Mark Blaudschun
By Mark Blaudschun
FWAA.com
Well, Super Saturday--Notre Dame-Miami, LSU-Alabama, Georgia-Ole Miss,etc.--is over and we have a much quieter weekend schedule facing us, with zero Top 10 showdowns. Still, it has some games which could create some angst for the CFP Selection Committee,
Let's see what we've got:
1. Wake Forest at SMU: Not a major showdown among ranked teams, but the winner probably gets a spot in the ACC title game against Miami, which is worth noting. This one is interesting from the entertainment department. The over/under is 61.5 and that could be reached by halftime.
2. Missouri at Georgia: Georgia looks like the best team in college football right now and Missouri, well, the Tigers could go either way, playing competitive football or taking the day off.
The game is between the Hedges, which is not good for Mizzou, but the Tigers are a 15-point underdog which is intriguing. Georgia is coming off a semi emotional win at Ole Miss and Mizzou is coming off a disappointing loss to Texas. I think Missouri will show up and make it a fourth-quarter game.
3. USC at Indiana: Ah, a classic Big Ten November showdown. If I were an Indiana fan, I would be concerned. The debris in the Big Ten with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan all going belly up thus far could be a trend, if Indiana--which has not looked impressive even in its wins and has a loss to Ohio State--stumbles.
Taking USC for granted would be a mistake. The game is in Bloomington with temperatures in the low 40's expected, which is not good news for the boys from LaLa Land. Still, it's a watch-out game for the Hoosiers.
4. Utah at Arizona: The Utes are climbing and flying after their Holy War win over BYU last week, but now it's a road trip to Arizona and that spells danger in a variety of ways. It's a let-down game and Arizona is capable of winning the game. The wise guys from Vegas agree, calling it a toss up (Utah by 1.5) which looks like a field goal in the final seconds to settle the issue.
5. Texas at LSU: It is probably not an elimination game for Texas, which showed some grit by rallying att Missouri last week. But will LSU be a different breed of Tiger, with a Saturday night home game as the setting? A win puts LSU right back into a title game picture, but a second consecutive home loss (Alabama beat LSU last week) will not go down well in Baton Rouge or with the CFP Selection Committee. It would be curtains for the home.