Maddux Sports Blog

It’s a very strange week for college football. It seems like most of the action is next weekend, so this week teams just seem to be in a position to make sure that they don’t screw up by overlooking their current opponents. That makes this weekend very interesting, but not in such an obvious way as next weekend will be. Here are some of the games I’ll have my eye on:

Texas (-13.5) at Kansas - We start it out with an exception to my mentioned trend. Texas doesn’t have any tough games left, but they need to win this game and their next one impressively to make sure that people don’t forget them when the season draws to an end and the national championship matchup is being determined. Kansas is just playing for pride. This is not a good Jayhawks team, and they are not in a good place right now, but a win here would do a lot to erase some of the bad memories the last month has created.

Boise State (-36) at Idaho - The Broncos have tough games against Nevada and Fresno State standing between them and an undefeated season. First they get to beat up on Idaho. Boise State knows that they need to keep winning and winning big to have any chance of making the BCS. If they are in the right frame of mind they could win this one by 100.

Mississippi State (-22) at Alabama - Alabama’s big game is a couple of weeks away - the SEC Championship against Florida. It should be smooth sailing until then, but Alabama needs to stay focused and on task until then to make sure not to blow the good thing they have going. This game really should be no problem, but the Bulldogs tripped up the Tide last year, so we know that it can happen. Mississippi State is not having a great year, but they derailed Vanderbilt’s season this year and they would love to do it again.

USC (-24) at Stanford - The Trojans have an outside shot at the championship game, but they would need a whole lot to go their way between now and then. Winning this game huge and putting up yet another defensive wall would be a good first step. That’s not the biggest intrigue here, though. The Cardinal blew up USC’s season last year with an improbable win in L.A., and they are looking to do it again. It seems highly unlikely, but then last year USC was favored by 39, so anything can happen.

As we get prepared for a busy weekend of sporting action, there are some injury notes that are worth a look:

Greg Oden - The big guy is supposed to return to action tonight for the Trail Blazers. That should be a boost for Portland, but I will hold judgment until I see two different things - how well he is physically, and whether he can last for more than a minute and a half this time. Oden is frustrating and hard to trust at this point, but I can’t wait to see what he can do if he can settle in and get comfortable. This team could use a boost.

Chris Hall - The Longhorns could have some problems getting the ball to Colt McCoy. Hall, the starting center, sprained his knee in practice this week and will be out against Kansas. This is a real problem because Buck Burnette, the backup, was booted from the team for posting a racial slur online. That means a raw freshman will have to play, and Texas could have protection problems.

Tony Romo - He’ll be back, and he says his pinkie, though still causing some pain, won’t be a problem. He had better hope so - his team desperately needs him. The bye week the team is coming off of couldn’t have come at a better time for a team needing to get their head right and their play back at an acceptable level. All is not lost if Romo can come back strong and get his team back in line.

Ben Roethlisberger - Big Ben is practicing this week despite a sore shoulder. That is notable mainly because he hasn’t been practicing the last two weeks. Not coincidentally, he has also had troubles when he has played the last two weeks. Though there is always a chance that practice could cause more problems, this has to be seen as a positive step. It’s also a sign of the command Mike Tomlin has over this team.

Tyler Hansbrough - The Tar Heels open their season this weekend, but it seems increasingly likely that they won’t be doing it with Psycho T. Hansbrough is still nursing a shin injury. This delay, though frustrating, is probably a very good thing. The team is good enough to win now without him, and it is far more important that Hansbrough gets healthy now so that the problems don’t linger into the spring. If I was Roy Williams I would figure out how long Hansbrough should ideally be out of action, then keep him out a few more games.

Worst NFL Game of the Week - The Monday night game is certainly not going to be a gem - neither Cleveland nor Buffalo are in a particularly good place right now. It’s gets worse, though. Late Sunday afternoon the Niners will play in St. Louis. Two struggling offenses with all sorts of troubles. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Insomniacs rejoice - the cure has been found.

Best NFL Game of the Week - It should be Tennessee at Jacksonville, San Diego at Pittsburgh, or Dallas at Washington, but each of those games features one deeply flawed team that robs the game of some potential. The Jets at New England is a good old fashioned showdown for the division lead. It’s not all it could be, but it should still be compelling. My choice, though, is an unexpected one - Baltimore at the Giants. The Ravens are red hot, and the Giants are probably the best team in the league. It should be a battle of wills.

Game With Teams With The Most To Prove - Cleveland and Buffalo. The Bills need to end their ugly, ugly slide that threatens to rob them of the promise their early season showed. Cleveland lost ugly yet again on Thursday, and they desperately need to do something to get things off to a strong start in the Quinn era.

Oddest Line - Oakland (+10.5) at Miami. The line makes sense now, but who would have guessed six months ago that a team that was coming off a one win season would be this heavily favored against anyone going for a 6-4 record.

Best College Game - For the first time in a long time this one doesn’t feature a team from Texas. This week doesn’t feature a whole lot of marquee games, so we have to look for the less obviously interesting. My choice is North Carolina at Maryland. The ACC is wide open. A UNC win would them in decent shape in the Coastal. Maryland wins and they keep pace in the Atlantic. High stakes should make for a great game.

Filling Me With Dread - I am now very confused by Michigan. I expected the worst against Minnesota, and instead got a blowout win. Now we are playing Northwestern, and we are actually favored by more than a field goal. Bizarre. Anything can happen I guess.

Four Interesting Games Between Unranked Teams - Nebraska (-7) at Kansas State. The Huskers are coming off a big upset. K-State is rumored to be getting a fancy new coach. This is two teams with much brighter futures than present times. Virginia Tech (+4) at Miami. Another game with huge ACC implications. Cincinnati (-3) at Louisville. A Cincy win here sets up a huge game against Pittsburgh next week that will likely decide the Big East. Arizona (+3.5) at Oregon. I’m not convinced that there is a second tier of power in the Pac-10, but if there is then this is a battle for the top of it.

Biggest Line - Washington State (+36.5) at Arizona State. It’s a testament to just how truly terrible the Cougars are that they are this much of an underdog against a team with as many problems as Arizona State.

1. The Big Ten got lucky. Penn State put up a lousy effort and lost to a team that they never should have lost to. That’s a good thing. I love the Big Ten, but it has been a horrible year for my conference. By losing, Penn State has avoided a third straight ass-kicking for the conference in the national championship game. That will allow the conference to rebuild and strengthen with slightly less scrutiny than they would if they got crushed. The conference will rebuild. There are things to build on - Terrelle Pryor is finding his way, and two of the top three runners in the country are in the conference.

2. Texas Tech - wow. I was expecting them to beat Oklahoma State, but I wasn’t expecting them to humiliate them in the process. Oklahoma looms, but I am now completely and totally convinced that this team has the potetial to go all the way. I’m not saying they will, but I know that they can. Graham Harrell is a beast.

3. Alabama is not going to play in the national championship game (sorry, Al). I respect this team quite a bit, and I am in awe of Julio Jones. I just don’t think that they have what it will take to get past Florida. The Gators look spectacular. Everything was stacked against the Tide going into the LSU game, but a great team would have overcome that in strong fashion. Alabama only barely did enough (though I like that they came back). Saban is going to bring the hardware to town, but just not this year.

4. Tennessee is a disgrace. Wyoming? Seven losses? Quitting is disgusting. Not much more to say about that.

5. The Big 12 is going to be great down the stretch. If the Sooners and Longhorns both win out then there will be a three way tie on top, and any one of the three teams has national champion potential. This has been a spectacular conference all year, and it is only going to be better. Texas Tech at Oklahoma is the next drool-worthy thriller.

6. The Raiders are awful. I know that that is far from a revelation. It’s just that they sunk to a new level ths week. Jake Delhomme was awful. Historically awful. He became only the second QB to complete less than 30 percent of his passes and toss four interceptions and still win. Carolina won by 11. Sure, the Raiders had two backup QBs in action, but that’s only part of the problem. The main issue is that this team is totally out of control. You have to work really, really hard to lose a game when a team tries to give it away as hard as the Panthers did. Carolina is such an interesting team - seemingly vulnerable and troubled, but 7-2, in good position to make the playoffs, and totally under the national radar. It’s not often that the team with the third best record in the league gets so little attention. Their anonymity has helped bettors - they are 5-3-1 ATS.

7. Tyler Thigpen is a pro. The Chiefs blew a two point conversion at the end of the game to lose to San Diego b a point, but Thigpen yet again showed how much progress he is making. He is getting more and more efficient with every outing, and he is surprisingly good at avoiding mistakes. He deserves special credit because he is doing what he is doing at the helm of such a lousy team. The Chiefs are far more competitive than they should be (even though they keep losing, they lose by far less than they should), and Thigpen is the reason. The team has covered three in a row and four of the last six in the Thigpen era. I’m not sure, but that might be a hint of hope there in Missouri.

8. The Colts are going to make the playoffs. I am convinced of that after they beat Pittsburgh. They are only a game out of the wild card, and they will find a way to make that up down the stretch. That makes me ill.

9. Joe Flacco for President. One of the big stories of the year has been the fast success of young QBs. Flacco was given the keys to a team that seemed doom to struggle, but somehow they are 6-3. Even more impressive, they have won four straight, and, unthinkably for the Ravens given their last decade, they are scoring points - 27 per game over the last four. 7-2 ATS - not what you expect from a rookie. It will be fun to watch what Flacco, and Matt Ryan, too, can do with a year or three of experience under their belts.

10. The Jets won big over the Rams and are tied for first place in their division. Another win, and another game in which Brett Favre was adequate but nothing more. When did Favre become Trent Dilfer?

Ohio State (-10.5) at Northwestern - It has been a long time since Northwestern has been even remotely relevant. This will be a good test of whether anything has changed. Northwestern has some disadvantages - most notably QB issues. They also need to prove that they are fast enough on defense to keep up with the Buckeyes. This one could be really interesting, or really, really not. It will also be a good chance for us to see what Terrelle Pryor is made of. He blew the Penn State game with a fumble, and he has been sitting around for two weeks thinking about that. He’ll be angry, but this will tell us if he can channel that anger.

Utah State (+35) at Boise State - This won’t be a close or particularly interesting game. At least, the Broncos hope that it won’t be. After Utah’s win last night (I told you that that would be a game worth watching), Boise State needs to keep winning very impressively to stand a chance of crashing the BCS party. It doesn’t look good for them unless Utah stumbles, but the only thing they can do is keep blowing out their opponents. That’s the only thing they can control.

Alabama (-3) at LSU - This game will be a victory for Alabama if Nick Saban doesn’t get killed. Literally. There is a whole lot of hate for this guy in town. Alabama faces their biggest challenge of the year so far - the Georgia win looks less impressive as time passes. I’m not sure I believe in them, but I will begrudgingly have to if they can beat a tough LSU team in the most hostile setting possible.

Cincinnati (+6.5) at West Virginia - The Big East is so wide open and unpredictable that pretty much every game in the conference is a crucial one for the final standings. West Virginia is in first place, and they would be more secure there with a win. Cincinnati has been better than expected this year, though. They are well coached, and they played the Mountaineers tight last year. The Big East is a bit of a joke this year, but the winner still gets a BCS bid, so this game is very important. The winner is in reasonably good shape to get that bid, while the loser is in a bad place.

Oklahoma State (+3.5) at Texas Tech - For the second week in a row the biggest game of the day is played in Lubbock. I can guarantee that that has never happened before. Texas Tech needs to prove that they can stay focused after the incredible, emotional win over the Longhorns last week. If they can then they should be able to win, but if they don’t then the Cowboys are more than good enough to win here. You’ll want to fasten your seatbelts for this one - it should be a potent offensive shootout.

There is a great football game tonight, and I am not talking about the debut of Brady Quinn. That one will be interesting, and it will be easy to find, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Thursday’s real gem - Utah at home against TCU. Not convinced that this is the game of the night? Here are eight reasons you should be:

1. Utah Defense - The Utes have one hell of a defense. They hold their opposition to less than 100 yards per game on the ground, and they are ranked seventh overall in the country. The Frogs will have to work hard to score on this team.

2. TCU defense - If the Utes have a good defense, the the Frogs have a great one. They have the second best defense in the country, and they are truly other-worldly against the run - giving up just 37.8 yards per game. This is a good, old fashioned smash mouth defense. They have given up more than 14 points just once, and that was against Oklahoma so there is no shame in that. This game should be a defensive clinic.

3. The stakes - This is a truly massive game. If TCU wins they clinch their conference. A Utah win puts them in good shape to do the same. That’s not the most important part, though. The winner of this game is likely to be the highest ranked non-BCS team. Utah already is. There is probably only room for one BCS buster this year, and the winner of this one will have an edge over Boise State to be that team. This game is huge, and the teams will be very jacked up for it.

4. TCU penalty meltdowns - The Frogs are the most penalized team in the country. They are so aggressive on defense that they can’t control themselves. They give up more than 80 yards per game, and they are likely to give up even more here because they are going to be on edge.

5. TCU’s treatment of bettors - The Frogs are 7-2 ATS. They are a nice team to bet on. They have gone under in five of their last seven games, too.

6. Andy Dalton - TCU’s quarterback had a decent start, but then he was hurt in the Oklahoma game. Since coming back from that injury he has been superhuman. He has nine touchdowns without an interception in his last three games. He’s been confident and effective, and he should be ready to challenge the Utes defense.

7. Hughes v. Johnson - Utah’s Brian Johnson is a solid, impressive QB, though he has a bad tendency to make mistakes when he is pressured. TCU’s Jerry Hughes is leading the country in sacks with 14. Johnson is going to be running for his life. His ability to handle that with composure will determine the fate of his team.

8. Utah coming off a letdown - The Utes squeaked past New Mexico 13-10 last week. They were clearly looking ahead to this game. That makes this game interesting in two ways - we get to see how they bounce back, and if you are a Utah backer you probably get some extra value because of the close call. After all, this is an undefeated home team that is an underdog.

Notes from around the sports, and sports betting, world today:

1. I can’t believe what a mess the Raiders are. De Angelo Hall hasn’t been worth the money they are paying him, but anyone with half a brain knew that that would be the case before the deal was done - especially since the Raiders didn’t really need corner help. Cutting him now may save a few bucks, but it has to throw the locker room into turmoil, and it makes the team a laughing stock. Or more of one. Good luck trying to attract free agents to town now. Especially if they cut Javon Walker, too. It is hard to imagine a time when this team is competitive again - at least not until after Al Davis’ funeral. From a betting perspective, it will be a long while until I can imagine seeing any value in them given their woes and the total chaos.

2. The college football coaches are falling like flies. The latest news is that Kansas State has a lame duck coach. So do Tennessee and Washington. Toledo’s coach left already. There are few better signs of a program with problems. Any team in this situation will be worth a hard look at betting against each week.

3. Interesting story about Derek Jeter. A panel that includes Bill James and other stats geeks has called Jeter ‘the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position’. I knew Jeter was no superstar on the field, but I wouldn’t have gone this far. Apparently, part of the group watched and recorded every play in every game of the season to come to this conclusion. Gatorade can’t be too happy about that news. Alex Rodriguez is probably smiling inside, though.

4. Big sigh of relief for Pittsburgh. The MRI on Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder showed no added damage. That means that he could play as soon as this weekend. Byron Letwich was very impressive in relief last weekend, but it still doesn’t seem like a great idea tohave to trust him in the long term. On the other hand, this is the same team that has done well with Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox in relief, so maybe they are fine regardless of who is taking snaps.

Worst NFL Game of the Week - This one is a no-brainer - it’s Jacksonville at Detroit. The Jaguars just lost to the freaking Bengals, and the Lions are as pathetic as a team can be. One of these teams is going to score more points, but neither of these teams are going to be winners. This is football at its worst.

Best NFL Game of the Week - There are several to choose from. Buffalo at New England is a huge battle for divisional supremacy. Indianapolis at Pittsburgh could be good if the Colts can manage to show up two weeks in a row. The Giants at Philadelphia is another big one from a divisional perspective. My choice, though, is Tennessee at Chicago. The Bears are much better, and more fun to watch, than most people thought. Tennessee just keeps finding ways to win. It should be fascinating.

Game With Teams With The Most To Prove - This one would be Green Bay at Minnesota. Both teams are underachieving, and both need to win to be competitive in a wide open division. They both have strengths, but both need to overcome some consistent problems if they still want to be standing eight weeks from now.

Oddest Line - Given what happened to the teams last year - one team made the playoffs as a division winner yet again, and the other won one game - how odd is it to see the Dolphins favored by 9.5 over the Seahawks? It’s a reasonably sound line, but it shows just how quickly things can change in this league.

Best College Game - For once this one doesn’t feature Texas, but it is still from the incedibly entertaining Big 12. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech - which upstart will survive? Using some basic algebra, the Red raiders have a slight edge - they beat Texas and Oklahoma State, playing their best, didn’t. Plus Texas tech is at home. THe game is as close as one can be - the three point spread is entirely explained by the home field. This could be yet another classic from the conference.

Filling Me With Dread - Michigan plays Minnesota this week. It’s in Minnesota. My Wolverines will lose badly. I’m resigned to the inevitable.

Four Interesting Games Between Unranked Teams - Louisville (+6.5) at Pittsburgh. The Panthers can play when they want to, and they can disappoint with regularity, too. It will be interesting to see which team shows up with the conference title in their grasp. Wyoming (+25) at Tennessee. How will the Vols play in their first game with a lame duck coach? Under normal circumstances they would win in a walk, so anything less than that indicates problems. Stanford (+13) at Oregon. The Cardinal were ridiculously dominant against Washington State last week. Some of that can be explained by how awful the Cougars are, but some comes dow to a promising team starting to find their stride. This game will be a good measure of how far Stanford has progressed. NC State (+4.5) at Duke. College basketball is just around the corner, but until it arrives we can make due with this game between basketball schools. Beyond that, the interest here is to see whether Duke can do the impossible and become bowl eligible.

Biggest Line - Arizona (-40) at Washington State. The Cougars lost by 58 last week, and 69 the week before. They haven’t scored in 10 quarters. There is no reason to trust them no matter how big the line is.

1. Texas Tech has arrived. The last thing I said yesterday morning was that I thought that this one could be a classic. I was right. The Red Raiders played fantastic, game changing defense in the first half - quite the feat for a team that doesn’t play defense. They had every excuse to lose it in the second half, but they kept fighting and pulled out the miracle. Graham Harrell was spectacular, and Michael Crabtree proved why he is so highly regarded - only a very small handful of receivers would have ended up in the endzone on that game winning catch. Despite not being a Texas guy at all, though, I do have to give Colt McCoy a world of credit in the second half. He had been beaten and battered all game, but he stood right back up and scored what should have been the game winner. His Heisman hopes took a blow, but he was still very impressive.

2. Florida is in it for the long haul. There are only barely words to describe how dominant the Gators were against Georgia. Tim Tebow looked as good as he did at any point last year, and Florida’s ridiculous speed advantage was way too much to overcome. The most shocking part of the game, though, was that Georgia didn’t put up a fight. I thought that they were better than that. There is now a very solid chance that Florida winds up in the national championship game. They need some help, but I think they’ll keep doing what they need to do.

3. So much for Tulsa. I thought that the Golden Hurricane stood a good chance against Arkansas. Not so much. They lost, and they looked outclassed. That doesn’t say much for the quality of Conference USA - obviously a step or three behind the MWC, MAC and WAC.

4. Missouri is a total mess. They only barely managed to squeak past Baylor. Good teams do not struggle against Baylor. It has somehow turned into a wasted year, and that’s not a good thing when you are in your last days with Chase Daniel.

5. Oklahoma State impressed me. It was only against Iowa State, but they still asserted their power and showed that they are a force. Dez Bryant was a one man wrecking ball. He caught four touchdown passes, and basically did whatever he wanted to do. He only needs two more scores the rest of the year to become Oklahoma State’s all-time single season leader. Not bad for a school that produces receivers. I can’t wait to watch them travel to Texas Tech next week. It should be yet another scorcher from the brilliant Big 12.

6. JaMarcus Russell is an absolute joke. Six of 19 for 31 yards and a pick. How is that even possible? I know that the team has more than their share of troubles, but there is no excuse for this. The scary thing isn’t that he had a bad game - that happens, though not often like this - it’s that Russell isn’t showing any signs of improvement. Maybe a new coaching staff will make a difference, but at this point it looks like Russell has the potential to redefine the word bust.

7. There have been a lot of disappointing things in the NFL this year - more than usual, it seems - but none are more disappointing to me than the Jaguars. They have wasted every opportunity this year. The latest debacle is this loss against Cincinnati. They only lost by two, but it was really a worse loss than that - they scored the last 16 points once Cincinnati’s bare bones defense was spent. A team like Cincinnati should not be able to beat a supposedly good team like the Jags. Jack Del Rio seems to have lost control - a shame for a team that was moving so definitively in the right direction the last couple of years.

8. The Cowboys are a disaster. I’m not surprised that they lost to the Giants - no shame in that. I am surprised, though, that no one on that team has enough pride to give a better effort than that. They didn’t even show up. The quarterbacking was absolutely brutal, the running game didn’t exist, and there was absolutely nothing redeeming in the performance. If I was Jerry Jones I’d start firing everyone I saw. Or shooting them.

9. With the cover of the 12.5 point spread by the Lions (and an almost win, at that - the team actually led at the half. Has that ever happened with the Lions?), double digit underdogs are now 13-1 ATS on the season. This is one of those trends so bizarre and incomprehensible that you can’t even begin to guess how it will wind up on the season. There really shouldn’t be another double digit underdog that covers again all year, but at this rate the opposite could be true.

10. Even his staunchest fan has to admit that Brett Favre never should have come back. Yet another bland, uninspired performance. The only saving grace is that the team keeps winning - even if it is despite Favre.

Tulsa (-7) at Arkansas - This one is simple. If Tulsa wins this one they will be in the driver’s seat to go 13-0. This is their last big test, and it is only a test because it is an SEC team. The Golden Hurricane should be fine here, and if they are then they could be a headache for BCS fans. They’ll be undefeated and they’ll want into the party. It will be interesting to see if they are allowed to play. It will be esppecially fun if these guys and Utah and Boise State were all to make it through unscathed.

Florida (-6.5) vs. Georgia - The World’s Biggest Outdoor Cocktail Party is always fun, and especially now that these teams are both good, desperate for a win, and truly hating each other. I am not generally a huge fan of the style of football the SEC plays - I respect it but hate to watch it - but this game should be a joy to watch. The winner is likely heading to the SEC Championship game. The loser is playing for next year.

Washington (+46) at USC - This will be a terrible game, but it will be fun to watch in a train wreck sort of way. Washington is unbelievably awful. Their QB is hurt, their coach is a lame duck, and they have no talent anywhere on the field. This one could get really, really, really ugly. I hope so.

Utah (-7.5) at New Mexico - This sets up as a potential trap game for the Utes. New Mexico is a pretty solid team, especially at home. Utah needs to be on their toes to get through this one, and they may not be if they are looking ahead to a huge Thurday night game against TCU. The Utes obviously can’t afford to lose, so the stakes are very high.

Texas (-3.5) at Texas Tech - This is, in my opinion, the most interesting game of the year so far. You have the two extremes - an established, proven, conventional program, and an upstart team with a screwball offense that has gradually earned respect. Both teams can score like crazy, and neither plays much defense, so this will be a fireworks show. On top of that, the game is the biggest sporting event ever to be played in Lubbock, and the implications are huge - the winner is the temporary king of the brutal Big 12, and the loser has to lick their wounds. We don’t really know what we have in Texas Tech - they have played very well, but their biggest games are ahead of them. We know exactly what we have in Texas - a lot. They have been brutalized by a very rough schedule, though, and they wouldn’t be blamed if they were hurting physcally and mentally by now after the gauntlet they have had to run. If they win here and beat top 11 teams four weeks in a row they will be only the second team ever, and first in more than 60 years, to do so. This game has everything going for it, and could be an instant classic.

There’s a lot to keep in mind as we head into a big weekend of college and NFL action:

The Bills will be without three starters. The biggest loss in wide receiver Josh Reed. I’m kind of excited by his injury, though. I like him just fine, but I’m very interested to see James Hardy get the chance to see more action. This is a rookie I really like.

Not to be outdone, the Jets will be without linebacker and leading tackler David Harris when they play Buffalo. This should open things up a bit for Buffalo.

Jason Witten hasn’t been ruled out against the Giants yet, and it sounds like he may actually play, but with a broken rib his impact will be limited.

Another injury blow for the Colts - corner marlin Jackson is on the IR with a knee injury. He’s good, and the secondary doesn’t have a lot of depth, so this hurts. The pain is offset, though, by the news that Bob Sanders is ready to return to the lineup sooner than expected.

Tim Tebow is back in full health after playing with a hyper-extended knee the last two weeks. The strange part of this story is that Urban Meyer claims that he didn’t know about the injury until this week. I find that so hard to believe, and if it is true then something is wrong in Gainesville.

Jim Mora already has a contract to be the coach of the Seahawks next year, but the Universty of Washington has a new coaching vacancy, and the former UW player is on the record saying that the Huskies gig is his dream job. There will be interesting drama to watch in the Pacific Northwest. A statement from the Hawks said Mora s not a candidate. That, of course, means nothing.

I don’t know what is going on in Florida State (actually I do - chaos spawned by a coach who should have retired years ago), but they have serious issues in the receiver corps. For the second straight week they have suspended a receiver. This time it is Corey Surrency. I had high hopes for Surrency, a junior college transfer who had three touchdowns in his first two games to justify his spot on my watchlist. Since then, though, he has been mostly invisible.

C.J. Spiller is due to return to action for Clemson. There were high hopes for the running back coming into the season, but he has been out of action since Oct. 9.

Worst NFL Game of the Week - There are obvious reasons to look towards the Lions at the Bears. My favorite Lions stat - all but one opposing quarterback has set a career high for quarterback rating. Ouch. That one won’t be as bad, though, as Jacksonville at Cincinnati. Jacksonville is disappointing and full of problems. Cincinnati is so bad that T.J. Houshmanzadeh talked publicly about the possibility of a winless season. He guaranteed it wouldn’t happen, but still - If he is publicly addressing the possibility of imperfection then things are really bleak.

Best NFL Game of the Week - The Patriots at Indianapolis should be a lock for this honor, but there are too many issues on both sides to give it to them. I did like, though, how Bill Belichick talked trash about the Colts. Green Bay at Tennessee could be a good one, as pretty much every game with an undefeated team is this late in the season. Dallas at the Giants is a good old fashioned divisional grudge match. My choice, though, is the MNF tilt between Pittsburgh and Washington. These are two tough, well coached teams that will take this one to the trenches. It won’t be explosive or flashy, but it should be good fun for those of us who like hard-played football.

Game With Teams With the Most to Prove - There are two here. Houston at Minnesota features two teams that were supposed to be right in the mix but which really aren’t. The Jets at Buffalo is a battle between teams that need a win to stay in touch in a very wide open AFC East.

Oddest Line - The Giants are favored by 9.5 over the Cowboys. I’m not saying that this line isn’t legit (though my gut says it is a bit high), but it is almost impossible to believe that this is where we are at now given the widely held opinions of these two teams at the start of the season. The number isn’t a surprise, but the favorite is.

Best College Game - Shockingly, it involves Texas yet again. For the fourth week in a row the Longorns play an absolutely monstrous game with serious national title implications. They have to travel to Lubbock to play Texas Tech. Tough task, made slightly easier by the fact that the Red Raiders have shown about as much ability to play defense this year as the Broncos. Florida and Georgia is another obvious gem. The winner should pretty much secure a spot in the SEC championship.

Filling Me With Dread - Michigan plays Purdue this weekend. That’s two teams that really, really suck. The only thing I can tell myself is that our prospects for improvement over the long term are much better than theirs. It’s a sad statement on how bad things are that Michigan is actually an underdog to a 2-6 Purdue team. This season can’t end soon enough for my boys.

Four Interesting Games Between Unranked Teams- West Virginia (-3.5) at UConn. Winning the Big East isn’t going to mean much other than a bid in a BCS bowl that no one will care about, but both of these teams are very much in the hunt for that bid. Oregon (+3) at Cal. Though it isn’t likely, both of these teams could technically still win the Pac-10. They’d need a big win here to start, though. Fresno State (-4.5) at Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have endured a couple of tough losses, and their win against Utah State last week featured a last second 58 yard field goal. This team is never dull, and they need to win to keep their hopes of conference domination alive. Kentucky (+3) at Mississippi State. Both of these teams can be pesky and tough at times, and ridiculously awful at other times. This game could be great, or truly lousy.

Biggest Line - Washington (+43) at USC. The Huskies are absolutely, irredeemably terrible, and now they are playing with a coach who is just counting the days until they quit. This is a ridiculously massive line, yet there is absolutely no value in Washington.

1. The Big 12 is amazing. At the top, at least. Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas Tech all won in impressive style. The latter three were explosive offensively, and Texas got a hard fought win over another impressive Big 12 squad in Oklahoma State. If this conference can manage not to cannibalize itself then it could do some real damage. The winner of the Texas - Texas Tech game this weekend should manage to make it to the championship game without a loss. Then it gets tough with the conference championship, but that’s another story.

2. Penn State is on the fast track to the BCS Championship game. They have three relatively easy conference games left, and no championship game to play. People may not want to see it happen, but it seems likely. Only Texas and Alabama can reasonably keep them out of the big game, and they both have places to trip up looming. It seems unlikely that both will make it through unscathed. That means that Penn State looks good. Hopefully they can do bet under the brightest spotlight than their conference mate did the last couple of years.

3. Speaking of teams heading for a date with the BCS, Tulsa is looking better and better every week. They crushed Central Florida, and they only have one real test left. They have to get past Arkansas this coming weekend, but that’s something that they certainly could do (the Golden Hurricane are favored by a touchdown). From there it is just three easy-ish conference games between them and 12-0. They are ranked too low at this point, but it would be hard to ignore them at 12-0.

4. Dave Wannstedt is not a great coach. He keeps finding ways to prove that. He’s much better than Ty Willingham, though - the greatest gift Willingham has ever given a team is promising to resign from Washington at the end of the year. Hopefully someone can come in next year to salvage the ridiculously talented Jake Locker’s career.

5. Mike Stoops might just save his job at Arizona. Sure, they lost to USC, but they sure looked good doing it.

6. Indianapolis is not going to make the playoffs. Tennesse is pretty good, but they shouldn’t be good enough to make the Colts look like that. Manning was okay, but he wasn’t precise, and his imprecision was very costly. This team just has too many flaws to be a contender. Seeing them on the sidelines will ber very strange. Kind of nice from my perspective,  but still strange.

7. Speaking of teams strangely headed for an early offseason, I can’t believe where San Diego finds themselves. New Orleans had dozens of excuses for losing that game, but the Chargers couldn’t make them use a single one. It could be a long year in the sun, and that could cost Norv Turner his head. That would be a good thing for that team.

8. The Cowboys were very lucky not to lose that game against Tampa Bay. They may have won, but they certainly didn’t play like a team that is going tokeep doing it. In other words, the bleeding is somewhat under control, but it hasn’t stopped. In fact, I’m not yet convinced that Dallas isn’t a hemophiliac.

9. I can’t help but notice, and take some perverse pleasure in the fact, that Chad Pennington is doing more for his team than Brett Favre right now. Karma is a bitch.

10. I think I still like Carolina a lot. Their blowout loss to Tampa Bay was more than a little concerning, but they have come back with two very nice wins since then. Only Tennessee has more wins this year. They’re positioned well for at least a wild card, and perhaps even more.

There are some very interesting games to watch on Saturday. No real barn burners that are guaranteed classics, but several that will teach us more than a little abut high profile teams. I won’t be watching any of them - I’ll be at the Breeders’ Cup watching Curlin run into history. At the very least you should watch some of the racing as you watch football. It will be worth it. Here are the games that stand out to me:

Texas Tech (+1) at Kansas - The Red Raiders need to keep winning to keep pace with Texas and give themselves a shot at an improbable Big 12 championship. Kansas can’t afford a loss if it wants to maintain any chance of conference relevance. The stakes are high. That always makes for a fun game.

Oklahoma State (+11.5) at Texas - It is no exaggeration to say that this is the biggest game in the history of the Oklahoma State program. A win here would be spectacular. There could be a chance of a letdown for Texas - this is the third straight week that they have played the biggest game of the weekend.

Georgia (+1) at LSU - Both teams have encountered speed bumps along the way, but if they keep winning they could be in position to pick up the pieces and end up in a very big bowl game. Neither team has been flawless at handling pressure, so they will have to show somethiing they haven’t been able to consistently.

Wyoming (+30.5) at TCU - TCU is coming off a dominating, shocking win against BYU last week. Now they play a team they can beat in their sleep. How they perform will be very illuminating - can the coach keep them focused, or will they be too busy reading the headlines to play as well as they have shown they can?

Colorado (+24) at Missouri - A couple of weeks ago Missouri looked as good as any team in the country. After two straight rough losses, though, they are reeling. Colorado showed against West Virginia that they can surprise a team that isn’t in top form. The Tigers badly need to rebound and make a strong statement.

Penn State (-2) at Ohio State - This is the biggest game that will be played in the Big Ten this year. The winner will almost certainly win the conference and head to the BCS. Penn State hasn’t been this competitive in a while, and they haven’t ever had real success in Columbus. This has to be close to the last year of the Joe Paterno era. There would be no better statement to make than putting the Buckeyes in their place.

Worst NFL Game of the Week - There are two solid possibilities here. Seattle plays at San Francisco. The Seahawks are terrible, and they seem to be in a spiral. The Niners are almost as bad, though there may be a bit of a boost thanks to the new coach. It certainly helped the Rams. Instead of that one I will go with one that is almost certain to stink - Cincinnati at Houston. The Bengals are awful, and Houston, though they have potential, have been inconsistent. The Texans are favored by 10, which is a sign of just how bleak things are in Cincinnati.

Best NFL Game of the Week - It should be the Monday night game between Indy and Tennessee, but  refuse to trust the Colts any more. Tampa Bay at Dallas should be another classic, too, but the faltering Cowboys have thrown a wrench in that one. San Diego at New Orleans is yet another one that could be good but can be trusted thanks to inconsistency. That leaves me with one I’m not that excited about - the Giants at Pittsburgh. Two smash mouth playoff teams should make for interesting play.

Game With Teams With the Most to Prove - Buffalo at Miami. The Bills need to prove that they are still an elite team, especially in the face of the recent resurgence of the Pats. Miami needs to build some momentum to show that they are actually making the progress that has been hinted at so far.

Oddest Line - The Jets haven’t been very good this year. There have been some highlights, but also some intense periods of blandness. It seems very odd to see a team this average favored by 13 points. Not that it isn’t justified - they are playing Kansas City, after all.

Best College Game - Oklahoma State at Texas. This is a no-brainer. Two undefeated Big 12 teams, one of which is making a convincing case for being the top team in the country. In the last two weeks both teams have beaten up on Missouri. Now they get to beat up each other.

Fillng Me With Dread - I have no dread this week. Just the certainty that Michigan is going to lose to Michigan State. It’s easier to cope with that way.

Four Interesting Games Between Unranked Teams - Cincinnati (-2) at UConn. A showdown between the top second tier Big East teams. The winner could be positioned for a solid bowl. Illinois (-2.5) at Wisconsin. The Badgers are going through an incredible freefall - from the number eight seed to 3-4 in just a month. It’s like a train wreck you can’t turn away from. Wake Forest (+3) at Miami. Interesting ACC showdown. It won’t likely be fun to watch, but it will be interesting to analyze. Boston College (+3) at North Carolina. Two surprisingly good teams looking to maintain the momentum.

Biggest Line - Wyoming (+31.5) at TCU. The Cowboys aren’t good. The Horned Frogs flexed their muscles against BYU. It’s not a wonder this one is so one-sided.