This week's slate of games may be the best we've had all year. We have rivalries, national championship implications, and conference championships on the line. It's these weekends that college football fans live for every year.
The Iron Bowl - #2 Auburn Tigers at #11 Alabama Crimson Tide
Annually rated as either the #1 or #2 rivalry in the nation, the Iron Bowl turns the state of Alabama upside down every year. Last year, Alabama had everything on the line in the game. They controlled their destiny for the BCS Title Game and Mark Ingram entered the game as the Heisman Front-Runner. Auburn, in contrast, was 8-4 and played for rivalry bragging rights. Auburn nearly upset the Tide's perfect season, but the Tide was able to avoid the upset with a game ending drive orchestrated beautifully by Greg McElroy.
This year, the roles have been reversed. Auburn finds itself #2 in the nation and has clinched the SEC West. The Heisman Front-Runner is the Auburn Tigers QB, Cameron Newton, not Alabama's Mark Ingram. Alabama has nothing to lose and would love nothing more than to ruin Auburn's perfect season.
Iron Bowl Series History
- Alabama leads series, 40-33-1
- 75th Meeting on Thursday, the first was on Feb. 22, 1893 (AU won 32-22)
- Auburn has won the last 7 out of 10 match-ups
- The Tide currently have a 2 game win steak
- Auburn is 6-1 in Tuscaloosa
The Bedlam Series - #13 Oklahoma Sooners at #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys
For only the 4th time in history, the Oklahoma State Cowboys enter the Bedlam Series higher ranked than the Oklahoma Sooners. This game has the best WR matchup in the Nation: Justin Blackmon vs Ryan Broyles. The two have been spectacular this season.
Both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have the Big 12 South Crown on the line in this game, however, only the Cowboys completely control their destiny. If the Cowboys win, they are in the Championship Game. The Oklahoma Sooners lost to the #17 Texas A&M Aggies earlier in the season. One of two scenarios must occur for them to capture a spot in the Conference Championship Game: They Must Beat Oklahoma State + either
- Texas A&M loses to Texas; or
- Texas A&M wins creating a 3 way tie in the Big 12 South between Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Oklahoma would need to be ranked ahead of the other two Big 12 South teams in the BCS to play in the Conference Championship Game. If two teams are one place apart in the BCS, then the heads up game decides who goes.
Oklahoma State destroyed Oklahoma's Big 12 and BCS Championship hopes in 2001 and its BCS Championship hopes in 2002. Oklahoma would love to return the favor and stop its in-state rival from getting to the Big 12 Championship game for its first.
The Bedlam Series History
- Oklahoma leads series, 81-16-7
- Oklahoma currently has a 7 game winning streak
#4 Boise State Broncos at #19 Nevada Wolf Pack
Boise State has everything to lose in this game. The Broncos have faced an uphill battle and shot at the national championship game all year long. Many claim that the Broncos schedule is too weak and un-deserving a shot at the national title game.
This game gives the Broncos a chance to showcase what they have against a ranked Nevada team. The Broncos are hoping to get into the BCS championship and a big win against Nevada could be what they need to jump TCU. If they are able to jump TCU, then all they should need is a loss by Auburn or Oregon and they'll end up in Glendale.
So the Broncos have a lot to prove and show the nation this weekend if they want a shot at the BCS Title.
#5 LSU Tigers at #12 Arkansas Razorbacks
While both the LSU Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks are out of the SEC West race, the two still have a shot at grabbing an At-Large BCS Birth. This game will showcase the battle Ryan Mallet v Patrick Peterson. At one point in the season, both were Heisman hopefuls. Whether Mallet will be able to pass on the LSU backfield led by Peterson will be the determining factor of this game.
LSU's coach Les Miles believes that an SEC team deserves to be in the National Title Game irrespective if they have a loss or not. For such to occur, the voters in the Harris and Coaches Polls would have to make this happen. He makes a good argument and this is a question that must be answered. WR asks it in the poll Is
Les Miles Right? Should the Highest Ranked SEC Team be in the Title Game?
#21 Arizona Wildcats at #1 Oregon Ducks
The #1 Oregon Ducks host the #21 Arizona WildCats in Autzen Stadium this Friday. The WildCats have nothing to lose. The Ducks, on the other hand, have everything on the line. An Arizona win would knock the Ducks out of the National Title Conversation. The currently control their destiny and would like to keep it that way.
The Ducks LaMichael James is also a Heisman Hopeful this season. He has recently slipped behind Kellen Moore in
ESPN's Heisman Polling. He can reclaim his spot in 2nd or even become the Front-Runner with a great performance and a poor outing by Auburn's Cameron Newton.
People are claiming that the California Bears have provided the Blueprint to stop the Oregon Ducks. Are they Right? We will find out if the WildCats can have the same success as the Bears had two weeks before.
Other Notable Games:
1. Michigan Wolverines at #8 Ohio State Buckeyes
2. #17 Texas A&M Aggies at Texas Longhorns
3. Florida Gators at #22 Florida State Seminoles
4. #18 South Carolina Gamecocks at Clemson Tigers
5. #25 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Mississippi Rebels
6. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Georgia Bulldogs
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at USC Trojans
Larry King
March Madness
Natasha Fame Leslie
Ryan Seacrest
Sanu Dellafiore
John Armstrong
Fred Hanna
Georgia Hester
