Five Intriguing Games This Weekend – From the Bird’s Nest

Plenty of games this week having to do with conference and/or division titles, big payout bowl implications and, yes, a trap game or two.  I could have selecting about ten games worth keeping an eye on, but I had to narrow it down to five.  Here we go:  (Rankings are according to the College Football Playoff Committee)

#8 OHIO STATE (8-1, 5-0)  (-14) at #25 MINNESOTA (7-2, 4-1)--Saturday, 11am  ABC  Game time temp:24/wind chill 15, 40$ chance of snow--For all of you that complain it's cold right now, check this game out.  The Buckeyes had a big, emotional win over Michigan State last week, which makes this a trap game of sorts.  Minnesota is in a three way tie for first in the Big Ten western division.  Fourteen seems like a lot of points, I'm just sayin.....

#19 CLEMSON (7-2, 6-1) (-3)  at #22 GEORGIA TECH (8-2. 5-2)--Saturday, 11 AM, ESPN  Sunny, 51 degrees--If Florida State is in the four team playoff, the Orange Bowl will take the next highest rated team from the ACC.  These two teams, along with Duke, are fighting for that spot.  That's what makes this game so important.  Tech is a game behind Duke, while Clemson is a game behind Florida State in their respective divisions.  Winner still has a chance.  Loser is probably out.

#16 NEBRASKA (8-1. 4-1) at #20 WISCONSIN (7-2, 4-1) (-6.5)--Saturday, 2:30, ABC--40% chance of snow.  Game time temp 31/wind chill 24--Along with Minnesota, these two are all tied at the top of the Big 10 west.  Ohio State and Michigan State are getting all the ink but these two teams have been solid all year.  Someone has to win this division and the winner of this game has a good chance to playing for the Big 10 championship.

#1 MISSISSIPPI STATE (9-0, 5-0) at #5 ALABAMA (8-1, 5-1) (-9) Saturday, 2:30 CBS--Mostly Sunny, 48 degrees--Everyone keeps waiting for Mississippi State to lose, but here they are at 9-0 on the season.  And, this is the game the detractors of the Bulldogs have been pointing to.  Alabama is coming off that huge emotional win over LSU last week and the question is, can they be emotionally ready to do it two weeks in a row.  Well, the 100,000 plus fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium will certainly help the cause.  Nine?  Nein.

#20 LSU (7-3, 3-3) at ARKANSAS (4-5, 0-5) (-1.5)--Saturday, 7pm, ESPN 2--60 percent chance of rain possibly mixed with sleet or snow, Game time temp 35/wind chill 28--Speaking of bouncing back from an emotional game, the Tigers got their guts ripped out last week.  Can they get back up against an Arkansas team that hasn't won an SEC game since Bret Bielema became their head coach?  Three of the Razorbacks' SEC losses are by a touchdown or less.  They have the home crowd, the weather and the intangibles in their favor.  But remember:  Les Miles is 25-1 at LSU following a loss.  That might be the biggest statistic of them all.