Games to Watch Week 2

Soooooo.....how about those predictions for the Top 10 this week? Ahem, that went well, and by "well" I mean "unmitigated disaster." Here is the sad part, I did 2 Top 10 predictions, one was what I thought the Top 10 SHOULD BE, and the other was how I thought it would come out. One of these was actually very close to what the actual Top 10 was...the other one was the one I published. And for those of you wondering, it was the second one that I published. Lesson learned I guess.

Now let me start this off by telling you how I feel about the new Top 10. I was shocked, and then I was pleasantly pleased. I'm glad Alabama is still #1, I'm glad Clemson is ahead of SCAR, and while I think Georgia maybe didn't deserve to drop OUT of the Top 10, I am not heart-broken over it. However, if you are going to move a team into the Top 10 it should have been LSU instead of FSU. Florida State was impressive but it was against Pitt. Winston looked awesome but it was against Pitt. We all know who LSU beat and I doubt Winston could have handled LSU the way he handled Pitt.

In the future I will dedicate more to the Top 10 analysis but with the Top 10 not coming out till mid-week this week, it has played havok with my schedule. This is the time of the week I should be publishing my Games to Watch piece:

GAMES TO WATCH WEEK 2:

Florida (9) @ Miami

Team with the most to lose: Florida - A #10 team on the road against a rival who is un-ranked, this is where mental toughness will be tested. Florida should have their number one running back available and they will be looking for a little respect after all the trash talk from the Toledo game.

Team with the most to gain: Miami - The road to respectability starts here. Could you imagine what a win over Florida could mean for this beleaguered Miami team of the last few years? They handled the first game of the year in dominating fashion and they will test Florida's run defense, after putting up over 300 yards last week.

Impact on the Top 25: High - Miami could be looking at a Top 25 birth with a win, and a loss for Florida will spell Top 10 doom.

South Carolina (6) @ Georgia (12)

Team with the most to lose: Both. If Georgia starts the season 0-2 they are out of the Top 20 possibly and looking at an Arkansas a la 2012 slide. I wouldn't go so far to say the season would be over, but in a loaded SEC east and losses to two top 10 teams already under their belt...yeah..the season would be pretty close to over. South Carolina is looking to challenge Alabama for SEC supremacy this year and an in conference loss to Georgia is not how to make voters perceive you as having a chance. Georgia already dropped out of the Top 10, I don't think them beating SCAR would would do the same to the Gamecocks but it would create a mess at the bottom of the Top 10 for Georgia and SCAR as A&M, Florida, and possibly LSU all rise up higher.

Team with the most to gain: Georgia. They can prove they aren't soft, that they are still contenders in the SEC east and with an 1-0 conference record over the Gamecocks, the mountain isn't that high anymore.

Impact on the Top 25: Very High - The rest of the SEC is impacted for the rest of the year depending on this game's outcome. And if the SEC is impacted, the entire national champion debate is impacted.

Sam Houston State @ Texas A&M (7)

I refuse to mention "that guy" during this blurb. You know who I'm talking about.

Team with the most to lose: Texas A&M - This is the ultimate trap game. The opener is over, and Alabama is on the horizon. Stuck in the middle is Sam Houston. SHSU is riding high after a 74-0 drubbing over their first opponent and have to be salivating at the chance to play that Aggie defense. Who's playing this weekend on defense for A&M? Are the starters back? Is it the practice squad or some of the male cheerleaders? Does it or will it matter?

Team with the most to gain: Texas A&M - These are the games national champions win, regardless of the situation. If A&M wants to legitimize their play at a national championship, they have to win this game. It also wouldn't hurt to have as much momentum as possible going into the Alabama game. THEN, if all the starters are back, and Bama is still having problems....the Tide could be rolling out...

Impact on the Top 25: Very High if A&M loses.

Syracuse @ Northwestern (20)

Team with the most to lose: Northwestern - If they are all I say they are, they must win the home opener after a draining victory out west. The heart of a champion is on the line.

Team with the most to gain: Northwestern - PROVE YOU ARE NOT A FLUKE! Don't let the un-ranked bastards get you down! Be un-defeated when the time comes to face Ohio State!

Impact on the Top 25: Low to Medium with a NW loss.

Notre Dame (13) @ Michigan (17)

This is the game I will be blogging about immediately after its conclusion!

Team with the most to lose: Michigan - This is the only ranked team on the schedule until November 9th and then it's Nebraska and who knows where the Huskers will be by then. If they lose to ND, they dig a hole that will be darn near impossible to dig out of with the kind of schedule they have.

Team with the most to gain: Michigan - A win over the Top 13 team under their belt will push them towards the Top 10. And if they continue to win in dominating fashion over lesser opponents while all the SEC teams beat up on each other, Michigan could very well find themselves in the Top 10 by the time Nebraska, Northwestern, and Ohio State come around. It will also help in the BCS because Notre Dame will be playing higher ranked teams than Michigan, so with a win Michigan could benefit in the computers every time Notre Dame beat a higher ranked opponent. The enemy of my enemy is my friend type of deal as long as my enemy defeats them to make me look better...Follow that? The only question is: will a win over Notre Dame, with Notre Dame's schedule be enough to maintain Michigan and their weak schedule till the November games?

And let me say this, I debated back and forth on whether the team with the most to gain or lose would be Michigan or ND, but in the end I felt if ND lost this game, they would have a better chance to repair the damage with their schedule. However, a win here will get them ever so closer to that Top 10.

Impact on the Top 25: Medium to High

Other games of note:

West Virginia at Oklahoma (15)
What was going on with West Virginia last week? Holy William and Mary Batman!! Can they rebound against the Sooners who started slow last week? Don't bet on it, but an upset here has huge Top 25 ramifications.

SCST @ Clemson (5)
Do the Tigers suffer from an emotional hang-over from the Georgia game? I would say the chances could be good, but remember what I said earlier about the games that champions have to win? Or what I said about un-ranked bastards? Both of those apply again. Clemson should be okay, but if by some chance they aren't, the implications of this game could leak beyond the ACC and into the SEC at least in the short-term, but pneumonia usually starts with just a cold.

That's it for now! Thanks for reading, please leave your comments if you have any, and look me up on Twitter: Aubrey Mos @simplyNCAAF. I'll be back Saturday when I break down Notre Dame and Michigan, other Top 25 action and try my hand at predicting another Top 10 from the coaches!