THE WORLD OF BAX: A SCARY SEPARATION SATURDAY?

Cue up the ‘Adams Family’ theme, it is Halloween weekend and some major contenders have a very scary weekend ahead! USC, Florida and Texas all play tough opponents away from home this weekend and could face their stiffest tests of the season.

USC’s trip to Oregon will be frightful indeed. While the Trojans have been on a roll lately, the memory of their last trip to Autzen (where there the Dennis Dixon-led Ducks beat them in 2007) will have the Oregon faithful quacking their hearts out in the stands. The winner of this game immediately becomes the favorite to represent the Pac Ten in the Rose Bowl.

Texas’ trip to Oklahoma State might be even scarier! While Texas has won 21 of their last 23 games against the Cowboys, the Longhorns have repeatedly needed major comebacks to stave off upsets. In short, Oklahoma State has always played Texas tough but they’ve rarely had this strong of a team at their disposal. Will The House That Boone Pickens Built become a House of Horrors for the Horns?

Finally, the defending champions will be on display at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (I know it isn’t technically called that anymore but I will not stand for political correctness getting in the way of a good time……Plus, it is so much more fun to call it the WLOCP than the Florida-Georgia Classic) in Jacksonville. The Gators previously scary offense has been downright frightening for the Florida faithful in recent weeks, lowlighted by a struggling passing game. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have endured a nightmarish year thus far but could redeem themselves with a major upset. This is a game that both teams should fear and I expect a close game.

But it isn’t just separation Saturday in the National Title chase! The conference races are starting to shake out as well. This week has a ton of games that could directly affect bowl position and championship races in most of the country’s most visible leagues.

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-In the ACC, Miami and Wake Forest both are in dire need of a win to remain in the hunt for their respective division titles. Meanwhile, North Carolina State and Florida State face off in a must win affair that will function as an elimination game in the Atlantic chase.

-In the Big XII, Kansas State puts its North lead and its reputation on the line as the Wildcats travel to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the South could be all but decided when Texas travels to Oklahoma State for a major night game. Kansas, Iowa State and Nebraska all also face pivotal interdivisional games in the chase for the wide open North.

-In the Big Ten, Michigan State and Minnesota square off in what should be a battle for bowl position while visiting Purdue hopes to continue their quest for an unlikely bowl berth with a victory in Madison, home of one of the world’s best college Halloween parties. Also, don’t forget that Iowa puts their undefeated record on the line when Indiana comes to town! This is a big weekend in regards to bowl position in the Big Ten.

-In the Pac Ten, California and Arizona State both put 2-2 conference records on the line in a matchup that will officially eliminate someone from the conference title chase. Meanwhile, the UCLA-Oregon State clash is a big game for two teams coming off of losses and the winner will get a much-needed boost in conference play. There’s also the small matter of USC visiting Oregon in a game which could ultimately decide the conference champion.

-Finally, the SEC has three pivotal clashes that will affect both division chases. Obviously, the Georgia-Florida game is the biggest matchup and a Georgia victory could put Florida’s hold on the SEC East into doubt and ruin their quest to repeat as National Champions. Meanwhile, South Carolina could be in position to take advantage if Florida slips up when they visit Tennessee. A Florida loss and a Gamecock victory would set up a winner-take-all SEC East showdown in November. Finally, the Ole Miss-Auburn game will probably decide which team finishes 3 rd in the West and that will have a significant effect on each team’s postseason destination.

Needless to say, all of the aforementioned games are going to create some serious separation in conference races across the country. So, who is going to win the biggest games on the scariest day of the year?

By the way, I’m on fire with my picks! Last week was one of my best weeks all season as I finished with an 8-2 record, bringing me to 53-31 overall! With a strong Halloween, I could finish up my best October on record!

North Carolina at #12 Virginia Tech

Thursday, 7:30 PM EST

Can North Carolina get a break? After a heartbreaking loss last Thursday dropped them to 0-3 in ACC play, they now face the daunting task of winning in Blacksburg on a Thursday night. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech had last weekend off to settle themselves for their stretch run. Frankly speaking, Lane Stadium was where the tradition of home dominance on Thursday nights began, so expect Virginia Tech to feed off of their crowd and take the reeling Tar Heels to the woodshed.

Virginia Tech 31, UNC 16

#20 West Virginia at South Florida

Friday, 8:00 PM EST

This is a trap game in a major way for the Mountaineers. South Florida is coming off of consecutive blowout losses to Cincinnati and Pitt while West Virginia is coming off an emotionally charged home victory against a grieving UConn team. Normally, I would pick WVU and forget about it but this game is the type of game that I could see South Florida bouncing back from its back to back struggles. Thus, expect USF to give the Mountaineers a tough game but in the end I can’t see WVU losing this one.

West Virginia 24, South Florida 20

Southern Mississippi at #15 Houston

Saturday, 1:30 PM EST

Why would I list a Conference USA game as one of the week’s ten biggest showdowns? Well, because this game could be a preview of the C-USA championship game! It also will be a litmus test for Houston’s longevity in my rankings. Needless to say, the Cougars need to continue winning if they expect to continue to be ranked. There will be a ton of offense in this game, especially from Houston QB Case Keenum (who still has a chance at a legitimate Heisman candidacy) and USM wide receiver DeAndre Brown, who is finally getting back to full speed after a devastating leg injury in last year’s New Orleans Bowl. In the end, I like the Cougars to win this game in a shootout that will leave fans everywhere hoping for a championship game rematch in December.

Houston 41, USM 35

Central Michigan at Boston College

Saturday, 3:30 PM EST

Another non-BCS team shows up in one of my games of the week? I must be sick or something…… Anyways, CMU is here because they’re 6-1 with a victory over Michigan State and their only loss was a close one at Arizona. Meanwhile, Boston College needs to rebound from their tough loss at Notre Dame last week. A win for CMU would legitimize them in my eyes and perhaps move them into the top 25 while a BC victory would improve the Eagles’ record to 6-3 and give them some momentum down the ACC stretch. I think Boston College will win this game thanks to their rushing attack but it won’t be easy.

Boston College 24, Central Michigan 21

Georgia vs. #4 Florida

Saturday, 3:30 PM EST in Jacksonville, Florida

This is going to be a really fun game to watch. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is truly one of college football’s great neutral site rivalries; it is really a midseason bowl game. Florida’s offense comes in struggling and Urban Meyer is shuffling the offensive line in hopes of protecting Tim Tebow better. Take away two the Gators’ two blowouts to start the season against patsies and their offense is only averaging about 150 passing yards per game! That would rank them among the bottom 15 teams in the country! Meanwhile, Georgia had last week off and you can bet that the Bulldogs are going to be prepared for this one as Mark Richt has a sterling record coming off of bye weeks in his career. I think that the Gators’ offense is going to continue their struggles against Georgia’s talented but inconsistent defense and that leads me to believe that Georgia will have the firepower to upset the Gators in Jacksonville. Expect a big day from AJ Green as the Gators go down.

UPSET ALERT: Georgia 31, Florida 24

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UCLA at #25 Oregon State

Saturday, 4:00 PM EST

UCLA is desperately in need of a conference win because a 0-5 conference start would be nothing short of a disaster and their bowl hopes would be all but gone. However, traveling to face an Oregon State team that just played toe to toe with USC is not the ideal scenario to get off of the schneid and I don’t think UCLA is going to score enough points to win this game. Expect the Rodgers brothers to lead the Beavers to enough points to put away the Bruins in Corvalis.

Oregon State 27, UCLA 13

Kansas State at #23 Oklahoma

Saturday, 7:00 PM EST

This is where we find out exactly how good Bill Snyder’s Wildcats are. KSU is shockingly 3-1 in Big XII play, putting them atop the standings! However, they’ll get a lot more credit from fans and pundits alike with a strong showing against the Sooners. Unfortunately for Coach Snyder, the Sooners are significantly more talented and I don’t remember the last time that they lost in Norman. Oklahoma State wins this one handily, further jumbling the Big XII North chase.

Oklahoma 45, Kansas State 21

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#19 South Carolina at Tennessee

Saturday, 7:45 PM EST

This is an enormous game for South Carolina. With a victory, they would move to 4-2 in SEC play and possibly remain a contender in the SEC East. Meanwhile, Tennessee has been very impressive in recent weeks and they’re probably a better team than their 1-3 conference record. The big question still remains the Gamecock offense, which has mustered all of 20 points in the last two games. In what I expect to be a very low-scoring game, the key is going to be protecting the football and I’m going to pick the team which has the stronger rushing attack. I think Tennessee is due after pushing Alabama to the brink last week and I’m picking the Vols in the upset.

UPSET ALERT: Tennessee 20, South Carolina 16

#5 Texas at #9 Oklahoma State

Saturday, 8:00 PM EST

This game has traditionally been a tough test for the Longhorns, albeit one that they seemingly always pass. It seems like every time that they play the Cowboys, Texas goes down big early before a big 2 nd half rally leads them to a stirring win. However, in years past Okie State hasn’t been nearly as good as they are this season. Remember, they nearly beat Texas in Austin last year! Furthermore, star tailback Kendall Hunter is expected to make his return this week and that’s a major boost for the Fightin’ Boone Pickenses. In the end, I think that Oklahoma State will force Colt McCoy into a few mistakes and their offense will take advantage. Texas has been strong in the 2 nd half all season but I think they’ll fall just short this weekend and the Longhorns will cede the Big XII South lead to Oklahoma State.

UPSET ALERT: Oklahoma State 34, Texas 31

#3 Southern California at #11 Oregon

Saturday, 8:00 PM EST

For fans out there clamoring for a Pac Ten Championship Game, here you go. Yes, Arizona is still very much in the mix but the winner of this game has the upper hand heading down the stretch. Oregon has been resurgent since their opening loss thanks to a stout defense and a solid running game. Meanwhile, USC quarterback Matt Barkley is truly beginning to come into his own. The key matchup in this game will be Oregon’s defensive backs against SC’s talented receiving corps. The Ducks have been hit hard by injuries in their secondary and that could be the deciding factor in this game. In the end, I think that the combination of a patchwork secondary and a still-bruised Jeremiah Masoli will be Oregon’s downfall. I like the Trojans to win a tight game and regain control of their conference fate.

USC 31, Oregon 27

By: Matt Baxendell
Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s football writer. Keep an eye out all fall for his multiple weekly articles discussing everything college football. If you want to get in touch with him, email him at Matt.Baxendell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @MattBaxendell