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Notre Dame -1 vs. Purdue

All those good feelings around the Notre Dame program following a 2-0 start evaporated last week with a 23-7 loss at Michigan State where the Irish offense again did very little.

And again, it's the running game that is the culprit. The Irish rank 111th in Division I-A in rushing and average just 78 rushing yards a game. Their opponents average 144.3 yards.

Against the Spartans, Notre Dame rushed for 16 yards on 22 carries and allowed 203 on the ground.

"In the first three games we've had more success throwing than we have running," coach Charlie Weis said (the Irish rank 69th in the country by average 208.7 yards passing per game). "You can't make a living just being one-dimensional. You can address it by scheme, but a lot of it comes down to working your (behind) off fundamentally to make an improvement. That's one of the main focuses we're doing this week."

Notre Dame resorted to an empty-backfield formation often in the second half against Michigan State, with QB Jimmy Clausen in the shotgun.

That empty-backfield offense managed just one touchdown against Michigan State, but the Irish's yards-per-play jumped from 3.5 in the first half to 4.8 after halftime. There were 51- and 57-yard drives that ended in miscues.

So why not go to that more often?

“The problem is if your identity all stems around passing first," Weis said. "You're exposing yourself to a lot of problems that you'd like to avoid. If a defensive team could just pin their ears back and come after you, you're opening yourself up for pressures, sacks, quarterback hits, interceptions."

Clausen does have six picks this season (matching his freshman total in 149 fewer attempts) and the Irish have turned the ball over nine times. So perhaps their decision-making isn't ready for the spread-type offense.

"I've forced the ball a few times and taken too many chances in the past three games and that's one of the things that I'm working on during practice," Clausen said. "If something is not there, if it's not wide open, check the ball down to the backs. After watching the film where I'm throwing interceptions, the backs are wide open. I've just got to stop taking as many chances as I have."

Purdue is last among Big Ten teams in total defense and 103rd among 119 major college teams, allowing 427 yards per game, so look for Notre Dame to go more to that shotgun formation this week despite what Weis has said. Coaches may lie, but numbers don't.

Purdue, which is a 1-point underdog this week on WagerWeb.com, is 1-4 in South Bend under coach Joe Tiller and 11-26 overall.

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USC -25 vs. OSU.

The oddsmakers at WagerWeb.com list Southern Cal as a 25-point favorite for Thursday night’s game at Oregon State, but there are a few reasons that bettors should be wary of wagering on the Trojans.

-There could be a natural letdown factor for USC. The Trojans’ last game was the much-hyped matchup against Ohio State, which ended in a Southern Cal rout. Thursday night’s game in Corvallis is USC’s first game since, and the 1-2 Beavers don’t exactly bring the attention that the Buckeyes did. "I don't think anyone holds their focus forever," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We try, but it doesn't happen.”

-There is a 30 percent chance of rain on Thursday night. Why does that matter? Here’s a great stat from the USC sports information department: The Trojans are only 21-21-2 "in games in which it rained during a major portion of the contest." Now that’s a trend!

-Oregon State has won two of the past three games against USC at Reser Stadium and ended the Trojans’ 38-game winning streak in their last trip to Corvallis with a 33-31 shocker. However, USC did win last year’s matchup in Los Angeles, 24-3.

Still, despite those three factors, it’s hard to imagine USC being upset by the Beavers. After all, the Trojans have won 44 of 50 conference games since 2002 and have not dropped a Pac-10 opener since losing 34-31 at California in overtime in 2003. And they are 58-9-4 overall against Oregon State in the series and have won 31 of the past 33 meetings.

USC has yielded the fewest points in the nation and is allowing 197.0 yards per game, second-best in the country. The swarming defense has forced seven turnovers and recorded seven sacks and rendered that Ohio State offense inept.

The Trojan offense has been no slouch, averaging 453.0 yards per game with a nice balance between the run (186.0 ypg) and the pass (267.0 ypg). QB Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes against Ohio State, and has thrown for 510 yards, seven TDs and two interceptions this season – he must be considered among the early Heisman front-runners.

Oregon State, meanwhile, was considered a sleeper in the Pac-10 this year but has been a disappointment so far, losing at Stanford 36-28 and No. 12 Penn State 45-14 before beating Hawaii 45-7 on Sept. 13 in its home opener.

OSU’s passing game has been a strength so far, especially with top WR Sammie Stroughter healthy in 2008 after missing most of last season because of a kidney injury. With Stroughter back in the lineup, the Beavers rank first in the Pac-10 with 307.3 passing yards per game (the Trojans allow 145.5 per game). Stroughter is the Beavers’ second-leading receiver with 21 catches, three of which have gone for touchdowns. He also averages 12.1 yards per punt return, tied for second in the Pac-10, and burned USC with a 70-yard punt return for a TD in 2006.

"He hurt us two years ago. We're very aware of who he is," USC safety Taylor Mays said. "It's hard to stop guys like that. You just try to contain him and make him play within what our defense is trying to do."

The line for this game opened at 21 at WagerWeb.com, jumped immediately to 23 and then up to 24 within hours. The upward trend has continued with the line currently at 25.

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South Carolina -10 vs Vanderbilt.

The big news heading into Thursday night's battle of 1-0 SEC teams is that South Carolina is changing quarterbacks after its 34-0 rout of North Carolina State last week: Chris Smelley gets the call under center for the Gamecocks, who are 10-point favorites for the nationally televised game at Vanderbilt.

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