NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Allow us to play a broken record: The Boise State Broncos proved in their win against Georgia on Saturday that they own BCS conference opponents.

The giant slayer is now 7-1 in those games since 2006. Detractors will argue that the Bulldogs aren't as good as SEC rival Louisiana State, but after watching Boise's precisionlike dismantling of Georgia, it's tough to think who is a better team in the country after one game.

Though few Week 1 games resulted in upsets, one surprise occurred in storms that twice delayed action in South Bend, Ind., as South Florida downed Notre Dame, 23-20. Michigan experienced a rare weather blip when it agreed to end its game with Western Michigan with 1:27 left in the third quarter, as lightning and rain forced fans to evacuate. Notre Dame will meet this week in The Big House in what will be Michigan's first prime-time home game and a sweet addition to a storied matchup.

Heisman Trophy hopefuls for the most part had average opening weekends as 2010 finalists Andrew Luck (Stanford) threw for 171 yards and two TDs and LaMichael James (Oregon) rushed for 54 yards and one TD. However, Boise States's Kellen Moore zipped balls past what many expected to be a top 25 secondary with 261 yards passing and three TDs vs. Georgia.

If you followed Michigan's Denard Robinson, you saw only 98 yards passing and 46 yards rushing, but that was only in three quarters of action. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore rushed for 112 yards, three TDs and caught three passes for 33 yards. Oklahoma's Landry Jones looked sharp against Tulsa as he passed for 375 yards; he'll have this weekend off before the No. 1 Sooners travel to No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 17.

The LSU Tigers seemed to convince the media this week that they're better than division rival Alabama as they jumped the Crimson Tide for No. 2 in the

AP

Top 25 poll. The Tigers controlled the game against the Oregon Ducks, but Coach Les Miles still has to start backup QB Jarrett Lee and will be without highly touted WR Russell Shepard until the Sept. 24 game against West Virginia.

Penn State returned to the

USA Today

Coaches Poll this week for the first time since it lost to then-No. 18 Iowa on Oct. 2, 2010. The Nittany Lions' reward is No. 2 Alabama in State College, Pa.

The SEC begins conference play as Coach Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks visit Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs in a game Between the Hedges. And newly minted independent BYU will roll into Austin, Texas, fresh off a win against Ole Miss to try to defeat the Longhorns for a BCS double.

Grab a koozie, play a fight song and click through for our picks.

Silas Redd, Penn State running back

No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC):

These two teams will meet for the second season in a row as Penn State looks to redeem itself after a 24-3 loss in Tuscaloosa last season.

This year Alabama might have to rely on a quarterback rotation to notch a win against a young Nittany Lion squad. Last week, the QB situation was still up in the air. Sophomore A.J. McCarron passed threw for 226 yards, and redshirt freshman Phillip Sims threw for 73 yards. But each quarterback threw two interceptions.

"AJ ... probably played with a little more poise today, but we have a lot of confidence in Phillip, and in most cases he plays extremely well," Alabama Coach Nick Saban said after last week's game.

Penn State is in the same situation. Sophomore Rob Bolden started at quarterback, but Junior Matt McGloin threw for more yards. Neither one of them mustered a touchdown, and both of them could thank a relentless rushing attack that combined for 245 yards and five TDs to defeat Indiana State. Sophomore running back Silas Redd rushed for 104 yards on 12 carries and scored two TDs.

The quarterback tango could prove more of a detriment to Penn State as the Crimson Tide arguably have the best defense in the nation. Ten athletes returned from the 2010 season, and 'Bama's formidable secondary shut down Kent State, which managed only 99 yards passing and minus-9 yards rushing.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno's team is young but the defense should be solid. They held Indiana State to 170 total yards and only 65 yards rushing, which was well below the 166-yard average rushing yards allowed in 2010.

If Saban and Paterno decide to rely on their running games, it could come down to the defensive and offensive lines. Penn State returns an experienced D-line and an average O-line, which will find a rough go of it against the Alabama D-line.

Should Saban launch an all-out ground attack, the O-line will be up to the job as four starters returned from last season, including third-team All American guard Barrett Jones and second-team All SEC center William Vlachos.

Corner's choice: Alabama 31, Penn State 10

-- Joe Deaux

Tyler Bray, Tennessee quarterback

Cincinnati (1-0) at Tennessee (1-0), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 2

: The Corner found this one intriguing: a Big East vs. SEC clash but with more of a regional feel. The two campuses' cities are 217 miles apart, but it's only the sixth time these two ancient football-playing schools have met, with the Vols holding a 4-1 advantage. Both teams are unranked, and the Bearcats, who opened with a 72-10 victory over Austin Peay, scoring on 10 of 12 offensive possessions, seem to be flying a bit under the radar, maybe not getting the attention they did when Brian Kelly was running the show.

But that's probably fine with Cincy coach Butch Jones, who has a veteran quarterback in Zach Collaros and an outstanding running back in Isaiah Pead, along with 16 other returning starters.

Jones is well aware of whom he will be facing in Knoxville on Saturday. He offered his view of how the SEC and Big East differ at his weekly press conference.

"The biggest thing that jumps out is the overall speed of the game -- not just the skill positions," Jones said. "It's the defensive line, it's the linebackers, it's even the offensive line. In the Big East, we have some very talented football teams and players. I think there's probably more depth from the speed standpoint when you look at an SEC team, especially an upper-tier team like Tennessee."

Tennessee Coach Derek Dooley says "this is probably an early monumental game in their eyes to keep their program at the level it's been, the

AP

reported. "We're going to get their best, there's no question."

The Volunteers are led by 6-6 sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray, who completed 17 of 24 passes for 293 yards and three TDs, including an 81-yard scoring strike to fellow soph WR Justin Hunter (six catches for 146 yards) in a 42-16 opening win over Montana. Neyland Stadium is a deafening place for visitors, but Cincy is a veteran club with BCS bowl experience.

Corner's choice: Cincinnati 38, Tennessee 35

-- William Hennelly

Denard Robinson, Michigan quarterback

Notre Dame (0-1) at Michigan (1-0), 8 p.m. ET, (ESPN)

: Could it really be the first night game at the Big House, which was built in 1927? It is, and both teams will wear

throwback-inspired uniforms

courtesy of

adidas

, as snazzy unis increasingly become stars in college football games. The fun was started by

Nike

(NKE) - Get Report

and Oregon, and now everyone has gotten into the act. The Irish's duds are inspired by the late 1950s, early 1960s (

Mad Men

?) era and feature shamrocks on the helmets.

Speaking of mad men, Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly was peeved on the sidelines with some of his players during a lightning-cursed, 23-20 loss to South Florida last Saturday. It will be a high-pressure game for Kelly, who could be in for a lot of alumni grief if he starts 0-2. Michigan holds a 22-15-1 advantage in this series, which has some decades-long gaps when the two teams didn't play. But the first game in this gridiron classic was in 1887.

Michigan, 34-10 victors over in-state MAC team Western Michigan in a storm-shortened contest last week, has ushered in the Coach Brady Hoke era and already seems to be playing with more confidence.

But the score didn't reflect how close the game was statistically. Both teams had 17 first downs.Total yards were 288-277 in favor of Michigan, but the Broncos had a seven-minute advantage in time of possession.

This one could end up as a duel between Notre Dame's electrifying receiver Michael Floyd and Michigan's quicksilver quarterback Denard Robinson.

Corner's choice: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 20

-- William Hennelly

Taylor Martinez, Nebraska quarterback

Fresno State (0-1) at No. 10 Nebraska (1-0), 7 p.m. ET, Saturday (Big Ten Network)

: Last we saw the Cornhuskers, quarterback Taylor Martinez was doing his typical "Taylor Martinez thing." Nebraska played in their first game as a member of the Big Ten last week. Chattanooga, unfortunately, played the role of pinata. And in route to 135 yards rushing, 116 yards passing and three touchdowns, Martinez put everyone on notice that he's fully recovered from the nagging injuries that more or less sunk his team and Heisman hopes last season.

Head coach Bo Pelini did his typical "Bo Pelini thing" after last week's game, somehow finding reasons to grouse about his team's convincing 40-7 victory.

"There are a lot of things we need to improve upon,"

Pelini said

in a press conference this week. "Just like I thought going in. We were inconsistent. Our fundamentals and technique weren't where I like to see them. I think you can say that across the board in all three phases of the game, really."

After drumming an opposing team by nearly five touchdowns, one may usually interpret these kinds of comments to be mere coach speak from a well-meaning coach meant to keep his players motivated. But with Pelini, I actually think he means it.

Anyways, just to complete the evening, Nebraska's so-called "blackshirt" defense did their typical "blackshirt thing," limiting Chattanooga to 230 yards of total offense and a mere 60 yards on the ground.

Much of the world (and by that, I mean the great state of Nebraska) sees this as the beginning of great things for the season. A new offensive coordinator at the helm and an emphasis on option play-calling may be good reasons for optimism in Cornhusker nation.

But one thing became readily apparent after game 1: This team is only going so far as Martinez's legs will carry them. And if last season was any indication, they will only go so far as he can stay healthy.

Look, there is nothing in this Fresno matchup that I find compelling. I mean, yes, I could point out that this is the first matchup of the two teams or that there are a slew of newbies starting for both teams, but that would be a feeble attempt to make a narrative where there is none.

It's football. Yes, teams play new teams. People get injured. People get replaced. Sometimes, the replacers are young. The end.

Instead, let's focus on the big picture here. Can you remember the last time Nebraska lost to a WAC team (Editor's Note: I'll save you the trouble. The

AP

notes that Nebraska hasn't lost to a WAC squad since 1955.

I don't see that streak ending Saturday. And if you do, well, can you also tell me what the weather's like in Fresno?

Corner's choice: Nebraska 48, Fresno State 17

-- David Moss

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina running back

No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN):

The Gamecocks look to notch their second win in a row against the Bulldogs, something they haven't done since consecutive wins in 2000 and 2001 under the direction of former Coach Lou Holtz.

Georgia Coach Mark Richt's job will be in question all season, but he won't be in a good spot starting 0-2 after his team dropped its first game last week against Boise State in Atlanta.

After the game, Richt said his team had a lot of work to do, and by midweek he still seemed dissatisfied. "I saw enough in the ball game and again today that I'm concerned about our third down protection," Richt said on Wednesday.

Georgia QB Aaron Murray was sacked six times last Saturday and picked off once, which overshadowed a relatively strong performance by the young gunner and his offense (373 yards of total offense). The Bulldogs gained 17 fewer yards than the Broncos but lost by two TDs.

Still, the Bulldog offense could be worrisome for South Carolina, which is fresh off a win that allowed Conference USA opponent East Carolina 37 points on 345 total yards. "Overall, we've got a long way to go. We're not a very good team right now," Spurrier said after the game Saturday.

The Gamecocks allowed East Carolina 21 first downs -- two fourth-down conversions -- and 260 yards passing, but did hold the run to just 85 yards. The defensive line will need to duplicate that low rushing number as Georgia presents a formidable running attack that shoved Boise State off the ball for 137 yards. More discouraging for the South Carolina defense is that they didn't once sack Pirates QB Dominique Davis. Georgia has the receivers and a tight end (Orson Charles six receptions, 109 yards) that could frustrate the underperforming Gamecock secondary, which gave up 260 yards and four TDs last week.

South Carolina has one of the most prolific offenses in the country led by Sophomore RB Marcus Lattimore. He rushed for 112 yards and 3 TDs in a relatively quiet game by his standards as senior QB Stephen Garcia threw for 110 yards and one TD. Garcia has started in each of his four seasons, but finds himself rotating snaps with sophomore Connor Shaw.

On paper, South Carolina is the stronger team, but this game could come down to the play of Garcia at quarterback.

Corner's choice: South Carolina 35, Georgia 31

--

Joe Deaux

Malcolm Brown, Texas running back

BYU (1-0) at No. 24 Texas (1-0), 7 p.m. ET, Saturday (ESPN2)

:Have you heard about the Longhorn Network? If you're a UT fan, it's pretty much the most amazing idea ever devised (right up there with the polio vaccine, the doughnut and the McRib locator). Here, you can listen to Matthew McConaughey's dulcet tones at all hours of the day and night, watch strength trainer Bennie Wylie give daily ab training tips or hear Mack Brown talk eloquent about his love of collecting Russian nesting dolls. Of course, I wouldn't know if any of this is true or not because the network is currently on all of three television sets somewhere in this country.

If you're not a UT fan, well, then the network has probably come to represent all that is wrong about college football. It's become the rallying cry of Aggies everywhere in Texas A&M's quest to take leave of the Big 12 and become members of the "$EC." It's reportedly become a sore spot for the Pac-12 in its internal deliberations on whether to give UT an invite. And it appears to be ground zero in the daily soap opera of national conference realignment.

So, in return for maybe learning more about UT offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin's personal grooming habits (?), the nation's great universities are considering blowing up a multibillion dollar system in the hopes of creating a bigger, more lucrative multi-billion dollar system. Yup, this may actually happen.

OK, full disclosure: As Corner readers from our past should know, I am a UT grad. So longhorning is in my blood ... my burnt orange blood. I try not to act too much like a homer. I like to think I can view situations from all sides and give a fair opinion. Even so, this is one of those situations where even I don't know what the right answer is.

Do I like having allegiance with a school that just inked a deal that will bring hundreds of millions (and some are speculating even more) dollars to its already full coffers? You bet.

Do I like how much consternation this causes to my best friend, an Aggie, who I think, deep down, just wonders why we're such jerks? No.

Do I want the Big 12 to die? Sort of.

But do I want to lose our rivalry with Oklahoma? Not at all (I can't imagine any institution filling that special void where I can place all of my hatred and occasional propensity for violence).

Because Texas is playing a game of some consequence this week, I finally have an opening to begin talking about this network business. And I still don't know what to think. But I'll be returning to it as the season goes on. I'll have to. It'll probably be the big elephant in the room for the rest of the year.

Anyways, what do I think of this game? Well, in the small, remaining space I have left, here are some quick thoughts.

Yes, the game will be a tight one.

Yes, BYU is probably more physically overpowering and will probably push us around.

Yes, Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert is on a short leash.

No, he will not win this game for Texas.

Yes, UT's young secondary will hold BYU quarterback Jake Heaps in check.

I think, all things being equal, this game is a push. But things aren't always equal. In fact, I anticipate the great destabilizing force in this game will be UT true freshman running back Malcolm Brown. Brown had a prolific high school career, leading many to anoint him one of the nation's best rushers. In playing only one half of football last week against Rice, the young phenom racked up an easy, breezy 86 yards on 16 carries.

For the first time in, well, forever, the 'Horns have a punishing back who can move piles, truck defenders, manage the clock and close out games. He's a player who can make both offensive linemen and quarterbacks look good. Heck, his arrival was so heralded, it pushed the other backs on the squad to raise their games. The entire team rushed for over 200 yards last week.

So look for Brown to get even more carries this week, and look for UT to finally settle into its team identity. No more Colt McCoy. No more Vince Young. Its leader won't be at the quarterback position anymore, but instead will be standing a few yards behind him (and so young he's probably still getting used to dorm life and washing his own clothes).

Corner's choice: Texas 24, BYU 21

-- David Moss

The Corner's picks record this season: 2-3