An in-state rivalry worth paying attention to

First Down - Alabama has come off two big wins: at Arkansas and a solid thumping of Florida...but this week the Tide goes into a beehive as they play at South Carolina...the Tide better be on upset alert...

Second Down - the next three weeks Michigan hosts Michigan State, Iowa, then travel to Penn State...realistically, I am expecting a loss when they play Iowa...but if they even want a chance to win against both State teams, the pass defense has to get better...that was one of the most pathetic pass defense performances in Michigan history...I understand the secondary is young, but this was unacceptable...

Third Down - Joe Paterno is 83-years-old but he has a good young team with a bright future...the Nittany Lions will get better over the next few years...freshman quarterback Robert Bolden has the tools to become a quality quarterback...JoePa is taking his lumps this season, but Penn State will be back in the Big 10 title hunt in the next year or two...

Fourth Down - this week New Mexico plays at New Mexico State...this may be the battle to determine the worst team in college football...both football programs are gosh awful...in their weekly power rankings, Point Wise has New Mexico as a 16 and New Mexico State as a 15...by comparison, Ohio State is 66, Michigan is 52, and Akron is 21...so make sure ya'll check out the score...