Badgers believe they are ready for Buckeyes

Associated Press

MADISON, WIS.

Wisconsin is hosting the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since 1997, and the 18th-ranked Badgers have embraced the hype surrounding their matchup with Ohio State.

Wisconsin (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) is looking for a signature win for coach Bret Bielema, who is 0-4 against Top 10 teams in his five-year tenure. Bielema has never beaten the Buckeyes in three tries.

The Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) believe it’s really just another game for an elite program that coach Jim Tressel says has a “permanent bulls-eye” on its back.

Notre Dame-W. Michigan

SOUTH BEND, Ind.

Safety Harrison Smith is a senior, one of the leaders of Notre Dame’s defense, a safety with an understanding of the game, a penchant for following the football and a respect for what it takes to win. He knows the Irish won’t take the Broncos (2-3, 1-1 MAC) lightly because they’re not good enough to do so.

Texas-Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb.

Taylor Martinez just might be oblivious to all the fuss about this game.

No one knows for sure because the Cornhuskers’ redshirt freshman quarterback doesn’t talk much, least of all to the media.

The fleet-footed Martinez figures to get his toughest test to date in one of the most hyped games at Memorial Stadium in a decade.

OKLAHOMA-IOWA STATE

NORMAN, Okla.

Running back DeMarco Murray is within striking distance of a key record at Oklahoma.

Murray needs only two touchdowns to tie the school record of 57 set by 1969 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens. He could get there as soon as today, when the sixth-ranked Sooners (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) host Iowa State (3-3, 1-1).

ARIZONA-WASHINGTON state

SPOKANE, Wash.

No. 17 Arizona needs a road win in Pullman to get back into the Pac-10 race. Washington State just needs a win over a major college team to prove it is improving. Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Pac-10) suffered its first loss of the season against Oregon State last weekend, costing the Wildcats their first Top 10 ranking in a decade.

pitt-syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Syracuse (4-1, 1-0 Big East), which has struggled for the past five seasons, carries a three-game winning streak into the Carrier Dome when it hosts Pittsburgh (2-3). It’s the conference opener for the preseason favorite to win the league, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Panthers. They’re coming off a 23-17 loss at Notre Dame.