THE CHEAT SHEET- Week 2

editors note: The Cheat Sheet is our weekly College Football preview

This actually means something for once... maybe....

One of the best weeks ever in College Football is upon us. Week 2 this year has so many great games, you will not be disappointed no matter what region of the country you live in. While all the games have great potential on paper, what they will mean later on in the season isn't so clear right now. While some games will have BCS implications, others will be great as measuring sticks of how good some conferences will be.  All times listed are local kickoff.

NOTRE DAME/MICHIGAN 2:30 NBC 

Rich Rodriguez's team came out like a champ against a good UConn team Saturday. Denard Robinson set the school record for quarterback rushing in a game. While Brian Kelly had a good win versus Purdue in his debut. I'm very apprehensive to make either team better than they seemed to be from last weekend. Notre Dame had only 25 minutes of possesion, and this is not abnormal from what Kelly did at Cincinatti; the Bearcats ranked at the very bottom of D-1 last year with barely 26 minutes of posession last season. What will make or break Michigan in this game is the defense led by Greg Robinson. They didn't give up a lot of points due to UConn turnovers last week, but you have to wonder how much longer this team can let that happen and keep points off the scoreboard. I think Michigan may have the better offense in this game (although Robinson will not be able to run as much), but Notre Dame should be able to put the ball in the end zone better than UConn was able to. Obviously ball control is much more important to Kelly than time of posession. If ND makes every touch count, look for them to win. This game will be MUCH more important to Rodriguez to win than Brian Kelly. If Robinson struggles and Michigan loses, the outcry for sitting Tate Forcier will go from 0 to light speed in no time flat. The pressure is on for Michigan to win, and winning in South Bend will go a very long way.

at the Horseshoe even. will Miami's crowd travel?

MIAMI/OHIO STATE 2:30 ESPN

First and foremost, the first thing this game ISN'T is a rematch of the NC game, the makeup for the Pass Interference game.. whatever you want to say. Since we're in 2010, you're going to have to move on a little bit for that. This game is the marquee game for Jacory Harris to show America how good everyone tells us he is. Outside of the ACC, this will be the toughest, loudest, and biggest croud he will ever face in his college career. Ohio St.'s defense wasn't really tested by Marshall last week, so they will be challenged in this game. I have told people how much better Terrell Pryor is, and this is the game he has to prove it. Miami's secondary is for the taking in this game, and Pryor looked sharp and tuned in to his receivers, especially Dane Sanzenbacher. Winning this game will go a long way with the voters this year, especially with Boise State breathing down Ohio State and Alabama's neck waiting for a slip-up.

they call you "Big game Bob", right?.... right?

FLORIDA STATE/OKLAHOMA 2:30 ABC National

Bob Stoops used to love games like this. Remember earlier in his career, where he would own games like this ESPECIALLY in Norman? This is the game where he needs to get that feeling back. Florida State looked pretty good last week versus Samford. Christian Ponder had one of his best games in his career, and the 35 points in the second quarter was just like the early 90's in Talahassee. The Sooners, on the other had, struggled in the second half to keep a lead versus Utah State. Defensively, OU lost composure on some plays with needless penalties and secondary breakdowns, while offensively Landry Jones was saved by a great performance by DeMarco Jones. Oklahoma has to make a very big jump in this game, but should be helped by this game being in Norman. Jimbo Fisher's team should be well equipped to come into Gaylord/Memorial and handle whatever Oklahoma can throw them, but I also expect the OU defense to play much better this week.

one of them knows where he is, the other just sharted his pants. GUESS.

PENN STATE/ALABAMA 7:00 ESPN

There will be no White-Out in Tuscaloosa this Saturday Night. Penn State comes into town on the "Joe-Paterno-retirement-that-will-never-happen" tour, and brings a freshman starting quarterback into Bryant-Denny. editors note.. have to wait a moment for Nick Saban to stop drooling.. ok, good to go! While popluarity contest winner Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram will be missing his second straight game with a knee issue, Greg McElroy and Julio Jones will be more than enough to make up for it. While Stephfon Green and Evan Royster will need to rush JUST A BIT BETTER for Penn State to have any chance. I think Penn State can make this a closer game that most people think, however Alabama is too disciplined to let a freshman QB beat them.

this would worry most teams. Chip Kelly? "child, please."

OREGON/TENNESSEE 6:00 ESPN2 

Both teams looked very good last week. Oregon blew New Mexico out of the water in Eugene, while Tennessee kept the money in-state by laying it to Tennessee-Martin (WAY TO SHARE IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES.) I hope Matt Simms can throw the ball just as well, because Kenjon Barner is going to run all over Tennessee's defense. Tennessee and the SEC, with the way Ole Miss and LSU slacked it off last week, needs this victory more than Oregon at this point in the season. One thing that Tennessee will not be able to take advantage of is the home field advantage of Neyland Stadium. One place that is louder than Neyland is Autzen Stadium, where the Ducks play. Kelly's team will not be scared of the atmosphere because their team creates it so well and can deal with it very well.

Coaches who need to consult realtors to sell multi million dollar homes in these times:

Les Miles - the fact that you chose Jordan Jefferson AGAIN to lead this offense should be the reason you get fired, much less the fact that North Carolina trailed by 20 and threw into the end zone twice in the final minute for the win. This week, LSU goes against Vanderbilt and Robbie Caldwell, who has charm and is pleasing to the press, something Les isn't right now. A combined loss here and to Michigan, and the rumors will start again.

Houston Nutt - It's KARMA that Mississippi lost to JACKSONVILLE STATE YO. What is more shocking is how it happened, with a 3 score lead at halftime. It couldn't have happened to the second most over rated coach the country (unfortunately, #1 is occupied by that doosh in Fayetville, so Nutt can't even win his division there!). Ole Miss gets Tulane this weekend, and I will easily say that if Nutt can't blow the Green Wave out of the building by the third quarter (because whoopin em at half JUST DOESN'T F'ING CUT IT), he will be the first coach fired in 2010. If you're going to trust Masoli, then just give him the ball and milk how he's 'doing the right thing', lord knows your defense s**t the bed.

THIS WEEK'S CONSUMABLES:

It's gonna be a long day watching all this football. Make this twice Saturday. Once early, and then later as you need it:

Buffalo Wings

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:1 hr Cook Time: 40 min

Ingredients

•12 whole chicken wings

•3 ounces unsalted butter

•1 small clove garlic, minced

•1/4 cup hot sauce

•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

As a beverage, use something that will start harsh, yet for some reason feel better later, much like tailgating at the Grove on a Saturday morning:

Long Island Iced Tea (LIT)

Recipe courtesy Ken Hall, Legends of Bartending

Ingredients

•1/2-ounce vodka (recommended: Skyy Vodka)

•1/2-ounce gin (recommended: Beefeater Gin)

•1/2-ounce light rum

•1/2-ounce Triple Sec (recommended: Hiram Walker Triple Sec)

•3 ounces sour mix (recommended: Finest Call Sour Mix)

•Ice

•Cola (recommended: Coca-Cola)

•Lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions

Combine first 5 ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a 14-ounce beverage glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve with a tall straw

AHHHH... so nice, tasty. Enjoy responsibly of course, unless you're home and your team loses. In that case, mix every bottle in a garbage can and dunk your head in it.

CREEPY MASCOT OF THE WEEK:  Lil Red

He can bounce on his head, he can convulse violently like a epileptic person at a disco. He scares children as well as old men. And, he is a movie star!

TONIGHT RALPHIE, YOU DINE IN HELL!!!

AND THE FINAL RANT OF THE WEEK:

Is it basketball season yet? Everyone in Lawrence hopes so, because the ole football team at the UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS ESQUIRE decided to give out lobotomy's to the entire team to rid themselves of the memory of Mark Mangino, and they must have dug into the brain too much because Kansas looked like a Russian prison team in LOSING TO SOUTH DAKOTA STATE. Kinda ironic here, because the head coach of Kansas, Turner Gill, happened to lose to a team coached by Craig Bohl. Both coaches were turned down by Nebraska for Bo Pelini (Bohl fired in 2002 from Nebraska, replaced as DC by Pelini, Gill turned down by Tom Osborne for Pelini as HC at the end of 2007). I have severe reservations with Gill being sucessful at Kansas. This team peaked with a BCS appearance after their best season with Mangino, and the school took that money and "improved" the football program with planting trees around the practice field. Memorial Stadium in Lawrence is below par with many of the high profile High School programs in Texas, much less Division 1 or Big 12 schools. It's a basketball school first, foremost, and you better not forget it. And next year, they (along with 8 other schools) will be Texas' BITCH in the Big 12-2/what money Beebe "promises" conference. Dont think that Mangino shouldn't have been ran out of KU; he deserved it with what he said to a lot of players. That being said, don't expect much of anything out of that program in a long time. With this ticket scandal forcing AD Lew Perkins into early retirement, there will be very little attention paid to anything but the moneymaker in Phog Allen Fieldhouse. KU has a history of running out good coaches because they want more attention for their football team (Glen Mason comes to mind).

Enjoy all the games this weekend, folks. I will be back Sunday with a review of the weekend.