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Over the summer, CSTV.com will be taking a look at the college football schedule, highlighting the top matchups, the can't-miss games and the storylines that make certain contests so intriguing. Check in every Friday for the heads-up on what games are shaping up to be the best each week, the worst each week and a few others that have piqued our interest.
It's kind of a paltry week for top tier games. The ACC is devoid of any major matchups. Same goes for the Big East and Big Ten.
It's a week that just happens to feature a ton of games pitting middle of the road teams against conference powers. So don't be surprised if we see a few upsets that put a big crimp in some team's conference championship dreams. League play is never easy.
Here's a possible preview of the SEC championship game, with two of the favorites to win their respective divisions. Auburn will bring in an offense that figures to be just as strong as last season's when they led the conference in total offense and scoring offense. QB Brandon Cox and RB Kenny Irons are back for the Tigers, but could be neutralized by Georgia's Quentin Moses and the rest of the Bulldogs' defensive line that figures to be one of the strongest in the SEC. Georgia has played Auburn more than any other team in school history and would love to avenge last year's one point home loss.
The Red Raiders won a close one last year against the Sooners, taking a two-point victory over a team they had not beaten in over seven years. Texas Tech didn't catch the Sooners team that had struggled earlier in 2005, either. Oklahoma came in on a four game winning streak and suffered their only loss in their final seven games of the year to Tech. This will be the Sooners' last home game of the season and - in all likelihood - the last chance for many in Norman to see Adrian Peterson donning an Oklahoma uniform.
Oregon isn't getting a whole lot of respect, but the Ducks should be one of the better teams in the Pac-10 - albeit not quite in the same class as USC and Cal. The Trojans are still the cream of the crop and all roads to a conference title run through Los Angeles until someone takes it from them. The Ducks are just 15-35-2 against USC all-time, including last year's 45-13 loss in Eugene where Oregon had the Trojans against the ropes. The Ducks led 13-0 in the first half before USC woke up. USC will be wide awake for this one. They're back home for the first of a brutal four-game stretch. Cal, Notre Dame and UCLA all follow Oregon.
No, it's not a true rivalry, but since Steve Spurrier is in the equation, this certainly qualifies. Florida lost by eight last November to the Ol' Ball Coach in his first matchup against his former team in Columbia. Now Spurrier will bring the Gamecocks down to The Swamp for the first time since his arrival at South Carolina. How will the fans react? How will Spurrier handle all the questions and scrutiny leading up to the game? Will it be a distraction to his players? One thing is for sure, it won't be an easy task for South Carolina to come away with a victory.
