FIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. San Jose State of mind. The Spartans weren’t happy about having this week’s game against Nevada postponed so that Hawaii and Nevada could play, but there may be an upside. San Jose’s next opponent, Arizona State, plays at Stanford on Saturday. And while San Jose State coaches are prohibited by an NCAA rule to attend the game, several Spartan players intend to purchase tickets and take notes on next week’s opponent. We’re not sure if San Jose State kids will get course credit for this kind of homework.

2. The great chase. We’re talking Paterno vs. Bowden. Events of Sept. 11 prevented Penn State Coach Joe Paterno the chance of tying Bear Bryant’s major college record of 323 victories, but Paterno gets another chance this weekend when the Nittany Lions play host to Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden seeks victory No. 318 this weekend at North Carolina. A victory would leave Bowden one shy of tying Pop Warner for third on the all-time list. “It’s kind of like having a no-hitter going,” Bowden says. “You’re kind of afraid to talk about it.”

3. Fresno State, the saga continues. The Bulldogs’ sensational 3-0 start was understandably quieted during last week’s crisis, with events engulfing the school’s Sports Illustrated cover appearance. Fresno State gets back to work this weekend at Tulsa, a mysterious team in that it has played only one game, a victory over Division 1-AA Indiana State. We’ve seen how Fresno State has performed as the underdog, but how does it fare as the overwhelming road favorite?

4. To blitz or not to blitz. Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie is 0-4 against Michigan State, with last year’s defeat ranking among the most bitter of his career. Davie doesn’t need a film review to remind him; the final moments are etched in memory. Michigan State was down by one, facing fourth-and-10 from its 32, with 1:58 left, when quarterback Jeff Smoker hit Herb Haygood on a slant pattern for the game-winning touchdown. Notre Dame blitzed on the play. For what it’s worth, Notre Dame has not defeated Michigan State since 1994.

5. Arizona State at Stanford. This is one of the more intriguing early-season Pac-10 games. Both teams were sort of mystery-meat entering the season. Stanford was picked to finish fifth and Arizona State seventh in the media poll, yet both teams are surprisingly talented and the winner could emerge as a conference challenger. Arizona State returns eight starters on offense and defense and the offense has been rejuvenated under pinball-wizard, first-year Coach Dirk Koetter. Every Stanford defensive starter is a fourth-or fifth-year senior, the offensive line is granite, Randy Fasani is a dangerous quarterback while the Cardinal boasts the conference’s biggest wide receiver in 6-foot-7, 250-pound Teyo Johnson.