It’s Thanksgiving week, which is also Rivalry Week. We’ll be light on commentary this week, because most of these games speak for themselves. Many of these rivalries are sullied this year with dominant teams facing off against their historic opponents in rebuilding years. However, for those teams with nothing else to play for, these match-ups will be their “championship” because it would bring a team – like Auburn or Texas A&M – no greater pleasure than to spoil the BCS title hopes of their nemeses. So, don’t be surprised to emotional play lead to some surprising upsets this weekend.

Remember to check the TV coverage maps, and note that all rankings are the current BCS standings. Enjoy your leftovers and save room to indulge in your week 13 viewing guide.

Thursday
8:00 PM ET
#3 Texas 49 v. Texas A&M 39
This was…unusually close. Despite the loss, the Aggies might have played their best game of the year – at least offensively. QB Jerrod Johnson looked fantastic, and will continue to be a threat to Texas in the next couple of years. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be irate after the way the defense played Thursday night, but my guess is that emotion and momentum kept the Aggies in the game much longer than expected because the ‘Horns offense clicked most of the game. If you’re running behind on Eyes Of TX content, the in-depth game preview can be found here. There is no asterisk as division champs this year, as Texas has plowed their way to the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska on December 5th.

Friday
11:00 AM ET
Rutgers at Louisville, ESPN2
Exciting! Not. But, football season’s almost over….let’s feast while we still can.

12:00 PM ET
Illinois at #5 Cincinnati, ABC
One final test for the Bearcats. Rumor has it former starting QB Pike will make the start this week. Eyes Of TX says, “why mess with a good thing?” Hope that doesn’t backfire for Cincinnati, but an upset sure would make the BCS happy.

2:30 PM ET
#2 Alabama at Auburn, CBS
Can ‘Bama overcome their biggest rival to give themselves a shot at #1 Florida, the SEC championship and the national championship? We’ll see how Auburn gets up for this game after a killer start, but a late season let-down. If head coach Gene Chizik pulls off the upset, sadly, he will be enshrined as the best coach ever at Auburn.

3:30 PM ET
Nebraska at Colorado, ABC
Nebraska has clinched the Big 12’s North division and will face #3 Texas on December 5th for the Big 12 conference title. This will be the last opportunity to see what Bo Pelini’s squad has to offer, in particular his offense, and while most thought it will be Colorado’s last chance to help head coach Dan Hawkins keep is job, the university confirmed that he would be coaching in Boulder again next season. The NCAA might as well give CU the “death penalty” because they’ve definitely rolled over this year.

7:00 PM ET
#9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia, ESPN2
Does anyone else think Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt has a funny mustache?

10:00 PM ET
Nevada at #6 Boise State, ESPN2
Close out the night with this late game. Boise State could be shut out of the BCS this year despite being #6 and undefeated. It’s too bad their weak schedule didn’t allow us to see just how good they can be, and perhaps Oregon helped them look better than they actually are… With #5 Cincinnati and #4 TCU as mid-major schools ahead of them in the BCS, it will be a disappointment for the home of the blue turf.

Saturday
12:00 PM ET
Both of these games are intriguing for the in-state bragging rights implications. Neither matchup is particularly compelling but in the context of Rivalry Week, they’re definitely worth watching.

#18 Clemson at South Carolina, ESPN
The ‘ol Ball Coach tries to make a stand in Columbia against a ranked opponent. Win or lose, they could keep Clemson RB C.J. Spiller from winning some post-season awards if they can hold him to a sub-par performance.

North Carolina at North Carolina State, ESPN2
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound? In the shadows of the Appalachian mountains, its basketball season folks.

12:21 PM ET
#25 Mississippi at Mississippi State, check local listings
If you can find this, see the same reasons as above. If anything, Texas fans can relish in the fact that when the pressure was on to deliver a big year for Ole Miss, former Longhorn back-up quarterback Jevan Snead fell flat in 2009.

12:30 PM ET
#12 Oklahoma State at oklahoma, Comcast Sports Net
Another one that will be hard to find, unfortunately, because it’s always nice to watch ou struggle. With this year’s ‘Pokes team rolling to a potential BCS at-large bid, it’s hard to imagine them dropping this one, even though they’re away from home.

3:30 PM ET
Florida State at #1 Florida, CBS
Florida’s won the last 21 games of this series, if memory serves. For Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden, the good thing is he’s old enough to forget each game. Florida wins big, and sets up the ultimate SEC Championship match-up of #1 v. #2 Alabama for the right to play in the national championship.

#14 Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN
Virginia is an absolute debacle this year. Expect the Hokies to roll the ‘Roos at home.

#17 Miami at South Florida, ABC
This might actually be interesting, as South Florida started out the year strong, as did Miami. We’ll see what the ACC has to offer up the bowl committees besides a surprising Georgia Tech. Can Miami step up?

(Also in this slot on ABC is Arizona at Arizona State, and Missouri at Kansas.)

5:00 PM ET
#21 Utah at #19 BYU, CBS College Sports
A great in-state matchup between two of the best non-BCS conference teams.

7:00 PM ET
Arkansas at #15 LSU, ESPN
LSU has found out they weren’t quite as good as they thought, in part due to horrible coaching by Les Miles last week. Arkansas has been inconsistent, but could pull off the upset. Unfortunately, Death Valley isn’t an easy place to play, especially the week after an LSU loss.

8:00 PM ET
Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech, ABC
Who would have thought the best team in Georgia would be out of Atlanta? Georgia Tech’s triple-option has proven surprisingly successful this year. Go Yellowjackets!

Notre Dame at Stanford, ABC
What could be head coach Charlie Weis’ last game at Notre Dame will be shown in most of the country. Meanwhile, Stanford will try to stamp their ticket with another win against a big-time program.

Thanks again to LilPete for his 2009 season viewing guides.

✩

Allan Lewis- Alestle Sports Editor

As hard to believe as it may be, the college basketball season tips off in less than two weeks.

It’s awesome baby.

SIUE begins its second season in Division I play Nov. 4, with an exhibition game against MacMurray College. Having never heard of MacMurray before, it should be quite the exhibition. I wouldn’t bet against us putting 100 on the scoreboard in this one.

This is the greatest time of the year, for me, as far as work goes. The Alestle sports team will be with the Cougars for two early-season road match-ups, Nov. 13 against Big Ten conference power Illinois, and again on Nov. 18 when the Cougars take on former head coach Marty Simmons and his Evansville Purple Aces of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The first week of regular season basketball gets even better with a visit by MVC power Illinois State to the Vadalabene Center on Nov. 15.

We may be in for a throttling against Illinois to open the season. That is almost expected of coach Forrester’s bunch. As long as half the SIUE campus wearing orange isn’t celebrating afterward I’ll be okay with that.

Bruce Webber’s bunch seems primed to make a run this season. They managed to squeak into the NCAA tournament last year as the #5 seed, only to lose to #12 Western Kentucky in a 12/5 upset anyone could have picked with their eyes closed. Although the Illini were not expected to do much last season, this year is different. Illinois has a solid class of three freshmen, highlighted by DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul to go along with a slew of returning players like Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis and Demitri McCamey. If there is one place the Illini are going to be weak this season, it’s going to be post play, with an inexperienced group of big men. At 6′9, Davis is probably the Illini’s biggest rebounding threat, but nonetheless SIUE is going to have their work cut out for them against an Illini team preparing likewise with two exhibitions under their belt, against Quincy, (Division II, Great Lakes Valley Conference) and Missouri Southern (D-II, MIAA.)

PREDICTION: Illinois 89 SIUE 55

U of I is too powerful for the Cougars, it’s going to be bad, but not a complete embarrassment.

The home-opener has potential for trouble as well, but the one saving-grace the Cougars have is home court. This means the Vadalabene Center has GOT to be packed. If we can squeeze 4,000 fans into that thing, it is going to be loud, and a hostile environment could shake up Illinois State, who last season played just three non-conference road games, and although they won all three, they were against lesser opponents and they narrowly escaped each one.
Here’s how ISU played non-conference away from Redbird Arena last year:

ISU started the season 14-0, and finished the regular season at 22-8, but thanks to their weak non-conference schedule, had to settle for the NIT after an overtime loss in the championship game of the MVC tournament.

ISU lost two of their four biggest weapons from a year ago. Champ Oguchi averaged 15 points a game. He is gone. Emmanuel “All Day” Holloway’s day is done, and he put up ten a game.

ISU is not going to be nearly as good as they have been, and there is upset potential to this game, especially being at home for the Cougars. At Redbird Arena I would almost immediately write us off, but not here. Why ISU coach Tim Jankovich scheduled this game I have no idea. It remains that Osiris Eldrige is one of the most exciting college players I have seen in person, however, and Dinma Odiakosa is back after averaging eight and seven and a half playing the post for the Redbirds, but the Cougars have a fighting shot here. Lloyd Phillips could also do some damage for ISU.

Ultimately, ISU is the safe bet to win this game, but don’t hold that to heart, and if we win, everyone better be on the court afterward.

PREDICTION: Illinois State 61 SIUE 57

The third game of the season brings all the exciting story-lines we should already be used to. It is a tale of two schools with so many coaching connections you would think they branched off of each other to form two different schools. Or it’s just some stupid coincidence. Anyways, it breaks down like this.

Marty Simmons – Played at Evansville from 1986-1988

Lennox Forrester – Transferred to Evansville in 1990, injuries kept him from playing, was a student assistant with the team.

Marty Simmons – Assistant Coach at Evansville from 1990-1996 and 1998-2002.

Lennox Forrester – Joined the staff at Evansville after graduating in 1992, was an assistant with Simmons from 1992-2002, before moving on as an assistant at Bradley from 2002-2007.

Marty Simmons – Head Coach at SIUE from 2002-2007. Led the Cougars to the D-II Elite Eight in 2006.

Lennox Forrester - Replaces Simmons as SIUE Head Coach in 2007.

Marty Simmons – Named Evansville Head Coach in 2007

Mark Allaria – 2002 graduate of Evansville, Cougars assistant under Simmons 2002-2007, retained by Forrester. Started at Evansville from 2000-2002 with Forrester and Simmons on the coaching staff.

Ben Wierzda- Assistant Coach at Evansville. SIUE Alumnus (2000) Hired as an assistant at SIUE under Simmons from 2006-2007, and went with Simmons to Evansville in 2007.

It’s basically a college hoops soap opera in the twilight zone.

Evansville is a team on the rise under Simmons, although they will have to do a little bit of re-tooling after losing four starters. Pieter Von Tongeran is the only returning starter for the Aces, but he did play impressive against the Cougars last year, with 17 points and eight rebounds. Kavon Lacy scored 14 off the bench in Evansville’s 89-58 win on Dec. 2 last season. He is back as well.

This year it is going to be closer. We are better than we were last year, and Evansville, for all intensive purposes until they can show something without Shy Ely (who absolutely torched the Cougars last season, and was impressive in the MVC tournament against ISU) is worse.

For now, safety says the Aces win and drop us to 0-3.

PREDICTION: Evansville 83 SIUE 71

So, when do we get our first win? Mark your calenders, I am making a guarantee.
A bold guarantee.

November 21st at Ball State. (game four)

Last season, the Cardinals beat the Cougars by 12 WITHOUT leading scorer Mark Yelovich. This year with Yelovich the Cougars will go into Muncie and get a win. Last season, the Cougars first win also came against a team from the MAC in Western Michigan. The Cougars start the season with three tough games, Ball State starts with Valparaiso. Bottom line, Cougars win in Muncie before coming home and beating Lipscomb and IPFW back to back to start the season 3-3.

Final record: The Cougars will go 11-15.

This is a manageable schedule. We can play with North and South Dakota, IPFW is not the greatest team in the world, neither is Kennesaw State, and there are teams on the schedule we have beaten in the past in UMKC and SEMO. SEMO is just a sad team to boot.

This may be a little optimistic, but if all goes well, we could be looking at a .500 season once we are eligible for the OVC.

* The Feb. 20 bracketbuster game is not included in the 11-15 prediction.

Two huge games on tap this week. Both with conference title implications, well really any game Iowa, PSU and Ohio State play from this point on has implications.

Let’s get to it.

Last Week: 5-1

For the Season: 43-13

THE UNDERCARD

INDIANA at NORTHWESTERN, Noon Big Ten Network

Hoosiers keep climbing, and sure, they should have beaten lifeless Illinois last week…everyone should beat Illinois. But this quirky IU offense, the pistol, causes all kinds of problems for teams.

Northwestern must find an answer for the ground game. If quarterback Mike Kafka keeps having to run the ball they cannot win and he isn’t going to survive the remainder of the season.

The Pick: Indiana 30, Northwestern 20

ILLINOIS at PURDUE, Noon ESPN2

Purdue has to be riding that emotional high of the Ohio State win last week and look, they’ve been close on a lot of games this year. They play tough, they are more balanced than in past years.

Illinois can’t get out of its own way. Enough said about them.

The Pick: Purdue 27, Illinois 10

MINNESOTA at OHIO STATE, Noon, ESPN

Minnesota proved once again last week they are too one-dimensional and when you take away that dimension, they can do nothing.

Terrelle Pryor is out to prove his crying fit last week was nothing more than just frustration in the moment, and this Buckeyes team, after yet another mid-season conference setback, has a lot to prove again.

The Pick: Ohio State 37, Minnesota 7

THE MAIN EVENTS

IOWA at MICHIGAN STATE, 7pm, Big Ten Network

Can the Hawkeyes survive another road test in conference? And if they can’t how does that bode for the future date with Ohio State? I believe in Iowa right now, you have to. They are solid, they play relatively mistake free football and they are, still, as I’ve been saying, headstrong.

Michigan State has the quarterback situation figured out finally…they are at home and playing well. Close. Very close game.

The Pick: Iowa 21, Michigan State 17

PENN STATE at MICHIGAN, 3:30 ABC/ESPN

Here we go again. Another road game for Penn State. But anyone who’s followed this series knows this is no ordinary road game for the Nittany Lions.

The Big House in Ann Arbor messes with them mentally. It really didn’t used to be that way until things went haywire in 2002. The ‘05 happened, then ‘07.

If you want to debate which team was better in 2002, go ahead. I’m all ears and I could go either way. In 2005 same deal. If Michigan was fully healthy in 2007, it might have been much worse than it was, however they weren’t and Penn State still looked like they had no clue what was going on.

Remember what that 2007 Michigan team ended up doing to Florida, by the way.

So here we are this year, Penn State, to me, is better, they should be favored and  they should be favored the remainder of the season. I believe they are better than any team remaining on their schedule.

In this instance, I can see where Joe Paterno believes he can win this game rushing the football and playing defense. I wouldn’t be stunned to see Chaz Powell in the backfield and I think the offensive line is playing well enough to at least slow down Brandon Graham.

If Tate Forcier scrambles, does he make enough plays vs. the No. 5 ranked defense in the country?

The first series is key on both sides of the ball for both teams. Happy paint swapping gentlemen.

The Pick: Penn State 27, Michigan 13

If we thought the Big East’s name was erroneous, let’s talk about the Big Ten.  Try the Big Eleven.  There are Eleven teams.  Confused?  I know.  Nutso.  Most people blame Penn State (last to join in 1990), but I blame the fact that no one would accept “Big Eleven” as a conference name.  I guess it is two syllables too many.  Look closely at the Big Ten conference logo – there is a nice little white eleven disguised among the lettering.

I would go ahead and qualify the Big Ten conference as one of the more controversial conferences.  Not controversial in the sense that there are problem players, scandals, or anything that may compromise integrity..  but more in the sense that they’re regarded as a top conference that simply hasn’t performed up to its own high standards, particularly during bowl season.  Case in point: during the 2008-2009 bowl series, the Big Ten posted just one win (Iowa) out of seven teams appearing in bowls.

DISCLAIMER #11: Please don’t hate me for saying anything negative about the Big Ten.  Most of my close friends attended or are affiliated with Big Ten schools! (Great – now I sound like a homophobe swearing I have gay friends… but seriously. I love my Big Ten alumni pals! I’ve even been known to attend a Minnesota alumni function from time to time… Don’t ask.)  The history and prestige within the conference is undeniable and there is always the opportunity for a major resurgence.

Here are the eleven schools of the Big Ten:

Illinois

Iowa

Michigan

Michigan State

Minnesota

Northwestern

Ohio State

Penn State

Purdue

Wisconsin

To avoid further negativity, I’ll focus on the accomplishments of this century-old conference.  Since 1901, the Big 10 has 28 national championships.  Michigan and Ohio State have combined for 16 of them.  Michigan’s most recent championship came in 1997 – just one year before the BCS system was implemented. Ohio State owns the sole Championship in the BCS era, which came in 2002.

The most well-known rivalry in the Big Ten (and, let’s be honest, NCAA Football) is the Michigan-Ohio State annual smack down.  Those two teams really hate each other.  I distinctly remember in 2006 watching the #1 and #2 Ohio State and Michigan face off in Columbus – what a ridiculous game!  Ohio State pulled out the W (42-39!) to become the outright Big Ten champions.  OSU has won the last five matchups – this year’s will take place November 21^st.

BROWNIE POINT #4: I do NOT recommend approaching fans of either of these teams on this particular day.  More often than not, they’re going to mean business.  Sole caveat: if you graduated from one of these schools and want to approach a fellow alumni.  Even in this situation, however, you need to be VERY aware of nonverbal cues.  Do not overstay your chatty welcome.

Penn State is a fantastic example of obsessive dedication.  To quote a dear friend of mine,

“Remember when PSU was 5-7 & 5-6 in ‘00 & ‘01 & then 3-9 & 4-7 in ‘03 & ‘04.. & all of Nittany Lion nation wanted Paterno’s head? Now they’re winning & no one can get off their knees.”

This quote is actually taken out of context (my friend was referring to the discontent swirling about aged FSU coach Bobby Bowden and the fact that he should have a chance to right his ship), but it’s entirely true and a good intro to the Penn State mentality.  Paterno has been part of the PSU program for half of a century.  Yes.  CENTURY.  Dude is ancient and has even had to work his magic from the coach’s box at times due to age/injury/illness.  He’s the heart and soul of Penn State football and has made excellent choices in his supporting staff.  Penn State has had some fantastic seasons and we can anticipate consistently solid performances even after Paterno dies in the box or on the field (cause Lord knows he’s not leaving Happy Valley until the Heavens issue his one-way ticket up north).

Before signing off, let’s take a moment to shout out to Iowa!  The Hawkeyes are undefeated at this point in the season – between this and their bowl win last year, it’s looking more and more like their win over PSU last season was not a fluke.  Could Iowa be representing the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl this year?  I’d take that.

Five games remain in the Big Ten season. After yesterday’s action, here’s a quick look at how the race shakes down through seven weeks.

ALIVE AND WELL

Iowa: The Hawkeyes control their own destiny. Win out they win the crown, go BCS’ing in Pasadena, or maybe better, depending on how the rest of the country goes. It’s quite possible they could run the table but a one-loss team beats them out for a title game slot and it’s possible they may be the only unbeaten left when all is said and done.

What’s left: Road dates at both Michigan State this coming week, which will not be easy, and one at Columbus in four weeks. Though with wins already in Happy Valley and now Madison (both after being down 10), why can’t they win at these two places?

Penn State: They need to win out and have Ohio State (or someone) trip up Iowa, twice to win this thing outright and once to force a split and decision by the BCS on where they go bowling.

What’s left: Two tricky road games against Michigan and Northwestern in the next two weeks, that looming home date with Ohio State and a roadie at Michigan State. Iowa’s a little safer in my book, but Penn State should be favored in all these games and really the only team that can beat Penn State is Penn State.

Ohio State: Yeah, yesterday hurt, but beat Iowa and Penn State, and win out, The Vest and his boys can sashay their pretty little selves back to a BCS game. Even though they struggle they are still a draw.

What’s Left: Everything. They get Penn State and Iowa back to back. Can Terrelle Pryor rally the troops after crying on the sideline yesterday? We find out.

Michigan State: They are the super sleeper in the mix. They host PSU to close things out, and they get Iowa next week to make noise. And it looks like they have the quarterback problem finally figured out. They also avoid Ohio State.

What’s Left: They are eliminated with a loss vs. Iowa this week, so it’s make or break. After that it’s PSU in East Lansing to close things out…we’ve seen that story before.

HANGING ON

Wisconsin: They needed to win yesterday bad, they didn’t, this was after getting de-pantsed by Ohio State. So yeah, things are now bleak, but this is a tough football team who can run the ball, so you never want to count them out until they are really out.

What’s Left: They really have an easy road, unless you consider Purdue tough since they shocked Ohio State. But they host Purdue, and travel to Indiana and Northwestern. IU could clip them.

Michigan: They need a win over PSU to get the wheels running again. And you just never know with the Nits in Ann Arbor. Michigan is in better shape than the other 1-2 (in-conference record) conference teams.

What’s Left: Host PSU, at Wisconsin, host Ohio State. Not impossible, but not friendly either.

WHO’S ELIMINATED, BUT NOT REALLY ELIMINATED

IU, Northwestern, Purdue and Minnesota all need some help. I can’t buy into any of these teams even though Purdue did Ohio State yesterday. All these teams can bounce back into the middle of the pack and the race with wins.

WHO’S REALLY ELIMINATED

Illinois. They are a total train wreck.

So the Nittany Lions beat the Illinois Fighting Illini this past weekend 35-17, improving their record to 4-1.  The first half of the ballgame was worrisome, I really thought this was a trap game for the Nittany Lions, and, in that first half, they played to my expectations.  Coming off the loss to Iowa (remember my prediction?  Pretty darn close) and stumbling out of the top ten, the Nittany Lions, with their egos severely bruised and their leadership in question, were primed for an upset which, in my mind, would of started a season long slide ending in disaster (like Wisconsin last year.)  Sometimes teams can crumble that easily.

Holes so big you could drive a Mack truck through.

But then the 3rd quarter came around and the PSU running game ripped a total of 338 yards on the Illini.  Despite how terrible Illinois seems to be, I saw some really promising things:  the offensive line clicked, finally, and we looked, finally, like what we’re ranked (15th.)  It was also nice to see some of the swagger back that has been missing since last year.  We were having fun.  So, as I was telling a coworker in the parking lot today, maybe the loss to Iowa was a good thing.  Maybe we’re simply not a national championship caliber team this year and, with a top-5 ranking hanging over our heads, it was just too much pressure.  We were bound to choke.  Now with those expectations wiped away, and our ranking much more realistic, the team seems more relaxed, more confident.  Watching our performance in that second half made me think this team might just be a two loss team… maybe not what the Nittany Nation was hoping for this season… but a two loss team is what we were last year and that wasn’t too bad.

Another 10-2 season would be fine by me.

As for that Killer Instinct in this post’s title:  My buddy Joe makes a great comparison in his blog between Daryl Clark and Michael Robinson, Penn State’s star QB from the 2005 season. He raises a very valid argument regarding Clark’s Killer Instinct.  Now, my first knee-jerk reaction, based on this year’s Iowa loss, is to exclaim that Clark simply doesn’t have the offensive line that Robinson had in ’05.  But then, as my mind wanders back to last season, I realize Clark has yet to pull off a legit come-from-behind victory.  Sure, there were times last year when we were behind but, when it came down to desperate this-is-the-stuff-of-legend scoring drives (particularly against Iowa), Clark choked.  He choked just like he did this year.  Robinson, on the other hand, way back in 2005, pulled off plenty of them: there’s the miracle drive to win at Northwestern (watch Derrick Williams score the game winning touchdown and you might see me running along with him on the sidelines.  seriously.  the dude in the yellow shirt.), there’s another against Michigan (it wasn’t his fault we lost that game), and he even pulled us through for the Orange Bowl victory against FSU.  But, you might point out, Penn State won at Ohio State last season:  That was huge.  But Clark was out with a concussion, Pat Devlin was under center, and it was our defense that clinched the victory (by denying the choke master himself Terrelle Pryor of his own I-will-tell-my-grandkids-about-this miracle-drive of his own.)

Remember that guy?

So, as is often the case, only time will tell how, years from now,  we look back at Clark’s career.  When the pressure is on, a national audience is watching,  and Clark is driving down the field to heroically win the game… what will he do?  Will he complete the pass, winning the game for the Nittany Lions, thus adding another win to Paterno’s record, perhaps securing a second consecutive BCS bowl bid… or will he fumble the snap, throw an interception, and crush the hopes of a 110,000 fans in attendance?  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…