Under the Radar Games: Week 2

For the past few years, I've found myself taking great enjoyment in watching some of the most random games at the most random times.  Starting in Week 2, I'll highlight five "Under the Radar" games of the week, and why I feel they are worthy of my attention and typing time.

1. Buffalo at Baylor
  -  Some, including myself, see Baylor as a Big 12 dark horse this year.  Can the Bears take care of business against this same Buffalo team that capitalized on some Buckeye mistakes and put up 20 points on BCS Championship contender Ohio State?  A Baylor win, even a big one, won't tell much.  But we could get an idea of whether or not Baylor's defense really is improving since its upset of K-State late last season.

2. Western Kentucky at Tennessee
  -  If the Sun Belt wants to even entertain the thought of a BCS Buster, then the Hilltoppers are its best bet.  They won convincingly against a rebuilding Kentucky team a week ago - can they claim another win against a rebuilding SEC team?  What a program-defining moment that would be, even if the two SEC teams are truly awful.

3.  Syracuse at Northwestern
  -  A matchup of "Power 5" conference schools, one of which is ranked, is flying surprisingly low here.  If the Wildcats can prevail here, and I predict they do (though Syracuse has been known to pull some upsets), then they should be looking at a very special first weekend in October.  4-0, hosting Ohio State, quite possibly a GameDay appearance for the first time since 1995.  Just like Baylor, I LOVE watching programs like this grow!

4.  Washington State at USC
  -  USC has been known to blow its share of conference games, especially early in the season.  After a respectable performance at Auburn (albeit a losing effort), I'm interested to see if Mike Leach can go the next step, and pull off a win against a team that may not see them as much of a threat.  Anti-Lane Kiffin fans might also be rooting for the Cougars, to help with their "get someone else" campaign.

5. San Jose State at Stanford
  -  In a bit of a scheduling quirk, Stanford managed to have a bye in Week 1, and the Cardinal start their Week 2 game at the latest time slot of the week - officially starting their season after many teams have two games in the books.  As for the game itself, I'm interested to see how Stanford performs with such high expectations, even against an opponent it's highly favored against.