Code Orange

Update 6:58 PM

Georgia finishes off Florida 42-30.  With that, the winner of the South Carolina/Tennessee game tonight will control their own destiny in the SEC East.

Update 6:54 PM

Texas finally takes the lead in Austin 21-15 over Nebraska with 7:23 to go.

Georgia also recovers a Florida fumble, crushing a Florida drive as they were threatening in the red zone.

It’s official: Connecticut 22, South Florida 15.

Update 6:51 PM

It’s all but officially over in Connecticut as UConn holds South Florida on 4th and goal to take over with 54 seconds left ahead 22-15, and South Florida has no time outs.

Finals:

East Carolina 41, UAB 6

Update 6:46 PM

Georgia starts putting nails in the coffin as they go up 42-30 on Florida with 3:54 to go.

Finals:

Arizona 48, Washington 41
Michigan 34, Minnesota 10
Tulsa 29, Southern Methodist 23

Update 6:32

Florida says “not so fast” to Georgia as they make the score 35-30 after missing a point conversion.

More Finals:

Eastern Michigan 19, Western Michigan 2

Update 6:22 PM

Georgia starts putting serious heat on Florida as they go up 35-24 on Florida with 11:03 to go in the game.

More Finals:

Louisiana Tech 31, Utah State 21

Update 6:08 PM

It’s over in Eugene, and USC can forget any hopes of climbing back into the title game. Oregon intercepts USC in a desperation final drive to end the game and the Ducks win 24-17.

Finals:

Memphis 28, Tulane 27

Update 5:54 PM

The Trojans are trying to come back, scoring a touchdown and closing to 24-17 of Oregon with 4:44 to go.

Update 5:47 pm

All of a sudden South Florida shows up. After the kickoff following the safety, South Florida goes 3 plays and 63 yards to get a touchdown and closes the gap to 16-9.

Meanwhile, Florida answers Georgia’s touchdown and closes their gap to 28-24.

Also, Nebraska takes a 17-3 lead on Texas.

Update 5:43 PM

Correction: It is South Florida who blocks the punt and gets the safety. 16-2 Connecticut

Finals:

Wyoming 29, UNLV 24

Update 5:40 PM

South Florida drives down to the Connecticut 4 hoping to finally get on the board, but UConn intercepts a pass in the endzone, and keeps their 16-0 lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

Also, Tebow is already effected with a bruised shoulder for Florida. Now, Harvin looks like he’s injured his arm. That is basically Florida’s entire offense both with injuries now. If Florida loses today, the road is cleared once again for South Carolina to win the SEC East. However, if they lose to Tennessee tonight and with Kentucky losing, Tennessee would once again be in the drivers seat.

Update 5:34 PM

The Gators are getting in trouble. Georgia comes out at halftime and quickly takes a 28-17 lead.

Update 5:29 PM

Duck and cover? Oregon takes a 24-10 lead on Southern Cal in Autzen Stadium in the 4th quarter.

Finals:

Missouri 42, Iowa State 28

Update 5:10 PM

Nebraska takes a 10-3 lead on Texas as they near halftime.

Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan leads Western Michigan 3-2 in the bottom of the 4th inning at halftime.

Mississippi State isn’t the only SEC team on the verge of bowl eligibility. Vanderbilt gets win #5 themselves, beating Miami (OH) 24-13. The SEC could get 11 bowl eligible teams. Of course, since they’ll have to all beat each other to do so, they may all be 6-6 or 7-5…

Other Finals:

Arkansas 58, Florida International 10

Update 5:03 PM

Southern Cal has now tied up Oregon at 10, halfway through the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Michigan has come back to take the lead on Minnesota 13-10 at halftime.

Update 4:56 PM

Georgia goes up again nearing halftime, taking a 21-17 lead on Florida.

Update 4:40 PM

UConn goes up on South Florida 16-0.

Update 4:37 pm

Looking forward maybe? How embarrassing is this for Navy in their final game before they play Notre Dame. The Blue Hens of Delaware come in and defeat the Midshipmen 59-52.

Update 4:30 PM

UConn tries to show that they’re really for real, and they’re off to a good start over South Florida, leading 9-0 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 4:23 PM

Florida strikes back by picking off a Georgia pass for a touchdown to tie that game up at 14. Elsewhere, Oregon leads Southern Cal 10-3 at halftime and Minnesota leads Michigan 10-3 in the 2nd quarter.

Finals:

Central Michigan 41, Kent State 32

Update 4:05 PM

We might get 100 points put up in Jacksonville as Georgia responds quickly themselves, going up 14-7.

Update 3:58 PM

Florida strikes back fast, and ties the game at 7.

Also, Buffalo gets their 4th win of the season by defeating Akron 26-10.

Update 3:57 PM

Navy has now allowed 52 points to Delaware are they trail 52-42 late in the game.

Update 3:55 PM

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team have to kick from the 7 1/2 yard line, like Georgia just had to…

Update 3:51 PM

Georgia strikes first in Jacksonville and goes up 7-0 (after Georgia gets a great double-excessive celebration penalty on Georgia, who sent out the entire bench to celebrate their touchdown).

Update 3:46 PM

Mississippi State gets the first major upset of the day, defeating Kentucky 31-14.

3:42 PM

Colorado recovers the onsides kick and finishes off Texas Tech 31-26.

Update 3:31 PM

Iowa pulls out the upset over Michigan State 34-27 in double overtime.  Meanwhile, Texas Tech isn’t done yet, scoring another touchdown with 2:08 to go to creep to within 31-26 against Colorado.

Also, Oregon leads Southern Cal 7-0 in the first quarter.

Update 3:28 PM

West Virginia finally ends Rutger’s misery and wins 31-3.

Also, Delaware is now leading Navy 42-35 (yes, that score is right).

More Finals:

Wisconsin 33, Indiana 3

Update 3:18 PM

Louisville survives against Pitt by recovering a fumble inside their own 5 and win 24-17.

Meanwhile, Michigan State and Iowa exchange touchdowns, so they head to a 2nd overtime tied at 27.

More Finals:

Purdue 35, Northwestern 17

Update 3:09 PM

Michigan State and Iowa move on to overtime tied at 20.

Finals:

West Virginia 37, North Carolina 10
Illinois 28, Ball State 17

Update 2:58 PM

West Virginia puts the final nail of the coffin, putting up another touchdown on Rutgers and now leads 31-3.

Update 2:49 PM

Panthers not done. Pittsburgh comes back to tie Louisville at 17. Texas Tech also scores another touchdown to close to 31-19 against Colorado.

Update 2:33 PM

Colorado says “not so fast” to Texas Tech as they expand the lead back to 18, taking a 31-13 lead.

Update 2:29 PM

Looks like we’re en route to another top-25 upset today: Mississippi State expands their lead over Kentucky to 24-7.

Update 2:21 PM

West Virginia is putting a hurting on Rutgers as they now go up 24-7. Meanwhile, Texas Tech is trying to climb back, putting another touchdown on the board and closing the gap against Colorado to 24-13.

In the meantime, one wouldn’t think that Navy would be a candidate for our loss-to-a-I-AA game of the week, but they’re currently tied with Delaware 21-21.

Update 2:18 PM

We’re looking at a couple of possible mild upsets today. Northwestern currently leads Purdue 17-14 while Iowa has now tied Michigan State at 17. Also, Colorado is starting to run all over Texas Tech 24-6.

Missouri is also up on Iowa State early 7-0.

Update 1:31 PM

West Virginia and Rutgers head towards Halftime with West Virginia leading 17-3. Wake Forest also leads UNC 17-3 at halftime. Also at halftime: Louisville leads Pittsburgh 14-0, Wisconsin leads Indiana 17-3, and Colorado leads Texas Tech 14-3.

Update 1:15 PM

I just saw an ad for the Big East called “someday…” and they went through a “someday” thing for each team, and one of them was “Someday, Syracuse and Pittsburgh will build on their great tradition” and at the end it said “someday is today.”

Um, sure. Syracuse is certainly building on their great tradition this year…

Update 1:03 PM

West Virginia fumbles the ball while going into the end zone, but recovers for the touchdown and now lead 14-0.

Also, Wisconsin leads Indiana 17-0 and Colorado leads Texas Tech 14-0.

12:50 PM

West Virginia strikes first against Rutgers and leads 7-0. Louisville is also deciding that they’ll play football again, jumping on Pittsburgh 14-0.

Kentucky, meanwhile, goes down early to Mississippi State 7-0.

I thought I should post this before some of the biggest games, you know, are played…

Boston College (7-0) at Virginia Tech (6-1) - Thursday, 7:30 PM

This is probably the game of the week as both of these teams are still legitimately in the national title hunt.  The the AP #2 team in the nation has lost 3 weeks in a row (USC, California, South Florida), and that’s a streak that Boston College would like to end.  This is easily the toughest game on BC’s schedule, but that doesn’t necessarily mean things get much easier after this as their other 4 remaining opponents have a combined 18-11 record.

Air Force (6-2) at New Mexico (5-2) - Thursday, 9:00 PM

The winner of this game moves into 2 by themselves in the Mountain-West, and then has to hope that Brigham Young trips up twice in conference.  For Air Force, a win means they move ever close to being ranked.

Boise State (6-1) at Fresno State (5-2) - Friday, 9:00 PM

The first of three games between the big three in the WAC.   The Loser is probably out of contention in the conference unless the three teams all split 1-1.  If Fresno State wins, that sets up a date with Hawaii from the conference title November 10th, while a Boise State win moves that game to Nov. 23.

West Virginia (6-1) at Rutgers (5-2) - 12:00 PM

This is a very important game in the Big East as the loser will pick up their 2nd conference loss, probably eliminating them from the conference title race.  This game is probably more important to West Virginia, however, as they’re still in the national title hunt, plus they need help in the BCS Computers, and a win over Rutgers would help with that

Southern Cal (6-1) at Oregon (6-1) - 3:00 PM

This is the other “game of the week” of the week, and it’s probably lucky that it’s being played in Oregon rather than Los Angeles this week.  This game also features two teams in the national title hunt.  This could basically be considered a playoff game with the winner probably having to play Arizona State for the conference title and a chance to possible play in the title game.

Florida (5-2) at Georgia (5-2) - 3:30 PM

This game suddenly has new importance as Florida once again controls their own destiny in the SEC East.  However, Georgia can perhaps permanently put away Florida’s hopes of playing in the SEC title game with another conference loss.  However, for Georgia to play in that game, they need to win, and they still need help.  A loss all but mathematically eliminates the Bulldogs.

South Florida (6-1) at Connecticut (6-1) - 3:30 PM

Connecticut is the only 1-loss team who is still unranked, and they’re looking for some respect.  They can pick up a lot if they can beat the Bulls.  As I noted, the AP #2 team has lost each of the past 3 weeks, with South Florida being the latest.  However, that team also usually had trouble the following week as well, with USC just edging Arizona, and California losing to UCLA.  South Florida still has marginal national title hopes, and they cannot afford another loss if they want to keep those, or conference title hopes, alive.

Kansas (7-0) at Texas A&M (6-2) - 7:00 PM

One of the biggest disses on Kansas is that they really haven’t played anyone outside of Kansas State (though the computers tend to disagree, ranking Kansas 7th), and Kansas can eliminate that talk with a win over Texas A&M to show just how real they are.  A loss by Kansas also puts the Big 12 North back into play for Kansas State and Colorado.

South Carolina (6-2) at Tennessee (4-3) - 7:45 PM

This was supposed to pretty much be THE game to set up who had a leg up in the SEC East title race, until both teams blew their games last week, sending them into a 5-way tie in the division.  Along with the Georgia/Florida game, this one will help un-muddy the mess.  If Florida wins their game, they would prefer a Tennessee win since they’ve already beaten them.  Otherwise, it sets up a showdown with South Carolina on Nov. 10th.  Meanwhile, Tennessee hopes Georgia wins the other game.

Ohio State (8-0) at Penn State (6-2) - 8:00 PM

This will probably be Ohio State’s toughest game before having to play at Michigan in their season finale (though they still have 5-3 Illinois and 6-2 Wisconsin left too).  With Penn State 2 games out of the conference lead, they are probably out of the conference title race, though a win over Ohio State couldn’t hurt.

California (5-2) at Arizona State (7-0) - 10:00 PM 

This is the first of four games in Arizona State’s death stretch (with Oregon, UCLA, and USC all coming up in the next 4 weeks too).  California is going to desperately be looking to avoid 3 straight losses, less they go from in-line-to-be-#1 to out of the rankings in 3 weeks.  In the meantime, we get to see how for real Arizona State really is.

Update 7:34

Syracuse holds on to beat Buffalo 20-12.  It’s pretty bad when at least 3 Syracuse bloggers live blog this came as “the game of the year” for Syracuse.  It’s Buffalo.  At least Syracuse won said game.

Finals:

Central Florida 44, Tulsa 23

Update 7:26 PM

Syracuse starts to run the clock out, picking up a big 3rd down on their own 36.

Update 7:19 PM

Buffalo puts another 3 up on the board, but they’ll need to start sticking it in the endzone if they want to win. 20-12 Syracuse with 4:42 to go.

Update 7:16 PM

Buffalo once again must go for it on 4th down and once again gets it. The Bulls are down to the Syracuse 14.

Oops: Florida State fumbles, Miami recovers for a touchdown and suddenly it’s 37-29 with 1:04 to go.

Update 7:14 PM

Miami scores a late touchdown and retakes the lead on Florida State 30-29 with 1:15 to go in that game.

Update 7:13 PM

Too little, too late: Kentucky scores a touchdown on the last play of the game. Unfortunately for them, it only makes it 45-37.

Update 7:09 PM

Syracuse puts up 3 more points and expands their lead to 20-9.

Update 7:08 PM

Another top 10 loses, and it’s California once again as they fall to the Bruins of UCLA 30-21. If the Florida game finishes as it is, we’ll have 4 top 10 teams lose this weekend once again (South Florida and South Carolina).

USC finally finishes off Notre Dame 38-0. What was that about Notre Dame finally finding a quarterback? The Irish are now officially bowl ineligible.

Update 7:06 PM

Kentucky just hasn’t been able to stop Florida today. Tebow has been able to move the ball at will. Florida goes back up by 14 45-31 with only 1:33 left.

Missouri grinds Texas Tech into the ground 41-10 to create even more chaos in the Big 12.

Finals:

Bowling Green 31, Kent State 20.

Update 6:59

4th down fortunes. Buffalo picks up a 4th and 5 on the Syracuse 30 to keep their drive alive, and follows it up with a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Syracuse with 10:25 to go.

Meanwhile, Kentucky hits a touchdown on 4th down to once again narrow their lead against Florida back to 7, 38-31, but with only 3:35 to go.

Cal looks like they’re going down two weeks in a row and UCLA extends their lead to 30-21 with only a minute to go.

Update 6:48 PM

UCLA retakes the lead on California 23-21 with 3 minutes to go.

Finals:

Troy 45, North Texas 7
West Virginia 38, Mississippi State 13

Update 6:43 PM

End of 3 in Syracuse and the Orange leads 17-6.

Update 6:39 PM

Another quick kick by Syracuse on 3rd and 30 on their own 14, and pin Buffalo down on their own 15. This is the third time that a team has been pinned and punted and pinned the other team. Huge changes in field position on special teams today.

It’s over: Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17. And this was perhaps Ohio State’s easiest of their remaining games.

Update 6:30 PM

Florida says “not so fast” to a Kentucky comeback, scoring another touchdown and expanding their lead back to 14, 38-24.

Also, Buffalo kicks another field goal, and it’s now 17-6 Syracuse.

Meanwhile, Michigan State, perhaps unwisely, kicks off after their last field goal, and it appears Ohio State will successfully be able to run out the clock.

More finals: Memphis defeats Rice 38-35. Middle Tennessee defeats Arkansas State 24-7.

Update 6:21 PM

It’s a one score game in Columbus as Michigan State kicks a field goal to make it 24-17. The only problem is that there is only 3:42 to go.

Update 6:15 PM

Just under 6 minutes to go in Columbus, but the Spartans are driving again.

Update 6:12PM

Kentucky scores another touchdown and it’s a game again in Lexington as Florida’s lead is cut to 31-24.

Meanwhile, California finally retakes the lead against UCLA 21-20 in the 3rd quarter.

More finals: Nevada 31, Utah State 28 and Utah State remains winless.

Update 6:09 PM

Syracuse marches into Buffalo territory, but the drive stalls on the 38 and they have to punt.

Update 6:05 PM

Kentucky holds Florida to a field goal, but the Gators still lead 31-17 in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Miami retakes the lead over Florida State again in the 3rd quarter, 24-23.

5:59 PM

Kentucky makes a really gutsy call and kicks an onsides kick after the kickoff, but Florida recovers after an official review.

Update 5:53 PM

Return of the Spartans?  Michigan State puts up another touchdown and it’s suddenly 24-14 in Columbus.

Update 5:50 PM

Return of the Wildcats? They score a touchdown and get back to within 28-17.

Michigan State finally gets on the board, but still trails Ohio State 24-7.

Update 5:43 PM

Some halftime stats for you:

Total yards: Syracuse 297, Buffalo 180
Passing: Syracuse is 9 for 16 for 170 yards; Buffalo is 14 for 17 for 128 yards.
Rushing: Syracuse 127 yards, Buffalo 52 yards

Update 5:39 PM

Florida is rolling over Kentucky now as they go up 28-10. Also, UCLA takes the lead on California again 20-14.

Meanwhile, Ohio State piles on another touchdown to lead Michigan State 24-0.

Update 5:35 PM

Syracuse picks up another touchdown on a 11 yard touchdown pass, and suddenly Syracuse is up 17-3 just before halftime.

Ball State defeats Western Michigan 27-23.

Update 5:29 PM

Syracuse picks up a fumble on Buffalo’s kickoff return and get it on the Buffalo 26.

In finals: Air Force defeats Wyoming 20-12 while time finally runs out Nebraska as they fall to Texas A&M 36-14.

Update 5:26 PM

Syracuse completes a 99 yard drive with a touchdown and goes up 10-3 against Buffalo.

Update 5:22 PM

Once I say that, Syracuse gets a huge pass and gets into Buffalo territory for at least the 3rd time today.

Update 5:21 PM

Syracuse gets a nice run to get a first down and get from under the shadow of their own goal posts, but the play comes back for holding. Penalties are killing both of these teams today.

Update 5:17 PM

Buffalo drives into Orange territory, but the drive stalls and they have to punt. However, the Bulls down the punt at the 1.

Texas A&M puts the final nail in the coffin against Nebraska, going up 36-14 with 4 and a half to go.

Arkansas defeats Mississippi 44-8.

Update 5:04 PM

Syracuse marches to inside the Syracuse 20, then throws an interception in the endzone. Neither team wants to score in this game it seems.

Update 5:02 PM

Florida extends their lead on Kentucky to 21-10 just before halftime.

Update 5:01 PM

Just reported that Brinkley will not return in the game after a 6 rushes for 40 yards game.

Elsewhere, USC puts up 7 more against the Irish and now leads Notre Dame 14-0.

Update 4:56 PM

Buffalo gets inside the Syracuse 20, but gets a personal foul penalty and Buffalo has to punt.

Update 4:50 PM

End of the 1st quarter in Syracuse, tied at 3.

UCLA kicks a field goal to pull to 14-13 with Cal. Texas Tech finally gets on the board, but still trails Missouri 10-7.

Another final: Western Kentucky 56, Indiana State 7.

Update 4:46 PM

Kentucky kicks a field goal to pull within 14-10 of Florida with 2:38 left in the 1st half.

Update 4:44 PM

Syracuse finally able to respond as they march down the field and get a field goal to tie the game at 3. Unfortunately, Brinkley injured his ankle on the drive.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M puts up another TD on Nebraska and goes up 30-14.

Update 4:36

Florida State takes the lead over Miami 17-14 in the 2nd quarter. Cal also now leads UCLA 14-10 (it was actually UCLA that was ahead 10-7 before).

Update 4:33 PM

Brinkley gets another good run to give the Orange some breathing room out to the 26.

Update 4:30 PM

Buffalo can’t get out from under their own endzone and has to punt, but, a big punt, a Syracuse fumble on the punt catch, and a penalty pushes Syracuse back to their own 11. From the Buffalo 10 to the Syracuse 11. Syracuse just blew a chance to get great field position.

Update 4:23 PM

Syracuse moves down to the Buffalo 34, but a false start on a would-be 4th and 5 that Syracuse was going to go for forces the Orange to punt. However, Syracuse downs the ball at the 2 yard line.

Update 4:21

Meanwhile, Texas A&M scores again and extends their lead over Nebraska to 23-14. Florida State also draws closer to Miami, pulling to within 14-10. Cal leads UCLA 10-7, USC takes a 7-0 lead over Notre Dame, and Ohio State extends their lead over Michigan State 17-0.

Update 4:16 PM

Miami leads in the battle of Florida over Florida State 14-3. Meanwhile, Missouri leads Texas Tech in a Big 12 tussle 10-0.

Update 4:14 PM

Florida takes their first lead on Kentucky on a 66 yard touchdown pass, going up 14-7.

Update 4:12 PM

Buffalo strikes first, kicking a 31 yard field goal and going up 3-0.

In finals, Wake Forest defeats Navy 44-24.

Update 4:10 PM

Kentucky misses a field goal, and they remain tied with Florida at 7. Meanwhile, Ohio State jumps out to a good start against Michigan State, leading 10-0.

Update 4:08 PM

Texas pulls away from Baylor in the 4th quarter to win 31-10.

Meanwhile, Buffalo is already driving in their first drive against the Orange.

Update 4:04 PM

Buffalo gets the ball first. Syracuse actually wearing blue shirts at home this time.

Update 4:02 PM

Alabama takes over the game in the 2nd half and dumps Tennessee 41-17. This means the winner of the Kentucky/Florida game pretty much controls their own destiny for the SEC East title.

4:01 PM

This thread is going to largely going to be a live thread for the Syracuse vs. Buffalo game, but I’ll also keep updating updates of other games, especially the Florida vs. Kentucky game.

We once again enter the twilight zone where games featuring South Florida are bigger than Miami vs. Florida State, and Kentucky get to be in a game bigger than Tennessee vs. Alabama.  In any case, here are the games to watch in week 8:

South Florida (6-0) at Rutgers (4-2) - Thursday, 7:30 PM

I don’t know that this game is bigger than the West Virginia game earlier in the year for South Florida, but it certainly is one of the big 4 games South Florida must get by this season (along with Cincinnati on November 3rd, and Louisville on November 17th).  Meanwhile, Rutgers needs this win, or else they may have to start worrying about bowl eligibility.

Louisville (4-3) at Connecticut (5-1) - Friday, 8:00 PM

Louisville has had a bad habit of not winning games they were supposed to win this year, while Connecticut fared better than people expected against Virginia.  Connecticut can show that they are indeed a team to be dealt with in the Big East while Louisville, with West Virginia, South Florida, and Rutgers still to play, desperately needs this win to get closer to bowl eligibility.

Penn State (5-2) at Indiana (5-2) - 12:00 PM

Indiana can finally get bowl eligible with a win over the Nittany Lions.  Meanwhile, the winner of this game stays at least maintains radar contact with the Big Ten championship, while the loser is out.

Tennessee (4-2) at Alabama (5-2) - 12:30 PM

Both of these teams find themselves in surprisingly good shape in the race for their respective division titles.  However, neither team can afford another loss in conference play if they want to continue having SEC Championship Game aspirations.

Wyoming (4-2) at Air Force (5-2) - 2:00 PM

These are two of the four teams still in the Mountain-West race, but another loss would pretty much put either of these teams too far behind to catch conference leader Brigham Young.  Especially Air Force since they’ve already lost to the cougars.

Texas A&M (5-2) at Nebraska (4-3) - 2:05 PM

With the way the Big 12 is going, both of these teams could be still in the race for the Big 12 title, though neither of these teams, especially Nebraska, can afford another loss right now.  A loss here by Nebraska would also put their bowl eligibility in jeopardy.

Michigan State (5-2) at Ohio State (7-0) - 3:30 PM

This is the first true test for the #1 ranked team who never expected to be in the top spot all year.  Michigan State has a history of ruining Ohio State seasons, and they’ll hope to do it again this week.

Florida (4-2) at Kentucky (6-1) - 3:30 PM

This is a huge game in the race for the SEC East - and the national title in Kentucky’s case - as another loss by Florida pretty much eliminates their chances of winning the SEC East.  Meanwhile, Kentucky must win this game, especially if Tennessee defeats Alabama earlier in the day.

California (5-1) at UCLA (4-2) - 3:30 PM

Despite UCLA’s out of conference debacles against Utah and Notre Dame, the Bruins are currently tied for the Pac 10 lead, one of only two teams still undefeated in conference play.  California hopes to end that, and hopes to get back in the title race as well.

Texas Tech (6-1) at Missouri (5-1) - 3:30 PM

Missouri hopes to avoid dropping two straight Big 12 championship game previews in a row as they face the other good team in the Big 12 South Texas Tech.  Another loss puts Missouri in very difficult position in the Big 12 North. Meanwhile, with 4 teams with only 1 conference loss in the Southern division, Texas Tech must look to keep up in their half of the conference too.

Buffalo (3-4) at Syracuse (1-6) - 4:00 PM

Since I am a Syracuse grad and this blog is called “Code Orange,” I assert my right to include Syracuse games whenever I feel they’re important.  This is an important one.  If the Orange lose to Buffalo, Coach Robinson might as well start packing his bags right after the game.

Kansas (6-0) at Colorado (4-3) - 5:30 PM

Despite Colorado’s overall record, they’ll well in the race for the Big 12 North title.  A win by Kansas would effectively put them two games ahead of everyone else in the division except for Missouri, who they play in the season finale. However, Kansas also needs a win over Colorado because they don’t have a large margin of error as far as their future opponents either.

Kansas State (4-2) at Oklahoma State (4-3) - 7:05 PM

Both of these teams are still in contention for their division titles, but neither can afford another conference loss.  Also the loser needs to start worrying about bowl eligibility in general as well.

Michigan (5-2) at Illinois(5-2) - 8:00 PM

Michigan tries to keep pace with Ohio State while Illinois tries to stay relevant in the Big Ten title race.  Given that 9 teams still have 2 or fewer conference losses, it’s still anyone’s game, but picking up another loss definitely won’t help Illionis.

Auburn (5-2) at LSU (6-1) - 9:00 PM

LSU needs a rebound from their upset loss to Kentucky, and a second SEC loss may put the team everyone though would play in the title in serious trouble as far as getting the SEC title.

Update 12:04 AM

Will a 6th undefeated team fall? Washington leads Arizona State 17-13 at halftime.

PS, today’s games are once again doing an number on my top 25 rankings…

Finals:

Tulsa 38, Marshall 31
Middle Tennessee State 21, Memphis 7

Update 10:57 PM

Auburn kicks their 3rd field goal of the day to beat Arkansas in a shootout 9-7.

More finals:

Louisiana Tech 22, New Mexico State 21
North Texas 31, Louisiana Monroe 21

Update 10:49 PM

The fifth undefeated team falls today: Louisville defeats Cincinnati 28-24.

And in the “where the hell are the points” game of the day: Alabama 7, Auburn 6 with less than a minutes to go.

Also:

Southern Miss 28, Southern Methodist 7

Update 10:46 PM

Ok, this is apparently what happened in Berkeley:

Cal was going to try to take a couple shots at getting a touchdown before kicking a field goal. However, with no one open on the play, instead of throwing the ball away, Cal quarterback Keven Riley tries to run the ball up the middle. In a rush, the Cal coaches try to rush the field goal team on the field, but cant set up before time expires.

Two dumb moves here: First, getting intentional grounding, but having the clock stopped is better than running with 14 seconds to go and with no time outs.

Second, wouldn’t it have been better to try to spike the ball THEN run your field goal unit onto the field instead of trying to get set up in like, 8 seconds?

With decision making like that by both the quarterback and the coaches, Cal pretty much deserved to lose.

Update 10:39 PM

Well, it’s apparently over in Berkely with #2 Cal losing to Oregon State 31-28. I’m not sure what happened since I’m not watching on TV, but from what I can see, Oregon State got called for pass interference with 14 seconds to go, which moved the ball down to the 12, and then Cal ran the ball for 3 yards to move it to the 9 and then…the game ended.

Surely Cal didn’t try to run the ball with 14 seconds to go with no time outs did they? In any case, both the #1 and #2 teams lost this week.

In Cincinnati, Louisville is about to pad their lead with under 3 minutes to go.

Update 10:35 PM

In field goal range! Cal hits a 37 yard pass to get down to the Oregon State 27 with 18 seconds to go.

Also, Cincy is forced to go 3-and-out.

Update 10:34 PM

In reality, Cal doesn’t have to go the entire 63. Getting about 30 more may due since they only need a field goal to tie.

Update 10:33 PM

Clutch. Cal throws a 20 yard pass on 3rd and 17, but they only have 34 seconds go to 63 yards now.

Update 10:29 PM

Cincinnati finally gets the ball back themselves with 5 minutes to go in their game. And Cal has 79 seconds to go 94 yards.

Update 10:28 PM

Oregon State goes 3-and-out and is forced to punt the ball back to Cal with about a minute and a half to go.

More Finals:

UAB 26, Tulane 21

Update 10:24 PM

Talk about guts. Louisville goes for it on 4th and 1 on their own 29 yard line, and make it to keep their drive alive and to keep running down the clock against Cincinnati. Also, Cal fails to recover the onsides kick.

Also, to add to the teams who I started to hype who immediately fell on their faces: Indiana loses to Michigan State 52 - 27.

Update 10:21 PM

California throws a 65 yard touchdown pass to claw back to within 3, 31-28, but there is only 2:31 to go in the game.

Update 10:19 PM

Missouri scores another late touchdown, but it’s too little, too late as Missouri becomes the 3rd undefeated team to fall today, losing to Oklahoma 41-31.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati kicks a field goal, but is still down to Louisville 28-24 with just under 9 minutes to go.

Also:

Arkansas State 52, Louisiana Lafayette 21

Update 10:09 PM

Boston College and South Florida must be loving this - Oregon State now has a 10 point lead on California, 31-21. Meanwhile, Louisville has taken a touchdown lead on Cincinnati 28-21.

Update 10:00 PM

Oklahoma puts the finishing blow on Missouri, taking a 41-24 lead with under 3 minutes left. Meanwhile Oregon State retakes the lead on Cal 26-21 halfway through the 4th quarter.

Update 9:44 PM

Cal has retaken the lead on Oregon State 21-20. Meanwhile Louisville ties Cincinnati at 21.

Update 9:38 PM

Just as I say that, Oklahoma scores again to make it 35-24.

Update 9:35 PM

We now may seriously have both the #1 and #2 teams lose. Oregon State leads Cal 20-14 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Elsewhere, Georgia pulls it out against Vanderbilt, winning 20-17. meanwhile, Missouri has made it a game again in Norman, with the Sooners only leading 29-24 in the 4th quarter. Cincinnati still leads Louisville 21-14 in the 3rd quarter.

Other Final:

Air Force 45, Colorado sTate 21

Update 8:52 PM

Georgia ties up their game with Vanderbilt at 17 with about 3 minutes to go. Meanwhile, Oklahoma puts up another 6 on Missouri and leads 23-10. Oregon State closes the gap against Cal to 1, 14-13, at halftime.

More Finals:

Texas Christian 38, Stanford 36
Temple 24, Akron 20

Update 8:35 PM

Cal retakes the lead on Oregon State 14-10.

Update 8:24 PM

Will #2 fall as well? Oregon State pulls ahead of Cal 10-7 late in the 2nd quarter. When was the last time the #1 and #2 teams both lost on the same day?

Meanwhile, another final:

Fresno State 37, Idaho 24

Update 8:18 PM

Don’t forget about Kansas still being undefeated as well after their win over Baylor today while Hawaii kept their undefeated season going Friday. One other undefeated team already lost today - Connecticut. Cincinnati and Missouri try to keep their unbeaten seasons going in games currently in progress while Arizona State tries to keep their undefeated season intact tonight against Washington.

P.S. If Arizona State and Cal both win tonight, then Cal has UCLA next week, and if they can beat the Bruins, we’re looking at a Cal vs. Arizona State undefeated match-up on the 27th. And people thought that the Pac 10 game of the year would involve USC in some way (and it still might).

Update 8:15 PM

Ohio State, Boston College, and South Florida all took care of business in their hunt for the national championship. Can Cal, the heir apparent for the #1 ranking now, do it as well? Oregon State tries to tell them no and the two are tied at 7 in the 2nd quarter.

Meanwhile, Missouri puts up a touchdown on Oklahoma to close the gap to 17-10 at halftime. Georgia scores again to close their gap against Vanderbilt to 17-14 in the 3rd quarter. Also, Cincinnati leads Louisville 14-7 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 8:01 PM

#1 falls for the 2nd week in a row as Kentucky stops LSU on 4th down to win in triple overtime 43-37.

Update 8:00 PM

LSU now faces a 4th and 2 in overtime down 43-37. LSU has not missed a 4th down conversion all season before today.

Update 7:57 PM

Kentucky scores a touchdown but misses the 2 point conversion, putting the wildcats ahead 43-37.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma extends their lead on Missouri to 17-7 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 7:44 PM

LSU holds Kentucky on 3 and out, but Kentucky is able to exchange LSU’s field goal for their own and it’s now 37-37 going into the 3rd overtime. Remember, you can’t kick PATs any more starting with the 3rd overtime. Are we going to have another one of those fabled 7 overtime SEC classics again?

Update 7:41 PM

LSU is forced to settle for a 38 yard field goal in the 2nd overtime, but now lead 37-34.

Also, Boston College makes sure Notre Dame returns back to their losing ways, with the Eagles winning 27-14.

Update 7:32 PM

LSU quickly responds to tie Kentucky at 34 and we’re going to a 2nd overitme.

Update 7:28 PM

Kentucky scores a touchdown to start off overtime, with help of a roughing the passing penalty on LSU. They now lead 34-27.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma leads Missouri 10-7 early in the 2nd quarter. The SEC may get even crazier later as Vanderbilt leads Georgia 17-7 at halftime.

More Finals:

Houston 56, Rice 48
Western Michigan 17, Northern Illinois 13

Updated 7:17 PM

LSU just misses the field goal, and we’re going to overtime.

Updated 7:16 PM

LSU looks like, instead of throwing it into the end zone, that they’ll try a 57 yard field goal with a kicker who hasn’t kicked a field goal longer than 45 yards. However, we have our 3rd straight time out, so we’ll see which choice LSU makes.

Updated 7:14 PM

4th and 9 on the Kentucky 40 with 1 second left. LSU looks like they’ll take a shot at the end zone on the last play of regulation.

Updated 7:10 PM

LSU drives down the field, down to the Kentucky 41 with 39 seconds to go.

Updated 6:58 PM

LSU is able to hold Kentucky to just another field goal, but the game is now tied at 27.

Updated 6:57 PM

Southern California survives Arizona 20-13.

Updated 6:55 PM

Kentucky drives against LSU, moving the ball down to the LSU 16.

South Carolina survives a late comeback by North Carolina to win 21-15.

Also, Oregon finishes their rout of Washington State, winning 53-7.

Updated 6:50 PM

Kentucky kicks a field goal to narrow the margin against LSU to 27-24, them promptly gets an interception and they have it 1st and 10 in LSU territory.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech wipes out Texas A&M 35-7 as that’s a final now.

Updated 6:45 PM

Penn State finally finishes off Wisconsin 38-7. Virginia also survives Connecticut 17-16 as that moves to be a final. Central Michigan also defeats Army 47-23.

6:37 PM

LSU is on upset alert again this week as they only Lead Kentucky 27-21 in the 4th quarter. The same goes for Southern Cal, who only leads Arizona 17-13, also in the 4th quarter.

Meanwhile, Connecticut is trying to get some respect, but they currently trail Virginia 17-16 late in the 4th quarter.

Wisconsin is about to drop completely out of the Big 10 race as Penn State gets back on their feet in convincing fashion. The Nittany Lions currently lead the Badgers 38-7 late in the 4th quarter.

Texas Tech is well on their way to being a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 South as they’re rolling all over Texas A&M 35-7 in the 4th quarter.

Next, some finals to catch us up:

Who would have thought that Buffalo would be the best Division I-A team in the state of New York? That may very well be the case as Buffalo wins their third game of the season by defeating Toledo 43-33.

Also, just as I finish about how the polls were dissing “only Wyoming” they go and make a fool out of me by losing to New Mexico 20-3.

In other finals:

Ball State 35, Western Kentucky 12
Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21
Utah 23, San Diego State 7
Miami (OH) 47, Bowling Green 14

Updated 4:11

Minnesota tries to finish off Northwestern on a two-point conversion in the 2nd overtime, but fails.  Northwestern wins 49-48.
Meanwhile, Mississippi can’t quite come back against Alabama, losing 27-24.

Also, Texas finishes of their blowout of Iowa State 56-3.
Updated 3:51

One overtime isn’t enough for Minnesota and Northwestern as they’re tied at 42 going into a 2nd overtime.

Meanwhile, Ohio defeats Eastern Michigan 48 - 42.

Also, Oklahoma State blows out Nebraska 45-14 to say “not so fast” on the Big 12 north being the better division this year.

Updated 3:39

Minnesota and Northwestern head to overtime tied at 35 to see who will reside in the cellar on the Big Ten.

More blowouts:

Rutgers 38, Syracuse 14
Virginia Tech 43, Duke 14
Michigan 48, Purdue 21

Updated 3:17 PM

Georgia Tech ends up pulling it out against Miami 17-14.

Otherwise, may the blowouts commence:

Ohio State 48, Kent State 3

Updated 2:53

Illinois finally impressed enough pollsters to get ranked, then immediately blows it. The Illini throw and interception in the red zone with around a minute left and lose to Iowa 10-6.

Updated 2:46 PM

Alabama and Mississippi are in a fight right now, tied at 17 in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, time is running out for Illinois, with only a couple minutes left to go in that game.

Updated 2:26 PM

Illini in trouble? They’re currently down to Iowa 10-6 halfway through the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Rutgers is ahead of Syracuse, but not by much, leading 24-14 in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

Georgia Tech and Miami are also in a good game with the Yellow Jackets leading 14-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Buffalo is well on their way to getting their 3rd win of the season, with the Bulls leading Toledo 30-13 in the 2nd quarter.

1:02 pm

Is Syracuse only good against good teams? They are currently tied with Rutgers at 14 early in the 2nd quarter. Also in the Big East, South Florida is having no problem with their cross-state rival UCF, leading 19-7.

Michigan also looks like they’re going to continue to roll, leading Purdue 17-7 at the start of the 2nd quarter.

I was going to make the last post a games to watch post, but then it turned into a tirade against the polls this week, so I’ll make this the games to watch post instead.

Florida State (4-1) at Wake Forest (3-2) - 7:30 PM, Thursday

This is a huge game in the ACC Atlantic Division was the winner stays within one game of Boston College in the division, while the loser is pretty close to out of the division race.  Florida State needs to prove that it has fully recovered from their game against Clemson while Wake needs to prove that they can win against a quality opponent after having close games against Army and Duke and needed to come back from 21 points down against Maryland to win.

Central Florida (3-2) at South Florida (5-0) - 12:00 PM

The game to determine the king of directional Florida, UCF can be a tricky opponent, almost pulling off an upset win against Texas.  South Florida needs a big win to amend for their close against against Florida Atlantic last week.

Purdue (5-1) at Michigan (4-2) - 12:00 PM

Michigan has started to roll after their embarrassing start, but still needs to knock off the lesser Big 10 opponents if they wish to keep their eyes on Ohio State and the Big Ten Championship.  Purdue, meanwhile, doesn’t want a good 5-0 start to go down the tube fast with two straight losses to the conference’s standard bearers.

Oklahoma State (3-3) at Nebraska (4-2) - 12:30 PM

Despite being 3-3, Oklahoma State is still only 1 game out of the Big 12 south lead, and a win over Nebraska would get them over a big hurdle to get them back into the race.  A loss by either team will make it very difficult for either to have a chance to play for their division.

Buffalo (2-4) at Toledo (2-4) - 1:00 PM

Has Buffalo ever had 3 wins since moving up to I-A football? They have a good shot at it this week as they take on a Toledo team which barely got by a I-AA team and beat a 1-5 Iowa State team by 1.  If they win, Buffalo will move to 3-1 in the MAC (though, apparently only divisional games count towards the division championship.  Buffalo is 2-0 in their division) and will people start *gasp* evening consider the possibility for Buffalo as a challenger for the Eastern Division title?

Tennessee (3-2) at Mississippi State (4-2) - 2:30 PM

The only reason why this is a game to watch is to see if Tennessee can continue on from their big win over Georgia.  Tennessee is one of three teams in the SEC East who control their own destiny for the division title, and probably have the easiest road of the three.  Tennessee will be removed from the driver’s seat if they lose to the other Bulldog team.

Texas A&M (5-1) at Texas Tech (5-1) - 3:30 PM

It’s the battle of the 5-1 should-be-ranked Big 12 teams.  The winner better be ranked or the human polls should probably be removed entirely from the BCS calculations.  Texas A&M can take a big leap forward in the Big 12 South if they win.  However, Texas Tech can essentially reset the division if they win.

Wisconsin (5-1) at Penn State (4-2) - 3:30 PM

Both of these teams depserately needs to rebound.  Penn State is probably already out of the Big Ten race, but is almost certainly eliminated with a 3rd conference loss.  Wisconsin also needs a win to keep their hopes alive.

LSU (6-0) at Kentucky (5-1) - 3:30 PM

Along with Tennessee, Kentucky is another team in the SEC East who controls their own destiny.  However, unlike Tennessee, they have the unfortunately duty of having to play LSU.  LSU can add a few more links to their armor of #1 votes with another win over a ranked team, while Kentucky probably must pull the upset to keep any hope of winning the division alive.

Connecticut (5-0) at Virginia (5-1) - 3:30 PM

A very curious out of conference match-up at both teams need this win to prove that they are, really, for real.  Virginia is still haunted by their Week 1 loss to Wyoming, but hasn’t played a team with a winning record otherwise.  Connecticut, on the other hand, while 5-0, hasn’t played anyone yet either, with their most impressive win being over 3-3 Akron.  This will be the first test for both teams, and the winner will likely become a strong contender to win their conference or division.

Missouri (5-0) at Oklahoma (5-1) - 6:30 PM

This is unquestionably the game of the week as Missouri tries to send a message to the rest of the Big 12 - and nation - that they are, indeed, for real.  Oklahoma will try to reassert themselves as kings of the Midwest by adding a win over undefeated Missouri.  A win would almost certainly catapult the Tigers into the Top 10 and National Championship talk may start buzzing around Columbia.

Indiana (5-1) at Michigan State (4-2) - 7:00 PM

Indiana has been oh-so-close to getting bowl eligible several times in the past few years, but haven’t been able to reach that 6-win mark.  They can do it this week against Michigan State, on top of getting their first true quality win and staying as a valid contender for the Big Ten title.

Louisville (3-3) at Cincinnati (6-0) - 7:00 PM

If Louisville were the team they were supposed to be, this would have challenged the Missouri/Oklahoma game for game of the week status.  Instead, Louisville comes into this game trying to stop the bleeding, having lost 2 in a row and 3 of their last 4.  They’ll have a tough time doing so against Cincinnati.  However, looking ahead at games against UConn, South Florida, West Virginia, and Rutgers, Louisville needs to try to find some games to win, or else they may not even go bowling.

Auburn (4-2) at Arkansas (3-2) - 7:45 PM

This is a game between two SEC teams who were hoping to have much better seasons than they have.  With two conference losses, Arkansas is probably already out of the SEC West race, but they can receive a final blow if Auburn beats them.  Meanwhile, Auburn themselves can’t afford another conference loss if they want to keep up with LSU.

East Carolina (3-3) at UTEP (4-2) - 9:05 PM

This is an interesting game if for no other reason than this could be a preview of the Conference USA title game.  Both teams currently lead their division, though neither can really afford a loss at this point in the season or else they’ll be playing catch-up in their division the rest of the way.

Colorado (4-2) at Kansas State (3-2) - 9:15 PM

Colorado is leading the Big 12 North along with Missouri.  If Missouri picks up the win against Oklahoma, Colorado really needs this win to keep up.  Meanwhile, Kansas State needs a win to stay in the division race altogether, or else they’ll fall 2 games back of (at least) Colorado.

The upset of the day is easily Stanford taking advantage of a weak-looking Southern Cal and winning 24-23.  USC becomes the 2nd top 5 team to lose today.  The other Los Angeles team goes amiss as well as UCLA hands Notre Dame their first win of the season 20-6.

In rivalry games with conference championship implications, Oklahoma bounces back to defeat Texas in the Red River Shootout 28-21 to keep Oklahoma in the Big 12 South race.  Meanwhile, Texas A&M mounts a huge comeback, scoring 24 of the last 30 points to beat Oklahoma State 24-23.

In the SEC, newly minted #1 LSU scores with around a minute left to play to get by Florida 28-24.  Meanwhile, Tennessee runs all over Georgia  35-14 and now leads the SEC East along with South Carolina and Kentucky.  Tennessee is the only team who has played both Florida and Georgia.

In the ACC, Virginia Tech beat up Clemson 41-23.  That puts Clemson 2 games behind Boston College in the Atlantic Division while the two Virginia teams are the only remaining teams still undefeated in conference play in the Coastal Division.

In the Big 10, Ohio State made a statement against Purdue, winning 23-7.

In the Big East, Cincinnati shows that they are for real by getting past Rutgers 28-23.

Temple, Buffalo, and Army, three much maligned teams, all pick up wins today.  Temple defeated Northern Illinois 16-15, Buffalo ran over Ohio 31-10, while Army squeezes past Tulane in overtime 20-17.

Only three games are still in progress.  Tulsa leads UTEP late in the 4th quarter 47-41, Missouri is running all over Nebraska 41-6 with 10 minutes to go, and Hawaii leads Utah State 7-3 halfway through the 1st quarter.

Other Finals:

Wake Forest 41, Duke 36
Wyoming 24,  Texas Christian 21
Mississippi 24, Louisiana Tech 0
Mississippi State 30, UAB 13
Miami (OH) 20, Kent State 13
Alabama 30, Houston 24
Penn State 27, Iowa 7
Florida State 27, North Carolina State 10
South Florida 35, Florida Atlantic 23
San Jose State 28, Idaho 20
Arizona State 23, Washington State 20
Oregon State 31, Arizona 16
Fresno State 49, Nevada 41
San Diego State 24, Colorado State 20
Troy 34, Florida International 16
Toledo 35, Liberty 34
Louisiana Lafayette 38, North Texas 29
Virginia 23, Middle Tennessee State 21
Texas Tech 42, Iowa State 17
Akron 39, Western Michigan 38
Louisiana Monroe 30, Arkansas State 13
Arkansas 34, Chattanooga 15
Colorado 43, Baylor 23
East Carolina 52, Central Florida 38
Air Force 31, UNLV 14