College Football Week 2 Preview

While Week 1 did not have a lot of high profile games, the double main event on Saturday night definitely delivered with Clemson edging Georgia in a close battle that had national title implications attached to it and LSU doing enough to pull away from TCU in the 4th quarter in a game possibly closer than some expected. The rest of the top 25 for the part did enough against competition or steamrolled through just one game towards something bigger. One of the unexpected storylines of Week 1 was the FCS schools beating the FBS schools as seven upsets tripped up teams like Kansas State and Oregon State. The second week ahead does not look to be deep with big game but another couple marquee matchups headline the weekend and Georgia finds themselves in another key game for them.

Looking back at last week, Rutgers at Fresno State might not have had many eyes originally glued to but an all night affair truly capped a first night of college football the right way as Fresno State edged Rutgers by one in overtime. Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas A&M all showed signs that they should have solid years and potentially BCS title game aspirations. While Boise State has certainly fallen a bit from being in that type of position as Washington made a huge statement in their win.

In my top 5 for Week 1, I went 4-1 for a good start to the year. Penn State won a true classic grind out game against Syracuse in the Meadowlands as their freshman quarterback showed a few signs of a promising future. Virginia Tech gave Alabama a few good punches and if their special teams were a little tighter so would have the score as the Crimson Tide were far from perfect but still dominant enough. Oklahoma State could have tripped up against Mississippi State but instead looked like a team that could find themselves winning the Big 12. Then, there were the two big games for Saturday night. First, LSU went back and forth with TCU for three quarters before LSU would do enough and finish off a crucial drive in the 4th to seal the deal. My only loss of the week came when Clemson beat Georgia by 3. The two teams seeming matches scores and tried to one up one another. In the end, Clemson's QB Tajh Boyd was a bit more poised than Georgia's QB Aaron Murray. However, if Georgia would have gotten a late third quarter field goal, this one could have easily went to overtime and who knows what could have transpired.

Now comes this week's games to spotlight and the weekly top 5.

Games to highlight in Week 2:

Eastern Kentucky at #8 Louisville: QB Teddy Bridgewater for Louisville is enough reason to watch and after carving up Ohio, he will likely duplicate similar dominance and he could find himself in the Heisman conversation come December.

South Carolina State at #6 Clemson: Clemson had a major win last week and should not drop this one but how sharp will they be after coming off that big win.

Tenn-Martin at Boise State: They suffered one of their only losses the last few years and it was a rough one. How do they bounce back and how efficient will they look?

Southern Miss at #19 Nebraska: Nebraska did not play well at all in Week 1 and likely should have lost to Wyoming and if they play as sloppy especially on defense against this week they might suffer a major loss.

Louisiana Lafeyette at Kansas State: Kansas State was in a BCS game in January and they opened 2013 with one of the worse losses of the weekend. How do they bounce back against a team that could surprise them?

Sam Houston State at #7 Texas A&M: QB Johnny Manziel should play at least the first half for Texas A&M. This is their second and last tune up for their clash with Alabama next weekend. How will the quarterback and team look and will Manziel avoid bad press after this game?

Hawaii at Oregon State: Oregon State was viewed as a team that could make some noise this year and they made a big thud in Week 1 by not being able to finish off Eastern Washington. Could they suffer another tough toss?

San Jose State at #4 Stanford: The final top 10 team gets to hit the field and Stanford could be in the BCS conversation against this year and might be on a collision course with Oregon. Should be interesting to see how they start the year.

Top 5 Games of Week 2 (4-1):

5) Syracuse at #22 Northwestern: Northwestern lived up to much of their expectations thus far after just one game and for those who watched the Syracuse-Penn State game in Week 1 could see a repeat type of game for most of this one. Northwestern has a bit more experience and talent than the Nittany Lions at this point in the year and should pull away much like they did in Week 1. PICK: NORTHWESTERN

4) #2 Oregon at Virginia: Oregon came out the game as dangerous as ever and might be able to finally get the title game and win with that offense playing the way they did in Week. They should get slowed down slightly but could still hang 50 or more on Virginia. The Cavaliers played very well especially on defense in Week 1 and based on the first couple Oregon drives, we'll be able to tell if this one stays respectable or will become a blowout early. It will likely be a mix of the two before Oregon starts to run up the score. PICK: OREGON

3) #12 Florida at Miami (FL): This game has normally been a hotly contested battle during the better part of two decades. The Hurricanes fell a bit from grace but are slowly but surely taking steps to get back to where they believe they belong among the top tier teams. This will be a great test on that road and see where they stand. Florida got more out of their running game than expected in Week 1 but still started another season not playing very efficiently. They should not take Miami lightly. The Gators have a bit more talent but could get close late and that might just enough for the upset. PICK: MIAMI (FL)

2) #13 Notre Dame at #17 Michigan: This rivalry will end in 2014. They played as close as ever last year with Notre Dame edging by Michigan. The two teams have dynamic quarterbacks with different styles. QB Devin Gardner for Michigan might be a challenge to slow down if he gets in the open field and despite not being the same threat as his predecessor, he will deliver a few big plays. This one has a late fourth quarter battle written around it. A late winning drive would be a perfect ending for the last game in Ann Arbor between the two. That drive will likely belong to Michigan as they edge Notre Dame and get revenge. PICK: MICHIGAN

1) #5 South Carolina at #10 Georgia: Georgia suffered a tough Week 1 loss to a very good team in Clemson. Their second week poises another challenge in South Carolina and the freak Jadeveon Clowney on defense. This game could have national title implications as well for Georgia. But, more importantly, a win will put them in the driver's seat potentially to win the SEC East and give themselves a chance at a national title. South Carolina has continued to rise each year under head coach Steve Spurrier and this presents them another opportunity to see if they are a title contender type of team. If Murray can elude much pressure from Clowney, it will certainly help Georgia's offense who lost their best receiver in a freak accident. HB Todd Gurley might not be 100% either. However, like last week; Georgia answers pretty much everything that South Carolina in case throws at them. The Bulldogs will do enough to edge out a win after coming close on the road in Week 1. It won't be easy though as they could be trailing entering the 4th and call upon Murray to have a couple big drives. PICK: GEORGIA

There is similar excitement for Week 2 with a couple awesome games and some big name schools looking to make statements before they enter their conference schedules. Should be another thrilling weekend in college football!