The preliminaries are over and now No. 4 Washington and No. 9 Nebraska begin to find out how good they really are.
The Huskies and the Huskers, both unbeaten and untested, meet Saturday at Lincoln, Neb., in the headline game of the college football weekend and both are approaching the game warily.Washington coach Don James offered a review after watching Nebraska on film. "I saw speed. I saw blocking. I saw great backs, a good secondary and excellent team talent overall," he said.
What else is there?
Try what Nebraska coaches saw on Washington's film.
"They're a great team," said Kevin Steele, who coaches the Huskers' inside linebackers. "This will be the best team I've coached against the last five years."
Elsewhere among the Top 25, No. 5 Florida is at No. 18 Syracuse; No. 6 Tennessee plays No. 23 Mississippi State; No. 7 Oklahoma meets Utah State; No. 8 Clemson takes on Temple; No. 11 Notre Dame meets Michigan State; No. 12 Penn State faces Brigham Young; No. 13 Auburn is at Texas; No. 14 Baylor plays Missouri; No. 15 Texas A&M is at Tulsa; No. 16 Ohio State plays Washington State; No. 19 Colorado goes against Minnesota; No. 21 Houston is at Illinois; No. 22 Southern California plays Arizona State; No. 24 California is at Arizona, and No. 25 Georgia is at Alabama.
The weekend began Thursday night with No. 17 Georgia Tech defeating Virginia 24-21.
Washington won its opener 42-7 over Stanford, while Nebraska trounced its first two opponents, Utah State 59-28 and Colorado State 71-14. Those one-sided victories produced some impressive team statistics.
Washington allowed Stanford only 28 yards in 31 carries, less than 1 yard per attempt, and is third in the country defending the run. Nebraska is leading the nation in rushing, averaging 573 yards per game, and in total offense with 741.5 yards per game.
No. 18 Syracuse and No. 23 Mississippi State try to continue early season success under new coaches. This week, though, both go against tougher foes.
Syracuse, 2-0 for Paul Pasqualoni, with wins over Vanderbilt and Maryland, entertains No. 5 Florida, also 2-0. It will be a rare appearance in the Northeast for the Gators, who last played in that area in 1986 against Rutgers. The Orangemen are tough at home, with only four losses in their last 27 games at the Carrier Dome.
Mississippi State, 3-0 under Jackie Sherrill, faces No. 6 Tennessee in its first road game. State hasn't allowed a touchdown in victories over Cal State-Fullerton, Texas and Tulane, and is averaging 36 points per game with an offense that is leading the SEC.
"Mississippi State is for real," said Tennessee coach Johnny Majors, whose Vols are 2-0.
The Notre Dame-Michigan State game marks the 25th anniversary of the 10-10 tie between the No. 1 Irish and No. 2 Spartans in 1966. State finished that season 8-0-1 and Notre Dame was 9-0-1 and won the national championship.
Both come into this game looking to rebound from losses, Notre Dame against Michigan and Michigan State against Central Michigan.