ESPN College Football

Let's take a look back at Week 12 before looking ahead to rivalry week.

Team(s) of the Week: Wisconsin and Illinois. Both teams get the nod for different reasons. The Badgers overcame their Michigan misery and won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1994. After Wisconsin's red-hot offense surged out to a 24-0 lead, the Badgers survived a mini scare in the third quarter before steamrolling Michigan with 28 consecutive designed run plays. Running backs James White and Montee Ball combined for 354 rush yards and six touchdowns in the win. Speaking of the ground game, no back in America had a bigger day than Illinois' Mikel Leshoure, who racked up a team-record 330 rushing yards against Northwestern. Behind Leshoure's brilliance, Illinois piled up 519 rush yards and claimed a must-win game against Northwestern at Wrigley Field to become bowl eligible.

Game of the Week: Ohio State at Iowa. The game featured three lead changes and an exciting fourth quarter defined by big plays on both sides of the ball. Both defenses came to play, and only one touchdown was scored in the first half. Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor overcame two interceptions to lead a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives. After Buckeyes receiver DeVier Posey dropped a wide-open touchdown pass in the end zone with the Buckeyes down 17-13, Pryor saved the day with a 14-yard scramble on fourth-and-10. Ohio State scored the go-ahead touchdown moments later and its defensive line stepped up down the stretch. Iowa's season of heartbreak continued, while Ohio State kept its streak of Big Ten titles intact.

Biggest play: Three immediately come to mind. Pryor's scramble on fourth-and-10 likely saved Ohio State's season. Michigan State's Denicos Allen blocked a Purdue punt late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown as the Spartans rallied from a 28-13 deficit. And Penn State's Andrew Dailey and James Van Fleet teamed up for a punt block and a touchdown return that broke a 24-24 tie against Indiana at FedEx Field.

Specialist spotlight: The two punt blocks by Michigan State and Penn State loomed large in both teams' victories. Michigan State punter Aaron Bates had another big game, averaging 43.4 yards per punt and placing three inside the Purdue 20-yard line. After not attempting a punt the week before against Indiana, Wisconsin's Brad Nortman made the most out of his only chance against Michigan, pinning the Wolverines at their 1-yard line. Ohio State's Devin Barclay kicked a clutch field goal against Iowa for the second straight year, this time a 48-yarder in the fourth quarter. Both punters looked comfortable at Wrigley, as Illinois' Anthony Santella averaged 53.5 yards per punt and Northwestern's Brandon Williams had a 45.2-yard average. Northwestern's Venric Mark had a 58-yard punt return that set up a Wildcats touchdown against Illinois.

Best sign: The Big Ten's last-minute decision to primarily use one end zone at Wrigley Field became the top story in college football heading into Saturday. But just in case players from Northwestern and Illinois didn't hear about the rule changes, a fan sitting behind the dreaded East end zone provided a reminder. He held up a sign that read: "Wrong Way!" Nice.

Game balls (given to players on winning or losing teams who didn't receive helmet stickers)

• Penn State QB Matt McGloin: The sophomore racked up a career-high 315 pass yards and two touchdowns against Indiana, completing 22 of 31 attempts in the win. His 315 pass yards tie for the 10th most in team history.
• Illinois LB Martez Wilson: The Chicago native sparkled in his hometown Saturday, recording three tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in the win against Northwestern.
• Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien: He completed his first 13 pass attempts against Michigan and showed good toughness, absorbing several hits before releasing the ball. Tolzien finished the game 14-for-15 for 201 yards and an interception.
• [+] Enlarge
  AP Photo/Nick WassPenn State quarterback Matt McGloin had a career day in a win over Indiana.
  Michigan State WR Mark Dell: Dell made Senior Day a memorable one by recording eight receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns against Purdue. The senior receiver hauled in scoring passes of 24 yards and nine yards to match a career high for touchdowns.
• Michigan QB Denard Robinson: He started slowly against Wisconsin but came on strong in the second half. Robinson racked up 121 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, breaking the FBS single-season record for quarterback rushing. He also had 239 pass yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
• Purdue CB Ricardo Allen: Any postseason awards list of top freshmen should include Allen, who recorded his second pick-six in as many weeks against Michigan State. He tied Mike Rose's single-season record for interceptions returned for touchdowns. Allen now leads Purdue with three interceptions this season.
• Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins: The junior played through pain and overcame an early miscue to record four touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) and 276 pass yards. Cousins completed passes to 10 different receivers in the come-from-behind win against Purdue.
• Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor: It's not how you start in football, and Pryor finished extremely strong against Iowa. He led two fourth-quarter scoring drives, racked up 78 rush yards against a stout Iowa defense and passed for 195 yards.
• Indiana WR Tandon Doss: The dynamic junior led Indiana in both receiving yards (90) and rushing yards (61) against Penn State. Doss had seven receptions and five rushes on the day. He also shined as a return man and finished the game with 293 all-purpose yards, tied for the seventh-best effort in team history.

Now let's look ahead to rivalry week.

Michigan (7-4, 3-4 Big Ten) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1): If the Buckeyes win, they will tie a Big Ten record with their sixth consecutive league title (won or shared). They also aim for their seventh consecutive win against their archrival. Michigan can spoil it all for Ohio State and take the heat off of third-year coach Rich Rodriguez, but a Wolverines win would qualify as a major upset. Pryor takes aim at a Wolverines defense that ranks 99th nationally in points allowed (33.6 ppg).

No. 10 Michigan State (10-1, 6-1) at Penn State (7-4, 4-3): A special season for the Spartans comes down to this, the biggest game in recent team history. Michigan State can record a team record for wins if it beats Penn State, and a victory ensures the Spartans of at least a share of the Big Ten title for the first time since 1990. McGloin and the Nittany Lions look to spoil the party and end the regular season with wins in five of their final six games.

Indiana (4-7, 0-7) at Purdue (4-7, 2-5): For the second straight year, the Bucket game will be played with just pride and bragging rights on the line. Neither Indiana nor Purdue will be going bowling this season, but both teams want to end 2010 on a good note. It could be a pivotal game for Hoosiers coach Bill Lynch, who has recorded just two Big Ten wins since his Hoosiers beat Purdue in 2007 to clinch a bowl berth.

No. 24 Iowa (7-4, 4-3) at Minnesota (2-9, 1-6): Iowa has shut out Minnesota in each of the last two seasons, and the Hawkeyes will come in angry after dropping back-to-back games. The Golden Gophers, meanwhile, come off of an open week after an uplifting win against Illinois and look for their first home victory of the season. It'll be the last game for quarterback Adam Weber, the other Minnesota seniors and probably most of the coaching staff. Iowa has won eight of the teams' last nine meetings.

Northwestern (7-4, 3-4) at Wisconsin (10-1, 6-1): The Badgers are playing for a share of their first Big Ten title since 1999 and most likely their first Rose Bowl appearance since that year. Barring an Ohio State loss, a Badgers win likely punches their ticket to Pasadena. Wisconsin's offense has been sensational as of late, and starting running back John Clay should be back in the fold. It likely spells bad news for Northwestern, which had no answer for Illinois' rushing attack at Wrigley.

Bye: Illinois (6-5, 4-4)

Let's take a look at the good and the bad for the non-AQs in Week 12.

The good: TCU and Boise State are still in the national title hunt, keeping the non-AQs as one of the hottest topics of the college football conversation as we get into the final parts of the season. The two will continue to jockey for position, especially if they both win out. … Congrats to BYU for become bowl-eligible following a 1-4 start to the season. It has won five of its last six and has outscored its opponents 144-24 in the past three games. OK, the Cougars have beaten up on the bottom feeders in the league, but so has everyone else. … Wyoming closed its season with a 44-0 win over rival Colorado State for its first Mountain West win. Air Force also finished its season with a win over UNLV to finish 8-4. The Falcons await their bowl assignment. … SMU is also headed to a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1983-84. … Northern Illinois is headed to the MAC title game for the first time since 2005 and has won eight straight.

The bad: Fresno State was shut out for the first time since 1998 in a 51-0 loss to Boise State. The Bulldogs managed 125 total yards of offense. Ryan Colburn was sacked four times, had three turnovers and completed just six passes. … East Carolina continues to struggle, this time giving up 62 points to a Rice team that had two wins going into the game. The Pirates have given up 40-plus points in eight of their 11 games this season, including two games of 60-plus points. They have the worst defense in college football. … Army was held to just three points and a season-low 165 rushing yards in a loss to Notre Dame, and also lost the turnover battle. The Black Knights had been averaging 273 yards on the ground, and were one of the nation’s best in turnover margin. Since the start of 2006, Army is 7-35 when the margin is negative or even.

The uplifting: Southern Miss played truly inspired football in a 59-41 win over Houston. Coach Larry Fedora wondered how the events of last week would affect his team going into the game. Three players were shot after a fight inside a club spilled out into the parking lot. Linebacker Martez Smith is paralyzed from the waist down, but he was at the game for Senior Day, and in an emotional moment, was allowed onto the field in his wheelchair before the game. Tim Green, shot in the neck and unable to speak, watched from his hospital room, while Deddrick Jones watched from Fedora’s office. Defensive end Cordarro Law, who wore Jones’ No. 91, had two sacks and played with extra motivation. Green and Smith are his roommates.

The heartache: It seems we are always writing about Western Kentucky in this space. The Hilltoppers blew yet another fourth-quarter lead, dropping a 27-26 game to Middle Tennessee. Rod Issac returned a fumble 99 yards in the fourth quarter to spur the comeback. The Blue Raiders scored the final 17 points of the game. Western Kentucky has won two games this season -- both on the road. … Meanwhile, the Aztecs blew a 27-10 second-quarter lead to Utah and lost for the fourth time this season. Each loss has come to a bowl-eligible team. Each loss has been by five points or less.

500 club: Two non-AQ quarterbacks went over 500 yards this weekend: Hawaii QB Bryant Moniz set a new school record with 560 passing yards in a 41-7 win over San Jose State, breaking the old record of 559 by Colt Brennan against Arizona State in the 2006 Hawaii Bowl. San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley went 36-of-54 for a career-high 528 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions -- but his two INTs late made the difference in a 38-34 loss to Utah. He did become the first Aztecs player to post back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons since Dan McGwire in 1989-90.

A few more helmet stickers: Western Kentucky LB Bar’ee Boyd. As a team, the Hilltoppers had not blocked a punt in over two years. In the first quarter against Middle Tennessee, Boyd did it twice. His second block was recovered by Derrius Brooks in the end zone for a touchdown. … Wyoming DE Josh Biezuns had a career-high 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a 44-0 win over Colorado State.

Week 13 look ahead: The big one Friday night is in Reno, when No. 4 Boise State plays No. 19 Nevada with not only WAC title hopes on the line, but BCS hopes on the line for the Broncos as well. This weekend could clear up the national championship picture as well. … There also is a big game in the MAC on Tuesday night between Miami (Ohio) and Temple. Miami needs a win and an Ohio loss at Kent State to clinch the East. … And of course, there is BYU at Utah, in a game that is no sure thing for the Utes anymore. The Cougars actually have a semblance of an offense, but this will be their biggest test since the last time they lost -- at TCU. Their opponents are a combined 8-37 in their four-game winning streak.

Looking back on the biggest Big East week thus far:

Team(s) of the week: (tie) Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh. All three went on the road to hostile environments, and all three shut down opponents who had a lot to play for. This trio allowed only one offensive touchdown in Week 12 while separating itself from the rest of the Big East pack.

Best game: Not a lot of instant classics in Week 12. I'll go with Pitt's 17-10 win over South Florida, which at least had some second-half drama. West Virginia beat Louisville by the same score, but that game never felt more out of reach because of how the Mountaineers' defense shut everything down.

Biggest play: In the second half at Louisville, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith turned to call timeout at nearly the same time as the ball was snapped and hit him in the back. Officials awarded Smith the timeout to the dismay of the home crowd. On the next play, Smith hit Noel Devine for a 48-yard pass play to the Louisville 2. That led to a Ryan Clarke touchdown, and the Mountaineers never trailed after that.

Best call: South Florida couldn't get much going offensively against Pittsburgh. But in the third quarter, the Bulls pulled off a beautifully-executed end around with true freshman Terrence Mitchell, who sprinted 45 yards for a touchdown that tied the score at 10. Unfortunately for USF, it was not enough.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati. There are career nights, and then there are video-game nights. Pead had the latter, scoring five touchdowns and rushing for 213 yards in a 69-38 destruction of Rutgers.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Kendall Reyes, DE, Connecticut. Created two turnovers with an interception and a forced fumble, and both led to scores in the Huskies' 23-6 win at Syracuse.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Gregg Pugnetti, P, West Virginia. Bill Stewart called his punter "our player of the game" after the win over Louisville. Pugnetti averaged 44.9 yards on seven punts and downed two inside the 20 as the Cardinals brought the house at him over and over again.

Worst hangover: Rutgers. Sure, Syracuse and South Florida were virtually eliminated from the Big East race, and Louisville lost its second straight chance at a bowl. But how do the Scarlet Knights give up 69 points to a Cincinnati team that had been struggling for weeks? Things are not good in Piscataway these days.

Strangest moment: In the second half of the Syracuse-Connecticut game, Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib had one of his passes batted into the air by a Huskies defender. Nassib caught the ball himself, and then proceeded to throw another pass. Um, that's a penalty. My favorite part was the referee's explanation: "The quarterback cannot throw two forward passes on the same down." Insert quote from Dazed & Confused's Wooderson here: "It'd be a whole lot cooler if you could."

Now let's look ahead to the penultimate regular-season game for most and -- can you believe it -- already the final regular-season game of 2010 for Louisville and Syracuse (Games listed in descending order of interest/importance; all games Saturday except where noted):

West Virginia (7-3, 3-2 Big East) at Pittsburgh (6-4, 4-1): The Backyard Brawl as it should be: full of meaning for the Big East title. (ABC, Noon ET Friday)

Cincinnati (4-6, 2-3) at Connecticut (6-4, 3-2): The Huskies have to win to stay alive in the Big East title race. Bearcats have to win to stay alive for a bowl game. (ESPN3.com, Noon ET)

South Florida (6-4, 3-3) at Miami (7-4): The Bulls have accomplished many firsts this season. Winning a Big East title won't be one of them. But beating Miami would serve as a nice consolation prize. (ESPNU, Noon ET)

Boston College (6-5) at Syracuse (7-4, 4-3): The Orange's season will be judged a success no matter what happens the rest of the way. But 8-4 sure looks better than 7-5 with an 0-for-FBS record at home, doesn't it? (ESPN, Noon ET)

Louisville (5-6, 2-4) at Rutgers (4-6, 1-4): Loser is eliminated from bowl contention. Cardinals should be more prepared than they were two years ago in a humiliating season-ending loss. (ESPN2, 11 a.m. ET, Friday)

We’re in for a red-hot finish to the SEC regular season, which is the perfect segue to another edition of Hot and Not:

EN FUEGO

Iron Bowl buildup: Every Iron Bowl is highly anticipated. It’s a game that’s played among the fans in that state 365 days a year and has been known to divide families right down the middle. But the real game is slated for Friday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It’s been a while since this much has been riding on it for Auburn and there were this many compelling storylines surrounding the game. Alabama, which won its first national championship in 17 years last season, would love nothing better than to ruin Auburn’s national championship hopes. Auburn quarterback Cam Newton could just about lock up the Heisman Trophy with a big game. Of course, with the ongoing NCAA investigation into his recruitment, there’s sure to be more than a few questions about his status right up until game time again.

HOT

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson: He’s been the subject of a few “NOTs” this year. But he’s bounced back the past few weeks to play some of his best football and passed for a career-high 254 yards in the 43-36 win over Ole Miss.

NOT

Florida receiver Carl Moore: How do you get thrown out of the game for fighting on your Senior Day? Moore got the heave in the second quarter. It’s embarrassing enough to get tossed on Senior Day. But against Appalachian State?

HOT

Arkansas’ offensive line: We’ve given Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett props, his receivers props and now sophomore running back Knile Davis is coming on like gangbusters. Sounds like the “Hogs” up front are playing championship-caliber football, too.

NOT

November scrimmages: Plain and simple, Alabama and Florida don’t have any business playing Georgia State and Appalachian State the next to last week of the regular season. The same goes for Auburn playing Chattanooga, Georgia facing Idaho State and Kentucky taking on Charleston Southern the week before. If you’re going to play scrimmages in November, charge half-price for them.

HOT

Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter: One of the more promising freshman receivers in the league, Hunter has 15 catches this season, and six of those have been touchdowns. He has unbelievable leaping ability and the kind of body control to go up and catch just about anything thrown his way.

NOT

Vanderbilt’s offense: It’s hard to get much worse for the Commodores, who were horrid offensively in their 24-10 loss to Tennessee. They’re ranked 115^th nationally in total offense and 113^th in scoring offense.

HOT

South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore: The Gamecocks’ fabulous freshman surpassed the 1,000-yard mark rushing last week against Troy and now has 19 touchdowns. The SEC single-season record is 24, set by Alabama’s Shaun Alexander in 1999.

NOT

LSU’s defense: The reason LSU is 10-1 right now is because of its defense. The Tigers have consistently been the best ‘D’ in the SEC this season, but took the day off last week in a 43-36 win over Ole Miss, which rolled up 21 first downs and 420 yards of total offense.

FREEZER BURN

SEC pass defenses: It’s been a good season for several of the SEC quarterbacks, and the receivers in this league are outstanding. But the flip side has been some bad pass defense, in particular some shoddy pass coverage. Take a look at where some of the teams in this league rank nationally in pass defense. Five are ranked 88^th or worse nationally. Want to guess which two SEC pass defenses have been the worst? That would be Auburn (ranked 100^th) and South Carolina (ranked 104^th). Think those two teams will be slinging it around in the SEC championship game? They’re not the only ones who’ve struggled to defend the pass. Ole Miss is ranked 98^th nationally in pass defense, Vanderbilt 96^th, Mississippi State 88^th and Tennessee 76^th.

Here we go …

The good: Bowl-eligible teams. Congrats to the ACC for filling its quota and avoiding the embarrassment of not having enough bowl-eligible teams to fulfill the eight agreements with its bowl partners. Clemson, Georgia Tech and Boston College all earned their sixth wins this past weekend and have some breathing room heading into their season finales. That was particularly important for Georgia Tech and Clemson, which close the season with SEC rivals.

The bad: My picks. I know, I know. Crow. Eating. I honestly thought the Blue Devils had a chance at Georgia Tech, and for a half, I felt kinda smart. And then reality set in. And Virginia Tech proved me wrong with its win at Miami. What can I say? It's a good thing my trip to Charlotte doesn't go through Blacksburg?

The ugly: Wake Forest. Oh those Deacs. Just dreadful. Nine straight losses. Just two touchdowns in the past three games, and one was on a trick play. Wake now owns the second-longest active losing streak in the FBS. The Deacs can thank 0-11 Akron for stealing their thunder.

The streak: NC State coach Tom O’Brien has now won four straight against Butch Davis. If NCAA sanctions don’t hurt, that certainly will.

The underappreciated: UNC quarterback T.J. Yates. The guy threw for more than 400 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s had a fantastic season, a record-setter, been one of the best in the ACC. And yet his career is coming to a close with no fanfare.

Top three games of Week 13

NC State at Maryland – This one takes precedence over the ACC-SEC rivalry games because it will determine the Atlantic Division winner. If NC State wins, it will advance to the ACC championship game for the first time in school history. If the Wolfpack loses, Florida State will win the division. It will be a challenge for Maryland to rebound from the home loss to Florida State knowing its championship hopes are now gone, but coach Ralph Friedgen said he is confident his players will bounce back.

Florida at Florida State – The Seminoles have a chance to accomplish their goal of winning the unofficial “state title,” having already defeated Miami. Florida State is the lone team from the state in the BCS standings this week, and if ever there were a time to get the Gators, this would be it. Florida has lost four games this year, but the Gators haven’t lost to Florida State since 2003.

South Carolina at Clemson – This one gets the nod over Georgia Tech-Georgia because unlike the Bulldogs, the Gamecocks are ranked, bowl-eligible, and have won their division. Clemson has won two of the past three and 10 of the past 13, but couldn’t get it done last year when it was favored to. Can the Tigers surprise South Carolina this year when few are expecting them to?

Best offensive player: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M. Other players had more yardage, but none had it against a tougher defense and in a more needed position than Gray. He racked up 202 yards of total offense in Texas A&M's 9-6 win over Nebraska, and is officially the first player to get this award from me without scoring a touchdown. Honorable mention: Rodney Stewart, Colorado.

Best defensive player: Sam Acho, DT, Texas. Sure, it was against Florida Atlantic, but Acho turned in one of the Big 12's best games of the year against the Owls. He had three sacks, four tackles for loss, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and had four quarterback hurries. All six of his tackles were solo, as well. Honorable mention: Trent Hunter, Texas A&M

Best team performance: Texas A&M. The Aggies take home the award for the second week in a row after beating Nebraska 9-6 at home in one of the most physical games of the season. Honorable mention: Colorado.

Best offensive freshman: Ben McRoy, RB, Texas Tech. McRoy ran for 81 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns to help the Red Raiders get bowl eligible against Texas Tech. Honorable mention: Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma.

Best defensive freshman: Tom Wort, LB, Oklahoma. Wort made eight tackles -- six solo -- and had a sack for a loss of 11 yards in the Sooners' win over Baylor.

Best game: Texas A&M 9, Nebraska 6. No doubt about this one. There are plenty of people who don't like defensive battles. I'm not one of them. Both defenses protected the end zones for 60 minutes, hit hard and didn't give up any back-breaking plays, while delivering plenty of hard shots. And of course, any game that comes down to the final possession is a good one.

A look back on the week that was.

Team of the week: Oregon State was left for dead -- understandably -- after getting pushed around at home by Washington State on Nov. 13, thereby ending the Cougars 16-game Pac-10 losing streak. But there was a Beavers resurrection Saturday during a 36-7 stomping of USC.

Best game: Considering all three games this past week were decided by at least 17 points, there really wasn't a "best" game. But Stanford's overwhelming performance on both defense and offense in the Big Game at California was very impressive -- making it easy to point to the Cardinal as the nation's best one-loss team.

Biggest play: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck made an early statement in the Big Game with a 58-yard run on third down in the first quarter. The "wow" moment, though, was when he flattened Cal safety Sean Cattouse.

Offensive standout: Not to be redundant but Luck was nearly perfect in the Big Game. He completed 16-of-20 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran three times for 72 yards.

Defensive standout: USC just couldn't block Oregon State DT Stephen Paea, whose six tackles -- 2.5 for a loss with a sack and a forced fumble -- don't completely tell the story of how much of a nuisance he was to the Trojans.

Special teams standout: The only bright side for Cal might have been punter Bryan Anger, who averaged 54.3 yards on three punts, with a long of 71 yards. Two of the three were killed inside the Cardinal 20-yard line.

Smiley face: Good for Washington and Oregon State getting off the carpet and keeping bowl hopes -- albeit slim ones -- alive. The Beavers had lost three of four conference games, including the aforementioned face plant versus the Cougs, while the Huskies had suffered three consecutive blowout losses before upending UCLA. Showing resilience is a good thing.

Frowny face: Everyone wondered when USC would stop showing up this year due to NCAA sanctions killing postseason possibilities. Then we got so far into the season, it seemed possible they'd show up every week. Wrong. The debacle at Oregon State was embarrassing. A completely lifeless effort on offense against a struggling, injury-riddled defense.

Thought of the week: Washington's visit to California feels meaningful, and not just because it's a bowl-eligibility-elimination game. Both programs are looking for a November uptick for grumpy fan bases after disappointing seasons. If Cal wins, it could end up in the Holiday Bowl, and even the Sun Bowl is a heck of a destination for a 6-6 team. Same for the Huskies, though they also will need to win at rival Washington State on Dec. 4 to earn a sixth victory.

Questions for the week: Is there a major upset on tap? Top-ranked Oregon plays host to No. 21 Arizona and No. 6 Stanford gets a visit from again formidable Oregon State. Can both home teams survive and keep hopes for two BCS bowl teams -- and an extra $4.5 million for the conference -- alive?