Code Orange

Here are today’s games to watch:

Penn State (3-1) at Illinois (3-1) - 12:00 PM

Believe it or not, Illinois is 3-1, and is a very close game with Missouri from being 4-0.  Illinois is quickly showing themselves to be a team that cannot be taken lightly.  Meanwhile, Penn State is coming off a disappointing loss to Michigan.  I’ll be interested to see how this game turns out.  How good is Illinois?

Notre Dame (0-4) at Purdue (4-0) - 12:00 PM

Can Notre Dame get a win? This week is another tough week as they travel to Purdue.  Looking at Notre Dame’s remaining schedule, this is a must-win game.  If Notre Dame cannot pull the upset against Purdue, they’re looking at being 0-8 going into the Navy game.

Mississippi State (3-1) at South Carolina (3-1) - 12:30 PM

Yes, Mississippi State is 3-1, with wins over Tulane, Auburn, and Gardner-Webb.  Ok, those are really impressive wins, except for maybe Auburn and this will be Mississippi state’s first true test of the season (they were merely sacrificial lambs against LSU).  South Carolina is looking to rebound from their loss against LSU.

Syracuse (1-3) at Miami-OH (1-3) - 3:00 PM

After their stunning upset at Louisville last week, can Syracuse rebound, or will they fall right back into the hole they were in after their first three games.  Meanwhile, Miami needs to get out of a 3-game losing streak themselves.

Michigan State (4-0) at Wisconsin (4-0) - 3:30 PM

This game as Big Ten title implications.  Wisconsin just survived Iowa last week, and now face an even better looking Michigan State team.  Meanwhile, Michigan State will face their first real test of the season.  The winner of this game definitely has a leg-up on fighting for the Big Ten title.

Maryland (2-2) at Rutgers (3-0) - 3:30 PM

After West Virginia’s loss last night and Louisville’s lost last week, Rutgers is the Big East’s last hope of getting a team into the BCS Championship Game. However, they’re facing what can be a very tricky Maryland team this week.  Maryland has yet to win a good game yet this year, however, by they fared better than expected against West Virginia, and were beating up Wake Forest before they blew that game.  Rutgers should win, but they can’t overlook Maryland.

Kansas State (2-1) at Texas (4-0) - 3:30 PM

Kansas State is thisclose from being 3-0, but haven’t really beaten anyone impressive, though they have won impressively.  Texas, on the other hand, has looked very vulnerable all season, though they have kept winning.  Texas just escaped in both of their games against Arkansas State and Central Florida.  TCU was a possible early-season upset for Texas, but they pulled that game out.  Has Texas finally found their grove?  If note, Kansas State is definitely a worth enough of an opponent to leave Austin with a win.

Clemson (4-0) at Georgia Tech (2-2) - 3:30 PM

Georgia Tech has had two tough losses in a row while Clemson comes in trying to keep up with Boston College in the ACC Atlantic division race.  I still think Georgia Tech is a team one can’t take lightly, so Clemson has to watch out.

California (4-0) at Oregon (4-0) - 3:30 PM

This is probably the game of the week, and appears to be the only game between ranked opponents this week.  This is a huge game in the Pac 10, as the winner gets a leg up on 2nd place in the conference, a BCS bid, and a chance to upset USC for the conference title.

Southern Cal (3-0) at Washington (2-2) - 8:00 PM

Washington started the season with two good looking wins, then suddenly lost two in a row.  Will Washington rebound?  This may be a tricky game for USC and a possible upset if Washington can get their game back together.

Auburn (2-2) at Florida (4-0) - 8:00 PM

Auburn is in desperate win of turning their season around.  They pulled the upset against Florida last season, though Auburn was a much better team last season.  Florida should win, but this is still an upset watch.