College Football

While there's finally some clarity in the ACC, the Big 12 South is as muddled as ever with a three-way tie for the top spot. Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all end their regular season with 7-1 league records, and which one will represent the division in the Big 12 Championship Game next week won't be known until the updated BCS standings come out tomorrow.

Friday gave viewers some interesting displays in how not to play football, topped off by UCLA QB Kevin Craft's play in the Bruins visit to Arizona State. Three interceptions, all of which were of the pick-six variety, and as I write this there are still nine minutes left in the game. Oh, not to mention a fumble of his that was also run back for a score.

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope you're spending time with the ones you love and care about. Just one game on the slate for tonight, with Texas A&M heading to Austin to take on the rival Longhorns (8 PM EST on ESPN). Texas needs a win to have any shot at representing the South Division in next Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game, and the result (along with margin of victory) could very well have an impact on who goes should there be a three-way tie.

The undefeated Ball State Cardinals still have a bit of business to take care of in their regular season finale. Brady Hoke's team still hasn't clinched a spot in the MAC Championship Game, which would come with a victory over Western Michigan tonight in Muncie (7 PM ESPN2). The winner heads to Detroit on December 5th, while the loser would be at the mercy of the powers that be in regards to team selection for bowl games.

Heading into this Saturday it seemed like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were well on their way to a seventh victory and a berth in either the Gator or Sun Bowl. All they had to do was beat Syracuse, playing for a recently dismissed head coach in Greg Robinson and dead last in the Big East. But while the Orange haven't played particularly well this season, you can't accuse this team of quitting. What ensued was one of the more stunning results of the day, with Syracuse stunning the Irish 24-23 on a late touchdown pass. Where do the Irish go from here?

"Rivalry Week" is here, and there are some very intriguing games outside of the big ones that every outlet seems to be talking about. While not a rivalry game, Cincinnati can essentially put away the Big East with a win over Pittsburgh in the Queen City. With the Bearcats having one conference game after the showdown with the Panthers (hosting Syracuse...slim chance they lose that one), it may present West Virginia fans with a serious dilemma: do you root for bitter rival Pitt in order to keep your conference title hopes alive (WVU lost in overtime to Cincy already)?

Well Billy and I are back with three more big games to preview on "Rivalry Week", and the three games in this piece all have conference title implications. One of those game will have a direct impact on the national title hunt, while another is a rivalry marked by its hatred spiced up by a possible BCS berth on the line. The third game features the nation's largest rivalry trophy that can be carried (the Fremont Cannon between UNLV and Nevada has them beat) along with the stakes of a Rose Bowl berth.

Four games are on the schedule before Saturday, with the big one being an ACC Coastal showdown between #23 Miami (7-3, 4-2) and Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3). The Hurricanes, currently in the driver's seat in the division, need a win to keep that status since North Carolina lurks just one game behind in the standings. And with the Heels due to take on NC State and Duke to end the season, a loss here could essentially hand the division to a Carolina team that has already defeated Miami and Georgia Tech.

Cheerleader of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, CHN has access to thousands of great college & NBA basketball photos.  Each day, along with our daily Big Picture, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day.

Oregon

Before getting into a preview of the games on tap for Tuesday and Wednesday, there may be an important development in the BCS. Not who plays in it but which network televises the games. ESPN, according to may sources, is on the verge of acquiring the rights to the BCS from 2011-2014 with Fox unlikely to match their offer. If you're like me, you scratched your head the past few years and wondered why a network that devotes little time to college football during the regular season gets to show the season's biggest games.