Games of the Week

Akron at No. 9 Penn State, noon, Big Ten Network, WNTP-AM (990): JoePa unveils his 44th Nittany Lions team with a few questions but much potential.

Navy at No. 6 Ohio State, noon, ESPN: For the Buckeyes, not the easiest tuneup for Southern California; the Mids' unconventional offense will confuse them for a while.

No. 16 Georgia at No. 9 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC: The Cowboys and their high-powered offense get an early test while the Bulldogs look for life after Matthew Stafford.

Western Michigan at Michigan, 3:30 p.m.: Rich Rodriguez finds one more problem on his plate with the Broncs and former Widener coach Bill Cubit ready to spring the upset.

San Jose State at No. 4 USC, 3:30 p.m., CSN: The Trojans get to work in freshman quarterback Matt Barkley and other new guys in preparation for Ohio State.

Nevada at No. 23 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC10: The subway alumni are desperate for a return to glory, but the Fighting Irish had better be paying attention to the Wolf Pack's "pistol" offense.

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., 6ABC: The best game of the weekend will be dominated by the defenses.

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 20 BYU, 7 p.m., ESPN: The Sooners and Sam Bradford help Jerry Jones welcome NCAA football to his new Dallas Cowboys playpen.

No. 11 LSU at Washington, 10 p.m., ESPN: After an 0-12 season, the Huskies have nowhere to go but up, but it won't happen against the hungry Tigers.

- Joe Juliano
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