No marquee matchups on Saturday's schedule

In perusing Saturday's slate of college football games, our thoughts echo those of Ivan Maisel, our pal from ESPN.com, who writes: "How did this happen? What have they done to my weekend?" Only one contest, No. 5 Stanford hosting No. 23 Arizona State, matches up Top 25 teams. If you throw that game out, seven members of the top 15 are favored against FBS opponents by an average spread of 31.4 points. Ohio State and Florida State take on FCS teams and four current top 15 teams are idle, including second-ranked Oregon.

Regardless of your opinion of Fargo, N.D., or the Coen brothers movie, we feel it's pretty amazing that ESPN's College GameDay will originate from the home of two-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State. It's been quite a run for the Bison, who opened this season with a win over Kansas State. They are 7-3 against FBS schools in the nine years since the team began its transition from Division II to FCS (formerly Division I-AA). The Bison will be taking on Delaware State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

It hasn't been a great month for Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. His defense allowed UCLA to score 38 unanswered points in a loss last week, and the unit ranks in the bottom 20 in yards allowed (average of 463.3). But his troubles got worse when Deadspin released audio of his 2011 rant against fans of the Cornhuskers, complete with expletives, after a win over Ohio State. In his apology, Pelini said he took full responsibility for the comments. "I was venting following a series of emotional events," he said. "These comments are in no way indicative of my true feelings. I love it here in Nebraska." School officials said no disciplinary action would be taken.

The good news for the Big Ten as it conducts its first conference matchup of the season Saturday is that Purdue, generally considered its worst team, might not be that bad. The Boilermakers battled Notre Dame down to the final gun. But the bad news is that the league went 1-3 last week in its four-game showcase against Pac-12 opponents. The last loss, by Wisconsin at Arizona State, ended in bizarre fashion when the officials used up too much time spotting the ball after a weird attempt at a kneel-down by Badgers quarterback Joel Stave, and the clock ran out. The Badgers and Boilermakers open the Big Ten slate.

When Johnny Manziel can account for 562 yards of offense by himself, and Texas A&M can gain 628 yards - and lose - as it did last week against usually stout Alabama, well, you know offenses are ruling the roost in the SEC. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has noticed. "We are not running I-formation up the middle," he told the State of Columbia, S.C. "There is a lot of room on the field for fast players, and the ball is going all over the place now." It's not helping the defenses look good. Three Top 10 teams from the SEC - Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M - are ranked 85th, 104th, and 112th, respectively, in total defense in FBS.

With former Penn State star Silas Redd still not recovered from knee surgery last spring, sophomore Tre Madden is the tailback they're talking about at Southern California. The 6-1, 220-pound Madden, a converted linebacker, has begun the season with three straight 100-yard games, the first Trojan to do that since Marcus Allen in 1981. Actually, Allen had three consecutive 200-yard games on his way to a 2,427-yard season, but he likes what he sees in Madden. "He's just sort of scratching the surface of his potential," Allen told the Los Angeles Times. "The more he plays the position, the better he'll get and he'll realize he can get even more out of himself."

After a loss at Michigan and an unexpectedly competitive win over Purdue, Notre Dame concludes the Big Ten portion of its schedule Saturday against Michigan State. The Spartans own the nation's best defense, allowing just 177.0 yards per game and have scored four touchdowns on defense. The Fighting Irish have averaged less than 300 yards of offense in winning the last two games in the series. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly told reporters that his players "know what kind of fight it's going to be. This isn't, 'Hey guys, please listen to me this week.' They know what they are going to get from Michigan State."

Paul James finished his redshirt freshman year at Rutgers in 2012 with five carries for 22 yards. This season, that's a so-so series for him. The 6-foot, 210-pound former Glassboro High star leads the nation in rushing with 493 yards after three weeks, and his 164.3-yard average trails only Washington's Bishop Sankey, who has played one fewer game. In his first three weeks, James has rushed for 182, 119, and 192 yards, and is averaging 8.1 yards per carry.

Top Choice

Arizona State at Stanford, 7 p.m., Fox29: This week's only game involving two ranked teams finds Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly going up against a Cardinal team that has forced a turnover in 26 straight games.

Pick Six

Arkansas at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m., ESPN: This should be quite a ground matchup between the Scarlet Knights' Paul James, the nation's leading rusher, and the Razorbacks' 1-2 punch of Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams.

Purdue at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m., 6 ABC: The first game of the Big Ten season matches the Badgers' prolific ground game against a Boilermaker defense that has allowed 117 rushing yards per game.

Tennessee at Florida, 3:30 p.m., CBS3: This rivalry isn't what it used to be, but the Vols, who have claimed nine takeaways, have a chance if the Gators turn it over as many times (five) as they did last week.

Michigan State at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC10: The Spartans lead the nation in total defense and that could mean trouble for quarterback Tommy Rees and the Fighting Irish.

Auburn at LSU, 7:45 p.m., ESPN: The host Tigers are steadily creeping up the national rankings but must be wary of an Auburn team that seeks to make a statement victory on the road.

Michigan at Connecticut, 8 p.m., 6ABC: Making a rare trip to New England, the Wolverines committed four turnovers in a narrow win last week, while the Huskies have a loss to FCS school Towson on their 2013 record.

-Joe Juliano
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1. Alabama 2-0

2. Stanford 2-0

3. Clemson 2-0

4. Oregon 3-0

5. Ohio State 3-0

6. Georgia 1-1

7. Louisville 3-0

8. Florida State 2-0

9. LSU 3-0

10. Texas A&M 2-1

- Joe Juliano

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