WEEK FOUR RAMBLINGS:

-A rather unusual fact about Notre Dame and Michigan State is that the visiting team has won every year since 2001. Given how bad Notre Dame has looked, that streak should continue through this season.

-The first Harris Poll will be released this Sunday, which factors into the BCS Standings along with the Coaches’ Poll.

-The computers like Cincinnati and Air Force much more than the voters do at this point. Both teams are in the top 20 in three of the computer polls, but aren’t ranked in the top 25 human polls. Massey has Air Force at #4 and Cincinnati at #9. I think that’s a bit high for both teams, but I also think not having either team in the top 25 is a bit low.




WEEK FOUR SPOTLIGHTED GAMES (All on Saturday unless otherwise Noted)

-OKLAHOMA AT TULSA (Friday Night). Both teams are among the ranks of the unbeaten, but Oklahoma has looked much more impressive so far, particularly in their blowout win against Miami, FL. This appears to be a mismatch, but it is a big game in the state of Oklahoma, and the enthusiasm level will be at an all time high for Tulsa’s fans. As improbable as it is, a win would catapult Tulsa into the rankings and even put them on pace to make a BCS Bowl. As for Oklahoma, they are BCS contenders as it is and will likely remain that way even if they lose, although it will most likely eliminate them from making the Championship Game. Tulsa’s offense has been good this season, but their defense has not been. Oklahoma may be able to score at will in this one.

-GEORGIA AT ALABAMA (SEC). Georgia already has a conference loss to South Carolina. A second loss would really make their chances of winning the East almost non-existent. Alabama is coming off a huge win against Arkansas and can improve to 2-0 with a win today. They still need to deal with LSU if they want to win the SEC West, but a win does keep them in the picture, as well as keeps them among the ranks of the unbeaten. The Tide have momentum and they are at home, which gives them a big advantage.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT LSU (SEC). Both teams are unbeaten. LSU is in the BCS picture for now, but a loss would be a huge setback not just as far as the BCS Championship is concerned, but as far as the SEC West is concerned. South Carolina has a road win against Georgia already, but this is a very tall order. They’ll have to limit their mistakes to practically zero in order to have a shot at beating the Tigers at Tiger Stadium. If South Carolina does pull it off, though, then it would definitely make them BCS contenders. After this three of their next four games are at home, and the one that isn’t is against North Carolina. SC would probably be favored to win all four of those games.



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TEXAS A&M AT MIAMI, FL. Both teams appear to be headed for a bowl, but neither appear to be on the level of a BCS team. Texas A&M is undefeated, and based on what I’ve seen from both teams I think they’ll be able to win this game, but I believe they’ll struggle against several teams in the Big Twelve South. Miami has not beaten an opponent of any quality in quite some time. This is a chance for them to get a statement win at home.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE. The only reason I highlight this is because it is a good basketball rivalry out of the Sun Belt Conference. Western KY is a FBS Transitional team and will be a full fledged member next year and will join the Sun Belt conference. It will likely turn out to be a nice football rivalry as well. This is Middle Tennessee’s first home game.



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-KENT STATE AT AKRON (MAC). Both teams are 2-1 and are among the favorites to win the conference. It is the conference opener for both teams and since both are in the same division, it is a very big deal as far as getting to the MAC Championship game, and getting to a bowl. Generally, the two division champions are always chosen for bowl games. With three bowl tie-ins, the loser will still be in the bowl picture, but the winner will be in the drivers seat as far as the MAC East is concerned.

-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Ten). This is the conference opener for both teams, and is probably the toughest test for both teams so far. Oregon State was throttled by Cincinnati earlier this season and is likely in for an even tougher challenge on the road against Arizona State. ASU breezed through their first three games and should win today, but it probably won’t be quite as easy.

-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Kentucky won an emotional game against Louisville last week. Now it’s time to see if they can come down and beat a quality opponent on the road. Kentucky is ranked higher, but Arkansas will likely be favored. The Razorbacks lost a close one to Alabama last week and a loss in this game would be their second in the SEC, which would make it nearly impossible for them to catch LSU, or for that matter Alabama. This is the conference opener for Kentucky, and although they took a big step forward last week, they could take another gigantic step forward this week.

-AIR FORCE AT BYU (Mountain West). Air Force has been surprisingly good this year despite playing some tough games early. They already have wins against Utah and TCU and can improve to 3-0 in the league and 4-0 overall with a win today. BYU lost a shootout at Tulsa last week and a close one at UCLA the week before that, so they are better than their 1-2 record. Winning a conference game against an Air Force team that looks like it will contend for the title would be a nice way to rebound. As for Air Force, they’re getting the tougher teams in the league out of the way early. They could be in the drivers seat to win the title if they can manage a win today.

-ARIZONA AT CALIFORNIA (PAC TEN). Arizona looked to be an improved team, but after losing to New Mexico last week it’s hard to imagine them making a bowl this year. California is a BCS contender and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning their conference opener.

-ILLINOIS AT INDIANA (Big Ten). This is the conference opener for two teams that are looking to get back into bowls. Indiana is unbeaten and has looked impressive, but against weak teams. Illinois is just screw-up play against Missouri away (there were actually several) from being unbeaten themselves. Judging how these two teams play this could be one of the more exciting games of the day. It may not impact the BCS, but for now Indiana is unbeaten and is looking to stay that way, and whoever wins will be 1-0 in the Big Ten, which looks to be down this year. It’s a clash between two teams that are trying to build up their programs and appear to be headed in the right direction.

-SYRACUSE AT LOUISVILLE (Big East). Louisville may still be a little stunned from their loss to rival Kentucky last week, but even if they are they still shouldn’t have too much trouble beating Syracuse in their conference opener. Syracuse has looked so bad that their game against Buffalo on October 20th will likely be the only one they are favored to win. As for Louisville, this is the kind of game that can refocus a team.

-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Penn State has looked better overall this year, but Michigan throttled Notre Dame a lot worse than Penn State did. They actually looked better against Notre Dame than Penn State did against Buffalo last week. A win in this game will go a long way for Michigan because they will have beaten a highly ranked conference opponent. A win for Penn State keeps them unbeaten on the season and squarely in the BCS picture. The one thing that bodes well for Michigan is that they won’t have to deal with the spread offense the rest of the year.

-PURDUE AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Purdue is unbeaten, but also untested. Still, they’ve looked much better than Minnesota and should be able to win the conference opener despite the fact that they are on the road.

-DUKE AT NAVY. Navy suffered a somewhat surprising loss to Ball State last week. They are 1-2, but still appear to be good enough to go 6-6 and make the Poinsettia Bowl, especially considering how weak their schedule is. Duke is coming off a win against Northwestern, which is a real rarity for them. Still, it could give them some confidence, which is something they haven’t appeared to have much of in the past.

-CLEMSON AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (ACC). NC State will get a boost from playing at home, but they haven’t looked anywhere near as good as Clemson has so far. The Tigers can remain unbeaten with a win, but they don’t want to get caught looking ahead to Georgia Tech next week.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT NORTH TEXAS (Sun Belt). FAU can improve to 3-1 with a win and to 2-0 in the conference, which keeps them in the race to win the Sun Belt and go bowling for the first time in school history. They appear to be undermatched today, but could struggle since they are the road team.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT NOTRE DAME. This game has been very exciting the past two seasons, but this year could end up being a blowout. Michigan State hasn’t looked overly impressive, but they are unbeaten and appear to be better than Notre Dame who has flat out stunk. It’s to the point where the Irish appear to be a long shot for a bowl, so any win would be a big win. Michigan State is looking to remain unbeaten heading into conference play.

-WYOMING AT OHIO. This is an interesting out of conference game. Both teams are 2-1 and have actually looked like bowl caliber teams. Ohio made a bowl last year, but they are still a program that is trying to grow up. They did compete with Virginia Tech last week and Wyoming played well at Boise State last week as well. Don’t be surprised if both of these teams make bowl games. That’s why this is a big game because both teams are trying to grow their programs and will need to fight for exposure.

-NORTHWESTERN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). The Buckeyes played their best game of the season last week in a win at Washington, and Northwestern probably played their worse in a loss to Duke. Ohio State has looked sluggish at points this year, but I believe they are just beginning to hit their stride which will help them going into conference play.

-TEXAS TECH AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve). Texas Tech is unbeaten and although they haven’t beaten any heavyweights, they’ve still looked like a very good football team and we should be seeing them ranked in the top 25 before too long. Most believed Oklahoma State would do some damage in the Big Twelve North last year, but after being beaten badly by Troy last week it doesn’t look as if they could do much damage in the Sun Belt Conference, much less the Big Twelve. They are at home today, but expect Texas Tech to open it up on offense and score quite a few points.

-CONNECTICUT AT PITTSBURGH (Big East). Pitt dropped a close one to Michigan State last week and needs to rebound with a win against UConn today if they want to remain solidly in the bowl picture. Connecticut is unbeaten, but their wins were against Temple, Duke and an FCS team. A win would be huge for the Huskies, but I don’t see it happening.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT SOUTH FLORIDA. South Florida can remain unbeaten on the season and stay in the top 25 with a win. North Carolina has not looked good at all and it won’t be easy for them to go into South Florida and win against a team that is playing with a ton of momentum right now.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT USC (Pac Ten). The latter part of USC’s schedule appears to be tougher than the beginning of it. Washington State has looked good in spurts this year and they are 2-1, but they aren’t in the same universe as USC. The Trojans should roll in their conference opener.

-OREGON AT STANFORD (Pac Ten). Oregon continues to look like a very dangerous football team. Stanford beat what appears to be a fairly decent San Jose State team last week, but will really have their hands full today against a superior Oregon team. A win for Oregon keeps the BCS within reach.

-SMU AT TCU. The battle for the Iron Skillet is renewed after a one year hiatus. TCU has lost two very tough games, but still has a good team and should come into this game very focused. They don’t want to lose a third straight game to their rivals. SMU is really fighting to make a bowl game this year, and an upset win would go a long way, not to mention allow them to retain their bragging rights for another year.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (Conference USA). UCF lost a heartbreaker to Texas last week which would have really put the team on the national scene. Still, they need to get back to business and not have a letdown in their conference opener. They appear to be good enough to contend for a divisional title.

-WASHINGTON AT UCLA (Pac Ten). Both teams are coming off of losses last week. UCLA was absolutely crushed by Utah, whereas Washington put up a much better fight against Ohio State. It’s a big game because both teams are looking to rebound with a conference win. UCLA already has a Pac Ten win against Stanford, but things will continue to go downhill for them if they drop this game. Washington has looked good this season and their record can reflect that if they can win their conference opener on the road.

-TROY AT LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE (Sun Belt). Troy is coming off a big win for their program against Oklahoma State. They’ve struggled against some heavyweights, but they are the conference favorite and need to win their opener in order to remain a strong contender for a bowl.

-UTAH AT UNLV (Mountain West). After a surprising blowout win against UCLA last week, Utah is looking to even their conference record at 1-1 this week. They appear to be undermatched, but UNLV is capable of playing well at home as they showed us against Wisconsin.

-GEORGIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Virginia has won two in a row, and both were conference games, but they were also against North Carolina and Duke. They really have their hands full today, but an upset would be a strong statement that they are capable of competing for a division title. Georgia Tech is coming off a loss to Boston College, and does not want to start off 2-0 in league play, so this is a very important game for them on the road. If Virginia were to win this, their next three games are out of conference, and all are winnable, so it would put them on pace to have a pretty big year.

-MARYLAND AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). This is the conference opener for Maryland, and it’s a big game against a quality opponent for a team that is trying to rebound from a big loss against West Virginia. To win their conference opener on the road would right their ship in a hurry and get them back on pace to make a good bowl. Wake finally got a win last week and should end up having a big year, but they need to win today in order to stay on track to make a good bowl game. This is sort of a pivotal game for both teams since both are looking to build momentum.

-EAST CAROLINA AT WEST VIRGINIA. East Carolina has proven that they are tough and that they can play on the road. This is a great opportunity for them, but it looks as though they are way overmatched. West Virginia is a BCS contender who is good enough to run the table and make it to the BCS Championship game. They also aren’t the kind of team that would overlook ECU.

-IOWA AT WISCONSIN. This is a game between two teams who could win the Big Ten. Iowa was stunned by rival Iowa State last week, which was a very damaging loss as far as keeping pace to make the BCS is concerned. Wisconsin is unbeaten and is trying to stay that way, but they’ve struggled and haven’t looked quite as good as many thought they would. It would be a big win for Iowa that would really get them back into the national picture, but at the same time it would be a nice statement win for Wisconsin.



BUY GAMES (All on Saturday)

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT AUBURN. Auburn has been underwhelming this year and has lost two in a row. They really do need a game like this to get a win under their belts and fix some of the chinks in their armor.

-ARMY AT BOSTON COLLEGE. Boston College is unbeaten on the season and has looked very good by winning three straight conference games. They shouldn’t get much of a challenge from Army today.

-MARSHALL AT CINCINNATI. I know this is a home-and-home series, but it’s virtually a Buy Game. Cincinnati’s next two opponents are winless on the year. They should be 5-0 headed into their conference opener at Rutgers.

-MIAMI, OH AT COLORADO. If Colorado wants to make a bowl, they pretty much need to win this game because other than Iowa State it appears to be the easiest game remaining on their schedule. This will get them to 2-2. With the Big Twelve having eight bowl tie-ins, 6-6 should be enough.

-CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (fcs) AT HAWAII. Hawaii is once again going to the bakery and ordering a cupcake. They should win big and remain unbeaten.

-COLORADO STATE AT HOUSTON. Houston can improve to 2-1 with a win, which would give them some momentum heading into conference play. They will contend for the Conference USA title and we should see them in a bowl game this year barring an unbelievable meltdown.

-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT KANSAS. This is a chance for Kansas to improve to 4-0 on the season and for FIU to fall to 0-4 on the season.

-GARDNER WEBB (fcs) AT MISSISSIPPI STATE. Since being blown out by LSU, Mississippi State has looked like a good football team. A win here gets them to 3-1 and puts them well on pace to make a bowl.

-ILLINOIS STATE (fcs) AT MISSOURI. Missouri is unbeaten and barring something very unexpected will stay that way after today.

-BALL STATE AT NEBRASKA. Nebraska should have little trouble beating Ball State and rebounding from their convincing loss to USC last week.

-ARKANSAS STATE AT TENNESSEE. Tennessee looked very bad last week and is a surprising 1-2 this year. They don’t want to look past Arkansas State. Seriously. The Vols should win this game, but if they sleepwalk Arkansas State might sneak up on them and then things would REALLY be gloomy in Knoxville.

-RICE AT TEXAS. Texas struggled last week, but shouldn’t struggle too much this week. Rice actually went bowling last year for the first time in awhile, but they’ve looked really bad this season and will most likely be 0-4 once this one is over.

-WILLIAM & MARY (fcs) AT VIRGINIA TECH. Virginia Tech should win this one in a blowout and improve to 3-1. They begin conference play next week.