Today’s Important Games

College football season is winding down, but this weekend is extremely important for a number of teams. The Army/Navy game is on right now, but beyond that, there are four games that really matter:

USC vs. UCLA

Today at 4:30, UCS and UCLA meet at Rose Bowl. The Bruins are 4-7 this season, so to them, this game is all about pride. Even if they win it, they won’t be bowl eligible.

For USC, today is a nail-biter. If they lose to UCLA – which isn’t likely, but is possible – they’ll be completely out of the running for the Rose Bowl. They’ll be in a three-way tie for the Pac-10 title, and due to past games, Oregon State would win that tie and go to the Rose Bowl against Penn State.

If USC wins, though, they aren’t even automatically going to the Rose Bowl. Why not? Well, depending on how other games do this weekend, they could actually go to the National Championship Game. That isn’t likely…but is possible, and you better believe that Petey and his boys would be pushing hard for that vote.

I’m routing for UCS in the Rose Bowl. Penn State already beat Oregon State, and while that isn’t a guarantee again, they have something to prove. I think UCS-PSU will be a much better game.

Alabama vs. Florida

Another important game this afternoon is Alabama vs. Florida at 4 pm. This is the first time that the 1 and 2 teams have played for a conference title. The result here is simple – the winner will go to the National Championship Game and the loser will, in all likelihood, play in one of the other BCS bowls.

Do I care who wins? Actually, yes. I 100% believe that Alabama deserves it more. Whatever happens today, Alabama has been a much more solid team all season, and if this was a conference that didn’t have a title game, they’d already be going to the BCS title game.

Oklahoma vs. Missouri

The Big 12 title game starts tonight at 8 pm. We’ll see the one-loss Sooners play Missouri, which is a good team, but just ranked #19. In other words, they aren’t playing for the title, or, in all likelihood, a BCS Bowl. If Oklahoma wins, they’ll play either Alabama or Florida.

If they don’t win…eek. That opens a can of worms, because tons of teams will try to claim the top spot. Hell, the SEC champ loser will likely even make a bid for a rematch! Should they lose, my hope is that Texas will play for the title, but at this point in the season, I think that Oklahoma deserves it more.

One more?

Yes, there is one more game that matters. Right now, #17 Boston College is playing #25 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, and the winning team gets an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl. That’s bullshit. With so many other good teams, having a team that isn’t even ranked in the top 15 play is a fucking insult to my intelligence. That’s how it is, though…so I guess this game does matter.