Posted on 11/30/2006 2:29:05 PM PST by MikefromOhio
Weekend Thirteen cleared up the BCS title picture a bit. USC won convincingly against Notre Dame while Florida failed to get the style points needed to make a run at the Trojans and Wolverines. With Arkansas losing to LSU, Florida only theoretically has a chance at the title game. The weekend was not without surprises as Texas lost for the 2nd time in a row while West Virginia eliminated itself from Big East and BCS contention by losing to South Florida. The weekend also featured some great finishes with BYU, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee pulling games out late. This week is Championship Week. The conference championship games for the MAC, Conference USA, ACC, SEC and Big XII will be played. Each of those games, along with the Army-Navy game, is the feature this week.
The MAC champion goes to The Motor City Bowl in Detroit, MI to face either the 7th best Big Ten team or an at-large team. As the Big Ten is getting 2 into the BCS, it will be the at-large team. Central Michigan can score in bunches while Ohio is on a roll.
The winner of this game goes to the Liberty Bowl to play against an SEC school while the loser of this game will most likely be heading to Mobile, Alabama for the GMAC bowl against a MAC team (probably Central Michigan). Houston lost a close game to USM earlier this season while it was still in the post-Miami funk after nearly defeating the Hurricanes in Miami.
I cant believe Im actually going to pick this. Wake Forest is the better team. Georgia Tech has the weapons to win, but not the quarterback. Their defense will keep them in this game, but the pick is Wake. The winner goes to the Orange Bowl while the loser goes to the Chick-Fil-A bowl (formerly the Peach Bowl).
The winner of this game is going to the Sugar Bowl unless Florida wins big and something absolutely screwy happens in the BCS. Arkansas must win this game to get into the BCS at all. Otherwise, LSU is going. It comes down to if Florida will be able to score consistently or if Arkansas will be able to make some plays through the air. Special teams will play a big factor in deciding this game. That favors Arkansas. With LSU not playing this weekend, the loser of this game is probably relegated to the Capital One bowl.
The winner of this game is going to the Fiesta Bowl. A good old school match-up that will be played in the Big XII championship for the very FIRST time in the 10 year history of the conference. Since the loss to Texas back in October, Oklahoma has been on a roll. Nebraska, minus a slip up against Oklahoma State, has only lost to USC and Texas, which was a much better team at the time of the loss. I have to give the edge to Oklahoma. Bill Callahan gets too conservative in big games like this and I think the Oklahoma offense will be able to move the ball against the Nebraska defense. The loser of this game will go to the Cotton Bowl.
Army and Navy square off again. This year Navy is the home team. Navy is the better team but Army did almost knock off Texas A&M earlier this season. This game will win Navy the Commander in Chiefs trophy for the best service team. Navy is slated to go to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(2) USC (-13.5) at UCLA
USC 43 UCLA 17
(3) Michigan BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Rose Bowl
(5) LSU BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Rose Bowl
Connecticut at (6) Louisville (-27)
Louisville 42 Connecticut 21
(7) Wisconsin BYE
Next Game: Accepted bid for the Capital One Bowl
(10) Boise State BYE
Next game: projected to be in the Fiesta Bowl
(11) Auburn BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Outback Bowl
(12) Notre Dame BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Sugar Bowl
(13) Rutgers at (15) West Virginia (-10)
Rutgers 22 West Virginia 20
(14) Virginia Tech BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (Peach)
(17) Tennessee BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Cotton Bowl
(17) Texas BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Gator Bowl
(20) BYU BYE
Next Game: accepted bid for the Las Vegas Bowl
Stanford at (21) Cal (-29)
Cal 43 Stanford 7
(22) Texas A&M BYE
Next Game: accepted bid to be in the Holiday Bowl
(25) Boston College BYE
Next Game: projected to be in the Champs Sports Bowl
Texas A&M BYE
Next Game: accepted bid to be in the Holiday Bowl
Florida State BYE
Next Game: Accepted Bid to the Emerald Bowl
Oregon St. at (24) Hawaii (-7.5)
Hawaii 43 Oregon St. 40
This guy goes into a bar to watch the SC-UCLA game last year, and has a little dog with him. The bartender tells him to take the dog outside, but the guy tells him that the dog's a huge football fan. Curious, the barman relents and lets the little Tirebiter stay in the bar. Sure enough, every time the Trojans scored, the dog barked, wagged his tail and went nuts.
At the end of the game, when SC had won, the dog did a back flip! The bartender was amazed.
"That's great," he says, "but what does he do if the bRuins win?"
The guy says, "I don't know. He's only seven".
The Rose Bowl, if they lose their traditional matchup between Big 10 and Pac-10, get the first two available BCS teams of their choice. Even if USC loses to UCLA, which seems unlikely, they still get Michigan because they lost OSU to the BCS championship bowl. Then it's Michigan/USC.
If USC wins this weekend, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Florida could be a more attractive team to go against Michigan than LSU.
maybe but I actually find it more enjoyable to talk about several games at one time....
Just the way I am. If my favorite team isn't involved, I try to get several games going at once.
Drives the wife nuts but I can follow....
you're right to a point.
The key, however, is that if USC loses, chances are LSU is still going to move up into at least the #4 spot to clinch an automatic BCS bowl berth.
It wouldn't be the Rose, but it would probably be the Orange or Fiesta....
LOL
LOL
If I read an accurate article correctly, the Rose Bowl gets the first two choices period, and LSU wouldn't be automatically directed to another bowl.
If that's right, the Rose Bowl picks #3 vs #4 if they have half a brain.
yeah...
Look at it this way....
The Rose gets the Pac-10 and Big Ten champs.
USC is already the Pac-10 champs. If they lose, they go to the Rose. The thing is that if they lose, MIchigan will be in the BCS National Title game. Therefore, LSU will probably be in the mix, again, for the Rose Bowl.
I feel good for Detroit - they get to see some good football for a change :)
At the end of the first quarter
Central Michigan 7
Ohio 0
I am all about the Fightin' Solich's tonight!
LOL
I was wondering if you were going to watch this one :)
Have not missed one in 24 years and am going to be at the Rose Bowl for this one. I hope you are right. Having sat through one eight game losing streak (or was it nine?), I do not make predictions on this game.
But I am enjoying the current winning streak and hope that it continues for a few more games at least.
YES!!
Will Nolan go for it on fourth and 1/36th of a yard?
Talk about no guts.
Ye$, there $ lot $lot $ of rea $on $. Do I need to $pell them out?
yeah....
I think I am. UCLA can rush the passer a bit and does have the talent to force USC to throw the ball exclusively.
That's not a big problem for USC as they own a massive advantage on the outside as well.
But it was not always that way. Recall the Bruins one eight in a row not too long ago.
Call me a masochist, but I had to look it up. Those were some rough years!!
What the heck was I thinking??
One = WON!!
1981 USC vs. UCLA
Marcus Allen over 238 yards rushing, but THREE lost fumbles. Final score: USC 22 UCLA 21 (UCLA led 21-12 at one point). Blocked field goal ended the game.
Sometimes, God is a Trojan.
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