2010 College Football Week 2 Top 25 Primer

Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against Marshall University during the first quarter of their NCAA football game in Columbus, Ohio, September 2, 2010.  REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

Schedule, game times and interesting tidbits about the top 25 action in Week 2 of college football…

(Games are listed by date and time)

Thursday, September 9

No. 21 Auburn vs. Mississippi State, 7:30PM ET
The Tigers have won eight of the last nine meetings between these two teams, including four straight on the road. After throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns as well as rushing for 171 yards and two scores in a 52-26 win over Arkansas State last Saturday, Auburn’s Cameron Netwon was named the SEC’s offensive player of the week. He’ll have to be on top of his game tonight in Starkville, after Mississippi State held Memphis to only 41 yards rushing last Saturday in a 49-7 victory. This will be both teams’ conference opener.
Odds: Auburn –1.5 (56.5)

Friday, September 10

No. 23 West Virginia vs. Marshall, 7:00PM ET
This will be the fifth straight meeting between these two teams, as the Mountaineers have won the previous four meetings by a combined score of 141-43. Marshall was crushed 45-7 by Ohio State last week, while West Virginia routed Coastal Carolina, 38-0. Thundering Herd head coach Doc Holliday faces his alma mater and former boss Bill Stewart in this contest, and hopes that Marshall’s defense can improve on the 529 yards of total offense they allowed last week to the Buckeyes.
Odds: West Virginia –12 (47)

Saturday, September 11

San Jose State vs. No. 11 Wisconsin, 12:00PM ET
One week after getting crushed by Alabama, the Spartans will once again play the cupcake role when they take on a Badgers team that rolled UNLV 41-21 last Saturday. Wisconsin hasn’t lost a home opener since Colorado beat them 43-7 in 1995. This will only be the second meeting between these two programs, as the Badgers lead the all-time series 1-0. For San Jose State to have a chance, it’ll have to slow down a Wisconsin running game that amassed 278 yards on the ground last week.
Odds: Wisconsin –38 (56)

No. 15 Georgia Tech vs. Kansas, 12:00PM ET
The Yellow Jackets may be the only FBS team that can score 41 points in a game while completing only two passes, which is exactly what they did in a 41-10 win over South Carolina State last week. Kansas, meanwhile, is coming off a pitiful start under new head coach Turner Gill as the Jayhawks could only muster 3 points in a 6-3 loss to FCS North Dakota State despite compiling 293 yards of total offense. They turned the ball over three times in that game as Kansas has now lost eight consecutive games since starting last season 5-0. Georgia Tech won the only meeting between these two teams to date, securing a victory in the 1948 Orange Bowl.
Odds: Georgia Tech –14 (49.5)

No. 22 Georgia vs. No. 24 South Carolina, 12:00PM ET
With matchups between Miami and Ohio State and Florida State and Oklahoma on this week’s schedule, it’s easy to forget about this great early-season SEC East bout in Columbia on Saturday. Both of these teams are coming off impressive wins, as the Bulldogs crushed LA-Lafayette 55-7 last week in Athens, while the Gamecocks dominated a Southern Miss team 41-13 despite the fact that some pundits assumed the Eagles would give South Carolina a game. Georgia holds a 13-5 edge over South Carolina in this matchup, as the two teams have met annually since 1992 to open conference play.
Odds: South Carolina –3.5 (49.5)

GAINESVILLE, FL - APRIL 10: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators watches his team during the Orange & Blue game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 10, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

South Florida vs. No. 8 Florida, 12:21PM ET
The Gators kicked off the Tim Tebow-less era by only compiling 212 yards of total offense in a shaky 34-12 win over Miami (OH). Urban Meyer’s squad only threw for 113 yards, turned the ball over three times and lost the time of possession battle 34:44 to 25:16. On the other side, the Bulls won Skip Holtz’ debut by crushing Stony Brook, 59-14. Florida has won 21 straight regular season games and Meyer is 10-0 against intrastate opponents, but quarterback John Brantley has to rebound from a less than auspicious start to the year.
Odds: Florida –15 (49.5)

Idaho vs. No. 6 Nebraska, 12:30PM ET
It looks like head coach Bo Pelini made the right decision choosing Taylor Martinez over Zac Lee to start at quarterback for the Huskers, as Nebraska rolled to a 49-10 win last Saturday over Western Kentucky. Martinez completed 60% of his passes for 136 yards and also rushed seven times for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Speaking of quarterbacks, Nebraska’s own Nathan Enderle led Idaho to a 45-0 win over North Dakota in the Vandals’ opener last week. Enderle threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing 64.9% of his passes. This will be the first ever meeting between these two teams in what could be a closer game than people think.
Odds: Nebraska –28 (54)

James Madison vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech, 1:30PM ET
After losing a heartbreaker to Boise State in their opener Monday night, the Hokies look to rebound against FCS opponent James Madison in Blacksburg. Of course, dropping the opener is nothing new to VA Tech, who has lost the first game of the season in each of the last three years now. But VA Tech is 6-0 against James Madison and has won the last two meetings by a combined score of 90-0. After passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns, as well as rushing 16 times for 73 yards, Hokies’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor should have no problems tearing up the Dukes.
Odds: No Line.

Iowa State vs. No. 9 Iowa, 3:30PM ET
Despite being unable to score a touchdown against the Hawkeyes since 2006, the Cyclones believe they have enough offensive firepower to put the ball in the end zone more than once on Saturday. While he threw two interceptions in Iowa State’s opener last Thursday night, quarterback Austen Arnaud competed 75% of his passes for 229 yards in a 27-10 win over Northern Illinois. He also chipped in 45 yards rushing and one touchdown, while his backfield mate Alexander Robinson rushed for 97 yards and two scores on 19 attempts. Of course, the onus will be on the Cyclones’ defense with Iowa expecting the return of running back Jewel Hampton. Iowa State has lost 36 straight road games against ranked opponents since beating Oklahoma 33-31 in 1990.
Odds: Iowa –13.5 (44.5)

No. 17 Florida State vs. No. 10 Oklahoma, 3:30PM ET
The Sooners may have been looking ahead to this week’s game after barely getting past Utah State 31-24 last Saturday. Oklahoma racked up 422 total yards of offense, but turned the ball over twice and committed seven penalties. The Seminoles, meanwhile, trounced FCS Samford 59-6 as quarterback Christian Ponder threw for 167 yards and four touchdowns on 12-of-14 passing. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the 2000 National Championship Game when OU won a thrilling, mind-blowing affair, 13-2. The Sooners have won four straight over the ‘Noles since losing in the 1965 Gator Bowl.
Odds: Oklahoma –7.5 (59)

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 28: Quarterback Jacory Harris #12 of the University of Miami Hurricanes sets to pass against the University of South Florida Bulls November 28, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.  (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

No. 12 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State, 3:40PM ET
The biggest game on the Week 2 schedule resides in Columbus this Saturday afternoon, as the No. 2 Buckeyes play host to No. 12 Miami. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the controversial finish to the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and the first showdown in Columbus since 1977. The focus will be on both teams’ quarterbacks, as Jacory Harris is fresh off a 210-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 45-0 rout of Florida A&M last Thursday and OSU’s Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three scores against Marshall in a 45-7 blowout. But both teams have outstanding running games and the Buckeyes boast one of the nation’s best defenses, so hopefully this one lives up to the hype.
Odds: Ohio State –8 (45.5)

UNLV vs. No. 20 Utah, 4:00PM ET
In one of the most thrilling finishes of the Week 1 schedule, the Utes knocked off PITT 27-24 in overtime. Utah has never lost in seven meetings with the Rebels in Salt Lake City and is 7-4 in Mountain West openers.
Odds: Utah –22 (54)

No. 18 Penn State vs. No. 1 Alabama, 7:00PM ET
The top ranked Crimson Tide will once again be without their Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram when they face No. 18 Penn State in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. These two schools met every year from 1981 to 1990, with ‘Bama winning six games. Nittany Lions star running back Evan Royster only rushed for 40 yards last week, although he carried the ball just 11 times. He’ll see plenty of work this week against a Tide defense that surrendered just 89 total yards on the ground last Saturday in a blowout win over San Jose State. Penn State’s front seven will have its hands full trying to stop Eddie Lacy (111 yards, 2 TDs), Trent Richardson (66 yards, 2 TDs) and Demetrius Goode (66 yards) last week.
Odds: Alabama –12 (44)

Tennessee Tech vs. No. 4 TCU, 7:00PM ET
After winning an exciting, back and forth battle with Oregon State last week in their opener, the Horned Frogs hope to have an easier time with FCS Tennessee Tech this Saturday. TCU climbed to No. 4 in the rankings with the win and has won eight straight home openers and 14 straight overall.
Odds: No Line.

Wyoming vs. No. 5 Texas, 7:00PM ET
There will be plenty of heavy hearts in Austin this Saturday when the No. 5 Longhorns host the Cowboys. Wyoming will be playing for the first time since 19-year-old freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse was killed in a one-car accident early Monday morning. Narcisse was killed riding in the back seat of a pickup truck driven by cornerback Trey Fox. Texas, meanwhile, defeated Rice 34-17 last Saturday and has outscored Wyoming 92-20 in all three of these schools’ meetings.
Odds: Texas –28.5 (49)

SEATTLE - OCTOBER 24:  LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks carries the ball against Nate Fellner #29 of the Washington Huskies on October 24, 2009 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 43-19. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

No. 7 Oregon vs. Tennessee, 7:00PM ET
After lambasting New Mexico 72-0 in their opener, the Ducks hit the road to Knoxville this week and will get a boost when running back LaMichael James returns from suspension. Derek Dooley won his Tennessee debut last week, beating Tennessee-Martin 50-0 in the Vols’ first shutout since 2003. This will be the first meeting between these two schools, so it’ll be interesting to see how Oregon plays against a motivated Tennessee team while in unfamiliar territory.
Odds: Oregon –11.5 (54)

No. 14 Arkansas vs. LA-Monroe, 7:00PM ET
LA-Monroe kicks off its 2010 season this week by hosting an Arkansas team that crushed Tennessee Tech 44-3 in their opener last Saturday. Quarterback Ryan Mallett threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. The Razorbacks are 8-0 lifetime against the Warhawks and has won seven in a row against non-conference opponents.
Odds: Arkansas –34 (59.5)

No. 19 LSU vs. Vanderbilt, 7:00PM ET
LSU takes on a Vandy team that they’ve dominated over the years, winning seven straight and outscoring the Commodores 139-42 in the last six meetings. The Tigers had to hang on to a 30-24 victory over North Carolina last week, despite leading 30-10 at halftime. Vanderbilt head coach Robbie Caldwell lost his debut last week in a 23-21 defeat at the hands of Northwestern. Junior quarterback Larry Smith did throw for 240 yards and one touchdown in that game, as the Commodores racked up 432 yards of total offense.
Odds: LSU –9.5 (43.5)

Virginia vs. No. 16 USC, 10:30PM ET
The Lane Kiffin head-coaching era got off to a decent start last week in Hawaii, as USC beat the Warriors 49-36 last Thursday night in Honolulu. Matt Barkley threw for 257 yards and five touchdowns in the game, while C.J. Gable ran for a 20-yard first down late in the game to put away Hawaii’s comeback hopes. On the other side, Virginia beat Richmond 34-13 in their opener and is now 1-0 under new coach Mike London. The Trojans beat the Cavaliers 52-7 in 2008, which was the only meeting between these two teams.
Odds: USC –19.5 (50)

No. 25 Stanford vs. UCLA, 10:30PM ET
The Cardinal and Bruins will meet in the Pac-10 opener for both schools this Saturday night. Stanford has not beaten UCLA at the Rose Bowl since 1996 and has been shut out in two of the past three meetings. The Cardinal hope to get the same rushing effort as they did last week when they rushed for 200 yards in a 52-17 win over Sacramento State. The Bruins, meanwhile, gave up more than 300 yards on the ground in a 31-22 loss to Kansas State last Saturday.
Odds: Stanford –6 (52)

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