Week 2-

USC - Ohio State -The big game of the day is USC-Ohio State. The game will come down whether USC can contain Terrelle Pryor and if USC freshman QB Matt Barjley is ready for the big stage he will find at The Horseshoe in Columbus. Even though it is only week two of the season this game will go along way in deciding who will be playing where in Janaury. OSU defense will have to stop the running game of USC and make Barkley make some plays and put the pressure on him to perform. It will be a tough task for the Buckeyes considering the size and experience that the Trojans bring to the offensive front. On the flip side the Trojans defense will have to stop Pryor. He is the veteran QB in this battle and his play and leadership will determine who wins this game.

Quick note: It has been seven years since USC lost a non-conference game on the road.

My pick: Ohio State

Notre Dame - Michigan - This could be the make or break game for Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss and Michigan's Rich Rodriquez. The Irish are coming off a solid win against Nevada and QB Jimmy Claussen is coming off a great game. As the USC-OSU game will come down to quarterback play as will this game Claussen has the big game experience and I don't think The Big House will effect him that much. Michigan will be starting a freshman at QB with Tate Forcier. This is a huge game against a storied program for a freshman to get the start. Not that Rodriquez has much choice.

My Pick - Notre Dame

Stanford - Wake Forest - Not the biggest game of the day on a national level but will interesting to see of the Cardinals can travel all the way to Winston-Salem and knock off Jim Grobes Deam Deacons. Jim Harbaugh will be bringing some tools with him to North Carolina to test a Wake team that may not be what it was the last few years. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (freshman) is worth watching.

My Pick - Wake Forest

and the rest:

Penn State handles Syracuse
UConn pulls off the upset over North Carolina (ACC woes continue)
Florida, Texas, Nebraska and Virginia Tech all roll over their opponents.
Houston shocks Oklahoma State (#5)
Tennessee gets some redemption over UCLA for last years loss
Georgia beats South Carolina in a defensive struggle that most people will find offensive to watch
The rest of the top 25 not mentioned all win. Not many challenges out there for them.