College Football Week 6: In The Words Of George Costanza, "It's Thunderdome!"

Urban Dictionary, a great site for naive, white folk who, like myself, are from a rural area and currently live in an urban place, defines Thunderdome as "turbulent, utter mayhem; a state of violent confusion or commotion." 

After the way Week Five in college football went down, I think it is fair to say college football is Thunderdome.  USC and Florida lost to lesser opponents.  Georgia got creamed by Bama at home.  Wisconsin blew a 19-0 intermission lead against a Michigan team that could barely gain a positive yard in the first half, let alone even come close to scoring. 

On the topic of USC, I had a gut feeling they would lose at Oregon State.  It seems as if some Pac 10 non-contender trips them up each and every season.  I actually enjoyed watching them lose, not so much due to a hate of USC because I think Pete Carroll is a hell of a coach and hell of a guy, but more so because a lot of people were already writing them into the national title game. 

But with the utter chaos we are seeing once again this season, the Trojans still have a shot at that game in Miami on January 8, if they don't stumble again. 

For the time being, this is turning into a race of survival between the elite of the SEC and Big 12.  Unless Penn State runs the table or Ohio State doesn't lose again, the SEC and Big 12 champions very well could end up having a date in the BCS Championship. 

That is if the teams don't beat each other up during conference play, which considering the strength of each league, is probably a good bet.  I think Oklahoma, who leaped to No. 1 this week, has the clearest road.  Outside of  losses in 2005 and 2006, they've owned Texas under Bob Stoops. 

Texas Tech will give them a few nightmares, but nothing a talented OU squad can't overcome.  I wouldn't be surprised if both OU and Mizzou went into the Big 12 title game at 12-0.  Now that I think about it, I am going to stop speculating.  The season isn't even half over. 

I'm sure we'll see another Upset Saturday or two along the road to the first weekend in December.  And while the BCS system is an absolute joke, at least there is an endless supply of exciting, unpredictable moments, making college football the best game going today.  Yes, even better than the NFL.  This week's boob tube schedule:

WEDNESDAY 10/1:
Louisiana Tech at Boise State, 8 (ESPN)

THURSDAY 10/2:
Pittsburgh at South Florida, 7:30 (ESPN)
Memphis at UAB, 8 (CBS College)
Oregon State at Utah, 9 (Versus)

FRIDAY 10/3:
Cincinnati at Marshall, 8 (ESPN)

SATURDAY 10/4:
Penn State at Purdue, 12 (ESPN)
Iowa at Michigan State, 12 (ESPN 2)
Duke at Georgia Tech, 12 (ESPN U)
Indiana at Minnesota, 12 (BTN)
Kansas at Iowa State, 12:30 (Versus)
Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:30 (FSN)
Stanford at Notre Dame, 2:30 (NBC)
Kentucky at Alabama, 3:30 (CBS)
Florida State at Miami (FL), 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Illinois at Michigan, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Arizona State at California, 3:30 (ABC)
Texas Tech at Kansas State, 3:30 (ABC)
SMU at UCF, 3:30 (CBS College)
Navy at Air Force, 4 (Versus)
Auburn at Vanderbilt, 6 (ESPN)
Connecticut at North Carolina, 7 (ESPN 2)
Maryland at Virginia, 7 (ESPN U)
Texas at Colorado, 7 (FSN)
Washington at Arizona, 7:30 (Versus)
Ohio State at Wisconsin, 8 (ABC)
Oregon at USC, 8 (ABC)
Rice at Tulsa, 8 (CBS College)
Missouri at Nebraska, 9 (ESPN)

THIS WEEK'S BEST

Ohio State at Wisconsin

There really isn't much margin of error here for the preseason top two teams in the Big 10, especially with the way Penn State is playing.  Each needs to win this showdown in Madison on Saturday night. 

I watched Ohio State this past Saturday, and while they were playing Minnesota, the offense was much more cohesive than they were in previous outings against the likes of Troy and Ohio.  That has to be a good sign.  Wisconsin, on the other hand, has to pick themselves up off the mat after their crushing blow at the Big House and get ready not only for Ohio State, but Penn State next weekend. 

Expect this to be the classic low-scoring, three yards and a cloud of dust, defensive Big 10 battle.  I like the Buckeyes to win by a narrow margin, say between three and seven points.  Terrelle Pryor is already a difference maker. 

Oregon at USC

USC's quest to get back on the horse so to speak could not begin in a much more difficult way, as they face arguably the second best team in the league behind themselves. 

Oregon has had a bevy of quarterback injuries, but that has not slowed down the offense as of yet.  The defense is vulnerable, and I expect Mark Sanchez and company to exploit that and get backon track after the loss at Oregon State. 

Pete Carroll's squad still controls their own destiny, but they cannot have any more slip-ups.  Mike Bellotti's Ducks always give USC a challenging game, but I really expect the Trojans to come out and make a statement.  This game will not be very close if you ask me. 

Auburn at Vanderbilt

Either we've entered an alternate universe or Vanderbilt has finally learned how to be competitive in the SEC.  At 4-0 and with the Tigers coming to town, this is Vandy's biggest game in years, and that is why GameDay is making yet another stop in SEC country, to the chagrin of a lot of people up north (don't worry...I'm sure they'll be heading to Dallas next week). 

Everyone is jumping on the Commodore bandwagon, and while I'd love to see them end years of futility, I'm not sold quite yet.  They did beat Ole Miss and South Carolina, but let's see how they hold up against one of the conference heavyweights. 

I don't see them winning this game, but with smart playcalling and solid defense against a struggling Auburn offense, they should make it a nailbiter. 

Kentucky at Alabama

Last year, Kentucky's defense couldn't have stopped a middle school team.  This year, with much of the same personnel, they have given up two touchdowns and two field goals in four games. 

Sounds impressive, but the only team with a pulse they have played is Louisville.  Like with Vandy, we'll know if they are a contender or pretender after they get done with John Parker Wilson, emerging threat Julio Jones, Glen Coffee, and Mark Ingram. 

I have a feeling it won't be pretty, but who knows, Bama could be in for a letdown after the big win in Athens. 

Connecticut at North Carolina

To be clear here, no this is NOT a basketball game.  Midnight Madness isn't even for another couple weeks.  But in all seriousness, both the UConn and UNC football programs are on the rise and looking to steal the spotlight from their hardwood counterparts. 

The Huskies lost QB Tyler Lorenzen to a broken foot against Louisville, but if you haven't realized it by now, RB Donald Brown leads the nation in rushing.  And the Tar Heels are an average run defense. 

Ultimately, this game will come down to whether Carolina is able to slow down Brown or not, and if both team's backup quarterbacks are able to successfully master the offense while not turning the ball over. 


ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON...

Pittsburgh at South Florida

While the Big East doesn't get much street cred, if USF somehow can make it through league play unscathed, they probably should warrant at least some consideration for the national championship. 

But back to what's really important for the time being, and that is a visit from Pitt.  The Panthers are still not firing on all cylinders, as witnessed by the fact they struggled with Syracuse.  Let's see if Wannstedt has them ready to go tomorrow night. 

Oklahoma at Baylor
Don't laugh, folks: be wary Oklahoma.  Be very wary.  While the Bears have been practically bullied by OU for the past 12 years, Baylor has a star in the making at QB in true freshman Robert Griffin. 

He almost led this team to a victory over a good UConn team on the road two weeks back.  If Ole Miss can go into the Swamp and win, why not Baylor upsetting Oklahoma?

Illinois at Michigan

Michigan's improbable comeback against Wisconsin very well may have saved a floundering season.  I certainly would love to know what Rich Rod said to those young men at halftime, if anything.  Illinois comes to town this week, and while we know what they can do, this is a team sitting at 2-2 without a truly impressive victory through the first month. 

Florida State at Miami (FL)

This game may not be what it once was on the national scene, but the Seminoles and Hurricanes will still play each other as if this were for the BCS title.  Both teams are showing signs of improvement in 2008, but as proven by FSU's loss to Wake two weeks back and Miami's heartbreaking defeat last week against UNC, there is still a way to go before either can return to the nation's elite. 

Navy at Air Force

Any time two of the service academies get together, it is a special occasion, especially when the two teams are pretty good.  Navy's win against Wake Forest last week was their first over a ranked opponent since 1985, while Air Force nearly upset Utah before a bye week, falling 30-23 in Colorado Springs. 

Texas at Colorado

Like their opponent in next week's Red River Shootout, the Longhorns better not overlook this Big 12 road opener.  Colorado, sluggish performance at Florida State aside, is one of the most improved teams in the country, and will give Texas a fight.  They also beat those Oklahoma Sooners in Boulder a year ago. 

Rice at Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane are averaging nearly 55 points a game, making the Owls' 42 points per game average look pedestrian.  One thing is for sure in this battle between Todd Graham's former team and his current one: this will be a high-scoring affair that could end up deciding the C-USA West Division. 

Missouri at Nebraska

Judging by last week's performance against an average Virginia Tech offense, the Blackshirts still have a ways to go.  Now they have to face an offense worthy of big-time carnage in Missouri. 

The Tigers should be wary, however: Nebraska has owned this "rivalry" over the many years these teams have gone up against each other as members of the Big 8/Big 12.