By most accounts this seems like a pretty weak line-up of college football action coming our way, but there are some games worth keeping an eye on if you are on the prowl for the next upset. Michigan State visits Notre Dame thinking they figured things out on offense (we’ll see) and Tennessee is hoping to strike back in the recently lopsided rivalry against Florida (it’s been a while).
One game of special interest will take place out on the west coast, where Chuckie Keeton and Utah State could open some eyes with a win against the USC Trojans. Utah State’s BCS busting hopes took a hit in week one with a loss at Utah, but they can start to climb back in to the conversation with a win in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Even if the BCS is a pipe dream for Utah State, Keeton can make a bit of a name for himself and make his case for consideration for a trip to New York at the end of the year for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He won’t win it, but a trip to the presentation is not entirely out of the question if he continues to play well.
Keeton has already thrown 12 touchdown passes, more than three programs have accumulated this season (Texas A&M has 13, Keeton has 12 of Utah State’s 13 TD passes) and nine more than USC has thrown entering the weekend. Keeton has also more than doubled the entire passing production of the Trojans in just as many game s(three each). Will USC have their hands full trying to slow down Keeton? Absolutely. But Utah State is more than just Keeton. They also play solid defense.
Utah State comes in to the week with the 13th best total defense in the country, allowing 286.0 yards per game. The Aggies are also allowing 18.7 points per game. There is something that can be said for the overall level of competition for Utah State, and they did lose the opener at Utah, but Utah state has carried over the things that worked on both sides of the football so well in 2012 and look to continue building on that formula this season after moving in to the Mountain West Conference.