College Football Week 2: The 10 Teams Most in Need of a Win

While Week 1 breeds eternal optimism for every fanbase, it always offers a harsh dose of reality for some of them.  Even as early as Week 2, many teams face games that will go a long way in defining their seasons.

Some teams must bounce back after losses, while others who have difficult schedules ahead must avoid an early-season upset to keep bowl or conference title hopes alive.  Here are the 10 teams who most need victories this weekend.

10) Vanderbilt (vs. Connecticut)

The Commodores drew only 27,000 fans to their home opener, and with SEC play kicking off next week against Ole Miss, getting a key home win over the Huskies could build some excitement around the program in James Franklin's first year.

A 3-0 start is not out of the question, and while Franklin has done everything right in the offseason to generate excitement, nothing does more to spark a rebuilding project than wins.  Vanderbilt gets a great chance for a big win on Saturday night. 

9) California (at Colorado)

The Golden Bears open their road schedule with a non-conference game at Colorado (not a misprint).  In a crucial year for Jeff Tedford, Cal only has five home games, all of which will be played at AT&T Park, with Memorial Stadium closed for renovations.

The Bears have a brutal three-game stretch beginning in two weeks that takes them to Washington and Oregon before hosting USC.  Tedford cannot afford a bad loss in Boulder if he hopes to get back to a bowl game after 2010's disappointing 5-7 record.

8) Tennessee (vs. Cincinnati)

The Volunteers host the much-improved Bearcats in Neyland Stadium on Saturday in a battle of two good quarterbacks, Cincinnati's Zach Collaros and Tennessee's Tyler Bray.  The Vols have not started 2-0 since 2006.

UT draws all three SEC West powers this year (Alabama, Arkansas, LSU) and opens conference play on the road next week against rival Florida.  Big Orange Nation would like to see seven or eight wins this year after last year's six wins, but .500 might be the ceiling for the Vols if they stumble at home on Saturday.

7) USC (vs. Utah)

While the Trojans aren't eligible to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game, they are the most talented team in the South Division.  Even an unrecognized division title would go a long way to getting USC back to the USC of the century's first decade.

A pesky Utah team comes to the Coliseum on Saturday looking to make noise in its first Pac-12 game.  The Trojans have a tough midseason schedule and draw both Oregon and Stanford from the North Division, so a slip-up at home to the Utes would leave USC behind the eight-ball right out of the gate.

6) TCU (at Air Force)

It had been awhile since the Horned Frogs last lost a regular season game (Nov. 6th, 2008, to be exact) before their shootout loss at Baylor last Friday night.  The schedule offers no reprieve, as they head west to take on QB Tim Jefferson and Air Force.

The Falcons almost upset TCU two years ago in Colorado Springs, and this team is much better than the 2009 version.  Two early losses would be a major blow to Gary Patterson's team, who has become accustomed to winning and winning often over the past few seasons.

5) Boston College (at Central Florida)

The Eagles struggled mightily in the red zone in a loss to Northwestern and now have a tough road game in Orlando against defending Conference USA champion Central Florida.  The Eagles still have Notre Dame as well as ACC play, and have not missed a bowl since 1998.

Star RB Montel Harris is still likely another week away from returning to the field, so the burden will fall on his backup, Andre Williams, and QB Chase Rettig to fix the red-zone woes.  LB Luke Kuechly is as good as there is in college football, but he can't do it all.

4) Wake Forest (vs. N.C. State)

While the lack of television coverage caused the game to fly under the radar, Wake Forest and Syracuse staged an early-season thriller last Thursday night.  The Orange rallied from a 29-14 deficit to win in overtime, sending the Demon Deacons back to Tobacco Road kicking themselves for letting an opportunity for a road win slip away.

The Demon Deacons open conference play with a winnable home game against N.C. State, with Mike Glennon making his first road start.  Wake Forest has the most difficult schedule in the ACC, and if they drop to 0-2, hopes of returning to a bowl for the first time since 2008 are out the door.

3) Auburn (vs. Mississippi State)

The Tigers were not expected to look anything like the national championship team of 2010, but needing a miraculous comeback to fend off Utah State was still one of the more shocking results of Week 1.  In comes Mississippi State for a crucial SEC West game.

Auburn will not beat South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU or Alabama.  They also face Clemson, Florida and Georgia.  Saturday's game may be the deciding factor in whether the Tigers get to a bowl, and a similar performance to last week will not end well for the defending champions.

2) Notre Dame (at Michigan)

The Fighting Irish turned in the most disappointing performance in Week 1 and now must go on the road for a highly-anticipated showdown at Michigan.  Notre Dame's minus-five turnover margin currently stands dead last among FBS teams.

Michigan Stadium will host the first ever night game in its 85-year history on Saturday night.  The Wolverines pulled out wins in the past two meetings with last-minute touchdowns, and another disappointing loss could push both Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame fanbase over the edge. 

1) Georgia (vs. South Carolina)

The consensus leading into Georgia's two-game opening stretch of Boise State and South Carolina was that the Bulldogs needed to win one of the two games.  Mark Richt's team used its mulligan against the Broncos, getting dominated in front of its home crowd in the Georgia Dome.

The Gamecocks roll into Athens off of a 56-point performance from its offense against East Carolina, and no one has taken as much pleasure over the years in irking Georgia than Steve Spurrier.  The early lead in the SEC East is at stake, but much more than that is at stake for Richt.