This week's Sports Illustrated listed the four biggest games from this weekend in college football and described them all as having some kind of impact on the National Championship. Despite that being an, um, incorrect statement, there are some big games with BCS implications as well as a few grudge matches worth checking out. How bout some predictions?
Matchup: Army (3-8) vs. Navy (8-3)
Analysis: The pageantry! The pride! The complete lack of interest! At what point do we stop pretending that we're all respectfully interested in the outcome of this game? Ten years? Twenty years? In my lifetime? Please?
Prediction: Navy 31 Army 17
Matchup: Uconn (4-7) vs. #6 Louisville (10-1)
Analysis: Louisville's still got a good shot at a BCS big if Rutgers loses. UConn's no South Florida so I don't foresee a problem here.
Prediction: Louisville 42 UConn 13
Matchup: Oregon State (8-4) vs. #24 Hawaii (10-2)
Analysis: Colt Brennan's chucking touchdown passes like he's playing flag football and he gets to do it in Hawaii and he's close to getting an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Life is good.
Prediction: Oregon State 38 Hawaii 35
Matchup: #16 Wake Forest (10-2) vs. #23 Georgia Tech (9-3)
Analysis: What the ACC Championship lacks in star-power it makes up for in...gentleman-y banter? The sexier story would be Wake winning but a Tech win here would sum up this topsy-turvy, slightly-disappointing-yet-oddly-riveting ACC season.
Prediction: Wake Forest 20 Georgia Tech 17
Matchup: Stanford (1-10) at #21 Cal (8-3)
Analysis: Good God, I had no idea Washington lost to these guys...and rather convincingly too. Jeff Tedford and Cal can salvage some good feelings by whooping ass on their rivals. Walt Harris can commence another off-season of wondering why he ever left Pittsburgh for this.
Prediction: Cal 48 Stanford 17
Matchup: #2 USC (10-1) at UCLA (6-5)
Analysis: Last time we were in this situation, UCLA almost made USC pay for looking past them to the National Championship. I don't see that happening again.
Prediction: USC 31 UCLA 14
Matchup: #8 Arkansas (10-2) vs. #4 Florida (11-1)
Analysis: In another conference (ahem Big 12), Arkansas might have gone undefeated. Alas, they'll have to settle for being the best 3-loss team in the country.
Prediction: Florida 24 Arkansas 20
Matchup: #13 Rutgers (10-1) vs. #15 West Virginia (9-2)
Analysis: The Amazin' Knights look to wrap up a Big East Title against the team that everyone handed the conference to before the season even started. Ain't gonna be easy in Morgantown but I'm jumping on the bandwagon just in time.
Prediction: Rutgers 20 West Virginia 16
Matchup: #19 Nebraska (9-3) vs. #8 Oklahoma (10-2)
Analysis: The Big 12 Championship has a history of upsets so I won't be shocked if the Huskers pull it off. That said, they still seem like their sitting at the kiddie table whenever the big boys come around (USC, Texas).
Prediction: Oklahoma 35 Nebraska 24
Matchup: Army (3-8) vs. Navy (8-3)Analysis: The pageantry! The pride! The complete lack of interest! At what point do we stop pretending that we're all respectfully interested in the outcome of this game? Ten years? Twenty years? In my lifetime? Please?
Prediction: Navy 31 Army 17
Matchup: Uconn (4-7) vs. #6 Louisville (10-1)
Analysis: Louisville's still got a good shot at a BCS big if Rutgers loses. UConn's no South Florida so I don't foresee a problem here.
Prediction: Louisville 42 UConn 13
Matchup: Oregon State (8-4) vs. #24 Hawaii (10-2)
Analysis: Colt Brennan's chucking touchdown passes like he's playing flag football and he gets to do it in Hawaii and he's close to getting an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Life is good.
Prediction: Oregon State 38 Hawaii 35
Matchup: #16 Wake Forest (10-2) vs. #23 Georgia Tech (9-3)
Analysis: What the ACC Championship lacks in star-power it makes up for in...gentleman-y banter? The sexier story would be Wake winning but a Tech win here would sum up this topsy-turvy, slightly-disappointing-yet-oddly-riveting ACC season.
Prediction: Wake Forest 20 Georgia Tech 17
Matchup: Stanford (1-10) at #21 Cal (8-3)
Analysis: Good God, I had no idea Washington lost to these guys...and rather convincingly too. Jeff Tedford and Cal can salvage some good feelings by whooping ass on their rivals. Walt Harris can commence another off-season of wondering why he ever left Pittsburgh for this.
Prediction: Cal 48 Stanford 17
Matchup: #2 USC (10-1) at UCLA (6-5)
Analysis: Last time we were in this situation, UCLA almost made USC pay for looking past them to the National Championship. I don't see that happening again.
Prediction: USC 31 UCLA 14
Matchup: #8 Arkansas (10-2) vs. #4 Florida (11-1) Analysis: In another conference (ahem Big 12), Arkansas might have gone undefeated. Alas, they'll have to settle for being the best 3-loss team in the country.
Prediction: Florida 24 Arkansas 20
Matchup: #13 Rutgers (10-1) vs. #15 West Virginia (9-2)
Analysis: The Amazin' Knights look to wrap up a Big East Title against the team that everyone handed the conference to before the season even started. Ain't gonna be easy in Morgantown but I'm jumping on the bandwagon just in time.
Prediction: Rutgers 20 West Virginia 16
Matchup: #19 Nebraska (9-3) vs. #8 Oklahoma (10-2)
Analysis: The Big 12 Championship has a history of upsets so I won't be shocked if the Huskers pull it off. That said, they still seem like their sitting at the kiddie table whenever the big boys come around (USC, Texas).
Prediction: Oklahoma 35 Nebraska 24