Houston is thriving in the spotlight picking up its 11th win of the season with the College Gameday crew in town last week. The regular season finale with Tulsa may be their toughest test so far. Both teams are 7-0 in Conference USA. Tulsa may have three loses, but they were to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. If they had played an easier non-conference schedule, we might be talking about a BCS Top 10 showdown right here. Houston is obviously known by their prolific passer, Case Keenum, but their defense has been solid as well. Tulsa has a potent offense as well. Quarterback G.J. Kinne has a quarterback rating nearly as high as Kennum's. The Golden Hurricanes also feature the conference's best rushing attack averaging 210.1 ypg and a combined 597 yards their past two games. Trey Watts and Ja'Terian Douglas lead the two-prong attack. This game should tell us a lot about Houston's chances in BCS bowl, should they make it to one. Prediction: Houston 45 Tulsa 41
4. #5 Virginia Tech @ Virginia - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2/ESPN3
The fact that if Virginia Tech wins they play in the ACC Championship, comes as no surprise. The fact that if Virginia pulls the upset they play in the championship game instead is quite surprising. Virginia Tech is looking for its fourth trip to the game in five years. On the other hand, Virginia went 4-8 last season. They seemed to be on the right track under second year head coach Mike London, but no one thought he would turn it around this quickly. Virginia Tech would love another shot at Clemson in the championship game. The Tigers embarrased the Hokies at home for their only loss of the season. This game should be a low-scoring, defensively-dominated game. There is a lot on the line for both teams as the look to continue their hopes of playing in the Orange Bowl. Prediction: Virginia 16 Virginia Tech 14
3. #19 Penn State @ #16 Wisconsin - 3:30 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3
Both these teams have played some great football to overcome some challenging adversity. Penn State has endured the upheaval and turmoil surrounding the Sandusky scandal and the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno. Wisconsin had two heartbreaking defeats back-to-back weeks against Michigan State and Ohio State. Now, these football teams just need to focus on winning this game because the winner wins the Leaders Division and gets the berth in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game against Legends Division winner Michigan State. Last week, Penn State won only their second game against Ohio State in Columbus since joining the Big Ten. Running back Stephfon Green ran for two first half touchdowns to lead the Nittany Lions offense. Wisconsin is coming in on a three game winning streak, with wins against Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois. The winner of this game gets the Spartans with a trip to the Rose Bowl up for grabs. Prediction: Wisconsin 28 Penn State 20
2. #2 Alabama @ #24 Auburn - 3:30 PM EST, CBS
You might think that Alabama has this game in the bag based on their superior talent. Not so fast. Nothing is easy when it comes to the Iron Bowl, one of the fiercest rivarlies in college football. Auburn pulled the upset last year to earn the in-state bragging rights. They would love to do it again this year. After all, Alabama thought they would have a cupcake game against Georgia Southern last week, but the Eagles exposed some holes in that Crimson Tide defense. The running back most people will focus on this game is Heisman candidate Trent Richardson. Richardson has 1380 rushing yards on the season and 20 touchdowns. Auburn though has a running back I like as my X-Factor of the game. The playmaker's name is Onterio McCalebb. McCalebb made some plays against LSU's defense earlier this season. If the Tigers are going to have a shot, they'll need him to do it again. Prediction: Alabama 24 Auburn 17
1. #3 Arkansas @ #1 LSU - 2:30 PM EST (Friday), CBS
LSU is still undefeated and has been the only consistent team in the BCS polls, but they face another tough test this weekend in Arkansas. With the exception of Alabama, LSU has beaten everyone they've played this year by at least 13 points. However, history says that this one should be closer than that. The last five games between these two teams have been decided by eight points or less, and Arkansas has won three out of the last four. The X-Factor in this game is the offensive line for Arkansas. We all know how good the Tigers defense is, so they have to give their best effort to protect quarterback Tyler Wilson. When Wilson has the time to work, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. He has thrown for a conference-leading 3215 passing yards, but has also been sacked 18 times. Prediction: Arkansas 27 LSU 21
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