from the insider
Auburn's last two outings -- loss to then-unranked Arkansas, followed by defeat of then-second ranked Florida -- serve as a harsh reminder of how quickly the college football landscape can be altered. We're approaching the final-quarter of the 2006 season, yet only seven undefeated teams remain and every major conference title is still up for grabs. Keeping that in mind, here's a breakdown -- in chronological order -- of the 10 marquee games remaining on the 2006 college football schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 21
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Clemson Tigers
Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI
All-world receiver Calvin Johnson leads Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech has rebounded beautifully from its season-opening loss against Notre Dame with five consecutive wins heading into Saturday's showdown at Clemson. Chan Gailey's squad has won all three of its conference games thus far and is in control of its destiny in the Coastal Division. The Tigers have also shown resiliency in recovering from a devastating Week 2 overtime defeat at Boston College, despite losing several key starters to injuries. With so much parity in the conference, this could serve as a preview to the ACC championship game.
The ACC standings are so muddled that it becomes a futile exercise attempting to project the key conference matchups down the stretch. Other potential ACC showdowns include Boston College at Florida State (Oct. 21); Clemson at Virginia Tech (Oct. 26); Miami at Georgia Tech (Oct. 28); Virginia Tech at Miami (Nov. 4); Georgia Tech at N.C. State (Nov. 4); Boston College at Wake Forest (Nov. 4); NC State at Clemson (Nov. 11).
Saturday, Oct. 28
Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs (at Jacksonville)
The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" is still significant in the national scope, despite Florida and Georgia both losing on Saturday. Losing to Vanderbilt between the hedges is the low-point for Georgia during coach Mark Richt's tenure. Even though the Bulldogs seem listless, never count a team out of a rivalry game. If the Gators get upset it would give one-loss Tennessee new life, while also providing a flicker of hope for Georgia and South Carolina. A Florida win, on the other hand, would put the Gators in cruise control until the SEC championship game on Dec. 2.
Thursday, Nov. 2
West Virginia Mountaineers at Louisville Cardinals
Louisville got tripped up by South Florida early on last year, which deflated the pre-game hype leading up to the thrilling 2005 battle in Morgantown. Neither team has fallen into that trap this season, which sets up an epic Big East showdown on a Thursday night in Louisville. Both teams still will need to get through Rutgers, but the winner of this game controls its BCS destiny.
Saturday, Nov. 4
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Missouri Tigers
The South Division still dominates the Big 12 but the first weekend in November will provide the nation with a rare Northern exposure. Missouri, which suffered its first defeat (Texas A&M) of the season last Saturday, is currently one game behind Nebraska in the Big 12 North standings. Nebraska's only loss in six tries came on the road to third-ranked USC. Both teams are expected to drop a game between now and then -- Nebraska plays Texas on Oct. 21 and Missouri plays Oklahoma on Oct. 28. Even so, the Nov. 4 conflict in Lincoln should decide the Big 12 North. On a side note, the Big 12 South is essentially gift-wrapped for Texas. Assuming Mack Brown's team takes care of business from here on out, the next marquee game played by a team in that division will be the Longhorns vs. the North for the Big 12 championship -- and even that may be a stretch.
Thursday, Nov. 9
Louisville Cardinals at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
This is the Big East game flying under the radar right now. All attention is focused on West Virginia's trip to Papa John's Stadium -- and rightfully so -- but the outcome of that game has no bearing on the Scarlet Knights' future. Rutgers should be undefeated when the Cardinals visit Piscataway one week later. If Greg Schiano's club can pull off the home upset, it would set up yet another Big East showdown in Morgantown on Dec. 2.
Saturday, Nov. 11
Tennessee Volunteers at Arkansas Razorbacks
This matchup was an afterthought in the preseason but now it projects as Arkansas' biggest hurdle in pursuit of the SEC West title. The Razorbacks get a visit from LSU two weeks later but they can clinch the division by the time the Tigers come to town.
Tennessee has new life following its exhilarating come-from-behind win at Georgia. This trip to Fayetteville is Tennessee's last major hurdle during the regular season, as Phil Fulmer's team gets Vanderbilt and Kentucky to close out its regular season. Even if the Vols run the table down the stretch, they still need help to overtake the Gators in the SEC East standings.
Georgia Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers
Georgia's chances of getting back in the SEC East race are slim. The same can no longer be said of Auburn in the SEC West, despite needing to make up two games on Arkansas. An Auburn win combined with an Arkansas loss (vs. Tennessee) could put the Tigers back on top of the SEC West with just one game remaining.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes
The stakes are always high when Ohio State and Michigan meet on the gridiron. Just imagine the buildup if the Wolverines and Buckeyes are undefeated heading into the 103rd edition of the self-proclaimed "greatest rivalry in sports history." If this idealistic storyline endures, the winner would be rewarded with a Big Ten title and a trip to Glendale, Ariz., to play for the BCS National Championship Game.
California Golden Bears at USC Trojans
The Trojans are limping through the middle portion of their schedule, while the Golden Bears continue to build steam on a weekly basis. Assuming both teams are undefeated in conference play at the time, Cal's trip to the Coliseum will decide the Pac-10 title. Just as a reminder; Cal served USC its last regular-season loss in triple-overtime, 34-31, in 2003.
Saturday, Nov. 25
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at USC Trojans
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Quinn could steal the Heisman with a good USC showing.
This will serve as the third and final game of USC's brutal three-game homestretch before its cross-town trip to play rival UCLA. Thanks to a soft-serve schedule, Notre Dame should travel to Los Angeles with a 10-1 record and an automatic BCS bowl bid hanging in the balance. If Pete Carroll's team manages to escape the first two contests versus Oregon and Cal unscathed, a BCS National Championship Game berth could be on the line when the Irish come to town. On a side note, this also could be the game that QB Brady Quinn uses to rob QB Troy Smith (Ohio State) of the Heisman Trophy. The drama of last year's meeting in South Bend will be tough to repeat, but the implications could be even greater this time around.
Auburn's last two outings -- loss to then-unranked Arkansas, followed by defeat of then-second ranked Florida -- serve as a harsh reminder of how quickly the college football landscape can be altered. We're approaching the final-quarter of the 2006 season, yet only seven undefeated teams remain and every major conference title is still up for grabs. Keeping that in mind, here's a breakdown -- in chronological order -- of the 10 marquee games remaining on the 2006 college football schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 21
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Clemson Tigers
Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI
All-world receiver Calvin Johnson leads Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech has rebounded beautifully from its season-opening loss against Notre Dame with five consecutive wins heading into Saturday's showdown at Clemson. Chan Gailey's squad has won all three of its conference games thus far and is in control of its destiny in the Coastal Division. The Tigers have also shown resiliency in recovering from a devastating Week 2 overtime defeat at Boston College, despite losing several key starters to injuries. With so much parity in the conference, this could serve as a preview to the ACC championship game.
The ACC standings are so muddled that it becomes a futile exercise attempting to project the key conference matchups down the stretch. Other potential ACC showdowns include Boston College at Florida State (Oct. 21); Clemson at Virginia Tech (Oct. 26); Miami at Georgia Tech (Oct. 28); Virginia Tech at Miami (Nov. 4); Georgia Tech at N.C. State (Nov. 4); Boston College at Wake Forest (Nov. 4); NC State at Clemson (Nov. 11).
Saturday, Oct. 28
Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs (at Jacksonville)
The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" is still significant in the national scope, despite Florida and Georgia both losing on Saturday. Losing to Vanderbilt between the hedges is the low-point for Georgia during coach Mark Richt's tenure. Even though the Bulldogs seem listless, never count a team out of a rivalry game. If the Gators get upset it would give one-loss Tennessee new life, while also providing a flicker of hope for Georgia and South Carolina. A Florida win, on the other hand, would put the Gators in cruise control until the SEC championship game on Dec. 2.
Thursday, Nov. 2
West Virginia Mountaineers at Louisville Cardinals
Louisville got tripped up by South Florida early on last year, which deflated the pre-game hype leading up to the thrilling 2005 battle in Morgantown. Neither team has fallen into that trap this season, which sets up an epic Big East showdown on a Thursday night in Louisville. Both teams still will need to get through Rutgers, but the winner of this game controls its BCS destiny.
Saturday, Nov. 4
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Missouri Tigers
The South Division still dominates the Big 12 but the first weekend in November will provide the nation with a rare Northern exposure. Missouri, which suffered its first defeat (Texas A&M) of the season last Saturday, is currently one game behind Nebraska in the Big 12 North standings. Nebraska's only loss in six tries came on the road to third-ranked USC. Both teams are expected to drop a game between now and then -- Nebraska plays Texas on Oct. 21 and Missouri plays Oklahoma on Oct. 28. Even so, the Nov. 4 conflict in Lincoln should decide the Big 12 North. On a side note, the Big 12 South is essentially gift-wrapped for Texas. Assuming Mack Brown's team takes care of business from here on out, the next marquee game played by a team in that division will be the Longhorns vs. the North for the Big 12 championship -- and even that may be a stretch.
Thursday, Nov. 9
Louisville Cardinals at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
This is the Big East game flying under the radar right now. All attention is focused on West Virginia's trip to Papa John's Stadium -- and rightfully so -- but the outcome of that game has no bearing on the Scarlet Knights' future. Rutgers should be undefeated when the Cardinals visit Piscataway one week later. If Greg Schiano's club can pull off the home upset, it would set up yet another Big East showdown in Morgantown on Dec. 2.
Saturday, Nov. 11
Tennessee Volunteers at Arkansas Razorbacks
This matchup was an afterthought in the preseason but now it projects as Arkansas' biggest hurdle in pursuit of the SEC West title. The Razorbacks get a visit from LSU two weeks later but they can clinch the division by the time the Tigers come to town.
Tennessee has new life following its exhilarating come-from-behind win at Georgia. This trip to Fayetteville is Tennessee's last major hurdle during the regular season, as Phil Fulmer's team gets Vanderbilt and Kentucky to close out its regular season. Even if the Vols run the table down the stretch, they still need help to overtake the Gators in the SEC East standings.
Georgia Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers
Georgia's chances of getting back in the SEC East race are slim. The same can no longer be said of Auburn in the SEC West, despite needing to make up two games on Arkansas. An Auburn win combined with an Arkansas loss (vs. Tennessee) could put the Tigers back on top of the SEC West with just one game remaining.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes
The stakes are always high when Ohio State and Michigan meet on the gridiron. Just imagine the buildup if the Wolverines and Buckeyes are undefeated heading into the 103rd edition of the self-proclaimed "greatest rivalry in sports history." If this idealistic storyline endures, the winner would be rewarded with a Big Ten title and a trip to Glendale, Ariz., to play for the BCS National Championship Game.
California Golden Bears at USC Trojans
The Trojans are limping through the middle portion of their schedule, while the Golden Bears continue to build steam on a weekly basis. Assuming both teams are undefeated in conference play at the time, Cal's trip to the Coliseum will decide the Pac-10 title. Just as a reminder; Cal served USC its last regular-season loss in triple-overtime, 34-31, in 2003.
Saturday, Nov. 25
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at USC Trojans
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Quinn could steal the Heisman with a good USC showing.
This will serve as the third and final game of USC's brutal three-game homestretch before its cross-town trip to play rival UCLA. Thanks to a soft-serve schedule, Notre Dame should travel to Los Angeles with a 10-1 record and an automatic BCS bowl bid hanging in the balance. If Pete Carroll's team manages to escape the first two contests versus Oregon and Cal unscathed, a BCS National Championship Game berth could be on the line when the Irish come to town. On a side note, this also could be the game that QB Brady Quinn uses to rob QB Troy Smith (Ohio State) of the Heisman Trophy. The drama of last year's meeting in South Bend will be tough to repeat, but the implications could be even greater this time around.
