A VIEWER’S GUIDE TO THE DAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Hurdle for Texas Tech

1. No. 2 Texas Tech (10-0) will play at No. 5 Oklahoma (9-1) tonight in what is the biggest game in Red Raiders history. It is also a chance for Texas Tech to shut up the skeptics once and for all.

Despite its 39-33 win over No. 1 Texas on Nov. 1 and a subsequent 56-20 demolition of No. 9 Oklahoma State a week later, there are still those who wonder if Texas Tech, which has the nation’s No. 1 passing attack (433.7 ypg), can take its high-flying act on the road and win. A victory tonight would put the Red Raiders into the Big 12 championship game for the first time. And if Texas Tech can follow a win over the Sooners by beating Baylor next week and winning the Big 12 title game, it will play for the BCS championship on Jan. 8.

But going into Norman and winning will not be easy. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is 59-2 in Norman. And the Sooners’ offense, led by quarterback Sam Bradford (3,406 yards passing, 38 TDs, six INTs), is as good as the Raiders’. Oklahoma leads the nation in scoring at 51.4 points per game. Texas Tech is third at 47.9 points per game.

This will be a wild one. Texas Tech’s passing defense is ranked 98th in the country, giving up 244 yards per game. Oklahoma is No. 93, allowing 238.1 yards per game.

This is the second time that Texas Tech has gone to Oklahoma with a division championship on the line. In 2002 Oklahoma destroyed the Red Raiders 60-15.

An Oklahoma win makes it very likely that Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech will finish in a three-way tie in the Big 12 South at 11-1. Only the BCS standings of Nov. 30 will break the tie and send one team to the Big 12 championship game.

SEC

2. Vandy aims high

Vanderbilt (6-4) won a tough game against Kentucky last week to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. You might think the Commodores are satisfied. Not a chance.

If Vanderbilt can win its last two games —- today at home against Tennessee and on Nov. 29 at Wake Forest —- it can post its first eight-win season since 1982. Win those two and win a bowl game, and Vanderbilt would have nine wins for the second time since the program started in 1890. Tennessee (3-7) has had a week off since losing to Wyoming 13-7 on Nov. 8.

With Tennessee’s talent, you would think this team would eventually wake up and play a good game for their lame-duck coach, Phillip Fulmer.

3. LSU thinks Cotton

LSU’s losses have come against the No. 1 (Alabama), No. 4 (Florida) and No. 11 (Georgia) teams in the BCS. Last week the weight of those losses almost crushed the defending national champions, who had to rally from a 31-3 deficit to beat Troy 40-31.

Now head coach Les Miles will try to get his team ready for today’s big game when it hosts Ole Miss (6-4).

Why is the game big, you say? The winner will have the inside track to the SEC’s bid in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2. Win today and defeat Arkansas on Nov. 28, and LSU will finish 9-3. A bowl victory would then give the Tigers their fourth consecutive season of at least 10 wins, something the school has never done.

4. Lambs to slaughter?

What do you say if you’re The Citadel’s coach? The Bulldogs (4-7), a member of the Division I-AA Southern Conference, have lost six of their past seven. Florida (9-1) has won six SEC games in a row by an average of almost 40 points. After hosting The Citadel, Flor- ida has a Nov. 29 trip to Florida State and a Dec. 6 showdown with No. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game.

The Citadel’s coaches and players say they won’t back down. “I believe all of our players have a desire to play at the highest level they can,” coach Kevin Higgins said. “They all really believe that they could play at Florida or South Carolina. They believe that in their heart of hearts. After we played Wisconsin last year, we had a lot of guys who said, ‘I can play at that level.’ “

ACC

5. Harper’s redemption

It has not been the senior season that Clemson’s Cullen Harper expected. The quarterback from Alpharetta was a preseason pick for ACC player of the year based on his 2007 performance when he threw 27 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Instead, Harper found himself benched and at odds with his coach, Tommy Bowden.

Bowden is gone, and Dabo Swinney took over as the interim coach. In the past three games under Swinney, Harper has thrown for 785 yards. He had a season-high 292 yards in last week’s 31-7 win over Duke. Defeating Virginia in Charlottesville today or South Carolina next week would make Clemson (5-5) bowl eligible.

6. Turtle power

When Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State 24-14 on Sept. 6, few thought the Terrapins would be in this position. If Maryland (7-3, 4-2 ACC) can defeat Florida State (7-3, 4-3) today at home, and if Boston College loses at Wake Forest, the Terps will clinch the ACC’s Atlantic Division championship. “Believing they can accomplish, this is starting to become a reality now,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen told the Baltimore Sun.”I don’t know if they believed this as much as I did.”

Maryland, which has defeated Top 25 teams six consecutive times, also can win the division by beating Florida State today and Boston College next week in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

NATION

7. Bearcats have a shot

Cincinnati (8-2, 4-1 Big East) has a long but undistinguished football history. The Bearcats started playing in 1895 and have played in 10 bowl games. But if Cincinnati can win its next two games —- against visiting Pittsburgh (7-2, 3-1) today and at home against Syracuse (2-8, 1-5) on Nov. 29 —- it will make its first BCS appearance, probably in the Orange Bowl.

8. Rose for Paterno?

Penn State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) might be out of the national championship picture, but it can send Joe Paterno to his second Rose Bowl today with a win over visiting Michigan State (9-2, 6-1). The Spartans, whose only league loss was to Ohio State (45-7), still have an outside shot at the Rose Bowl. They would have to defeat Penn State, and Michigan would have to upset Ohio State. That is not likely to happen. Penn State has won 26 of its past 28 games at Beaver Stadium.

9. Utes play for payday

A victory over visiting BYU puts Utah (11-0) into a BCS bowl with a payday of $4.5 million. Should the No. 7 Utes lose, it would be the Las Vegas or Poinsettia bowl, where the school will likely lose money on the trip. “A lot is at stake in this game; we all understand that,” coach Kyle Whittingham said. “It is the main reason the game is gathering so much attention, the circumstances we’re playing under. We have to keep things in perspective, play our best football, control what we can control and not worry about the post-season.” Utah is looking for its second undefeated season since the 2004 team, coached by Urban Meyer, went to the Fiesta Bowl and beat Pittsburgh.

10. Beavers building

If Oregon State (7-3, 6-1 Pac-10) wins today at Arizona and on Nov. 29 at home against in-state rival Oregon (8-3, 5-2), it will be heading to the Rose Bowl for the third time in its history and the first time since 1965 when Tommy Prothro was the coach. Oregon State takes a five-game winning streak into Tucson, where it has beaten Arizona three consecutive times.