Not a big weekend -- which means something big is bound to happen
There is only one game this week between BCS Top 25 teams, so you might think this is a good Saturday to carve your Halloween pumpkin. But this is the kind of weekend that always seems to produce bigger upsets. So set down your knife, back away from the gourd and plop yourself down in front of your television to witness a potential Saturday of chaos.
Let's start right at the top. Mississippi State hosts top-ranked Florida and is a three-touchdown underdog. But the Bulldogs have been tough at home and are coached by former Gators offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, who should have plenty of inside info on his former team. Also, after two tough games in a row, and with Georgia next, Florida could have a letdown this week.
Texas has a trap game on Saturday, too, and against a more formidable foe -- on the road at Missouri. The Tigers have lost two in a row after a 4-0 start but still have plenty of weapons. Texas is coming off the tough win over Oklahoma, and has No. 15 Oklahoma State next week.
Iowa looks to extend its winning streak to 12 games and stay on top of the Big Ten when it visits Michigan State. The Spartans have bounced back from a rough start to win three in a row, and they look more like the team many thought could be -- a surprise contender in the Big Ten. Even though Michigan State is unranked, the Hawkeyes are actually a slight underdog.
Oregon and USC meet in a huge Pac-10 battle next week, but it won't mean quite as much if they don't win this week.
The Trojans play host to Oregon State, which is the kind of opponent that sneaks up and beats them once a year. Except they already picked up their annual stupid loss, and since the Beavers were the ones who handed them last year's stupid loss, it's not likely USC will overlook them.
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Oregon has to be careful, too. The Ducks are at Washington, where new coach Steve Sarkisian has turned around the attitude and the fortunes of the Huskies. Washington has played especially well at home, including a win over USC and a near-upset of LSU.
The one game this week that is certain to have BCS implications is TCU at BYU. It seems strange this late in the season to talk about a game involving non-majors having BCS implications, but the strength at the top of the Mountain West makes it possible.
Only one bid is guaranteed to a non-major team, and it goes to the highest-rated. Right now, that's Boise State, which is three spots ahead of the Horned Frogs in the Harris poll and two in the coaches poll. If it finishes undefeated, TCU will likely be the better team in the computers, but that only matters if the Frogs can get close enough to Boise in the polls. The Broncos will be a heavy favorite every time they take the field from here on out, so it will be hard for them to make much of a positive impression on voters. But TCU has the unique opportunity to make a big statement in games against ranked teams down the stretch, starting Saturday.
The Frogs are also fortunate this game comes on a weekend without many other big games going on, so most of the national attention will be focused on them. Unfortunately, the game is not widely distributed on TV, so voters, as well as you and I, will have to work hard to see it.
