College Football: Alabama vs. Penn State and Week 2 Selections

One week of football is in the books and what a week it was. Baylor and Robert Griffin knocking off TCU may have been the most entertaining game we saw all week, with 98 points scored.

Then we saw the Oregon Ducks get pushed around by a very good LSU Tigers team.

Lastly, we can start debating whether Boise State deserves their title chance after giving the Georgia Bulldogs a taste of their own medicine in their very own backyard. 

Arizona at No. 9 Oklahoma State

This is a rematch from the Alamo Bowl where Nick Foles was sacked five times.

Oklahoma State does not return a ton of their players on defense but neither does Arizona. So, expect a ton of points in Stillwater. 

Why Arizona Could Win

Nick Foles was sensational last week, throwing for 412 yards and five TDs. Juron Criner will cause major issues for the Cowboys' secondary, but so will David Roberts and Texas transfer Dan Buckner. 

Why Oklahoma State Could Win

Brandon Weeden has just as many options in his passing game led by All-American Justin Blackmon.

However, his Pokes have the edge in the running game. Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith are two solid performers.

Also, do not forget this defense has some athleticism led by Broderick Brown and Shaun Lewis.

Expert's Pick: OKST By 14.5* (No Criner for AZ)

Drama's Pick: Oklahoma State 38, Arizona 21

No. 21 Missouri at Arizona State

Missouri's James Franklin struggled in his debut at starting quarterback throwing for just 129 yards, one TD and one interception (which led to a Miami, Oh. TD).

The offense as a whole was even worse as they only totaled for 291 yards against a mediocre Miami-Ohio defense. 

Arizona State thrashed UC Davis 48-14 thanks in part to the home run ability from running back Cameron Marshall. 6'7" signal caller Brock Osweiler threw for 261 yards along with two TDs. 

Why Missouri Could Win

They have four exceptional targets down the field to which Franklin can throw (TJ Moe, Michael Egnew, Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp).

Their front four is exceptional up front and the linebackers can swarm to the ball. If they shore up the secondary then things will be fine and dandy.

Why Arizona State Could Win

Cameron Marshall will bring some issues to the table for the Tigers. The receiving corps looks solid for a Sun Devil team that lost their top option in Jamal Miles (preseason torn ACL).

Expert's Pick: ASU By 8

Drama's Pick: Arizona State 27, Missouri 17

Iowa at Iowa State

The Hawkeyes once upon a time could not beat the hated Cyclones, losing five straight from '98-'02.

However, they have won six of the past eight meetings and have dominated for three seasons in a row, winning by a combined score of 87-15. 

Iowa has held the Cyclones to just 15 total points in the last three meetings combined, allowing an average of just 301 yards per meeting.

The Cyclones were nearly upset by Northern Iowa as starting quarterback Steele Jantz was the main and only offensive producer.

He ran for 80 yards and 2 TDs while throwing for 187 yards and a TD as well. He ran in the game-winning touchdown with just a few minutes left in the game.

Jantz's three interceptions were the sole reason why they nearly lost. However, the playmakers (or lack thereof) is something Iowa should take advantage of.

Why Iowa State Could Win

 It is a rivalry game and though the Cyclones are a fairly weak team, they will get up for the Hawkeyes since it is their so called "Super Bowl."

Why Iowa Could Win

 The Hawkeyes should take advantage of a weak Cyclones run defense. 

If UNI can run for over 200 yards I think it is safe to assume the Hawkeyes can also. Plus, Shaun Prater has big play ability in the secondary which should slow down the aerial attack.

Expert's Pick: Iowa By 7

Drama's Pick: Iowa 24, Iowa State 14 

Utah at Southern California

The Utes come into Pac-12 play against the Trojans in what should be a telling game in the South Division.

Even though the Trojans cannot play in the Pac-12 Championship they can still show they are the best of the best in the division.

Utah has not been talked about as Pac-12 favorites even though they may be the most talented and most disciplined team in the division.

Why Utah Could Win

 Jordan Wynn should improve upon his season opener where he only threw for 101 yards and two TDs against Montana State in their 27-10 victory.

John White IV is a stud and showed it, rushing for 150 yards and a TD. USC was gashed a bit by Minnesota, so you have to expect Utah to do the same.

Why USC Could Win

The Trojans have a bit more talent and playing at home should certainly help.

Lane Kiffin made a few questionable calls in their opener as he went for two 2-point conversions after they jumped ahead with two quick TDs.

He also went for a fourth-and-six from the Minnesota 36 and it turned out to be a terrible decision.

Nonetheless, USC still won 19-17 and they should do the same against a Utes team that is searching for answers offensively.

Expert's Pick: USC By 9

Drama's Pick: USC 31, Utah 20

BYU at No. 24 Texas

The Cougars are coming off a thrilling one-point victory in Oxford against a decent SEC team.

Beating the Ole Miss Rebels is not an easy thing to accomplish but BYU has the talent at the line of scrimmage to compete with the big boys.

Texas has a ton of upside and promise with the amount of young talent they have on both sides of the ball. Their defense is incredible up front and should stifle the BYU ground game.

However, Jake Heaps arguably has the better receiving corps and will be going up against a secondary with little to zero experience.

Why BYU Could Win

 Did you catch Jake Heaps threading the needle against Ole Miss? He has a cannon arm and can get the job done despite only being a sophomore.

Also, the Cougars did a tremendous job bottling up the running game of the Rebels. Ole Miss features one of the top lines in America and they were held to 64 yards rushing.  

Why Texas Could Win

Longhorns true freshman running back Malcolm Brown ran for nearly 100 yards in his collegiate debut and I like his chances to find the endzone in this game.

Also, Garrett Gilbert really played well in the opener and is only going to get better through each and every game. I don't think the Cougars can match up with the Longhorns' receivers for four quarters.

Expert's Pick: Texas By 7  

Drama's Pick: Texas 27, BYU 21  

No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn

Auburn came out flat and if it were not for the brilliant play of Barrett Trotter there is a great chance the Tigers would have came up short against Utah State.

Mississippi State came out guns blazing with Chris Relf throwing for 202 yards and two TDs.

The offense was so potent that Vick Ballard set a career high in rushing despite only toting the rock 10 times. His 166 yards and three TDs put a bullseye on his back this weekend.

Auburn's offense was not bad by any means against Utah State as it was just a lack of a defense that drew major criticism and concerns.

The Aggies ran for over 200 yards which makes you wonder how many the Bulldogs could have ran on them last week.

It is a new week and both teams will be geared up for each other after last year's tremendous Thursday night game where Cam Newton and Auburn prevailed 17-14.

Why Auburn Could Win

 Their defense cannot play any worse, right? Plus, their offense is still potent with their viable options in the passing and running game.

Having this game on the "Plains" could make this game come down to the wire.

Why Mississippi State Could Win

 Relf, Ballard and Bumphis look like the real deal for Dan Mullen's offense. The defense will return a few of their suspended players which should only help the defense put more pressure on Trotter.

This game will come down to the wire, but the Bulldogs will force a key turnover that will determine the outcome.

Expert's Pick: Mississippi State By 6.5

Drama's Pick: Mississippi State 35, Auburn 24 

No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia

What a tough weekend it was for Georgia fans around the entire state. Despite playing the game against Boise State in the Atlanta Georgia Dome the end result was not in doubt.

Georgia was picked apart by Kellen Moore as they had no answers for the so called "less talented" team.

Georgia could not find a running game and it is imperative they open some holes for freshman Isiah Crowell to run through or else the Gamecocks front line will harass Aaron Murray just like the Broncos did.

However, South Carolina struggled with turnovers mainly because Connor Shaw could not avoid coughing it up himself. Stephen Garcia came on in relief and was exceptional running the bacon. 

Having Marcus Lattimore to hand the ball to surely helps. They also are expected to return DeVonte Holloman and Akeem Auguste back in the secondary.

Why Georgia Could Win

Georgia has the best special teams in the nation with Blair Walsh, Drew Butler and Brandon Boykin leading the way.

If Aaron Murray gets a clean pocket he has the options to torch the Gameocks secondary that was tested against ECU.

If UGA can cause a few turnovers they will walk with the victory "Between the Hedges."

Why South Carolina Could Win

Marcus Lattimore is a horse and if Doug Martin/DJ Harper can run on the 'Dawgs defense, then certainly the soon to be All-American can. 

Boykin and Branden Smith are legit SEC corners but will struggle against an athletic, physical receiver like Alshon Jeffrey.  

Expert's Pick: South Carolina By 3

Drama's Pick: South Carolina 24, Georgia 22 

Notre Dame at Michigan

Despite both these teams being unranked it is still must-see television because of the rivalry. Plus, the Irish blew several opportunities last weekend. Will they choke again?

Also, did I mention Gameday will be calling the game with Desmond Howard getting honored at halftime? On top of that, it will be the very first night game at "The Big House."

Most either love or hate the Golden Domers and if you are a Wolverine fan there is no doubting you dislike the publicity that the Irish receive every season.

Five turnovers, three in the red zone, nearly made Brian Kelly's face explode last week.

They may have imploded right out of the gates after a fumble at the goal line was picked up by Kayvon Webster, which was returned to paydirt from 96 yards out.

After several delays that totaled for over two hours, the Irish fell to South Florida 23-20.

Michigan had a few delays of their own and their game was actually called with a full quarter remaining (34-10).

Michigan will have to bottle up the ground game of the Irish and make them pass in obvious passing downs in order to stop Michael Floyd.

The Domers may have the better front as it is imperative they stop the run or else Denard Robinson will run wild on them like last season.

Why Michigan Could Win

 Even in pro formation sets the Wolverines are a dangerous offense because of their loaded backfield.

Robinson has improved in the passing game and they will use tight end Kevin Kroger a ton down the field.

Their defense was a bend not break type against Western Michigan and they may need to come away with a few more huge turnovers if they expect to win.

Why Notre Dame Could Win

Tommy Rees gets the start over Dayne Crist. Hopefully it is the right move or else the Irish will be doing the quarterback quandary shuffle like so many other porous offenses.

Floyd, T.J. Jones and Theo Reddick give the Irish enough punch to stretch the Michigan defense, but there is one crucial player.

That would be Cierre Wood, who went bonkers (148 total yards) in Week one. But it went unnoticed in the defeat. It won't go unnoticed this weekend. 

Expert's Pick: Notre Dame By 3.5 

Drama's Pick: Notre Dame 30, Michigan 24 

No. 3 Alabama at No. 23 Penn State

My top choice for the game of the week is going to be a lot better than any so called "expert" expects. I rank this as the sneakiest game of the season for Alabama.

They spanked Joe Pa's men 24-3 last season and most are expecting similar results. No so fast my friend.

Alabama may be the best team in America, but they might have bigger questions at quarterback than Penn State does right now.

Both teams have speedy receivers who can stretch the field for their backfields, but this game might just come down to field position and special teams.

The last time the Tide rolled into State College was 1989 and they escaped with a one-point victory on a 19-yard blocked field goal.

Alabama is expected to have Duron Carter at wide receiver joining a bevy of options for the Tide.

How much time will Phillip Sims see under center? He was outplayed by A.J. McCarron and some expect Sims to sit for most of the game.

Both signal callers threw ill-advised passes last week and both were picked off twice. If they can't take care of the ball this game spells disaster.  

Will Alabama just ground and pound it with Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy?

Most would say yes, but Penn State has a solid front seven and a legit group of linebackers that will challenge Alabama's offensive line.

Avoiding the costly turnovers and controlling the clock will be the key. Does Alabama have the best defense in America? Questions will be answered in this battle between all-time heavyweight greats.

Why Penn State Could Win

 Their rushing attack is good enough to make Alabama load up the box. Penn State will not be afraid to thread the needle down the field with Derek Moye and Justin Smith.

Their defense will not allow the big play and will keep the Nittany Lions in the ball game for four quarters. 

Why Alabama Could Win

Mark Barron and Robert Lester will be able to show off why they are one of the all-time great safety duos we have seen.

They will come up in the box and hit you in the mouth and play deep in center field to pluck a dart in the dark.

Trent Richardson only ran 13 times for 37 yards last week. Look for those numbers to increase quite a bit in this nail biter.  

Expert's Pick: Alabama By 10

Drama's Pick: Alabama 24, Penn State 17