Trent's Touchdown - Week 11

I think I just realized last weekend that we are getting to the end of the season. This has been one wacky season so far, and it’s only going to get wackier. There are three teams right now vying for the rights to upset the BCS apple cart and it brings nothing but enjoyment for those of us who love college football, but more on that later. Now, on to the Touchdown.

1) No. 25 West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati – 8:00 on ESPN2 (Friday)

The devil is getting fitted for ice skates, because Cincinnati is in the top spot of this week’s Touchdown. Cincinnati is looking to make a case for the BCS National Championship Game, but they need to get out to the Big East unscathed. The first of two big tests is against WVU.

Cincy has the problem that Oklahoma fans wish they had, a back-up quarterback just as good as the starter. After gunslinger Tony Pike went down with injury, Zach Collaros stepped in and the Cincy offense didn’t miss a step. They are one of the most prolific offenses in the country and run a no huddle, spread offense. As of now, Collaros is getting the start, but Pike should see some time as he is still not 100%.

On the other side of the ball, WVU isn’t as lucky with the injuries. Both superstar running back Noel Devine and quarterback Jarrett Brown went down with injuries in last week’s game and it’s still questionable on what role, if any, both will play. WVU needs a good defensive effort against the high-powered Cincy offense. Unfortunately, the WVU pass defense is a little sketchy (that’s a nice way of saying they’ll get lit up like a Christmas tree).

Cincy won’t miss a beat and pull away with this one. They have a knack for keeping games closer than they should be, so expect WVU to hang around for a while.

2) No. 10 Iowa at No. 11 Ohio State – 3:30 on ABC

You know, if Ricky Stanzi hadn’t gotten injured and if Iowa had beaten Northwestern, this game would have been a lot more interesting. Anyway, welcome to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Iowa had been playing with fire all season, needing to come back in all but one game this season. However, they were able to toughen up on defense, get good plays on special teams, and lean heavily on Stanzi at critical times and pull out wins. However, with Stanzi out, the load falls on freshman James Vandenberg. After seeing him in the second half of the Northwestern game, he looked more like Landry Jones than Zach Collaros. Not good if you are an Iowa fan.

Ohio State, on the other hand, seems to have found their rhythm. Offensively, they have gotten more consistent play out of Pryor, which the Buckeyes need to win. However, this team will win or lose based on the defense. Everyone knows that the Buckeye offense isn’t going to blow the doors off anyone, so the defense is going to shoulder the load.

If Stanzi were in, even if they lost to Northwestern, I would have picked Iowa. Unfortunately, Vandenberg is an unknown quantity facing a very good Ohio State defense. Iowa goes down early but won’t be able to pull off the comeback.

3) No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU – 7:30 on CBS College Sports Network

You want to see the first non-BCS conference team to reach the National Championship Game, scour your TV Guide for the listing on this one. However, let’s not give this one to TCU just yet.

TCU has actually beaten some relatively good opponents, winning road games against Clemson, Air Force, and BYU. Now they get to beat an untested Utah team who has only lost to Oregon. TCU has a vaunted running game, in which any number of players can get their hands on the ball and make an opposing defense look foolish. However, they are a well-balanced offense that can hurt you through the air when needed.

Utah, conversely, has been having troubles of late moving the ball and even switched up quarterbacks to help things along. Look for running back Eddie Wide to carry the load for the Utes, trying to establish a running game to take the pressure off the quarterback.

I think TCU takes this one and more and more people start whispering about this BCS buster.

4) Stanford at No. 9 USC – 3:30 on Fox Sports

Part of me wants to watch this game just so I can try and figure out how the hell Stanford beat a surging Oregon team last week. As for USC, Pete Carroll can pull a happier version of Michael Corleone quote “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

If last week was any indication, USC is going to have issues with Stanford. USC barely put away a struggling Arizona State team and were lucky to get the win. I think we all know where the struggles originate. I hate to keep picking on Matt Barkley, but he is having issues running an offense that has one of the best running backs in the Pac-10 and the best wide receiver in the Pac-10. The defense is this team’s saving grace and they have issues containing good offenses.

Stanford has one of the best offenses in the Pac 10. Andrew Luck is everything that Carroll hoped Barkley would be when he decided to start a freshman at quarterback. He brings an enthusiasm and leadership to the Stanford offense. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have the Pac-10’s best running back helping you out. Toby Gerhart absolutely embarrassed the Oregon defense last week.

USC ends their home winning streak against the team they last lost to at home. Stanford will win and finally knock USC out of the Pac 10 race. Of course, it’s USC, so talent alone will keep the game close.

5) No. 1 Florida at South Carolina – 3:30 on CBS

If you are a degenerate gambler, you look at the line on this one (Florida +18) and say “let’s rock and roll.” I mean, Florida is the number 1 team in the country and South Carolina is fading fast. But let’s not notch a win for Florida just yet.

Let’s be straight about one thing, Florida has been having issues on the offensive side of the ball. This is not the same Florida team from last year that could move the ball at will and Tebow has been looking decidedly human lately. The reason they keep winning is because they don’t make too many mistakes on offense and they have a very good defense. That should be enough to get them through most games.

It should be enough to get them through this game as well. As much as I moderately like Stephen Garcia, I don’t think he can carry his team past the Florida defense. Florida will win, but South Carolina has a knack for keeping it close.

6) Notre Dame at No. 12 Pittsburgh – 8:00 on ABC

I just want to watch this just to see when the defense of Notre Dame will mess up, costing them the game. I think it’ll happen sometime in the early 4th quarter, but that’s really just wishful thinking.

Extra Point:

What are the chances of seeing Cincinnati, TCU, or Boise State (if they all stay undefeated) in the National Championship Game? This isn’t a new twist on my rant a few weeks ago about a playoff system. I’m just really curious on the possibilities.

First, you would need two of the top three to lose. Well, we know for a fact that Alabama or Florida will have one loss. There is a possibility that it could happen, but is that enough. Let’s say, for the sake of argument that Alabama loses a close game on the road to Auburn, but then beats up on Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Does that guarantee that the one of the undefeated teams takes the place of Alabama?

Do the voters and computers give Cincy, TCU, and Boise State credit for going undefeated, even though their schedules were not as tough as that of Alabama? Even if one of them does get to the number 2 spot, which one is it? They all have their arguments to make.

I think clearly it would be Cincy, which would have quality wins over WVU at home and Pitt on the road. Plus, they are in a BCS conference (seriously, the Big East is a BCS conference). I think that the BCS is just hoping for all three teams to lose to make it simple. I mean, Cincy could lose to Pitt and/or WVU. TCU could lose to Utah. The Boise State team bus could get struck by lightning. All are possibilities. Then again, it wouldn’t be a college football season without some controversy.