Hoke's College Football Big-Game Breakdown: Week Three

Heading into Week Three, there are some intriguing games, but there might not have been as big a game in years as what will take place in Los Angeles on Saturday night between Ohio State and Southern Cal.

The "Collision in the Coliseum" is the clear headliner, but there are some other nice matchups taking place this weekend, starting Friday night with the Kansas Jayhawks making a trip to Tampa to take on the South Florida Bulls in what should be a great game.

Here's a breakdown of the big games for Week Three:

No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 1 USC Trojans

Key Matchup: Ohio State Pass Defense (97 YPG) vs. USC Pass Offense (350 YPG)

The experienced Buckeyes travel to LA to take on the mighty Trojans in what will most likely be the game of the year in college football. After the Buckeyes struggled to beat the Ohio Bobcats, many wonder if Jim Tressel's team can even stay in the game with USC.

If Chris "Beanie" Wells is healthy, the Buckeyes can do more than stay in the game. Ohio State has more experience than USC, its players have been in big games before (even if they didn't turn out all that great), and it is playing the underdog role.

Furthermore, the USC receivers have yet to step up and be the playmakers they were recruited to be, and I'm not sure they can do it against the talented Buckeye secondary.

Note of Interest: As of Thursday, Chris "Beanie" Wells will not play in the game against USC. This was not known when I wrote the article. This obviously makes a huge difference in the outcome. Without Wells, I'm not sure Ohio State can win this game.

Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes

Player of the Game: QB Todd Boeckman, Ohio State

No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 19 South Florida Bulls

Key Matchup: Kansas Pass Offense (334 YPG) vs. South Florida Pass Defense (94 YPG)

The Jayhawks travel to Tampa to take on the South Florida Bulls in a Friday night showdown. It was about this time last year that the Bulls were upsetting a top-10 Auburn team on the road to capture the national spotlight.

South Florida barely survived last week against a game Central Florida squad on the road, but it doesn't get any easier against a top 15 team in Kansas this week.

The Jayhawks' passing game is the real deal, and with the loss of two bigtime corners at South Florida from last season, I think Kansas should be able to take advantage.

Winner: Kansas Jayhawks

Player of the Game: QB Todd Reesing, Kansas

No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers at No. 21 Fresno State Bulldogs

Key Matchup: Wisconsin Rush Defense (73 YPG) vs. Fresno St. Rush Offense (206 YPG)

Kudos to the Badgers for taking on this non-conference road game. Fresno State has always been the team that will go play anyone, anywhere. This time, the Badgers return the favor, heading to Fresno in what will be a big non-conference showdown, and it is huge if Fresno State wants to crash the BCS party.

The key for Fresno State will be establishing the run. They rely on being a physical team by running the ball first, then a solid passing game second. The Badgers will no doubt have their success on the ground with PJ Hill, and All-American tight end Travis Beckum should be back for this game, which will be huge for the Badgers.

Still, though, I think Fresno State with the home crowd will get it done and, after this weekend, will be a legitimate BCS contender coming out of the WAC.

Winner: Fresno State Bulldogs

Player of the Game: QB Tom Brandstater, Fresno State

No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Key Matchup: Georgia Pass Offense (306 YPG) vs. S. Carolina Pass Defense (69 YPG)

This has become a very good rivalry in the SEC East with these two border rivals. South Carolina pulled off the upset last season in Athens with a huge early season win, and don't think Mark Richt and the Bulldogs have forgotten about that one coming into this weekend. There have been a lot of questions this week about whether Steve Spurrier still has what it takes to win in the SEC, he has a chance to silence those critics this weekend.

You know what you are getting with Georgia back Knowshon Moreno, and you know South Carolina's offense is struggling and probably won't turn it completely around this week against a good Bulldog defense. The question is whether the Gamecock pass defense slow down the red-hot Matthew Stafford and the Georgia passing game.

I think they can cause some problems, but the Gamecock offense doesn't have near enough to keep up with Georgia. The Bulldogs should win this game by 10 points or more.

Winner: Georgia Bulldogs

Player of the Game: QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia

No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners at Washington Huskies

Key Matchup: Oklahoma Pass Offense (350 YPG) vs. Washington Pass Defense (289 YPG)

Oklahoma should run wild in this game and score at will. The Huskies are ranked 100th or worse in three of the four major defensive categories. Oklahoma wins big.

Winner: Oklahoma Sooners

Player of the Game: WR Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma

UCLA Bruins at No. 18 BYU Cougars

Key Matchup: UCLA Pass Defense (189 YPG) vs. BYU Pass Offense (412 YPG)

Can UCLA repeat its performance against Tennessee this weekend? Third-string quarterback Kevin Craft has to be better than he was in the first half against the Vols, because BYU's offense will take advantage of the UCLA mistakes. BYU wins this game by two touchdowns.

Winner: BYU Cougars

Player of the Game: QB Max Hall, BYU