* A huge weekend of college football kicks off on Thanksgiving night as the Arizona St Sun Devils host the USC Trojans. If Arizona St wins, they will finish at worst tied with Oregon for Pac-10 lead. USC needs to win just to stay in the hunt for the conference crown. Both teams are coming off a bye week. One problem Arizona St has is the lack of a signature win. So far the best win was against California at home. The Sun Devils are tougher at home, but struggle when away. Of the four road games, one was a loss (Oregon), and two were decided by three and four points (Washington St, UCLA). USC is no road warrior either, losing to Oregon and winning closely at Washington and California. A lot is pointing to a Arizona St victory, but I'm calling USC just because I think they are the better team.
* Eight games are being played on Friday, with the headliner being Boise St at Hawaii. Both teams are undefeated in conference and have a lot on the line in this game. The winner of the game will be the WAC Champion and could very well play for in a BCS Bowl. Hawaii is currently ranked 15th in the BCS Standings, and Boise St is 19th. No matter which team wins, they will get their most impressive win of the season in this game. Hopefully it will be enough to move the winner into the top 12 of the BCS Standings and into a guaranteed BCS Bowl.
* The biggest of several great games on Saturday is the Missouri - Kansas matchup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The winner will play in the Big 12 Championship game and will have the best the shot to play in the National Championship game. Kansas is the lone undefeated BCS team, but haven't been tested as much as they will be against Missouri. In the Jayhawks four road games, three were decided by eight points or less (Kansas St, Colorado, Texas A&M). The Jayhawks also have only beat three teams with winning records, and those teams are all only 6-5 (Central Michigan, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St). While Kansas is no doubt a great team, it is still an unknown how they will play against another great team like Missouri. On the other hand, Missouri has played a tougher schedule, but has also lost once. Missouri beat 9-3 Illinois on a neutral field, and 8-4 Texas Tech and 6-5 Texas A&M at home. Their loss was at 9-2 Oklahoma. On a neutral field, I give the edge to Missouri. The next question is whether an 11-1 Kansas team without a signature will go to a BCS Bowl. I doubt they will, although there aren't going to be many other teams with only one loss out there.
* The ACC Coastal Division will be decided on Saturday in the Virginia Tech at Virginia game. Both teams have identical records, 6-1 in conference and 9-2 overall. Virginia has won six close games this year, five of them by one or two points. They also have losses to mediocre Wyoming and NC State teams. The Cavaliers did just put out a very impressive showing at Miami two weeks ago, winning 48-0. They are also coming off a bye week and will have home-field advantage. Virginia Tech has only had one win within a touchdown, 17-10 over North Carolina. Their two losses were against better teams too. They were blown away at LSU and lost on a last second touchdown against Boston College. Virginia just seems to be a good team that has been lucky for most of the season, while Virginia Tech looks like they are a really good team. I'm calling the Hokies in a close one.
* The Big East will be decided when Connecticut travels to West Virginia on Saturday. Connecticut has been one of the most surprising teams in the country, posting a 9-2 record thus far. The Huskies have won all of their home games, although two of them were decided by controversial calls. They won road games at Duke and Pittsburgh, but lost at Virginia and Cincinnati. The Cincinnati game was such a lopsided loss (27-3) that it raises a red flag. Connecticut has been able to beat strong teams such as South Florida and Rutgers at home, but have not proven that they can do it on the road. Let's not forget that Morgantown, West Virginia is one of the toughest places in college football to play. The best thing Connecticut has going for them is a strong rush defense. It is currently ranked 34th in the country, although it will be tested heavily on Saturday. West Virginia has only lost one game thus far, and have only had two wins decided by a touchdown or less. The Mountaineers are also playing for more than just a Big East title. If the Big 12 teams pick each other off or if LSU loses, West Virginia will be in prime position to play for a National Championship. They currently are third in the BCS Standings, but Missouri will probably jump to #2 if they win out. West Virginia will find a way to win this game.
Other games with conference title implications:
* Tennessee at Kentucky - Tennessee represents the SEC East in the title game with a win or Georgia, whose conference slate is complete, goes with a Kentucky win.
* Oklahoma St at Oklahoma - Oklahoma clinches the Big 12 South with a win. An Oklahoma St win and a Texas win means Texas wins the South.
* Utah at BYU - BYU clinches the Mountain West with a win, or Utah still has a chance with a win.
* UTEP at UCF - UCF clinches C-USA East with a win. East Carolina wins the East with a win and a UCF loss.
* Tulsa at Rice - Tulsa clinches C-USA West with a win. Houston wins the West with a Tulsa loss.
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