Shane O Mac's Games of the Week (Week 2)

Well, it seems we have made it to Week 2 of College Football with a few questions. Is Boise State really for real? Is Michigan really that good with Denard Robinson and is there any chance for Penn State to upset the defending National Champion Alabama. Well, Tuscaloosa is where we will start.

(19) Penn State at (1) Alabama (7pm, ESPN)
College Gameday is there so that means something. Penn State starts a true freshman Rob Bolden once again after his impressive performance against Youngstown state. The only weak point for the Crimson Tide is their young secondary. Will Bolden be able to exploit that? Also, how good will the Nittany Lions react to the elements? Its going to be hot, humid, and sticky and the crowd will be very hostile at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will be out for this one, but Trent Richardson is just a good maybe even a bit better. Penn State will be in for a battle in the trenches and they will have to pressure Greg McElroy because if they do happen to stop the Tide will go to the air. Also, Julio Jones will have to be stopped if the pass happens. The Vegas line for this game is 12…I’ll take Penn State because in the words of Lee Corso, “This one will be closer than the experts think.”

Michigan at Notre Dame (3:30, ABC)
Well, the Wolverines are in the Shane O Mac Games of the Week again. Last week Denard Robinson blew up against Connecticut and nobody thought game them a chance. Well the Fighting Irish welcome Michigan and this will be a tough test for Robinson. Notre Dame has good receivers and Dayne Chirst is leading the offense. Purdue had a lot trouble scoring points against the tout Notre Dame defense so it’s going to be interesting to see how Robinson reacts in this game away from home.

(17) Florida State at (10) Oklahoma (3:30, ABC or ESPN)
The last time these two met was in the 2001 Orange Bowl and it was for the National Championship. It was a sloppy game but the Sooners came out on top and won (13-2). Now we fast forward nine years and these teams are different in many ways. Florida State has a new head coach in Jimbo Fisher and last week he got off to a good starts against creampuff opponent Samford. The last time the Seminoles were in Norman was 1976, the first year of Bobby Bowden at Florida State. Oklahoma struggled late last week against Utah State but won 31-24. Christina Ponder will go to the air and abuse the Sooner defense while Landry Jones tries to keep his mistakes to a minimum. This one will be a barnburner.

(7) Oregon at Tennessee (7pm, ESPN2)
In this game something has got to give. Oregon put up 72 unanswered points last week against New Mexico State while the Volunteers but up 52 against Tennessee-Martin. Well, these two teams are obviously facing tougher tests that last week so that’s what makes this game interesting. We know the offenses can score a lot of points but what about the defenses. Oregon is in the Pac-10 which always gets criticism for having bad defenses. Tennessee is coming off an offsesason where Lane Kiffin bolted and went to Los Angeles. So there was a huge cut that is steal healing in Knoxville but last week’s game cured it a little bit. Oregon is in the top 10 for a reason so we will see if they can uphold their ranking this week, but it won’t be easy because this game is at Neyland Stadium in front a hostile orange and white crowd. Oregon set a school record with 720 total yards, but this week I don’t think it will happen. Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas might have his hands full today.

(12) Miami (FL) at (2) Ohio State (3:30, ABC)
Well, this is the other big game of the day. It is in Columbus and this game just feels like its going to be good. Two young quarterbacks take the national stage. Jacory Harris goes up against his toughest test maybe in his career. The Buckeye defensive line is very talented and will pressure Harris all game. We do know what to expect out of Terelle Pryor after his impressive Rose Bowl game last year against Oregon. Its just the simple question of who will make the first mistake? This game will have a huge impact in college football and it is only Week 2…

So strap up your chinstraps folks, Week 2 College Football is about to get underway in about an hour. Another sleeper game to watch for is (22) Georgia at (24) South Carolina. The ole’ ball coach tries to get the ball rolling for the Gamecocks in this early-season SEC game. If South Carolina wants any respect from the voters and the SEC they need to win this game against Georgia. Well that’s Shane O Mac’s Games of the Week for Week 2. Enjoy the games everybody!