BCS contenders on the lookout

We've already had one top 5 team take a tumble this week with Ole Miss laying an egg on the road against the ol' ball coach and South Carolina. The BCS conferences have some interesting games and matchups that could spell for an exciting Saturday.

Big 10 - The fact that ABC has the Iowa/#5 Penn State game as its prime time game tells you how important this matchup is...for both teams. Both enter the contest with 3-0 records. Iowa escaped with a win against Northern Iowa on the opening weekend and has put that game behind them. The Hawkeyes beat a sound Arizona team last week, 27-17. Penn State has had an easy beginning to its season. You know the Nittany Lions come into this affair with revenge on its mind. Iowa kicked a last second field goal last year to knock Joe Pa and Penn State from the ranks of the unbeatens. And with that, thoughts of playing for a National Championship. Iowa has taken 6 of the last 7 and look to extend that. Penn State has looked a little thin on defense and if the Hawkseyes can get the rush going and get to that level of teh Penn State defense, it will be a long night in Happy Valley.

ACC - It's a bit odd that #11 Virginia Tech is not considered the favorite at home. But, then again, their opponent is the resurging #9 Miami Hurricanes. A rebirth of the Hurricanes and its fans have been brewing this year. Still, it's a strange feeling that the Hokies are a home dog. If Miami can pull off the win, it will go a long way to answering the question if the Canes are back. A win in Blacksburg and every critic should be silent...for a while anyways. Their offense has exploded to the likes of 35.5 points a game and 465 yards a game. QB Jacory Harris has matured quickly and the Canes swagger resemble the Hurricanes of old. Don't get caught up looking only at Miami and forget the Hokies QB, Tyrod Taylor. He's as exciting as QBs can be, but Taylor must avoid mistakes if the Hokies want a win. Look for Beamerball to be factor, as always, when you take on Virginia Tech.

SEC - It will be interesting if #1 Florida can look past the Tennessee game and concentrate on the Kentucky Wildcats. That and a possible swine flu outbreak. Notice I said possible. Flu shots have been given to the Gator team and they may be without LB Brandon Spikes, a key defensive player. The Gators were supposed to ravage the Volunteers last week, but that drubbing didn't occur. Now, Urban Meyer, Tim Tebow, and Gator Nation head north to Lexington. If the past is any indication, this one won't be close (Where have we heard that one before?). Florida has won the last 22 meetings, the last 15 by an average of 28.8 points. It doesn't look good for Rich Brooks and the Wildcats, but don't give up hope UK football fans. You give #1 ranked opponents a tough go of it at Commonwealth Stadium.

Big 12 - No Big 12 conference games this week but there are a couple of compelling matchups with out of conference opponents. Texas Tech will look gain a bit of Big 12 revenge as they invade Robertson Stadium and teh #17 Houston Cougars. Balls will fill the air as these two teams have prolific passing attack and are the nation's top two passing offenses. Houston QB Case Keenum has put his name on the list of Heisman hopefuls by averaging over 360 yards a game while tossing 7 total TD. The Cougars can run, too, averaging 118 yards a game. Houston also leads the nation in scoring. The Red Raiders have the #1 passing attack and are 19th in scoring behind QB Taylor Potts. There'll be a record crowd at soldout Robertson Stadium tonight. Potts and his teammates endured a hostile crowd in Austin last week and played good despite losing 34-24. If there's less than 900 yards of total offense, I'd be a bit shocked.

Big East - No conference games here either, but the Bulls of South Florida can make a major statement for the Big East as they travel to Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles. USF is 3-0 and has not had a tough opponent yet (Wofford, Western Kentucky, and Charleston Southern). Also, the Bulls will be playing without QB Matt Grothe for the first time in almost four years. Grothe, a Tallahassee resident, tore his ACL in last week's victory. The offense will be in the hands of redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels. Look for Florida State to utilize their team speed to get after the inexperienced quarterback and disrupt the Bulls offense. The key will be can the Seminoles stop the Bulls rushing game. Florida State QB Christian Ponder should have a say in this game. His completion percentage is over 65% and he's the team's second leading rusher. A dual threat that USF must take into consideration. Florida State is coming off their huge road win at then-#7 ranked BYU. That may play a role in this contest.

Pac 10 - Admit it. You didn't have the Washington Huskies beating USC last week. That win catapulted the Huskies to #24 in the latest poll. Their reward? A road game at Stanford. We'll see how far Steve Sarkisian has taken the Huskies in his first year at the helm. Washington did all it could in the first week of the season to try to pull off an upset of LSU, but fell short, 31-23. This game will be harder than last week, believe it or not. Stanford has emerged victorious in three of the last four meetings. Stanford doesn't throw as much as Washington, but they sure can run, averaging 204.7  yards a game. This matchup is not a good one for the Huskies who look to build upon last week's tremendous upset win. Conversely, a Cardinal win here (Stanford is favored) could vault them into the top 25. A tough task for Washington to say the least.

A few other games to watch:
Big 10 - Illinois @ #13 Ohio State: Illini beat OSU at the Shoe in 2007
ACC - #22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech: UNC coach Butch Davis looks to keep Tar Heels undefeated
SEC - Arkansas @ #3 Alabama: Can the Tide contain the Hogs passing attack
Big 12 - Southern Mississippi @ #20 Kansas: both are 3-0
Big East - Fresno State @ #14 Cincinnati: The Bulldogs 1-2 record is deceiving
Pac 10 - #6 California @ Oregon: The Golden Bears have USC next week...looking ahead?