Ohio State vs. Michigan
Oh, this is gonna be sweet. After squeaker after squeaker, overtime win after cheap overtime win, the Buckeyes are going to be brought to their knees like Paris Hilton. Michigan is playing as well as any team in the country right now, having notched five wins in a row against quality teams. Not only will OSU fail in its Sugar Bowl bid, it won't even be king of the Big Ten Conference.
Michigan 31, Ohio State 6
LSU vs. Ole Miss
An Ohio State loss means LSU will still have a shot to sneak into the Sugar Bowl picture - especially if it gets some help from UCLA on Saturday. But Ole Miss has a perfect 6-0 Southeastern Conference record. LSU will find that the Rebels won't be the pushovers that Alabama was last week. But the Tigers will recover quickly enough to remain in the national championship picture. They'll be ranked third in the BCS come Monday.
LSU 24, Mississippi 23
Washington St. vs. Washington
It seems I got it right when I predicted Arizona State to be the most overrated team coming into the season. Then again, I picked Washington to win the Pacific 10 Conference. Too late to say I meant Washington State? Yes? Fine. Still, Washington is 4-2 at home this season. For whatever reason, wins and losses aren't as important when rivals meet. But reality will triumph in the end as the Cougars inch closer to the Fiesta Bowl.
Washington State 27, Washington 20
TCU vs. Southern Miss
TCU still has a shot at a BCS berth, but the Horned Frogs will likely need some help. This game will help their strength of schedule ranking, but their season finale against a winless 0-11 SMU team will not. There's no doubt that the Frogs deserve a BCS bid if they finish the season as one of only two undefeated Division I teams at 12-0. That said, TCU's luck runs out tonight.
Southern Miss 27, TCU 24
Ohio State vs. Michigan
I love the crazy notion that, "If Ohio State wins out, how can they not be able to defend their title?" Well, how about the fact that the Trojans are better than the "Luckeyes" or that they won it last year because of Clarett? Their run ends with a rare road trip - they've played eight home games with only three on the road, where their only loss was - and some of the BS mess will clean itself up.
Michigan 27, Ohio State 14
LSU vs. Ole Miss
Next up in the yearly BS rants is, "Why shouldn't the Tigers play in the Sugar Bowl if they come from a conference with a higher strength of schedule than USC?" Other than the fact that LSU's strength of schedule is way below SC's, and they both played the UA, the Trojans are better. The Tigers will win - even though Eli Manning, unlike his older brother, can actually win games.
LSU 17, Ole Miss 7
Washington St. vs. Washington
U-Dub always wins, since Wazzu usually sucks more than the Paris Hilton sex tape - or her, for that matter - but this is the Cougs' year. At WSU, they get Apple Cup shirts (this year's says "Pac-9" and "No Dawgs allowed"). Too bad ASUA is too busy thinking of the crappiest possible hoops ticket distribution system and making those ugly shirts to make Territorial Cup shirts. Then again, they would blow more than (insert own joke here).
Wazzu 38, Washington 10
TCU vs. Southern Miss
Yet another jab at the B(C)S is TCU, which people say shouldn't be shut out of a B(C)S bowl if the Frogs go undefeated. Having seen USC, LSU and TCU up close, I only need three letters for a joke this time: T-C-U. The Horned Frogs will beat Southern Miss (an undefeated record in the C-USA is like winning in the Special Olympics - it doesn't matter), but if they were to play LSU, they would be beaten like they're the UA.
TCU 28, Southern Mississippi 21
Ohio State vs. Michigan
I don't know how Michigan will bounce back after it got walloped by Notre Dame on my XBox at 2 this morning, being held to 112 total yards. But seriously, all eyes will be on Ann Arbor when Craig Krenzel and John Navarre look to silence their pseudo-sports analyst critics. Krenzel's 24-1 record in the past two years spells certain victory. However, Navarre throws for 250, etching his name in the NCAA record books and putting the Wolverines in Pasadena.
Michigan 34, Ohio State 21
LSU vs. Ole Miss
Remember that weekend in early September when those tiny Tigers rolled through Tucson, amassing a 59-13 win? Me neither. LSU looks to keep its BCS window open by stopping Ole Miss' possible SEC West championship (They'll need some help from UCLA). But oh wait, there's that Eli Manning character to worry about. And LSU should be worried, as Manning will be looking to pass for more than 3,000 yards for the second time in as many years. Happy Heisman hunting, Eli.
Ole Miss 24, LSU 17
Washington St. vs. Washington
For starters, the UA beat Washington. That about sums it up. Wazzu's got nothing better to do in Pullman than to prepare to beat down the Huskies this Saturday. Speaking of Cougars, don't be alarmed if you see Mike Price banging down the doors of McKale Center - he's just looking for a job. According to the Star, Price submitted a 3-inch binder outlining how he would turn Arizona into a powerhouse. It's going to take more than 3 inches, Mike.
Washington State 41,Washington 7
TCU vs. Southern Miss
It's too bad TCU didn't play any real teams this year. If it had, the athletic Horned Frogs might be playing for a bowl bid that mattered. Southern Miss will put up a fight for the championship of Conference USA, but the Golden Eagles are no match for TCU QB Brandon Hassell. The Toads win this one before moving on to squash SMU. And to think, one field goal and UA might have possibly been the fly in TCU's ointment.
TCU 56, Southern Mississippi 10