Up for grabs

I can give you about 14.5 million reasons why this game might be huge for Notre Dame. A victory should lock up a BCS at-large berth.

What Charlie Weis has accomplished with Notre Dame's offense is nothing short of amazing. With 44 more points this would be the highest-scoring offense in school history. The Irish gained 126 yards per game more than last year, the best improvement of any team in the country.

Stanford needs a win to become bowl eligible, but if you ask me the Cardinal should have been thinking about that when they lost to Division I-AA UC Davis. This is the last game at Stanford Stadium before it's replaced before next season, but the Cardinal have struggled at home.

Quarterback Trent Edwards was injured in a dreadful 27-3 loss to California last week. Edwards and backup T.C. Ostrander were sacked nine times in all. Edwards' status is up in the air, but either quarterback would have to have a monster game to keep this game close.

Pick: Irish

• Virginia Tech:

Hokie Hotline

What a nice comeback Virginia Tech had last week after losing to Miami. Kudos especially to Marcus Vick, who had two interceptions and four fumbles against the Hurricanes but rebounded to throw for 170 yds and two touchdowns against Virginia.

Whereas North Carolina needs a win just to be bowl eligible, the Hokies can earn their way into the ACC title game with a victory. VT can clinch earlier in the day if Miami loses to Virginia.

For the second year in a row, North Carolina has been on the verge of the upper echelon of the ACC, playing a lot of close games. But against a Virginia Tech defense ranked second in the nation, the Heels will be hard pressed to keep this close.

Pick: Hokies

• Georgia Tech:

Chan Gailey Show

Both teams are coming off huge wins last week. Georgia locked up a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game, and Georgia Tech stunned Miami. Although Georgia has won the Governor's Cup four straight years, this game should come down to the wire because both teams have such strong defenses.

Quarterbacks D.J. Shockley and Reggie Ball are two of the most versatile signal callers anywhere, with cannon-like arms and the ability to run like tailbacks.

Ultimately this comes down to offensive matchups. How will Shockley fare against the Georgia Tech secondary? He has thrown four interceptions all season, but the Yellowjacket secondary ranks fifth in the country with 18 picks.

Also watch the matchup between Tech's 6-foot-5 receiver Calvin Johnson and senior Georgia cornerback DeMario Minter, who was flagged for three pass-interference calls in last year's matchup. Look for Tech again to exploit a four-inch height advantage.

Pick: Bulldogs

• Iowa State:

Dan McCarney Show

After spending a day as Nebraska fans, Iowa State finds itself in pretty much the same situation as last year. The Huskers' rout of Colorado gives ISU a chance to reach its first Big 12 title game. Of course, last year all Iowa State had to do was beat slumping Missouri at home – and it lost in overtime.

If ISU can make the trip to Dallas, it would be another major step in coach Dan McCarney's turnaround of the program. ISU had no winning seasons in the '90s, yet the Cyclones are headed to their fifth bowl game of the 2000s.

Iowa State is playing the best football in the Big 12 North by a wide margin. But Kansas is 5-0 at home and hungry for a second bowl bid in three years.

Pick: Cyclones

It had better be really important to these two teams to win the Egg Bowl trophy this year because this sure isn't for much else. These easily are the two worst teams in the SEC.

If you're looking for much offense, you may be wasting your time following this one. Ole Miss has the worst rushing offense in the SEC and ranks 11th in total offense, ahead of only (you guessed it) MSU.

MSU coach Sylvester Croom did add some excitement by stating a couple of weeks ago, "I don't ever think about Ole Miss. If our kids play as well as they can play, we're going to beat their butt." That's interesting as the Bulldogs haven't beaten the Rebels since 2001.

Pick: Rebels

This is an awfully big game for Mike Price and the Miners. A victory sends them to Central Florida for next Saturday's inaugural Conference USA championship game at the Citrus Bowl (a UTEP loss sends Tulsa).

Price has led UTEP to 16 wins in two seasons, the Miners' first consecutive winning campaigns since 1987 and 1988. The Miners rank No. 1 in the conference in scoring offense and defense.

Four of the Ponies' six losses are by a touchdown or less, and SMU remains the only team to beat No. 15 TCU.

But no coach in C-USA knows more about how to handle and win big games than Price, and I look forward to seeing UTEP down here in Orlando (where I live).

Pick: Miners

Bowden & Larry Beil

• Florida State:

Bobby Bowden Show
• Florida:

Gator Hotline With Urban Meyer

With both teams off last week, it's been just plain miserable down here in the Sunshine State. Two Saturdays ago Florida lost to Steve Spurrier and South Carolina and Florida State dropped a second straight ACC game to Clemson.

Although both teams are 7-3, I don't think either set of fans can stand another loss. In fact, both teams are very similar, with good but not great defense and no identity on offense. You don't know which kind of team will show up.

Although FSU is locked into the ACC championship game regardless of the outcome, it will have a tough time in the Swamp. After watching the adjustments Urban Meyer made in his last bye week (before beating Georgia), I have a feeling he has a few more tricks up his sleeve than FSU.

I'm looking for Meyer to notch his first victory against Sweet Ol' Bobby (or, if you're a disgruntled Seminole fan, you can just abbreviate that) Bowden.

Pick: Gators

• Virginia:

Cavalier Call-In Show

Both these teams are coming off devastating losses last week. Virginia's 52-14 loss to Virginia Tech was so bad coach Al Groh didn't even let his players review the film.

Miami may have suffered an even more humbling loss to Georgia Tech. It not only knocked them out of the national championship picture but also made the ACC title game unlikely. The 'Canes need a win and a North Carolina upset of Virginia Tech or they're probably headed for the Peach Bowl or the Gator Bowl.

The Hurricane defense is playing at a championship level, ranking first nationally in total defense and second in scoring. You're not supposed to lose two games when you play like that. But just like last year, Miami has had an inconsistent offense.

I covered the Georgia Tech-Virginia game with ABC Sports a few weeks ago and saw a Virginia team very capable of beating Miami – just as it beat Florida State. But Virginia is 0-13 in the Sunshine State.

Pick: Hurricanes

I'll be in Storrs with ABC Sports to cover this Big East battle, and as incredible as it seems, there's a lot at stake. If South Florida wins, the Bulls need only to beat West Virginia in Tampa next week to earn a $14.5 million BCS berth. Not bad for a program that began playing football in 1997.

Running back Andre Hall averages 120 yards per game, and the USF defense is one of the better units in the conference. USF has won three straight and is facing a Connecticut team riddled with injuries and on a four-game losing streak. But UConn is getting back QB Matt Bonislawski, who was injured four games ago. The Huskies went from 4-1 to 4-5 with him out.

It should be pretty cold, and I don't know how that will affect the boys from Florida. If the Bulls can keep their hands warm, they should leave New England with a chance to play the Mountaineers for a piece of the Big East championship.

Pick: Bulls

Bowden & Larry Beil

• Oklahoma:

Sooner Sports Talk

After losing to Texas Tech on a controversial final play, I'll be anxious to see if the Sooners can get their heads back on for the 100th meeting in the Bedlam Series.

At 6-4 you might think Oklahoma has little to play for after so many years of being in national-championship contention at this time. But trust me, having being 7-4 and having a chance for an eighth win in a bowl is much more palatable than 7-5 or 6-6.

This Oklahoma State team under first-year coach Mike Gundy spent much of the season struggling to find itself. Though the Cowboys gave Texas a great game for a half and knocked off Texas Tech, Oklahoma should be able to ride on the back of Adrian Peterson and at least win the state championship this year.

Pick: Sooners