College Football Preview: Week 14

I know I am a little early this week, but with tomorrow being the last day of the workweek for yours truly, and travel to follow tomorrow night, now seems like a good time to post my college football preview for the upcoming weekend.

It's Rivalry Weekend folks! So grab a turkey leg, tell your significant other to go Christmas shopping, block out any annoying relatives, and sit back and enjoy some college pigskin. Oh, and be sure to enjoy the trainwreck that the BCS is sure to become between now and Dec. 6.

TUESDAY 11/25

Navy at Northern Illinois, 7 (ESPN Classic)
Western Michigan at Ball State, 7 (ESPN 2)

THURSDAY 11/27

Texas A&M at Texas, 8 (ESPN)

FRIDAY 11/28

West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 12 (ABC)
Ohio at Miami (OH), 12:30 (ESPN U)
UTEP at East Carolina, 1 (CBS College)
LSU at Arkansas, 2:30 (CBS)
Bowling Green at Toledo, 3:30 (ESPN Classic)
Colorado at Nebraska, 3:30 (ABC)
Fresno State at Boise State, 6 (ESPN 2)
UCLA at Arizona State, 9:30 (ESPN 2)

SATURDAY 11/29

Georgia Tech at Georgia, 12 (CBS)
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 12 (ESPN)
South Carolina at Clemson, 12 (ESPN 2)
Kansas vs. Missouri in Kansas City, 12:30 (FSN)
Auburn at Alabama, 3:30 (CBS)
Baylor at Texas Tech, 3:30 (Versus)
Florida at Florida State, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Maryland at Boston College, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN 2)
Houston at Rice, 3:30 (CBS College)
North Carolina at Duke, 3:30 (ESPN U)
Kentucky at Tennessee, 6:30 (ESPN 2)
Oregon at Oregon State, 7 (Versus)
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest, 7 (ESPN U)
Notre Dame at USC, 8 (ESPN)
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 8 (ABC)

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Texas A&M at Texas

Well, it looks as if Texas is the lucky Big 12 South team to enter the final weekend of the regular season the highest in the BCS standings, with the Horns, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma all tied at 6-1 in league play.

Seemingly, if they win this game and beat Missouri in the Big 12 Championship, you have to like their chances to be a participant in the BCS Title Game. IF they win this game.

I know what you are saying: The Aggies are 4-7. But they have beaten superior Texas teams the past two years. Anything can happen in these big rivalry games, and I cannot stress that enough. However, I expect Texas and Colt McCoy to come through against an awful A&M defense and end their losing streak in the Lone Star Showdown.

If Texas does struggle, you have to wonder if an impressive OU victory would catapult them over the Longhorns in the BCS.

West Virginia at Pittsburgh

Bill Stewart might be the head coach now as Rich Rodriguez tries to get Michigan back on the right track, but a lot of the players who watched a terrible Pitt team defeat the Mountaineers in Morgantown and end their shot at a national title a year ago are still with the program. That should add even more spice to this bitter rivalry between schools that are just 78 miles apart.

This year’s game features WVU trying to keep their faint Big East title hopes alive. They’ll need to win this one, beat South Florida next week, and hope Syracuse finds it in themselves to pull a second major upset in a row at Cincinnati.

Pitt, meanwhile, is playing primarily for bowl positioning, and of course, to knock off their hated rivals once again.

Virginia at Virginia Tech

Believe it or not, both ACC divisional races are pretty simple entering this weekend. If Tech wins this game, they go to Tampa. If they lose, Georgia Tech represents the Coastal in the championship game.

I would be worried about the offense if I was a Hokies fan entering a rivalry game that will determine if UVA is bowl eligible or not. They put up exactly one touchdown on Duke this past weekend. Virginia was even worse, managing just a field goal at home versus Clemson.

But you can always count on Frank Beamer’s defense and special teams to make a game-changing play, and I expect that will happen to swing momentum in the Hokies' favor at some point this Saturday.

Watch out for the Wahoos, however. As I said, they still need that sixth win, and they haven’t defeated their cross-state rivals since 2003.

Georgia Tech at Georgia

Georgia Tech’s fate as far as playing for a conference championship is out of their control, so they just need to go out there and focus on their rivals from Athens. Based on what I saw from the Yellow Jackets’ offense against Miami, they have a real shot to upset the Dawgs, even on the road.

It will be a hostile environment, so Josh Nesbitt just has to focus on making his reads. He was shaky at certain points on Thursday night but ultimately led his team to a resounding victory.

Georgia has had a week off to recover from the SEC grind, and with no title game on the horizon, should be fully focused on extending their winning streak in the Clean, Old Fashioned Hate Rivalry to eight games.

Auburn at Alabama

The Crimson Tide have not won the Iron Bowl since 2001, but they are an overwhelming favorite to end that losing streak on Saturday.

Nick Saban’s team can smell the showdown with Florida in Atlanta next weekend, with a slot in the national title game on the line. But they cannot overlook the business at hand in Tuscaloosa, or that SEC Championship Game may become a whole lot less important for the Tide when they roll in there at 11-1.

Auburn has been beset with problems all year, especially on offense. Tommy Tuberville needs a huge upset win just to get this team to bowl eligibility and get the critics off his back, who have been on him over the new spread offense that failed miserably this season.

The Iron Bowl is always a close, defensive battle, and even with an apparent mismatch on the horizon, look for Auburn to play Alabama tough for four quarters and make them earn that 12-0 record.

Florida at Florida State

The UF-FSU rivalry has lost some luster in recent years, especially as the Seminoles have fallen into mediocrity. In 2008, there have been signs that the future is once again bright in Tallahassee, as the team sits 8-3 on the cusp of an ACC championship game (and a fumble going into the end zone and campus fight away from potentially being 10-1).

What better way to say “We’re back!” than upsetting the Gators and hurting their hopes of making it to Miami in early January?

It won’t be easy, seeing how Florida has been absolutely giving it to their opponents since losing to Ole Miss, winning those seven games by an average score of 53-12—and they played both LSU and Georgia during that stretch.

It would be in Florida’s best interest for the Seminoles to give them a game on Saturday, because I know for a fact Bama will in Atlanta. I don’t think FSU wins, but they will keep it close for at least three quarters.

Not to shamelessly promote the Seminoles' noticeable gains as a program this season, but wait until 2009, folks. I have a feeling people will be championing this rivalry once again.

Maryland at Boston College

As is the case over in the Coastal, the ACC Atlantic race is pretty simple. If BC defeats Maryland, they are the Atlantic champions. Florida State, meanwhile, will be the world’s biggest Terps fans on Saturday, because they would take the division if Maryland happens to win in Chestnut Hill.

Chris Crane suffered a broken collarbone against Wake, so his absence may be helpful to the Seminoles’ hopes. Backup QB Dominique Davis did lead the Eagles to the winning score but had two fumbles returned for six.

Then again, the Terps looked horrible in all facets of the game against Florida State and may still be icing themselves after all the hard hits they took in that contest.

I know who I will be rooting for as a Noles fan, although I don’t see a clear favorite.

Oregon at Oregon State

They don’t get to celebrate their football program too often in Corvallis, but if the Beavers can upend the loathed Ducks on Saturday night, they will find themselves in the Rose Bowl for the first time in over four decades.

Easier said than done, because Oregon is 8-3 (6-2 in the Pac-10) and features a strong, balanced, spread-based offensive attack. For the most part, Oregon State’s defense has been a strong point in 2008, so it will be intriguing to see how they are able to handle dual-threat QB Jeremiah Masoli.

Boise State should be very interested in this game, assuming they defeat Fresno State to move to 12-0. If Oregon State wins the Pac-10, USC will surely get an at-large berth and squash any hopes the Broncos might have had of getting a second BCS berth for a mid-major.

If the Beavers falter, I think Boise State has to get thrown into the picture for the final at-large (it’s safe to say Utah, an SEC team, and a Big 12 team will all get at-larges into the BCS).

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma took it to Texas Tech, making a case to the pollsters that they deserve a chance at the Big 12 title and potentially a national championship. It still wasn’t enough to leapfrog Texas, so they are either going to: a. need Texas A&M to make Texas look pedestrian, or b. beat the living snot out of their intrastate rivals in the Bedlam Game.

I’m not sure either of those scenarios will evolve, so the Sooners just need to go out and play their game and not worry about the BCS situation.

The offense is basically unstoppable, and I was impressed with the defense against Tech (at least I was until the game became so much of a stinker that I turned over to FSU-Maryland). They will be challenged by the Zac Robinson/Dez Bryant-led offensive attack for the Pokes, so buckle your seatbelts for another high-scoring Big 12 contest.

OTHER GAMES TO WATCH

It’s rivalry weekend. Every game deserves to be watched!