But First a Little Baseball: Major League Baseball, despite the contrived nature of the extra wild card team and game in each league, should certainly be pleased with the playoffs as they have transpired so far. All five divisional series will have gone to a fifth game, with last inning heroics and walk-off fireworks. In addition, most of the action has taken place when people are actually awake to watch it. Hopefully today's games continue the trend and we will all be on the edge of our seats, waiting to see who will advance to the series that will determine this year's World Series participants. My hope is that the Nats and O's both advance, giving us a couple of teams that haven't been there in recent memory.
The Games Everyone is Talking About:
3 South Carolina at 9 LSU - If last week's results are any indication, then the Gamecocks will shred the Tigers. However, this is the SEC, last week's LSU loss came at the Swamp in Gainseville and visitors generally have a much tougher time in Baton Rouge. The bigger injustice here is the schedule. Why does Alabama get Missouri and Tennesse, while it's chief rival for the SEC West ends up with Florida and South Carolina in back-to-back weeks? South Carolina 20 LSU 14
15 Texas vs. 13 Oklahoma in Dallas - Okay, so maybe this game doesn't have as huge of a national relevance as it has at times in the past, but a one-loss team may very well end up in the BCS title game. Either of these teams could still run the table, given the fact that the only Longhorn loss was to number 5 West Virginia by a touchdown. Oklahoma 28 Texas 27
17 Stanford at 7 Notre Dame - I hate to admit it, but it appears that Notre Dame is for real. I keep waiting for them to stub their toe, but it just hasn't happened yet. Their defense is tough and they score enough points to win. They should be fired up for a tough Stanford team. I don't see a Cardinal win as out of the question, but I'm sticking with the Irish until they let me down. Notre Dame 30 Stanford 17
1 Alabama at Missouri - The Crimson Tide has too much offense, too much defense and too much special teams for an over-matched Tiger team. All I can say is "Welcome to the SEC, Missouri." Alabama 34 Missouri 13
6 Kansas St. at Iowa St. - Okay, maybe everyone isn't talking about this game, but who would have thought at the beginning of the season that ANYONE would have been talking about it. Iowa St.? Really? The Cyclones are usually so far off the radar the Big 12 even forgets they exist. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but nationally they haven't counted much, with the exception of an occasional upset of one of the conferences pretenders for the national championship. Could this be a trap game for Bill Snyder's Wildcats? Possible, but not probable. Kansas St. 31 Iowa St. 14
5 West Virginia at Texas Tech - I have a feeling Tommy Tubberville has some surprises for West Virginia, but unless it includes a 6 inch high playing field that is soaked to resemble a rice paddy, I wouldn't give them much chance to stop the Mountaineers. I wouldn't be surprised to see West Virginia in the BCS title game come January. West Virginia 42 Texas Tech 31
Some Games Some People Are Talking About:
10 Oregon St. at BYU - Ordinarily I wouldn't give BYU much of a shot here, but it's been a while since the Beavers were in the national mix. BYU has enough to give them trouble and make it close in the fourth quarter. I'm going with the upset here. BYU 31 Oregon St. 30
22 Texas A&M at 23 Lousiana Tech - Don't look now, but Louisiana Tech is undefeated and the Aggies may be their last obstacle to an undefeated season as they finish up against a very depleted Western Athletic Conference schedule. The Bulldogs are coming off wins at Illinois and Virginia, and granted those aren't exactly BCS powerhouses, but it still gives La. Tech the confidence to be able to play with teams like Texas A&M. I think the Aggies have too much for the Bulldogs, but this one could go down to the wire. Texas A&M 34 La. Tech 30
Tennessee at 19 Mississippi State - Tennessee isn't great, but I think this should give us an idea about just how good Dan Mullen's current Bulldogs are. Can they challenge for the SEC West crown? With Arkansas out of the picture, the crasher to the Alabama - LSU party may very well be Miss. St. I like them to win here and keep the dream alive. Miss. St. 27 Tennessee 17
Duke at Virginia Tech - Okay, once again, this one probably isn't being discussed much outside of the ACC. However, the Hokies have been to 19 consecutive bowl games and have won at least ten games for 8 seasons in a row, the highest streak among FBS schools. Duke comes in at 5 - 1, 2 -0 in the ACC. The Hokies come in at 3 - 3, 1 -1 in the conference and fresh off two consecutive losses to Cincinnati and North Carolina, putting both those streaks in jeopardy. I'm a die hard Hokie, so I can't go against my team here. But don't be surprised if this signals at least a temporary shift in power in the ACC. Va. Tech 24 Duke 21
4 Florida at Vanderbilt - I wrote earlier in the week that this could be a trap game for the Gators. Coming off a huge win against LSU, Florida now has to travel to Nashville to take on an always game Commodore team. Sure, Florida should win this one easily, but this is why they still play the games. I can't bring myself to predict the upset. Florida 27 Vanderbilt 17
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