No. 14 Nebraska will be intent on chasing down John David Booty and No. 1 USC after falling to the Trojans 28-10 in Los Angeles last season.
More out-of-conference games are on tap in Week 3 of college football, including two games in which Big 12 schools travel to face their Conference USA opponents on the road. Let's take a look at the top games in each conference this week:
Big 12The top game in the Big 12 this week features 14th-ranked Nebraska hosting the No. 1 USC Trojans in Lincoln. The Huskers narrowly escaped Wake Forest last week with a win, but now prepare to face the consensus No. 1 team in the country. This will be the first time that a top-ranked team has visited Memorial Stadium since No. 1 Oklahoma lost to the fourth-ranked Huskers back in 1978.
Iowa State hosts Iowa as the two rivals battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Iowa State has dropped its first two games under new head coach Gene Chizik. The Cyclones have struggled to put points on the board so far this season, ranking last in the Big 12 in scoring. Sophomore receiver Marquis Hamilton needs to have another career day like he did last week (7 receptions, 97 yards) if Iowa State is to stay in the game against the Hawkeyes.
Colorado looks to rebound after its first loss of the season as they host Florida State at Folsom Field. For Buffaloes freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins, the loss snapped a 60-game winning streak dating back to his fifth-grade flag football team. Seminoles junior quarterback Drew Weatherford has looked good early on this season, throwing for 474 yards with four touchdowns and only one interception in his first two games.
Other Big 12 games
Oklahoma State at Troy
Western Michigan at Missouri #6 Texas at Central Florida
Utah State at #5 OklahomaTexas State at BaylorLouisiana-Monroe at #18 Texas A&MToledo at KansasMissouri State at Kansas State Texas Tech at Rice
Conference USACentral Florida opens the brand-new Bright House Networks Stadium as they host the sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns. The Knights have had two weeks to prepare for Texas after having a bye last week. This is good news for their defense, which ranked 106th in the nation last season, but returned nine starters to the unit this year. Texas rebounded after their lackluster season opener with a stellar second half to rally and defeat TCU last weekend in Austin.
In another Big 12/Conference USA matchup, Texas Tech travels down to Houston to face Rice. The Owls have struggled in the early part of the season, and things do not get any easier as they face the Red Raiders' air-raid style of offense. Rice's problems partially can be attributed to their inability to get the ball to star junior receiver Jarrett Dillard. The same cannot be said for Texas Tech junior quarterback Graham Harrell, who currently ranks second in the nation in passing yards with 903 after two games.
For the second straight week, UTEP will face a heavy passing attack, this week from New Mexico State. Last week, the Miners had to contend with Texas Tech and now must face New Mexico State junior quarterback Chase Holbrook. The Aggies are eager to bounce back after a tough loss to rival New Mexico and Holbrook will be tough for the Miners to contain.
Other Conference USA games
New Hampshire at Marshall
Southern Mississippi at East Carolina
Alcorn State at Alabama-Birmingham
Southern Methodist at Arkansas State
Houston at Tulane
Jacksonville State at Memphis
Brigham Young at Tulsa
