By Mark Walters
So after a normal (When I say normal, I mean run-of-the-mill and basic. By this season's standards, a "normal" week would involve several upsets and ridiculously crazy games. So let's just go with normal as we know it outside of college football.) week of games that didn't put so much as a dent in the BCS standings (only one team-Ohio State replaced by Georgia-fell from the top 10), this week looks to shake things up a little.
Penn State can clinch a berth to the Rose Bowl with a win over Michigan State in Happy Valley. I like the Nittany Lions in this one, but the Spartans spell trouble for Joe Paterno's team. It's a battle for the Land Grant Trophy, and Michigan State is one of two teams that Penn State meets every year, Ohio State the other. Sitting at 15th in the BCS standings, watch out for Sparty at Beaver Stadium as it attempts to make a bid for Pasadena.
The marquee game of Rivalry Week is actually not a storied rivalry at all, but rather Oklahoma hosting Texas Tech in a poor-man's Red River Shootout. This game, however, will somehow determine who plays in the Big XII title game against Missouri. A Sooners win would make them, Texas Tech and Texas all 6-1 in the conference. I have no clue what the tie-breaker would be, but I'm all about madness and upsets, so I'm gonna go for Bob Stoops' team in this one. After having their hearts ripped out by the Longhorns just over a month ago, I think Oklahoma has been pacing around like a fox outside a chicken coop, waiting for this chance to prove its worth.
Ohio State and Michigan are meeting in one of the nastiest rivalries in the nation. I can't remember the last time this game was only for pride, which is exactly what it is for this Saturday in Columbus. Ohio State has not lost to the Wolverines since 2003. Neither of the two enemies have won five in a row since the Buckeyes lost six straight from 1922-1927. This certainly isn't a lopsided rivalry, but Michigan holds the edge with a 57-41-6 record against Ohio State. I'm going for the maize and blue in this one. That's right, Michigan with my upset special of the week, and of the season for that matter. Only because college football is what it is.
Taking a mid-major look around the country, No. 14 Brigham Young is at No. 7 Utah in a highly-anticipated match-up that carries a lot of weight in the BCS-talk. Utah is undefeated and looking to crash the BCS like Hawaii did last year, and Boise State the year before that. The No. 9 Broncos are at Nevada Saturday, one of their tougher tests of the season. Could there be not one, but two mid-majors in BCS bowl games? Ian Johnson, one of the most underrated running backs in the nation, only has 539 yards this season, but he's got nine touchdowns and he's sharing carries with Jeremy Avery, who has 537 yards as a sophomore. Johnson could be the lone back for the Broncos and rush for well over a grand, but a two-back threat is, well, more of a threat to defenses. Reggie Bush and LenDale White, anyone?
In the Big East, the picture still isn't clear. No. 20 Pittsburgh is at No. 19 Cincinnati, which is actually a pretty big game. I gotta say, at this time of year, everyone goes after the top teams for the big games, but you can watch a hell of a game with a Pitt-Cinci, or a West Virginia-Louisville. Should the Mountaineers and Panthers both win, November 28th will be all the more meaningful as the two teams square off the day after Thanksgiving at Heinz Field in the Backyard Brawl, another nasty rivalry.
WVU has an interesting threat with QB Pat White running the ball. He has 586 yards on the ground to go with his 1,104 yards in the air. Noel Devine, a sophomore tailback for the Mountaineers, has 967 yards, impressive numbers for any back that splits carries with a mobile quarterback. Combined though, the two have run for just seven touchdowns, unimpressive numbers for any backs. It's a shame Steve Slaton bounced for the NFL. He could be helping West Virginia to a BCS title game rather than... Okay, so I just looked up his stats in the NFL, and he's actually having a pretty good rookie year with Houston. (701 yards, 6 touchdowns, and only one fumble.) Still, I'm all about kids staying in school.
In the SEC, Florida is done with its conference schedule and hosts the Citadel, which should be a laugh-fest. The Gators are probably already licking their chops two weeks before meeting No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game, which is guaranteed. That game has national title implications written all over it, much like Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the Big XII. It's a shame the Big XII South has to be so top-heavy. In 2005, Vince Young and Texas beat Colorado 70-3 in the conference championship game. 70-3! It was a joke to think that the best team the Big XII North could only send a team that lost by 67. But I digress.
ACC, who knows? It's shaping up to be Maryland and Miami (FL) in that championship game, but shaping up and ending up are two entirely different things. UMD has to beat Florida State and Boston College on the road. Due to their inconsistencies, it's a daunting task for the Terrapins. Miami has Georgia Tech tonight, then North Carolina State, each on the road. Both the Atlantic and Coastal divisions could, one way or another, potentially send three different teams. This is another example of great college football that too often gets swept under the rug.
The Pac-10, that conference that might as well not exist as far as East-coasters are concerned, is another one to keep an eye on down the stretch. As I said last week, if Oregon State can win out, meaning they beat Arizona in Tuscon and then take care of No. 24 Oregon in the Civil War, the Beavers go to Pasadena to play Penn State.
Now listen to this. A friend of mine that goes to Penn State was telling me he that at his cross country race where his athletic director was present, he overheard the AD talking about that scenario, and evidently the bowl selection committee would shaft Penn State, and take another Big Ten team so they wouldn't have to field a rematch of Penn State and Oregon State, which was a Nittany Lion thumping to say the least. I know it's hearsay, but it wouldn't surprise me. What they should do is play by the rules, but if that can't be done, they should shaft the Beavers since a Penn State-USC match-up would draw exponentially more attention and money (since that's all they care about anyway) than Oregon State against any team in the nation, let alone a second-rate Big Ten team.
Something else to chew on, Cal plays Stanford, the infamously overplayed "THE BAND IS OUT ON THE FIELD!!!" incident. (Yes, that needed all caps.) First of all, in this day and age Standord would have won because instant replay clearly shows that players were down several different times. What many people fail to remember is that this game was John Elway's last collegiate performance. He executed a brilliant drive prior to the infamous kickoff return for a touchdown that was supposed to be the game-winner for the Cardinal, but unfortunately for John, THE BAND WAS OUT ON THE FIELD!!!
As for me, I'll be at the Pitt-West Virginia game on Black Friday. My mental state, who knows? I know it's gonna be a blast, and a good look at tough, solid college football in the Rust Belt of America. It's gonna be cold and crazy to say the least. Hopefully I don't end up in the Monongahela River.