Then why is one game being televised at 7 and the other at 8? Nobody said it had to be user-friendly.
Alabama and LSU met twice last year, and in eight quarters plus they combined for one touchdown. First it was 9-6 LSU in overtime in Tusaloosa. The Louisiana Superdome encore, where the Tigers had clinched BCS crowns in 2003 (for current Bama coach Nick Saban) and '07, went all Tide, 21-0. That's what can happen when you play in a conference that still embraces defense.
In its last 13 games plus 49 minutes, Bama has trailed for 15 seconds in regulation. And A.J. McCarron hasn't been intercepted in the last 11 games, or 262 passes, not surprisingly a school-record streak.
The Tigers, who have historically been a tougher out in Baton Rouge after the sun goes down, have played the rougher schedule. And while they haven't always looked worthy (ask Towson), in their last two they did beat then-unbeaten South Carolina and won at Top 25 Texas A & M. And they've had an extra week to think about what went down 10 months ago.
The only way they meet again this season is if LSU wins out and Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame (and maybe even, dare we say, Louisville) all lose.
Oregon could end up playing USC again in the Pac-12 finale. Don't know if that's a bad thing or not. The Ducks, whose nonexistent nonconference slate isn't helping their BCS cause, beat Arizona and Washington at home by 49-0 and 52-21, respectively. The Trojans won at Washington, 24-14, and just lost at Arizona, 39-36.
In each of the last 3 weeks, the Ducks were passed in the BCS standings - first by Florida, then K-State and most recently ND.
If they win it's simply another step. If they don't, they'll need a bunch of help in the last month.
So Nov. 3 is still pivotal, even if it's not quite as Mount Rushmore-like.
Trivial pursuit
USC sophomore Marqise Lee just set a Pac-12 record with 345 receiving yards in a game. Who held it? Hint: He's a Fred Biletnikoff Award winner. See Answer man.
Irish Eyes
The last time Notre Dame got to 8-0, in 2002, it was ranked fourth coming off a 10-point win at No. 11 Florida State. It then lost at home to unranked Boston College (4-3), 14-7, as a 9 1/2-point favorite.
ND wore green jerseys.
Now it's giving 17 to visiting Pitt (4-4), which is one of four Big East teams that have won in South Bend since 2008 (with Syracuse, South Florida and UConn).
We're guessing ND won't be dressed in green again.
Add 'em up
There are 70 available bowl bids. Of the eligible teams, 41 already have the necessary six wins. Another 20 have five, while 15 more have four.
Have you noticed? *
Michigan has gone without a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time in five decades. The Wolves still went 1-1.
* Cam-less Auburn, less than 2 years removed from No. 1, is 1-7, coming off a 63-21 home loss to Texas A & M. The offense is ranked last in FBS in its first season under former Temple coordinator Scot Loeffler. The Tigers, who have been outscored 69-6 in the fourth quarter, are going with a new quarterback, freshman Jonathan Wallace. The good news is they're getting New Mexico State (1-7) on Saturday.
Ouch
Maryland (4-4) has lost four quarterbacks to season-ending injuries. The next guy up is freshman linebacker Shawn Petty, who also took snaps in high school.
Answer man
Oregon State's Mike Hass, against Boise State in 2004.
Spotlight On: Longhorn Network
Remember that exposure monstrosity that was going to separate Texas from those other top-feeders on the food chain?
Well, upon further review, maybe not so much. Or at least not the way some envisioned when the Longhorns entered into a 20-year, $300 million partnership with - who else? - ESPN.
Coach Mack Brown spends 6 hours a week taping six televison shows. And the first 30 minutes of practice also makes it on the air. Recruits see it. So do other teams.
"I'm a solider," Brown said recently, when asked about the partnership. "It's on [everywhere]. It's a true advantage [for opponents]. They can watch [us].
"There has to be some give-and-take. It is what it is. It's my job, because [my bosses] have told me it is. We were given a deal we had no input in."
Interesting. It's often about the details. And injury updates.
This groundbreaking endeavor threatened to blow up the Big 12, because of the financial and high-profile boost it created/provided in Austin, which some other schools deemed unfair. Texas A & M, the Longhorns' biggest rival, eventually left for the SEC (along with Missouri) largely for that reason.
Athletic director DeLoss Dodds said Brown's concerns will be addressed. But don't expect the school to relinquish its pioneer status any time soon. In a statement, ESPN said the concept will continue to evolve to best serve UT's passsionate fan base.
How do you think it got to be your Worldwide Leader?
Never underestimate the power of editorial control.
Sidelines
BIG EAST BITS
* Connecticut hasn't scored in the second half of its last three games.
* South Florida, which has lost six straight for the first time, is the only team in the nation that hasn't intercepted a pass.
* Louisville had to come from behind in the second half of its last four games.
MAC ME UP
* Toledo, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio are a combined 30-4. Ball State and Bowling Green, are also already bowl eligible at 6-3. It's 4-4 against the Big East, with wins the last two weeks by Toledo and Kent over previously-unbeaten Cincinnati and Rutgers.
COUCH POTATO
THURSDAY
6 Eastern Michigan at Ohio, ESPNU
7:30 Virginia Tech at Miami, ESPN
9:15 Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky, ESPNU
FRIDAY
9 Washington at California, ESPN2
SATURDAY
12 Temple at Louisville, 6ABC
12 Texas A&M at Miss. State, ESPN
12 Missouri at Florida, ESPN2
12 Vanderbilt at Kentucky, ESPNU
12 Townson at Delaware, NBCSN
12 Houston at East Carolina, FCS
12 Tulsa at Arkansas, WMCN-44.2
12 Michigan at Minnesota, BTN
12 Air Force at Army, CBSSN
12:30 Ga. Tech at Maryland, CW57
2 Stanford at Colorado, FX
3 TCU at West Virginia, FOX29
3:30 Mississippi at Georgia, CBS3
3:30 Nebraska at Mich. State, 6ABC
3:30 Pitts at Notre Dame, NBC10
3:30 Illinois at Ohio State, ESPN
3:30 Texas at Texas Tech, ESPN2
3:30 Penn State at Purdue, ESPNU
3:30 James Madison at Maine, TCN
3:30 Kansas at Baylor, FCS, WMCN-44.1
3:30 Texas (San Antonio) at Louisiana Tech, WMCN-44.2
3:30 Iowa at Indiana, BTN
3:30 Florida Atlantic at Navy, CBSSN
7 Oregon at USC, FOX29
7 Clemson at Duke, ESPN2
7 UConn at South Florida, ESPNU
7 SMU at Central Florida, CBSSN
7:30 Alabama-Birmingham at Southern Mississippi, CSN
8 Alabama at LSU, CBS3
8 Oklahoma State at Kansas State, 6ABC
10:30 Arizona at UCLA, Pac-12
10:30 San Diego State at Boise State, CBSSN
