Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, September 10, 2015

Things are ratcheted back a few notches in Week 2, as there is a dearth of top-quality matchups. But the headliner is a doozy.

[ MORE: Pick Week 2 winners | Power RankingsWeek 2 previews ]

The primetime clash between No. 5 Michigan State and No. 7 Oregon is the first game between top 10 teams at Spartan Stadium since 1966, when MSU and Notre Dame met as the No. 2- and No. 1-ranked teams in a classic 10-10 tie. The Spartans are looking for national respect-and payback for last year?s loss in Eugene.

Don?t overlook Minnesota?s junket to Colorado State. It drips with intrigue. We also have a rivalry, with Iowa going to Iowa State in a battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy. The visit to Ames, Iowa, to play Iowa State never is easy for the Hawkeyes. In fact, the Cyclones have been a burr under Kirk Ferentz?s saddle since he got the job in 1999. How bad has it been? Ferentz is just 7-9 vs. Iowa State. This has to drive Hawkeye fans nuts.

Maryland needs to be careful with Bowling Green visiting. And Rutgers knows Washington State will be thinking revenge after the Scarlet Knights won a close one in Seattle vs. the Cougs last season, 41-38.

Oregon won?t be the only team from its state in the state of Michigan on Saturday. Oregon State will arrive in Ann Arbor led by former Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen. This will be the second tough game in a row for the Wolverines, who opened at Utah.

Three schools play FCS foes: Illinois (Western Illinois); Northwestern (Eastern Illinois); Purdue (Indiana State). And three MAC teams are on the docket: Miami of Ohio (at Wisconsin); BGSU (at Maryland); Buffalo (at Penn State). The Nittany Lions better be over their Temple hangover when they meet the Bulls.

Here is the Best of Week 2:

BEST GAME: All eyes will be on East Lansing when Oregon visits. The Ducks took a 46-27 decision vs. the Spartans last year in Eugene in a game MSU led 27-18 with 10:55 left in the third quarter. From there, Oregon scored four unanswered touchdowns to run away with the game en route to playing for the national championship. MSU was left wondering ?what if? after closing 10-1 with a win vs. Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. The fact the Ducks are replacing QB Marcus Mariota is a big plus for Michigan State. Last year vs. the Spartans, the Heisman winner hit 17-of-28 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no picks, while also rushing for 42 yards.

Listen to Mark Dantonio's weekly teleconference:

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BEST MATCHUP: This is for the college football cognoscenti-keep an eye on Bowling Green WR Roger Lewis when he goes head-to-head with Maryland CB Will Likely. Lewis was first-team All-MAC in 2014 as a freshman when he became the first frosh in school annals to have over 1,000 yards receiving. This is a go-go BG offense that goes at a quick pace and will test the Terps? new 4-3 defense. Likely is a 5-7 mighty mite corner who plays like he is 10-feet tall. He loves a challenge. Well, here you go.

Listen to Randy Edsall's weekly teleconference:

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PLAYER ON THE SPOT: There already are some rumblings that perhaps Minnesota should look to go another direction at quarterback. Mitch Leidner? Oh, he?s OK. But, is he really a guy to take this program to the next level in what could be a special season? The junior hit 19-of-35 passes for 197 yards with a TD in the opening 23-17 loss to TCU. Now, Leidner leads the Gophers into a dangerous environment in Ft. Collins, Colo., to take on a good Colorado State team. Leidner will need to make some big throws for Minnesota to win.

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KEEP AN EYE ON: The Penn State offense. How will it perform vs. a pesky Buffalo squad? The unit is under pressure to pick up the pace after gaining a scant 183 yards in a humiliating 27-10 loss at Temple. Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times and hit just 11-of-25 passes. In the second half, Penn State ran 24 plays and had 31 yards. Earlier this week, players buried DVD copies of the game and stomped on the ground. Get the symbolism? Sure you do! Hey, at least it?s fun for Nittany Lions fans to watch 260-pound kicker Joey Julius.

Listen to James Franklin's weekly teleconference:

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BEST COACHING MATCHUP: Have to go with Oregon?s Mark Helfrich vs. Michigan State?s Mark Dantonio. The Ducks have not skipped a beat since Helfrich assumed command from Chip Kelly, going 24-4 the last two seasons entering 2015 and playing for the national championship last season. Dantonio has the Spartans among the nation?s elite since taking over in 2007. And this could be one of his best teams yet, which is saying a lot for a coach who has won at least 11 games in four of the last five seasons. Michigan State?s only two losses last year were to the teams that played for the national championship: The Ducks and Buckeyes.

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BEST QUARTERBACK MATCHUP: Connor Cook is still fuming over Michigan State?s loss at Oregon last year, when the Spartans blew a 27-18 third-quarter lead and lost 46-27. Marcus Mariota outplayed Cook in a Heisman-winning season. Now, Cook-who hit 29-of-47 passes for 343 yards with two touchdowns and two picks vs. the Ducks in 2014–will duel with Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams, Jr., who completed 19-of-25 attempts for 246 yards with two TDs in the opener, a 61-42 win vs. EWU.

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BEST COORDINATOR BATTLE: Iowa State offensive coordinator Mark Mangino vs. Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Mangino is the former coach at Kansas who took the Jayhawks to the Orange Bowl after the 2007 season. Few are as smart and hard-working as Mangino. Parker annually has one of the best-coached units in the Big Ten, a bend-but-don?t-break unit that picks its spots to be aggressive.

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UPSET ALERT: Going to Colorado State for the second game of the season will be tough for Minnesota. The Rams have one of the better non-Power Five programs in the nation. CSU will be breaking in a new coach, as Jim McElwain left for the Florida job and was replaced by Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Complicating matters for Minnesota is the fact it is coming off a tough, physical opener vs. TCU.

Listen to Jerry Kill's weekly teleconference:

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RANKING WEEK 2 GAMES
1. Oregon at Michigan State
2. Minnesota at Colorado State
3. Iowa at Iowa State
4. Oregon State at Michigan
5. Bowling Green at Maryland
6. Buffalo at Penn State
7. Florida International at Indiana
8. Washington State at Rutgers
9. South Alabama at Nebraska
19. Eastern Illinois at Northwestern
11. Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin
12. Western Illinois at Illinois
13. Indiana State at Purdue
14. Hawaii at Ohio State

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About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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