Tucker: Earth-shaking matchups dot Week 2 in college

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If you feel the earth trembling Saturday, it's probably due to the magnitude of four tremendous college football collisions involving eight of the game's most prominent programs.

Talk about a perfect storm: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 18 Penn State; No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Miami; No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 17 Florida State; and Notre Dame vs. Michigan.

And get this, three of the matchups feature teams that have played each other for the national championship. Coincidentally, all three of the winners are playing at home and, not surprisingly, are favored in the rematches.

Ohio State won the Bowl Championship Series title in 2002 with a 31-24 double-overtime victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl; Oklahoma won it in 2000 with a 13-2 Orange Bowl victory over Florida State; and No. 2 Alabama knocked off No. 1 Penn State, 14-7, in the 1979 Sugar Bowl to win the crown.

OK, so the Irish and Wolverines aren't ranked. They haven't played each other in a national championship game ... But they've cost each other a shot at one plenty of times. And besides, this is Notre Dame-Michigan!

Beginning with the advent of the poll era in 1936, together those elite eight have won 39 national championships. Alabama and Notre Dame lead with eight apiece; Oklahoma has seven; Miami and Ohio State, five; Florida State, Penn State and Michigan each have two.

The epicenter of Saturday's seismic events is Tuscaloosa, where Penn State battles defending champion Alabama.

Bryant-Denny Stadium is gonna be rockin' like it's 1990, the last time Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions invaded Crimson Tide country.

Actually, it'll be a tad bit louder. Alabama has added 30,000 seats since then, including 10,000-plus this year, upping its stadium capacity to 101,821.

On college football's Richter scale, Bama-Penn State is off the charts. Can you feel the tremors?

Those may be due to rekindling memories of that classic '79 Sugar Bowl and Alabama's epic goal line stand, which dealt a crushing blow to the Lions' hopes of winning their first national championship. Bama held on for a 14-7 victory and its 10th national title, the fifth under legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Bryant truly was a bear where Paterno was concerned; the Lion legend was 0-4 against the Bear. Against Alabama overall, JoePa is 4-8, including a 9-0 win in their last meeting 20 years ago.

Penn State finally did win its first national title after the 1982 season, Bear's last as the Tide coach. The Lions' only setback that season? A 42-21 loss to 'Bama.

But perhaps Bear's biggest victory was convincing Paterno that his No. 1-ranked Lions should face the No. 2-ranked Tide in that '79 Sugar Bowl.

There's an interesting account of how that classic battle came to be in the late Al Browning's "I Remember Paul "Bear" Bryant: Memories of College Football's Most Legendary Coach, as Told by the People Who New Him Best":

Aruns Gallery, an old friend of the Bear, said he urged Bryant to phone Paterno and prod him into the matchup. Gallery, a Sugar Bowl committee member then, was at Bryant's house when coach made the call.

According to Gallery, the Bear first reminded Paterno of what a great game they played in the 1975 Sugar Bowl (won by Alabama, 13-6) and then said, "Joe, it's only right that one of us win the national championship this season, so let's get the players together on the field and let them settle the issue."

After he hung up the phone, Bryant said, "Aruns, ol' boy, you've got your match."

For Penn Staters who were alive to experience that devastating loss, it's still a painful memory.

The Miami Hurricanes know the feeling. They're still seething over that Fiesta Bowl loss to the Buckeyes, and the controversial interference call that ended up costing them the game. The "Showdown in the Shoe" is all about payback from their perspective.

Road wins Saturday for the Lions and 'Canes would definitely soothe the heartache.

Alabama will likely be without Heisman winner Mark Ingram, who's recovering from knee surgery, but there's little, if any, drop-off with running back Trent Richardson carrying the ball. The loss of Tide defensive end Marcell Dareus, who's suspended for two games, could be another story.

Nonetheless, it's going to take a stellar effort by true freshman quarterback Robert Bolden to turn the Tide.

Florida State and Miami face pretty big odds as well. But who knows, the winds of fate do sometimes knock down even bigger favorites... Listening Sooners?

It happened last weekend when Jacksonville State pulled off a dramatic, 49-48, upset of Mississippi in overtime, and North Dakota State smothered Kansas, 6-3.

So fasten your seatbelts, kick back and enjoy the earth-shaking, wild rumbling of Week 2.

(E-mail John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)

columnUNBALANCED LINEMust credit New Hampshire Union LeaderColumn