Midway through season, unbeaten teams have great expectations

By R.M. Cox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

So perhaps Saturday’s games aren’t filled with great anticipation. Sure, in Dallas they’ll resume the Red River Rivalry. And the fever couldn’t be higher than at Bobby Dodd Stadium, where the Techs from Virginia and Georgia will battle to gain an upper hand in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

But that does not address the remainder of the teams with great expectations. After Boise State’s victory Wednesday and Cincinnati’s victory Thursday, there are eight unbeaten major-college teams as the season hits the midway point.

That’s where we kick off  Saturday, with the other six unbeatens still angling for a perfect season.

No. 20 Oklahoma (3-2) vs. No. 3 Texas (5-0), noon, ABC: A year ago, Texas and Colt McCoy pinned a 45-35 setback on Oklahoma and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. It meant nothing. The Sooners proceeded to win the Big 12 and play for the national championship after a three-way tiebreaker kicked the Longhorns out of the mix. Texas coach Mack Brown has played down the revenge angle. “What you want to do is get excited about playing in this game; you don't have to be mad," he said. After missing most of four games, Bradford probably can’t repeat as Heisman winner, but he sure can cause headaches for the unbeaten Longhorns. They might be nation’s best chance to stop another SEC school from the national championship.

Arkansas (3-2) at No. 1 Florida (5-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS: The Gators don’t appear to have any regular-season challengers that they can’t handle. That’s what everyone thought last season when Mississippi slipped out of Gainesville with an upset victory. The Gators might not be as potent on offense, but their defense seems as strong as any this side of Tuscaloosa. Talk about anticipation: Everyone’s already waiting for Dec. 5 in the Georgia Dome: Gators vs. Tide.

No. 22 South Carolina (5-1) at No. 2 Alabama (6-0), 7:45 p.m., ESPN: All those who think the Gamecocks have a chance in this game are alums of the school and should know better. An Alabama blowout victory in Tuscaloosa, plus another narrow Gators’ victory could sway enough pollsters to boost Alabama to No. 1 in the first BCS rankings when they are released on Sunday afternoon.

No. 11 Iowa (6-0) at Wisconsin (5-1), noon, ESPN: The Hawkeyes keep things close and then usually find a way to win by creating turnovers. They are second in the country in takeaways and in the top five in turnover margin. If not today in Madison, Wis., the unbeaten streak could end next Saturday night at Michigan State.

Colorado State (3-3) at No. 12 TCU (5-0), 4 p.m., Versus: The goal would be win the Mountain West, slip past Boise State and gain a BCS bowl berth. Doubtful, but dreamers dream at the halfway point. After a narrow, icy victory at Air Force last Saturday, coach Gary Patterson still dreams despite falling out of the top 10: "I can't worry about [the pollsters]. All I'm going to try to do is be 12-0."

No. 17 Kansas (5-0) at Colorado (1-4), 7 p.m., SPSO: No team is playing with a bigger chip on its shoulder than this band of Jayhawks. And they’ll need to continue doing so, considering that they are staring straight ahead at Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas and Nebraska. The KU players are outraged at their fans, who continue to leave home games early. "It is disappointing when you're in a conference game and you're a top-20 team and you're in a close game where you could really use some fan support, and half the student section leaves," quarterback Todd Reesing said about last weekend’s Big 12 opener. Those fans left despite a 20-12 halftime lead over Iowa State.

Other games of interest

Wake Forest (4-2) at Clemson (2-3), noon, WUPA: A victory can put the Demon Deacons in control of the dreadful Atlantic Division in the ACC. A loss will leave the Tigers wondering if they did the right thing in hiring Dabo Swinney. This could be a trap game for the Deacons, who need to buckle their chinstraps against Navy, Miami and Georgia Tech the next three weeks.

No. 6 USC (4-1) at No. 25 Notre Dame (4-1), 3:30 p.m., NBC: The Irish have lost seven in a row in the series and can’t really be considered a serious Top 25 team unless they can halt that skid. With Boston College, Navy, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Stanford ahead, it’s premature to declare Notre Dame has rejoined the fight.

Kentucky (2-3) at Auburn (5-1), 7:30 p.m., ESPNU: An important game for the Tigers, who need to demonstrate that last week’s head-over-heels stumble at Arkansas was more aberrant behavior then indicative of future results.