The last full month of college football is upon us with key games being played this weekend. Texas, Alabama, and Penn State are clearly in the hunt for the national championship, but neither school has a clear road ahead of them. A lot can happen on the gridiron, as several schools learned last weekend, who were caught looking past lesser opponents and suffered a defeat.

Among conferences, the Big 12 is making a compelling argument for being the best college football conference out there, but the Southeast Conference certainly isn’t about to be counted out. The Big East is going through an uncharacteristically bad year with its sole ranked team, #23 South Florida, sitting in sixth place in the conference.

Starting with tonight’s game, let’s take a look at who is playing and the stakes that are involved with this weekend’s major tilts:

South Florida at Cincinnati – Both teams are coming off of losses and needing a win to preserve any chance of bowl season redemption. At 1-2 in league play, South Florida has been the most disappointing team in the league, the one school that was expected to challenge West Virginia for the crown.

West Virginia at Connecticut – The Huskies won’t soon forget the 66-14 shellacking from the Mountaineers that did not cost them a share of the Big East title last year. WVU isn’t as strong of a team this year, but Connecticut isn’t either. The winner of this game has a clearer shot at taking the conference title.

Tulsa at Arkansas – The Golden Hurricanes cannot afford to take the Razorbacks for granted. At 8-0, Tulsa might forget that 3-5 Arkansas has kept the last three games close, even upsetting #20 Auburn on October 11^th. There is a good chance that Tulsa could leave Little Rock 8-1 if they’re not careful.

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame – This is a non-conference tilt for the Panthers who are coming off a 54-34 smarting at the hands of a rejuvenated Rutgers squad. Both teams have a lot to prove in November with Pittsburgh hoping that their season isn’t coming crashing down upon it like it did in 2006. As for Notre Dame, they’re still trying to bury the ghost of 2007 once and for all.

Florida at Georgia – The winner of this contest has a leg up on the SEC East and could still represent the SEC at a BCS bowl game by knocking off Alabama in the championship game. First things first: both schools have been playing exceptionally well of late, making this game one of the best of the weekend. Expect a last minute winner in a seesaw battle that will be downright electrifying!

Texas at Texas Tech – 8-0 v. 8-0 – it doesn’t get any better than this! #1 Texas will be playing their fourth straight game against a ranked team when the Longhorns face off against the #7 Red Raiders this Saturday. If the Longhorns win it, they’ll only have to face Baylor, Kansas, and Texas A&M before the Big 12 conference title game in December. But, the high powered Red Raider offense still must be stopped, something no opponent has managed to do all season long.

Meanwhile, #2 Alabama catches a break this weekend when they host Arkansas State while #3 Penn State gets a week of rest before finishing the season at Iowa followed by home games against Indiana and Michigan State.

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Tags: college football, sports

The second half of the college football season is in full force, with most teams having played at least seven games, with some already having gotten eight games in.  What happens on the gridiron over the next few weeks will determine conference championships,  bowl invites, and likely set up the game that everyone is waiting for: the BCS National Championship.

There are a number of top match ups this week including Oklahoma State at Texas, Georgia at LSU, and Penn State at Ohio State. Tonight’s match up between Auburn and West Virginia should be a good one, but both teams are out of the national title picture and are playing for a decent bowl game, with the Mountaineers still having a chance to claim the Big East title.

The following are my picks beginning with one of tonight’s clashes:

West Virginia over Auburn — Oh what might have been. All three of Auburn’s losses have been by five points or less, including a 26-21 loss to LSU in their fourth game of the season.  The Mountaineers are 2-0 in the Big East and can still win the conference, but beating a quality out of conference team is a must. WVU 33, Auburn 27.

Boise State over San Jose State — San Jose is a decent ball club, but the Broncos are playing as well as they did two years ago when they were the surprise team of the BCS. Look for Boise to win this one 34-21.

Kansas over Texas Tech — TT is favored, but the Red Raiders haven’t faced a ranked team all season. That changes Saturday when they face the Jayhawks, the first of four consecutive games against ranked opponents. In one month we’ll know if Texas Tech is for real or just a pretender. This Saturday I’m going with Kansas 30-23.

Texas over Oklahoma State – I would love to be at this game, because 40 points may not be enough to win it. Both teams feature an explosive offense and fans are likely to be treated to an amazing shoot out that won’t be decided until late in the game. Still, the Longhorns seem to be on a magical path this year, one that will take them to the BCS if they work their way through the tough Big 12 Conference. Texas 48, Oklahoma State 37.

Georgia over LSU — Last year, LSU lost two games and still won the national championship, but they won’t have a shot at it this year if they lose again. Unfortunately for them, the Bulldogs still think that they have a shot at it, even with a 51-21 loss to Florida. This game should be a lot of fun, decided as time runs out or in overtime. Georgia 34, LSU 31.

Ohio State over Penn State — I’m not anti-Nittany Lion, I’m really not. I think Joe Paterno is a wonderful coach who is building a terrific case for why he should remain at the Penn State helm despite his age. I think Penn State is better than the Buckeyes, a national championship caliber team, but I can’t see Ohio State losing at home to the Nittany Lions. Ohio State 34, Penn State 28.

Alabama over Tennessee – My late friend, Steve Shutt, was an avid Volunteer fan, but when he wasn’t pulling for Tennessee he rooted for the Crimson Tide. This was his favorite game of the year. The Tide will not have an easy time of it against 3-4 Tennessee, but I believe that they will prevail. Like Texas, Alabama seems destined to succeed this year so I’ll take Alabama in this one 30-21.

Tulsa over Central Florida — Small time college football or what they call “mid-major” can be fun to watch with the occasional Boise State shocking everyone and getting to a BCS game. I don’t think Tulsa is that sort of team this year, but with an 8 p.m. Sunday performance on ESPN, a lot of people will be able to see the #1 offense in the nation. Scoring 56 points per game, the Golden Hurricane wants to avenge a pair of losses to the Knights last year. I think that they’ll do that and with ease — Tulsa 61, Central Florida 21.

If there are a bunch of upsets this weekend, then the national title picture will suddenly cloud over, but I don’t expect that to happen. If Penn State wins this Saturday, then they’ll have a real shot at going 12-0. Beating the Buckeyes for the first time in Columbus since 1978 is a tall order for the Nittany Lions, however.

Tags: BCS, college football, college sports, ESPN, gridiron, sports