Finally a Saturday of football into which we can sink our teeth, filled with conference games that ultimately will determine the pecking order when it’s bowl-selection time. Let’s not delay.
Arkansas (3-3) at Mississippi (4-2), 12:21 p.m., WPCH: The better-than-.500 Razorbacks meet the disappointing Rebels, who are now only top 10 in the SEC rather than the nation. Cotton Bowl representatives will be calling the winner by Monday for credentials to games in coming weeks.
Tennessee (3-3) at No. 2 Alabama (7-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS: We're shocked, shocked, we tell you, to find out that the Crimson Tide may have been inadvertently cheating by using tape to spot field goals and extra points last Saturday against South Carolina. We're shocked, shocked even further to discover that Nick Saban didn't know that it was against the rules. There's a chance that Vols defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin can come up with coverages to confuse Tide quarterback Greg McElroy even more than he has been the past three weeks.
Clemson (3-3) at No. 10 Miami (5-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC: A big game for ... Georgia Tech. This may be the only remaining regular-season ACC game in which the Hurricanes will be challenged. A Clemson victory gives the Yellow Jackets a shot at the ACC Coastal title. A victory also will put the Tigers in a great position for a shot at the ACC title.
Boston College (5-2) at Notre Dame (4-2), 3:30 p.m., NBC: Catholics spar in South Bend, Ind., in the so-called "Holy War" between the only two Catholic universities that play Division I football. Boston College has won six in a row in this series and seven of the past eight, not losing to the Irish since November 2000, maybe the most stunning statistic anywhere in this section today. Not as startling is that Notre Dame hopes to get out of the series after the 2010 meeting. Ducking an ACC school isn't exactly the best way to get back into the national championship picture.
No. 6 Iowa (7-0) at Michigan State (4-3), 7 p.m., Big Ten network: The Spartans can work themselves into a great position in the Big Ten -- and pull Ohio State and Penn State back into the mix as well -- if they can stop the Hawkeyes, a team that keeps finding a way to win.
Vanderbilt (2-5) at No. 24 South Carolina (5-2), 7 p.m., ESPNU: The Gamecocks will be a suitable and fitting SEC representative for the Chick-fil-A Bowl if they can get back on track here and then win on consecutive Saturdays at Tennessee and Arkansas regardless of the outcome against Florida.
No. 1 Florida (6-0) at Mississippi State (3-4), 7:30 p.m., ESPN: The Gators have won 16 in a row and, oddly enough, need a statement game to prove that they are worthy. The only statement from this one would be if they continue to struggle on offense. The statement games will come against Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. Remember this: UF has lost its past four trips to Starkville, not winning with cowbells ringing in their ears since 1985.
No. 8 TCU (6-0) at No. 16 Brigham Young (6-1), 7:30 p.m., Versus: This is significant in the three-team Mountain West Conference race, which BYU leads at the moment. November meetings vs. Utah lurk for both teams.
Auburn (5-2) at No. 9 LSU (5-1), 7:30 p.m., ESPN2: Auburn, on a downward trajectory, has had its feelings hurt the past two weeks, and LSU has had an extra week to prepare. That's not a good combination for the Auburn.
No. 3 Texas (6-0) at Missouri (4-2), 8 p.m., ABC: Missouri has lost its past two games by 15 and 16 points, but the Big 12 upsets seem to come in these night kickoffs. The Longhorns actually didn't prove much last Saturday by nipping Oklahoma, but if they are to stumble against a weak schedule, it's either here or next Saturday at Oklahoma State.
The Big East
It's almost elimination Saturday in the Big East. At noon, South Florida (5-1) plays No. 20 Pittsburgh (6-1) and Connecticut (4-2) plays at No. 23 West Virginia (5-1) on ESPNU. Then at 3:30 on ESPNU, Louisville (2-4) visits No. 5 Cincinnati (6-0). Cincinnati controls its fate -- win out and play in a BCS bowl. Any slip by the Bearcats, who lost senior quarterback Tony Pike to an arm injury and surgery, will allow any number of teams to become the Big East champ. Pittsburgh technically leads the conference at the moment, and the Panthers host the Bearcats on Dec. 5 in the season finale.
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