COLLEGE

Furman at Virginia Tech, 1:30 (no line): Frank Beamer took the redshirt off sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the wake of the Hokies' opening loss to East Carolina. Will it matter against Furman? Will it matter the rest of the way?

Oregon State (+16.5) at No. 19 Penn State, 3:30: Oregon State lost a tough one to Stanford to open the season, and now must travel 2,771 miles to State College. Could get ugly.

San Diego State (+22) at Notre Dame, 3:30: The Irish have to get off to a good start, right?

No. 8 West Virginia (-8) at East Carolina, 4:30: The Pirates are coming off a big win over Virginia Tech, and now get the No. 8 team at home? It'll be rocking in Greenville, N.C.

No. 17 South Florida (-14) at Central Florida, 7: USF QB Matt Grothe, after last year's 64-12 Bulls win, said that was simply an indication of how much better USF was then UCF. Revenge time, perhaps?

Minnesota (+6) at Bowling Green, 7:30: The ol' alma mater has some momentum after an opening-week win over Pitt, but all of it would go away with a home loss to the hapless Gophers.

Miami (+21.5) at Florida, 8: The Hurricanes are way down, but this would be a huge win for Miami and for the ACC, which took a pounding in the first week.

NFL

New York Jets (-3) at Miami: Obviously, plenty of intrigue in this one. Chad Pennington plays against his old mates, and we get to see how improved the Jets are with Brett Favre at quarterback.

Jacksonville (-3) at Tennessee: Two possible heirs to the Indianapolis throne in the AFC South, but Jacksonville is the more ready of the two. Expect a Jags win.

Tampa Bay (+3) at New Orleans: The Bucs have what the Saints want -- the NFC South title. New Orleans will take it back this year, if my predictions come true. This will be the start.

Dallas (-5.5) over Cleveland: The Season of Great Expectations kicks off along Lake Erie, but which of these teams can live up to the hype? Dallas is Super Bowl bound, if experts are to be believed, the Browns, who have an incredibly difficult schedule, are thought to be an AFC party crasher. If they're going to lose to Dallas at home on opening day, it needs to be close.

Minnesota (+2.5) at Green Bay: Plenty of interest in this game among our staff; it comes down to whether the Packers can keep the Vikings off Aaron Rodgers and whether the Green Bay defense can get to Tarvaris Jackson early and often. Definitely a crucial opener to both teams.