Friday, September 12, 2003

Can a team that lost to Wake Forest the week before come into the home of the defending national champion and pull off an upset? If its quarterback is Philip Rivers, it can.

No. 3-ranked Ohio State (2-0) takes on North Carolina State (1-1) tomorrow at Ohio Stadium, and an upset is a definite possibility.

The Buckeyes, despite all their success, have a recent history of struggling with their opposition. They won five times by six points or less last season and beat San Diego State by three last week.

Rivers has completed an astonishing 64 of 79 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns and could give the Wolfpack all the points they need against the Buckeyes' anemic offense. North Carolina State, 21-16.

In other games:

Ball State (1-1) at Pitt (1-0): The Panthers continue their waltz through the Mid-American Conference, a league where blind squirrels (Northern Illinois and Bowling Green) occasionally find an acorn. It won't happen this week. Ball State never has beaten a team from a major conference. Its starting quarterback likely won't play. Pitt, 63-3.

Penn State (1-1) at Nebraska (2-0): The Nittany Lions routed Nebraska, 40-7, last year, a defeat that began the unraveling of the Cornhuskers' season. Revenge is a factor here, but, in order to gain revenge, superior personnel usually is required. Nebraska appears to have that. The Lions bring too many weaknesses into the game, but they're not as bad as they showed against Boston College. Nebraska. 27-16.

Cincinnati (1-0) at West Virginia (1-1): This game figures to be a Big East matchup in a year or two with Cincinnati almost certain to become a new member of the league. The Mountaineers beat East Carolina by 41, the Bearcats beat East Carolina by 37. Home field plus the experience of a tough game with Wisconsin weigh strongly in the Mountaineers' favor. West Virginia, 27-13.

Oregon (2-0) at Arizona (1-1): The Wildcats lost by 46 to LSU last week and could be in for as rough a game against the Ducks, who won at Mississippi State. Oregon, 34-7.

Arkansas (1-0) at Texas (1-0): The first regular-season meeting of these teams since Arkansas left the old Southwest Conference in 1991. Arkansas pounded Tulsa for 294 rushing yards last week, but the Razorbacks likely won't approach that against the Longhorns' defense. Texas, 34-10.

Washington State (1-1) at Colorado (2-0): Two teams that don't believe in opening their seasons with a steady diet of cupcakes. The Cougars were at Notre Dame last week, and Colorado already has beaten Colorado State and UCLA and plays at Florida State next week. The Cougars figure to have difficulty rebounding from their loss at South Bend, where they blew a 19-point lead. Colorado, 24-16.

Georgia Tech (1-1) at Florida State (2-0): The Yellow Jackets shut down an overrated Auburn, but that didn't make up for their loss to Brigham Young. The Seminoles have been awesome defensively, showing extraordinary speed and allowing 10 points in two games. Running back Greg Jones is averaging 6.7 yards a carry for the Seminoles. Florida State, 34-10.

Notre Dame (1-0) at Michigan (2-0): The Wolverines have outscored two weak opponents, 95-10, and tailback Chris Perry has run for 416 yards. He won't have that kind of running room against the Irish. But the Notre Dame offense, sluggish at best, will have major difficulty moving the ball. Michigan, 24-10.

Purdue (0-1) at Wake Forest (2-0): The Demon Deacons, long an ACC doormat, are the surprise team of the season and ranked No. 20 after wins against Boston College and North Carolina State. Purdue fell from the rankings with a loss to Bowling Green. Wake Forest, 24-21.

South Carolina (2-0) at Georgia (2-0): The Bulldogs' 30-0 pasting of Clemson at Death Valley speaks loudly to their talents. Although South Carolina upset Virginia last week, it could only manage a seven-point win against Louisiana-Lafayette in its opener. Freshman Michael Cooper is averaging 7.9 yards a carry for the Bulldogs. Georgia. 33-16.

Iowa (2-0) at Iowa State (2-0): The Cyclones, who have won the past five meetings between these teams, dealt Iowa its only loss last season, costing the Hawkeyes a shot at the national championship. Iowa quarterback Nathan Chandler is 6 feet 7, 250 pounds. He has completed 20 of 30 passes. Fred Russell is averaging 7.8 yards a carry for the Hawkeyes. Iowa. 24-21.

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