College Football Pick Special: Thursday Night BCS Buster Showdown

Hey, football friends!

Tonight’s game between No. 8 Utah and No. 12 TCU is shaping up to be the BCS Buster Showcase game of the season.

If Utah wins tonight, the Utes will continue to be the highest ranked non-BCS team in the nation. They will also be just two games away from an undefeated season, with only San Diego State and BYU remaining on their schedule. A win could have national impact. A loss could also have national impact, though not of the kind the die-hard Utes I know are hoping for.

If TCU wins, the Horned Frogs will walk away the Mountain West Conference Champion. They will have one game left (vs. Air Force). Even if TCU loses that game, it would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Utes and the Cougars of BYU.

The Utes have got to want this more. It just stands to reason. They are hungrier. They have something to prove. They are this season’s BCS stepchild.

Not a member of the chosen six BCS conferences, yet undefeated and ranked below several one-loss teams. Feeling like they can compete with the USCs and Floridas and Texases of the world and, thus far, not getting a chance to prove it. (In USC’s case, not getting a chance to prove it since the Utes beat up on USC in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl during Pete Carroll’s inaugural season. A game Your Gridiron Goddess, Stephen of Your Fantasy Football Reality Check, and our Dad attended.)

Both Utah and TCU are fighting for an at-large bid to a BCS bowl.

Utah needs to look out for TCU’s speed. The Frogs will be the fastest team the Utes have faced all season. This team speed could be where the are Utes tripped up. The Horned Frogs rank first nationally against the run, first in sacks, second in total defense, and third in scoring defense.

Don’t count Utah out, though. That would be a huge mistake. The Utes have some speed on their side, and look for them to come out and establish the run in order to generate some big plays. Utah is counting on the fact that no team has really brought out a running game against TCU this season.

The Utes are 2-1 against TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the MWC. TCU’s lone win was a 23-20 overtime decision. The Utes won, 27-20, the last time the game was played in Rice-Eccles stadium in 2006.

Now for the Thursday night CFB Pick

UTAH over TCU

-Your Gridiron Goddess