The second week of the college football season offers a lighter schedule of big games, especially after last week's exciting matchups between highly ranked teams in Boise State versus Georgia and Oregon versus LSU, but there are still a handful of important games around the country, including one happening at a never before seen time and place.
Penn State vs. Alabama
The Alabama Crimson Tide will make the return trip this weekend to Penn State's Beaver Stadium after they soundly defeated the Nittany Lions at home last season, 24-3. Both teams are undefeated after easy week-one victories over weak opponents at home. Penn State took care of Indiana State by a score of 41-7 and Alabama easily rolled over Kent State, 48-7.
Alabama's offense is led by junior running back Trent Richardson and first year starting sophomore quarterback A.J. McCarron. Richardson scored three touchdowns in the season opener on only 37 yards, while McCarron threw for only one touchdown and two interceptions, potentially a cause for concern as it came against a weak opponent.
Meanwhile, Penn State's offense is still in flux as head coach Joe Paterno says he expects both Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin to see playing time at quarterback against the Crimson Tide. Sophomore running back Silas Redd ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana State.
Both teams traditionally sport solid defenses, and this year should be no different. Expect a raucous atmosphere in Happy Valley for this late afternoon game as Penn State attempts to exact some revenge on the No. 3 ranked Crimson Tide.
Arizona State vs. Missouri
Badger fans are likely very familiar with Arizona State, as Wisconsin barely scraped out a 20-19 victory over the Sun Devils at Camp Randall last season. A Jay Valai extra-point block and a touchdown-saving kickoff return tackle by Shelton Johnson and Dezmen Southward were the only two plays keeping Arizona State from stealing a victory in Madison.
The Sun Devils are expected to be just as pesky of a team this year, but they have higher aspirations than the 6-6 record they earned last season. They host No. 21 Missouri in a late Friday tilt at Sun Devil Stadium. The Tigers are coming off of a less than impressive victory over Miami of Ohio last week, in which they only mustered 17 offensive points.
If Arizona State's athletic linebacker Vontaze Burfict can take control of his tendency to commit personal foul penalties, he may be able to wreak havoc in the backfield against Missouri. With Blaine Gabbert leaving early to the NFL, the Tigers are leaning on inexperienced sophomore quarterback James Franklin to run the offense. Though Arizona State is unranked, they are the touchdown favorite in this early nonconference battle.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame
Though tempered by Notre Dame's disappointing home loss to South Florida last week, this game still looks to receive a lot of publicity as it will be the first ever night game played at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan has installed permanent lighting at the stadium and plans on holding one night game per season if this weekend's game goes off without a hitch.
Both teams suffered from lengthy weather delays last week. Notre Dame faced two delays totaling nearly three hours before falling to South Florida 23-20. Meanwhile, Michigan defeated Western Michigan 34-10, though the game was called with 1:27 left in the third quarter due to lightning.
Last year's game between the two clubs was a thriller, as Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson ran in a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to giving Michigan a 28-24 victory.
The game figures to be exciting again this year, though the Wolverines will look dramatically different under new head coach Brady Hoke. He has installed a new pro-style offense, but Robinson will still often be lined up in the shotgun.
Notre Dame may be the more talented team of the two, but they will have to play much more disciplined football than they did last week to earn a road victory.
Auburn vs. Mississippi State
Auburn's poor defense was exposed last week in a comeback victory over Utah State. The defending national champions used a successful onside kick recovery to score 14 points in the final three minutes and escape with a 42-38 win. But the 448 total offensive yards from the Aggies has Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof searching for answers.
With Auburn's big-name departures on both sides of the ball (quarterback Cameron Newton, defensive tackle Nick Fairley), the time might be right for Mississippi State to pick up a road victory over the Tigers. Senior quarterback Chris Reif looks poised to lead the Bulldogs to a special season, with additional help from a fellow senior, running back Vick Ballard.
Mississippi State cannot afford to look ahead to their week three matchup against the No. 2 LSU Tigers. Bulldog fans are likely waiting with anticipation for the nationally televised primetime home game, but the Bulldogs' players first need to take care of business away from home this week.
It's never easy to be on the road in the SEC, but the atmosphere at Auburn might be less electric considering the concerns surrounding their football team. If Mississippi State plays a calm and collected football game, they should be able to earn the victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
