Week Two Story Lines

Let's take a look at our daily story lines as we enter Saturday number two for the 2014 College Football season:

Georgia Tech at Tulane
Tech was hammered this week by seeing their probation increased for illegal recruit contact. Paul Johnson is answering to a new AD, and the message is clear...no more stupidity. Johnson has to start winning on the field, and looked weak in beating FCS Wofford a week ago.

Old Dominion at NC State
NC State certainly did not deserve to beat Georgia Southern last week. ODU didn't overwhelm Hampton either, but if the Pack cannot improve this week, could the Monarchs grab a surprise win?

Duke at Troy
Not a big game on paper, but Duke could further their cause by dominating yet another weaker opponent after blasting Elon last week.

San Diego State at North Carolina
Hey Tar Heel fans...ever hear the phrase "trap game"? This is it.

Virginia Tech at Ohio State
I keep hearing the pundits talking about a Hokie upset. Not a chance. The Hokies have been horrid against top 25 teams in the last 25 years.

SMU at North Texas
Bounce back game for both schools. Whoever wins, saves their early season. Whoever loses, may find it difficult to save their entire season.

Navy at Temple
Temple created seven turnovers at Vanderbilt last week. Navy held Ohio state for three quarters. Only Temple won last week. Was it a fluke, or could they find the Middies on a letdown?

East Carolina at South Carolina
The Gamecocks were destroyed through the air last week at home against Texas A&M, and ECU throws it like no other. If Shane Carden has a huge game for the Pirates, this could be an enormous upset.

BYU at Texas
BYU shocked the Horns last year. Now they come to Austin, and Texas is a bit of a mess this week. Both teams looked solid last week, but Texas has several holes going in. Charlie Strong is building with discipline, and even with a loss here, he's trying to do it the right way.

Northwestern State at Baylor
No upset chance here, but the Bears are going in likely without Bryce Petty and their top four receivers. Time to see what the youngsters have in the tank, which is important for future development.

Western Kentucky at Illinois
WKU destroyed Bowling Green last week at home, and BGSU is better than Illinois. The Illini struggled mightily at home against Youngstown State, and may be coming in flat. Tim Beckman cannot afford this loss, but he may not have a choice.

Akron at Penn State
The Lions got a huge win in Ireland last weekend, but could they be a bit worn out after the long trip? Akron almost beat Michigan last season, and Akron is better this season. The Zips have upset on the mind.

Northern Illinois at Northwestern
The Wildcats were absolutely flat in a home loss to Cal last weekend, and NIU is coming in to prove that they are just fine without Jordan Lynch at QB. An 0-2 start will be a bad omen for Pat Fitzgerald.

Michigan State at Oregon
Nobody is giving Sparty a chance on the road. I am. The Spartans have the kind of defense that wins big games, and no game is bigger than this early on. Sparty takes it in a close game.

Michigan at Notre Dame
The last meeting for a long time in this great series has both teams rolling in hungry to check out with a win. It all comes down to who will run the ball better, because the QBs will nullify each other.

Wagner at FIU
The Panthers lost to Bethune-Cookman last week, and Wagner is just as good as BC in the FCS ranks. If the Panthers drop yet another FCS game, will Ron Turner just be fired early? Dead Pool calling!

Buffalo at Army
It's day one of the Jeff Monken era at West Point. A win against Buffalo would be huge for this program, and Buffalo looked awful against FCS member Duquesne last week.

Missouri at Toledo
Gary Pinkel returns to where it started as a head coach. Could the Rockets be ready to spring a trap here? Again, this is a huge trap game for Mizzou.

Fresno State at Utah
The Bulldogs never got off the bus at USC last week. Utah needs to show some progress as a member of the PAC-12. Both teams need this win big time.

Air Force at Wyoming
Wyoming didn't exactly blow up Montana last week, and Air Force struggled early with Nicholls State. Troy Calhoun needs every win he can get, but Craig Bohl may outcoach him. This is a huge early season MWC conference tilt.

Colorado State at Boise State
Boise was awful against Ole Miss, and CSU is coming off a win against arch rival Colorado. The hotter hand coming in isn't the Broncos. The Rams would love to get this jump in conference play and prove they are legit.

Eastern Washington at Washington
You all know how much I love picking FCS upset games against FBS teams. Here I go again. The Huskies sucked at Hawaii last week, and the Eagles are as good a program as can be found in FCS football. The Huskies could be in big trouble.

USC at Stanford
Cody Kessler isn't entirely healthy at QB for the Trojans on the road this week, and Stanford is smarting from an upset loss in LA last season. Both teams looked solid last weekend, but Stanford has more to prove right now.

Memphis at UCLA
Bruins should win big this week. They should have won big last week. The Tigers are no threat, but the Bruins need to be energized this week, not flatter than a cup coaster like last week.

New Mexico State at Georgia State
Hey, both teams started with a win last week, albeit against FCS squads. But, it is a start for college football's two worst programs. Someone is starting 2-0, and that is huge!