While Temple and Notre Dame look to silence doubters, Alabama kicks off conference play.
Temple vs. Penn State
The Mid-American Conference Temple Owls come into this weekend's game against in-state rival No. 23 Penn State with a record that reads 0-27 in head-to-head matchups since 1941. The Owls also have a season record that reads 3-0 for the first time since 1979, in contrast to Penn State's record of 2-1.
With Pittsburgh's disappointing season-opening loss at Utah, this battle between two Pennsylvania programs will likely lead to the unveiling of the Keystone State's finest. Since renewing the rivalry in 2006, the Nittany Lions have torn the Owls to shreds by cumulative point total of 154-9, while outgaining Temple by 1,073 yards. This year may be different, however, as the Owls are led by the reigning MAC rushing leader, sophomore running back Bernard Pierce. The Nittany Lions have a talented running back of their own in senior Evan Royster, who needs just 371 yards to become Penn State's all-time leading rusher.
However, Royster hasn't surpassed 40 yards rushing in any of his initial three games this season. While the Big Ten is still the Big Ten and the MAC remains the MAC, if this is a close game don't be surprised to hear silence in University Park. Temple scored 16 fourth-quarter points to beat Connecticut, 18 to rally past Villanova and beat Central Michigan in overtime.
Alabama vs. Arkansas
The No. 1 team in the nation, will travel to Razorback stadium this weekend to take on No. 10 Arkansas. Alabama is led by sophomore running back Trent Richardson and last year's Heisman winner, junior running back Mark Ingram. Returning from injury last week against Duke, Ingram amassed 151 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. Meanwhile Richardson is the lightning to Ingram's thunder, providing a speedier option out of the backfield for the Tide.
The Alabama passing attack is led by senior quarterback Greg McElroy and junior wide receiver Julio Jones, who have one of the best rapports in the country. The Alabama defense, ranked second in the country in points allowed with 6.3 per game, will be put to the test by Arkansas' NFL-caliber junior quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett directs the third best passing attack in the nation, throwing for nine touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards.
The Arkansas defense is also one of the best in the country, as they only allow an average of 11.3 points per game. The Razorbacks will look to avenge the 49-14 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Tide in 2008 in which Mallett was held to a meager 12-35 performance for only 160 yards. If Arkansas has any chance at the upset, Mallett will have to step up and greatly improve on his performance from two years ago.
Stanford vs. Notre Dame
After two consescutive last minute losses, Notre Dame and head coach Brian Kelly will hope to rebound against Heisman hopeful junior quarterback Andrew Luck and No. 16 Stanford.
Kelly came into the 2010 season full of confidence in his ability to restore Notre Dame football to the level of its historic past. In spite of that, the previous two weeks have ended in two losses by a combined seven points to Big Ten foes Michigan and Michigan State.
However, another chance to begin the program resurrection rolls into South Bend, Ind., this Saturday at 3:30 p.m., this time in the form of a top Pac-10 team.
Stanford's offense is piloted flawlessly by Luck, who has thrown 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in his first three games. Even with the loss of 2009 Heisman Trophy Finalist Toby Gerhart to the NFL, the Cardinal have their school's highest ranking at this point in the season since 1972. The Fighting Irish believe they can threaten the Cardinal's new era of Luck and fortune, as junior quarterback Dayne Crist looks to avenge last year's 38-45 loss in Palo Alto, Calif. However with the Cardinal's FBS-leading pass defense, Notre Dame will need to utilize options other than Crist if they hope to avoid doing what no Fighting Irish team has done in 18 years: Surrender a loss to Stanford in South Bend.
