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I heard a joke on the radio today that made me giggle.
Q: How many batteries does it take to shock a Michigan Wolverine?
A: 1 AA.
Hardee har har.
With that joke, I’m laughing all the way up to this week’s matchup of defeated powerhouses Michigan and Notre Dame. But more on that game later.
This Saturday will tell us a lot more about the college football landscape. It will weed out the pretenders from the contenders to borrow a line from ESPN. Here are the intriguing games of Week 3.
#10 Ohio State vs Washington. Are the Washington Huskies as dominant as they seem? They beat a wretched Syracuse team on the road in week 1 and a Boise State team that’s a shell of their former selves at home last week. The Ohio State Buckeyes have also beaten opponents that were far inferior. They also have a 15-game winning streak of unranked opponents.
I smell all the makings of an upset here. Husky redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker carries himself like a senior and is clearly making a case for Washington to be a football powerhouse once again. Although the Buckeyes boast the nation’s best defense, something inside me thinks the Husky spread offense can handle the barrage. Washington over Ohio St. 31-28.
#1 USC vs. #14 Nebraska. When you lose the turnover battle to Idaho, you know there's a lot of work yet to be done. USC didn't convince me they were a #1 team after that lackluster win. With a bye last week, they got an extra week to prepare for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Huskers will take more chances than they did last year at the Coliseum, but their deficiencies will still be glaring. Offensively USC really needs to show the world they can take out an outmatched team. Somehow I doubt this will happen, but USC will still win. USC over Nebraska 31-14.
Notre Dame at Michigan. And now the joke. I find it sad that I'm really looking forward to this game the most this weekend. I think it's more of a morbid fascination than it is the desire to watch great football.
The key to this game is Michigan running back Mike Hart. After his homage to meth-heads in his new conference last weekend when he guaranteed with wide unblinking eyes a win over the Irish, I really think he will just grab the ball each down and run it. If he does this Michigan will no longer be the joke.
One thing that Michigan has going for it: at least they have scored an offensive touchdown this season. Michigan over Notre Dame 45-7.
That's it! Enjoy your Saturday.
AP Photo by Gene J. Puskar
