This weekend, folks, is why college football rivalry games are so great.

The good rivalries – the ones that stand the test of time – manage to transcend a mere game and go beyond bragging rights and conference achievements. The Iron Bowl is a classic rivalry game because it surpasses the usual traits of a great rivalry to become a regional social movement and a nationally vital football game.

And rarely has a season culminated in a more meaningful Iron Bowl.

But, this 2010 version of the Iron Bowl is all the more intriguing because the first game played between the two – in February of 1893 – launched a more than 100 year battle between the schools on and off the field. When the first pairing of these teams concluded, Alabama recorded the loss as the final game of the 1892 season. In true, then burgeoning rivalry form, Auburn recorded the win as the first win of the 1893 season.

And the rivalry was born.

Of course college football has changed a lot in the past 100-plus years. For starters, Alabama has spent time this Century on probation for a smattering of violations that set the program back for years. Auburn now stands on the investigative precipice, where a similar decision may be handed down about its program if allegations about quarterback Cam Newton are backed up with facts. While it has seemed that neither school can avoid controversy in recent seasons, the game on the field is still very compelling.

While Cam Newton is certainly a controversial player right now – at least with a guilty verdict handed down from the court of public opinion – he is also extremely talented. If Tim Tebow and Cam Newton can be compared on ANYTHING, it is that both were large quarterbacks with a physical running style that has proven successful in the SEC. Newton is a beast of a football player, but he not impossible to bottle up. Clemson nearly beat Auburn early in the season by containing Newton with strong play from the defensive ends and forcing him to the middle of the field. Clemson lost that game in overtime largely because of offensive incompetence… a trait that is not shared by Auburn’s opponent this weekend.

Another interesting factor in this game is that this season is really a do or die season for Auburn. After battling for years to achieve great recognition on a national stage, the program is teetering on an inflection point that may fizzle if Newton is found guilty and the rumors of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s departure come to fruition this off-season. Without Newton’s power and Malzahn’s ingenuity Auburn will not be the same next season. If Auburn is ever going to achieve the recognition fans believe they have deserved for decades, then winning is the only option this season, making this game against Alabama that much more important.

Of course there is also that burdensome and inescapable slight from the BCS in 2004, when it appeared as though Auburn deserved a shot at the national title as much as Oklahoma and Southern Cal, but the school was shut out of the BCS title game. Keep in mind, even 2004 was long before the national media began to lavish praise on the SEC as THE college football conference. Still burning from what fans believed was an obvious slight, the program desperately needs a win against Alabama to build the momentum required to defeat South Carolina in the conference title game and punch a ticket for the title.

But, just before you think that every storyline in this game will revolve in some way around Auburn, consider that Alabama has only won three times this Century. That’s right, Auburn has been victorious in this game in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. In many ways, Alabama is still seeking to jettison years of bragging rights from the Tiger faithful.

Here underdog Alabama sits, a lowly 9-2 in a season of massive expectations with a returning Heisman Trophy winner and tremendous offensive skill players. Revenge is just as much in the air for Alabama as for Auburn, even if the flavor is more subtle.

In a game never wont for hype, these two teams are poised to play the most physical football game of this season, and perhaps even of their careers. If you watch no other football games this weekend, watch Auburn-Alabama at 2:30p on Friday. Let the wife head to the mall and brave the crowds while you pretend to have a turkey hangover in your favorite easy chair. Once her car is clear of the driveway, kick back and enjoy the best football game of the weekend.

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is used to being in the spotlight.

His first ever game as head coach resulted in a post game brawl where his star running back, LeGarrette Blount, sluged Boise State linebacker Byron Hout resulting in Blount’s suspension for most of the season. Still, without Blount in the backfield, Kelly led his team to a Pac-10 championship, and a Rose Bowl appearance, for the first time in nearly a decade.

Then, just months later, Kelly’s star quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, was charged with burglary, and later with possession of marijuana and driving infractions, which resulted in his kicking the Heisman candidate off his team.

Once more coach Kelly’s Ducks, who were 2010 national championship contenders at the time of Masoli’s dismissal., were without a star talent because of stupid, irresponsible actions. And, once more, Kelly rose to the challenge. After kicking Masoli off the team, the Ducks entered the 2010 season with moderately dampened expectations, but they did not stay dampened for long.

Now, with only two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Ducks not sit only atop the Pac-10 Conference, but thanks to an undefeated record they sit as the top ranked team in every major poll, including the BCS standings. Should Oregon finish the season in that spot, Coach Kelly, in only his second season at the helm, will have led the Oregon Ducks to their first ever national championship game.

Oregon has rolled over every opponent it faced in impressive fashion, including a 52-31 victory over Stanford, ranked ninth in the nation at the time. They have put up 504 points this season, and allowed only 172 to opponents. Oregon has risen to every challenge, and now have only one legitimate obstacle standing in the way of championship dreams – the Arizona Wildcats.

Yes, the Oregon State Beavers always present a challenge in the annual Civil War rivalry game. But this season all appearances are that the Beavers will be outclassed by the faster, more talented Ducks. If the Ducks do survive their matchup against the Arizona Wildcats, then beating the Beavers will be a mere formality.

The question is – can the Wildcats REALLY challenge the Ducks? In a short answer, yes (but it won’t be easy).

Arizona will enter Autzen Stadium ranked 21st in the BCS. They have already beaten top-ten ranked Iowa, and boast one of the best passing offenses in the country. Junior quarterback Nick Foles is averaging 275.1 yards per game, and has 13 passing TDs compared to only six interceptions. Foles’ primary target, Juron Criner, is currently one of the ten best receivers in the country, averaging 98.2 receiving yards per game.

But passing alone will not beat the Ducks.

The most important battle for the Wildcats in this game will be in figuring out how to stop the Ducks from scoring. Short of faking injuries to slow down the Ducks’ high-octane offense, that may not be possible as the Ducks are the only team in the country to AVERAGE more than 50 points per game. Running back LaMichael James has already racked up over 1,400 rushing yards and 17 TDs for Oregon, and quarterback Darron Thomas has been good for another 23 TDs in the air, 11 of which have gone to receiver Jeff Maehl.

The Wildcats are not coming into this game unprepared, or untested, though. The defense has allowed only 18.1 points per game (one of the best averages in the country), and two of the team’s three losses this season are by a combined five points. Unfortunately for Arizona, run defense has been a weakness lately, having given up 217 yards and 205 yards on the ground in losing efforts over the last two weeks against Stanford and Southern Cal, respectively.

Prior to those two losses, however, the Wildcat defense allowed only 88.9 yards per game on the ground, and if they can return to that earlier form they will have a very real opportunity to play spoiler to Oregon’s BCS hopes. If not, the Ducks can pack their bags, because they are as good as guaranteed an invitation to Phoenix on January 10th.

This is my first Friday Game of the Week debate in quite some time. Generally speaking, the game of the week is a football game, and if that fits your fancy feel free to give the articles by Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek a look. But Saturday night’s game one of the National League Championship Series was too good to pass up!

Obviously, these two teams have outstanding pitching staffs. And they have certainly turned it up a notch – actually two notches – in the post-season to this point. In the first round sweep of the Reds the Phillies totally dominated a good hitting Cincinnati team allowing just three earned runs in 27 innings pitched. That’s a 1.00 ERA. That’s impressive stuff.

As for the Giants, it took them four games to get by a banged up Braves team, but their pitching staff was just as dominant with a 1.66 ERA over the four games.

Now we have quite a treat in store for us Saturday night at Citizens Bank Ballpark. Roy Halladay versus Tim Lincecum. The Doc versus The Freak. Short hair versus long hair. The button down shirt against the Zac Brown toboggan (Tim’s version). These two guys have had the most dominant performances of the post-season so far (with apologies to Cliff Lee), and they’ll be going head to head tomorrow night. It’s hard to believe it’ll be each pitcher’s second career post-season start each.

If you like pitching, you’re probably going to enjoy this series. If you like pitching, you’re definitely going to enjoy this game. The Giants did not get to the playoffs on the strength of their offense. They were ninth in the National League in runs scored, and in the NLDS they hit a paltry .212. Strangely, you would think the Phillies would be an offensive powerhouse with that lineup and playing in a telephone booth, but they too have struggled at times on offense. The Phillies actually only hit .212 on offense during the NLDS. It appears the pitching will limit the hitting in this matchup as well.

Halladay is of course coming off his no hitter against the Reds. But some have argued that Lincecum’s 14 strikeout performance against the Braves was more dominant, which I totally don’t buy. There’s no doubt Lincecum has turned his season around though, thanks in small part to a small alteration in his in-between starts routine, and he’s been back to his dominant self. As a guy who grew up a Braves fan, I love dominant pitching. This is different, though. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine dominated by mixing changing speeds and hitting their spots (John Smoltz was a power pitcher). Both of these guys are power pitchers and are fully capable of powerfully dominating a game.

It’s going to be a fun series to watch. Most experts have the Phillies controlling the series, but if Lincecum and his boys can steal one tomorrow night by knocking off Doc Halladay, then it could be a totally different series.

Over the past four years, the SEC has been the premier college football conference. It has claimed the last four national championships, and there has been an SEC program at the top of the rational rankings every week since December 7th, 2008. But with Alabama’s loss to South Carolina last weekend all that came to an end, and now it is the Big Ten’s Ohio State Buckeyes that sit atop college football’s mountain.

Behind junior quarterback and Heisman hopeful Terrelle Pryor the Buckeyes have rolled to a 6-0 record, including an impressive win over the Miami Hurricanes. The team now sits in the driver’s seat for the race to the national championship game.

But how long will the run at the top last?

Even the BCS, which provides the only ranking that REALLY matters, is projected to have Boise State, not Ohio State, as the number one team after the first standings are announced. Meanwhile, Ohio State, who is ranked number one in all of the major polls, could actually find itself as low as fifth in the BCS standings.

But a win on the road at Camp Randall Stadium over the eighteenth ranked Wisconsin Badgers could be all it takes for Ohio State to jump into the BCS lead.

As for the Badgers, who have not beaten Ohio State since 2004, a victory over the top-ranked Buckeyes would catapult them back up the rankings and into the BCS conversation, a welcome outcome after the fell at the hands of undefeated Michigan State two weeks ago. And, Home-Sweet-Home is right where the Badgers want to be for this matchup, as the team boasts one of the nation’s best home records since the last victory over Ohio State (40-4).

So, what will be the key matchup this weekend?

Wisconsin’s running backs, John Clay and James White, are leading a rushing offense that averages more than 240 yards per game (the eleventh best in the nation), while Ohio State’s rushing defense has only allowed 78 yards per game (the fourth best in the nation).

If the Badgers hope to pull off the upset Clay and White will have to find a way past Cameron Heyward and the rest of Ohio State’s defensive front.

It will be a classic Big Ten matchup between two of the conference’s powerhouse programs, with the winner staking a claim as a frontrunner team for a conference on the cusp of supplanting the SEC as the premier collection of football universities.

It is the game of the year for the best conference in the country.

It’s now or never.

In fact, it may very well be never or never for the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams sit at 1-3 and both teams have more questions than answers. Both teams were expected to be the elite teams of the NFC and contenders for an appearance in the Super Bowl. Oh, and both teams are desperate.

Both teams have (had?) major expectations and have crumpled beneath them, but for starkly different reasons.

The Vikings lost the receiving corps to injury – despite the team’s latest desperate measures to secure the services of Randy “Every Down” Moss. Now Brett Favre’s elbow hurts, which sounds a lot like a built in excuse for failure. The once vaunted run defense with the Williams’ brothers in the middle is now a middle of the pack group that allows over 100 yards per game on the ground routinely. The team is full of weak spots and led by a desperate coach.

Speaking of teams with weak spots and desperate coaches, the Dallas Cowboys are also playing in this game. Jerry Jones has recently stated that he is not going to fire Wade Phillips until the end of the season, which is something I think few folks actually believe. Here is another situation where the receivers are decimated by injury, running backs are underperforming, and the defense is only two positions better than the Vikings – giving up 102.3 yards per game.

The football basics that make up the best teams are the very traits that appear to have vacated both teams. This game, however, is the perfect opportunity for one of the two teams to reclaim the ground they’ve lost to this point in the season. Neither team is playing to the level most fans and pundits expected, but neither team is dead in the water, yet.

The choice – and yes, it is a CHOICE for these two teams and their collective players – is between 2-3 and a faint glimmer of hope, and 1-4 and certain death this season. It’s a choice because playing well starts in the film room on Monday, it continues in the walk throughs mid-week, it governs thoughts and extra study on travel day, and that choice is made when lacing up cleats pre-game. The team with the most players to make winning choices wins the game and life in the season. The stakes don’t get much higher for an earlier season game, even if it does reek of desperation.

We all knew going into the NFL season that Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia would be a big deal. But few, if any, would have predicted this outcome. Before the season even began, Loyal Homer selected it as the most interesting NFL matchup of the season, and this game is living up to the hype. This game was supposed to serve as a proving ground for Donovan McNabb, a venue for him to display whether he still had it or not. It was supposed to be about whether the Eagles were right to trade him within the division. But now with the season underway, the storyline has changed, and the game has taken on new meaning.

Like it or not, Philly has a new quarterback and it’s not Kevin Kolb, the man who was heir apparent to the starting gig when the Eagles originally dealt McNabb in the first place. In his stead is the man that McNabb helped bring to Philadelphia, the embattled quarterback Donovan helped give a second chance to when it seemed no one else would – Michael Vick. With Vick playing the best football of his career, the focus has shifted to his ascendency, and McNabb has become somewhat of an afterthought. The only question that remains now is whether the Philly faithful will show any love to old number five when he takes the field one more time… except this time from the away team tunnel.
Who Says You Can’t Go Home?

When it comes to football, the City of Brotherly Love has one of the most ruthless fan bases on the planet. Philly fans are known for booing Santa Claus and cheering the injuries of their opponents so it should come as no big surprise that McNabb’s big home coming might not be one of mutual respect. But perhaps it should be.

For 11 years Donovan McNabb gave Philadelphia the best he had to offer. He was booed from the start in Philly for not being Ricky Williams, but in the end he probably did more for the franchise than Williams ever could. He proved to be stable and consistent. He was the always classy and often humorous mouth of the franchise. He was a fierce competitor and locker room leader. He set virtually every quarterback record for the franchise, and yet that likely is not be enough for Philly fans.

When that anticipated moment occurs, and McNabb finally takes the field this Sunday, all Philly fans will see is red… or perhaps more accurately, burgundy. McNabb will be donning the jersey of one of the Eagles most hated rivals, the Washington Redskins, and that simple fact may mask every single thing he did for the franchise. While it may not be the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, the hate of this rivalry runs deep enough to potential turn a former hometown hero into a heal. The ethical drama of “will they or won’t they” figures to be enough to capture the attention of the country. All eyes will be on number five in the tunnel when he makes those faith first steps onto familiar ground.

Not A Foregone Conclusion… Yet

Ironically, however, the question that initially generated so much pre-season interest about this contest seems to have been answered before the first snap has been taken. Many sources agree that McNabb doesn’t stand a chance against his former team. With the ex-con, Michael Vick, playing shockingly well right now, not only does all seem to be forgiven, but everyone seems to have jumped aboard the Vick bandwagon. It is easy to see why. Vick has posted terrific numbers through his first two starts and is surrounded by a much better receiving corps than he has ever had, while McNabb and company limp into town still licking their wounds from a demoralizing loss to a less than stellar St Louis Rams team. It seems as if the deck is stacked in Philly’s favor, but don’t count out the Redskins just yet.

McNabb is motivated, and motivated players are often dangerous. The Eagles would be foolhardy to believe the company lines that McNabb has been putting out there lately about how this is just another game. McNabb will be playing for himself and his legacy. The “any given Sunday” adage could prove accurate if Washington rallies behind their new signal caller, and McNabb is able to prove there is still gas in the tank. It could be one of those special moments in sports where the aging vet is able to capture lighting in a bottle just one more time, and that’s something that no one should miss.

The best football game taking place this weekend is happening in the state of Pennsylvania.

No, it is NOT Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia. The REAL action will be taking place in Western PA, as the Baltimore Ravens travel to Pittsburgh to take on the surprising 3-0 Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, WITHOUT Santonio Holmes, Ben Roethlisberger (or even Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich) have somehow managed to storm through the first three weeks of the regular season, remaining one of only three unbeaten teams left in the NFL. While it may be surprising that they have remained unblemished without the majority of their offensive talent from recent seasons, it is no secret how they have done it – defense!

Behind the leadership of Troy Polamalu, the Steelers currently claim the stingiest defense in the league, allowing a league-leading 33 total points on the season. In terms of rushing yards, they have posted the third best performance in the NFL to-date, allowing only 59.7 yards per game on the ground to this point in the season. That is especially impressive when you consider that they had to stop Michael Turner and Chris Johnson in accomplishing that feat.

As exciting as this start has been in Pittsburgh the team is still a week away from seeing Roethlisberger return to the field, at which point the Steelers can finally add some offense to their repertoire.

But, facing Baltimore sans-Roethlisberger will be the toughest challenge yet for Pittsburgh, and may end up being the toughest challenge faced all season. Although the Steelers have a top-ten defense, their week four opponents, the Baltimore Ravens, boast the absolute BEST defense the NFL has to offer.

In fact, the Ravens have allowed the fewest yards per game in the league – 244.3 yards per game – through the first three weeks of the season (a total which would have been MUCH lower if not for Peyton Hillis’ surprise performance last weekend). To give you an idea of just how good the Ravens’ pass defense is, there were five different quarterbacks last week who passed for more yards in a SINGLE GAME than the Ravens have allowed in a combined three games.

The Ravens are no slouch in the points-allowed category either, ranking fourth by giving up only eight points more than the Steelers with 41 points allowed.

Now on offense, these two teams are a different story, although both seemed to come alive a little bit last weekend.

For Pittsburgh, offensive struggles were expected since Roethlisberger is still serving his suspension. So when they managed to put up 38 points last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they were likely just as surprised as you and I.

Baltimore, on the other hand, has been a bit of a let down on offense.

Thanks to the additions of Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, along with Joe Flacco and Ray Rice, everyone expected offense to be Baltimore’s strongest suit of the season (especially after they lost Ed Reed to injury). But even with those weapons on offense, the Ravens have only managed to put 44 total points on the board (the fifth worst total in the league). Fortunately, when you have Ray Lewis on your roster, 44 points is still enough to start the season off at 2-1.

Forget about Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb, this Sunday in Pittsburgh we will get to see the league’s top defenses duke it out in an AFC North showdown to determine whose really is the best in the league.

I imagine all football fans felt empathy for Mark D’Antonio two weeks ago. The decision that gave college football one of its most exciting finishes in quite some time was also responsible for causing a heart attack in the decision maker. When D’Antonio uncharacteristically cut off his post game interview and walked away, the situation felt odd as a viewer. As it turns out, he walked away from that interview, straight to his car where his wife was waiting to take him to the hospital.

Now, it may sound harsh, but in a way that single gusty move – and the momentum it created for the team – is all for naught if the team doesn’t continue winning. A coach suffering a heart attack is a big deal. It’s a formative moment for a team that the players can either rally around and derive inspiration, or it could be such a shock that the team can no longer perform as it needs to.

Right now Michigan State is already exceeding most ambitious expectations. A team with a veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins – who is completing 67 percent of his passes and has shown real ability to engineer comebacks late in games – is usually vital to making a run in conference play. The Spartans have the inspiration and the leadership on the field – thanks to Cousins’ defensive counterpart Greg Lewis – to make an interesting challenge for teams with conference title aspirations.

Aside from Ohio State, the OTHER team that is expected to contend for the Big Ten title is Wisconsin. Bret Bielema is running out of excuses for not winning the Big Ten, as his team in 2010 is both deep and healthy for the first time… maybe EVER in his tenure as coach. In 2009 the team was too young. In the previous seasons it wasn’t deep enough. Now is the time for Bielema. The fans and the media have removed any possible excuses for him.

That’s the subtext.

The superficial stuff – the actual GAME – will be very good. As good as Cousins is under center for MSU, the Spartans are a team that thrives on balance on offense. Running backs Edwin Baker (averages 112 yards per game) and Le’Veon Bell (averages 396 yards per game) are a solid tandem with complementary skills. Wisconsin, in contrast to recent seasons, is way down in fifth in the Big Ten on defense against the run. If Michigan State gets out to a lead they have a great chance at closing the game with a strong running game.

As good as Wisconsin has been at running the ball this season – the Badgers are second in the Big Ten – Michigan State might just be up to the task of stopping the run at fourth in the league on defense against the run.

Both of these teams are fighting for recognition in the Big Ten now. Wisconsin used to own the Big Ten in football, but those days are long gone – though Bielema has fond memories and dreams of bringing the glory days back to Madison. That bit of inspiration might just be enough for him to pull off the win on Thursday.

But Michigan State definitely has a leg up in the inspiration department, with coach D’Antonio returning to the Spartans just two weeks removed from a heart attack and heart surgery. Michigan State better win by a lot. No pressure.

Here I am, the last truly fervent college football devotee here at The Sports Debates, NOT writing about how some game on Saturday will be the weekend’s best. It almost makes me feel dirty. For me, college football is absolutely the greatest sport in America. The players may not have the refined athleticism of their professional counterparts, but, like the entire sport itself, its unrefined gray area on and off the field is what makes it so lovable.

But, everyone once in a great while, some of the traditions that hold so strongly for college football seep into some professional games. When tradition is augmented with talent, intrigue, and TRUE drama – not the mocked up stuff the sports media wants us all to believe is important – then the traits that make all college football games great are mirrored in the professional game. No game better encapsulates that idea than the matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday.

It has been a long four seasons for the Chicago Bears. Can you believe it has been four years since the Bears even made the playoffs? Of course, the team more than made the playoffs. The team won the NFC Central, the NFC, and then lost in the Super Bowl. But the team has lost its direction since by firing several defensive coordinators, hiring former NFL coaches as coordinators (and in one case as just the defensive line coach), and swapping players out with reckless abandon. Well, at least that is one perception of the Bears the past several seasons. The other perception is that it was a down on its luck team that succumbed to too many injuries too close together.

No matter what, it was clear the team stunk and the expectations beyond .500 were unwise.

The Packers, however, are a team that built toward success through strong draft cycles, player development, and a commitment to a core group of players that was exceptionally wise. While the Bears acted in mercurial fashion, the Packers have slowly built toward a team that is coming of age and poised to dominate its division with designs on extending its life deeper into the playoffs in 2010. While the expectations are high, the talent and ability of the team seems to be in lockstep.

Now, both teams – which relish the opportunity to play in a rivalry that is truly one the greater contests in sports – sit in a tie atop a surprising division, each boasting a 2-0 record.

The Bears must prove their record is not a fluke. If not for a stupid rule that prevented the Detroit Lions from beating the Bears in week one, the team would be sitting at 1-1. Boosted by a bogus rule, the team came out and beat a still talented, though struggling, Dallas Cowboys team. A quick glance at the Bears’ schedule reveals that the next two weeks will be very revelatory for the team. If the team can be 4-0 at the quarter pole of the season – or even 3-1 – suddenly the Bears become the team to beat in the division. With a primetime, Monday night matchup this week, and a Sunday night contest against the Giants next week, the Bears may fight through ha tough stretch and legitimately challenge the Packers for the division crown.

The Packers must prove their record is a sign of things to come. Their schedule reads very differently than the Bears’. While Chicago caught Dallas early and down, the Packers face off against them in week nine, right after a game against the Jets. The injury to starting running back Ryan Grant has shaken the team, but does not appear to have broken it. Brandon Jackson is a more than able backup running back on a team that is built around the passing game anyway. The defense is outstanding, with Clay Matthews playing stellar on defense thus far having recorded six sacks already.

The Bears and the Packers are eager to make a statement. This game is early in the season but crucially important if either team is to prove it can compete each week when it matters the most.

As inconsistent s the Bears have been in recent seasons, the Packers are now that consistent. Both teams need to win this game. Sure, it helps for one of have bragging rights and the tiebreak, but both teams have a real shot to have a special season, and both need a win this weekend to build momentum and belief. For week three, there is a lot at stake, making this game the best this weekend has to offer.

Boise State is ranked as the third best team in the nation right now.

Is it deserved?

Sure after beating a ranked Virginia Tech team, but that is the same team that lost to FCS James Madison one week later, too.

Even if they beat Oregon State this weekend (who is grossly over-ranked at 24th in a fraudulent attempt to try and justify Boise State’s own over-ranking on the assumption the team will beat the Beavers), it does not truly validate the projection that they are the third best team in the nation.

Then you have the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now THERE is a team that has earned their ranking.

And if they are able to survive the next three weekends – arguably the toughest stretch in all of college football (they are scheduled to play the ninth, tenth, and twelfth ranked teams in the nation on back-to-back-to-back weekends) – then there will be no first place votes left to share with Ohio State, Boise State, or whatever other pretender to the Crimson Tide throne may step forward.

So, tomorrow, Alabama will embark on the first of its Herculean labors by traveling to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. The matchup between these two SEC powerhouses at Reynold’s Razorback Stadium will feature several of the most talented players in college football, and unlike the Boise State games, this one has REAL national championship implications.

Arkansas, led by Heisman hopeful Ryan Mallett, is currently ranked tenth in the nation by the Associated Press, and is cruising into this weekend after an impressive win on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Mallett, who leads the nation with 1,081 passing yards, will provide Alabama’s relatively inexperienced defense with its toughest test of the season as the Razorbacks look to end Alabama’s reign at the top of the SEC’s west division. If Mallett wishes to continue his candidacy for college football’s highest individual honor, he will have to play nearly flawless football. Otherwise, he can pull up a chair next to Jake Locker and kiss his hopes of becoming the next Heisman Trophy winner goodbye.

And speaking of Heisman winners (how’s that for a segue?!), Mark Ingram seems to be back at full strength after rushing for more than 150 yards and two scores on only nine carries for the Crimson Tide last weekend. And now that he is paired in the backfield again with Trent Richardson (who is just as explosive as Ingram), Alabama once more boasts the most formidable rushing offense in college football.

This game will feature arguably the two best teams in the SEC, one of whom will be making a statement this weekend that they legitimately deserve a shot at the national championship.

Yes, I know that there are still teams like Florida, LSU, and even South Carolina who have started the season strong. But it will be the winner from this game who becomes the de facto team to beat, not just in the SEC, but in the entire nation.