Well, folks, it's that time of the college ball season again. And by, "that time" I mean, the end. If I had but one complaint about college ball (and believe me, that is not the case), it would be that the season is too short. September, October, and November, that's all we get. Then Bowl games for a month, but each bowl game you're seeing the team for the last time. 3 months and one game. Fourteen games, max.

Anyway, now that we're nearing the end, the races are going to be wrapping up in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, there are still too many games (41) with some sort of implication for one of the races, so we won't be doing TOTAL COVERAGE just yet. But every preview will include what the game could do for it's race. So, with all of that out of the way...

Tonight, 7:30 - Louisville @ Rutgers - Well, the Scarlet Knights have been media darlings ever since their undefeated streak hit, oh, I don't know, three games. The perennia Big East doormats have turned into a minor powerhouse this season. The crzy thing is, though, the Big East is already in the extremely rare position of having two top ten teams presently. If Rutgers could catapualt them both, they could be in National Title Contention. Louisville is already in National Title contention. But playing the schedules they do, 1 loss will do them in. As far as the Big East goes, both of these teams are 3-0 in conference. Whoever wins this week will be in solid position to win the Conference Title and go on to A BCS game, if not The Big One. Louisville would have it virtually sewn up, by virtue of their win over West Virginia (Rutgers has not played the Mountaineers yet).

8:00 - Wyoming @ Brigham Young - The Mountain West Conference game of the week has the Stormin' Mormons of BYU (ok, so they're actually called the Cougars; ya, right, like I'm ever going to call them that!) host the Wyoming Cowboys, and the ugliest uniform this side of the Oregon Ducks' Banana Man Alternate Uniform. The Stormin' Mormons are undefeated and already lead the rest of the Conferrence by two games in the loss column. It would take a collapse of Biblical Proportions to bring them down at this point, and if they win this week, I'm not even sure a collapse of WhateverbookitisthatMormonsreadical Proportions could do it. If Wyoming wins, they climb back into the race to the top but they still need help. Remember, BYU has to lose twice before anyone else can catch them.

Friday, 7:00 - Western Michigan @ Central Michigan - No, this isn't a Wolverines intrasquad scrimmage. Western and Central Michigan are two of the three "directional" Michigan Universities that play in the MAC (guess what the other one is called...). Unlike the third school, though, CMU and WMU are having great seasons on the gridiron, and find themselves in a battle for first place in the MAC West. Whoever wins this game, coupled with Northern Illinois' loss Wednesday Night, will pretty much have the division locked up. In fact, if Central Michigan wins, they will have the division locked up.

Saturday, 12:00 - Georgia Tech @ North Carolina - I expect this game to be a blowout, I mention it for one reason and one reason only. Should Georgia tech win (and they fucking should), they clinch the ACC Coastal Division. Should that happen, the ACC would be on its way to a Championship Game featuring two old-school ACC teams (Tech vs. Wake Forest, Maryland, or Clemson, with BC the only school that could get in the way of that).

12:30 - Georgia vs. Auburn - Ok, Georgia sucks this year. But the Bulldogs play with pride, and they'll give Auburn a game this week. I hope.

1:00 - Marshall @ East Carolina - There is a logjam of three two-loss teams atop the C-USA East. After this game, there will be but two. EU has the tiebraker on the other 2-loss team (Southern Mississippi, who play Tulane this week), so if they win they will be in very good shape. If Marshall wins, they'll be looking good, too, but they'd have to get by the Eagles, as well.

3:00 - Rice @ Tulsa - The C-USA West has an interesting race, as well, with two-one loss teams in front (Tulsa and Houston; Houston has beaten Tulsa, giving it the edge in that very important tiebraker), and two two-loss teams (Rice and Southern Methodist - both of which have been terrible programs recently but are putting together solid seasons this year) waiting to get back into the mix should the top two fall again. Rice has the opportunity here to knock one of those two back into the mix with it and SMU (?), but even if they win, they need Houston to lose. In fact, that is the same case with Tulsa, even if they win, somone has to knock off Houston in order for them to get the prize.

Houston vs. Southern Methodist - That's right kids, same bat time, different bat channel. Houston vs. SMU is the other half of the C-USA West race. There are four possible outcomes after these games have ended. Either 1) both 1-loss teams will win, making it a 2-horse race, 2) Houston will win and Tulsa will lose, which will give Houston the division, 3) Tulsa will win and Houston will lose, which will put Tulsa in very good position but not rock-solid just yet, or 4) both 1-loss teams will lose, and that would create an orgy of 2-loss team vying for the prize.

3:30 - South Carolina @ Florida - Yes, the Gators already have the SEC East. But did you honestly think I wouldn't put Spurrier's return to the Swamp on my list?

Miami (FL) @ Maryland - Well, Jesus. God only knows how this game will turn out. Will the Terps get an energized, enthusiastic Miami playing for their fallen comrade, or a lethargic, disinterested Miami, mourning a horrible end to a horrible season. And will it matter, either way? If Maryland does win, they stay atop the ACC COastal with one-loss, perhaps tied with Wake. If they lose, they still have the opportunity to make it up, with remaining games against BC and Wake, and a game in hand over Clemson.

Nebraska @ Texas A&M - Two teams that have been trying to get things back together this season - but I can't see either one of these competing with the Big 12's Big 2 anytime soon. Well, Nebraska should literally be competing with one of them sometime soon - they are likely headed to the Big 12 Championship Game, win or lose; in fact, if they win, they lock it up this week. As for Texas A&M - well, this game is more about bowl position than their position relative to catching the Longhorns.

California @ Arizona - Cal should win handily, and if they do, and Oregon beats USC later on, then California is your 2006 Pac-10 football champion.

4:00 - Troy @ Florida Atlantic - The Sun Belt Conference has two unbeatens - Troy and Middle Tennessee State - in conference play. Arkansas State has one-loss, and Florida Atlantic and Louisiana-Lafayette have 2....

5:00 - Middle Tennessee State @ Arkansas State - ...So, we one-again have four possible outcomes. 1) MTSU and Troy remain undefeated, putting themselves 2-up in the loss column over anyone else and setting up a virtual Big Sun Conference Title Game when the two play later on. 2) MTSU wins but Troy loses, meaning MTSU sits atop the Conference, but hardly in sturdy poisiton as they have to play Troy, who would be the sole 1-loss team in the aforementioned later meeting between the two, which I guess would still be a virtual title game, assuming neither loses again before that. 3) Troy and Arkansas State win, which would put Troy in first but in an even more tenuous position, because they would have to play the TWO remaining 1-loss teams (MTSU and Arkansas State, in this case), as opposed to just having to play one. 4) MTSU and Troy both lose, and now you have 3 1-loss teams, and at least 1 two-loss team waiting in the wings.

6:00 - Boise State @ San Jose State - Boise State is one of the remaining National unbeatens (not in conference play, but overall) and they enjoy a 1-game lead in the WAC over Hawaii (they also have the tiebraker vs. the Warriors) and San Jose State, who could erase that defecit Saturday. If Boise State wins, then they have all but sealed up the conference title. If SJSU wins, then the WAC will go into a bit of chaos at the top (SJSU and Hawaii have yet to meet each other).

7:00 - Tennessee @ Arkansas - Tennessee is a two-loss team, but they're already out of the race in their division. Arkansas has been the suprise team of the year in the SEC, leaping out to a divisional lead. But pulling off the underdog routine in the SEC is very hard, and Arkansas still has a lot to prove before they find themselves marching into the Georgia Dome in December.

7:45 - Alabama @ Louisiana State - The Bayou Bengals still have SEC Title aspirations, despite their two losses. This may be the most athletically gifted team in the country, and they are playing better every week. Alabama is relling after losing to Sylvester Croom's Mississippi State Bulldogs, but don't expect Alabama to Roll, Tide, Roll over with this much pride at stake.

8:00 - Wake Forest @ Florida State - Every week, it seems, Wake has to prove themselves all over again. Now, they face a huge psychological hurdle - traveling to Doak Walker. At least Maryland got to play the Noles - and the Canes, for that matter - at home. If they win, they stay at the top. If they lose, they fall back and maybe the doubt begins to creep in...

Texas @ Kansas State - The only reason I mention his should-be laugher is because when - excuse me, I mean if - Texas wins, they clinch the Big 12 North officially.

10:15 - Oregon @ Southern California - The good football goes on into the night with this key Pac 10 contest. If USC wins, then Oregon drops out of the race and the USC/Cal match-up would serve as the de facto title game. If Oregon wins, then California could clinch the conference title with the win they should have gotten over Arizona by now. I guess Oregon is pretty much cooked either way. Unless Zona has a miracle inside of them.

Damn, I got 20 games on this list. And I'm going to be missing nearly all of them because of weddings. This is why you don't schedule weddings in November, folks! That, and it's too fucking cold.