Being a schedule maker for college football teams must be an interesting profession, though that job usually falls upon the capable shoulders of the school’s Athletic Director. Filling out the conference schedule is a snap, but when it comes to non-conference games against ever changing opponents, lining up teams and filling in dates on a calendar suddenly becomes quite a challenge.

This weekend will be the last weekend that some teams will see action unless they are bowl eligible. In that case, a game in December or one in January will extend their season, perhaps giving fans the chance to fly off to a warmer climate to enjoy local sites and a great game.

For some teams, what happens this weekend will have a profound impact on their season, elevating a handful to the upper stratosphere of college football if they win, while placing others in obscurity (or a lesser bowl) if they lose. Let’s take a look at some key contests this weekend and what the stakes are:

Michigan at #10 Ohio State – The Buckeyes are very much alive in the Big Ten race and could win the conference crown if they beat Michigan and Penn State loses to Michigan State. For the Wolverines, they’re playing for dignity because with eight losses (the most in the school’s 129 year football playing history) only a win over the Buckeyes can ease the pain of 2008.

#15 Michigan State at #8 Penn State – The Nittany Lions have recovered from their stunning loss to Iowa, but they still need to beat the Spartans this weekend to qualify for a BCS bowl game. Michigan State can move up in the rankings by knocking off Penn State, helping crown Ohio State the Big 10 champion.

#14 Brigham Young at #7 Utah – Any other year and this game might simply be played for bragging rights for the best team in the state of Utah. The Cougars slipped up badly when they lost to TCU but can achieve redemption by knocking of the Utes. For Utah, a win means a BCS bowl game, perhaps a shot at the national championship if things fall their way.

#20 Pittsburgh at #19 Cincinnati – Both teams will play regular season games after this Saturday, with Pitt still needing to beat West Virginia and UConn once the Bearcats are out of the way. The winner of this game takes over the Big East lead while the loser will probably have to settle for a December bowl game.

#2 Texas Tech at #5 Oklahoma – The Red Raiders of Texas Tech can ensure that they’ll face Missouri for the Big 12 conference title with a win and maintain their shot at playing for the national championship. Should the Sooners prevail, the Texas Longhorns will move up unless the Sooners wipe the Red Raiders off of the field.

What is the oddest match up this weekend? Why that would be 4-7 The Citadel which will take on #4 Florida Gators in the swamp. Ever since losing to Mississippi State by one point on September 27th, the Gators have rolled over every SEC opponent they faced. For FCS The Citadel, a sixty point loss is a real possibility this Saturday.

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Tags: college bowl games, college football, college sports, Football Championship Series

Whether you call it the NCAA 1-AA Football Championship or by its new name the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the Appalachian State Mountaineers have won their third consecutive title defeating the Delaware Blue Hens in convincing fashion, 49-21. The Boone, NC Mountaineers completed what amounts to be a truly historic season, one that began way back on September 1 when they shocked the then #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines 34-32 in Ann Arbor. The Mountaineers are the FCS first team ever to win three straight national championships.

Yesterday’s game was expected to be much closer than what it actually was, with Delaware fired up and ready to unseat AppState. Unfortunately for the Blue Hens, the Mountaineers were eager to complete what they had started out to do earlier in the year — win it all once again.

Delaware was never in the game as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 21-0 early in the second quarter. On the strength of Armanti Edwards’s arm and legs (3 td passes, 198 yards passing, 89 yards rushing) the AppState offense controlled the game throughout. Although Edward’s performance fell short of his record-breaking performance in last week’s semi-final contest against Richmond, the Mountaineers had all of the fireworks they needed to rout Delaware.

Two of the more notable plays by the Mountaineers included a 99-yard drive in the first quarter that put the team up 14-0 and a 60-yard bomb just before the half which effectively canceled out the Blue Hen’s lone touchdown of the first half which Delaware had registered less than a half of a minute earlier.

Delaware QB Joe Flacco had a decent game, throwing for 334 yards and one touchdown. However, when it counted the most, the Blue Hens could not keep up with the Mountaineers with AppState’s defense stopping Delaware deep in Mountaineer territory three times in the first half.

Congratulations, Appalachian State!

Tags: Appalachian State, college football, Football Championship Series, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA, University of Delaware