Notre Dame vs. Purdue Preview

            The #22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers this Saturday in the home opener for the 2012 season. Both teams enter the game at 1-0 after they each won their games last Saturday. The Irish beat Navy 50-10 and Purdue beat Eastern Kentucky 48-6. Notre Dame has defeated the Boilermakers the last four years and dominated them last year in a 38-10 victory that could have been a much bigger margin of victory.

            Looking at this year’s game, why should the result be any different? Notre Dame looks better than they did last year and Purdue has improved as well, but are not on the same level as the Irish. However, Purdue utilizes a triple-quarterback threat that will challenge the inexperienced secondary of the Irish. They also have a strong defensive line and linebacker corps that is going to force Everett Golson and the wide receivers to play their best.

Keys for an Irish Victory

Control Purdue’s Defenisve Line: Purdue’s Kawaan Short is one of the best defensive tackles in America and is expected to be a high draft pick in the NFL Draft. It will be paramount for Notre Dame’s offensive line to keep him and his teammates out of the backfield. Golson was only sacked once against Navy but Purdue is going to be a more difficult team to stop. It’s also key for the offensive line to create holes for the running game. If Purdue is able to stop the run and force Golson to throw they may be able to force mistakes, like interceptions.

Maintain A Lead: Nobody knows if Golson is the definite answer at quarterback. If the game is on the line and he has one drive to score a touchdown, can he do it? He has already said he will be more nervous for this game than the Navy game last week. It’s up to his teammates to play hard and make sure he’s comfortable at all times. The best way to do that is to make sure the Irish are leading.

Prove Yourself: There are a still some question marks for Notre Dame, as well as Purdue. Neither team played an equal opponent last week so nobody can really say for sure how each will respond on Saturday. Notre Dame’s receivers had it easy last week, but now they go up a very experienced Purdue secondary that is going to test them way more than Navy did. On the flip side, Notre Dame’s secondary hasn’t had to cover great athletes at the wide receiver such as the ones that play for the Boilermakers. Will these units surprise everybody and play above their expectations, or will they wilt under the pressure and not perform like they should?

             That question above is what makes this game difficult to predict. My heart tells me Notre Dame will win by two or three touchdowns. Part of-a small part- tells me that the game will be much closer than that. Notre Dame will have to get to apply pressure every time a Purdue quarterback steps back to pass. If you give them time to pick apart the weak secondary then they will do just that. This game will be a big measuring stick as to how good Notre Dame really is.

My prediction: Notre Dame-31 Purdue-21

National Preview

There are no Top 25 matchups this weekend but there are plenty of games where the top ranked team will be tested. #14 Ohio State and #21 Kansas State take on opponents that may challenge them into the fourth quarter. Ohio State hosts UCF and Kansas State hosts the Miami Hurricanes. #19 Michigan will try to rebound from their humiliating loss but will have to control Air Force’s video game-like rushing attack. Texas A&M plays their first game in SEC against the #24 Florida Gators. Not only are the A&M Aggies ready to prove they can compete in the SEC, but 12^th man in College Station is ready to show they are just as loud as any other SEC fan base. Missouri also makes its SEC debut as it plays host to #Georgia. #16 Nebraska makes a road trip to Pasadena for a showdown with the UCLA Bruins. This is a good game for both teams to really prove themselves. As for Indiana teams, the Indiana Hoosiers give Massachusetts its best chance for their first victory in the FBS. Ball State is playing at #12 Clemson and it would be a serious upset if the Cardinals got a win.

Here’s my picks. Games are in order of when they’re played on Saturday. Winners in bold.

Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Penn State Nittany Lions at Virginia Cavaliers
UCF Golden Knights at #14 Ohio State Buckeyes

Miami Hurricanes at #21 Kansas State Wildcats

Ball State Cardinals at #12 Clemson Tigers

Indiana Hoosiers at Massachusetts Minutemen
Purdue Boilermakers at #22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Air Force at #19 Michigan

#24 Florida at Texas A&M

#13 Wisconsin at Oregon State

#16 Nebraska at UCLA

#7 Georgia at Missouri

Only going with three upsets this week. Florida really struggled against Bowling Green and I don’t believe they are back to where they were under Urban Meyer. UCLA played good last week and may be able to surprise Nebraska. As for Missouri, I’m hoping they can catch Georgia sleeping. Plus, all will have home field advantage. I’d also like to say I went 13-0 with my picks in Week 1.