Have-Nots Take Center Stage in Week 10 of College Football

For one week at least, the roles in college football are switched. Instead of the non-BCS teams having an easy game while the teams from power conferences navigate a tough opponent, the traditional powers have a relaxing week while the party-crashers may struggle. Highlighting week 10:
#3 TCU at #5 Utah— If TCU wins this game, it may be in the driver’s seat for the top BCS buster. They already rank ahead of Boise in the computers, and that edge will only increase this week. A solid win might push them past the Broncos in the human polls as well- but Utah’s been down this road before. It was just two years ago the Utes knocked off TCU at home while running the table and beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. A win by Utah probably won’t get them pass Boise, but it would help.
#6 Alabama at #10 LSU— Ironically, this is the game that will likely seal the national championship fate of all the non-BCS schools. If Alabama wins, they’ll be in good shape to turn the Iron Bowl vs. Auburn into a de-facto national semifinal game. For the non-BCS schools to take advantage of a Tide win over Auburn, Bama would have to have a second loss. LSU’s close victories make them somewhat unlikely to pull off the upset, but stranger things have happened to the Tigers this season.
3. Northwestern at Penn State— Joe Paterno has a shot for history this weekend. The legendary Penn State coach stands one victory away from becoming the first Division 1-A coach with 400 victories. The Nittany Lions have turned things around with solid wins against Minnesota and Michigan, and the players will be amped up to face a struggling Northwestern team at home. Recommended viewing, even if you’re not a Big-10 fan.
Other interesting games: Air Force-Army, Hawaii-Boise State (upset special!), Arizona-Stanford, Oklahoma State-Baylor