Ladies and gentlemen, Boise State is for real.

That, at least, is what today’s first-week edition of the USA Today Coaches’ Poll tells any close follower of college football.

Enough voters in the poll — which is one-third of the BCS formula — moved the Broncos up that it seems that the Broncos can easily make their way to the top of the BCS when all is said and done in the 2010 season.

Although they did not receive any first-place votes, the Broncos recieved six second-place votes and were no lower than tenth on any of the 59 ballots — enough to leapfrog the underwhelming performance of Texas on Saturday.

Alabama and Ohio State remain a convincing 1-2.

USA Today Coaches’ Poll

One week in the books — now the real prognostication and debate can begin.

Teams finally got a chance to hit the field this Labor Day weekend, and we got a shot to see exactly what each team can bring to the table this season.

Some of it was high quality — Boise State topping Virginia Tech in a classic game. Some of it wasn’t — Oregon laying 59 points on New Mexico in the first half. But it was college football all the same, the kind that we’ve been waiting eight long months for.

So here’s the first crack at a top 25 after week one with actual knowledge of what the 2010 version of each team mostly looks like:

BCS Know How Ballot – Week 2

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio St. Buckeyes	–
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	–
3	Boise St. Broncos	1
4	Nebraska Cornhuskers	5
5	Texas Longhorns	2
6	TCU Horned Frogs	5
7	Iowa Hawkeyes	-1
8	Oklahoma Sooners	-3
9	Florida Gators	-1
10	Georgia Bulldogs	–
11	Virginia Tech Hokies	-8
12	Oregon Ducks	2
13	Florida St. Seminoles	–
14	Wisconsin Badgers	3
15	Miami Hurricanes	–
16	Oregon St. Beavers	-4
17	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	–
18	Penn St. Nittany Lions	2
19	Auburn Tigers	4
20	Stanford Cardinal	2
21	Michigan Wolverines	–
22	West Virginia Mountaineers	3
23	USC Trojans	-4
24	Utah Utes	–
25	Connecticut Huskies	-7
Dropouts: Pittsburgh Panthers, Washington Huskies, SMU Mustangs

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

*****

What I’m Thinking:

• I am NOT a pure resume voter, these rankings are a mix of what happened in week one and what I thought coming into the season, so there are definitely changes, but the general feel remains the same, especially since not many teams lost this weekend.
• Ohio State and Alabama stay 1-2 for now, both handily dropping their opponents, still think OSU is slightly better.
• After showing so much enthusiasm for Virginia Tech I was disappointed by their performance on Monday night, especially coming out of the gate. Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams had to do some special things just to keep them in the game — and they almost won — but they’re going to have to get it really together to restore my faith in them.
• On the other end of that game, Boise State moves into the Hokies vacated No. 3 spot, after they submit the best win of the week.
• I was impressed with Nebraska’s offense. I knew they had a defense, but if they can also bring a high quality offensive attack to a game, watch out. Yes, I know it was against Western Kentucky, but impressive all the same.
• Although not awesome, Texas looked a better than Florida as both are trying to replace legends. I think they’ll come around eventually, but they don’t look quite there yet.
• TCU looked resilient in dropping Oregon State which I like a lot in a team. If Boise falls somewhere down the road, the Horned Frogs could make some noise as a BCS buster extraordinaire.
• Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Auburn and Wisconsin all looked good in victories over lesser opponents.
• New this week, Michigan, Georgia Tech and Utah all deserve recognition for victories over the weekend.
• Lots of disappointment in UConn, hope that it was Michigan’s resurgence rather than over hype for the Huskies (including from me).
• USC Watch: As one of three BlogPoll voters who affiliate themselves with the Trojans — Conquest Chronicles and TrojanWire are the other two — I’ll be keeping an eye out for the Trojans this season. Color me unimpressed with the victory in Hawaii, especially with the defense. They’ll need to fix that if they want to stay in the poll.
• Arkansas, still missing!
• Conference Breakdown: Big Ten (5), Pac-10 (4), SEC (4), ACC (4), Big 12 (3), Big East (2), MWC (2), WAC (1)

So what do you think? Missing anyone? Giving anyone too much/too little credit? Let me know!

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 2 selection, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

In a season without a clear-cut Heisman favorite, a Jim Tressell-coached, former PARADE National Player of the Year and second-year starting quarterback is about as good a Heisman candidate as they come.

But for Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor, the qualifications to be listed among the favorites in 2010 run much deeper than that.

Sure, Pryor hasn’t exactly lived up to the huge hype he had coming out of high school, where his recruitment and school commitment was homepage news around the country. And certainly, his first season as a Buckeye — when he split time behind center — was a little underwhelming for his skill set.

But the latter part of his second season and first year as the full-time starter for Ohio State may have finally revealed the Pryor the nation expected to see from day one, and that’s a thought that should scare the entire country in the 2010 season.

In leading the Buckeyes to another Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl bid, Pryor began to finally reveal the dual-threat capabilities of his game, something that had been slightly repressed by the offensive style of Tressell’s offense.

Pryor rushed for 779 yards and passed for another 2,094 in 2009 while throwing for 18 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

While those numbers don’t exactly pop out of the page, in his final six games Pryor began to control his interceptions (throwing just three) while also rushing for more than 70 yards per game and leading OSU to six straight wins.

The highlight of the season came in the Rose Bowl, where Pryor went head to head with another dual-threat QB in Jeremiah Masoli, coming out on top in the Buckeyes’ victory.

In 2010, Pryor sees the return of most of his offense, including four offensive lineman and his top two receivers from last season, senior Dan Sanzenbacher and junior DeVier Posey, which combined with his continuing maturity, could mean big things for Pryor this year.

Bottom Line: Pryor has seen Heisman talk surrounding his name from the moment he committed to Ohio State, and although he has yet to truly fulfill that potential, 2010 is lining up to be the season that it all finally comes together for the junior quarterback.

Consistency in the system and a slew of returners will help Pryor continue improving, and with an increased freedom granted from coach Jim Tressell, Pryor can finally run the offense the way he feels capable of doing.

Just like any other Heisman hopeful, Pryor will need a nationally relevant Buckeye squad to compete for the trophy, and Ohio State looks ready to do just that as many believe them to be a legitimate national title contender.

The key of course to the Buckeyes success will be Pryor, and there is simply no reason to believe the Buckeyes can’t make another run at a national title.

Pryor is a changed quarterback, in charge of the offense and finally showing the skill we all expected from day one. Put it all together, and he is without a doubt one of the favorites for the trophy this season.

For the 2010 season, BCS Know How has been selected to take part in the bloggers’ equivalent of the AP or Coaches’ Poll and be a voting member of the SB Nation College Football BlogPoll.

Just like in the other polls you see on a weekly basis, the BlogPoll asks its voters to rank teams 1-25 after each weeks’ games have been completed.

However, the BlogPoll is different because the voters are encouraged to ask their readers for feedback on their ballots, and make changes accordingly. Each blog reader should have a say, so this is your opportunity. Ballot drafts are due Monday and finalized ballots aren’t due until Wednesday, giving us bloggers a longer evaluation and sink-in period in which to make informed and well-discussed choices.

Each week, I’ll be posting a draft of my ballot, followed by some justifications and asking for your advice. I’ll make sure to set out why I made the decisions I made, and then ask for your feedback.

Normally, I’ll post a draft on Sunday night/Monday morning asking for critiques and feedback, and then a finalized ballot on Wednesday afternoon so you can take a look. However, there’s only one preseason ballot and its right here.

Feel free to say anything you want about my rankings, I won’t take it personally I promise. Critique away, and the input will be valuable.

To learn more about the BlogPoll, read about it on the BlogPoll administrator Brian Cook’s website MGoBlog.

Here’s my preseason ballot:

*****

What I’m Thinking:

• So this is my first ballot in the BlogPoll, I’m pretty excited to be a part of it, so I’m going to try to do my best to justify everything I do here, starting with this preseason poll.
• I tried to stick pretty well to the thoughts I laid out in the conference profile series, however just because I chose a team to win a conference/division, does not mean I stuck to that in these rankings. Most notably, I chose UConn to win the Big East, but that was partly on the ease of its schedule, so I’m putting Pittsburgh slightly in front of the Huskies for now.
• Same thing with Georgia and Florida.
• However, really like the fight in the Beaver at Oregon State.
• I’m not a big fan of Arkansas this season. Yes I know and like Ryan Mallett, however I see shades of Ole Miss ’09 painted all over the Razorbacks. They are omitted intentionally.
• Alabama is still the nation’s favorite for the championship this year. However, they lost a ton on defense, which opens up the top spot for Ohio State — who looked awesome in the Rose Bowl at the end of last year.
• On the same train, I really like the Big Ten this year, so Wisconsin and Iowa get support from me.
• Va. Tech and Boise State play each other, I know, I think these are two of the best teams in the nation, and whoever losses is likely to make their way back to the top of the rankings.
• Not very high on Florida and Texas after losing quarterbacks. However, loving Landry Jones and Oklahoma.
• And yes… my C-USA winner, SMU is ranked here.
• Conference breakdown: Pac-10 (5), Big Ten (4), SEC (4), ACC (3), Big 12 (3), Big East (3), C-USA (1), MWC (1), WAC (1).

So what do you think? Let me know what you love, what you hate, or more likely, that you have no opinion because preseason ballots are completely and utterly perfect.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 college football season preview, we will be breaking down each week’s most important games that could have BCS and postseason implications in the “Road to Glendale 2011″.

Let’s move on to Week 12, where Big Ten and ACC titles could be on the line.

Ohio State at Iowa: Saturday Nov. 20, TBA

Preseason hype and expectations will mean very little when Ohio State takes the treacherous trek to Iowa City in this late-season Big Ten matchup that seems destined to be an elimination game for the Big Ten crown.

Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes will hope to have the Big Ten title all sewn up by the time this game rolls around, but, like in year’s past, that’s not going to be an easy task.

The Buckeyes will have to deal with tough opponents all season, not to mention the strong possibility of three or even four teams vying for the Big Ten title all the way throughout the season. All that skill spread around the country could spell a very muddled picture in the Big Ten in 2010, making this game of the utmost importance to two of the teams that seem primed to make a run at the title.

Last season these two teams met up on this same weekend with the Big Ten title on the line in Columbus. The Hawkeyes were able to comeback from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit, but they were beaten in OT by the Buckeyes, 27-24.

Hawkeye quarterback Ricky Stanzi and the Iowa defense will be fired up to welcome the Buckeyes into town and will look for some revenge, especially if the Big Ten title is up for grabs once again.

Virginia Tech at Miami (FL): Saturday Nov. 20, TBA

Two of the three teams that jumped the Big East ship in 2004 have made the ACC a comfortable fit for themselves, and 2010 looks to be no different, as both the Hokies and Hurricanes are among the favorites for the ACC title.

Both could use this game as a springboard to the ACC Coastal Division crown and to secure a berth in the ACC Championship Game. Once again, Tyrod Taylor and Jacory Harris will be tested against tough defenses and will measure against one another. Both are capable of doing damage with both their feet and their arms—in fact the teams could benefit from playing against a similar-style quarterback in the practices leading up to the game, as the two have similar styles.

A key for both teams will be to stay healthy down the stretch of the ACC schedule. Injuries riddled the 2009 campaign for the Hurricanes and prevented them from continuing their hot start to last season.

Virginia Tech was uncharacteristically weak during the middle of last season, dropping games to eventual ACC Champion Georgia Tech and to ACC foe North Carolina.

The Hokies will have to avoid those kinds of losses, especially at home, in order for this game to mean something to them when late November rolls around.

Miami will have the home field advantage in this one, which could prove more important than any other factor in this game, as the Hurricanes were 5-1 at home in 2009.

USC at Oregon State: Saturday Nov. 20, 8:00 p.m. ET

The state of Oregon has been quite unkind to the Trojans these past couple of years, delivering crushing loss after loss in four consecutive seasons and hampering the Trojans’ attempts at BCS National Championship Game berths.

This season the Trojans will be unable to compete in any postseason bowls, but they will still have to take the treacherous trip up the Pacific coastline to the state of Oregon, this year to face the Oregon State Beavers.

The Beavers have been underdogs in the two team’s meetings during the Trojans’ dominating Pac-10 run, but this year Oregon State might find itself in an unusual situation—favored against a USC team.

The Beavers are among the favorites for the Pac-10 title, and they have a chance to make their way to the top of the conference if they can overcome the growing pains of a new quarterback.

Oregon State will feature running back Jacquizz Rodgers extensively in this one—as they have the past few years against the Trojans—and will hope for a similar result to that of 2008—when the Beavers shocked the country by beating Mark Sanchez and the then-No. 1 Trojans.

Although the Trojans are ineligible for the postseason, don’t expect Lane Kiffin and USC to go quietly. Quarterback Matt Barkley and a group of talented returners will do their best to play spoiler to the entire conference and claim a Pac-10 title despite their inability to play in the Rose Bowl.

This game might be a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to do just that.

Other Games of Note: Wisconsin at Michigan, Arkansas at Mississippi State.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 college football season preview, we will be breaking down each week’s most important games that could have BCS and postseason implications in the “Road to Glendale 2011″.

Let’s move on to Week 11 where every game is make or break for conference contenders.

Pittsburgh at Connecticut: Thursday Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET

Down the stretch of the Big East race in 2009, Connecticut nearly pulled upsets against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Not one of those losses came by more than four points.

Finally, after nearly knocking off the eventual Big East champ Bearcats, the Huskies ended the season on a four-game winning streak—including a PapaJohns.com Bowl victory over South Carolina.

That kind of end to a season would make any team excited about its future prospects, and Connecticut is no exception. 2010 holds unprecedented expectations in Storrs, and when Pittsburgh comes to campus in this late-season matchup, things could get very interesting.

The Panthers themselves are considered among the favorites in the Big East, but this year Connecticut could be in position to actually complete the upsets it nearly pulled off in ’09, and this might be a key game in the Huskies’ drive for a possible Big East championship.

If the Huskies defense can contain Pittsburgh’s Heisman-hopeful running back Dion Lewis for four full quarters, there’s no reason to think an upset isn’t possible.

Combine this visit from the Panthers with a visit from West Virginia to Storrs the week before, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think the Huskies could win the conference if they can protect home field.

Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech: Saturday Nov. 13, TBA

Two of the ACC’s most dynamic quarterbacks and Heisman hopefuls—Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt and Miami’s Jacory Harris—will feature prominently in this marquee matchup of ACC Championship hopefuls in 2010.

Georgia Tech will be coming off an extended break following a matchup with ACC favorite Virginia Tech, giving it enough time to prepare for an on-the-rise Hurricanes squad led by Harris and coach Randy Shannon.

Miami’s schedule to this point is not daunting, and after a fast start brought some of that swagger back to Miami last season, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Miami back near the top of the rankings when November 13 comes around.

Injuries and small mistakes kept the Hurricanes from being more than a nine-win team in 2009, but a year of experience—and hopefully for the ‘Canes a less injury-riddled season—could spell some real success in Shannon’s fourth season.

Tech will once again be testing the ACC with its spread-option offense, which Nesbitt has become a master of orchestrating, something that the Hurricanes will need to prepare for if they hope to top Georgia Tech on the road.

South Carolina at Florida: Saturday Nov. 13, TBA

Forget for a moment that this will be another Steve Spurrier return trip to the Swamp and that emotions will likely run high—this game is likely to be great on its own merits.

Spurrier, who will call all of the Gamecocks’ offensive plays this season, will be looking to put a scare into the Gators on the road. And if the Gamecocks can get a couple of the finer points ironed out earlier in the season, just a scare would be a disappointment.

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia had transformed into the SEC’s most prolific passer and will need to bring an even better effort if the Gamecocks want to improve on a 7-6 record in 2009 that ended in a disappointing loss in a January 2nd bowl to Connecticut.

Florida’s quarterback situation is also a key point to this potentially important game, as by Week 11 we’ll probably know whether John Brantley is an adequate replacement for Tim Tebow or if he has struggled to adapt to his new role in the Gator offense.

The Gamecock defense should be an especially tough test for the new Gator quarterback—one that was able to rank highly in many statistical categories despite youth and injuries in 2009.

Penn State at Ohio State: Saturday Nov. 13, TBA

Perennial Big Ten contenders Ohio State and Penn State will do battle once again in Columbus in a game that could help decide—once again—the Big Ten champion.

Ohio State might have higher aspirations than a Big Ten championship this season, but it’ll have to get past a visit from the Nittany Lions if it wants to make a run at the championship game.

You know the major players here: coaches Paterno and Tressel, OSU QB Terrelle Pryor and Penn State RB Evan Royster, and just like any high quality Big Ten matchup this one will likely include some classic Big Ten rough, physical play.

Defenses and offenses will be tested all game and the winner will have a great shot at the conference title.

Expect both teams to come out fired up, and for the Buckeyes’ home field advantage to play a huge role in this one.

Georgia at Auburn: Saturday Nov. 13, TBA

This is another SEC matchup that could be a matchup of undefeated squads or one where both teams have taken a beating in early SEC action.

But despite the unpredictability of the SEC, most believe that both teams are serious contenders for their respective SEC division crowns, and this game will be key if either wants to meet that goal.

Both teams look stocked with talent all around the field, including Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, a Heisman candidate, and an Auburn offensive line that is loaded with experienced players.

In the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” Auburn holds the slightest of edges over the Bulldogs, 53–52–8, and will look to extend the lead after Georgia has done a great deal of catching up in the past couple of years.

Let the debate begin.

The first of the major media preseason polls was released this morning, and not surprisingly, the defending national champions are at the top by a convincing margin.

Alabama, who won the BCS National Championship Game in January and topped every postseason ranking, starts the 2010 season just where they left off, at No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll — looking down at the rest of the 119 FBS schools.

The Crimson Tide’s immediate company should also be pretty familiar to the boys from Tuscaloosa, as all of the preseason top five in the Coaches ended the 2009 season among the top five, although in a different order.

Ohio State enters the season with big hopes, and sees that reflected in the Coaches’ Poll, coming in at No. 2.

Usual suspects Florida (No. 3) and Texas (No. 4) are right near the top once again, followed by No. 5 Boise State. The Broncos have never received such high preseason praise, and have some people thinking a national championship run could be in the works.

ACC favorite Virginia Tech and another BCS-buster TCU come in at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively — separated by a mere point.

Two Big 12 teams — Oklahoma and Nebraska — take the next two spots, forecasting another strong year out of the Big 12 in its final year of existence.

The Iowa Hawkeyes round out the top ten, as part of four Big Ten schools in the top-14 of the rankings (No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 14 Penn State)

Other items of note:

• The Pac-10 does not have a team ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason poll for the first time in years. As a reminder, USC will not be ranked by the Coaches’ Poll in 2010 because of NCAA sanctions against the school.
• The SEC contributes six of the polls first top-25 teams.
• Pittsburgh (No. 15) is your highest ranked Big East team.
• Utah (t-No. 24) is your only other non-BCS school in the preseason top-25. Houston comes in at No. 27.

The coaches poll is one-third of the BCS formula, along with the Harris Interactive poll and the computer polls.

USA Today Coaches’ 2010 Preseason Poll

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 college football season preview, we will be breaking down each week’s most important games that could have BCS and postseason implications in the “Road to Glendale 2011″.

Let’s move on to week seven where the Big Ten has two marquee matchups on the slate.

Arkansas at Auburn: Saturday Oct. 16, TBA

There’s no denying it—in 2010, the SEC West is absolutely loaded, and it could be any one’s division.

This midseason matchup might feature two undefeated or once-defeated SEC West squads still jockeying for conference positioning as the season turns the corner towards the home stretch.

Arkansas will be coming off a hellacious early-season SEC schedule, faced with taking on Georgia and Alabama on back-to-back weekends before taking on Texas A&M at home the week before this marquee SEC showdown.

If the Razorbacks are undefeated at this point, they would likely be favored to take the SEC West crown and this game at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. However, it’s possible that the Tigers will welcome Arkansas to their house with an undefeated record of their own.

Unlike the Razorbacks, the Tigers do not take on the cream of the SEC crop until later on in the season, and a victory here could propel them towards showdowns with the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide that could decide the conference title contenders.

Auburn will be hard-pressed to replace some significant holes at quarterback, running back, and defensive line, but by the time Week Seven rolls around the Tigers hope to have the wrinkles in their system worked out.

Arkansas, on the other hand, comes into the season very confident with its quarterback Ryan Mallet—who could be a strong Heisman contender when the Razorbacks take the trip to Auburn.

Iowa at Michigan: Saturday Oct. 16, 3:30 p.m. ET

The Wolverines come into the 2010 season with guarded expectations following an underwhelming 5-7 record in the ’09 season, including a very disappointing 1-7 showing in Big Ten play.

If coach Rich Rodriguez wants to cool down his coaching hot seat even a little bit, he’s going to have to come into this Week Seven matchup with a good record. Luckily for Rodriguez, the Wolverines’ first six games this season are winnable (although far from guaranteed) matchups against the likes of Notre Dame and Connecticut.

If Rodriguez and Michigan can come into this meeting with Big Ten co-favorites Iowa with an undefeated or one-loss record, hopes will be high in Ann Arbor for an upset.

However, standing in its way will be a tested and experienced group from Iowa, led by quarterback Ricky Stanzi and a deep group of running backs. The experience of the Hawkeye offense will prove especially vital in this matchup, as questions have become concerns on the defensive side of the ball for the Wolverines.

On offense the Wolverines can put the Hawkeye defense to the test, especially by utilizing Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier, a dynamic combination of quarterbacks for the Wolverines.

Ohio State at Wisconsin: Saturday Oct. 16, 7:00 p.m. ET

If Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema ever had a shot to prove he could get his Badgers over the hump and make a BCS bowl, it seems like 2010 might be the year.

Along with welcoming back most of the core from the ’09 team that tied for second in the Big Ten, the Badgers were gifted a fortuitous schedule, welcoming conference favorite Ohio State to Camp Randall in what should be a classic Big Ten-style football showdown.

Badger running back John Clay has the ability to batter even the best defenses, and by the middle of October he could be among the early Heisman favorites. A strong performance here would only further his candidacy, especially if he can lead his team to break the national title hopes of the Buckeyes.

It wont be easy though, no matter how excited the team and the crowd in Madison might be.

Ohio State has a Heisman hopeful of its own in quarterback Terrelle Pryor and a shockingly good and experienced defense that has few, if any, holes.

The Buckeyes will be a tough test for any team this season, but Wisconsin could be the team to knock the Buckeyes off the national title track and leave Columbus without a national title shot for another season.

Other Games of Note: Texas at Nebraska, Oregon State at Washington, Southern Methodist at Navy, BYU at TCU, Middle Tennessee at Georgia Tech.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 college football season preview, we will be breaking down each week’s most important games that could have BCS and postseason implications in the “Road to Glendale 2011″.

Let’s keep the series going with the week two slate of games that features some high-quality non-conference battles between BCS schools.

Florida State at Oklahoma

Saturday September 11, 3:30 PM ET

For teams that have perennially competed for their respective conference crowns, 2009 was a season of disappointment. Oklahoma was supposed to compete for a national title last season, but injuries to QB Sam Bradford made that chase near impossible and the Sooners were relegated to watching the Big 12 Championship Game from home in ’09.

For Florida State, its been far longer than a single season of disappointment. The Seminoles haven’t made a BCS bowl since 2006, and in fact haven’t won a BCS bowl since 1999.

2010 holds some real hope for both squads, especially for Florida State, whose invigoration could come from new coach Jimbo Fisher or a seasoned quarterback in Christian Ponder. The Seminoles first test will be here, in Norman, after taking on FCS Samford in week one.

Oklahoma will be putting all of its eggs in quarterback Landry Jones’s basket, and the Seminole defense will be a very telling test for the redshirt sophomore. Jones got off to a shaky start when he filled in for the injured Bradford, but progressed throughout the season and peaking at the Sun Bowl with a 410-yards and three-touchdown performance against Stanford.

With both teams looking for an early boost, which will be able to walk away with a likely 2-0 record to start the season?

Miami (FL) at Ohio State

Saturday September 11, 3:40 PM ET

Jacory Harris and Terrelle Pryor are two of the nation’s most dynamic and yet unpredictable quarterbacks. Now we’ll get to see them share the same field for the first time in their young careers.

A rematch of the 2003 national championship game this is not. However Ohio State has national title hopes for 2010, and a loss here would almost certainly fast track the Buckeyes for a Rose Bowl or worse, not exactly what the Buckeye faithful are looking for this year.

However, for all the title hype the Buckeyes have, the Hurricanes look equally dangerous under fourth-year coach Randy Shannon and an exceedingly strong recruiting class bolstered by the late addition of Seantrel Henderson formerly of USC.

Miami is among the favorites for an ACC title this season after finishing ’09 at No. 19 and an early victory against the Buckeyes — who will likely start the season among the top five in the country — could set the ‘Canes up as a confident squad moving forward.

Penn State at Alabama

Saturday September 11, 7 PM ET

This has classic non-conference action written all over it. Two teams with huge college football pedigree, a game at the historical Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa and of course the defending national champions.

Throw in the defending Heisman Trophy winner, two other 2010 Heisman hopefuls in Penn State RB Evan Royster and Alabama WR Julio Jones and coaches like Saban and Paterno, what else could you ask for?

Of course the focus here will be the Crimson Tide tuning up for their SEC stretch run and title defense, but Penn State could be a dangerous opponent this early in the season. Although a loss here wouldn’t end the Crimson Tide’s chances at a second-straight BCS title, it would certainly be a shocking loss that early in the year.

The Nittany Lions could also throw a the Big 10 a big favor if they could beat the Crimson Tide at home for the fourth time in the series’s 14-game history. A Big 10 victory against the defending SEC and national champ would certainly return some of the faith the nation and critics seem to have lost in the recent SEC-heavy BCS years.

Other Games of Note: Alabama vs. South Carolina, Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Oregon vs. Tennessee

This is second in a series of conference profiles as part of BCS Know How’s season preview. Today’s conference is the Big 10.

Conference: Big 10 Conference (Big 10)

Active Since: 1896

Current Member Schools: Illinois Fighting Illini, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers. (11)

Bowl Affiliations: Rose Bowl (BCS), Little Caesars Bowl, Insight Bowl, Texas Bowl, Dallas Football Classic Bowl, Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Gator Bowl. (8)

2009 Results:
Conference Champion – Ohio State
Conference Runner-up – Iowa/Penn State
BCS Bowl Results: 2010 Rose Bowl – Ohio State 26 vs. Oregon 17; 2010 Orange Bowl – Iowa 24 vs. Georgia Tech 14
Overall Bowl Record: 4-3
Heisman Vote Recipients: None

2010 Outlook: The Big 10 is on the way up — other conferences be warned.

Viewed as a second tier BCS conference for the past few years, the Big 10 is back, and looking stronger than they have top to bottom in years.

Of course at the top is perennial power Ohio State. Led by the underachieving Terrelle Pryor for the past few seasons, Ohio State has fallen just short on multiple occasions, but if the Buckeyes’ last game is any indication, Pryor is finally ready to step into the spotlight that has been waiting for him for years. Add the fact that this year’s edition of the Buckeye defense looks up to usual standards and you might just have a national title favorite waiting in Columbus.

Not that the Buckeyes are the only reason the Big 10 is up this year.

Iowa too received a BCS bowl bid last season, and handily topped Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, setting expectations high for the Hawkeyes. Iowa returns core players but will have to fill important holes all over the field, especially on the offensive line and linebacker positions.

Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Penn State all seem poised to post big seasons, with 10 wins a possibility for all four.

2010 Heisman Hopefuls: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor, Penn State Evan Royster

BCS Know How’s 2010 Predictions:
Conference Champion – Ohio State Buckeyes
Conference Runner-up – Iowa Hawkeyes
BCS bids – Two: Ohio State – BCS National Championship Game; Iowa – Fiesta Bowl
Heisman Finalists – Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor