Week 10 Preview

Yet another great weekend is upon us...... two marquee matchups this week, and a ton of pretty solid games inside the conferences.

Miami FL at Virginia - The Cavaliers seem to have it rolling, and lead their division of the ACC. Miami showed some promise early on this season, but they still seem to be a year or two away from returning to prominence at a minimum. The home field gets it done for the Cavs. Virginia 31, Miami 21.

West Virginia at (25) Connecticut - For as good as UCONN's program seems to have become, West Virginia is still supremely talented. Pat Hill gets the job done. West Virginia 27, UCONN 19.

Tennessee at South Carolina - Phil Fullmer had better get ready to leave town if he can't pick this one up. The Vols are struggling through their worst season in recent memory, and Fullmer's long and successful run with the Orange team from the SEC is near its conclusion. South Carolina is a much better team than people realize. South Carolina 23, Tennessee 9.

Kansas State at Kansas - Josh Freeman is gradually becoming the superstar that I predicted he would be at the beginning of the year, throwing for 450+ yards against Oklahoma's stout defense last Saturday. But Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks will still be too much. Kansas 33, Kansas State 25.

Northwestern at (17) Minnesota - This is one hell of an interesting game. With Ohio State dropping to Penn State last week, the winner of this game is going to have a shot at second place in the Big 10 (read: a possible BCS slot for the winner if they can finish the season on a strong note). I'm completely unsure what to expect from either squad, but I'll take Minnesota on the home field. Golden Gophers 25, Wildcats 19.

Wisconsin at (21) Michigan State - The Badgers have been one massive disappointment this year. Javon Ringer is one of the best 5 backs in the country. Spartans roll. Michigan State 42, Wisconsin 20.

Auburn at Mississippi - A tale of two directions for these two programs. Auburn has been a massive disappointment all season, while Houston Nutt's Rebels have been a pleasant surprise. Sophomore QB Jevan Sneed is a budding star in the SEC, and Ole' Miss may be a year away from entering the upper echelon of the SEC West, ready to join LSU and Alabama. Tommy Tuberville can kiss his slim chances of holding his job goodbye if he drops this one, and that's exactly what will happen. Mississippi 19, Auburn 12.

Nebraska at (4) Oklahoma - The Cornhuskers will make a bowl this year, but won't become bowl eligible this week. Bo Pelini will have the program rolling again within two years, but they can't beat this machine this year. Oklahoma 47, Nebraska 30.

(15) Florida State at Georgia Tech - This is a great ACC matchup (about the only game in the conference all year you can say that about). Florida State is a resurgent program, and a win over the Yellow Jackets would reestablish FSU's dominance in the ACC in what might be Bobby Bowden's last year coaching football. Paul Johnson has done a remarkable thing, implementing an option system at a major conference school and turning it into a solid record in his first year without his own personnel. To me this one's really a tossup, but I've had a good feeling about the Seminoles all year. Florida State 26, Georgia Tech 24, in what is one of the best games of the whole weekend.

(24) Oregon at California - Cal remains a complete mystery. Jeremiah Masoli has been a pleasant surprise for Ducks fans. But in reality, while both teams are in the top half of the Pac-10 and while this is an important game, neither team seems to be all that impressive. Oregon should still end up winning 9 games or so on its prolific offense. Cal's inconsistency kills the Golden Bears in this one. Oregon 37, Cal 29.

GAMES OF THE WEEK - CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS

So this week, it's simply not possible to call a "game of the week." The reason: we have games in both the Big 12 and the SEC that have big implications for both conference titles (and by extension the national title). Since I'm predisposed to love the SEC for whatever reason, we'll dispense with the Big 12 game first.

(1) Texas at (7) Texas Tech - The Red Raiders have by far the most prolific offense in college football. Texas comes rolling into town with a team stacked full of juniors and seniors, most of whom will play in the NFL, for the biggest game in the history of Lubbock, Texas. Both teams are undefeated. Both teams are tied for the lead in the Big 12 South. Texas is at the end of a murderous run, having played Oklahoma, Missouri, and Oklahoma State the three previous weeks. Texas is a rock solid team... but being the fan of chaos that I am, I'm going with the underdogs in this one. Graham Harrell leaps to the Heisman lead but captaining his Red Raiders to victory. Look for a ton of offense in this one, but the team that protects the ball and plays bend-but-don't-break defense best comes out of this one as a winner. Texas Tech 42, Texas 37. LET CHAOS REIGN SUPREME!

(8) Florida at (6) Georgia, AT JACKSONVILLE - The Gators (whom this blogger has proclaimed to be the best team in the SEC and the likely national champion - so watch out Gator fans, I'm a curse...) and the Bulldogs, led by Matt Stafford, next year's #1 NFL pick, and Knowshon Moreno, the best RB in college football, clash in a battle for the SEC East Title. The winner has a shot at the national championship, and the loser better get prepared to play in the Citrus Bowl (no, it's not the damned Capital One Bowl, I refuse to play the bullshit corporate sponsorship game). Florida has the most team speed in the country without question, and Georgia has the best RB/QB tandem in the country without question. Florida had better play a lot of base defense, giving up stuff underneath, and allow Moreno to run a bit, because we all just watched Stafford pick apart LSU's blitzing scheme with extreme precision last week. I think Florida has the team speed and smarts to do this effectively. Georgia will make it tough, but the Gators just have more talent on an overall basis. Big plays by Rainey and Demps will likely break the Bulldogs' back. Florida 38, Georgia 35.

Have another fantastic football watching weekend!