Well, I watched Tech take apart the Elon Fightin’ Wes Durhams Phoenix earlier tonight. It’s nice having a point guard again.

That said, I hear they have some college kids tossing an oblate spheroid on TV this weekend, so let’s get to it.

As always, time are eastern and coverage reflects game show on our cable network at GT. You mileage may vary (i.e., pretty sure Alabama is getting a different 3:30 ABC game).

Noon:

• Georgia Tech @ UNC (affiliate list): A Tech win here clinches a spot in the ACC title game and will mark the first time Tech has won more than 7 games in the Chan Gailey era. I’m moderately excited about this.
• Minnesota @ Michigan St. (ESPNU): I just don’t really have anything funny to say about John L. Smith anymore.
• Wisconsin @ Iowa (ESPN): If things fall a certain way, Wisconsin could be looking at a BCS bid. Iowa’s pretty much boned in that department though, and I’ll leave it to Ehren to tell you why. 😉
• Cincinnati @ West Virginia (ESPN2): WVU looks to stay alive in the Big East race. Have to always like WVU at home, even if it is a day game.

12:30:

• Georgia @ Auburn (affiliate list): AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….I’m sorry, that’s me every time I remember Georgia’s record against Vandy and Kentucky this year (0-2). When was the last time The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry was played on LF/JP Sports?
  Also, here’s a trivia question for you: Auburn has played Georgia 109 times. It has played only two other teams more than 80 teams, having played one 86 times and the other 82 times. Without looking it up (obviously), who were they? (Answer in the comments.)
• Baylor @ Oklahoma St. (FSN): Why?

2:00: Colorado St. @ Utah (Versus): Why am I listing this? Beats me. Utah looks to maintain it’s shot at going to a bowl again. Or something.

3:30:

• Miami @ Maryland (ABC): Will Miami be able to get up for this game? Or will they be fired up? They can still salvage their season and knock UMD out of contention in the Atlantic. But The Fridge seems to have recaptured some of the old magic…this game won’t be middling. It’ll be a blowout for UMD or a really tight game.
• South Carolina @ Florida (CBS): The Visor steps into the Swamp again. Unfortunately for him, he is going to be on the USC sideline. UF rolls.
• Kent St. @ VPI (EPSNU): Tin soldiers and Beamer’s comin’…
  Sorry, that was probably in bad taste. Nonetheless, VPI rolls.
• Michigan @ Indiana (ESPN): A trap game if there ever was one. Indiana has looked decent at times this season. Michigan is essentially playing for the national title next week. But the maize and gold need to remember it’s one at a time.

7:00:

• Duke @ BC (ESPNU): People say ESPNU broadcasts games that wouldn’t ordinarily be televised. Sometimes I wonder if that’s really a good thing.
• Tennessee @ Arkansas (ESPN2): How was this not the 7:45 ESPN game? Lunacy. Auburn fans will be cheering like hell for Tennessee and LSU over the next few weeks. If Arkansas wins, they have the SEC West pretty much wrapped up. Since it’s @Ark, I like them.

7:45: Alabama @ LSU (ESPN): Once again, how was this the 7:45 game and the UT@Ark game the 7:00 game? Alabama sucks, and doesn’t stand a chance down in the craziness that is Baton Rouge on gameday. Geaux Tigers!

8:00: Wake Forest @ FSU (ABC): Ordinarily, this would look like an easy game for the ‘Noles. Ordinarily. The ACC is just tops-turvy this year – usually UMD vs. UM and FSU vs. WF are expected to decided in favor of the teams from Florida…..

10:15: Oregon @ USC (FSN): If Oregon beats USC here, they give Cal a 2 game lead in the Pac-10, nearly clinching a Rose Bowl bid for the Bears.

Here’s Chris Fowler praying that I wouldn’t expose ESPN’s defense of the Big East as unreasonable. Nice try, Chris.

Even if Rutgers had a halfway respectable schedule, I seriously doubt they could muscle their way to second place of the undefeated/one-loss heap. Texas A&M doesn’t have the defense to stop Texas in Austin, and the Longhorns won’t lose to the Big 12 North champion, either. Florida, Arkansas, and Auburn are in a weird SEC triangle that will produce at least one one-loss team. Since those four teams are all above Rutgers in the BCS standings, even a decisive victory at West Virginia couldn’t put the Knights into the title game. And I didn’t even mention the possibility of an Ohio State/Michigan rematch.

They haven’t been as dominant in the ACC, but the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College left the Big East with nothing more than a few posers and a bunch of nobodies. If you look at their records, Rutgers, Louisville, and West Virginia don’t look so great after all.

With the Rutgers win tonight, here’s the lo-down:

Assume UF continues to run the table. Their current strength in the computers will keep them up and put them in the title game.

Assume the following auto-bids and at-large selection by the Rose:
Rose: USC/Cal winner vs. Michigan/OSU loser
Fiesta: Texas
Orange: ACC winner
Sugar: 2 at-large slots

The Sugar loses the #2 team (UF) to the title game, so they get the first two picks (they already had the first pick after the title-game compensation). Boise State (if they win out) and the Big East winner must be picked by someone. However, the Sugar would have a chance to match up Auburn and Notre Dame for the first time.

So the Orange gets the next pick. They take the Big East winner, and then the Fiesta gets stuck with Boise St.

There’s a chance Notre Dame losing again would knock them out of the top 14, but I have my doubts about that.

Just an FYI, I updated the bowl predictions already. I’d elaborate on them, but, eh, a few days have already passed. Just know, Hawaii accepted their bid to the Hawaii Bowl and Navy will go to Charlotte for the Car Care Bowl.

That said, I’d like to take a minute to step back from our football discussion.

Ismail Mohammed – still the man

Yup, that’s right folks, Georgia Tech’s basketball season begins this Friday against Elon. It won’t be broadcast, but I’ll be there – a great start to a hopefully great weekend.

In case you didn’t know (which I doubt, considering the places this is linked to), Tech has a lot of lofty expectation this year. I’ve been told that our new PG, Javaris Crittendon, is the real deal (as in, he passes to people and doesn’t turn the ball over all the time). Thad Young is, of course, also the real deal and we’ll be lucky to have him after this season. The upside of being so young last year is that several of those guys are back this year, giving us what is now one of the most experienced squads in the conference.

I’m not sure what to expect, but it’s sure a heck of a lot better than 11-17. I’ll have a report Friday night as I put up the TV Guide.

Considering that it was the beginning of a two-week lead-in to Michigan’s visit to Ohio State, last weekend was pretty good. The best game of the day was probably LSU at Tennessee, two teams that had little to play for but pride and an unlikely BCS berth. JaMarcus Russell was super-clutch in the final drive of the game. The senior delivered a bullet to Early Doucet (who was right on time, nyuk nyuk nyuk) for the winning touchdown with nine seconds remaining.

Ohio State and Michigan both survived scares against much lesser opponents. Who would have thought that Illinois and Ball State could give the top two teams in the country a run for their money? The Buckeyes and Wolverines will probably pummel Northwestern and Indiana to make up for last weekend’s embarrassment. In other Big Ten (Eleven?) news, Joe Paterno is still alive and well after being knocked over by a Nittany Lion receiver Saturday. If any complications do arise, Penn State won’t need him to coach their weekend romp of Temple.

The Pac-10 is looking much more interesting than it has the last three years. If USC loses its first home game in a while to Oregon, then Cal can coast to the conference championship, win at USC or not. (I doubt 4-5 Arizona or 0-9 Stanford will pose any serious problems for the Bears.) The Big East is unsettled, too. Louisville beat West Virginia 44-34 in a battle of running and passing offenses. Hopefully, the Cardinals will lose to Rutgers this Saturday. If they don’t, I’m praying for a Ohio State/Michigan rematch in January.

In the ACC, Maryland and Wake Forest pulled off rather exciting upsets against Clemson and Boston College, respectively. Although both are in the driver’s seat of the ACC Atlantic Division, neither is guaranteed a trip to face Georgia Tech in December. The Terrapins and Demon Deacons have some work to do before their November 25 showdown. Maryland hosts Miami, then travels to Boston College. Wake Forest travels to Florida State before hosting Virginia Tech.

The ACC isn’t the only conference with a weird divison race. Florida clenched the East with a win over Vanderbilt, since Tennessee lost twice and Georgia underwent self-destruction. This year’s incarnation of the Oldest Rivalry in the South, the Auburn/Georgia game, is actually set to kick off at 11:30 AM Central. It’s not even on CBS; it’s on Lincoln Financial Sports. If that’s not an indication of how bad Georgia is, I don’t know what is. I’m hoping Auburn doesn’t completely embarrass themselves by losing to the Bulldogs.

Elsewhere in the SEC, LSU is preparing to destroy Alabama in Baton Rouge. Last year, the Tigers went to Tuscaloosa and exposed the #3 Crimson Tide squad as overrated. This year, there’s nothing to expose. (Losing to 3-7 Mississippi State makes your strength pretty obvious.) Tennessee goes to Arkansas to find out if the Razorbacks are really a new conference power. The Vols need to win to keep Auburn’s SEC (and probably national) championship hopes alive. I bet Kenton $5 that Arkansas would lose the two games required for Auburn to win the West, so you know I’ll be watching this game when I get out of Jordan-Hare.

Arkansas could have lost last weekend, but South Carolina threw away their chance. On the last play of the first half, two Gamecock defenders bounced a pass into the hands of Marcus Monk for a Razorback touchdown. Later, the Gamecock defense seemed unable to defend Monk, who might as well have had a target on his jersey whenever Casey Dick was in the pocket. Down 20-26 late in the fourth, Blake Mitchell began what looked to be a comeback drive, but a quick switch to zone by the Razorback secondary tricked him into throwing an interception.

Just one more week until the three week stretch of rivalries and conference championships begins. I’m excited to see how this season ends, and I think the finale will be worth the wait.