A VIEWER’S GUIDE TO THE DAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Swamp spoiler alert II

1. Two years ago Florida put itself in position to make a run at the national championship when Steve Spurrier, who had coached the Gators for 12 seasons, made his first trip back to Gainesville as the coach of South Carolina. Florida’s Jarvis Moss blocked a South Carolina field goal on the last play of the game and the Gators held on to a 17-16 victory. Florida went on to win its second national championship. “If I have a vote, I think that it’s the greatest play in the history of Florida football,” Gators coach Urban Meyer said this week. “It was certainly a monumental moment in my life and our program’s life.”

The same situation presents itself today as No. 4 Florida (8-1) hosts No. 25 South Carolina (7-3) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida has already clinched a spot in the SEC championship game against Alabama on Dec. 6. But after winning their past four SEC games by a combined score of 243-57, the Gators have their eyes on the big prize.

“Florida has a better team this year than two years ago,” Spurrier said this week. “Two years ago you felt like you had a chance because Florida was winning all the close ones. Now they are sort of blowing out people pretty regularly. Both of these teams are better than the two teams that played two years ago.”

SEC

2. First things first

Alabama fans have started making plans for the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Some are also taking a peek at the flight schedules to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, which is where the BCS national championship game will be played on Jan. 8. Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn’t want to discuss anything but playing host to Mississippi State (3-6). The Bulldogs have beaten Alabama two consecutive times. “They are probably two points away from being the second-place team in our division,” Saban said of Mississippi State, which lost to Auburn 3-2 and Kentucky 14-13.

3. Consistent futility

Just about everybody knows that Vanderbilt has not been to a bowl since 1982, the nation’s longest streak. What you may not know is that since 1982 Vanderbilt is 0-17 in games that could have made the Commodores bowl eligible. This season Vanderbilt is 0-4 in such games. Vanderbilt (5-4) will try one more time today at Kentucky.

4. Rebels aware of trap

Ole Miss (5-4) will likely become bowl eligible today when it hosts Louisiana-Monroe (3-7). This week coach Houston Nutt has placed a number of mouse traps around the football complex as a warning to his players: Don’t get complacent against the Sun Belt team that beat Alabama last season.

5. LSU QB quandary

LSU’s top two goals —- winning the SEC and defending its national title —- have gone by the boards. But it is possible for the Tigers to finish 10-3. LSU should win today when it hosts Troy, but the question is whether coach Les Miles uses Jordan Jefferson, the freshman quarterback. After Jarrett Lee’s four-interception game in last week’s overtime loss to Alabama, Jefferson looks like LSU’s future.

ACC

6. Swinney’s stumble

Dabo Swinney’s six-game audition to be Clemson’s next head coach continues today. Terry Don Phillips, Clemson’s athletics director, likes Swinney, who is considered to be one of college football’s better recruiters. But last week’s 41-27 loss at Florida State, a game the Tigers led 10-0, did not help Swinney make the sale. Perhaps taking a step close to bowl eligibility when the team hosts Duke would keep Swinney in the hunt.

7. FSU needs wins, help

If not for its 31-28 loss to Georgia Tech on Nov. 1, Florida State (7-2, 4-2) would have a clear path to the ACC championship game. The Seminoles must win today when they play host to Boston College and then win at Maryland on Nov. 22. Florida State must also hope that Wake Forest loses one of its final two ACC games against N.C. State or Boston College. Wake Forest holds the tiebreaker over Florida State by virtue of its 12-3 win over the Seminoles on Sept. 20.

8. Wake in driver’s seat

If Wake Forest (6-3, 4-2) can win its final two conference games and if Maryland loses once more, the Deacons will be in the ACC championship game for the second time in three seasons. Coach Jim Grobe is expecting a tough test today at N.C. State (3-6, 1-4), which knocked off Duke 27-17 last week. “N.C. State has finally gotten healthy just in time to play us,” Grobe said. “It will not be easy.”

9. Underdog mentality

Maryland (6-3, 3-2) was in the driver’s seat in the ACC Atlantic before losing at Virginia Tech 23-13. If Ralph Friedgen’s team is going to stay in the division race, it has to find a way to beat visiting North Carolina (7-2). Maryland has played well as an underdog, beating Clemson (20-17) on the road and Wake Forest (26-0) at home. They have not fared as well as a front-runner. “We have to decide what we want to be,” Friedgen said. Maryland is 4-0 at home this season.

NATION

10. Eagles play for 6-5

This will be the third consecutive year that Chris Hatcher, who was a fixture in the Division II playoffs at Valdosta State, will be spending Thanksgiving with his family in Macon. “I love my family, but I don’t like sitting at home during the playoffs,” said Hatcher, who is now Georgia Southern’s coach. The Eagles (5-5) will bring their season to a close today at Furman and need to win in order for Hatcher to avoid his first losing season as a head coach. “I’ve told our guys that the best we can be is 6-5 and we’ve got a chance to beat our biggest rival and be the best we can be,” Hatcher said. “We have a lot to play for.”

11. Buckeye danger

No. 11 Ohio State (8-2) is a big favorite today at Illinois (5-5), which was stunned last week by Western Michigan (23-17). But a year ago the Illini handed Ohio State its only regular-season loss. Illinois won that game because of the play of quarterback Juice Williams, who is catching some heat after throwing two interceptions against Western Michigan. But Williams is just too talented to play poorly two weeks in a row. He is seventh nationally in total offense (334.6 ypg). With 3,346 yards this season, Williams can break the school record for a season with 326 yards in his last two games. This one could be close.

12. Wounded Lions

Penn State (9-1) likely saw its national championship hopes disappear with last week’s 24-23 loss at Iowa. But the Nittany Lions can still go to the Rose Bowl by beating Indiana (3-7) today and Michigan State (9-2) next week. The visiting Hoosiers have won only one conference game, that an inexplicable 21-19 victory over Northwestern on Oct. 25.

13. Iowa energized

Iowa (6-4) beat Penn State at the buzzer last week and has now won three of its past four Big Ten games. (The only loss was 27-24 to Illinois.) If Iowa can win today when it hosts Purdue, Kirk Ferentz and the gang have a chance to beat Minnesota next week to finish 8-4. Ferentz is not making any bowl plans yet. “We had six wins last year and we were all sitting around the fireplace for Christmas,” he said. “I’m hoping maybe we can do a little better. We are going to have to earn it.”

14. ‘Horns still in race

When Texas’ schedule was set, the Nov. 15 trip to Kansas looked like a trap game. It still does. The No. 3 Longhorns (9-1) can get back into the national championship mix if No. 2 Texas Tech (10-0) stumbles next week at Oklahoma. Kansas (6-4, 3-3 Big 12) cannot lose again if it wants the Big 12 North to be on the line when it plays Missouri in Kansas City on Nov. 29.

15. Pelini can sneak in

Nebraska (6-3, 3-3), given up for dead after a 62-28 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 1, has gotten back in the mix in the Big 12 North after beating Kansas last week. If Nebraska can win its last two games at Kansas State (4-6) and at home against Colorado (5-5) and if Missouri (8-2, 4-2) loses its last two games to Iowa State and Kansas, the Cornhuskers could slip in the back door and win the division. With an 8-4 finish, Bo Pelini’s team could play in the Alamo Bowl.

16. Map to Pasadena

The whole world has USC penciled into the Rose Bowl to play Penn State. But if Oregon State (6-3, 5-1 Pac-10) wins its last three games, it will finish no worse than a tie for first place in the Pac-10. And because Oregon State beat USC, the Beavers have the tiebreaker and will go to the Rose Bowl. All of that goes away today if Oregon State loses to visiting California (6-3, 4-2), which fell to USC 17-3 last week.

17. Cardinal numbers

Don’t say that No. 6 USC (8-1) can’t lose today at Stanford (5-5). Last season the Cardinal were 41-point underdogs but won 24-23 to snap the Trojans’ 35-game home winning streak. Don’t expect USC to slip up today, not with the way the Trojans’ defense is playing. Only one team this season has scored more than 10 points against the Trojans and that came in the 27-21 loss to Oregon State.

18. Weis on offense

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis gave up calling the plays this season, and the experiment has not worked well. Last week Jimmy Clausen threw four interceptions and the Fighting Irish were shut out 17-0 at Boston College. Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator suffered a death in the family, so Weis will call the plays today against Navy (6-3), which has won five of its past six games.

19. Unbeaten Utes

It’s hard for the average fan to appreciate how much pressure is on No. 7 Utah. If the Utes (10-0) win their final two games, they are guaranteed an at-large spot in a BCS game. With the bid comes a check for $9.5 million that will be shared by the five Coalition (non-BCS) conferences. Utah barely escaped losing last week when it scored with 48 seconds left to beat TCU 13-10. “We can’t fall in love with ourselves and think we’ve arrived,” coach Kyle Whittingham said. The team visits San Diego State today.

20. Blue-field streak

Boise State (9-0) can clinch a share of the WAC title today. But the Broncos, ranked No. 9, are thinking about making their second trip to a BCS bowl in three years. First they need to win their last three games, including today’s at Idaho. Then they need for somebody to knock off No. 7 Utah. The rules allow for only one non-BCS team to get an at-large bid unless there are not enough eligible BCS teams to fill the slots. So unless BYU beats Utah on Nov. 22, Boise may be 12-0 and playing on its blue field in the Humanitarian Bowl.