College Football Upset Alert: Interesting Rematches in Week 3

College Football is as exciting as anything. We've already seen classic contests like TCU/Baylor, Iowa/Iowa State and Notre Dame/Michigan during this young season. 

What common thread connects them all? History. The fact that any two programs are linked by previous matchups makes the upcoming game far more interesting.

Luckily, the Week 3 schedule in Division I-A is jam-packed with rematches from 2010. What makes it even better? All of them have the potential to shake up the AP Top 25!  

No. 18 West Virginia @ Maryland (Sept. 17)

2010: The final score—West Virginia 31, Maryland 17—does not tell the whole story: This one was a blowout.

WVU quarterback Geno Smith threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns while completing more than 65 percent of his passes. Nearly all that production came early in the game and the Mountaineers held a commanding 28-0 lead only a few minutes into the third quarter.

Maryland's Jamarr Robinson was fortunate enough to hook up with his favorite deep threat, current Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, on a pair of long scores. He otherwise had a mediocre day.

A fluky turnover in the fourth quarter allowed the Terrapins to get within 11 points, but a time-consuming drive going the other way put the game away.

The running game—although not directly responsible for any of the six touchdowns—ultimately decided this contest. West Virginia out-rushed its opponent, 201 yards to -10, and won convincingly despite losing the turnover battle, three to one.

2011: Over the past calendar year, Maryland's offense has undergone an extensive makeover. Robinson was removed from his starting role shortly after last season's loss in Morgantown. Danny O'Brien took his place under center and had an effective season, and he enters this rematch coming off a great performance in a victory against the undermanned Miami Hurricanes.

Other top skill players from the 2010 team like Torrey Smith and running back Da'Rel Scott are gone to the NFL. However, this program is particularly deep at both positions. Davin Meggett was the lone rusher to pick up a first down on the ground against West Virginia's defense. After a solid Week 1, he seems poised to take over as Maryland's feature back.

Head football coach Randy Edsall is dealing with more responsibility than ever in his first year at the helm. Edsall is a perfect fit for this program, which is yearning for national respect.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers are also led by a new head coach, Dana Holgorsen. His recent successes at Houston and Oklahoma State are evidence of his offensive genius. With Geno Smith returning, expect WVU to overwhelm Maryland yet again.

A major weakness for them is special teams. Their return game is certainly nothing special (pun intended), and junior kicker Tyler Bitancurt is coming off a shaky season and a missed attempt against Norfolk State last weekend.

Key Matchup: Maryland's O'Brien against West Virginia's defensive secondary. O'Brien is hesitant to throw vertically, but that may be the best way to exploit the Mountaineers' inexperience. 

Tennessee @ No. 16 Florida (Sept. 17)

2010: Florida persevered to win in its first true test of the post-Tebow era.

New starting quarterback John Brantley was turnover-free. He attempted only 23 passes, while the Gators ran the ball on more than two-thirds of all play calls.

Florida's offense was sluggish in the first half, only capable of gaining 94 yards. Tennessee had similar troubles and trailed 7-3 heading to the locker room.

UF eventually took control of the game and began picking up first downs on the ground. The Volunteers got desperate and leaned on QB Matt Simms to keep it close. He threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice.

The Gators' defense had an exceptional day in the midst of a season where they struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Simms was sacked four times in the second half. 

2011: Gainesville-based fans coming out for the game on Sept. 17 shouldn't expect much improvement from the offense in 2011.

Despite the team's impressive point totals against Florida Atlantic and UAB, Brantley—now a senior—continues to have a minimal effect. He has managed just one touchdown on 49 pass attempts as everything continues to run through running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey.

Demps' availability is in doubt after a shoulder injury sustained in Week 2. With an untested quintet of blockers in place, the Gators need the world-class speedster to contribute in some capacity against the Vols.

If Demps heals as anticipated, Florida will likely improve on their paltry 3.1 yards per carry from last year's meeting, mostly because of changes in Tennessee. They have had to replace safety Janzen Jackson, a former five-star recruit, in addition to two linebackers.

The Vols made a switch at quarterback last November, from Simms to freshman Tyler Bray. Bray put up big numbers against the trash of the SEC to end 2010, but he has taken strides to legitimize Tennessee's attack these past two weeks. He exploded for 405 yards and four touchdowns against Cincinnati, thanks in large part to a veteran offensive line.

Key Matchup: Tennessee's front seven against Florida's front line. Both are weak units, so the question is who will be less futile. 

No. 15 Michigan State @ Notre Dame (Sept. 17)

2010: Now this game had some great entertainment value!

Both offenses were out of sync during a messy first half which included six punts, three turnovers and no flashy breakaway plays.

Then the back-and-forth began. The teams kept within seven points of one another, but stuck with different philosophies throughout the afternoon.

Notre Dame put their trust in Dayne Crist. The junior quarterback set career highs in completions (33), attempts (55), yards (369) and touchdowns (4).

The Spartans, however, got their ground game more involved. LeVeon Bell accounted for 132 total yards—his personal best outside of a Week 1 thrashing of Western Michigan. QB Kirk Cousins made his presence felt, too: 245 yards and two scores.

Thanks to a clutch takeaway, Michigan State was set up near midfield with several minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But unable to advance the ball past the first down marker, the score stayed tied, 28-28, heading into overtime.

It would end with "little giants," a kooky trick play that came out of a Spartans' field goal formation. The home team won it, 34-31, to stay undefeated, but needed 477 yards to get it done.

2011: Even if some of the personnel has changed, the circumstances entering this rematch have not. Michigan State is still great and Notre Dame is still desperate.

The Fighting Irish are coming off a pair of aggravating defeats. Fans are already getting impatient with second-year head coach Brian Kelly. He has officially made the switch under center from Crist to sophomore Tommy Rees.

Their defense continues to struggle and Michigan State will make them pay. Kirk Cousins has quickly developed into one of the Big Ten's elite passers. Also, nearly every running back and receiver from the 2010 Spartans has returned.

Key Matchup: Tommy Rees against linebacker Max Bullough. If Rees has trouble finding his guys over the middle, the Irish will be hard-pressed to score. Bullough is still inexperienced as a starter, but he was seemingly everywhere in MSU's first two wins.      

No. 21 Auburn @ Clemson (Sept. 17)

2010: In hindsight, this face-off from September 18 was just a stepping stone for Auburn on its way to an unlikely national championship. Still, it's worth remembering how close "Cam Newton & Co." came to stumbling.

The Tigers were crushing the Tigers 17-0—that is, Clemson was crushing Auburn—with barely a minute to play in the first half. A key defensive pass interference penalty along with a brief series of Newton rushes was enough to get the home Tigers inside the Clemson 25-yard line. The field goal attempt was good as time expired, closing the deficit to 14 points.

The momentum was lost briefly at the start of the third quarter when Newton threw his second pick. (Note: this was the only multi-interception game of his Auburn career. In every other start, he completed more than 50 percent of his pass attempts.)

Then, Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb led Auburn on consecutive touchdown drives to even it up at 17 points apiece. On the next possession, Newton completed a 78-yard strike to Terrell Zachery to make it 24-17. It was Newton's longest play against a Division I-A opponent.

Clemson quickly responded with an eight-play, 77-yard sequence to retie the score.

The offenses were practically stagnant in the fourth quarter and not much better in OT. However, starting field position on the opponent's 25-yard line allowed each a high probability field goal. Auburn scored first, but amazingly, Clemson's successful kick to match it was waived off for an illegal procedure. The re-kick was no good.

2011: Junior QB Barrett Trotter has MASSIVE shoes to fill as Newton's successor. Trotter is not the same dual threat and it's far too early to declare him a prolific passer. After opening strong against Utah State, he disappeared late in the game against Mississippi State.

With the Dyer-McCalebb tandem still around, there's no reason to panic about the offense. On the other side of the ball, however, Auburn has looked shaky.

They have surrendered more than 280 yards per game over the young 2011 season. Such shenanigans surely wouldn't come to be if defensive tackle Nick Fairley had returned.

Clemson's main ball-carrier Andre Ellington has played well for the Tigers—when healthy—and four of his five starting linemen are back. Tajh Boyd is the new man under center. If his performances against Troy and Wofford mean anything, then Clemson will be more dangerous than in 2010.

Their defense is talented but inexperienced. They struggled to stop Wofford's triple-option last week, so although they are laden with size and speed, don't expect them to shut down Auburn.

Key Matchup: WR Emory Blake against Clemson's corners. Blake is Trotter's No. 1 target: With speed and sure hands, he usually provides the big plays for Auburn. He'll thrive in one-on-ones with Jonathan Meeks or Xavier Brewer.  

No. 1 Oklahoma @ No. 5 Florida State (Sept. 17)

2010: The Seminoles were totally overwhelmed. While Oklahoma was still trying—in the first half—FSU was goofing up on offense, defense, special teams and with the refs (12 penalties for 95 yards).

Highly-coveted quarterback Christian Ponder had an awful game where he simply could not control the football out of his hand. He looked for short- and mid-range targets, but twice found Oklahoma players instead. Even on completions, Florida State fell short of first downs.

The Sooners looked unstoppable behind sophomore Landry Jones. Several times, he orchestrated scoring drives from his own 20. Jones passed for four touchdowns, and running back DeMarco Murray pounded it in twice.

Seminoles punter Shawn Powell had an off day and OU took advantage when given a short field. 

2011: Although both enter this rematch as elite programs, the expectations are substantially higher for Oklahoma.

Jones was a consensus preseason All-American and aspires to contend for the Heisman. Murray has left to the NFL, but the Sooners have great alternatives in the backfield, most notably Brennan Clay and Dominique Whaley. Following an epic season, leading receiver Ryan Broyles connected countless times (14, to be exact) with Jones against Tulsa in the season opener.

Many of their top defensive contributors are back, including All-Big 12 cornerback Jamell Fleming. Jarmarkus McFarland and Frank Alexander bolster the D-line after dealing with injuries in 2010.

On the sidelines, head coach Bob Stoops is arguably the best in the nation. While other historically great programs—Miami, Michigan and Notre Dame, for example—have been on coaching carousels, Oklahoma welcomes Stoops for his 13th season. Since his hiring, the Sooners are an impressive 130-31.

Jimbo Fisher doesn't provide the same expertise as Stoops, being that he's entering his second year as leader of the Seminoles. He's also at a loss with Christian Ponder now playing professionally.

E.J. Manuel is now the starting QB, and if anything, he brings accuracy to their passing game. On the ground, Florida State has a trio of capable running backs.

This game doubles as a family reunion for the Stoops family: Bob's younger brother is Mark Stoops, FSU's defensive coordinator. Under him, the Seminoles took huge strides to improve their run-stopping. But there is uncertainty in their linebacker and secondary ranks. Many past starters are coming off surgeries.  

Key Matchup: Florida State rushers against Jamell Fleming. The cornerback makes all sorts of plays for the Sooners' defense, including some in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage. To keep up with Oklahoma's relentless offense, the Seminoles will need to find plenty of first downs. Something's gotta give...

No. 17 Ohio State @ Miami (Sept. 17)

2010: The Miami offense was dysfunctional throughout the afternoon, but the Hurricanes led 10-3 with 13:05 remaining in the second quarter on the strength of an awesome kickoff return by Lamar Miller and a successful field goal attempt by Matt Bosher from 51 yards out.

Jacory Harris stole the show at that point. He was intercepted four times, thrice in Miami territory and once in the red zone. Those turnovers wound up being the difference—OSU scored 24 points directly following a Harris pick. 

There were missed tackles aplenty as opposing QB Terelle Pryor accumulated nearly 350 yards between passing and running the ball, and accounted for two TDs.  

The Hurricanes got blown away, 36-24.

2011: Miami has one last opportunity to win with its once-lauded 2008 recruiting class. Travis Benjamin, Harris and Sean Spence—all seniors—will be reinstated following single game suspensions.

Those departed from a season ago include WR Leonard Hankerson, LB Colin McCarthy and CB Demarcus Van Dyke. Forced into prominent roles because of these draftees and the suspensions in the aftermath of the Nevin Shapiro scandal, the eligible Canes didn't have enough the beat Maryland on Sept. 5.

Highly-touted offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson impressed as a freshman, but he is still recovering from offseason back surgery.

New head coach Al Golden has guided turnarounds at Virginia (as defensive coordinator) and Temple. If he can get results from those weaker talent pools, then there is optimism that Miami will play well in his debut season.

After a turbulent spring, Ohio State is also in transition. OSU alumnus Luke Fickell has replaced Jim Tressel, and the biggest stars of the 2010 offense won't be participating this weekend.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor famously opted for the NFL's supplemental draft, and LT Mike Adams, RB Daniel Herron and WR DeVier Posey are out until October because of player violations.

The fill-ins struggled against Toledo, eking out a 27-22 victory with help from a 69-yard punt return touchdown from Chris Fields and fortunate penalties charged against the Rockets. Joe Bauserman didn't look good and the defense allowed some big gains.

The Buckeyes lost a lot of starting experience on that side of the ball. The secondary is populated with capable upperclassmen who missed time with injury in 2010, but blown assignments and missed tackles are inevitable among the front seven.

Key Matchup: Luke Fickell against Al Golden. Both battered programs are coming off subpar performances. Morale is fleeing in the wrong direction. Whichever coach can better persuade his players to refocus on football matters will have the leg up in this upcoming "Ineligi-bowl."