ESPN College Football

This week's games include some matchups that will tell us a lot about the future of this season. And they provide more questions than answers. Can Georgia win for a third straight time at Tennessee? Can Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions continue their magic at home against a great Ohio State team? Can UCLA come back to show the kind of fire they had beating Oklahoma when they face California Saturday? Does Nebraska have enough defense to stop the vaunted Texas Tech attack and avenge last year's mauling at Lubbock? Can the Oklahoma Sooners stop Texas one more time?

Troy +2 over North Texas: These teams were ravaged by graduation and are just a shell of last year's quality, but North Texas seems to have gone back much farther than Troy. The Mean Green have lost their last two games 54-2 (at home vs. Tulsa) and 54-7 (at Kansas State). In those two games, North Texas had 17 possessions that lasted three or fewer plays. The vaunted running game of the past has not shown up this year despite the return of star RB Patrick Cobbs. UNT was able to garner a 14-7 victory over Middle Tennessee in the opener, however, thanks to forcing five turnovers and breaking out for a 99-yard interception return.

The Troy Trojans have been more competitive vs. better teams, playing tough against UAB, and for more than a half against Missouri and South Carolina. They also have the running game to take advantage of North Texas' decimated defense, and Troy's defense is ranked second in the Sun Belt this year. But they've got to do better on turnovers, having lost that battle 10-0 in their last three games.

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