I am not too far removed from the college days, so I know some of the emotions that many of these young athletes are going through. Playing in Division I athletics myself gave me even more insight into the ups and downs that these football players go through. Consequently, I feel that looking for these spots where one team is going to be significantly up or down is critical to having success in handicapping college football. Let’s take a look at which games from last week and which games looming could possibly have an effect on this week’s games. September 12th – USC at Ohio State. There is no doubt that the biggest game of last week was the primetime match-up between the Trojans and the Buckeyes. USC has traditionally been dominant in these early season featured non-conference games, only to struggle in some early season conference games. However, the media has been talking about a possible letdown this week, so the Trojans might actually focus on playing against their old coaches Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt when they face Washington this weekend. Ohio State has dropped another game to a big time program, despite leading late in the 4th quarter. It will be interesting to see if their players bounce back and hammer a Toledo team that will definitely be up for the Buckeyes. September 12th – Notre Dame at Michigan. The young Wolverines got a huge win on Saturday over Notre Dame, so it will be interesting to see if they bring a strong effort this week against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles were horrible against Army and didn’t look much better in the 1st half last week against Northwestern, so Michigan should have no problem handling them if they bring a strong effort. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how Notre Dame rebounds after a demoralizing loss last week at Michigan in a game that they should have won and were leading with just a few minutes left. September 12th – Hawaii at Washington State. This game is well off the radar of most college football enthusiasts, but there is an important to take from it. Hawaii is in the middle of a tough road trip, as they are staying on the mainland this week and until after their September 30th game at Louisiana Tech. Hawaii’s coach is not letting their players gamble or take part in the Las Vegas lifestyle this week, as they prepare to face UNLV this weekend. It will be interesting to see if the extended time away from home affects the Warriors. September 26th – California at Oregon. This game is one of the most important for each of these teams, so it will be interesting to see how much they get up for their games this week. Oregon’s Chip Kelly cannot afford to have his team play poorly again against a team from a supposed weaker conference. This week they have a difficult challenge against last year’s BCS Cinderella team, Utah. California also has a tough task of traveling to Minnesota to play an early start (12pm EST) game. The Bears should dominate the Gophers if they bring a good effort to Minnesota’s new stadium.
 

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