame may seem ripe for the plucking coming after a lackluster performance in their debut, winning in South Bend is a monumental task.

While the Nittany Lions may have lost their senior quarterback, they return a very solid nucleus of players. Tony Hunt and his 1,000 rushing yards are back, but he needs to improve on his poor showing against Akron. Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams are explosive sophomores in the receiving game. New starter Anthony Morelli looked very good in his first start at quarterback, passing for 200 yards, 3 TDs without throwing an interception.

Last year PSU's strength was on the defensive side of the ball, and it should be again this year. While they lost a lot of talent, they return their excellent linebacker corps, led by Paul Posluszny who won the Bednarik award as the nations top linebacker, and is an absolute tackling machine. An excellent crop of linebackers can cover other defensive deficiencies, and will give the rest of the unit time to develop.

Penn St. never really got the credit they deserved for a surprising, and excellent, 2005 campaign, and their preseason ranking this year is further proof of that. This is a team that flew under the radar last year, and has a chance to do so again. Even if they can't recreate last years' incredible run, the Nittany Lions will be a team that no one wants to play.

Welcome to the Power 10

We both believe that a power rankings is the way to go, since polls are simply too stagnant. Also, we've listed only ten, since those are the ones that really matter, we don't want to be listing three loss teams with no shot at the title by the end of the year. With these rankings a bad win won't drop you all the way out, but an excellent streak of games will definitely propel you towards the top. This is all about who is the best football team right now, who you definitely wouldn't want to face, not just a bunch of inertia from intense marketing in the offseason. The first edition is strongly influenced by who played whom, so this isn't to say that Florida St. is definitively better than Texas, but they sure as hell get more credit for beating Miami in Miami than the Longhorns do for beating up on the Mean Green. So, without further ado, the inaugral 323 power rankings.

#1 Florida State

Walter - The Seminoles take the top spot thanks to a dominating defensive performance led by middle linebacker Buster Davis, who played as complete a game as I have ever seen a linebacker play.

Frazier - It's impossible to not add to the praises of Buster Davis and the dominating Seminole defense, winning in Miami, and giving up 17 yards in the second half, is definitely worthy of the top spot.

#2 Tennessee

Walter - The jury is still out for me on the Vols since California played about as horribly as a top 10 ever has (I could watch 100 years of football and never see a worse tackling team in my life), but Tennessee dominated a top 10 team and that gets you pretty high in the power rankings.

Frazier - Nightmare game for Cal, but credit where credit is due, the Vols looked legit on both sides of the ball, and pasted the highly regarded Golden Bears.

#3 Southern California

Walter - The names on the back of the jerseys may change but one thing is clear, there is still a ton of all-american talent on the Trojans. It is interesting to note that the John David Booty era kicked off in eerily similar fashion to the Matt Leinary era (a 20-0 win at Auburn).

Frazier - The Trojans absolutely dominated an experienced SEC team in a difficult environment, and showed no signs of a letdown after losing so much talent to the NFL. The rest of college football is on notice that USC isn't going anywhere.

#4 Auburn

Walter - The Tigers featured a dominant running game and a physically punishing defense in dominating Washington State. Needless to say I'm feeling great about my preseason national title pick.

Frazier - Kenny Irons is probably near the top of everyone's Heisman lists right now, and for good reason, he was both bruising and blazing in a severe beatdown of a solid PAC 10 team.

#5 Ohio State

Walter - It's nice that they beat up on a strong Northern Illinois team, but the facts remain that the Huskies ran up and down the field on the young Buckeye defense. Texas is going to be bigger, faster, and more physical and must be licking their chops after watching the OSU defense stink up the field on Sat.

Frazier - Ohio St. looked like exactly the team we expected in their first game, dominant on offense, with loads of talent, but lots of inexperience on defense. Allowing Texas to push them around in a similar way could derail any national title hopes.

#6 Texas

Walter - They took care of business against N Texas, but for Colt McCoy it's one thing to look good against the Mean Green and another to look good against the Buckeyes. We'll know just how good Texas is on Sunday.

Frazier - What did you expect from this game? Texas looked excellent, and their defense will be a strength this year, although some recent legal troubles could present a problem. McCoy and the offense looked very good against a very bad defense. This team simply took care of business.

#7 Nebraska

Walter - They looked great against an always tough Louisiana Tech team, and with Colorado looking so terrible in their opener (losing to 1AA Montana State) there shouldn't be anything standing between the Cornhuskers and a Big 12 North title.

Frazier - The 330 passing yards and 4 TDs through the air were impressive, but the 250 rushing yards were exactly what the doctor ordered for this team looking to break out in 2006.

#8 Louisville

Walter - Losing Michael Bush is devestating. Let me repeat that, devestating. That said, the Cardinals had rolled up a 31-0 lead before they called off the dogs in the first half so they deserve some props here.

Frazier - The loss of Bush definitely hurts them in the long run, but the offense is still exceptional, and the way they came out and dominated a rival Kentucky program was impressive.

#9 Notre Dame

Walter - I have to give credit where credit is due. Even though they looked eminently beatable, the Irish did come away with a win against an ACC opponent in hostile territory. They'll have to play much better to go undefeated though.

Frazier - They didn't look great, or even particularly good at times, but they beat a bowl team in a tough road contest, so they sneak in this week, with a huge game looming against Penn St.

#10 West Virginia

Walter - They get no respect for beating a terrible Marshall team, but the Mountaineers rolled up over 300 rushing yards and dominated the Thundering Herd (just as they should have).

Frazier - Marshall is a pretty lousy program, but the Mountaineer offense was firing on all cylinders, and they have plenty more cupcakes, and a gift in the Bush injury, to look forward to.

I was right about Ohio State's defense. Northern Illinois and Garrette Wolfe ran rough shod all over the young and inexperienced Buckeye defense. OSU could be in big trouble against Texas.

I was wrong about the rest of Ohio State. Northern Illinois had absolutely no shot to win that game. The Buckeye offense looked great and Smith and Ginn finally appear to be fulfilling their promise in a consistent manner.

I was right about the Miami defense. They were the better defense on the field last night and made a very talented Seminole offense look pedestrian.

I was wrong about the FSU defense. I stated that Miami was America's best defense (they are) and that it wasn't close (it is). FSU won the game last night because their defense completely shut down any semblance of an offense Miami had. Miami still has the best defense, but Buster Davis and the Seminoles are close.

I was right about Auburn. They totally dominated a Washington State team that will win more than they lose this season. The Tigers are going to be nearly impossible to beat at home.

I was wrong about Arkansas. They are young and talented, but just not ready to compete with the likes of the nation's elite just yet. It wouldn't have mattered if McFadden had been 100% or if Mustain had gotten into the game earlier.

I was right about Notre Dame. They looked eminently beatable and could not come close to stopping Calvin Johnson. That said, they won a tough road game against an experienced ACC team.

The jury is still out on Tennessee. I was wrong about California, they looked terrible and Nate Longshore does not appear to be the answer at QB. However, time will tell whether Tennessee is really good or whether Cal just stinks. I think it might be some of both. Tennessee can't be as good as they played, and Cal can't be as bad as they looked. Erik Ainge was great, but I am not ready to jump on his bandwagon just yet. His 11-19 looked nice but his stats were incredibly inflated by two long runs after a short pass (thanks to some abysmal Cal tackling).

Every week the big man and I will alternately look like geniuses or idiots, depending on the outcome of the games. College football is wild and unpredictable, which is why it's so much fun. It's also very humbling on a daily basis. Just when you think you've figured things out, the game changes on you. So our "Student Body" postings give us an opportunity to toot our own horns, and eat some crow, as we deserve. They also honor one of the most important plays in college football history. Of course, it's impossible to make too big a deal out of week one, but the games definitely left an impression on me. This is how I'm feeling about my own predictions after the first leg in the race to the title.

I was right about:

USC. They looked phenomenal. Eventually they will figure out the running back situation, but they have plenty of time, and three freshmen with worlds of talent. Booty and the defense both looked fantastic as well, and Jarrett will only get better from here.

I was completely wrong about:

Tennessee, or possibly Cal. Probably both. The Vol's played a great game, and completely blew out the visitors from Berkeley. I think the Golden Bears will regroup, but this was a bad loss, and wasn't even as close as the lopsided score would inidicate. Ainge was poised and deadly, and the defense played out of its' mind. Still not sure how good Tennessee is, but this was a statement game for them. They are a force to be reckoned with in the SEC East.

I was right about:

Notre Dame. I know they won, and playing at Georgia Tech isn't exactly easy, but when you are the number two team in the country playing an unranked foe, you need to show me a little more. I didn't say they would lose to GT, but they certainly came close, and they looked more than beatable.

I was wrong about:

Florida State's offense. I know Miami has a phenomenal defense, but Weatherford and company simply looked lost at points. It is probably too early to say they can "walk and chew gum at the same time" since they don't seem to be able to walk, well, er, run, at all.

I was right about:

Georgia's offense. Tereshinski was 7-17 for 90yds against the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky. Preformances like that will doom this team.

I was wrong about:

The ease of transition for Paul Thompson. Oklahoma needed every ounce of Adrian Peterson's brilliance to avoid a cataclismic upset to UAB. If they don't get that fixed in a hurry, the trip to Oregon in two weeks could be a disaster.

I was right about:

Nebraska finding a running game. They ran for 250 yards in a rout of La. Tech. Now, I know that it is hardly the most fearsome defense they will face all year, but they didn't run for even 200 yards in any game last year. The 'Huskers look poised to break out.

I may be wrong about:

Arkansas. These guys just don't seem to be ready for primetime. The number of turnovers is what really frightened me, and I don't think the quarterback position has a clear leader. Mustain will be a special player, but it might not happen until year two. I may have been a year early in this prediction.