Weekend Preview: Showdowns set at Penn State, Virginia Tech

Sports: FootBall

1. The Lions' Den: September's last Saturday brings the traditional start of Big Ten conference play and the first real test for No. 4 Penn State. Visiting State College for a prime-time showdown is Iowa, which handed the Nittany Lions their only league loss last season and has won six of the last seven in the series. Penn State QB Darryl Clark is eager to make amends. Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi must be sharp against Penn State's pressure, though Lions' LB Navorro Bowman (groin), who missed the last two games, might not be full speed and LB Sean Lee (knee) is doubtful.

2. Hurricane Warning: Based on schedule quality, No. 13 Miami (Fla.) is arguably the most accomplished team to date in the young season. If the Hurricanes can win at No. 12 Virginia Tech Saturday, they'll have three ACC wins in hand and a huge leg up in the Coastal Division. But the Hokies have other ideas. Hurricanes' QB Jacory Harris has gone from question mark to Heisman contender in just two outings, but the speed of LB Cody Grimm and the Hokies defense could slow him down. Miami LB Sean Spence won't give Tech TB Ryan Williams many holes if QB Tyrod Taylor can't open things up through the air.

3. Help Wanted: Florida got out of last week's tilt with Tennessee with a unanimous No. 1 ranking. But the Gators don't exactly look invincible going into their first SEC road test at Kentucky, despite the 63 points they hung on the Wildcats last season at the Swamp. QB Tim Tebow doesn't mind taking off, but the Gators need to show some explosiveness in the passing game. WR Riley Cooper will try to provide it. The Wildcats have shown plenty of speed from TB Derrick Locke and WR Randall Cobb, but not much gets past LB Brandon Spikes and the Florida back seven.

4. Best in the West: No. 6 California now carries the banner for the Pac-10 as its highest ranked club. The honor will be well earned if the Golden Bears still have it after their next two games, starting Saturday at Oregon. The Ducks have regained their footing after a bad opening night at Boise, but they must now contend with Golden Bears' TB Jahvid Best. But there's no drop-off in the Cal backfield when TB Shane Vereen enters the game, which should keep Oregon LB Casey Matthews busy. Ducks' QB Jeremiah Masoli will need his mobility.

5. New Beginning: The B.J. Daniels era at South Florida launches ahead of schedule following news that senior QB Matt Grothe (knee) is out for the year. The freshman will make his first career start in his home town of Tallahassee in the Bulls' first meeting with No. 25 Florida State. Seminoles' LB Dekoda Watson will try to make his day difficult. Florida State QB Christian Ponder, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most efficient games of his career at Brigham Young. But USF has a top-flight pass rusher of its own in DE George Selvie.

6. Climb Every Mountain: Unbeaten Colorado State plays at No. 20 Brigham Young in the game that will have the greater impact on the Mountain West Conference standings. But the league's best hopes for BCS representation now lie with No. 14 TCU. The Horned Frogs attempt to clear their highest non-conference hurdle at Clemson. TCU DE Jerry Hughes and LB Daryl Washington will pay plenty of attention to Tigers' TB C.J. Spiller, a constant breakaway threat but still facing durability questions. QB Andy Dalton and the TCU offense have struggled to generate big plays.

7. Reunion: No. 23 Houston looks to topple a second Big 12 opponent as former Southwest Conference rival Texas Tech comes to town. The Cougars and Red Raiders figure to put up a Texas-sized score as Case Keenum and Taylor Potts play catch with their friends. Keenum's top ball handlers include WR Tyron Carrier and TB Bryce Beall. WRs Lyle Leong and Uzoma Nwachukwu are among Potts's numerous targets. Threats to take throws the other way include Houston CB Jamal Robinson and Red Raiders' CB LaRon Moore.

The secondary

Spotlight: Saint Francis (Ind.), ranked fourth in NAIA, puts its 53-game home winning streak on the line against Marian (Ind.) Saturday. The Cougars' streak trails only Miami (Fla.), which won 58 in a row at home from 1985-94.

Wouldn't Wannabe U.: Washington State did manage to get into the win column against SMU. But No. 10 Southern California won't be in a hospitable mood when the Cougars come to town.

Number of the Week: 52.8. The season is only three weeks old, but Stanford's Chris Owusu has already taken two kickoffs for scores. In five attempts, he is averaging 52.8 yards to lead the nation. He might get more chances Saturday as the Cardinal host QB Jake Locker and Washington with, believe it or not, first place in the Pac-10 on the line.

Extra Point: Southern Mississippi's date at No. 19 Kansas is its first venture into Big 12 country since 2004, when the Golden Eagles came away with a 21-17 victory at Nebraska. Also on the line is USM's eight-game winning streak, tied for nation's second longest.

Matchup	Time/TV	Surface	Sheridan's line	Sagarin difference
Friday
No. 21 Missouri (3-0) at Nevada (0-2)	9/ESPN	Artificial	Mizzou by 7	Mizzou by 13.04
Saturday
Southern Mississippi (3-0) at No. 19 Kansas (3-0)	Noon/FSN	Artificial	Kansas by 14	Kansas by 6.60
Indiana (3-0) at No. 22 Michigan (3-0)	Noon/ESPN2	Artificial	Michigan by 20	Michigan by 12.03
Michigan State (1-2) at Wisconsin (3-0)	Noon/ESPN	Artificial	Wisconsin by 3	Wisconsin by 18.02
Cornell (1-0) at Yale (1-0)	Noon/Versus	Grass	No line	Yale by 10.42
Texas-El Paso (1-2) at No. 2 Texas (3-0)	3:30/FSN	Artificial	Texas by 35	Texas by 28.47
Arkansas (1-1) at No.3 Alabama (3-0)	3:30/CBS	Grass	Alabama by 17	Alabama by 20.15
No.6 California (3-0) at Oregon (2-1)	3:30/ABC	Artificial	Cal by 5	Cal by 3.06
Illinois (1-1) at No.11 Ohio State (2-1)	3:30/ABC	Artificial	Ohio State by 14	Ohio State by 19.30
No.13 Miami (Fla.) (2-0) at No.12 Virginia Tech (2-1)	3:30/ABC	Grass	Miami by 3	Miami by 7.01
No.1 Florida (3-0) at Kentucky (2-0)	6/ESPN2	Grass	Florida by 22	Florida by 4.21
Arizona (2-1) at Oregon State (2-1)	7:30/Versus	Artificial	Oregon State by 2	Oregon State by 2.32
Iowa (3-0) at No. 4 Penn State (3-0)	8/ABC	Grass	Penn State by 9	Iowa by 7.25
Notre Dame (2-1) at Purdue (1-2)	8/ESPN	Grass	Notre Dame by 7	Notre Dame by 3.09
Texas Tech (2-1) at No. 23 Houston (2-0)	9:15/ESPN2	Grass	Even	Houston by 5.03
Washington State (1-2) at No. 10 Southern California (2-1)	10:15/FSN	Grass	USC by 45	USC by 31.14
Other ranked teams in action
No. 7 LSU (3-0) at Mississippi State (2-1)	12:20	Grass	LSU by 12	LSU by 13.24
No. 8 Boise State (3-0) at Bowling Green (1-2)	7	Grass	Boise by 16	Boise by 17.90
No. 14 TCU (2-0) at Clemson (2-1)	3:30	Grass	Clemson by 2	Clemson by 11.95
Fresno State (1-2) at No. 15 Cincinnati (3-0)	Noon	Artificial	Cincinnati by 17	Cincinnati by 16.01
Grambling State (2-1) at No. 16 Oklahoma State (2-1)	7	Artificial	NA	Oklahoma State by 24.92
Arizona State (2-0) at No. 17 Georgia (2-1)	7	Grass	Georgia by 11	Georgia by 10.19
No. 18 North Carolina (3-0) at Georgia Tech (2-1)	Noon	Grass	Georgia Tech by 2	Georgia Tech by 4.43
Colorado State (3-0) at No. 20 Brigham Young (2-1)	6	Grass	BYU by 17	BYU by 16.00
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1) at No. 24 Nebraska (2-1)	7	Artificial	Nebraska by 28	Nebraska by 10.54
South Florida (3-0) at No. 25 Florida State (2-1)	Noon	Grass	Florida State by 14	Florida State by 19.20