Big Ten football on display this weekend

There are many reasons I'm looking forward to both the USC-Ohio State and Notre Dame-Michigan games this weekend.

The Notre Dame-Michigan game intrigues me a little more than the USC-OSU game.

First, we will get a chance to see if Notre Dame can win a so-called important road game. The Big House is still an intimidating place to play and we'll see if Irish QB Jimmy Claussen and head coach Charlie Weis can deal with some pressure. And some people are heaping the pressure on both Claussen and Weis.

Second, I want to see how Michigan responds to playing a "better team". They did win 31-7 last week...against Western Michigan. Now let's see how Coach Rich Rod can handle a bigger game. Rodriguez has got as much pressure on him as Weis. If you don't believe it, ask any Michigan fan.

Finally, how well can Tate Forcier adapt? The Irish defense might be a little more sophisticated than the Broncos. Plus, Notre Dame did shut out Nevada last week and the Wolfpack averaged over 30 points a game last season. That was no lightweight offense they were facing.

The only real thing to watch in the USC-OSU game is USC quarterback Matt Barkley. If he can handle the atmosphere in Columbus, the Trojans should get the win. The Buckeyes defense let them down against Navy and if not for the return on the 2-point conversion, an upset was in the works.

Both games are important to all fans of Big Ten football. If both Michigan and Ohio State can both pull off wins, that will be the biggest step the conference has taken since Ohio State won the National Championship.