Mark Blaudschun
By Mark Blaudschun
Week 1 is officially in the books, and there were no major surprises. But there weren't
any big-time match-ups either. That will change dramatically this week.
So let's check out what to look for in Week 2.
1. Ohio State at Texas
Two potential national champions in an SEC-Big Ten showdown, which could be
repeated in Las Vegas in January. For now, since the game is in Austin, we give a slight
home-field edge to Texas. And we are ready to watch Texas QB Arch Manning have a
Heisman moment in a key game.
Ohio State can win this game. The Buckeyes are a 1.5-point underdog, which means
Vegas doesn't know either. Just a hunch that Arch does indeed have a Heisman
moment in the final minutes. Can't wait.
2. Oklahoma at Michigan
Oklahoma is coming off an easy opening-game victory over UTEP. Michigan, on the
other hand, must recover from a stunning home loss to Western Michigan. (Yes, we are
counting this as a loss no matter what the Big Ten's replay and the official stats say
about the mysterious one-second gap in the tapes.
The Zapruder film didn't receive as much instant analysis as that Hail Mary attempt by
Michigan. Most of the free world outside of the replay booth in the Big Ten office thinks
the game was over with an incomplete pass.
But that was last week's news. Oklahoma looked like a legitimate SEC Top 10
team, while Michigan looked like a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team. Edge
Oklahoma? Probably, but winning in the Big House is never easy, and Michigan can't be
that bad. Right?
3. Arizona State at Texas A&M
A surprising early key game for A&M since it can't afford to stumble, with road SEC
games at LSU and Oklahoma still looming, as well as a regular-season-ending
encounter with Texas. Arizona State is in a rebuild mode, so it should be easy, but the
Aggies have a history of stumbling. This might be the one.
4. Arizona at BYU
First Big 12 showdown in a conference that is crowded at the top. BYU looks like a
legitimate Big 12 title contender and could be a playoff team without winning the league title.
Arizona is coming off a nine-victory season and making sounds like a contender. This will
be a test to see if the Wildcats have some claws.
5. Missouri at Kansas (Friday)
The Border War is serious business in the Midwest region. Both teams
should still be in the Big 12 or in an expanded Big Ten. But Missouri took the money and
ran to the SEC, where it competes, but still seems like an outsider.
Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy, one of the SEC's best rushers, probably won't play as he is still recovering from an off-season gunshot wound. Tigers' depth at the position is now in question with an injury to a key back-up last week.
Kansas has a split personality It is still a basketball school, but has done well enough in
the Big 12 in football to make people pay attention. This year's version of the rivalry will be played at KU, which helps the Jayhawks.
6. Rutgers at Boston College (Friday)
Both teams are coming off losses. Rutgers was humiliated at home by UMass and paid
$1.5 million in guarantee money for the honor. Now it must regroup against what looks
like another 3-9 Boston College team that appeared lethargic in an opening loss at Cincinnati. The
sobering note is that it will be played on 9-11, with supporters from both schools still feeling the pain, which is now 25 years old.
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