NCAA 2013 Week 2 picks

May, it was an exciting week for college football over the Labor Day weekend!  We learned some things about some teams, and not everything was good.  We learned how stout the Bowling Green defense is, and how error-prone Tulsa is, in a shocking 34-7 Tulsa loss.  Rutgers' offense is powerful, but they made some poor decisions that led to a 52-51 overtime loss to Fresno State.  Ohio State's young defense needs work, and Buffalo has a great offense.  West Virginia may be worse than I expected, barely beating FCS William & Mary, and Illinois' defense is extremely weak.  Marshall looks like a high-powered team, as does Wyoming.

We had our share of upsets, too.  FCS teams were stepping up, like Towson beating UConn, McNeese State up-ending South Florida, and Eastern Illinois slaughtering San Diego State.  The bigger shocks were losses to preseason Top 25 teams or teams expected to have big years.  North Dakota State extended their streak of beating FBS teams to four years, although Kansas State was their most prestigious opponent to date.  Virginia, a team frequently languishing in the cellar of the ACC, knocked off BYU.  Eastern Washington shocked Oregon State, but perhaps the most amazing result was Washington's complete domination of Boise State.

How will some of those teams bounce back?  Will those victories inspire other FCS teams?  Let's see...

Thurs Sept 5
Florida Atlantic Owls at East Carolina Pirates:  East Carolina let Old Dominion score often against them, but I think the defense will straighten themselves out for this game.  I don't think the Pirates expected much from the Monarchs (I know I didn't!), so they'll sharpen their game this week.  EAST CAROLINA by 15

Sacramento State Hornets at Arizona State Sun Devils:  The Sun Devils took last week off, but they won't need it to prepare for this game.  ARIZONA STATE by 30

Fri Sept 6
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Boston College Eagles:  BC looked even worse than I thought.  Wake should have not much more difficulty than they did last week.  WAKE FOREST by 21

UCF Golden Knights at Florida International Panthers:  UCF was one of the pleasant surprises last week, showing more power than I expected.  Maryland knocked around the Panthers fairly easy, so UCF shouldn't have much trouble, either.  UCF by 30

Saturday's games
I have no Top 25 to analyze, as my long-time readers know that I do not create a Top 25 until after the second week, and even then expect it to shuffle wildly until Week 4 or 5.  Again, as last week, I'll look at Big Ten teams and Games of Interest.

Big Ten
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Wisconsin Badgers:  Wisconsin was the most impressive Big Ten team last week, and that should continue this week.  Tech just doesn't have the defense to slow the Badgers, who don't seem to have lost any steam with the loss of Monte Ball and coach Bret Bielema.  WISCONSIN by 36

South Florida Bulls at Michigan State Spartans:  South Florida looked pathetic last week, especially on defense.  That should give Sparty great confidence.  MICHIGAN STATE by 26

Eastern Michigan Eagles at Penn State Nittany Lions:  Penn State wasn't dominant last week, but Eastern Michigan looked sickly.  If they can't get it together, they'll get run over.  PENN STATE by 16

Cincinnati Bearcats at Illinois Fighting Illini:  Cincy was a huge force last week, while Illinois' defense struggled against FCS Southern Illinois.  Cincy will score at will.  CINCINNATI by 34

Missouri State Bears at Iowa Hawkeyes:  Iowa fell last week, but they should redeem themselves this week.  IOWA by 13

Indiana State Sycamores at Purdue Boilermakers:  The only other team in the Big Ten to lose last week, Purdue also needs to beat their FCS opponent to regain some confidence.  They should, but it may not be as easy as they thought.  PURDUE by 12

San Diego State Aztecs at Ohio State Buckeyes:  Eastern Illinois pulverized San Diego State last week, so Ohio State shouldn't have much of problem.  The Aztecs struggled to score against their FCS opponent, so the Buckeyes young defense gets a chance to gain some valuable experience.  OHIO STATE by 31

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Nebraska Cornhuskers:  Nebraska barely survived last week, so they need a strong victory to restore some confidence.  I don't expect Southern Miss to put up much of a fight, so they get that boost.  NEBRASKA by 24

Syracuse Orange at Northwestern Wildcats:  Syracuse did better than I expected and Northwestern had some trouble against Cal, but the Wildcats pushed and won.  That is a characteristic of this Wildcat team, and they should show that spunk again.  NORTHWESTERN by 17

Navy Midshipmen at Indiana Hooisers:  Navy hasn't played yet, so this one is a gut call.  In other years I wouldn't hesitate to pick Navy, but they seem to have lost strength this year.  I'll favor the home team, but this game could go either way.  INDIANA by three

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Wolverines:  Michigan played hot last week.  The Irish won, but it wasn't a commanding victory over Temple.  The Irish kept them from scoring, but the Owls defense slowed the Irish.  The Wolverines defense is better, and the offense is MUCH better.  Michigan should win, as they have won the last four contests at home against Notre Dame, but the Irish could come alive.  MICHIGAN by eight

Minnesota Golden Gophers at New Mexico State Aggies:  Minnesota was a strong performer last week; New Mexico State was not.  MINNESOTA by 20

Games of Interest
Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Louisville Cardinals  The Teddy Bridgewater show had a nearly perfect opening act, and I don't expect Act II to be any less.  LOUISVILLE by lots

Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes:  Oh, this game should be close and exciting!  Florida wasn't great last week, while Miami didn't have to exert much effort to win.  I'd love to pick the Hurricanes, but the Gators seem to push harder against in-state rivals.  I'll pick the Gators, but the Hurricanes could easily win this one.  FLORIDA by four

Oklahoma State Cowboys at UTSA Roadrunners: The Cowboys weren't impressive, they certainly played better than the Roadrunners.  OKLAHOMA STATE by 21

Southeastern Louisiana Lions at TCU Horned Frogs:  The Horned Frogs couldn't beat LSU, but they played well.  This game should be a breeze.  TCU by 27

Houston Cougars at Temple Owls:  The Owls defense showed some strength last week, but Houston's offense is just too powerful.  HOUSTON by 31

South Carolina State Bulldogs at Clemson Tigers:  Clemson and Tajh Boyd showed that Georgia couldn't stop them, so don't expect much from SC State.  CLEMSON by a busload

Oregon Ducks at Virginia Cavaliers:  While I don't expect Virginia to upset Oregon like they did BYU, this game might be closer than Oregon would like.  The Cavs have a decent defense, and that might slow the fast Ducks offense.  OREGON by 24

Toledo Rockets at Missouri Tigers:  Toledo's defense was strong enough to slow Florida, but they have more of a handful against Mizzou.  Expect the Tigers to win, but the margin might be smaller than people expect.  MISSOURI by 18

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Texas A&M Aggies:  Johnny Manziel continues his immature behavior, just asking for someone to catch him doing something that could get him kicked out of school.  Until then, the more he alienates himself from his coach, the less coaching he will accept, and that means he won't improve.  San Houston isn't good enough to knock them off, but they have shocked FBS teams in the past, and may make this game interesting.  TEXAS A&M by 24

UAB Blazers at LSU Tigers:  LSU showed strength against TCU, especially on offense.  They will dominate this game.  LSU by 24

Texas Longhorns at BYU Cougars:  After BYU's loss to Virginia, there is no question that Texas will easily win this one.  TEXAS by 31

West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma Sooners:  The Mountaineers looked pretty pathetic last week.  If they can't improve, they'll be slaughtered nearly every week.  OKLAHOMA by 30

Hawaii Warriors at Oregon State Beavers:  Hawaii looked a little better than I expected, but Oregon State should bounce back from their shocking upset last week.  OREGON STATE by 11

Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans:  USC had a fine opener, and that should extend into this week.  USC by 21

Arizona Wildcats at UNLV Running Rebels:  Minnesota skinned the Running Rebels last week.  They should be prepared to lose another layer this week.  ARIZONA by 17

San Jose State Spartans at Stanford Cardinal  The Cardinal didn't play last week, so we're not sure what to expect, but since the Spartans could only muster 24 points against FCS Sacramento State, their offenses seems a bit lackluster.  STANFORD by 17

GAME OF THE WEEK:  South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Bulldogs:  One thing we learned from last week's Game of the Week is that Georgia's high-powered offense is susceptible to speedy defenses.  That seems to fit Clowney and company to a tee.  South Carolina's offense isn't as good as Clemson's, so they'll have to slow Georgia even more than Clemson did.  I think the Gamecocks can do that.  SOUTH CAROLINA by six