Week 11 Poll Positions and Opponents for Week 12

I’ve been a bit busy since Sunday due to the unexpected appearance of Mr. Deer but I’ve got some time today to discuss the College Football polls and what Week 12 has in store.

As with last week, I’ll be using the AP Writers’/the Coaches’/ and the BCS polls in that order. NR means a team doesn’t show in the Top 25.

#1/1/1 LSU (9-1, 5-1) travels to Mississippi (3-7, 0-6) for what looks like an easy game. But then we said that about Michigan vs Appalachian State in week 1. The difference may be that Appalachian State can play this game. Mississippi…heh, maybe not so much.

#2/2/2 Oregon (8-1, 5-1) Fresh off a big win over Arizona State, the Ducks are on the road against Arizona (4-6, 3-4) Thursday night. It will be live on ESPN and Dennis Dixon and crew should be fun to watch.

#3/3/4 Oklahoma (9-1, 5-1) The Sooners are on the road against Texas Tech (7-4, 3-4) as they look for a season sweep against the Lone Star state. They have already taken down North Texas, Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor.

#4/4/3 Kansas (10-0, 6-0) The Jayhawks are one of two remaining undefeated teams. (Hawaii is the other.) Still, they’ve just started to get some respect. This week they host Iowa State (3-8, 2-5). Hopefully, they won’t be looking ahead to Missouri.

#5/5/6 West Virginia (8-1, 3-1) The Mountaineers go on the road to play #21/25/22 Cincinnati (8-1, 3-2) in an important BIG EAST matchup.

#6/6/5 Missouri (9-1, 5-1) The Tigers travel to Kansas State (5-5, 3-4) as they hope to keep pace with Kansas in the Big 12 North race.

#7/7/7 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1) The Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to play Michigan (8-3,

6-1) in a game that once had the potential for a National Championship but now is all for a berth in the Rose Bowl.

#8/9/9 Georgia (8-2, 5-2) The Bulldogs host Kentucky (7-3, 3-3) in a game they must win to stay ahead of Tennessee atop the SEC East.

#9/8/8 Arizona State (9-1, 6-1) The Sun Devils are idle this week. Next up on Thanksgiving Day: #11/13/11 USC.

#10/10/10 Virginia Tech (8-2, 5-1) The Hokies host Miami (Fla.) (5-5, 2-4). A win here and they will be tied with Virginia for the ACC Coastal Division with a match between the two scheduled for November 24. Despite Miami’s woes this year they could still sting you. But I don’t see it happening in Blacksburg.

#11/13/11 Southern California (8-2, 5-2) The Trojans are idle this week. Next up on Thanksgiving Day: #9/8/8 Arizona State.

#12/11/13 Texas (9-2, 5-2) The Longhorns have beaten just about everyone else in the state (TCU, Rice, Baylor, Texas Tech), now they travel to play Texas A&M (6-5, 3-4).

#13/12/16 Hawaii (9-0, 6-0) The Warriors are the other undefeated team; the Rodney Dangerfields of collegiate football. Few have even seen them play because their home games don’t start until after midnight on the east coast. QB Colt Brennan must be a joy to watch. (Lets hope he’s recovered from last week’s hard hit that knocked him out of the game...literally.) But, let’s face it, after watching college football from noon on, by the time that fifth game arrives at 12:05 AM Sunday morning, you’ve about had it. This week, however, they are back on the mainland to play Nevada (5-4, 3-2) on Friday night…at 11:00 PM Eastern. Ouch!

#14/14/12 Florida (7-3, 5-3) The Gators host the Florida Atlantic Owls (5-4, 4-1) at the Swamp this week.

#15/16/15 Clemson (8-2, 5-2) The Tigers host the Boston College Eagles (8-2, 4-2) in a battle for first place in the ACC Atlantic Division. If Clemson wins, they’re in. If they lose, they still have a shot if BC drops its final game to Miami (Fla.).

#16/17/14 Virginia (9-2, 6-1) Idle this week, the Cavaliers can take the ACC Coastal Division by defeating Virginia Tech on November 24.

#17/15/18 Boise State (9-1, 6-0) The Broncos need a win this week to keep pace with Hawaii atop the WAC. Lucky for them they are playing at home on that Smurf Turf. And it’s against Idaho (1-9, 0-6). (Surprisingly, the Vandals are not the worst team in the WAC. That honor goes to Utah State is 0-10.) The Broncos final game is for all the marbles at Hawaii on Nov. 23.

#18/18/17 Boston College (8-2, 4-2) To go from undefeated to two loses and must win games in just two weeks..tsk, tsk. That’s what the Eagles have done though. If they lose this week at Clemson (8-2, 5-2) they cannot win the ACC Atlantic Division and will, possibly fall from the Top 25 in all the polls.

#19/19/20 Tennessee (7-3, 4-2) The Volunteers host Vanderbilt (5-5, 2-5) this week and need the win to have any chance to overtake Georgia in the SEC East.

#20/21/19 Illinois (8-3, 5-2) The Fighting Illini come off their big upset of #1 Ohio State to finish their season playing Northwestern (6-5, 3-4) at home.

#21/25/22 Cincinnati (8-2, 3-2) The Bearcats host #5/5/6 West Virginia (8-1, 3-1) Thursday night on ESPN. Thursday’s have been big upset nights this year. Could happen again. DOH! Either I can't read the calendar or they rescheduled this game for Saturday night while I wasn't looking. Nobody tells me anything!

#22/20/23 Kentucky (7-3, 3-3) The Wildcats are at #8/9/9 Georgia (8-2, 5-2) this week.

#23/23/21 Michigan (8-3, 6-1) The Wolverines were #1 in the preseason polls. But injuries, sloppy play and inspired opponents (hello Appalachian State!) have taken their toll. Still, they host #7/7/7 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1) (another “victim”) in a game on Saturday for the Big Ten Championship. Winner goes to the Rose Bowl.

#24/24/25 Wisconsin (8-3, 4-3) After their upset of Michigan last week the Badgers have climbed back into the Top 25. This Saturday they head to Minnesota (1-10, 0-7) to end their season. Be merciful.

#25/NR/24 Connecticut (8-2, 4-1) The Huskies lost big last week to Cincinnati. They get a chance to get healthy this week at home against Syracuse (2-8, 1-4). A UConn win (coupled with a WVU win over Cincinnati) sets up a BIG EAST “title game” in Morgantown on the 24th.