With the President-elect making a call for the formation of a playoff system and ESPN locking up BCS rights through 2014, the talk of scrapping the current system seems to be intensifying as they do each and every year at this time.
While I'd love for an eight or 16 team playoff to develop, we have an unofficial four-team showdown this year. The title game in Miami is shaping up to be Big 12 champion vs. SEC champion (assuming Missouri doesn't win the Big 12 championship game). Texas Tech-Oklahoma on Saturday night will go a long way in determining the Big 12's representation in that game, whether it be one of those teams or Texas.
Florida and Alabama are already scheduled to duel in what should be a memorable SEC championship game in two weeks. Also on the horizon this weekend is the final week of Big 10 play, with the yearly rivalries such as Michigan-Ohio State and Illinois-Northwestern on tap.
We also have two of the big in-state Pac-10 rivalries with Washington-Washington State in a battle for the right not to finish the season at 0-9 in the Pac 10, and The Game between Stanford and Cal. BYU and Utah renew acquaintances as well as the Utes look to solidify their BCS chances.
WEDNESDAY 11/19:
Ball State at Central Michigan, 7 (ESPN 2)
THURSDAY 11/20:
Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech, 7:30 (ESPN)
FRIDAY 11/21:
Fresno State at San Jose State, 9:30 (ESPN 2)
SATURDAY 11/22:
Michigan at Ohio State, 12 (ABC)
West Virginia at Louisville, 12 (ESPN)
Indiana at Purdue, 12 (ESPN 2)
Syracuse at Notre Dame, 2:30 (NBC)
Washington at Washington State, 3 (FSN)
Boston College at Wake Forest, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Michigan State at Penn State, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Stanford at California, 3:30 (ABC)
Ole Miss at LSU, 3:30 (CBS)
Air Force at TCU, 3:30 (Versus)
Marshall at Rice, 3:30 (CBS College)
Illinois at Northwestern, 3:30 (BTN)
Cal Poly at Wisconsin, 3:30 (BTN)
Duke at Virginia Tech, 5:30 (ESPN U)
Iowa at Minnesota, 7 (BTN)
Oregon State at Arizona, 7 (Versus)
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 7:15 (ESPN 2)
Florida State at Maryland, 7:45 (ESPN)
Texas Tech at Oklahoma, 8 (ABC)
UNLV at San Diego State, 8 (CBS College)
SUNDAY 11/23:
Connecticut at South Florida, 8 (ESPN)
GAMES OF THE WEEK:
Texas Tech at Oklahoma
This one could be for all the marbles in the Big 12, folks. If TTU wins, they should lock up an undefeated regular season considering how they play Baylor next week, and would stand a win over Mizzou in the Big 12 title game away from a chance at a national championship.
If OU wins as I expect, it will throw the conference into disarray. The Sooners, Red Raiders, and Longhorns would all likely finish with one loss (assuming Oklahoma wins the Bedlam Game against OK State next week), and the Big 12 would award the division crown to the highest placed team in the BCS standings at the end of Week 14. The question then becomes whether OU leapfrogs Texas in the standings or not, seeing as how they would have beat a Tech team that Texas lost to.
We'll have to wait and see, but there is a major game to be played in Norman on Saturday night. This one, as most Big 12 contests are, will be focused on the respective offenses, and quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell. We've seen 56-20, 39-33, and 45-35 contests in previous Big 12 heavyweight battles this year, but this game may surpass those. The Sooners are averaging 47 points the last three weeks...in the first half alone!
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