ShareThisEven casual fans could get caught up in the college-football craze, if they just let themselves be held captive by this phenomenal game for a day -- just one Saturday, all day ...
Several ranked opponents going head-to-head again this Saturday creates another wildfire of anticipation and excitement as BCS-championship-game contenders continue to duke it out.
No. 3 Alabama follows up its Tuscaloosa trouncing (38-14) of then-No. 14 Arkansas with a road trip to the Swamp for a prime-time showdown with 12th-ranked Florida.
With SEC teams occupying two of the top three spots and four of the top 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, it's no wonder 'Bama finds itself in a second consecutive "playoff" game.
The Unbalanced Line can't picture the Tide becoming Gator bait, not with a superior defense yielding a paltry eight points a game.
Florida's defense has been pretty stout as well, but against lesser competition.
Florida senior quarterback John Brantley is off to a half-decent start, completing 64 percent of his passes for 752 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions. But against 'Bama's top-flight secondary, half-decent won't be good enough.
Alabama sophomore quarterback AJ McCarron has very similar passing stats: 779 yards, four TDs and two INTs, but he's not facing a secondary the likes of his team's.
Add the power running game of Heisman candidate Trent Richardson to the Tide's attack, and 'Bama takes care of its BCS business in Gainesville, 31-17.
For the second consecutive week, No. 7 meets No. 8 in another prime-time game -- but this time it's Wisconsin vs. Nebraska, respectively.
Wisconsin should handle Nebraska in Madison, especially with quarterback Russell Wilson leading the attack. Through four games, the graduate-student transfer from North Carolina State has completed 76 percent of his passes for 1,136 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception.
Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has completed just 50.6 percent of his passes for 647 yards, four touchdowns and two INTs. But the Huskers' sophomore signal-caller also has 421 rushing yards on 63 carries. Wilson has 108 rushing yards on 16 carries.
With luck, the Big Ten battle will measure up to the excitement that then-No. 7 Oklahoma State and then-No. 8 Texas A&M provided last week in a wild 30-29 comeback victory for the Cowboys.
When Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a Texas A&M touchback late in the third quarter, you almost had to anticipate a wild finish. One of the nation's best receivers, Blackmon was about to waltz into the end zone untouched when he dropped the ball.
The should-have-been-certain touchdown would have given Oklahoma State a 31-20 lead and almost salted the game away momentum-wise. Blackmon eventually did salt the game away on the last play, when he ran 39 yards into his own end zone, scoring a safety for A&M, as time expired.
Speaking of momentum, Clemson practically surrendered it to Florida State last week with the game on the line in the waning minutes.
Clemson held a 35-30 lead with 2:53 remaining, and Chandler Catanzaro could have made it an eight-point lead if he'd been given a chance to kick a 40-yard field goal.
Instead, coach Dabo Swinney opted to go for it on fourth-and-one from the Florida State 23-yard line, creating an opportunity for Florida State to not just tie, but win the game.
Swinney's decision nearly backfired. Florida State's defense made the stop, and the Seminoles took over on downs. Fortunately for the Clemson coach, this time it worked out. His defense sacked quarterback Clint Trickett on a fourth-and-nine at the FSU 38, and Clemson ran out the clock.
Swinney and his 13th-ranked Tigers won't be so fortunate Saturday against No. 11 Virginia Tech. The Hokies' stingy defense and home-field advantage are the difference: Clemson's BCS bubble gets burst in Blacksburg.
Losers of two of last Saturday's big-ticket games -- No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 18 Arkansas -- will provide a noontime appetizer for this Saturday's prime-time main course.
Look for A&M to keep its BCS-bowl hopes alive at Arkansas, while setting the tone for another incredibly entertaining fall football Saturday.
Just one day, all day ...
(Contact John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
(Email John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
Must credit New Hampshire Union LeaderThe Unbalanced Line
