Code Orange

Well, so much for the anticipated Big 12 playoff.  We’ll still get part of it next week when Missouri and Kansas face off, but now a Big 12 team in the title game is no longer assured.  Even more, it may not even be Oklahoma who represents the southern division in the Big 12 title game.  Oklahoma’s loss gives them 2 conference losses and ties them with Texas.  If Texas defeats Texas A&M and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, it will be Texas who plays in the Big 12 title game.

Speaking of title games, Boston College played their way into the ACC title game with a 20-17 come-from-behind victory at Clemson.  They’ll face the winner of Virginia Tech/Virginia, who play next weekend.

Meanwhile, in the SEC, LSU had already clenched the SEC West title, but the SEC East race got a tad bit clearer as Georgia’s win over Kentucky boots Florida from the race.  Georgia almost clenched the East title, but Tennessee was able to come back and beat Vanderbilt.  If Tennessee defeats Kentucky next weekend, Tennessee will play in the SEC title game.  If they lose, Georgia will play LSU.  Georgia is finished with their SEC schedule.

In the BCS conferences without a formal title game, Ohio State clenched the Big 10 title by defeating Michigan 14-3 in a sloppy game, both in the weather, as well as with Michigan’s offense, who couldn’t get anything going on the ground or in the air.

In the Big East, West Virginia’s win over  Cincinnati set up a de facto Big East championship game next week with Connecticut.

In the Pac 10, Arizona State controls their own destiny now, but plays USC next Thursday, and then Arizona after that.  If they were to lose, Oregon would be next in line,  If Oregon loses, then it falls into USC’s hands.  However, if all hell breaks loose, you could end up seeing a 4-way tie for 1st place in the Pac 10 between Arizona State, USC, and 2 out of Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA.  That could happen if Arizona State loses to both USC and Arizona, USC loses to UCLA, and Oregon loses to Oregon State, UCLA, or both.

In non-BCS conferences, the Conference USA Eastern title will be determined next week. UCF has a one game lead on East Carolina, but East Carolina owns the head-to-head tie-breaker.  That means if UCF were to lose to UTEP and East Carolina defeats Tulane next weekend, East Carolina would win the division.

The Western Division is in a similar situation where Tulsa and Houston are tied for the division lead with 2 losses, but Tulsa defeated Houston earlier.  It all comes down to Tulsa, as Houston is finished with their conference slate.  If Tulsa defeats Rice, they win the division.  If they lose, Houston wins the division.

In the MAC, the conference title game is now set: Miami vs. Central Michigan.

In the Mountain-West, Brigham Young all but has the conference title, but Utah could still feasibly pull out the come-from-behind upset in the conference race. However, Utah will have to beat BYU next week to keep their hopes alive, and then hope BYU gets upset by San Diego State in the final game of the season.  That was the game delayed by the California fires earlier in the season.

In the Sun Belt, it is essentially a two team race between Troy and Florida Atlantic.  FAU is 1 game behind Troy, but they get to play the Trojans in the last game of the season.   Depending on how tie-breakers work, MTSU could still have a shot, but Troy would have to lose to FAU as well as MTSU, while Florida Atlantic would have to lose to Florida International.

In the WAC, the title will be determined by the Hawaii/Boise State game next weekend.

Update 12:11 AM

Another weekend with two top-5 teams go down.  First it was #2 Oregon and then would-be AP, Coaches, and Harris poll #2 Oklahoma, who looses to Texas Tech 34-27.

Update 12:09 AM

Texas Tech recovers the onsides kick.

Update 12:07 AM

It may not be 100% over in Lubbock yet. Oklahoma gets the ball with under a minute to go and scores in 3 plays to make it 34-27 with 31 seconds to go. The onsides kick is upcoming.

Update 12:02 AM

It’s about over in Lubbock as Oklahoma fails on yet another 4th down conversion in the red zone with only 3:10 to go, still down 34-20.

Update 11:54 PM

Oklahoma strikes down the field after a Texas Tech 3-and-out and gets a 1st and goal, but Texas Tech stops them in 4 plays and gets a turnover on downs. Only 5:10 remains.

Also, South Florida defeats Louisville 55-17. Louisville now must beat Rutgers next weekend to become bowl eligible.

Update 11:39 PM

Oklahoma’s offense finally gets in the end zone, this time on a big play, and the scratch back to within 34-20 with 7:50 to go. It’s now only a 2 touchdown game, but Oklahoma has to get Texas Tech’s offense off the field, who has largely been in cruise mode instead of attack mode for most of the 2nd half.

Finals:

Southern Miss 56, UTEP 30 (Southern Miss is now bowl eligible. UTEP is now bowl ineligible)

Update 11:24 PM

Clemson misses a 54 yard field goal and Boston College earns a berth into the ACC Championship Game by defeating Clemson 20-17.

Update 11:14 PM

It’s over in Cincinnati as West Virginia wins 28-23 and sets up a Big East championship game with Connecticut next weekend.

Update 11:12 PM

Clemson’s back is now against the wall as Boston College tosses a 43 yard touchdown pass to take a 20-17 lead with only 1:46 to go.

Update 11:05 PM

McNeese state clinches their conference’s automatic bid and finishes undefeated by defeating Central Arkansas 14.

Update 11:03 PM

Cincinnati isn’t done yet. They score again and it’s now only 28-23 West Virginia, but with only 2:26 to go.

Update 11:01 PM

Clemson responds and the Tigers retakes the lead on Boston College 17-13 with 5:53 to go in the game.

Update 10:49 PM

Meanwhile, Boston College just kicked a field goal to take a 13-10 lead on Clemson with 9:01 to go in that game.

Update 10:48 PM

Oklahoma still can’t find the end zone on offense and has to settle for another field goal after a good drive, and it’s 34-13 Texas Tech.

Update 10:45 PM

Cincinnati tries to climb back into the game, scoring a touchdown and narrowing it down to 28-17 against West Virginia, but only 7:31 remains in that game.

Finals:

Texas Christian 34, UNLV 10 (Texas Christian now bowl eligible)

Update 10:35 PM

Boston College finally puts the ball in the end zone and now it’s 10-10 down in Clemson with 13:37 to go.

Update 10:30 PM

Texas Tech takes advantage of a botched fake punt by Oklahoma and goes up 34-10. And they got this touchdown by running their running back.
Finals:

Oregon State 52, Washington State 17 (Washington State now bowl ineligible)

Update 10:23 PM

West Virginia is starting to nail the coffin closed as they’re now up on Cincinnati 28-10 with 11:43 to go.

Finals:

Louisiana Lafayette 38, Florida International 28
Oklahoma State 45, Baylor 14 (Oklahoma State bowl eligible)
Louisiana Tech 27, San Jose State 23 (San Jose State now bowl ineligible)

Update 9:59 PM
Oklahoma finally generates some offense at the end of the first half and gets it to the 1 yard line, but can only pick up a field goal and it’s 27-10 Texas Tech late in the 1st half.

Update 9:55 PM

Clemson tacks on a field goal to take a 10-3 lead on Boston College.

Update 9:39 PM

Just a note. Oklahoma has 38 total yards - 27 rushing yards and 11 passing yards. Meanwhile, they have 45 yards in penalties, and their lone touchdown was on an interception return on Texas Tech’s opening drive.

Update 9:38 PM

Speaking of the #2 curse, while Kansas should be the #2 team in the BCS, Oklahoma is actually the team on deck to be #2 in all the human polls. They’re trying their best not to be #2. Of course, all of this favors West Virginia, who would presumably be in line for the national title if Oklahoma loses tonight, and the winner of the Kansas/Missouri games loses in the Big 12 title game. West Virginia is still up 21-10 at halftime over Cincinnati.

Update 9:35 PM

Texas Tech is rolling, rolling, rolling and they’re now up 27-7 on Oklahoma with still 9 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.

Update 9:19 PM

Boston College finally gets on the board by kicking a field goal. It’s now 7-3 Clemson.

Update 9:14 PM

Texas Tech strikes again, and OU’s national championship hopes start to get some question marks next to it as the Red Raiders go up 20-7.

Update 9:09 PM

West Virginia is starting to create a margin against Cincinnati, going up 21-10.

Update 9:04 PM

Northern Iowa finishes up an undefeated regular season by defeating Southern Utah 48-10. Will they get the #1 seed in the I-AA tournament?

Update 8:59 PM

Cincinnati responds again to West Virginia, kicking a field goal and making it 14-10.

Update 8:55 PM

Texas Tech finally gets their passing game going and scores a big touchdown pass after a 60 yard pass that got the Red Raiders down to the 1. Tech goes up 13-7 on Oklahoma.

Update 8:50 PM

West Virginia retakes the lead against Cincinnati 14-7.

Finals:

Utah 28, New Mexico 10

Update 8:45 PM

Texas Tech kicks another field goal and gets within 7-6 of Oklahoma.

Update 8:42 PM

Prairie View (yes that one) won today against Alabama A&M. That puts a cap on a 7-3 season for the Panthers, their first winning season since 1976.

Update 8:27 PM

Texas Tech kicks a field goal to get on the board. They still trial Oklahoma 7-3.

Update 8:26 PM

A recap on the CAA website said that the meeting of CAA athletic directors decided to determine the team who will pick up the automatic bid to the I-AA tournament by coin flip. Massachusetts won the coin flip so they are technically the conference champion for the purposes of getting the auto-bid to the I-AA tournament. The AD meeting stressed that UMass and Richmond are officiall co-champions, and felt that the two teams were too equal to put the issue up for an actual vote.

Update 8:21 PM

Cincinnati responds and ties up West Virginia at 7.

Update 8:18 PM

South Florida goes up on Louisville 6-0 early. Louisville is still looking to get bowl eligible.

Update 8:15 PM

The problem with passing most of the time is that it leads to interceptions. Texas Tech just threw a pick on their opening drive and Oklahoma returns it for a touchdown, going up 7-0.

Eastern Washington makes their case for an at-large bid to the I-AA tournament, defeating Weber State 38-16.

Update 8:09 PM

Clemson strikes first in their game against Boston College 7-0.

7:58 PM

West Virginia strikes first, and goes up on Cincinnati 7-0.Finals:

Western Kentucky 52, Morehead State 12

Update 7:37 PM

We’re about to get a trio of good games going tonight. The first is Oklahoma at Texas Tech. Oklahoma should win, but with the number of points Texas Tech can put up, you can never count them out.

Next is West Virginia at Cincinnati. Cincinnati can still win the Big East, but they’ll have to upset the Mountaineers to do it.

Finally, there is Boston College at Clemson for the ACC Atlantic Division title.

Finals:

Wake Forest 38, N. C. State 18

Update 7:15 PM

LSU finally takes care of Mississippi 41-24 (it was closer than that score) and is now 2 games away from the national title game.

Update 7:13 PM

Kansas wins 45-7 over Iowa State and now head into their game against Missouri likely ranked #2 and 11-0.
Finals:

Virginia Tech 44, Miami 14
Western Michigan 28, Iowa 19
Michigan State 35, Penn State 31
Wisconsin 41, Minnesota 34
Washington 37, California 23
Indiana 27, Purdue 24
Houston 35, Marshall 28

Update 6:57 PM

Ole Miss was driving to make it a one score game, but then throw an interception, and add on a penalty and LSU got the ball at the Ole Miss 20 and end up putting it in the end zone, putting the final nails in the coffin. It’s now 34-17 Tigers.

Delaware may have just cost themselves an at-large bid into the I-AA playoffs, especially with 3 other CAA teams vying for a 3rd at-large bid for that conference. Delaware loses to Villanova 16-10. Meanwhile, Appalachian State solidifies an at-large bid by taking care of Chattanooga 37-17.

Finals:

Navy 35, Northern Illinois 24
Memphis 25, UAB 9 (Memphis is bowl eligible)

Update 6:38 PM

It’s a game again in Oxford as Mississippi scores a touchdown to close the gap against LSU 27-17.

Finals:

Central Florida 49, Southern Methodist 20
Tulane 45, Rice 31

Update 6:14 PM

Notre Dame finally wins a second game, defeating Duke 28-7.

Update 6:03 PM

Will Minnesota pull the upset? They’re tied with Wisconsin at 20 near the end of the 3rd quarter.

Here are your final Division II playoff scores of the day:

West Texas A&M 40, Washburn 39 (WTAM will play Northwest Missouri State in the next round)
Central Washington 40, Ashland 24 (C. Washington will play Nebraska-Omaha in the next round)

Update 5:51 PM

Alabama loses to Louisiana Monroe. Yes, that Louisiana Monroe 21-14.

Eastern Illinois finishes up their case for a I-AA playoff at large bid with a 33-17 win over Samford. Also, Montana finishes undefeated and will probably get the #1 seed in the I-AA playoffs after defeating rival Montana State 41-20.
Finals:

Boise State 58, Idaho 14

Update 5:38 PM

It’s official now: Tennessee 25, Vanderbilt 24 Final.

Also, LSU puts some distance between themselves and Mississippi, going up 21-7.

Other finals:

Arkansas 45, Mississippi State 31
Air Force 55, San Diego State 23

Update 5:19 PM

Vanderbilt missed a 49 yard field goal with only 45 yards to go, and Tennessee is still alive for the SEC East title.

Division II playoff finals:

North Dakota 44, Winona State 2 (North Dakota will play Grand Valley State next round)

Finals:

Brigham Young 35, Wyoming 10
Colorado State 42, Georgia Southern 34
Utah State 35, New Mexico state 17

Update 5:11 PM

Tennessee hits a field goal with 2:46 to go to finally go back up on Vanderbilt 25-24.

Update 5:07 PM

I’m back form a quick run to the store while all the Hokies are preoccupied with other things.

In updates, Georgia Southern is trying to worm their way into the I-AA playoffs, but they’re still down to Colorado State 42-31 late in the 4th quarter.

Tennessee has almost come back against Vanderbilt, but the Commodores still lead 24-22 with 7:14 to go.

Notre Dame leads Duke 14-0.

Louisiana Monroe is currently leading Alabama 21-14 in the 4th quarter.

Kansas leads Iowa State 21-7 late in the 2nd quarter.

In other I-AA action, James Madison is making their case for an at-large bid by defeating Towson 23-13. Meanwhile, North Dakota State loses their first game against a I-AA opponent as a I-AA team, losing to South Dakota State 29-24.

In the Division II playoffs, Catawba defeats Albany State (GA) 66-35. Catawba will play Valdosta State in the next round.

In the Division III playoffs, Mary Hardin-Baylor defeated Trinity (TX) 52-23. MHB will play North Carolina Wesleyan in the next round.

Update 4:16 PM

Someone finally scores in the Duke/Notre Dame game as the Irish goes up 7-0 with only 1:17 to go in the first half.

Update 4:15 PM

Missouri finishes out Kansas State 49-32 and guarantees that next week’s game against Kansas will be for the Big 12 North title.

Division II playoffs:

Abilene Christian 56, Mesa State 12 (Abilene Christian will play Chadron State next round)

Division III playoff finals:

Wisconsin-Whitewater 34, Capital 14
St. John’s (MN) 41, Redlands 13 (St. John’s will play Central College next round)

Finals:

Bowling Green 31, Buffalo 17 (Buffalo now bowl ineligible)

Update 4:06 PM

Kansas goes up on Iowa State 7-0. Meanwhile, Mississippi ties up LSU at 7. Meanwhile, Georgia’s gotta love what’s going on in Knoxville s Vanderbilt goes up on Tennessee 24-9.

More Division II playoff scores:

Delta State 45, Shaw 7 (Delta State will play North Alabama next week)

More Division III playoff scores:

Central College 38, Olivet 17

Update 3:53 PM

Georgia puts away Kentucky 24-13. This eliminates Florida from the SEC East race, and Georgia can clench the SEC title if Vanderbilt can hold onto their lead against Tennessee.

Division III playoffs finals:

Wisconsin-Eau Clair 24, St. Norbert 20 (Wisconsin-Eau Clair will play Bethel next weekend)

Update 3:49 PM

Virginia Tech strikes first, going up on Miami 7-0.

North Dakota State hasn’t lost a game to a I-AA team since moving into that division. However, they’re currently losing to their conference rival South Dakota State 20-10 at halftime. Also, Appalachian State goes up early on Chattanooga 7-0.
Division III Playoffs finals:

Bethel (MN) 28, Concordia 0

3:39 PM

Time for a new thread, and look for more lower-division scores once again now that they’re into playoff mode.

Update 3:38 PM

It’s now 17-9 Vanderbilt over Tennessee at halftime.   Also, Duke and Notre Dame are scoreless after the 1st quarter.

Division III playoffs:

North Central 44, Franklin 42

Finals:

Florida State 24, Maryland 16
Georgia Tech 27, North Carolina 25
Florida 59, Florida Atlantic 20
Tulsa 49, Army 39
Update 3:30 PM

Nevermind about Pittsburgh. They get called for a 15 yard penalty, then throw a pick, and Pitt’s outside chance of winning the Big East is over as Rutgers wins 20-16.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt retakes the lead over Tennessee 14-9.

Update 3:28 PM

Pittsburgh has the ball within the Rutgers 10 with less than a minute to go, down by 4…

Update 3:25 PM

Tennessee goes back up on Vanderbilt 9-7.

I-AA finals:

Harvard ends Yale’s perfect season 37-6.

Division II playoff scores:

Indiana (PA) 45, West Chester 35 (Indiana will play Shepherd next weekend)

Finals:

Connecticut 30, Syracuse 7

Update 3:20 PM

Ohio State defeats Michigan 14-3. Ohio State has now won 4 in a row against the Wolverines.

Division III playoff scores:

Curry 42, Hartwick 21 (Curry will play St. John Fisher)

More Finals:

Illinois 41, Northwestern 22

Update 3:17 PM

Richmond just defeated William & Mary 31-20. That means they and Massachusetts tie for the CAA title. The automatic bid into the I-AA tournament will now be determined by a majority vote of the conference’s athletic directors. Who will they choose? If they want the better team, they’ll probably pick Massachusetts. If they’re nervous at all about Richmond getting a bid as an at-large, however, they may give the auto-bid to the Spiders.

Update 3:14 PM

Michigan just failed on a 4th conversion, which pretty much seals Ohio State’s victory. There is only 3:44 left between Ohio State and a Rose Bowl berth.

Division I-AA finals:

Delaware State 29, Howard 13
Massachusetts 27, Hofstra 5 (UMass clenches a share of the CAA title)

More Division III finals:

Wabash 31, Mount St. Joseph 21 (Wabash will play Case Western)
St. John Fisher 24, Hobart 7
Wesley 45, Hampden-Sydney 17 (Wesley will play Muhlenberg)

Update 3:07 PM

Michigan is running out of time, punting the ball back to Ohio State with less than 7 minutes to go, still 14-3 Buckeyes. Meanwhile, Kentucky is back to within a score of Georgia, 21-13.

Division III finals:

Muhlenberg 31, Salisbury State 21
Case Western 21, Widener 20

Update 3:03 PM

Vanderbilt takes a 7-6 lead on Tennessee.

Meanwhile, in an upset possibility in the Division III playoffs, North Carolina Wesleyan and Washington & Jefferson head into overtime tied at 14.

Finals:

Temple 24, Kent State 14

Update 3:00 PM

Georgia has now widened their lead on Kentucky to 21-13 in the 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, Missouri leads Kansas State 28-18, also in the 3rd quarter.

In another Division III playoff final, College of New Jersey defeats Rensselaer 17-14. College of New Jersey will get the unenviable job of facing Mount Union next weekend.

Update 2:57 PM

New Hampshire trying to worm their way into a I-AA playoff at-large bid, but probably needs help. They made their final case today, defeating Maine 39-14.

Update 2:55 PM

Division II Playoff finals:

Southern Connecticut State 45, Bryant 28. SCSU will play at 11-0 California (PA) next week.

Division III playoff finals:

Mount Union 42, Ithaca 18

Update 2:45 PM

ESPN can’t seem to decide what the score in the Mount Union game is. They had Mount Union with 70 points for a while. Now it’s back to 42. Either way, they’re way ahead.

By the way, Henne is back in the game for Michigan.

Update 2:36 PM

Georgia finally takes the lead on Kentucky 14-10. Meanwhile, Ohio State/Michigan goes into the 4th quarter 14-3.

Update 2:31 PM

BYU can clench the Mountain-West title today with a win over Wyoming and a Utah loss. The Cougars currently lead 7-0.

Update 2:25 PM

It looks like Henne will be coming out when Michigan gets the ball back, but it looks like injuries just attacked Ohio State as well, with Wells appearing to hurt his hamstring.

Update 2:24 PM

Mount Union is showing just why they’re the #1 team in Division III, leading Ithaca 70-18 in their playoff game today in the 4th quarter.

Update 2:19 PM

Michigan finally stops Ohio State in the 2nd half, but Henne stays in the game, despite his poor performance so far.

Update 2:17 PM

Tennessee strikes early against Vanderbilt, going up 6-0 in the first of their last 2 remaining mine fields on their way to the SEC title game.

Update 2:05 PM

Ohio State didn’t wait long. On their first play after the touchdown being called back, Wells runs for a long touchdown anyway, and they go up 14-3 on Michigan.

Update 2:04 PM

Michigan gets the ball to start the 2nd half and promptly goes 3-and-out. Ohio State returns the punt for a touchdown, but it’s brought back due to a blocking in the back penalty.

Update 2:01 PM

Georgia finally gets on the board, but the Bulldogs still trail Kentucky 10-7.

Update 1:45 PM

Missouri and Florida put up more scores as Missouri retakes the lead 21-15 and Florida expands their lead to 35-20 at halftime.

Update 1:38 PM

Michigan misses a 48-yard field goal short to end the first half, and Ohio State leads 7-3 at halftime.

Update 1:37 PM

Perhaps Missouri is looking ahead. Kansas State now takes the lead on the Tigers 15-14. The Wildcat kicker has now missed 2 extra points (it was only 15-9 before, not 15-10 apparently).

Update 1:35 PM

Ohio State’s attempt to go down the field to score suddenly went horribly wrong as Michigan intercepts the ball and returns it inside the Ohio State 40. Michigan has no time outs, however, with only about 20 seconds to go.

Update 1:33 PM

Rutgers takes the lead on Pittsburgh 17-10. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic scores again, and once again puts themselves within one score of Florida, as the score in that game is now Florida 28, Florida Atlantic 20 near halftime.

Also, Ohio State is driving, trying to score before halftime.

Update 1:29 PM

Michigan can’t do anything with their good field position as the two teams are now a combined 6 for 17 on 3rd down today.

Update 1:27 PM

Michigan pins Ohio State inside the 5 with punt, and Ohio State can’t get out of the shadow of their own end zone, returning the ball to Michigan at mid-field.

Update 1:26 PM

Florida adds some padding to their lead over Florida Atlantic, going up 28-13. Tebow becomes the first player in I-A history to score 20 rushing and 20 passing touchdowns in one season.

Meanwhile, Missouri just can’t shake Kansas State, leading only 14-10. In that game, Jeremy Maclin has set a record for most all-purpose yards by a freshman in Division I-A.

Update 1:15 PM

All of a sudden Florida Atlantic is within a score of Florida after kicking another field goal and closing the score to 21-13.

Update 1:08 PM

Michigan picks up a big 3rd down to keep their drive alive.

Meanwhile, Florida State is destroying Maryland 21-3 in the 2nd quarter. Also, the Florida/Florida Atlantic game, which is supposed to be a blowout, is looking vaguely like a game now, with the Owls now back to within 21-10 of the Gators.

Meanwhile, even if Yale could go to the I-AA playoffs, they might have blown their chance today, as Harvard is now routing them 27-0.

Update 12:59 PM

Ohio State moves down the field and responds to Michigan and goes up 7-3.

Meanwhile, perhaps it was too early to call the Southern Connecticut State game, as Bryant suddenly closes the score back down to 21-20.

Update 12:56 PM

Kentucky is trying to spoil Georgia’s hopes for an SEC East title, and they go up 7-0 on the Bulldogs.

Update 12:51 PM

Missouri making sure they aren’t looking ahead toward their big game with Kansas, goes up on the other Kansas team 7-0.

Update 12:48 PM

I actually just realized this - before I said Illinois was trying to clench 3rd in the Big Ten by beating Northwestern. Actually, if they win and Michigan beats Ohio State, Illinois would actually finish 2nd in the conference. But I wouldn’t expect the Illini to get a bid to the Capital One Bowl ahead of Ohio State in that case, though.

Update 12:44 PM

Pittsburgh takes a 10-3 lead on Rutgers to try to keep their outside shot at the Big East title alive.

Update 12:40 PM

Michigan is able to drive down the field on their 2nd drive, but stalls before the endzone, and the Wolverines kicks a field goal to take a 3-0 on Ohio State.

Update 12:37 PM

It looks like some Division III playoff games are going to be decided rather early. Curry now leads Hartwick 28-0 in the 1st quarter while Southern Connecticut State leads Bryant 21-7, nearing the 2nd of the 1st quarter.

Update 12:30 PM

After getting an initial first down, a fumbled snap and falling down while backing up to pass quickly ends Ohio State’s drive.

Also in score update, Richmond leads William & Mary 7-0.

In the Division II Playoffs, Southern Connecticut State leads Bryant 14-7 and West Chester leads Indiana (PA) 7-0.

Meanwhile, in the Division III playoffs, Curry leads Hartwick 14-0, Mount St. Joseph and Wabash are tied at 7, North Central leads Franklin 14-7, and Muhlenberg leads Salisbury State 7-0.

Update 12:23 PM

Michigan gets the ball, then goes 3 and out, so Ohio State wins the field position battle in the first pair of drives.

Update 12:21 PM

A questionable non-interference call leads to an Ohio State punt on their opening drive.

Update 12: 19 PM

Here are some score update, all in the 1st Quarter:

Illinois 7, Northwestern 0
Connecticut 7, Syracuse 0
Massachusetts 7, Hofstra 0
Harvard 7, Yale 0

12:06 PM

Obviously the big game early is Ohio State vs. Michigan, but there is also Pittsburgh vs. Rutgers (which still has Big East championship implications), Illinois vs. Northwestern, where the Illini are hoping to clench 3rd in the conference, Kentucky at Georgia, and Missouri at Kansas State.

We also get some I-AA matchups and some Division II and III playoff games starting.

The final weekend of football in Division I-AA football is this weekend, as well as first round playoff games (playoffs!? what a concept!) in Division II and Division III.

In Division I-AA, there are still three undefeated teams who can qualify for the playoffs: #2 Northern Iowa, #3 Montana, and #4 McNeese State (#1 North Dakota State is still a Division I transitional and thus isn’t eligible for the playoffs, while #11 Yale can’t go because of an Ivy League policy prohibiting their football teams from going to the playoffs.)

We also have conference championships to be determined and the 8 other I-AA playoff wildcard spots to be filled.  That bracket will be announced tomorrow.

Eight conferences earn automatic bids into the I-AA tournament, 6 have already been decided:

Big Sky Conference - Montana
Gateway Conference - Northern Iowa
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - Delaware State
Ohio Valley Conference - Eastern Kentucky
Patriot League - Fordham
Southern Conference - Wofford

Meanwhile, two conference championships will be decided today:

Colonial Athletic Association

Four teams are still in contention for this conference title: #7 Massachusetts, #8 Richmond, #9 Delaware, and #13 James Madison.   And it can get messy in this conference.

Massachusetts and Richmond both sit with 6-1 conference records, yet they do not play each other.  Massachusetts plays at #22 Hofstra while Richmond plays at home against William and Mary.  If one of these teams wins and the other loses, then the winner will win the conference and earn the automatic bid.

If they both win, then they are technically co-champions, but the automatic bid will be determined by a majority vote by the conference’s Athletics Directors (excluding the ADs of the schools being voted on).

If both Massachsuetts and Richmond lose and James Madison wins, James Madison receives the automatic bid.

If Massachusetts, Richmond, and James Madison all lose and Delaware wins, then Delaware receives the automatic bid.

Southland Conference

The winner of the McNeeses State/Central Arkansas game will receive the automatic bid.

And then you have to start looking at possible at-large teams, and there are only 8 spots.

At the top of the list have to be #5 Southern Illinois, #6 Appalachian State, and the two teams in the Massachusetts, Richmond, and Delaware group who don’t the CAA automatic bid.  Even if these teams lose today, they are probably odds-on favorites for getting into the tournament (except for the CAA teams, since there are really 6 teams who are possibly in contention for bids, and getting more than 3 teams in may be asking a lot).

After that you get to #13 James Madison (can the CAA get 4 teams in the tournament? Has that ever happened before?), #15 Youngstown State, #15 Eastern Washington,  #17 Georgia Southern, #19 New Hampshire (another CAA team - it’s doubful that they’d get in ahead of JMU if the Dukes win, and I can’t see any conference getting 5 teams in), and #20 Eastern Illinois.

#18 Grambling can’t accept an invite since they already play a traditional game on Thanksgiving Day.

Meanwhile, in the Division II playoffs, here are the games on tap:

Ashland at Central Washington
Winona State at North Dakota
Mesa State at Abilene Christian
Washburn at West Texas A&M
Albany State at Catawba
Shaw at Delta State
Bryant at Southern Connecticut State
Indiana (PA) at West Chester

The top 8 seeds all get byes into the second round.  Also, this tournament is divided into 4 regions, with the four regional champions advancing to the semifinals.  In each region 6 teams go to the playoffs.

There was some controversy this year in the South Region where 10-1 Carson-Newman was ranked in the top 15 in the nation overall and #5 in the region, yet because of rules that allow any conference champion in the top 10 of the regional rankings to get a bid in to the tournament, Carson-Newman was left out.  Carson-Newman’s only loss was to Catawba.

Division III matchups today include the following:

Ithaca at Mount Union
TCNJ at Rensselaer
Hartwick at Curry
Hobart at St. John’s Fisher
Olivet at Central (IA)
Redlands at St. John’s (MN)
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at St. Norbert
Concordia (WI) at Bethel (MN)
North Carolina Wesleyan at Washington & Jefferson
Trinity (TX) [Yes, that Trinity] at Mary Hardin-Baylor
Salisbury at Muhlenberg
Hampden-Sydney at Wesley
Capital at Wisconsin-Whitewater
North Central (IL) at Franklin
Mt. St. Joseph at Wabash
Widener at Case Reserve

I’ll try to update these scores today if I can find them.

Ohio State (10-1) at Michigan (8-3) - 12:00 PM

This is obviously the biggest game this weekend as far as tradition, but it probably isn’t the biggest game in terms of importance.  In any case, this game is for a berth into the Rose Bowl, with the loser probably having to settle for the bowl formally known as the Citrus Bowl.

Missouri (9-1) at Kansas State (5-5) - 12:30 PM

This isn’t so much a game to watch as far as rankings or standings are concerned so much as this is Missouri’s final test before their showdown with Kansas next weekend in Kansas City.  However, a Missouri upset in conjunction with a Kansas win this weekend could give Kansas the Big 12 North title.

Bowling Green (6-4) at Buffalo (4-6) - 1:00 PM

Miami (OH) has already won their division of the MAC, but with only Kent State left to go on their schedule after this, a Buffalo win may mean the unthinkable - the Bulls may actually become bowl eligible.

Vanderbilt (5-5) at Tennessee (7-3) - 2:00 PM

This is an important game for both teams, as Vanderbilt is looking to become bowl eligible as Tennessee needs to only get past one more hurdle (Kentucky) before qualifying for the conference championship game if they can get by the Commodores.   LSU has already clenched the SEC West.

Duke (1-9) at Notre Dame (1-9) - 2:30 PM

I’m interested to see if the Blue Devils can really beat Notre Dame.  That might be the biggest win in program history, even if Notre Dame would be 1-10 afterwards.

Iowa State (3-8) at Kansas (10-0) - 3:30 PM

If Kansas wins this, they had into their final regular season game with Missouri undefeated and ranked #2 - something that may not be all that good.

Boston College (8-2) at Clemson (8-2) - 7:45 PM

All of a sudden, Clemson is back in the picture, thanks to Boston College’s collapse in the last two weeks.  The winner of this game clenches a spot in the ACC Championship game against the winner of the Virginia/Virginia Tech game next weekend.

West Virginia (8-1) at Cincinnati (8-2) - 7:45 PM 

Believe it or not, Cincinnati is still in the running for the Big East title and a BCS bid.  If they can upset the Mountaineers, and then if West Virginia defeats Connecticut next week, Cincinnati would hold the tie breaker.

In sort-of unrelated news.  Pittsburgh, of all teams, is still in the hunt for the conference title.  They’ve defeated Cincinnati and have West Virginia yet to play.  They’d need a lot of help, but if Cinci defeats West Virginia and West Virginia defeats UConn, there would be 4 teams in the Big East with 2 losses - assuming Pitt defeats Rutgers, of course.

Seriously, someone look for Harry Potter or something.  There is a curse on the #2 ranking this year.  In 7 weeks, the AP #2 team has lost 5 times:

Week 6: #2 Southern Cal 23, Stanford 24
Week 7: #2 California 28, Oregon State 31
Week 8: #2 South Florida 27, Rutgers 30
Week 10: #2 Boston College 17, Florida State 27
Week 12: #2 Oregon 24, Arizona 34

In the 7 other weeks, LSU won six times as the #2 team - in two different stints, the first being weeks 1 through 5, then in week 11 as well -  and Boston College won once, in week 9.  That’s right.  Six different teams have been #2 in 12 weeks.  LSU is 6-0 and the other 5 teams are a combined 1-5 as #2.

Assuming Kansas defeats Iowa State this weekend, they’ll take the #2 mantle just in time to roll into Kansas City to play red-hot Missouri.  And if Missouri wins that game, it’s likely they’ll roll into the Big 12 Championship game against….#2 Oklahoma (assuming Missouri doesn’t jump them in the polls).  Missouri may actually like that scenario.

Of course, if that occurs, it seems likely that they’ll play LSU in the national championship game - the only team not to lose as the #2 team this year - as the #2 team.

Oh, and don’t look now but the Oregon loss yesterday suddenly puts Arizona State back in the drivers seat for the Pac 10 title again.  However, if Southern Cal defeats Arizona State on Thanksgiving Day, Oregon, once again, is back in front, assuming they win their games.

Update 11:44 PM

Kansas finishes out Oklahoma State 43-28 and goes to 10-0.

Update 11:41 PM

Boston College has pulled off a South Florida, and loses their 2nd straight game after rising up to #2 in the rankings, losing to Maryland 42-35.

Also, Hawaii is now leading Fresno State 21-0.

Update 11:38 PM

Southern Cal defeats California 24-17.

Finals:

LSU 58, Louisiana Tech 10

Update 11:26 PM

Florida puts away South Carolina 51-31.

Update 11:12 PM

Kansas gives themselves some breathing room with another touchdown. The Jaykawks are now up on Oklahoma State 40-28. Southern Cal is now also up on California 24-17.

Meanwhile, Hawaii strikes quickly against Fresno State, going up 7-0 early.

Update 10:59 PM

Suddenly it’s a game again. Oklahoma State scores again and all of a sudden it’s only 33-28 Kansas.

Finals:

Central Florida 45, UAB 31

Update 10:48 PM

Perhaps it’s not over yet in Stillwater as Oklahoma State tries to come back, but is still down 33-21. Meanwhile, Maryland has pulled away from Boston College, leading 42-21.

Update 10:22 PM

Kansas starts rolling towards 10-0 and a possible BCS title game berth, going up 33-14 on Oklahoma State.

Finals:

Virginia 48, Miami 0

Update 10:12 PM

Florida goes up 34-17 on South Carolina, Kansas goes up on Oklahoma State 27-14, and Boston College and Maryland are tied at 20.

Finals:

Washington State 33, Stanford 17 (Stanford now bowl ineligible)
Oklahoma 52, Baylor 21
Tulane 34, UTEP 19

Update 9:40 PM

Forget any upset in Baton Rouge. LSU now leads Louisiana Tech 27-7.

Update 9:18 PM

Kansas retakes the lead themselves, going up 17-14 on Oklahoma State. USC also takes the lead on California 14-10.

Update 9:07 PM

Oklahoma State takes the lead on Kansas 14-10. Also, Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 17-14, Cal retakes the lead on USC 10-7, and Florida extends their lead on South Carolina to 27-14.

Also, LSU tacks on a field goal on Louisiana Tech, but their lead is still only 13-7.

Update 8:52 PM

There isn’t an impossible Bayou upset brewing is there? Louisiana Tech closes to within 10-7 of LSU.

Update 8:50 PM

Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 14-7 while Florida retakes the lead on South Carolina 20-14.

Update 8:42 PM

Oklahoma State drives down the field and ties Kansas at 7. USC has also come back to tie California at 7 in that game.

After their win over Michigan in week 1, this is the type of game we expected Appalachian State to have all season. They defeated Western Carolina today 79-35. However, it was Wofford who clinched the Southern Conference title today.

Update 8:37 PM

California goes up 7-0 on USC in the 1st quarter. Meanwhile, Virginia is absolutely blowing out Miami 31-0.

Update 8:31 PM

Kansas strikes first and takes a 7-0 lead on Oklahoma State

Update 8:30 PM

All of a sudden, South Carolina takes the lead on Florida 14-13. Also, Boston College ties Maryland at 7.

Update 8:26 PM

Maryland strikes first to take a 7-0 lead on Boston College.

Finals:

Troy 21, Western Kentucky 17

Update 8:18 PM

Well, Oklahoma made sure to get rid of the Baylor threat fast. They scored again before touchdown to make it 28-14. Also, Virginia is starting to rout Miami 24-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

Finals:

Louisiana Monroe 28, Grambling State 14

Update 8:11 PM

Oklahoma better keep their eye out on Baylor. The Bears just closed the gap to 21-14 just before halftime.

8:04 PM

As late games start, Virginia jumps out to a 14-0 lead on Miami in the Hurricane’s last game in the Orange Bowl. Also, Florida takes a 13-0 lead on South Carolina.

Update

Here are some of the big games coming up at 8, to round out the afternoon thread:  Kansas get into great position to sneak into the title game with Ohio State’s loss, but they have to get by Oklahoma State, which has shown streaks of greatness at times this season.

Boston College would like to rebound before their game with Clemson, and they’ll get a chance to do so against Maryland.

LSU should have it easy against Louisiana Tech.

Finally, in the lost game of the day, we have California vs. USC.  At the start of the season, people thought that this would be for a berth into the title game.  Now it’s for 3rd in the Pac 10.

Finals:

San Jose State 51, New Mexico State 17 (New Mexico State now bowl ineligible)
Florida Atlantic 34, Arkansas State 31
Marshall 26, East Carolina 7
Memphis 29, Southern Miss 26

Update 7:24 PM

It’s over:

Navy 74, North Texas 62. Navy had over 570 yards rushing.

Also, Virginia Tech defeats Florida State 40-21.

Update 7:20 PM

Navy and North Texas tie the record. It’s now 74-62 (I’m not sure where the extra point for Navy came from). Since this game isn’t updating live, I’m kind of considering this an unofficial score, but it’s still amazing. 1:43 to go.

Finals:

Georgia 45, Auburn 20
Texas 59, Texas Tech 43

Update 7:06 PM

It’s now 73-56 Navy over Troy State. Can they beat the 136 total points put up by Boise State and Nevada earlier this year, which is a modern day NCAA record? They have 129 so far with still 8:06 to go. By the way, that Boise State/Nevada game was in 4 overtimes too. They had only scored 88 points in regulation.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has pretty much put Florida State away as they take a 38-21 lead with just over 5 minutes to go.

Finals:

Utah 50, Wyoming 0

Update 6:55 PM

Arizona State survives UCLA 24-20.

Update 6:48 PM

Virginia Tech retakes the lead on Florida State 28-21.

Finals:

Rice 43, Southern Methodist 42

Update 6:46 PM

Cincinnati ends Connecticut’s Cinderella season 27-3.

Finals:

Louisiana Lafayette 34, Middle Tennessee State 24

Update 6:38 PM

By the way, Navy and North Texas scored 63 points in the 2nd half - an NCAA Division I-A record for most points scored in a quarter. They also scored 94 points in the first half, also an NCAA record.

Finals:

Tulsa 56, Houston 7

Update 6:29 PM

No one can say Navy can’t put up the points if they need too. Navy 58, North Texas 49, middle of the 3rd quarter.

Update 6:26 PM

Illinois 28
Ohio State 21

Final

Update 6:24 PM

The question now becomes, where will all of Ohio State’s #1 votes go? Illinois picks up another 3rd down. It’s now 1st and 10 on the Ohio State 27 with only 2:09 to go. This drive is now 50 yards long, with 12 rushes and 1 pass.

Update 6:19 PM

Notre Dame once again loses, this time to Air Force 41-24.

Update 6:18 PM

Illinois picks up a huge 3rd and 7 to keep their drive alive. They have the ball at midfield with only 4:20 to go.

Finals:

New Mexico 26, Colorado State 23

Update 6:14 PM

Florida State comes back and takes the lead against Virginia Tech 21-20

Meanwhile, Illinois goes for it on 4th down on their own 32 yard line and gets it. 6:50 to go in that game.

Finals:

Boise State 52, Utah State 0

Update 6:08 PM

Illinois intercepts Ohio State with 8:09 to go in the game. Illinois gets it on their own 23.

Update 6:04 PM

The Seminoles aren’t finished as they’ve pulled to within 20-15 of Virginia Tech.

Update 5:51 PM

Ohio State says “not so fast” as they fly down the field and close their gap against Illinois to 28-21. But they still have to stop the Illini offense.

Update 5:45 PM

In another interesting game this afternoon, Auburn ties up Georgia in Athens at 17 in the 3rd quarter.

Update 5:43 PM

Ohio State’s #1 ranking is now in grave danger as Illinois drives down the field and goes up 28-14 on the Buckeyes.

Update 5:41 PM

4th time wasn’t the charm for Vanderbilt as they can’t pick up a 4th 4th-down conversion of the drive, and Kentucky wins 27-20.

Meanwhile, Arizona State takes the lead on UCLA 17-13.

Update 5:37 PM

Ohio State has it 1st and goal, and ends up turning the ball over, and it’s still 21-14 Illinois.

Kentucky adds another touchdown on Vanderbilt to go up 27-20. However, Vanderbilt is driving, having converted 3 4th downs on their drive to try to tie the game.

Update 5:15 PM

Kentucky is trying to fend off an upset of their own. Vanderbilt has now tied the Wildcats at 20 with 7:31 to go.

Update 4:59 PM

Will this be the upset of the day? Illinois takes a 21-14 lead on Ohio State just before halftime.

Update 4:26 PM

Florida State ties up Virginia Tech 6-6. Kentucky also goes up 20-13 on Vanderbilt.

Finals:

Nebraska 73, Kansas State 31
Georgia Tech 41, Duke 24 (Georgia Tech bowl eligible)

Update 4:13 PM

Missouri puts away Texas A&M 40-26. Missouri has Kansas State next week, then their big matchup with Kansas in the last regular season game of the season.

Update 4:10 PM

Illinois responds to Ohio State’s 2nd score with one of their own, and it’s 14-14 in Columbus.

Finals

Iowa State 31, Colorado 28

Update 4:02 PM

Is this Arizona State being revealed, or the good side of UCLA coming out? UCLA now has a 10-0 on the Sun Devils.

Also, Virginia Tech takes a 6-3 on Florida State after missing the PAT.

Update 3:57 PM

It’s starting to look like it could be a shootout in Columbus as Ohio State strikes again, and its 14-7 Buckeyes only 5 1/2 minutes into the game.

Update 3:55 PM

Illinois strikes right back to tie their game with Ohio State at 7. Cincinnati also goes up on Connecticut 7-0.

Update 3:45 PM

Mississippi upsets Alabama today 19-12. This makes Mississippi State bowl eligible.

Update 3:43 PM

Tennessee gets rid of Arkansas 34-13, leaving only Kentucky and Vanderbilt between them and an SEC Championship game appearance. And speaking of Kentucky and Vanderbilt, the Commodores currently lead the Wildcats 13-10 near halftime.

3:38 PM

Ohio State doesn’t waste any time trying to show that Illinois won’t be a threat to them, going up 7-0 after 2 offensive plays.

Update 3:36 PM

It’s finally over: Wisconsin defeats Michigan 37-21.  Luckily for Michigan, they can still win the Big Ten with a victory over Ohio State next week.

Finals:

North Carolina State 31, North Carolina 27 (UNC now bowl ineligible)
South Florida 41, Syracuse 10
Michigan State 48, Purdue 31 (Michigan State bowl eligible)

Update 3:28 PM

I think we can pretty much put the curtain down in Madison as Wisconsin stops Michigan on 4th down on their own 2 yard line.

Finals:

Clemson 44, Wake Forest 10

Update 3:22 PM

Wisconsin intercepts Michigan and goes down and starts putting nails in the coffin by scoring a touchdown. The Badgers now lead 30-21 with 3:35 to go.

Finals:

Iowa 21, Minnesota 16 (Iowa now bowl eligible)
Northwestern 31, Indiana 28 (Northwestern bowl eligible)

Update 3:15 PM

Michigan stops Wisconsin on 3rd and 13 on the Michigan 48 yard line with 5:52 to go. The Wolverines will try to come back and have a game-winning drive. They only need a field goal to take the lead.
Update 3:07 PM

Michigan is making a comeback now in Madison, as they now close to within 23-21 of Wisconsin with 7:43 to go in the game.

Also, Mississippi State leads Alabama 17-9 early in the 4th quarter.

Finals:

Penn State 31, Temple 0 (Temple now bowl ineligible)

Update 2:51 PM

It’s gotten ugly down in Clemson where the Tigers now lead Wake Forest 37-10 early in the 4th. Meanwhile, Michigan is desperately trying to stay in their game, down 23-14 to Wisconsin, also early in the 4th quarter.

Elsewhere, Nebraska is handing out the blowout this week against Kansas State as they lead 38-10.

Update 1:29 PM

South Florida appears to be making short work of Syracuse, now up 17-0. Michigan State/Purdue is also turning into a shootout, with those two tied at 21 with still 3 minutes to go until halftime.

Meanwhile, Michigan is having problems with Wisconsin, now down to the Badgers 17-7.

Clemson is also telling everyone that they’re not done in the ACC yet either, beating up Wake Forest 24-7.

12:54 PM

No, I’m not dead - just got busy for a week or two, but now I’m back. In any case, let’s start blogging this weekend’s games.

Amazingly, given how good South Florida has been, today’s South Florida/Syracuse game is a game between the Big East’s two bottom teams (this is the 2nd straight week Syracuse has played in such a game) with both teams having only 1 conference win. South Florida is out of the Big East title race, but they can at least start making their way back up the standings with a win. They currently lead Syracuse 7-0.

UNC vs. North Carolina State has pretty much no impact on the ACC race, but UNC needs a win to prevent itself from becoming bowl ineligible, while North Carolina State wants to win to not put themselves on the same bubble. Currently N. C. State leads that game 10-0.

Clemson and Wake Forest are also battling for sole possession of 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic Division. A Clemson win here would effectively set up an ACC Atlantic championship game between themselves and Boston College on November 17th. Clemson currently leads 10-7.

Iowa can finally get bowl eligible (amazingly enough) with a win over Minnesota. Iowa currently leads 14-0. The same is true if Michigan defeats Purdue. Michigan State currently leads that game 7-6. Ditto for Northwestern defeating Indiana, but the Hoosiers currently lead 14-3.

Of course, one of two game-of-the-weeks are going on in the Big Ten as well, where Wisconsin currently leads Michigan 7-0.

In the SEC, Tennessee tries to clear out their final SEC West opponent in Arkansas in their attempt to win the SEC Eastern division.

In the Big 12, Kansas State can gain bowl eligibility if they defeat Nebraska, while Nebraska needs a win to avoid becoming bowl ineligible. That game is currently scoreless. Missouri needs a win over Texas A&M in order to keep within a game of Kansas in the Northern division. The Tigers currently lead that game 7-0.