This week in college football set up a number of circumstances for whats to come. A number of games this upcoming week have huge post season implications.

However, lets start with South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore.  Let’s hope he is able to come back to football after that terrifying, gruesome knee injury he suffered.

As a hot prospect for the NFL draft, that will most certainly hurt his draft stock significantly.  He is also deciding on coming back to school for another season since he has not used a red shirt.

Another, Florida absolutely did not deserve to be ranked 2nd in the BCS.  That was a joke to begin with.  It should most certainly have been Kansas State or Oregon in that slot.  Collin Klein is the real deal and pretty much the Heisman lock, especially after the 7 touchdown performance against West Virginia last week backed up by 4 touchdowns this week.

The only contender to Klein is Manti Te’o of Notre Dame.  He is a fierce linebacker who is the backbone of the great Notre Dame defense.  However, if Kansas State closes this great season out then Klein is going to win the Heisman.

Notre Dame leapfrogged Oregon in the BCS standings after that win at Oklahoma.  I am not sold on whether this is right as Oregon put up 70 points and has certainly done nothing to lose their spot.  However, Notre Dame clearly has shown they are a legitimate threat this year and definitely deserves to be in every BCS conversation.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, I do not think Notre Dame can do enough to get into the National Championship game.  If Alabama, Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame all remain undefeated, I ultimately think its going to come down to style points.  It will end up being Alabama and Oregon if everything goes “as planned.”

3 of those teams have a tough matchup in week 10:

#1 Alabama travels Baton Rouge to take on the #5 LSU Tigers who most certainly are licking their chops for their revenge.  I think Alabama will come out on top in what is all but guaranteed to be a low scoring, defensive game.

#2 Kansas State plays #24 Oklahoma State at home, but this game should not be taken lightly.  The Cowboys can put up some points and this game is most likely going to be a shoot out.  Kansas State should come out on top, and I think that will happen.  Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys pull off the upset.

#3 Notre Dame gets unranked Pittsburgh at home in what should be a breeze coming off this past weekend. Pittsburgh will play Notre Dame tough and it will be a test to Notre Dame if they have a “big win hangover.”  Ultimately, Notre Dames defense is too tough and will win it for the Irish.

#4 Oregon travels to take on Matt Barkley and the #17 USC Trojans in what was a very highly anticipated game earlier in the year, but it has definitely lost some lust due to USC’s disappointing losses. Oregon is going to win this game easily.  USC just doesn’t have it, and Oregon should be very angry that they got leapfrogged in the BCS standings by Notre Dame.  They are going to play with a chip on their shoulder.

Should be a great weekend of college football with some exciting games which will have a major impact on the post season.

Many are wondering where the Buckeyes would stack up in the BCS rankings. The Bucks would most likely be ranked 5th or 6th.  Personally, and as non biased as possible, the Buckeyes would stomp Notre Dame.

Ohio State’s offense is a big play waiting to happen every time they are on the field.  Braxton Miller is taking the country by storm with his running ability.  The undefeated Buckeyes also have a defense that has been giving up points as of late, but seem to always make a few game changing plays a game.

The running game of not only Miller, but Carlos Hyde as well has been dominant.  Hyde has been an animal as of late going over 100 yards in both of his last two games.  Unfortunately, they aren’t eligible for the post season this year because they have a legitimate chance of going undefeated.

My problem with Notre Dame being ranked so high is their awful offense. They do have a great defense, but their offense really takes away from their potential as a contender.
Truthfully, when you look at it, it can be argued that the Buckeyes could be number 4.

I don’t think that Kansas State is really worthy of the number 4 ranking in the BCS.  Collin Klein is a beast, yes, but the entire team strictly relies on him and, I do not think they will be able to keep this up the entire season.

I also believe that Oregon should be ranked 2nd over Florida.  Oregon has been so good on offense as usual and their defense is also great.  They should most definitely be in front of a Florida team that is not very convincing in my opinion.

In all honesty, the BCS is a joke this early in the season.  BCS rankings shouldn’t come out for another 2 weeks because it is way to hard to decide who is better between this man undefeated teams.

They should let them weed each other out a little bit and then go with the rankings.  I am just glad this will be over after this season.  One thing is known for sure, the Buckeyes will definitely be near the top to begin next season.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes sit uncomfortably with a record of 4-0.  Yes they are undefeated, but they have not played up to potential and expectations. Many think Braxton Miller is a Heisman Trophy candidate and even though it is hard to argue 14 touchdowns in 4 games he is not playing particularly well.

He is running the ball effectively, but he is making very poor decisions at the time of the snap.  He is really struggling to know when to hand it off and when to keep it on those option plays, and that is making it easy for opposing teams to defend.

His passing has been poor, even though sometimes he shows glimpses.  Miller has been bailed out by his receivers quite a few times and is not connecting on the easy passes he should be.

Yes, the Buckeyes have the Urban Meyer spread offense, but they cant forget the basics.  The Bucks are very solid at Running Back.  Carlos Hyde will return this week at Michigan State, and Jordan Hall is coming off of a 105 yard game with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

Rod Smith is also showing promise and should remain a solid contributor for the remainder of the season.  The Wide Receivers for the Buckeyes are a question mark.  To Braxton Miller’s defense, the receivers are failing to get separation and are running poor routes.

The defense is solid.  They have given up some big plays this season but they have come up with many themselves.  The secondary is comparable to the Green Bay Packers as they are both high risk high reward in the sense that they attack the ball and go for interceptions.

The Buckeyes open up their Big Ten portion of the schedule Saturday at Michigan State.  They need to play much better on both sides of the ball in order to get the win and go to 5-0.  Braxton Miller needs to make much better decisions, and the receivers have to get open in order for him to get the ball downfield.

The defense will have quite a load to handle in Spartan RB Le’Veon Bell who has looked fantastic this season.  Michigan State is coming off of a win against Eastern Michigan, but the previous week they looked terrible against Notre Dame.

It remains to be seen how this game will play out, but one thing is known for sure, and that is the excitement that this game, and the remainder of the Big Ten season are bound to present.

This week most teams will be starting their inter-conference play at we will start our preview in the great state of California in the beautiful city of Palo Alto where the Stanford Cardinal will be welcome the number two team in the country in the Trojans of USC. On paper USC should be able to absolutely roll over the Cardinal, but as history shows us that is not always the case. USC better be on upset alert this weekend and better be at the top of their game. Stanford has beaten the Trojans the last four years and that includes in 2007 when Stanford was a 42 point underdog. Matt Barkley always brings his A game so I do not think that will be an issue I just hope Lane Kiffen utilizes Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, as im sure he will, at the appropriate time. When Stanford throws out their two deep safeties it will be time to call on Silas Redd.

It is time once again for the city of East Lansing to welcome the Irish of South Bend. This game usually goes one way one year and the other way the next. Lately, Michigan State had had the upper hand, but overall Notre Dame still leads the series 46-28-1. The Spartans have not allowed an offensive touchdown this season and are looking for their first 3-0 start for the first time in 10 years. Notre Dame Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson is averaging nearly 300 passing yards a game and he has been highly talked about by ESPN analysts Mel Kipper Jr. and Todd McShay. The Irish are a big underdog, mainly because they have such a young team, but I believe if they can start off getting on top early we may see another upset of a Big 10 school.

Over the past several years, other than the Urban Meyer and Lane Kiffen controversy, the Florida-Tennessee rivalry has not been that high profile of a game. This year both teams are ranked in the top 25 and are both labeled underdogs in the SEC. In the last eight years Florida has had the upper hand and it has always seemed that whenever the Volunteers were in the top 25 the Gators destroyed them and kicked them back out. Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns last week against Georgia State and in week one he threw for over 200 yards and two more scores. In every average category this year so far Tennessee outplays Florida including rushing yards, passing yards, and points scored. This game should be close, but it will depend on which “average” defense shows up.

College Gameday will be in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Week 3 Predictions:

Alabama 52-25 Arkansas

USC 35-32 Stanford

Notre Dame 17-25 Michigan State

California 23-24 Ohio State

Florida 32-42 Tennessee

BYU 21-17 Utah

The votes have been tallied throughout collegesportsfeed.com, and now it’s time to present our combined Preseason Top 25. For the next five weeks, we have five sections of our top 25 teams, starting from the end. These statistics were compiled using incoming players, remaining talent, old and new coaches, and a few previous games from last season. This week we present:

25. Florida

“Even though they didn’t have an amazing season last year and Ohio State has their former coach, Florida is going to surprise people this year. They have always had the passion for the game, and this year they are really going to show it. They beat Ohio State in the Gator Bowl this past season, and now that Ohio State has their coach, it’s more of a fight for them to prove they are good and that they could beat Ohio State and their former coach again if the opportunity presented itself.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“After a 7-6 season, which included a rough 3-5 SEC record last season, Will Muschamp will be coaching for his job in 2012. Expect that sense of urgency, along with another down year in the SEC East to get the Gators back in the Top 25.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

24. Notre Dame

“Notre Dame only lost 5 games last season, the last game they lost being a bowl game. Granted most of the teams they beat weren’t ranked teams, they still managed to beat a few ranked ones. Their record from last year shows that they can do well this year and most likely will be determined to do so. They used to be one of the best teams in college football, and while they don’t have the players to make them great, they still have the potential to be great. It’s just time to sit back and watch the underdogs show their true colors.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“Recent quarterback controversy aside, Notre Dame has a chance to be very solid this year. With a strong backfield, led by 1,000-yard rusher Cierre Wood, and one of college football’s best returning TE’s in Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame should be competitive in every game of their tough 2012 schedule. Add this year’s impressive freshman class, and the Fighting Irish could make a run into a top bowl game.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

23. Oklahoma State

“Losing both Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will be a major blow to the high-powered Oklahoma State offense. However, Coach Gundy will have them revved up for this season despite the losses and compete for a Big 12 championship.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

“Freshman Wes Lunt is the answer Cowboy fans are all looking for, thanks to Coach Gundy. Gundy has a history of training quarterbacks well, and there’s no doubt he can do the same this year. Plus Lunt is enormous and has a fiery arm. Look for OSU to have a great game against Texas.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

22. Boise State

“Even with the losses of QB Kellen Moore and RB Doug Martin to the NFL, head coach Chris Peterson will have the Broncos ready to compete. A solid recruiting class will help fill the losses on both sides of the ball, and the return of sixth-year RB D.J. Harper will give the Broncos a reliable option in the backfield. Look for the Broncos to remain in the top 25 during their last season before a move to the Big East.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

“With 16 sophomore Broncos, it should be easy for the new freshman class to adjust to the routine they have already set. Dallas Burroughs is one of the fastest players on Boise State, and Matt Miller, although red-shirted last season, is back and ready for more action, filled with awards. If they keep up their luck and skill like last season, they may be nearly unstoppable.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

21. Virginia Tech

“Look for Virginia Tech to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Clemson in the ACC championship. Losing David Wilson to the NFL will be a major hole and a big replacement, but quarterback Logan Thomas seems ready to handle the major load and can carry this team to the top of the ACC again.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

“The Hokies have been the only constant in the ACC, since joining the conference in 2004. Second year starting QB Logan Thomas will be more consistent in 2012, and you know that the defensive coordinator Bud Foster will have the VA Tech defense on point again this fall.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor