ESPN College Football

Michigan travels to Ohio State this weekend (1:00 p.m. ET, ABC) to continue the best rivalry in sports, a game whose emotions bring out the best in both teams. That being said, the team with nothing to lose usually seems to turn it loose while the team with everything to lose is sometimes guilty of playing not to lose.

The big question for Michigan where that is concerned is whether the freshman backfield of quarterback Chad Henne and running back Mike Hart continues to play well and play with the poise of upperclassmen. Both have been outstanding in recent weeks but they will be facing an atmosphere like nothing they've seen before and might be a little tight early on.

The youngsters should settle down after the first series or two, and then the key for the Wolverines becomes their defense. They have to prevent Ohio State from scoring on big plays with wideouts Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes, because the Buckeye offense is not capable of driving the length of the field.

The only chance OSU has is to keep the crowd in the game with solid defense and great field position from special teams and turnovers. The emotion of the game and the experience of both teams will keep the game closer than most would think, but in the end Michigan comes away with a 24-20 win.

No. 3 Auburn at Alabama (3:30, CBS)
Auburn has been red hot recently thanks to quarterback Jason Campbell, who is one of the best turnaround stories in all of college football this season. Forget about his numbers because tremendous poise has been the most impressive thing about Campbell's game, and he will need it more than ever this week against Alabama.

This game will be the Tigers' biggest challenge all year because of a Crimson Tide defense that ranks second in the nation in total yards allowed per game (229.7). Because Auburn lacks a true passing game, offensive coordinator Al Borges will have to mix up his playcalling and get the ball to running backs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown out of the backfield with screens and option routes.

That diversity will be the biggest factor for Auburn because the Tide will crowd the line of scrimmage all night and be locked in on stopping Brown and Williams in the running game. No one has been able to contain them so far this year, and how well Alabama does that will have a lot do to with how this game turns out.

The Tide have to win the first quarter to keep the crowd in the game, because no one is giving them a chance at home and the last thing they need is to get blown out early, which would take the home fans out of the game and destroy any confidence Alabama has coming in.

Tide running back Kenneth Darby cannot move the offense alone, just as Alabama cannot win the game with offense alone. Mike Shula's team will have to use an approach similar to that of Ohio State against Michigan, keeping the crowd in the game with defense.

Alabama will play well and stay in the game, but eventually Auburn will respond to its toughest challenge so far with Jason Campbell leading the way to a 24-21 win.

BYU vs. No. 6 Utah (6:00, ESPN2)
College GameDay will be in Salt Lake City this weekend to watch as Utah goes looking for a Fiesta Bowl bid. A win over archrival BYU would pretty much assure the Utes of that BCS spot.

BYU has been pointing to this game all season and would love to make its season by playing spoiler for Utah. The Cougars will put the 3-3-5 defense of Bronco Mendenhall up against quarterback Alex Smith and one of the most diverse offenses in the country, which they controlled in a 3-0 loss last year in Provo.

Utah has been been working since January on how to beat Mendenhall's defense and it will be interesting to see it that makes a difference considering the intense emotion of this rivalry. Tune in to GameDay on Saturday morning for my prediction.

Florida vs. No. 8 Florida State (7:45, ESPN)
This is often one of the games of the year, and this year has even more meaning with Florida looking to send coach Ron Zook out on a high note in his final regular-season game as the coach of the Gators.

It's all up to quarterback Chris Leak and the Florida offense, which will be in one of the best matchups of the weekend against the Florida State defense. The Gators are one of the few teams that have the athletic ability to compete with one of the best defenses in the country and the key will be how much pressure the Seminoles are able to put on Leak.

The Seminoles will also have to stay disciplined on draws and misdirection plays by Gators running back Ciatrick Fason, as FSU plays a very aggressive style of defense and will have to be careful not to overpursue and allow Fason cutback lanes.

Defensive tackle Travis Johnson should be able to get penetration, though, and linebackers A.J. Nicholson and Ernie Sims will be all over the field. Also look for cornerbacks Bryant McFadden and Leroy Smith to match up well against Florida's wideouts.

The Florida State offense has struggled on the road but the offensive line and quarterback Wyatt Sexton execute much better at home. Running backs Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington should benefit from that and help lead the 'Noles to a convincing, 31-17 victory.

No. 9 Wisconsin vs. No. 17 Iowa (4:30, ESPN)
Wisconsin went into Michigan State last week looking ahead to this rivalry game and the Spartans beat up on the Badgers. Brent Bielema's defense was beaten up and you can be sure he got after them all week in practice.

This week's opponent is an overachieving Iowa team that has succeeded despite playing with its fifth-string tailback and a rebuilt offensive line protecting an inexperienced sophomore quarterback in Drew Tate. The Hawkeyes have still managed an 8-2 record and the job Kirk Ferentz has done with his group deserves serious consideration for Coach of the Year honors.

Look for a low-scoring game, with the Iowa defense making things tough for Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco and running back Anthony Davis. Linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge along with defensive end Matt Roth form the nucleus of a hostile defense that will give the Hawkeyes another advantage to go with the home crowd.

Still, after last week's rout at the hands of Michigan State, look for the Badgers to come out with emotion, looking to finish on a high note. Wisconsin bounces back with a hard-fought 20-17 win.

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