College Football 2012: 9 Week 2 Games Recruits Will Be Watching

Last week we went over some big-time games for Week 1 that recruits would have a large amount of interest in watching. Week 1 is always an exciting weekend because so much promise and hope are in every team's aspirations.

Week 2 also is exciting, and looking at the schedule for this week, I see some great games that recruits will be watching. From great matchups to interesting storylines, this weekend figures to be another awesome set of games for this 2012 college football season.

For this piece, here are the nine Week 2 games you will be watching, and just know that recruits will be looking at the same games you are from a different perspective.

9. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati (Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN)

The Thursday night game is always a game people watch because it's on ESPN and is the only game of the day. Ever since I was a kid, I have been a fan of Thursday night ESPN college football games.

This Thursday it will be Pitt and Cincinnati.

Sure, these two schools are not the sexiest in the country, but Pitt has something potentially on the line here. With OT Dorian Johnson and WR Robert Foster as the top uncommitted prospects in the state, the Panthers need a good showing here.

Losing to Youngstown State is not going to have anyone impressed with Paul Chryst, so his program needs a win Thursday.

Foster and Johnson will want to know the outcome of this game. 

8. Oklahoma State vs. Arizona (Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Pac-12 Network)

The Pokes travel west to say hello to Rich Rodriguez this Saturday night. Rodriguez has gotten himself some sleeper recruits during his initial full year in Tuscon, while OSU is still trying to impress WR Laquon Treadwell.

This will be a good game to watch, as it has a late start on Saturday night, and the Pac-12 Network surely wants to put on a top-notch game presentation. 

7. Miami (Fla.) vs. Kansas State (Saturday at Noon ET on FX)

Miami is fresh off a solid win on the road against Boston College, but this week brings a more daunting opponent: Kansas State.

The Wildcats may not be bullies on the recruiting trail, but they have a great football team. Miami is looking to continue looking good for Matthew Thomas and Jaynard Bostwick, and an upset over K-State surely would help accomplish that feat.

This is another huge game with recruiting implications for the Hurricanes. 

6. Nebraska vs. UCLA (Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox)

Nebraska showed off a shockingly efficient passing attack last week, while the Bruins looked pretty good in their opener.

The Rose Bowl will be buzzing with Big Red in the building, and recruits will be watching this game—most notably recruits such as Ricky Seals-Jones, Joe Mathis, Priest Willis and Tahaan Goodman.

Both the Cornhuskers and UCLA will be looking for a victory and to impress recruits.

5. Washington vs. LSU (Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN)

The Huskies have a good class in the works this cycle, and they also are making progress on the field, too. A good test to see how far they've come as a program is to play one of the three elite teams in the country this year.

LSU fits that mold, and U-Dub will travel down to Baton Rouge this weekend. Recruits such as Darrell Daniels, Troy Williams, Ethan Pocic, Antonio Conner, Ricky Seals-Jones and Priest Willis should be watching this one. 

4. Auburn vs. Mississippi State (Saturday at Noon ET on ESPN)

This will be a good game to see because Auburn has to quickly forget about last week's loss to Clemson and get ready to fight in the SEC. 

Mississippi State is ready to take a step forward in the conference, and the Tigers stand in its way. Another neat quirk to this game is its matchup of contrasting minds as head coaches. Gene Chizik is a defensive-minded coach at Auburn, while Dan Mullen runs a spread-option offensive attack with the Bulldogs.

I think Antonio Conner, Derrick Green and Montravius Adams are just the tip of the iceberg of recruits who will be interested in seeing this game. 

3. USC vs. Syracuse (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN2 in N.J.)

East Coast recruits will want to get a look at USC this weekend since it will be on TV in the region. With the Trojans being in Los Angeles, a lot of times they are not seen much back east.

So, recruits have the chance to see them play in majority this weekend. The game will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. 

With all eyes on them, surely the Trojans will look to put on a show for all the recruits who will be watching. 

2. Air Force vs. Michigan (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN2)

Air Force is the team to watch in this game because—oh, who am I kidding?

We all want to see how Michigan rebounds from the blowout loss to Alabama last week.

The Wolverines have had two great recruiting classes, and they want to keep their momentum going. A loss to Air Force could send this season in a downward spiral for Brady Hoke's football team.

Uncommitted recruits such as Laquon Treadwell, Derrick Green and Leon McQuay likely will want to see this one. 

1. Florida vs. Texas A&M (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Many people have to be very fired up about this game, including recruits. Florida and Texas A&M are both showing out well in 2013 recruiting, and the Aggies open up SEC play this weekend, too.

Kyle Field will be rocking all game long, and this also is the debut of new A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin.

Recruits with interest in this game could include Ricky Seals-Jones, Laremy Tunsil, Stacy Coley, Marquez North, Justin Manning and Derrick Griffin, among a slew of others.

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects and writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS).

A syndicated scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a college football and NFL draft magazine.