Top 10 Games
10. Florida State (7-6) at Colorado (2-10), Sept. 22
Face it, Buffs: Your two best-known gridders of the past decade are a female kicker and an Olympic moguls skier. The Seminoles may be looking past you to next week's showdown in Jacksonville (see No. 5), but that would be a mistake. Drew Weatherford or Xavier Lee, Coach Bowden? Pick and stick. Is Dan Hawkins walking around Boulder wearing a "Chris Petersen won with MY players" T-shirt?
9. Oregon (7-6) at Michigan (11-2), Sept. 8
I'd be more excited about the Wolverines, who return quarterback Chad Henne, tailback Michael Hart and wide receiver Mario Manningham, if eight defensive starters weren't saying, "Adios, Ann Arbor." And I'd be more excited about the Ducks if they ever showed up for a big game outside of Autzen Stadium. Current Wolverine players may not recall it, but Wolverine fans haven't forgotten UM's 2003 loss in Eugene.
8. Texas A&M (9-4) at Miami (7-6), Sept. 15
The Hurricanes continue their foray into the Big 12 by hosting the Aggies. A&M quarterback Stephen McGee and human cannonballcarrier Jorvorskie Lane will face one of the five best defenses in the nation, led by 6'8", 265-pound junior defensive end Calais Campbell.
7. South Florida (9-4) at Auburn (11-2), Sept. 15
South Florida is big-time, and that ain't no Bull. After shocking West Virginia in Morgantown last November (and crushing Louisville the year before), USF and quarterback Matt Grothe are now as inconspicuous as that bull in the china shop (or as Borat in an antique shop). The Tigers obviously meant to schedule Florida Atlantic or Florida International (clerical error) and chances are Tommy Tuberville is already blaming ESPN for this matchup.
6. Notre Dame (10-3) at UCLA (7-6), October 6
Irish freshman QB Jimmy Clausen was 28-0 as a prep starter at Oaks Christian in nearby Westlake. If Clausen begins his college career 1-0 in his native state when Notre Dame visits the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1925, that might be more impressive. UCLA's defense, which returns ten starters including All-American defensive end Bruce Davis, has not forgotten the final 62 seconds in South Bend last October. You can probably also mark this down as the first visit by Irish freshman Golden Tate to the Golden State.
5. Alabama (6-7) vs. Florida State (7-6) at Jacksonville, Sept. 29
There's only one letter separating Satan from Saban, and a few hundred miles south of today's game, less than that. Nick Saban, the least loved coach in Florida, takes on Bobby Bowden, the most beloved, in a meeting between programs whose reputations outshine their success of late. Here's hoping that the Tide's YouTuberrific wide receiver Tyrone Prothro returns for one last season.
4. Tennessee (9-4) at California (10-3), Sept. 1
Vol quarterback Erik Ainge comes as close to his Oregon home as he will get during his college career. Last September 2 Tennessee humiliated the Golden Bears in Knoxville. Can Cal quarterback Nate Longshore, wideout/punt returner DeSean Jackson and tailback Justin Forsett return the disfavor? Maybe not, but the Bears have lost just two home games (one to USC) in head coach Jeff Tedford's three seasons.
3. Miami (7-6) at Oklahoma (10-3), Sept. 8
Sweet! "I Love the '80s" Week comes to Norman. As I write this Vinny Testaverde, one of the prime figures of those hellacious mid-80s clashes between the Hurricanes and Sooners (which also featured future Dallas Cowboy Super Bowl-winning coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, future ESPN analyst Michael Irvin, and future NFL bust Brian Bosworth) is preparing for the AFC Championship game. You know who else was a fixture in those contests? New Miami head coach Randy Shannon, who played linebacker for the Canes.
2. Virginia Tech (10-3) at LSU (11-2), Sept. 8
The Hokies led the nation in scoring defense (11.0 ppg) in 2006 but, considering the relative quality of opponents, the Tigers' No. 4 rank (12.6) was more impressive. Ryan Perrilloux, 2004's national prep player of the year, inherits JaMarcus Russell's quarterback job in Baton Rouge, and for the next two seasons at least Death Valley will be known as a perrillous place to visit.
1. USC (11-2) at Nebraska (9-5), Sept. 15
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Sam Keller may get another shot at USC, but as a Cornhusker.
Carroll's Conundrum: The Trojans return ten starters on defense, and that's before Pete figures out how to get super stud freshmen Chris Galippo (LB) and Everson Griffin (DE) into the rotation. Nice problem to have. The Maze Unsheathers will likely toss Pac-10 party boy transplant Sam Keller behind center. It's like "Tommy Lee Goes To College" without the horticulture tutoring sessions. In 2005, while the QB at Arizona State, Keller led the Sun Devils to a 21-3 halftime lead versus the Trojans before imploding in the second half.
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