This is a watered-down weekend, not much on the schedule except Wisconsin-Michigan and Ohio State at Iowa. Nebraska goes to Texas A&M, Stanford to Berkeley for the big game, but that's about it. Lots of bye weeks. Arkansas at Mississippi State, Va Tech at Miami (#16 vs. #24, with the marquee opponent on Boise State's schedule facing their last serious test). Va Tech's won eight in a row after opening the season with two losses, the close one to Broncos and the shocker to James Madison. Frank Beamer deserves a lot of credit; many coaches would have lost their team after a start like that.
Next weekend is the biggie, though. Friday November 26th fans get Auburn at Alabama at 11:30, Arizona at Oregon at 4:30, and Boise State at Nevada at 7:15. You want a playoff? There's your playoff, a day of single elimination classics. Then on Saturday #5 LSU goes to Fayetteville to face the #13 Razorbacks, and #7 Wisconsin faces 7-3 Northwestern. #14 Oklahoma locks up with #10 Oklahoma State. Michigan and #9 Ohio State meet at the Horseshoe. Michigan State, currently at number 12, has to go to Happy Valley for a game with the 6-4 Nittany Lions. What the heck is a Nittany Lion, and are there any left in Pennsylvania?
It's a 14-week, 120-team playoff, full of passion, big games and big moments. I've said it before and I'm not the first: college football has the most entertaining regular season in sports, and at the end of the year 70 teams get a reward for their seasons. The best dozen get a more meaningful reward, the best two a fabulous one. I don't see the problem. With all its flaws, the BCS has created the most talked-about and carefully-watched race this side of the left turn circuit. Debate and controversy are good.
Of course I might feel differently if the Ducks were mired at number five.
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