Louisville: The Middle Tennessee defense got rocked for 59 points against Oklahoma two weeks ago. In that game, the Sooners, still tweaked out of their gourds about the Oregon loss, outgained Middle Tennessee, 466-86. The yardage differential won’t be that extreme this week (about 500 for UL, 220 for MTSU), but the result will be similar.Louisville 54-13

Auburn: Auburn 38-10

Ohio St.: Jim Tressel can get his starters three quarters’ worth of live game action and insert a busload of backups for some seasoning during the final 15 minutes. Then Ohio State can aim its crosshairs at Michigan State.Ohio State 37-10

Clemson: The Demon Deacons deserve some credit, though, because they were picked to finish last in the ACC Atlantic, but instead they’re off to their first 5-0 start since 1987. To go 6-0, it’ll take some serious work by their defense because Clemson is ranked second in the county in scoring at 43.4 points a game. Of course, most of those points came against Florida Atlantic, North Carolina, and Louisiana Tech (combined 2-10), but the Tigers are still considerably better than any team Wake has seen so far.Clemson 30-20

LSU: LSU’s JaMarcus Russell and Florida’s Chris Leak & Tim Tebow Throwing/Running Combo Platter -- are too darn talented and potent for this critical SEC game to turn into a grind-it-out mosh pit.LSU 28-23

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are in solid shape in the ACC Coastal Division at 2-0, while this is the Terrapins’ conference opener. Never know, but logic and previous results suggest that Georgia Tech will win this one fairly routinely.Georgia Tech 24-16

Michigan: Michigan toyed with Notre Dame, on the Irish’s sacred turf. Then, fending off any potential letdown, the Wolverines manufactured workmanlike wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota to remain unbeaten heading into this intrastate tussle. Henne and Hart, along with the other member of the Big Three, M&M (no, not Mike Massey), will put plenty of points on the board, and not even a monster game by Drew Stanton, which is unlikely, will make a difference.Michigan 35-17

Texas Tech: Both teams have solid defenses, not daunting but impressive, so it’ll come down to (cliché alert!) maintaining field position, converting third downs, and getting into the end zone rather than settling for field goals. Texas Tech is averaging 33.8 points a game, Missouri 33.4. There you have it: The Red Raiders win on a botched extra point.Texas Tech 34-33

Navy: Your final score once again, here on the American Forces Network ...Navy 28-20

Nebraska: The Huskers are clearly the superior team this season, but something says that this one’s a coin flip.Nebraska 33-27

Miami (FL): More North Carolina magic: In their most-recent game, a 59-7 loss to Clemson, the Tar Heels were outgained, 506-135, and had only 9 first downs compared to 36 for the Tigers. Good stuff.Miami 38-16

Texas: This week Adrian Peterson will do the running. The Sooners’ star tailback will rip off some hefty chunks of yards, and he’ll make it to end zone two times. Yet, good news for the defending champs: Colt McCoy and his supporting cast will pull off the key plays down the stretch to win a classic hoedown.Texas 24-23

California: Check out the cache of weapons: Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins, and Robert Jordan for the Bears; Jonathan Stewart Jeremiah Johnson, Jaison Williams, and Cameron Colvin for the Ducks.The thing is, each team has an above-average defense. That won’t matterCalifornia 45-42

Pittsburgh: Alternating between his two prime targets, D-Kind (Derek Kinder) and O-Turn (Oderick Turner), Palko will light up the Dome.Pittsburgh 33-15

Purdue: Seeing if Selwyn Lymon (8 catches, 238 yards, 2 TDs against Notre Dame last week) can continue to play out of his mind merits a few channel flips.Purdue 27-25

Notre Dame: This game will be over by the third TV timeout.Notre Dame 44-6

Tennessee: Erik Ainge has had a terrific season so far. This is where his season really starts, though. If he delivers between the hedges, Tennessee wins because Georgia can’t adequately counter at the QB position with freshmen Matthew Stafford and Joe Cox. The Georgia defense, ranked No. 1 in the land, holds final veto power, but Bulldogs will bend just enough.Tennessee 20-14

Southern Cal: U-Dub back in the mix? Only time will tell. This week is not the time.USC 34-17

West Virginia: WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez points out another difference: MSU has talent, and WVU doesn’t. Huh? Hey, that’s what the man said. Sort of: “They will have more guys drafted into the NFL than we will this year. They are the most talented team we’ve played so far compared to our first four opponents.”Oookay, coach. Gotcha. We’ll check back in with you after the game.West Virginia 28-13

Pittsburgh: Not the most romantic match-up of the week, that’s for sure. But the Panthers deserve some love, considering that they’ve been producing rather handsome numbers and still haven’t gotten a sniff from the pollsters. Pitt is still floating around in the dregs of the “Others Receiving Votes” list, with a whopping 6 votes.

Of course, a mediocre Miami team and a stagnant Florida State team have more votes than Pitt this week in the AP poll, because -- because ... well, because that’s the law apparently.

Pitt is averaging 400 yards per game on offense, and it’s a nice blend too -- 260 yards passing and 140 yards rushing. Tyler Palko has the highest QB rating (186.0) in the nation among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.

Meanwhile, holed up in a dark office somewhere in Palo Alto, Calif., Walt Harris wonders where it all went so terribly wrong.

Pittsburgh 35, Central Florida 16

Southern Cal: USC discovered this week what six-point wins will get you -- a swift drop in the polls, which in big-time, big-money college football is worse than a swift kick in the drawers.

This week’s task for the Trojans is simple: Drill ASU.

It’s not fair to the Sun Devils because they didn’t do anything necessarily to deserve such a drilling. And it’s not fair to the Trojans either, really, because it’s not their style this season. To be clear: The Trojans wish it were their style to drill teams this season, but certain, uh, shall we say, limitations (like having Reggie Bush and LenDale White declare early for the NFL, having their top three fullbacks injured for the season, and having their All-America receiver watching from the sideline with a bum shoulder) have a way of lowering expectations.

So, following a 28-22 win at Washington State and a 26-20 victory at home over Washington, the question remains whether USC can start to fling massive gobs of points up on the scoreboard again. John David Booty seems equipped to carry on the recent quarterback tradition, but he can do only so much with a depleted and inexperienced supporting cast.

USC’s main weapon, star wideout Dwayne Jarrett, is still dinged up but should be able to get back in the flow against ASU. The status of No. 2 receiver Steve Smith, who injured his ankle during the Washington game, is unknown. Senior WR Chris McFoy, who fractured two bones in the shoulder area against Washington State, is lost for four to six weeks.

Recurring injuries, new players, old expectations -- the beat goes on.

USC 35, Arizona State 20

Texas: Baylor is tied with Texas atop the Big 12 South Division standings. That statement will hold true until approximately 9:07 p.m. CDT time Saturday.

Time to turn out the lights, lil’ Bears. Niiiii-night.

Hey, but Baylor won a Big 12 game on the road last week! Sorry, that was a casual stroll and lovely sightseeing tour through Boulder. This will be a quick, painful and forgettable business trip from Waco to Austin and back. The 100-mile bus ride will be the most pleasant aspect of this junket. Hey, coach, pass the Pringles!

Last year’s final was 62-0. Some of the other recent scores in this series have been 62-0 (no, not a copy/paste error), 56-0, and 41-0. Only a smidge of sloppiness by the Longhorns, coming off the Red River Shootout win and looking ahead to Nebraska, will keep this week’s final somewhat respectable.

Texas 39, Baylor 13

California: Did someone say, “Trap game?”

This is such a precarious game for Cal it’s not even funny. Auburn fans are now chuckling loud enough for the neighbors to hear, given the way that their Tigers toyed with Washington State last month. But this goes much deeper than the school name on the uniform. This is all about intangibles and things that shouldn’t matter but do matter, dearly, at the college level.

This is all about sustaining emotion and avoiding physical and mental letdowns, which can be difficult for young lads. If this was the NFL, the Patriots, after a big win in Foxboro over the Steelers the previous week, would march into Buffalo and defeat the Bills in methodical, cutthroat fashion. Consummate professionals, those Pats. The old Packers, Dolphins, Steelers, and 49ers were the same way, full of seasoned vets. Take care of biz and prepare for the next game.

But this is not the NFL, which means the primary duty for Cal head coach Jeff Tedford this week is convincing his players that the Oregon game is over, the USC game is still a month away, and that on Saturday the fine citizens of Pullman won’t be hanging over the railing fawning and asking for autographs. Put another way: It’s time to strap it back on.

Again, not an easy task. For coach, or player. Nevertheless, the Golden Bears get a grip in the second half, rally, and escape.

Cal 33, Washington State 28

Oregon: A game against Notre Dame in South Bend that’s on the near horizon would distract most football teams. Yet, UCLA understands the current balance of power in the Pac-10, as well as the guttural forces of frustration, so the Bruins won’t be looking past Oregon this week. They’d better not.

First, the Ducks are probably severely bent in the aftermath of being worked by Cal last Saturday night in Berkeley. They’re back home in front of their frenzied fans inside cozy Autzen Stadium, where they hardly ever lose, which means the Ducks ought to be amped to the top row.

Second, if playing Oregon in Eugene isn’t daunting enough, the Bruins will also be without starting QB Ben Olson, who is expected to miss four to six week with a knee injury. Patrick Cowan, a 6-foot-5 sophomore from the football hotbed of British Columbia, will take the snaps Saturday. Not the place to make your college starting debut, ladies and gentlemen.

UCLA would’ve been extremely challenged to keep up with Oregon even if Olson was running the offense. The 2006 version of the Bruins are not built for shootouts. UCLA will be out of its element, in more ways than one.

Oregon 37, UCLA 16

Louisville: Wake us when the Bearcats and Cardinals meet on the hardwood in late January. Saturday’s pigskin fiesta at Papa John’s should be quite pedestrian, although the Cardinals may put up a basketball-type number if recent history is any indication.

Louisville has rolled over Cincinnati the past two seasons, winning 46-22 last year and 70-7 in 2004. Saturday’s final will likely fall somewhere in between, particularly if QB Brian Brohm is sharp is his comeback from a thumb injury. The Cardinals didn’t trip on many hurdles without Brohm, coasting past Kansas State and Middle Tennessee as backup QB Hunter Cantwell threw for 692 yards and five TDs.

So, the Cardinals' offense remains ranked No. 1 in the nation, averaging 523 yards and 44 points. As for as the Bearcats, they’ve got some big fellas in the front court who can bang, block shots and rebound, and their fast-breaking attack is always entertaining to watch. ... Oh. Never mind.

Louisville 51, Cincinnati 24

Auburn: Tim Tebow’s goal-line jump pass against LSU unearthed images of Frank Gifford, circa 1950s, in his glory years with the USC Trojans and New York Giants, before Bednarik and Kathie Lee. However, Gifford, the versatile running back and flanker, was right-handed.

Tebow’s lefty delivery and running, scrambling, bulling tendencies refract visions of 20th-century southpaws like Frankie Albert (popularized the bootleg and helped redefine the QB position), Bobby Douglass (relished barreling over linebackers), Jim Zorn (nothing spectacular, but always steady, crafty, and efficient), and Steve Young (could beat you calmly throwing darts from the pocket or running helmetless downfield like an crazed, escaped inmate). Tebow seems to have been given one gene from all of them.

Overhyping of a teenager? Perhaps, but the Florida Gators have simply become the most fascinating team in the nation. There’s all this talk of Tebow, even though the kid from Bryceville is only a few games into his freshman year -- and not even his team’s starting quarterback. Urban Meyer has turned Florida into a traveling two-ring circus, with Tebow conducting one side of the big top and senior Chris Leak orchestrating the other.

The thing is, the Gators are not putting up huge numbers. In their past four games, they’ve scored 21, 26, 28, and 23 points. Still, three or four TDs will usually win you an SEC scrum, and Florida has ridden that formula to a 4-0 conference start and climb up the rankings. Two towering obstacles remain: Auburn this week and Georgia in two weeks (after a bye).

Oh yeah, did we mention Auburn?

Auburn 24, Florida 21

Iowa: Iowa rebounded nicely from its loss to Ohio State, blitzing Purdue by 30 last week. The Hawkeyes’ primary objective this week is to get in and out of Bloomington healthy and primed to take on Michigan.

Oh, they also need to get in and out of Bloomington with a win. Can’t forget that little detail.

Losing to Indiana at this point would completely torpedo any grand plans the Hawkeyes might have this season. It would A) knock them into the middle of the pack in the Big Ten; B) remove any and all momentum heading into the game in Ann Arbor one week from Saturday; and C) result in a slew of online bookings for Tampa around New Year’s, and the Outback Bowl is currently not the desired destination.

No worries. For now.

Iowa 28, Indiana 14

LSU: Poor Kentucky. LSU is going to be really, really angry about its swamp-infested, mistake-filled loss to Florida. For good measure, LSU is probably still majorly PO’ed over being shut down by Auburn four weeks ago. In its two real tests this year, the Tigers have managed to scrape together a pair of field goals and one measly TD. Hide the women and children Saturday.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks is wise enough to know what lies ahead. “Clearly this is one of the best teams in the league and is clearly upset with having two losses in the conference,” Brooks said. “I’m sure we’re going to get both barrels when we go down there.” Yes indeed, partner. Both barrels and then some.

Kentucky hasn’t won in Baton Rouge since 1998. The most-recent time these teams met, in 2002, the game wasn’t in Death Valley, but the Wildcats suffered a fate worse than death. Kentucky kicked a field goal with 11 seconds remaining to take a 30-27 lead. Ballgame, right? Nuh-uh. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, LSU QB Marcus Randall dropped back from his own 25-yard line and hurled the ball as far as he could. With fireworks exploding, fans storming the field, and Kentucky coach Guy Morriss prematurely soaked in Gatorade, three Kentucky defenders converged under Randall’s pass down near their own 25, the ball was tipped in the air twice, and LSU’s Devery Henderson darted in and plucked the ball as if it were hanging from a branch and raced into the end zone for a TD and a 33-30 victory as time expired.

Remember the look on the face of that UK student who rushed onto the field during the final play, the smarmy kid who ran up to Randall and heckled him as the ball was in midflight, only then to turn and see Henderson skipping into the end zone 80 yards away? If you squint, in the mind’s eye you’ll be able to see that kid’s jaw dropping to the turf. Priceless. No such heroics and miracles required this weekend.

LSU 37, Kentucky 13

Michigan: Uh-oh. Headline Tuesday: “Michigan a Man Down vs. Nittany Lions”

Losing Mario Manningham is bad news for the Wolverines, to say the least, and surely not what they need now.

First off, Penn State is seeking revenge for last year’s final-play defeat in Ann Arbor. Second off, Penn State, while not as strong as last season, is unbeaten at home this year and is always more stubborn to deal with in Happy Valley. Third off, Penn State is starting to gather some confidence after winning its past two Big Ten games. OK, the Ws were against Northwestern and Minnesota, but Joe Pa and his team are not apologizing and surely aren’t about to toss anything out of the boat back into the water.

Manningham having his knee scoped certainly does not align with Michigan’s overall scheme of running the table leading up to the Ohio State game. The sophomore receiver leads the Big Ten with 527 yards receiving and nine TDs. He was the one who caught Henne’s game-winning slant against Penn State last year. Beating Penn State this time, sans Manningham, will require some creativity and gumption by the Wolverines, who rely on their explosive star to take pressure off Henne and to open up the running game for Mike Hart.

Now for the good news (at least for Michigan loyalists): Manningham may miss only one week, the Wolverines still have capable and speedy pass catchers in Steve Breaston and Adrian Arrington, and the Michigan defense is rigid enough to allow Lloyd Carr to devise a nice and safe head-banging game plan.

Michigan 23, Penn State 14

Texas A&M: On the surface, Missouri’s 6-0 record and Texas A&M’s 5-1 mark would appear to be surprising. After further review, though, considering the schedules that Mizzou and A&M have navigated thus far, their glossy portfolios lie and deceive.

Before last week’s 38-21 win over Texas Tech, Missouri had beaten Division I-AA Murray State (1-5), Mississippi (2-4), New Mexico (2-4), Ohio (3-3), and Colorado (0-6). Yum.

Opening with five consecutive home games before finally hitting the road last week, Texas A&M dusted off The Citadel (1-4), Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2), Army (3-3), Louisiana Tech (1-4), and Kansas (3-3). The Aggies’ one loss was to Tech Texas, 31-27.

It’s tempting to resort to basic math: Mizzou beat Texas Tech by 17 points, and Texas A&M lost to Texas Tech by four points, thus Mizzou will beat Texas A&M by 21 points. Nope, not gonna happen. Missouri is off to its first 6-0 start since 1973, and the Tigers haven’t opened with seven straight wins since they won their first nine games in 1960 on the way to an Orange Bowl berth, but A&M ends this streak this week.

Texas A&M 27, Missouri 24

Nebraska: Golly gee willikers, this was a swell Big 12 showdown throughout most of the 1990s, complete with the milquetoast coaches (Osborne, Solich, Snyder,) on the sidelines. In 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996, Kansas State lost either two or three games each of those seasons, and each year, wouldn’t you know it, Nebraska was responsible for one of the Ls. It was even better in 1997 and 1999: KState went 11-1 both of those seasons, and one wild guess who dealt the “1.” Yup. Huskers.

The rivalry has lost considerable luster, but this week’s game will affect the conference race. After all, it doesn’t take much to contend in the Big 12. The North Division will likely be decided when Missouri plays Nebraska in Lincoln on Nov. 4. If KState has any hope of staying in contention, the Wildcats need to beat the Cornhuskers at home this week. Right.

Under Bill Callahan, Nebraska has morphed into a Pac-10 team. The Huskers average 464 yards per game, and 253 of those are through the air. In the days of I.M. Hipp Jarvis Redwine, Roger Craig, Doug DuBose, Keith Jones, and Calvin Jones, it would take the Huskers about two months to amass 253 passing yards. Nebraska now plays defense like most Pac-10 teams too, meaning soft and cushy, allowing 320 yards per game.

K-State doesn’t have much of a résumé, beating the likes of Illinois State (by a point!), 1-4 Florida Atlantic, and 1-4 Marshall, so playing in Manhattan this week won’t be enough to tip the scales.

Nebraska 33, Kansas State 16

Ohio St.: There’s been idle chatter this week of Michigan State’s improbable upsets of Ohio State in 1974 and 1998, as well as the 30-minute fright that the Spartans put into the Buckeyes last year.

To wit, says Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock: “I just know history has a tendency to repeat itself. So we are going to look back and try to understand the situations of those games and try to learn from them.”

Got news for you, Q-Money: This is not 1974; just look at the price of gas. And this is not 1998; check out the approval rating of the dude who resides in the White House.

Then again, this does seem a lot like 2005. In other words, Michigan State may be capable of stringing together two or three impressive quarters of football, only to wilt in a flash at the mere scent of danger. Last season, MSU led 17-7 and was driving in OSU territory in the final seconds of the half. The Spartans set up for a field goal, but a substitution mix-up led to the kick being blocked, and Ashton Youboty scooped it up and returned it 72 yards for a TD. See ya. The Spartans never recovered, losing 35-24.

The folks in East Lansing have witnessed a similar trend this year. The Buckeyes will sufficiently grind this one out before going back to Columbus, where they’ll host Indiana next week and Minnesota the following week ... zzzzzzz. Countdown to Wolverines: T minus five weeks.

Ohio State 27, Michigan State 17

Navy: The feel-good game of the week right here.

After 12 consecutive losing seasons, which included unsightly blemishes of 0-11, 1-11, and 1-10, Rutgers started to shove back last year under coach Greg Schiano. It took Schiano a few years after he arrived from Miami, but he’s got the Scarlet Knights winning games. Sparked by 5-foot-9 running back Ray Rice (161 ypg, 11 TDs), Rutgers is unbeaten through five games for the first time since 1976, which also was the last season the Scarlet Knights had been ranked before they broke into the AP poll a couple weeks ago.

Navy is 5-1 and possibly headed for the kind of season that hasn’t been seen around Annapolis since a certain No. 12 nicknamed Roger the Dodger won the Heisman 43 years ago.

The Midshipmen will have a tricky time beating Notre Dame next week, but they have three future wins basically sealed away in a high-compression tank already -- Duke (0-5), Temple (0-6), and Eastern Michigan (0-5). If Navy can pull off a victory over Rutgers this Saturday and beat a solid but not great Army team to end the season, the Middies are staring squarely at a 10-2 record and an attractive bowl game in a balmy clime. And that assumes a defeat to Notre Dame, which isn’t a formality, even if the Irish have won the past 42 games in the series. The streak has to end sometime. (Or does it?)

Navy going 11-1? The Middies could parlay that into much more than just the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. In Staubach ... naw, in Hampton we trust!

Navy 30, Rutgers 28

Arkansas: Turns out that two things were extremely funny about Tommy Tuberville’s exquisitely timed comments last week about the almighty powers of the Southeastern Conference and the dysfunction of the Bowl Championship Series: Auburn’s subsequent blowout loss to Arkansas, and Arkansas’ upcoming nonconference tilt against cupcake SEMSU.

Unwritten rule: Any team whose acronym is more than four letters is not a worthy opponent. Especially for a team that belongs to a conference that claims global superiority.

The SEC this, the SEC that ... yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.

Sure, the SEC is a solid conference. But SEC teams also schedule some of the weakest nonconference teams from coast to coast each autumn. Do the names Western Carolina, Wofford, Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe, Tennessee State, Utah State, Buffalo, Florida International, Northwestern State, and Jacksonville State ring any bells? Don’t forget about poor Duke.

Whatever. Houston, we do not have a problem. Hog fans, your suddenly-beloved coach can kindly mail this one in.

Arkansas 48, SEMSU 10

West Virginia: Syracuse has a pesky habit of sticking around. The Orangemen lost by 10 to Wake Forest, 7 to Iowa, and 10 to Pitt. That’s super. That shows character and what coaches who are fluent in coachspeak like to call “stick-to-itiveness.”

Syracuse won’t stick around this week.

Behind Pat White and Steve Slaton, West Virginia needs to stay sharp as it enters the Big East backstretch. The Mountaineers were not sharp last week against Mississippi State, committing 11 penalties in a generally sluggish display. Head coach Rich Rodriguez was not pleased: "I tell these guys, as long as we win, I don't care if it's by one point, I'm going to be happy. I lied. I'm not happy."

Translation: The ‘Cuse needs to look out. Rutgers and Pittsburgh may spike the punch bowl before the Big East party breaks up, but everyone agrees that the conference title will come down to the WVU-Louisville game on Nov. 2. In that case, the Mountaineers can’t afford to look past teams like Syracuse and UConn, and they won’t.

West Virginia 38, Syracuse 13

Colorado: Picking 20 games to review each week can be a bit of a challenge. There are at least 10 no-brainers, plus seven or eight solid match-ups that easily make the list. Which usually leaves two or three games that require heavy mascara, bright eye shadow, and perm and a dye job to be seen in public. This is one of those extreme makeover candidates.

Hey, it was either Texas Tech at Colorado or (find the NoDoz) Minnesota at Wisconsin. TT-CU squeaked in, making the list at No. 20, primarily for one reason: It’s a perfect excuse to revisit Colorado’s first game of the season, that incomprehensible loss to Montana State. The Buffs couldn’t have been more embarrassed in their season opener at home had they taken the field in the buff.

How bad is Montana State? The Division I-AA Bobcats lost the following week to a school called Chadron State, and if you knew who and what Chadron State is, then you live in remote northwestern Nebraska or ... or ... that’s it, you live in remote northwestern Nebraska. Montana State, after succumbing to the sheer power of Chadron, followed up that lovely encore with a 45-0 defeat to UC-Davis.

So, we ask again: How did Colorado manage to lose to Montana State? Not sure. But grease down those goal posts because this week’s outcome in Boulder will be nearly as improbable.

Colorado 27, Texas Tech 25

Georgia: Holy moly, that Tennessee-Georgia game last Saturday night looked like a 1970s ABA game between the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. The guy working the scoreboard acquired carpal tunnel syndrome by the end of the fourth quarter.

Defensive struggle? Hah! Midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs already had 24 points, nearly twice as many as they scored in their previous two games. The Vols then went off, scoring 37 points in the second half to become only the second team in history to break the 50-point mark against Georgia at Sanford Stadium.

Vanderbilt has no chance to keep up with a pace like that, and, to be honest, Georgia doesn’t either. That’s not the Dawgs’ style, no matter who they’re playing. That said, they’re playing Vandy this week and Mississippi State next week, which equates to a pair of tune-ups before they collide with Florida as the sideshow to the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” on Oct. 28.

The Commodores really aren’t that bad. Their three SEC losses were by two points, three points, and seven points, and they played Michigan fairly tough in their opener. But still.

Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 10

West Virginia: The Huskies beat Army 21-7 last week, sparked by Terry Caulley’s 98-yard TD run (which lifted Caulley over 3,000 yards for his career) and Larry Taylor’s 72-yard punt return for a score. UConn will need those same types of big plays, and many more, against WVU because the Huskies rank near the bottom among all Division I-A teams in rushing defense, allowing 177 yards per game.Just what Pat White and Steve Slaton want to hear.West Virginia 36, Connecticut 14

Tennessee: Alabama has lost both of its road games -- to Arkansas and Florida. Odds are high that the Crimson Tide will soon be 0-3 away from Tuscaloosa. Not that Tennessee did much out of the ordinary between its season-opening thrashing of Cal and its most recent game, the second-half boat race of Georgia in Athens. The Vols own nondescript victories over Conference USA East cellar dwellers Memphis and Marshall (each 1-5) and a one-point win over Air Force that was secure only after the Falcons failed on a two-point conversion in the waning moments.The common denominator is Florida, which beat Tennessee 21-20 at Neyland and beat Alabama 28-13 in The Swamp. Take that for what it’s worth. It’s really not that compicated, though, any way you look at it.Tennessee 33, Alabama 15

Boise St.: Erickson, who coached two national championship teams at Miami-Florida in 1989 and 1991, first coached Idaho in the early 1980s. His Vandals this year are 0-2 against the Big Ten, 0-1 against the Pac-10, and 3-0 in WAC play. Make that 3-1 in WAC play.Boise State 38, Idaho 17

Boston College: The Eagles should win, and it should take a while. Looks for passes followed by more passes. BC averages 235 yards passing per game, FSU 233, and the two offenses combined for nearly 70 pass attempts per game. It’ll be ragged, but the onset of the new world order continues.Boston College 29, Florida State 22

Notre Dame: The Irish last week had a bye, and they spent it taking inventory after emerging from the meatiest part of their schedule. The Bruins last week had their hands full trying to hang with Oregon in Eugene. It didn’t go too well. UCLA, with backup QB Patrick Cowan, lost to the Ducks 30-20. Playing at Notre Dame doesn’t present much more promise, although the Bruins’ defense may be able to keep it somewhat close.Notre Dame 27, UCLA 14

Oklahoma: The conference is average and bland across the board -- with one exception, Texas. The Longhorns are clearly a cut above any other Big 12 team, with Nebraska a notch below, and then every other foe taking their rightful place below the Cornhuskers, including the Peterson-less Sooners.Oklahoma 27, Colorado 14

LSU: The Bulldogs are 1-6 and have lost five in a row, including last Saturday’s 68-37 loss at home to Hawaii. Yowza. LSU will use Fresno State as a sparring partner, then spend next week’s bye week ironing out wrinkles in preparation for the showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 4.LSU 51, Fresno State 20

Clemson: Clemson has a clear edge. The Tigers have played a much tougher schedule. In fact, the Yellow Jackets have played on the road only once. At the time, it looked like an impressive victory (38-27 over Virginia Tech), but the Hokies followed that up with a swing and a miss at BC, so who knows.Clemson 33, Georgia Tech 16

Ohio St.: if Indiana can manage to get out of Columbus without losing by more than five touchdowns, that would qualify as heartwarming. The pure fairytale stuff? Buy one of Walt’s classics on DVD next time you and the kids visit Downtown Disney.Ohio State 48, Indiana 10

Michigan: You’d figure that since Saturday’s game is in the Big House, it would be no big whoop. Michigan no prob. But the 2002 Iowa team that went to the Orange Bowl waltzed into Michigan Stadium that season and body slammed the eighth-ranked Wolverines 34-9, and Iowa lost by only four points in Ann Arbor in 1997, the year that undefeated Michigan won the national title.Different teams, different circumstances.Michigan 30, Iowa 20

Louisville: Louisville didn’t glide on all cylinders in Brian Brohm’s first game back after missing a month with a thumb injury. Brohm went 20 for 37 for 324 yards and a TD on Saturday, but the Cardinals hiccupped just enough to keep Cincinnati in the game until the final play. If the Bearcats completed that last pass in the end zone, Louisville would’ve been instructed to politely move to the other line, the line with 18 other one-loss teams. And that’s no fun.Louisville 33, Syracuse 17

Miami (FL): Miami, of course, will roll over Duke despite the suspensions. Miami could beat Duke with half of its team suspended. That’s super. Go, Canes! Everyone in America is behind your feel-good story.Miami 41, Duke 10

Arkansas: Arkansas dives back into the adult pool with a Nov. 4 game at South Carolina and a date with Tennessee in Fayetteville the following week. Until then, the Razorbacks hope to do to Mississippi and Louisiana-Monroe what they did to Southeast Missouri State last Saturday -- if not win by 56, then win by enough to avoid running endless wind sprints on Monday.Coach Nutt wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?Arkansas 27, Mississippi 24

Oregon: This’ll be one of those messy Pac-10 pig-out sessions at the TD trough.Oregon 38, Washington State 31

Pittsburgh: The Scarlet Knights completely pinned down Navy’s nifty running attack last week, but here’s the twist: Pitt can run and throw the ball. That’ll be the difference.Pittsburgh 28, Rutgers 24

Texas: With all that as the backdrop, this week presents McCoy’s biggest test so far. Yes, he faced Ohio State in early September, but that game was in Austin, and all of Texas’ other games have been within the state lines too (five in Austin, one in Dallas, one in Houston). Come to think of it, do the Longhorns ever play on the road?Oh, yeah, they do this week. Zac Taylor, whose numbers equal McCoy’s, needs to be crisp and on target in order for Nebraska to keep pace with the Texas offense. The Cornhuskers do have a chance, especially playing in Lincoln, but the Longhorns remain the class of the Big 12.Texas 32, Nebraska 21

Oklahoma St.: It’ll come down to someone missing or making a kick. Or roshambo. Tune in to find out which.Oklahoma State 28, Texas A&M 27

Auburn: See a 6-1 team turn into a 9-1 team before your very eyes!Auburn 45, Tulane 13

California: Cal, increasingly confident each week, has started 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 1950. Washington, reflective of its nature, sits squarely in the middle of the Pac-10 at 2-2.Washington looked not-so-OK last week, losing at home to Oregon State and losing Isaiah Stanback for the season with a foot injury. Despite the loss of their QB, the Huskies’ expected pattern this week, based on UW’s seasonal chart filled with up and down spikes, could mean bad things for Cal. Unless, of course, Cal sticks to its own script of performing better than almost every team out there in all phases of the game -- offense, defense, and special teams.So, it’s a battle of dueling scripts this Saturday afternoon in Strawberry Canyon. The players and coaches don’t even have to show up. The Pac-10 officiating crew can just toss the scripts out near midfield at Memorial Stadium, and all 72,000 fans can enjoy the show. No pads obviously, just two-hand touch.Who said football on the West Coast was soft?California 37, Washington 10

Wisconsin: Seven of the last nine meetings between Wisconsin and Purdue have been decided by eight points or less, with one tie (remember those?). Looking at many of the numbers, this appears to be another jump ball. But here’s the part of the skinny that makes folks in West Lafayette squirm: A Wisconsin offense that is averaging 394 yards per game versus a Purdue defense that is allowing 472 yards per game.Wisconsin 37, Purdue 28