THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

Several things I'll be looking for this weekend, as I settle into watch a boat load of football games.

Saturday, I want to see how UC's defense handles the first good running back they'll face this season. Ray Rice of Rutgers has made a lot of teams look foolish, trying to stop him. Maryland figured it out. But few teams have been able to stop Rice, a legit Heisman candidate. And I want to see UC operate against a hostile crowd, that spewed venom at a Navy team.

I want to see if Purdue really has what it takes to beat Ohio State. Because if Purdue doesn't, I don't see OSU losing until it has to play at Ann Arbor. And even then, I'm not sure Michigan will be able to derail the Buckeyes. Who would've thought the Buckeyes would be serious BCS championship contenders, this late in the season.

I want to see if my beloved Ohio University Bobcats can rebound from two very bad losses. They took the ball away from Wyoming seven times....seven times....and lost by a point. Then, they followed that up with a bad loss at home on Parents Weekend to Kent. The 'Cats hit the road for Buffalo.

Sunday, I want to see if the Packers are for real. They play Sunday night in Chicago, and on WLWT (NBC) channel 5 against the Bears. If the 4-0 Pack beats the Bears, I think they'll win that division. This game is that big.

I want to see if the Steelers can rebound from a bad loss at Arizona. Hines Ward is out. But the rest of that Steelers offense should be able to move the ball on Seattle. And defensively, I think the Steelers can shut the Seahawks offense down. But, we'll see.

And, I want to see who wins the early season survivor game between the Broncos and Chargers. Denver is 2-2. San Diego is 1-3. They meet in Denver. Three teams in that division are 2-2 and the Chargers only one game worse. In a tight division race, this game is BIG.

And I want to see you watching SPORTS ROCK! if you live in the greater Cincinnati area. We're on every Sunday night after SNF, on or about 11:35pm. This week, former Bengals Dave Lapham and Eric Thomas join us. We'll have another visit from the "Wizard of Kenwood", and our Bud Lite Stats Girl, Audra, will be in with all the numbers from Sunday's games.

And Sunday morning from 9am-Noon, I'll be talking sports on 700 WLW. If you don't live in the Tri-State, you can dial me in on XM Radio 173.

The latest "Broo View Podcast" is posted. It's on my web site www.kenbroo.com. Go to the podcasts and more page. I'll break down what's really available to the Reds in the free agent market and you'll hear comments from the Bengals about their Monday Night Football meltdown against the Patriots.

Have a great weekend!