Big East prepares for big title chase
As great as a conference championship game can be, and there are five being played in the next three days, deciding a champ the old-fashioned way can be fun.
That’s what the Big East will do today when Rutgers plays at West Virginia and Louisville hosts Connecticut.
Rutgers controls the race. If the Scarlet Knights win, they’re at least co-champs and earn a Bowl Championship Series bid. If West Virginia knocks off Rutgers, Louisville becomes outright Big East champion and BCS bound by beating the Huskies.
If both Louisville and Rutgers lose, the Cardinals, Scarlet Knights and Mountaineers share the title and the BCS bid goes to whichever team finishes best in Sunday’s final standings.
The winners of the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference title games earn automatic BCS bids today.
Boise State is in position to claim an automatic bid when the pairings are announced Sunday, and Michigan could do the same by finishing at least third in the final BCS standings. Also still alive for at-large bids are Auburn, LSU and Notre Dame.
| Matchup | Time | TV |
| No. 2 USC at UCLA | ||
| Pick: USC 28-14 | 1:30p | ABC |
| No. 4 Florida vs. No. 8 Arkansas at Atlanta | ||
| Pick: Arkansas 27-21 | 3p | CBS |
| Connecticut at No. 6 Louisville | ||
| Pick: Louisville 50-21 | 9a | ESPN |
| No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 19 Nebraska at Kansas City, Mo. | ||
| Pick: Oklahoma 28-20 | 5p | ABC |
| No. 13 Rutgers at No. 15 West Virginia | ||
| Pick: West Virginia 37-21 | 4:45p | ESPN |
| No. 16 Wake Forest vs. No. 23 Georgia Tech at Jacksonville, Fla. | ||
| Pick: Georgia Tech 24-23 | 10a | ABC |
| Stanford at No. 21 California | ||
| Pick: California 49-0 | Noon | FSN |
| Oregon State at No. 24 Hawaii | ||
| Pick: Hawaii 44-38 | 9p | ESPN |
Last week: 9-9 (straight); 10-5-2 (vs. points).
Season: 199-59 (straight); 127-107-7 (vs. points).