It is now crunch time for the top four teams in the BCS standings as Oregon and Auburn control their own destiny to meet in Glendale, Arizona for the BCS title; then there is TCU and Boise State who are hoping for one of the top two to stumble to get a shot for the BCS title.
As it stands right now, Boise State is on the bubble of making a BCS game since there is no guarantee they will be selected as an at-large choice with teams like LSU, Ohio State, Iowa or Nebraska as possible alternatives. The bowl game is all about ticket sales and how many fans a team can bring rather then on the field performance. However, Dr. Jerry Palm from CollegeBCS.com believes that there is a chance that Boise State can still pass TCU to earn the automatic bid from the non-automatic qualifying conferences. Until that happens, there is the real possibility that Boise State could fall all the way down to the Humanitarian Bowl or if things fall correctly broker a deal for a potential matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah. There is still a lot of college football left and as we have seen upsets can happen.
Now, onto some of the key matchups that can shake up the college football polls this week in regards to the BCS. Plus, since Air Force is getting seven points from the Harris Interactive poll which puts them at 40th in the country in that poll. So, the Falcons have a ways to go to get back into the standings.
Now onto the games that will have an effect on the BCS, as usual times are mountain time and rankings reflect their position in the BCS.
#4 Boise State Broncos at Idaho Vandals (Friday, 7 p.m. ESPN2, ESPN3D, ESPN3.com)
There is really no drama in this game, expect that if Boise State can cover the 33.5 point spread to impress the human voters with some style points in order to close the gap, or even pass TCU. With this being the only game on Boise must attempt to run up the score in most likely the last meeting against Idaho for the foreseeable future.
Georgia Bulldogs at #2 Auburn Tigers (1:30 p.m. CBS)
With all of the Cam Newton pay-for-play drama with the FBI now getting involved one has to ask the legitimate question: 'Will this effect Newton's play on the field.' It is one thing to dismantle Tennessee-Chattanooga, but to up against an improving Georgia Bulldog team is on a whole different level. Dawg Sports came up with a plan on how to Auburn or more specifically Cam Newton by wrapping up and pursuing the best angles. My slightly uniformed opinion is that Georgia should try to get the ball to star wide receiver A.J. Green as often as possible since the Auburn defense is not elite.
San Diego State Aztecs at #3 TCU Horned Frogs (2 p.m. Versus)
Prior to TCU dismantling Utah I thought San Diego State would have a shot to put up some points and yards in the passing game against TCU, but now that is to be determined. The Aztecs do have the most prolific passing offense in the Mountain West lead by experienced quarterback Ryan Lindley who has two of the leagues best receivers in DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown. Plus, San Diego State has the best freshman running back in the nation and is 10th in the nation in yards per game. Utah had a similar offense and the Horned Frogs tore them apart. TCU should roll in this game in part due to the Aztecs have struggled the past few weeks.
New Mexico Lobos at Air Force Falcons (4 p.m. The Mtn.)
Air Force is bowl eligible for the third straight year and are shown some respect for receiving votes in Harris poll despite being 6-4. Even though New Mexico just received their first win of the season, Air Force should be able to take care of business and run at will against New Mexico. Last week, the Lobos allowed Wyoming to rush for 392 yards and allowed three players to rush for over 100 yards. So, Air Force should be able to run the ball as they please all game and get a well deserved big win after facing a tough schedule for the past four weeks.
#23 South Carolina Gamecocks at #22 Florida Gators (5:15 p.m. ESPN, ESPN3.com)
This winner gets the right to most likely face Auburn in the SEC title game. Florida seems to have finally found their offense that mightily struggled the first half of the season. It seems that the answer was to not play just two quarterbacks, but to play three different signal callers. Those three are: John Brantley, Jordan Reed and Trey Burton. Brantley is the guy but he can not do it all by himself and Alligator Army sums up the situation quite nicely:
The idea that Brantley is the best option as quarterback probably does not sit well with some of you. After watching Jordan Reed throw a perfect ball to Stone Hands Thompson on Saturday, it is hard to accept Reed as a backup. In addition, Trey Burton can run the ball like Reed, but lacks the arm of both Brantley and Reed.
That may cause some issues with South Carolina's defensive plan against the Gators, but they do have an idea of what to watch for when Florida has the ball with the main item to keep an eye is Florida's pass offense against South Carolina's pass defense.
#1 Oregon Ducks at Cal Golden Bears (5:30 p.m. Versus)