Oregon Leads the Way: The week kicks off in Tempe, Arizona on Thursday night, with the Sun Devils of Arizona State, 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Pac 12, hosting number 2 Oregon. I won't be making a prediction until Friday, but this is definitely a big game for both teams. I hope the Ducks were paying attention to what happened to West Virginia in Lubbock last week. Similar team, similar situation. I think Oregon will lose one, and this could be it.
Three Tough Weeks in a Row for LSU: For the third straight week, LSU has a tough opponent. After squeaking by South Carolina to stay in the SEC West race, the Tigers head to College Station and one of the toughest venues, other than their own, for a visiting team to play. The Aggies needed every one of their 59 points to escape Shreveport with a win over Louisiana Tech. This one could be a dandy and also the makings of a great rivalry for years to come.
Can Va. Tech's Streaks Stay Alive: The Hokies have been to 19 consecutive bowls and won 10 games for eight straight seasons. Both streaks are in jeopardy if they can't navigate the next stretch of games against Clemson, Miami and Florida State. Ten wins are still possible if they win out and get into and win the ACC Championship game. The bowl streak is more likely to remain intact, but Clemson scorched the Hokies twice last season and the Tech defense really didn't show up until the second half last week against Duke. The Beamer staff has done a great job in October in recent years, but they really to step up their game this week.
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Big East Unfairly Ranked: Three Big East teams, Louisville, Rutgers and Cincinnati remain undefeated, yet are ranked 16, 19 and 21 respectively. That is simply ridiculous. Not much more to say about that.
Game of the Week, Without Question: Number 9 South Carolina needs to get it back together quickly as they travel to The Swamp to take on surprising number 3 Florida. The Gamecocks played well enough to win at LSU but let it get away in the end. Florida defeated LSU two weeks ago. The Gators benefit from a pretty favorable schedule, getting both South Carolina and LSU in Gainesville, as well as Georgia in their annual neutral field match-up in Jacksonville.
One That's Off the Radar: I mentioned the Big East earlier. Cincinnati, 6-0 and ranked 19, travels to in-state opponent Toledo, whose only loss came in the season opener by 7 points at Arizona. The Rockets are averaging 36 points a game, so the Bearcats had better bring their 'A' game if they want to escape Toledo with their undefeated record intact.
One That's On the Radar, Big-Time: Kansas State, now ranked an unbelievable number 4, has the misfortune to head into Morgantown to play West Virginia following the Mountaineers embarrassing loss to Texas Tech. Bill Snyder will need all of his coaching experience to come out of there victorious.
One That Used to Mean a Lot: The Florida State - Miami game, at least for many years, produced a victor with a legitimate shot at the national championship. Not so much anymore. But in the ACC, this game means a lot, as the loser will pick up their second ACC loss and be all but eliminated from contention for the league championship game in Charlotte. Florida State entered the season with aspirations for a berth in the BCS title game, but it will take a miracle for that to occur.
Can Alabama Stumble in Knoxville: The Crimson Tide head into Knoxville as the clear favorite to cruise to the BCS title game. But as Lee Corso says,"Not so fast my friend." Alabama is facing games against SEC West foes Mississippi State and LSU in the next to weeks. Can this be a trap? More importantly, do the Volunteers have the team to capitalize on any letdown by Alabama?
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