The second half of the regular season begins...with so many games, I've really enjoyed finding some of these games which aren't the big ones of the week, but have shown the potential to carry an impact on the story of this college football season.
Five such games this week are as follows.
1. Texas Tech at West Virginia. The Red Raiders are near the top of the polls amongst Big 12 teams, while the Mountaineers are mostly an afterthought. Contrast this to a year ago, when WVU rolled into Lubbock ranked # 5, championship dreaming, and then got blown back into reality with a dominating TT blowout. I'm sure West Virginia has revenge on their minds, and just like Oklahoma State saw a few weeks ago, these Big 12 teams had better stay on their toes over in Morgantown.
2. BYU at Houston. An all-Cougars matchup. BYU has had a decent season so far, while Houston is undefeated yet getting nowhere near enough votes to earn a Top 25 ranking. I suspect that would change if Houston emerges victorious against a BYU team that has looked impressive in convincing wins against Texas and Georgia Tech. The men from Provo, meanwhile, could move closer to the Top 25 themselves with a win, perhaps giving them a push beyond a state of mere "decency".
3. Maryland at Wake Forest. I won't lie, the Terps were very fortunate to escape with a win against UVA. But most importantly, they did win, and are now one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time under Randy Edsall (and their last time to go bowling as a member of the ACC). Wake had a nice win themselves 2 weeks ago against NC State, and a win here would help them rebound from a somewhat ugly start and move closer to that elusive 6th win.
4. Washington at Arizona State. After 2 straight defeats to strong PAC-12 foes, I wonder how much Washington has left in the tank for this long road trip to Tempe. The Sun Devils are good enough to hang around, and if they get just the right break (gotta love those PAC-12 refs), they may just be able to pull off the win. With each team having 2 losses, the winner of this matchup looks to regain hope for an improved and memorable season, while the loser moves one step closer to stagnation and disappointment.
5. Indiana at Michigan. A sure-fire Michigan bounceback, right? Perhaps...but consider a few three quick things. First, the Wolverines must surely be gassed (physically and emotionally) after its 4OT loss to Penn State - a team that Indiana defeated only one week earlier. Second, with all of Michigan's struggles against other less-than-dominant teams, are they really going to just go out there and handle an Indiana team that probably would have taken care of Akron and UConn with ease? And third, don't forget Indiana and its efforts. The Hoosiers are quietly making their way back into the bowl eligibility discussion, and would love to inch one step closer and notch a powerful statement win in the process.
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