ESPN College Football

The Oregon defense played with passion last week after hearing about how strong and physical the Michigan running game would be, holding the Wolverines to minus-3 rushing yards. A week later the Ducks have to find the same passion against a Washington State offense that plays a completely different style.

The Cougars run more of an athletic, finesse attack that will have a minimum of three receivers in the game at all times. The key to the game will be whether or not an Oregon secondary that was a weakness last year is improved enough to slow down the big-play ability of Wazzu wideouts like Devard Darling and Sammy Moore. The Ducks have improved their pass defense despite some lapses in the second half against Michigan, but this will be the best group of wideouts they have seen and Cougars quarterback Matt Kegel is finally getting comfortable with where to distribute the ball in the WSU scheme.

As for Oregon's offense, Kellen Clemens and Jason Fife have split time at quarterback but Clemens has seen twice as many snaps and is clearly the guy the Ducks lean on most. They also have three running backs with at least 140 yards, led by Terrence Whitehead's 226, and will look for balance against Washington State.

Wideouts Samie Parker and Demetrius Williams have already combined for eight touchdowns and better than 700 yards, but the key will be whether or not Oregon can block the Cougars defensive end tandem of of D.D. Acholonu and Isaac Brown, both of whom can create havoc with speed and quickness off the edge.

The player to watch for Wazzu on defense, though, is middle linebacker Will Derting. Not many people outside the Pac-10 have had a chance to see him, but Derting fought through injuries and still had an outstanding freshman season last year, so look for him to be be all over the field against the Ducks.

Oregon is coming off a huge win and the Ducks will likely have trouble playing with the same intensity as when they are huge underdogs. I like the combination of Kegel's effectiveness in the passing game and pressure from Acholonu, Brown and Derting to carry the Cougars to a win in Eugene.

No. 3 USC vs. California
Most college football fans will look at this game and see a blowout, but I happen to disagree. The insertion of JUCO transfer Aaron Rodgers into the lineup has helped California become more explosive on offense, and Rodgers looks like he could be the next phenomenal West Coast quarterback and an eventual first-round draft pick. He and receiver Geoff McArthur -- who already has 35 catches and six touchdowns -- are as lethal a pass-catch tandem as there is in the Pac-10.

USC had a bye last week and used it to get healthy for tough stretch that has the Trojans playing three of their next four games on the road. The USC secondary has been tested already this year, but the key for California will be protecting Rodgers. If the Bears can handle the zone-blitz schemes of USC coach Pete Carroll, their coach Jeff Tedford has enough good schemes to put some points on the board.

On the other side, Cal's defense has to prepare for Mike Williams and Keary Colbert, the best one-two receiving pair in the league. It's tough to double either one, making the USC passing game a chore to stop.

The Bears are undermanned in this game and will have to be successful early to believe they can hang with the powerful Trojans. Rodgers has enough ability to keep California in the game and make the score closer than most expect, but USC will still be able to come out on top.

No. 9 Iowa vs. Michigan State
Despite all the upsets that went down last weekend and all the talk about the Mid-America Conference, the team that most impressed me was Iowa. The Hawkeyes lost four starting offensive linemen, its tight end and the most dynamic Big Ten quarterback of the last 10-15 years, and was also without top receiver Maurice Brown but still dominated Arizona State in a 21-2 victory.

Making the victory even more impressive is the fact that Iowa is breaking in eight new starters on defense and was playing without injured All-America safety Bob Sanders. This year's defense may be better than the unit that led the Hawkeyes to a share of the Big Ten title last year, thanks to an upgrade in speed.

Michigan State comes in with confidence after last week's win at Notre Dame, the Spartans' fourth straight win in South Bend. The Spartans went into Notre Dame stadium with a fragile psyche after an embarrassing loss to Louisiana Tech and that victory was huge.

MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker is nursing an injured toe, though, and appeared to be a somewhat tentative against the Irish. His health is extremely important, so keep an eye on Iowa defensive ends Howard Hodges and Matt Roth. Both will present problems for the Michigan State offensive line with their athleticism, especially with Smoker playing with a plate in his shoe to protect that injured toe.

The Spartans ran for 181 yards against Notre Dame, but Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz feels the middle linebacker position is the most improved spot on his defense with the 6-4, 240-pound Chad Greenway holding down that spot.

Iowa is for real, but until the offense gains more experience and gets healthy the Hawkeyes will have to win with defense. That is just what they'll do in East Lansing this weekend, with the defense and the running of Fred Russell leading them to victory.

No. 14 Arkansas vs. Alabama

Arkansas is not a flashy team that will jump off the screen at you, but the Razorbacks have been able to win with outstanding performances in two key areas: the running game and protecting the football. The Hogs have just one turnover all season and running back Cedric Cobbs has been able to get into space and show his wares as both a power back and a guy with a burst.

Alabama comes into this game reeling emotionally from a disheartening loss to Northern Illinois in which Michael Turner burned the Tide for 156 yards. With that in mind Bama will no doubt be determined to get as many men as possible into the box to slow Cobbs, opening opportunities for Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones to utilize his play-making abilities.

Whether it's off play-action fakes or in the option game, Jones' skill and athletic ability will be big this week. Seizing those chances will return the favor and open things up for Cobbs and the rushing attack. But Cobbs got his yards with eight men in the box against a physical Texas defense, so I expect him to top 100 in this game regardless.

The opportunistic Arkansas defense have give up some yards this season, but turnovers have come at the right time and the skill in the secondary allows the Razorbacks to take creative risks and load up against the run. Cornerbacks Ahmad Carroll and Lawrence Richardson will be key for Arkansas, as the Hogs will do all they can to contain Alabama running back Shaud Williams and make wide receivers Zach Fletcher and Triandos Luke beat them on the outside. That matchup favors Arkansas.

I like the Razorbacks to win and remain unbeaten with a combination of forced turnovers and offense from Cobbs and Jones.

No. 19 Pittsburgh vs. Texas A&M
Pittsburgh has to regroup after an embarrassing loss at Toledo in which the Panthers blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, because they can still win the Big East but will need a win in College Station to gain some momentum going into conference play.

The Pittsburgh problems are not offensive. Quarterback Rod Rutherford leads the nation in passing efficiency and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is averaging better than 149 receiving yards per game, but the defense has been suspect at times as evidenced by the collapse against Toledo.

Texas A&M has a young defense that is learning on the fly under defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, but playing at home in front of a raucous crowd will definitely be a help.

And the Aggies offense has its own big-play ability with Reggie McNeal at quarterback and Courtney Lewis at tailback, who gives them an extra gear they have not had in the backfield in recent years. Add wide receiver Terrence Murphy to the mix and coach Dennis Franchione's shotgun system gives A&M plenty of quick-strike ability. That is especially true with a quarterback who can improvise like McNeal, who has already shown glimpses of the unbelievable future he has.

The Texas A&M can score points in bunches and will use its home-field advantage to outduel Pittsburgh in a shootout.

Notre Dame vs. Purdue
Notre Dame was able to find enough magic to pull off a season-opening comeback win against Washington State, but that luck has run out in the last two weeks and the Irish are now coming up against a Purdue team with tremendous talent.

A lot of people were lulled to sleep by the Boilermakers' devastating loss to Bowling Green in the season opener, but those people are underestimating coach Joe Tiller's team. The Boilers have what may be the best defense in the Big Ten. They have speed and experience with senior linebacker Niko Koutouvides and senior safety Stuart Schweigert.

Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holiday has shouldered an unfair amount of the blame for the offensive problems of the Irish, who have been unable to run the ball effectively or pass protect adequately, and whether Holiday or true freshman Brady Quinn starts Notre Dame will have its hands full against the most athletic defense it has seen so far this season.

The Purdue offense had a big day against Arizona last week with nearly 300 yards rushing and an efficient day from both Kyle Orton and Brandon Kirsch at quarterback. The Boilermakers should be able to move the ball both through the air and on the ground against the Irish.

Notre Dame found ways to win three straight hard-fought games against Purdue, but this year the Boilers will avenge that string with a dominating performance in every aspect of the game. I like Purdue by three touchdowns.

And I have one word for Irish fans: patience. Coach Tyrone Willingham needs time to recruit the right personnel to fit his schemes, especially on offense. Right now he is trying to use players recruited for the option attack in a West Coast offense, but once Willingham gets three or four years of recruiting under his belt and gets his kind of players on the roster, Notre Dame will be back among the elite. But it is going to take time.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN College GameDay and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the college football season.