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Terry's takes

I've picked a few games that I think y'all are interested in to give you my take on the keys and matchups that will have the biggest impact on the top 25, as well as being the best games of the weekend.

No. 1 Southern California at No. 14 Nebraska – This is the highest-ranked matchup of the weekend and could be one of the day's best games. The Trojans, everybody's favorite entering the season, had a ho-hum opening day victory over Idaho then took last week off. Many voters, including myself, moved LSU ahead of USC in the rankings. There was no real reason to doubt our first impressions of USC, but this game will give us a glimpse of what kind of personality this year's Trojans will have. I want to see how they respond to playing a top-notch opponent in a very hostile environment. Nebraska survived a real scare last week from Wake Forest, but has a chance to show it is going to make more than just incremental improvement over last year. The Cornhuskers lost to USC last season 28-10 while rushing for just 68 yards on 36 carries. Many thought Nebraska tried not to get embarrassed rather than to win the game. Prediction: Southern California in a close one

No. 22 Tennessee at No. 5 Florida – Coach Urban Meyer has gone out of his way to tell us just how special Tim Tebow is as the Florida quarterback. That's in contrast to his slow – almost reluctant – acceptance of Chris Leak as "his guy" the last two seasons. Make no mistake, Tebow fits the Meyer spread-option offense like a glove, or should I say like Alex Smith. He has been nothing less than spectacular in his first two games against less-than-stellar opposition. I know the Gators' defense is young after losing 10 starters from last year's championship team. But man, can these guys fly to the ball. Still, Tebow's consistency will be the key if the Gators are to get back to the SEC championship game and maybe even the Rose Bowl. Prediction: Tennessee will lose its second game of the young season

No. 9 Louisville at Kentucky – After watching Louisville win a shootout 58-42 against Middle Tennessee State last week, I am having doubts about how far the Cardinals can go. Like West Virginia, they might be able to outscore everybody on their schedule, but that is not the road to a national championship. They are not the only team in the Bluegrass State with a gifted quarterback and Kentucky's Andre Woodson will have a lot of incentive to upstage his cross-state counterpart. Kentucky is coming off its first winning season since 2002 and I would not be shocked if they win this game. Prediction: I'm going to have to stick with Louisville in a barn burner

No. 10 Ohio State at Washington – I said before the season that, rebuilding year or not, Ohio State would be 8-0 going into the final four games of its season. If there are three teams in the country that can lose half their team to the NFL draft and reload with the same level of talent, they are USC, LSU and Ohio State. But Washington could be one of the surprise teams of the season after beating a very good Boise State team. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker is the key to the Huskies' resurgence and he is the kind of "mobile" passer that can hurt a defense like Ohio State's when he gets out in open space. Prediction: Buckeyes get a scare.

No. 21 Boston College at No. 15 Georgia Tech – I was talking to Chan Gailey earlier this week, and he couldn't hide his excitement about his 2007 squad. Calvin Johnson is an irreplaceable wide receiver, so the Yellow Jackets are having to spread the ball around a lot more in the air. But with Tashard Choice as the go-to guy at tailback, you don't have to do anything fancy. He's got 306 yards on the ground and 4 TDs in really only five quarters. Boston College has a very good veteran QB in Matt Ryan, and the Eagles' defense does a great job of forcing turnovers. But I just don't think that'll be enough to stop the Yellow Jackets' high-powered offense. Prediction: GT wins.

No. 16 Arkansas at Alabama – I've been starting to drink the "Crimson Kool Aid" like a lot people, because there is no doubt that Nick Saban is a defensive guru. The question will be whether Alabama can stop the offensive weapons of Arkansas. The Razorbacks have two of the best running backs in the country, but by the end of this game, I think they'll be wishing they threw the ball a little better. Prediction: Razorbacks get it done.

Notre Dame at Michigan – Just the sound of this game, "Notre Dame vs. Michigan" evokes memories of huge games with huge consequences. Notre Dame is sorely lacking in quality personnel; the majority missing on defense. And let's not forget (how could we?) that the Irish are starting a true freshman in Jimmy Clausen at QB. In a twist, freshman Ryan Mallett replaces injured senior Chad Henne for the Wolverines. It is almost unfathomable that one of these teams will start a season at 0-3. But the reason Michigan will win this game is the same reason that they started the season ranked No. 5 – they have tons of talent. Prediction: The Wolverines put more pressure on the Irish.