College Football Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Houston may not be used to being ranked, but the Cougars deserve to be there after last year’s 10-win season. Star quarterback Case Keenum returns, as well as the majority of his offense and seven starters on defense

If there was ever a year for North Carolina to put itself back on the map, it would be this year. Coming off a successful 8-5 campaign, the Tar Heels return 19 of 21 starters, including defensive standouts Marvin Austin

Few teams in the country return more experience on one side of the ball than Florida State, which brings back every offensive starter.

Cincinnati had one of its best years ever last season, culminating with a 12-1 record and a Sugar Bowl berth. Though the Bearcats return 13 starters, the biggest missing name from last year’s stat lines is quarterback Tony Pike, who is now in the NFL.

The only reason to watch Arkansas pummel Tennessee Tech is to see Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Ryan Mallett, a junior who threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns

Every few years, Penn State gets a crack at its next door neighbors in Ohio by taking out some early season aggression on lowly Youngstown State. While YSU never puts up much of a fight

Nebraska returns 17 starters, but most noticeably missing is defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was the second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The Cornhuskers won’t worry much about a Western Kentucky team that was 0-12 last year

If Florida was playing intrastate foe Miami (FL), this would be a fantastic Week 1 game. As it is, the Gators are playing a much less intimidating Miami squad – the RedHawks from Ohio, who finished 1-11 last year.

Last year was uncharacteristic for Oklahoma, which finished a disappointing 8-5. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford returned for a shot at the national championship

Unlike the typical Week 1 match up, Wisconsin will be facing a bit of a challenge when it travels to Las Vegas to play a pesky UNLV team that finished 5-7

While New Mexico coach Mike Locksley continues to make headlines by bringing in high profile transfers – athlete Lamaar Thomas from Ohio State and wide receiver Deon Long from West Virginia, among others – he has yet to actually be successful as a head coach

TCU versus Oregon State is another case similar to Boise State, where a team has been criticized in the past for not playing a tough enough schedule to merit a BCS bowl game or an opportunity to play for the national championship. This year, TCU is challenging itself, playing a Top 25 team

Few teams had a better first nine weeks of the season last year than Iowa, who came out of the gates with a 9-0 record and found itself in the national championship game discussion.

Despite being a road game for Texas, roughly 85 percent of the crowd in Houston at Rice University will be wearing burnt orange. A reasonable three hour drive from Austin, Longhorns fans will pack the stadium to the point where the only reminder that it the game is not being held in Austin is the size of the stadium

One of the most intriguing match ups of the first week in college football, UConn travels to Michigan as a slight underdog, a feat that 10 years ago would have been unheard of. This is shaping up to be a potentially special year for UConn, as the Huskies return 17 starters, including junior running back Jordan Todman, who carried 235 times for 1,188 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore

Returning eight offensive starters from last year’s national championship team is good news for Alabama, and terrible news for San Jose State. The Spartans finished 2009 with a disappointing 2-10 record, but return 15 starters. Alabama’s running back duo of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram

This won’t be the USC team that you’re used to seeing. With former head coach Pete Carroll now calling the shots in Seattle for the NFL’s Seahawks and former

Miami gets its first chance to show the nation why it is an ACC championship contender when it plays Florida A&M in Week

Last year was a special one for Pittsburgh, who finished 10-3 with a bid in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Panthers return five starters, two of whom are the most important to the team’s success: running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin

Despite reaching its fifth consecutive BCS bowl game in 2009, last year’s 11-2 Ohio State team disappointed some who thought that it could have been a legitimate title contender. The Buckeyes return just about everybody on offense – 10 of 11 starters – including quarterback Terrelle Pryor

The point spread may be close, but this game will not. Alabama and Texas both got through their seasons with undefeated schedules, but Texas didn’t have to get through a Florida, Virginia Tech, Mississippi, South Carolina, or LSU

One of the best mid major teams this year, Central Michigan would like to send off senior quarterback Dan LeFevour on a high note. The passer threw for 234 yards per game and 27 touchdowns to 6 interceptions in leading the Chippewas to an 11-2 season.

Few people thought that Georgia Tech would be in a BCS bowl game just two years after hiring head coach Paul Johnson, but his tricky run option offense has other teams confused and the Yellow Jackets plowing through opponents.

In a battle of the mid major football teams, the Fiesta Bowl pits Texas Christian against Boise State. Both teams are undefeated, combining for a 25-0 record, having blown out most of their opponents. A poor strength of schedule due to a weak conference

With a public relations disaster causing serious problems at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders are extremely unfocused heading into their January bowl game. Head coach Mike Leach was dismissed due to abusing a wide receiver on the team

East Carolina must appreciate another opportunity to win a Liberty Bowl. After leading 16-3 in last year’s Liberty Bowl, the Pirates lost 25-19 to Kentucky.

With nine wins under their belt, Oklahoma State is looking for its first 10 win season since head coach Mike Gundy was a quarterback on the team. A win in the Cotton Bowl would compensate for a painful 27-0 shut out loss against Oklahoma in the season finale

Both South Carolina and UCONN enter this game with a 7-5 record and a losing record in conference play. The Gamecocks play in a much tougher SEC conference, while Connecticut dealt with the death of a teammate early in the season, which served as a distraction. Though UCONN won its last three games, topping Notre Dame, Syracuse and South Florida, the Huskies will have their hands full

South Florida has been distracted since the end of their season because of an off the field incident between head coach Jim Leavitt and player Joel Miller. The Bulls could have come out and beaten Northern Illinois by 17 points, otherwise. As it stands, South Florida may come out with a bang

It is rare to see Ohio State as an underdog in a January bowl game. After all, head coach Jim Tressel typically enjoys a Big Ten Championship to go along with either a National Championship game or a Rose Bowl victory

Outside of a pair of conference losses, Penn State ran through the rest of its schedule, winning every single game by double digits. LSU would be 9-1 if it had not had played against No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Alabama, but the Tigers showed they could win some big games

With 44 years under his belt, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will get one last chance to leave his post on a positive note. The Seminoles (6-6) have steadily declined from their reign of terror in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but still manage

Northwestern and Auburn took distinctly different paths en route to the Outback Bowl. The Wildcats won their last three games, including two against ranked opponents – wins at No. 8 Iowa and against No. 17 Wisconsin – while Auburn lost five of its last seven games. All in all, it was a successful season for Northwestern

While Air Force may be honored to play in the Armed Forces Bowl, the Falcons have a poor track record at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, compiling an 0-6 record over the last handful of years. Air Force is just 7-5 this season, their first non 10 win season since 2005 when the Falcons were 6-6.

When Oklahoma and Stanford meet in the Sun Bowl, it will be a cross roads of two different teams who have had completely different seasons. Behind the stellar play of Heisman finalist running back Toby Gerhart, Stanford had its best season in eight years, finishing 8-4 with a No. 19 ranking

Though coach Lane Kiffin has done a good job creating some buzz around his Tennessee program in his first year, the Volunteers are just 7-5, with losses to UCLA, Auburn and Mississippi. Those three games were big losses in the year, and while the Vols lost to No. 1 Florida and No. 1 Alabama

The Texas Bowl may be one of the more interesting bowl games to watch this season, as it pits one of the nation’s top passing offenses (Missouri) against one of the nation’s top rushing offenses (Navy). Yet somehow, these two teams have not met in nearly 50 years. Many expected Missouri to have a down year

More impressive than Minnesota’s third trip to the Insight Bowl in four years is Iowa State’s turn around in the last year. The Cyclones were 2-10 in 2008 after starting the season 2-0. Iowa State is now 6-6 and, though they lost their rivalry game against Iowa as well as both of their games against ranked opponents

Nebraska was this close to a BCS bowl game. A heart breaking 13-12 loss to Texas on a miracle field goal kept the Cornhuskers away from a big time bowl berth. They now face off against Arizona, a team that lost two games by a field goal this season to prevent them from a 10-2 season

Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes may be the only reason to watch this game. The Falcons wide out is just five catches away from holding the NCAA’s all time mark for receptions in a season, with 142. Barnes is Bowling Green’s biggest threat, hauling in 158 yards per game and reaching the end zone 14 times

After starting off the season 5-0, it looked like Wisconsin was going to be the team to beat in the Big 10. However, a pair of losses to Ohio State and Iowa quickly put into perspective who the players were in the conference

Temple coach Al Golden is one of the most coveted big time head coaching prospects in the near future, after taking the Owls to their first bowl game in 30 years. Golden turned the program around quickly after inheriting poor facilities and a practically non existent fan base

Though neither Texas A&M nor Georgia had what would qualify as a good year, both teams have put up lots of points and allowed even more points throughout the season. Georgia did themselves a disservice in the middle of the season when the Bulldogs lost three out of four games

Your eyes are not deceiving you, and this is not December 2006, when these teams met in the Music City Bowl last time. Instead, it is the same match up, but with all new players, although Kentucky is trying to repeat their 28-20 win from the ’06 game.

Coming into the season, Southern Cal would have bet the house that they would be playing in a January bowl game. After all, the Trojans have not played in a December bowl game in nearly 10 years. Pete Carroll did not have much of a choice, having started freshman quarterback Matt Barkley

Pittsburgh was so, so close to being invited to a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game. And they will not be forgetting it any time soon. The Panthers dropped the Big East Championship game to Cincinnati in a heart breaking fashion

Though it has been renamed since last year, the first annual Little Caesars Bowl is far from the first Detroit bowl game held at Ford Field. The bowl was previously named the Motor City Bowl, and has featured Central Michigan each of the last three seasons

The Hawaii Bowl signifies a much bigger moment for SMU head coach June Jones than simply a homecoming to his former school. Instead, he has turned around a program plagued with failure and NCAA sanctions in less than two years. Now, Jones is looking for SMU’s first post season win in nearly 25 years

There is not much suspense in BYU playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cougars are appearing in their fifth straight Las Vegas Bowl, having won two and lost two. It is Oregon State’s second appearance in the bowl, and if history is any indication, the Beavers will win again

At first glance, a game pitting No. 2 Texas against a three loss Nebraska team looks like a blood bath waiting to happen. Not so fast. Even though Texas has not faltered once this year – winning every game but one by at least 10 points – they won’t be facing a cream puff defense like they have seen a handful of times this year against teams like Central Florida, UTEP and Wyoming

If there is one thing that Houston can do, and can do well, it is scoring a flurry of points quickly. In fact, the Cougars lead the country in yardage and points per game, and have tallied 64 offensive touchdowns in 12 games. Houston has put up 45 points or more six times this season

Though Clemson has managed to work its way into the ACC Championship Game and a possible Orange Bowl bid, a Tigers loss this weekend would leave the team wondering ‘What if we had beaten 2-10 Maryland earlier this season?’. A conference title would be icing on the cake, even though both Clemson and Georgia Tech both lost to their mediocre in state rivals last week

Pittsburgh had strung together six straight wins to the point where they had forgotten what it felt like to lose. Then unranked West Virginia gave them a harsh dose of reality and brought the Panthers back to earth with a 19-16 win over the Mountaineers’ arch rivals

Unlike most games this weekend, the Boise State versus New Mexico State match up does not shape up to be a suspenseful game by any means. The Broncos are favored by nearly seven touchdowns, and for good reason. New Mexico State ranks last in the entire NCAA in both offensive yardage

Fresno State and Illinois isn’t exactly a marquee match up late in the season. Neither team has had a ton of success this year, with Illinois nearly firing head coach Ron Zook and Fresno State boasting a 7-4 overall record with no wins over BCS teams. In addition, neither team has been much of a cash cow

If this one sided rivalry lives up to its recent history, or even its long term history, this game should be all West Virginia from the get go. The Mountaineers absolutely own this match up, tallying a 30-4-2 record, much of that success coming since 1980. West Virginia has won the last 14 meetings between these two teams. However, if there is one ray of shining light

As expected, Washington snapped their four game losing streak with a triumphant 30-0 shut out over in state foe Washington State last week. The win was good for the Huskies’ fourth of the year, and four more than their horrendous 0-12 campaign in 2008.

Southern Cal has had a disappointing season for sure, and that has culminated in an 8-3 season to date, their most losses in nearly a decade. The Trojans have been even worse to bettors, covering just three of their 11 games this season. Though Arizona hasn’t been much better covering the spread

Guess how many wins Western Kentucky has at home this season? Here’s a hint: it’s exactly the same number as wins they have on the road. Want to know the answer?

If the statistics point one obvious thing out about the two top teams in the country playing each other, it is that this game will be a low scoring slug fest. While Florida and Alabama are playing for an appearance in the National Championship and an SEC Championship, consider that Florida has the No. 1 defense in the country

What happens when two teams who have had over achieving seasons, one of which has high scoring shoot outs each week (Oregon) and the other who has low scoring battles (Oregon State) meets? Your guess is as good as mine. Fortunately, we can be sure that Oregon will win this game outright, as they won the match up last year 65-38. The Ducks appear to be the superior team

Two weeks ago, Rice looked like it might have a 0 win season. Things have turned around for the Owls since then, winning two in a row, but that luck will run out on Saturday when they travel across town to play No. 25 Houston

Despite a horrific time management error in last week’s loss to Ole Miss, coach Les Miles has his LSU Tigers ready for battle this weekend against Arkansas. The Tigers have two losses in three weeks but look to end the season on a positive note

From 1972 to 1992, Utah dominated this rivalry, winning 19 of 21 match ups. Things have become a bit more balanced since then, but the Utes still hold a 10-6 advantage since 1992. Both teams are out of the discussion for a BCS bowl

Miami’s 8-3 season thus far has looked a little reminiscent of the Hurricanes of the past – supremely athletic teams who beat their opponents into the ground. Though the 2009 Canes haven’t been as dominant, they have a shot at their first nine win

Last year when these two teams met, Georgia Tech beat Georgia and completed a fairly magical season under first year coach Paul Johnson. Since then, the Yellow Jackets have become one of the powers of the ACC, compiling a 10-1 record – their only loss, a 33-17 hiccup to Miami

New Mexico avoided a winless season by the skin of its teeth with a 29-27 win over Colorado State last week. That, however, is the only win they will get all season, as their final game is on the road

Few people expected USC to have the growing pains it did this season, even starting a true freshman quarterback in Matt Barkley. But the Trojans sit 7-3, their worst season in years, and not in contention for the Pac-10 championship. USC had penciled this game in as a win

Another big rivalry game, the match up between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, better known as the Egg Bowl, is one of the most underrated rivalries in college football. Though Mississippi State is just 4-7 and Ole Miss is riding high at 8-3, this game goes well beyond the football field

Strangely enough, Clemson’s biggest game of the year is against a team not in the Tigers’ conference. The annual game against South Carolina is a year’s worth of bragging rights for the Palmetto State

UNC and NC State are headed in distinctly opposite directions. The Tar Heels are 8-3 and riding a three game winning streak, while NC State is 4-7 and has lost six of their last seven games. Though NC State got the best of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill last year

Back when Florida State was a perennial Top 25 team, this rivalry had a tug of war aspect to it. The Seminoles won five of six between 1998 and 2003, and won six of seven from 1987 to 1993. Since then, FSU has struggled a bit, especially against the Gators, losing their last

In 2007, Pitt surprised the Mountaineers and beat West Virginia in Morgantown. That was a 5-7 Panthers team that year, and since then, Pitt has been on a roll, winning 18 of their last 23 games. They look to take that momentum into Friday’s 102nd meeting

Despite the fact that Illinois coach Ron Zook is said to be returning to coach the team next year, the Illini have nothing to play for on Saturday. A win gets them to 4-7, but still not bowl eligible, and knowing there is nothing more to play for may make the Illini

Texas looks to finish out on a positive note and end the season with an undefeated record prior to going into the Big 12 championship game. To do that, they will have to beat in state foe Texas A&M, a 6-5 team with nothing going for it besides playing the role of spoiler

Last week, Rutgers trumped South Florida in a way that nobody expected, shutting out the Bulls 31-0 for their second shut out of the year. The Scarlet Knights defense looks downright intimidating at times and should have its way with a Syracuse team

Rarely competitive, Washington State has fallen to 1-9 this season and are riding a seven game losing streak. That number will definitely increase to eight in a row when the Beavers come to town this weekend.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh may have put a target on his back when he went for the two point conversion already winning by 27 points against Southern Cal this weekend in a 55-21 win over the Trojans

With Virginia’s 14-10 loss to Boston College last weekend, the Cavaliers are officially bowl ineligible. They are traveling this week as nearly three touchdown underdogs to Clemson, who is currently fighting

Coming off a humbling 55-28 loss to TCU, Utah should come out focused and ready to try to beat a 4-6 San Diego State team badly. The Utes are 8-2 and most likely

As it has become a tradition, both BYU and Air Force are two of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference. It may be classified as a down year for the Falcons, though. If they lose the last game of their year at BYU, they will fall to 7-5

One of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports, Ohio State and Michigan is such a big game that it is referred to sometimes as simply The Game. However, this rivalry has lost a lot of luster over the years. Both teams are having a disappointing season to their normal standards, but this game should be exciting

Penn State versus Michigan State doesn’t have the same rivalry to it as Penn State versus Michigan, but this game should be a fierce battle regardless. The Nittany Lions are 9-2 with both losses coming at home

As expected, Florida has not lost a game yet this season. Their best shot of having another nailbiter is the last week when the Gators travel to play No. 2 Alabama. Florida International shouldn’t stand in Florida’s way too much, though six touchdowns

Though Virginia Tech has not been able to blow teams out this year, they did have an uncharacteristically big showing at Maryland, beating the Terps 36-9. That was more due to Maryland being inept rather than Virginia Tech’s skills

Though Memphis has been woefully bad for most of the season, compiling a 2-8 record along the way, the Tigers haven’t lost too many games by more than three touchdowns. Just two games have been 21 or more point losses for Memphis

Last week was not a good week for either Minnesota or Iowa. The Hawkeyes lost their second game in a row and their second of the season, a heartbreaking overtime loss to Ohio State

It’s never a question who will win when a Top 5 team is playing an FCS team. The odds of Chattanooga even making this game close are astronomical to the point where Las Vegas has not even released a line for it yet.

The Blue Devils wish they could have ended last week’s lopsided loss to Georgia Tech after the first quarter. After all, Duke was leading 10-0 at that point before the Yellow Jackets rattled off seven

Northwestern returns home after winning two unlikely road games in the past two weeks. The Wildcats beat No. 8 Iowa and Illinois, and would like to continue that success with another win at home against a pesky Wisconsin team. The Badgers have had everything fall their way

Things were never rosy this season for Utah State, but the nail in the coffin came two weeks ago when the Aggies fell to seven losses for the season and became bowl ineligible. They bounced back last week with a 24-9 win over San Jose State,

Oregon hopes to complete the sweep of beating Arizona football teams with a win this week on the road at the University of Arizona. The Wildcats may not lay down as much as their in state counterparts Arizona State did in last week’s 44-21 win

Wyoming snapped its three game skid with a nailbiting 30-27 win over San Diego State last weekend, and climbed back to .500, keeping their bowl dreams alive. This weekend’s game against visiting TCU qualifies as a must win for Wyoming, even though

With last week’s 17-10 loss to Iowa State, Colorado is officially bowl ineligible. That likely means that the Buffaloes will come out somewhat unfocused and struggling to compete for the rest of the season, as there is little to play for. Even worse,

Florida is unbeaten at 9-0 as many had predicted, but they have struggled to hit any overs all season. The Gators are 2-6 with the over under this season, thanks mostly to their incredible defense

Pittsburgh torched Syracuse 37-10 this week, their second week in a row beating a team by nearly four touchdowns. Notre Dame is coming off a somewhat surprising though not shocking loss at home to Navy 23-21 this week