| Best of the Rest |
No. 3 Florida vs. The Citadel
Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
ET |
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Line:
No Line |
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As if Florida needs a tune-up game, it's getting a chance to stretch out its legs a bit more and to get the backups some meaningful work before dealing with the two-game run that'll decide whether or not the team is going to its second national title game in three years. This is the hottest team in the nation right now, winning its last six games by a combined score of 299 to 63 since the gag against Ole Miss. Citadel has played one FBS team this season, Clemson, and lost 45-17. It beat Chattanooga last week, but lost the previous six games. The Florida players are still talking about the Ole Miss loss. They appear to be locked in and they aren't taking any chances at this point. Uh oh.
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No. 7 Penn St. vs. No. 17 Michigan St.
Saturday at 3:30
p.m. ET |
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Line:
Penn State -14 |
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It's been 18 years since Michigan State last had a piece of the Big Ten title, and 21 since it has been to the Rose Bowl. Forget about Pasadena this year, Ohio State has to lose to Michigan for that to happen, but that doesn't mean the Spartans can't lay claim to a BCS spot with a win. Mark Dantonio's club has hardly been special. Even with Javon Ringer's Heisman-caliber season, the team doesn't do any one thing well. It's not a great passing team, there's no one other than Ringer for the ground game, and the defense isn't particularly special. The best win of the year was probably a drubbing of Northwestern, but the Ohio State loss put everything back into place.
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No. 8 Utah vs. No. 16 BYU
Saturday at 6
p.m. ET
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Line:
Utah -6 |
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It's always big when these two play in the most underappreciated rivalry in college football, but this is the biggest battle ever between the two. In 2004, when an unbeaten Utah needed the win to go off to the BCS, BYU stunk. In BYU's 1984 national title season, Utah was mediocre (as was everyone else on the Cougar schedule, but that's for another day). This year, Utah can secure its second BCS game in five years, and can at least argue that it should be in the national title discussion, with a win, while BYU, if it can pull off the upset, would likely leapfrog Boise State and be the top ranked non-BCS conference team ranked in the top 12. If Utah wins, the Mountain West title is cut and dry. If BYU wins, and if TCU beats Air Force, then there will be a three-way tie for the championship. If nothing else, the hope is for this game to be half as good as the last two. Two years ago, BYU beat the Utes 33-31 on a last-play-of-the-game scrambling touchdown pass from John Beck to Jonny Harline. Last season, BYU, down 10-9, needed a 49-yard catch by Austin Collie on fourth-and-18, a few pass interference calls, a personal foul, and an 11-yard touchdown run from Harvey Unga with 38 seconds to play to break Utah's heart for a second straight season. Those two were bad, but a BYU win this season would be even worse.
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No. 9 Boise State at Nevada
Saturday at 4 p.m. ET |
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Line:
Boise State -6 |
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Another year, another WAC title for Boise State. With a piece of the title already clinched, Boise State can win the WAC outright with a win, while keeping its desperate hope for a BCS bid alive. If Utah beats BYU, then the Broncos will almost certainly be left out of the party. BYU could fly up the rankings if it beats the Utes, but for now, Boise State has to take care of the supposedly two toughest games on its schedule: Nevada and Fresno State (although Louisiana Tech should be in that discussion). The Wolf Pack pushed Boise last year in, arguably, the best game of the season, a 69-67, four overtime classic that showcased the running of QB Colin Kaepernick in the tough loss. This year, Nevada has the nation's top running game and is on a nice two-game winning streak after beating Fresno State and San Jose State without a problem. However, the team has been flaky with inexcusable losses to New Mexico State and Hawaii. A win over Boise State would keep WAC title dreams alive and would secure a bowl bid before dealing with Louisiana Tech next week. The Boise State passing game will be better than the Nevada running game, and the Bronco ground attack will add a little to the mix, too. Nevada really is that good, but Boise State is just a bit better.
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No. 10 Ohio State vs. Michigan
Saturday at noon |
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Line:
Ohio State -20.5 |
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It's Michigan vs. Ohio State, and yes, as almost always, the game will have Big Ten title implications. However, this has gone from America's greatest rivalry game, one of the few yearly appointment watches for even the most casual of football fan, to an afterthought. There's no buzz, there's no excitement, and there are no expectations for anything other than an Ohio State blowout. So what's new? The Buckeyes have won the last four in the series and six of the last seven, but after the biggest battle in the history of the storied showdown just two years ago, and last year's storyline of it being Lloyd Carr's last regular season game, Michigan vs. Ohio State is just another game. However, while there might not be expectations, and the only reason anyone is talking about the game is to point out that no one is talking about the game, things could change in a big hurry and, one way or another, this could be one of the day's biggest stories.
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No. 15 TCU vs. Air Force
Saturday at 3:30
p.m.
ET |
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Line:
Air Force -18.5 |
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OK, so it's not the Holy War, but Air Force at TCU still makes for a pretty compelling Mountain West undercard to BYU's trip to Salt Lake City. The Horned Frogs return to action for the first time since suffering a painful loss to Utah. With rumors swirling about coveted head coach Gary Patterson's future in Fort Worth, the Frogs can still finish ranked and with a share of the league title with a win and a Ute loss to the Cougars. The Falcons are enjoying another fantastic season under Troy Calhoun, and will be bowling for a second straight December. Still, they've got something to prove after losing to Utah and BYU, two of the three heavyweights in the conference. Beating TCU on the road would serve notice that Air Force plans to compete for more than just a second-tier bowl game in 2009. For TCU, it's a new week, but the same formula for success. It'll stop Air Force in its tracks on defense, and get enough production from its own running game to pull away for a comfortable, double-digit win. |
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No. 18 LSU vs. Mississippi
Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET |
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Line:
LSU -5 |
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Is it really possible that Ole Miss can finish second in the West? Partly because the SEC stinks this year, er, uh, is down, and partly because Ole Miss is playing well, Houston Nutt has his team going to a bowl and with dreams of a very, very respectable nine-win season. To get there, his Rebels have to beat the Tigers for the first time since 2001. LSU has been quirky and weird, but it's still winning. Who gets down 31-3 to Troy? A 30-point fourth quarter saved the day against the Trojans. The team was good enough to take Alabama to overtime, but it was blown out by Georgia and Florida. It's been this simple: LSU has beaten everyone but the good teams. Ole Miss is a good team, and it might make the crossover to great if it wins this week. Ole Miss has the lines, the defense, and the make-up to pull off the upset, but Lee will be just good enough to get by while the receivers will make things happen.
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No. 19 Cincinnati vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh
Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET |
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Line:
Cincinnati -4.5 |
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From this point forward, every Cincinnati game stands to be the most important in school history. After beating Louisville in a quagmire last Friday, the Bearcats pulled to within two wins of their first Big East championship and the BCS bowl berth that comes with it. Since Syracuse is up next, it's safe to suggest that the title can pretty much be wrapped up at home this Saturday night. Cincinnati controls its own destiny in the conference, but so does Pittsburgh. The Panthers are one of three Big East teams with one conference loss, and will face the other two contenders over the next two weekends. Now that the program has finally broken through and become bowl eligible under Dave Wannstedt, it hopes to take the next step by beating out Cincinnati and West Virginia to the finish line. It's a good thing there's plenty at stake because this won't be the best executed game of the weekend. |
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No. 21 Oregon State at Arizona
Saturday at 7 p.m. ET |
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Line: Arizona -3 |
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Just two more wins separate Oregon State from a return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1965. No tiebreaker and no Trojan can get in the way of the Beavers if they just keep winning. The most unlikely of the BCS contenders, they're in the midst of authoring a remarkable turnaround after beginning the season with awful losses to Stanford and Penn State. Ironically, Oregon State could get a second chance at the Nittany Lions in Pasadena. Arizona has qualified for a bowl game for the first time in a decade, but is hardly satisfied. In fact, the Wildcats are more than a little embarrassed after allowing 55 points, their most in more than five years, in a wild loss at Oregon. While a strong finish won't mean a January bowl game, like this week's visitor is shooting for, Arizona could dramatically improve its postseason destination by getting to 8-4. At some point in late September, Oregon State morphed into the Pac-10's version of Alabama. It's not the sexiest team in the country, but it doesn't make mistakes, does all of the little things well, and just keeps finding ways to win. The Beavers are going to be challenged by Arizona, which is hungry for a statement win and is very tough at home. The 'Cats, however, will fall short.
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No. 22 Maryland vs. Florida State
Saturday at
7:45 p.m. ET |
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Line:
Maryland -1 |
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As the round-robin for the Atlantic Division title heads down the stretch, Maryland is enjoying the view from the head of the pack. The Terps delivered another gut-check win over a ranked team on Saturday, coming from behind to beat North Carolina 17-15. Although they haven't earned many style points this fall, all head coach Ralph Friedgen knows is that his team is two wins away from earning a spot in the ACC Championship. Just a half-game behind the Terps is Florida State, which had hoped to be in sole possession of the lead before stumbling at home to Boston College. The 'Noles remain a flawed and inconsistent program needing a win in College Park and a whole lot of help to remain a viable contender in the division. With a visit from Florida in the on-deck circle, they must stop the bleeding now or else it'll be an ugly end to the regular season. Maryland defies all logic. It has almost no star power, yet just keeps winning, especially at home and against quality opponents. The Terrapins will run their Byrd Stadium record to 7-0, seizing complete control of the division behind 80 hard-fought yards from Scott and a pair of field goals from Obi Egekeze, who's bounced back from a terrible start. |
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