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| Saturday, October 14 Games to watch By Howie Schwab ESPN.com | |||||
| With little more than a month left in the regular season, there is still a lot to look forward to. There are annual rivalries and important contests which will determine league championships.
In chronological order, here are the top 20 games to watch, excluding league championship games like the SEC and Big 12.
Oct. 23, Tennessee at Alabama Drew Brees can make a Heisman stance. This is Penn State's toughest road test of the season (yes, Miami wasn't a cakewalk!). Penn State won 31-13 in last year's meeting. Is this payback time, hurting the Nittany Lions' national championship hopes? Oct. 23, Nebraska at Texas The Huskers enter unbeaten and still hopeful of a BCS Championship game invitation. This is one of the toughest games on the schedule. Nebraska would like to return the favor in Austin after the Longhorns snapped the Huskers' 47-game home win streak in Lincoln last season. Nov. 6, Notre Dame at Tennessee One of the more anticipated games going into the '99 campaign, Notre Dame's slow start took a little luster off. It is still a big deal to knock off Notre Dame, and the sea of Orange-clad fans will be loud. Nov. 6, Wisconsin at Purdue Ron Dayne vs. Drew Brees. The winner here may get a better bowl bid down the line. Nov. 6, Texas A&M at Nebraska Another revenge situation, since the Aggies scored a 28-21 win last season. If the Cornhuskers got past Texas, this would have a lot more meaning in the national championship picture. Nov. 6, Washington at Arizona After the way these teams started, it's incredible that this contest could have Rose Bowl ramifications. Then again, the Pac-10 is still wide open. Nov. 13, Michigan at Penn State This was supposed to be the top game in the Big Ten this season. Hard to top Michigan-Michigan State. If this were in Ann Arbor, Joe Paterno would be sweating. Still an obstacle in Penn State's national championship dream. Nov. 13, Kansas State at Nebraska Give Bill Snyder a lot of credit for his team's success. Then again, the schedule has been extremely favorable, with a win at Texas the only real test to date. Going to Lincoln will be a challenge; the last time the Wildcats won there was 1968. Kansas State last beat Nebraska in consecutive years in 1958-59. Nov. 13, Miami (Fla.) at Virginia Tech The Hokies should be undefeated going into this contest. If everything works out, Virginia Tech would be in place to contend for a BCS slot and maybe even the Sugar Bowl. Miami is capable of playing spoiler. Nov. 13, Mississippi State at Alabama This game should have meaning in the SEC West race. Jackie Sherrill would love to ruin things for DuBose. Nov. 20, Florida State at Florida Expected to be the game of the year, this looks like Florida State's only obstacle to a BCS title game berth. It's never easy to win at Gainesville; the Seminoles are 1-3 in their last four trips there. Nov. 20, Ohio State at Michigan Always a great rivalry, this has added meaning considering Michigan's loss last year cost the Wolverines a Rose Bowl trip. Nov. 20, Alabama at Auburn This could have added significance since DuBose could be on the hot seat. Auburn may need a win here to secure a bowl bid. Nov. 20, Penn State at Michigan State Hard to believe that this could now be the Big Ten game of the year. This looked like an easy Penn State win when looking at this match-up prior to the season. Nov. 20, UCLA at USC This game could have bowl ramifications also. The loser could be spending a long December watching games on TV. Nov. 20, California at Stanford Strike up the band! Where is The Tree? Stanford could be in the Rose Bowl picture, too. Nov. 26, Texas at Texas A&M The Aggies were a top 10 team when the Longhorns and Ricky Williams stunned them last season. Things could be different in College Station. Big 12 title game ramifications are also possible here. Nov. 27, Georgia at Georgia Tech Joe Hamilton gets a last shot at impressing Heisman voters. These are two solid programs. The last four meetings have been decided by single figures. Nov. 27, Syracuse at Miami This probably won't affect the Big East championship (Virginia Tech should win that), yet there will be plenty of intensity in this showdown. | ALSO SEE
Chalk Talk: Who will be No. 1?Midseason Report: Top 10 games Midseason Report: Top Moments Midseason Report: Top Upsets Midseason Report: Surprising Teams Midseason Report: Surprising Players Midseason Report: Disappointing Teams Midseason Report: Disappointing Players Midseason Report: Herbstreit's fabulous freshmen Midseason Report: Conference highs and lows  Harig: Halftime showVideo Plays of the Season | ||||
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