[2Slick]

Here i will post all of the NCAA Football game previews for the top 25 team for tomorrows games.

[2Slick]

LSU vs. Mississippi

GAME: Mississippi at LSU
TIME: 08:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Tiger Stadium



Despite the inability to control its future, LSU maintains faint SEC title hopes.

To realize the chance to play for a conference championship, the ninth-ranked Tigers need to win their final home game of the season Saturday against Mississippi - and get some help.

LSU (8-2, 4-2), trailing No. 5 Arkansas by two games in the SEC West, must hope the Razorbacks lose this week against Mississippi State, setting up a showdown between the Tigers and Razorbacks next Friday.

Even if Arkansas loses to Mississippi State and LSU, the Tigers still need an Auburn loss to Alabama this weekend because Auburn would win a three-way tiebreaker for the SEC West title.

All scenarios could be moot come Saturday if the Razorbacks win, clinching the division championship.

However, that has yet to happen, meaning LSU needs to be careful not to overlook the Rebels (3-7, 1-5), despite their poor record.

"We're in an improved position, but again, we don't control our destiny," LSU coach Les Miles said. "The only thing that we can control is the games that are on our schedule."

The Tigers, undefeated at home this year, can become the first squad in school history to win eight games at Tiger Stadium in a single year.

LSU has the SEC's best offense and defense, averaging 421.4 yards while allowing only 231 yards and 10.4 points per game. Both defensive statistics rank second in the nation.

"This defense has got a lot of character. We're real physical," defensive end Chase Pittman said after LSU beat Alabama 28-14 last Saturday. "We don't like anybody being in the red zone. We take it real personal. When teams get down there it's kind of like a light goes off in our heads. Do not let them put it in the end zone."

The Tigers are outscoring opponents 302-50 at home, where they've won 12 straight games and 22 of their last 23.

LSU has won 13 consecutive November games and 27 in a row against unranked opponents.

JaMarcus Russell, who's 22-4 as starting quarterback, leads the SEC in total offense (249.4 yards), and he ranks first in the conference and fifth in the nation with a 172.4 passer rating.

With less than three seasons under his belt, the 6-foot-6, 257-pound junior already ranks second in school history with 45 touchdown passes.

"He's incredible. He's the best quarterback I've faced and this team has faced all year," Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. "He makes perfect throws. He's big. ... On film he looks slow, but he's very deceiving. He gets those long strides and he's moving."

Russell will be the focus for Ole Miss on Saturday as the Rebels try to beat LSU for the first time since 2001.

The Rebels haven't played since beating Division I-AA squad Northwestern State 27-7 on Nov. 4, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Ole Miss has had plenty of near-upsets this season, and a win over LSU would be that much sweeter.

"It would mean a turnaround, a step in the right direction against a very good team on the road," Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron said.

The Rebels close with two rivalry games, Saturday against the Tigers and next week against Mississippi State. They need one win to surpass their total from Orgeron's first season.

"We play an Ole Miss team that is 3-7, but their record does not depict what kind of football team they are," Miles said. "They are much better on offense. They are a powerful running team.

"We understand the history of this rivalry. We understand that it is a border war."

LSU - which leads the all-time series 53-37-4 - beat Mississippi 40-7 last year, the largest margin of victory since a 45-8 Tigers victory in 1982.

[2Slick]

Wisconsin vs. Buffalo

GAME: Buffalo at Wisconsin
TIME: 12:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Camp Randall Stadium



On the verge of finishing with the best regular-season record in school history, Wisconsin finds its season being overshadowed by the Big Ten's two powerhouse teams, who will likely keep the Badgers from earning a BCS berth.

With little they can do to alter their fate, the 12th-ranked Badgers close the regular season on Saturday against Buffalo at Camp Randall Stadium.

Wisconsin (10-1), which is ranked ninth by the BCS, has little chance at appearing in a BCS game because Ohio State and Michigan rank first and second in the standings. Only two teams from one conference are allowed to play in the Bowl Championship Series.

The Badgers lost to Michigan 27-13 on Sept. 13, and coach Bret Bielema said losing that early in the season may have affected how his team was viewed the rest of the year.

"Everyone's got opinions and everyone has the right to express those opinions," said Bielema, the first coach to win 10 games in his debut season in the Big Ten. "Hopefully the Badgers have been able to increase their value each week. How people view us or what they feel, I can't control. I can only control what our guys do on Saturdays."

Wisconsin is coming off a 24-21 victory over Iowa last Saturday, giving the Badgers a 10-win regular season for the second time in school history. The other came in 1998.

Clinging to a three-point lead with less than four minutes, the Wisconsin defense held on, forcing Hawkeyes quarterback Drew Tate to throw three incompletions, including one on fourth-and-7.

"We talked about before the game that this could be the greatest statement of the season for our team thus far and it would be a complete effort," Bielema said.

Quarterback Tyler Donovan was 17-of-24 for 228 yards and two touchdowns in place of John Stocco, who was out with a shoulder injury. Stocco, second on the school's all-time list in passing yards (7,021) and touchdown passes (45), had started the team's previous 35 games.

Bielema said he was unsure whether the senior would be available to play on Saturday, but the coach has plenty of confidence in Donovan.

"I don't think you can say enough about a guy starting in his first game, in the Big Ten finale, in a hostile environment," Bielema said. "The plays he was able to come up with ... were amazing."

Bielema might not want to risk bringing Stocco before Wisconsin's bowl game, with his team facing a dreadful Buffalo defense. The Bulls (2-8) are allowing an average of 34.1 points, seventh-most in the country, and 204.3 rushing yards per game to rank fifth-worst in Division I-A.

That should be good news for Wisconsin's P.J. Hill, the Big Ten's leading rusher with 1,447 rushing yards. The freshman has been uneven lately with yardage totals of 161, 50, 148 and 77 over his last four games, respectively.

Hill ran for his 14th touchdown last Saturday, but averaged only 2.8 yards per carry and fumbled for the first time this season.

Bielema said that sub-par performance was more a result of Donovan being able to connect with the receivers than fatigue on Hill's part, although he alluded to the fact Hill needs to improve his offseason conditioning.

The Badgers have won six consecutive home games and 17 of 18 at Camp Randall Stadium over the past three seasons. The team's last non-conference loss at home was on Sept. 13, 2003, 23-5 to UNLV.

Buffalo is coming off a 31-16 loss to Akron last Thursday. Quarterback Tony Paoli was 15-of-24 for 150 yards with one interception, and Steven King ran for the Bulls' two touchdowns.

Wisconsin is the third Big Ten opponent the Bulls have faced since moving to Division I-A in 1999. They lost to Minnesota 41-17 in 2002 and 56-7 to Iowa in 2003.

Buffalo has played four Top 25 opponents in its history and lost them all, including a 38-7 defeat to then-No.2 Auburn on Sept. 23 and a 41-0 loss to then-No. 18 Boston College on Oct. 28.

This is the first meeting between these teams.

[2Slick]

Florida vs. Western Carolina

GAME: Western Carolina at Florida
TIME: 12:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field



At least for the time being, Florida can forget about the SEC and focus on keeping their national title hopes alive.

That is not expected to be a problem for the third-ranked Gators on Saturday when they wrap up their home schedule with a matchup against Division I-AA Western Carolina.

Florida (9-1) already has wrapped up the SEC Eastern Division title, and will play in the conference championship game on Dec. 2. Fifth-ranked Arkansas, which also has only one loss, can clinch the West on Saturday with a win over Mississippi State.

The Gators, who visit non-conference rival Florida State in their regular-season finale on Nov. 25, also have put themselves in good position to claim a spot in the BCS national championship game. Florida is ranked fourth in the BCS standings, and is nearly even with No. 3 Southern California.

The winner of Saturday's game between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan will likely earn one spot in the title game, and Florida likes its chances of grabbing the other.

"There's no doubt in my mind we'll be in Arizona," said defensive end Jarvis Moss, referring to the site of the BCS championship matchup.

The Gators kept their title hopes alive with a 17-16 victory Saturday over South Carolina and former coach Steve Spurrier. Moss blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired and an extra-point attempt earlier in the fourth quarter.

"It felt good not to let the guys down," said Moss, who also had a career-best eight tackles and was named the SEC special teams player of the week. "I think we've got something special going on."

Defensive tackle Ray McDonald also blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt in the first half for Florida, which won its 14th straight at The Swamp.

"You've got to find a way to win football games," defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "We found a way."

Quarterback Chris Leak completed 19 of 27 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown after averaging just 166 yards in his previous four games, a stretch during which he had three TDs and six interceptions. Even though he threw one pick and was sacked twice, coach Urban Meyer called Saturday's performance Leak's best in two seasons.

Fellow quarterback Tim Tebow did not complete either of his two pass attempts, but picked up his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.

"Just win the next game," Meyer said. "No, I have no concern over (style points). I guess I probably should because that might affect standings, and human element involved in all this BCS stuff."

Linebacker Brandon Siler, who is second on the team with 57 tackles and nine tackles for a loss, is "very questionable" for Saturday's game with a partially torn ligament in his left knee. He played against the Gamecocks despite also being "very questionable" for that contest.

"He talked us into it, and he didn't play very well," said Meyer, who added that he did not make the injury worse by playing. "That was probably a mistake, but it's hard to keep a tough guy like that out of the lineup."

The Catamounts (2-8) have dropped eight in a row, including Saturday's 31-9 loss to Appalachian State, the top-ranked team in I-AA.

Darius Fudge, who ranks third in the Southern Conference with 95.7 rushing yards per game, picked up just 53 on 22 carries for Western Carolina, which is mired in its longest losing streak since ending the 1956 season with nine straight defeats.

Quarterback Bennett Swygert completed 7 of 16 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. The Catamounts, who went winless in the conference for the first time since joining the league in 1977, have managed only 16 points over their last three games.

Western Carolina and Florida are meeting for the first time.

[2Slick]

Boston College vs. Maryland

GAME: Maryland at Boston College
TIME: 12:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Alumni Stadium



Boston College may be ranked higher than Maryland in the Top 25, but it's the Terrapins who hold the crucial edge in the ACC Atlantic Division.

Both teams try to improve their chances of appearing in the ACC championship game Saturday when they meet at Alumni Stadium.

The 20th-ranked Eagles are 4-2 in the division, trailing No. 14 Wake Forest and No. 21 Maryland (8-2), who are both 5-1. Boston College (8-2) needs to win its final two games against the Terrapins and Miami (Nov. 23) and have the Demon Deacons lose their last two against No. 19 Virginia Tech and Maryland in order to play No. 18 Georgia Tech - the Coastal Division winner - in the title game.

"I don't know if we can pay too much attention to what everyone else has to do," Eagles coach Tom O'Brien said. "We have to take care of what we can do - and that is to play our best against Maryland."

If Maryland and Wake Forest both win this week, they'll decide the division winner against each other Nov. 25. The Eagles have proven tough to beat at home, though, riding a 10-game winning streak which dates back to last season.

Boston College, playing its home finale, is outscoring opponents 308-123 during that run, including a 28-7 victory over winless Duke last week. The Eagles amassed a season-high 501 total yards, sparked by running backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender, who each surpassed 100 yards and had a touchdown.

That effort was a big boost after Boston College was held to just 28 rushing yards in a 21-14 defeat to the Demon Deacons a week earlier. Quarterback Matt Ryan continues to lead the ACC with 253.6 passing yards per game, nearly 70 more than his closest competitor.

Boston College's defense has been outstanding at home of late, holding its last four opponents to 10 points combined. The Terrapins won't likely be intimidated, however, as they enter Alumni Stadium with a five-game winning streak - the longest currently in the ACC.

"We're just hanging in there," said running back Lance Ball, who leads Maryland with 630 rushing yards and seven TDs on 143 carries. "Good teams get good breaks, and that's what we're getting right now."

Maryland jumped out to an early 14-point lead over Miami last week and held on for a 14-13 win, never doubting the outcome.

"Here's a team, that when we started the year, had a confidence problem," Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said. "So I'm out there at the end of the game telling them, 'Here's one of those moments.' And they go, 'Coach, don't worry about it. We got this covered.'

"Now they're getting cocky," Friedgen said with a grin. "But they got it done. That's kind of a nice thing to see. You have success, and then you become confident."

O'Brien knows Maryland's confidence in those tight situations is warranted, with the five wins in its streak coming by a combined 13 points.

"If you get into a close game, they are going to feel very comfortable and have a chance to win," he said. "They have found ways to win and that is what happens when you are a veteran football team as they are."

It was a freshman that shined last week, though, as Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught five passes for a career-high 175 yards and two TDs. One of those scores was a school record 96-yard TD reception, which is tied for the longest pass nationally this season.

Heyward-Bey, the Terrapins' leading receiver with 539 yards on 34 receptions, earned ACC offensive player of the week honors. He'll try for a repeat showing when Maryland plays its road finale, where it is 2-2 this season.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 2-1 over the Terrapins, including a 31-16 win Nov. 19, 2005.

It is uncertain whether Maryland will have offensive guard Donnie Woods on Saturday after he suffered a neck injury in last week's win. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but all tests were negative, and he was released Sunday morning.

[2Slick]

Baylor vs. Oklahoma

GAME: Oklahoma at Baylor
TIME: 12:10 P.M. EST
VENUE: Floyd Casey Stadium



A surprising loss by a rival has given Oklahoma new life in its pursuit of a Bowl Championship Series bid.

With the Big 12 title still a possibility, the No. 16 Sooners look to continue their dominance of Baylor on Saturday.

Oklahoma (8-2, 5-1) defeated Texas Tech 34-24 last Saturday, and stayed in contention for the Big 12 South Division title when then-No. 4 Texas suffered a 45-42 loss at Kansas State.

The Longhorns have one conference loss, but own the tiebreaker over Oklahoma thanks to their 28-10 win over the Sooners in the Red River rivalry on Oct. 7. To win the division and earn a date with Nebraska in the conference title game, Oklahoma needs to win its remaining two regular-season contests and have the Longhorns lose at home to Texas A&M on Nov. 24.

"There's a lot of possibilities," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "My whole focus has been, though, you shouldn't need a carrot out there to be excited to compete and play. My whole deal all year has been keep improving, keep getting better, enjoy practices, know you're getting better.

"Let's do our part to win and be as good as we can be. If things work out, they'll work out. I'm not much on paying a ton of attention to things that aren't in my control."

Oklahoma has never lost to Baylor (4-7, 3-4), taking all 15 meetings, including seven matchups at Waco. The Sooners have outscored the Bears 140-16 in their last three visits to Floyd Casey Stadium.

Last season at Norman, the Sooners gained 474 yards of total offense and held the ball for more than 41 minutes, but needed overtime to defeat Baylor 37-30. Running back Jacob Gutierrez had career highs of 30 rushes, 173 yards and two touchdowns while filling in for injured Sooners star Adrian Peterson.

Gutierrez now finds himself in the mix again with Peterson (collarbone) and backup Allen Patrick (ankle) both sidelined, but Stoops turned to freshman Chris Brown down the stretch last week against Texas Tech.

Playing in just the second game of his career, Brown ran for two critical fourth-quarter touchdowns and finished with 84 yards on 16 carries.

Stoops said Peterson will not return this week but Patrick, who ran for 440 yards in three games replacing Peterson before sitting out last week, returned to practice Monday.

Sophomore wide receiver Manuel Johnson will not play against Baylor after being knocked out of last week's game on a helmet-to-helmet hit.

"The things we've gone through, whoever's in there we're going to win with them," Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson said. "That's our mind-set. We've got confidence. If something happens no one's freaking out."

Thompson and the Oklahoma passing game performed well against the Red Raiders. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 309 yards and two first-half touchdowns, one of them a 40-yarder to sophomore wideout Malcolm Kelly, who had a career-high 11 receptions for 153 yards.

Kelly caught five passes for 41 yards against Baylor last year.

This contest will conclude Baylor's season, as last Saturday's 66-24 loss at Oklahoma State eliminated the Bears from bowl consideration. The defeat also clinched the 11th consecutive losing season for Baylor, which has not appeared in a bowl game since 1994.

Last week, the Cowboys scored five touchdowns off six Bears turnovers and gained 510 yards of total offense - 387 on the ground. Baylor has been outscored 152-66 during its three-game losing streak, and has given up 31 points or more in six straight games.

"We didn't show up again," linebacker Maurice Linquist said. "It's frustrating. We had a lot of goals for this season and realizing that everything we wanted to accomplish is over now."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Blake Szymanski completed 24 of 41 passes for 262 yards, two TDs and three interceptions in his second career start. He is replacing senior Shawn Bell, who was lost for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during a 31-21 defeat to Texas A&M on Oct. 28.

"I think the more he plays, the more the better he is going to be," Baylor coach Guy Morriss said of Szymanski. "Right now he's struggling a little bit."

[2Slick]

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee

GAME: Tennessee at Vanderbilt
TIME: 12:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Vanderbilt Stadium



Tennessee showed how much it's missed quarterback Erik Ainge with consecutive losses to fall out of the SEC title race.

The 22nd-ranked Volunteers hope to have Ainge back - and seek revenge for a rare loss to Vanderbilt as the in-state rivals meet Saturday in Nashville.

Last season, Vanderbilt (4-7, 1-6 SEC) beat Tennessee for the first time in 22 years as Jay Cutler - now with the Denver Broncos - hit Earl Bennett with a 5-yard scoring pass with 1:11 to play in the Commodores' 28-24 win in Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee (7-3, 3-3), though, hasn't lost in Nashville since 1964. Under coach Phillip Fulmer, the Vols have averaged more than 36 points against the Commodores en route to a 12-1 record in his tenure.

Ainge, who is second in the SEC averaging 246.2 yards passing, sprained his ankle in a 31-24 win Oct. 28 at South Carolina. He started the following week against LSU but was replaced by redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton after the first quarter.

The Vols lost 28-24 as LSU scored the go-ahead TD with 9 seconds to play.

Crompton started last week in a 31-14 loss at Arkansas and had 174 passing yards with two TDs and one interception.

"I wasn't as mentally prepared for (the environment) as I should have been," Crompton said. "At times we were (able to get into a rhythm), but I take that on myself that we didn't get into the kind of rhythm we could have."

Fulmer on Tuesday said Ainge, who did not play in last year's loss to Vanderbilt, was probable.

"He's better. He's not 100 percent," Fulmer said. "Can he protect himself? Can he get away from the rush? Can he move in the pocket? Yesterday was a good indication that he is making progress toward that."

Fulmer also said Crompton will continue to prepare to play.

"Jon will certainly be ready and available. I think with as much as Vanderbilt does (defensively) having Erik out there would be a real plus for us," Fulmer said.

Tennessee hopes to have fullback David Holbert back after he, safety Antonio Wardlow and tailback Arian Foster were suspended following their arrest for involvement in a disturbance at a nightclub following the loss to LSU.

Wardlow is suspended for this game, while Foster sat out the first half of last week's game.

Tennessee ends its regular season next Saturday at home against Kentucky.

Vanderbilt (4-7, 1-6) is coming off a 38-26 loss to the Wildcats last weekend. The Commodores had a season-high 621 yards of offense - including 446 passing - but were outscored 21-6 in the final quarter.

The Commodores had the chance early in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but Chris Nickson threw an interception on fourth-and-goal at the Kentucky 2-yard line, and the Wildcats scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

"It was awful big, because we could have put some pressure on them right there, and probably went ahead and won the game," said Nickson, who was 23-of-37 with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The loss ended Vanderbilt's hopes for a bowl game this season, but offensive lineman Mac Pyle said there still is significance to this game.

"We're making it our bowl game," Pyle said. "It's a chance to play a Top 25 opponent. That's basically what you're going to get in a bowl game, anyway."

[2Slick]

Georgia Tech vs. Duke

GAME: Duke at Georgia Tech
TIME: 01:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field



Georgia Tech has a spot in the ACC title game secured. The Yellow Jackets still have plenty to play for when they host winless Duke on Saturday in their conference finale.

The 18th-ranked Yellow Jackets (8-2, 6-1), the ACC Coastal Division champions, seek to extend their win streak to four and continue to build momentum before their Dec. 2 conference championship game appearance.

A third straight win over Duke (0-10, 0-6), which would be their 11th in the last 12 meetings, would also boost Georgia Tech's bowl resume.

The winner of the ACC championship game will be invited to the Orange Bowl, but by beating Duke, Tech likely can make sure it falls no farther than the Chick-fil-A Bowl or Gator Bowl in the ACC's bowl pecking order.

Tech faces Georgia on Nov. 25 to close the regular season.

"We have talked about wanting to finish strong and wanting to be the best we can be," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "The Duke game is included in that."

The Yellow Jackets were not at their best last week, but still managed a 7-0 win over North Carolina, which is winless in ACC play. It was Tech's first shutout since Nov. 9, 2000, against Virginia.

"I think the whole team is ecstatic, but on the other side we're pretty upset with how we played," Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice said. "We feel like we should've come out and played better."

Choice scored the lone touchdown in the win to give him a career-high seven on the season, and added 119 rushing yards to increase his total to 940. The junior is hoping to become the first Tech player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since P.J. Daniels had 1,447 in 2003, the second-highest total in school history.

Senior quarterback Reggie Ball, who had a season-low 78 passing yards against the Tar Heels, was a freshman starter on that Tech squad.

Ball has been bothered by a leg injury suffered Oct. 7 in a win over Maryland. He has completed 41.4 percent of his passes in the four games since the injury, with four of his nine interceptions coming in that span.

Ball has completed only 47.1 percent of his passes for 1,527 yards with 17 touchdowns this season. He has struggled in three career starts against Duke, throwing six interceptions with two touchdowns.

"It still is bothering him," Gailey said of the leg problem. "There's no question he's banged up. I don't worry about that being a major factor. Is it a factor? Yes it is, but I don't worry about it being a major factor in his play."

Calvin Johnson hopes Ball can play through the injury, as the junior receiver is trying to become the first Yellow Jackets player to win the Walter Camp Award as Division I-A player of the year. Johnson leads the conference with 52 receptions for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's 80 yards shy of his career best set in 2005 and needs two more scores to equal his output over his last two seasons.

The Yellow Jackets have won seven in a row over the Blue Devils at Bobby Dodd Stadium, outscoring them 59-17 in the last two meetings, both wins. Duke last defeated Georgia Tech 41-17 on Nov. 8, 2003 at Durham, with the last victory in Atlanta coming in 1994.

Duke is looking to snap an 18-game losing streak, the longest active one in Division I-A.

The Blue Devils' last victory came against Division I-AA's Virginia Military Institute on Sept. 17, 2005, and its last victory over a Division I-A opponent was over Clemson on Nov. 13, 2004. Both were at home.

Duke has dropped 15 consecutive road games, with their last victory away from Durham coming on Nov. 22, 2003 over North Carolina. The Blue Devils host the Tar Heels in their Nov. 25 season finale.

Duke lost 28-7 to Boston College on Saturday.

"Defensively, I think we're much better at this point in the season. Offensively, everybody's getting better," safety Chris Davis said. "You can still call us young - the majority of our receivers are sophomores. Offensive line, all sophomores. ... Our quarterback is a freshman. Some people might say that's an excuse. I'm definitely not using it as an excuse. But it's the facts."

The Blue Devils are one of two winless schools in Division I-A this season, joining Florida International.

[2Slick]

Mississippi State vs. Arkansas

GAME: Arkansas at Mississippi State
TIME: 02:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Scott Field



Arkansas is thrilled to be in position to play for the SEC championship. Even the national title is a possibility now, too.

With their highest ranking in 21 years, the No. 5 Razorbacks can wrap up a spot in the conference title game when they visit Mississippi State on Saturday.

Picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC West, Arkansas (9-1, 6-0) is the league's only team without a loss in conference play. With a 1 1/2-game lead on second-place Auburn, the Razorbacks need a win Saturday or next week against No. 9 LSU to clinch the division and earn a matchup with third-ranked Florida for the SEC championship on Dec. 2.

The only other time Arkansas won the SEC West title outright came in 1995, when it lost 34-3 to Florida in the championship game. The school's only other trip came in 2002, a 30-3 loss to Georgia.

"Our guys see things and see that we might be able to win an SEC title and they are excited," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "They know what's in front of them and they are loving it."

Arkansas fans were loving what transpired last weekend. While many teams ahead of them in the BCS standings lost, the Razorbacks beat then-No. 13 Tennessee 31-14 on national television to bring the program into the BCS title picture.

The win, along with losses by Louisville, Auburn, Texas and California, helped push Arkansas to No. 7 in the latest BCS standings.

"When they talk about the one-loss teams, we don't get mentioned too much," Razorbacks tailback Darren McFadden said. "I just feel like we proved ourselves."

McFadden may have catapulted himself into the Heisman Trophy race, rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns besides throwing a TD pass against the Volunteers.

All of his SEC-leading 12 touchdown runs have come during Arkansas' current nine-game winning streak, dating to a season-opening loss to No. 4 Southern California. McFadden's 1,219 rushing yards, including 529 over the past three games, are easily the most in the conference.

"I have only been around one other back like him," Nutt said. "He reminds me of Barry Sanders. Darren has great speed and he is extremely tough. He has utilized the great blocking up front to make things happen. His versatility gives us an opportunity to use him in a variety of ways."

Nutt, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State when Sanders played there, has led the Razorbacks to their highest ranking since they were No. 4 in October 1985. Their nine-game win streak is the program's longest since a 10-game run in 1988.

Despite Mississippi State (3-7, 1-5) being tied for last place in the SEC West, Nutt will not allow his team to take this game lightly with so much at stake for the program.

"This is it. This is championship week. This is where you take it," he said. "This is Super Bowl week. It's this week and it's in Starkville."

Each of the last five games between these teams in Starkville have been decided by seven points or less, but Arkansas has won seven straight meetings overall since 1998.

Last year's matchup saw McFadden rush for 165 yards in a 44-10 victory. Both of his touchdowns came in the first quarter and the Razorbacks led 41-3 at halftime.

"The key is that we've got to get our heads out of the clouds pretty quick," Bulldogs coach Sylvester Croom said. "Real simple. I show them the first quarter of last year's football game and I think we'll get back down to earth real fast. I think that was the first time I was just totally embarrassed by our football team."

Croom's team, though, is coming off a bye week and has been anything but a pushover lately. Following three-point losses to Georgia and Kentucky, Mississippi State won 24-16 at Alabama on Nov. 4 for its first conference victory of the season.

[2Slick]

Notre Dame vs. Army

GAME: Army at Notre Dame
TIME: 02:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Notre Dame Stadium



The pieces keep falling into place for Notre Dame, and its chances of playing for a national championship keep getting better.

The sixth-ranked Irish look to extend their winning streak to eight games when they host Army Saturday, one week before their highly anticipated visit to No. 4 Southern California.

Notre Dame (9-1) began last week ranked ninth in the AP poll, but following a 39-17 win at Air Force - and losses by some of the nation's top teams - the Irish moved up three spots, renewing hope for a spot on the national stage.

The Irish moved up four spots to fifth in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

"I think their expectation level is going up," coach Charlie Weis said. "Just like every fan and follower of Notre Dame football, when things around them start helping, when other teams start losing, that causes optimism for them as well."

So does a seven-game win streak, which started after a disappointing 47-21 home loss to No. 2 Michigan on Sept. 16.

"We've already had our blemish, it's been well documented," Weis said.

Weis hopes this weekend's matchup against Army (3-7) - the team's third meeting against a service academy this season - won't stop his team's run.

"I think that they will all be fired up to play their last home game here," Weis said. "I think that's where we are right now, and I think that's the way I'm trying to get them to think."

After a convincing victory over Air Force, Notre Dame now hosts an Army team it's defeated in 13 of the last 14 contests since 1947. The Irish have won 12 straight in the series, but have not played the Black Knights since a 20-17 home victory in 1998.

Despite Notre Dame's success against Army, Weis doesn't want the Irish to look ahead to their matchup with the Trojans.

"All I can do with our program is to go beat Army, and if we beat Army, then we try to beat the next guys," he said. "And if we've done that, we've done what we can do."

Notre Dame had a strong offensive effort against Air Force, racking up 383 total yards despite controlling the clock for just 21:25.

"With the very few chances we had, we had to make them count," said running back Darius Walker, who rushed for a season-tying 153 yards and a touchdown.

Walker, who has 921 rushing yards this season, could have a big day against Army. The Black Knights are ranked 111th in the nation against the run, allowing 190.2 yards per game, but are giving up just 164.3 passing yards a contest - tied for 18th in the country.

Army will be trying to contain Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, who has thrown four touchdowns passes in each of the last two games and is third in the nation with 29 TD passes.

Quinn found four different receivers in the end zone last weekend, including senior Jeff Samardzija on the opening drive of the game. Samardzija, who had six receptions for 106 yards, holds the team record for most career touchdown receptions with 24.

Quinn, however, will not be able to throw to tight end John Carlson, who will miss the next two games with a right knee injury. Carlson ranks fourth in the nation among tight ends with 62.1 receiving yards per game.

Army, meeting a ranked team for the first time this season, is mired in a four-game skid after a 43-7 home loss to Air Force on Nov. 3. The defeat cost the Black Knights a chance for a berth in the Poinsettia Bowl.

"The first thing I'm going to do is try to forget about it," quarterback Carson Williams said. "You have to forget about your losses."

The Black Knights scored their only touchdown with 1:39 left in the game on a pass by David Pevoto, who was 4-for-5 for 54 yards. Williams completed 8 of 16 passes for 62 yards and four interceptions.

Army will play Navy in its season finale On Dec. 2.

Notre Dame is 35-1 against service academies since 1986.