Mountain West and their Road to the BCS: Week 13

It's now the time to feature the games that will affect the Mountain West's BCS possibilities during this rivalry week.  This is a great weekend of college football with big games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

For probably the first time ever, there is a more important game in the Mountain West than the Holy War during rivalry week.  Lost in the hype of the BYU vs. Utah game is the (11-0) TCU Horned Frogs, who are looking to finish undefeated against New Mexico.

Still four teams remain ranked ahead of the TCU, whose national championship hopes may be soon coming to a close.  They will need losses ahead of them, and this week poses a greater challenge for those teams than prior weeks.

Here is a look at games this weekend that will affect the Mountain West in their BCS hunt:

All times are eastern

New Mexico at No. 4 TCU (The Mtn. HD, 1:00 PM Saturday)

No. 3 Texas at Texas A&M (ESPN HD, 8:00 PM Thursday)

A Thanksgiving prime time game featuring the (11-0) Longhorns and the (5-6) Aggies in this in-state rivalry game.

MWC rooting interest:  Texas A&M.  If Texas loses, TCU will go to No. 3 in the polls, and would eventually jump the loser of the SEC Championship game putting them in the National Championship Game.  Texas A&M will be playing at home where they are (5-1) this season. This will be tough, but it is possible for an upset.  If Texas wins as expected, Nebraska will be have the last shot at ruining their perfect season in the Big 12 Championship Game.

No. 2 Alabama at Auburn (CBS HD, 2:30 PM Friday)

Alabama faces a tough challenge this week against their bitter rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

MWC rooting interest:  Auburn.  This should be a good game.  Auburn is a good team, they are (7-4) and are looking to improve their bowl situation, plus gain bragging rights in the state of Alabama.  An Alabama loss should drop them below TCU, but if they defeat Florida they could jump back over TCU.

Florida State at No. 1 Florida (CBS HD, 3:30 PM Saturday)

ESPN College GameDay will be on hand for Tim Tebow's last game at the Swamp.

MWC rooting interest:  Florida State.  The Seminoles crushed BYU's BCS hopes earlier this season, but could greatly improve TCU's with a win this week.  Don't expect any upset though.  Tim Tebow and the Gators are just too good to lose to this struggling Florida State team, especially in their last game at the Swamp this season.  Likewise with Alabama, a Florida loss drops them behind TCU, but winning the SEC could put them back in the top 2.

No. 21 Utah at No. 19 BYU (The Mtn. HD/ CBS-C HD, 5:00 PM Saturday)

It's rivalry week in the Mountain West.  The 2009 Holy War features two Top 25 ranked for just the third time ever.

MWC rooting interest:  Toss up.  What would be best for the Mountain West, is to have both teams remain ranked after this game.  One of the criteria for BCS AQ evaluation is how many teams are in the Top 25 at the end of the season.  With BYU being ranked higher, they are more likely to remain ranked with a loss but it is more of a toss up for the conference.

Illinois at No. 5 Cincinnati (ABC HD, 12:00 PM Friday)  

Cincinnati QB Tony Pike is going to be back in the lineup for the game against the struggling Illini.

MWC rooting interest:  Illinois.  Undefeated Cincinnati still can jump TCU with a win over Pittsburgh next week.  Illinois' best hope is if Cincinnati overlooks them for their Big East showdown next week.  

Nevada at No. 6 Boise State (ESPN2 HD, 10:00 PM Friday)

A win means another undefeated regular season for the Boise State Broncos, who are looking to get into the BCS as an at-large team.

MWC rooting interest:  Boise State.  They are not a threat to jump TCU, so we can now root for the Broncos. Multiple non-AQ teams in the BCS would be a great thing for all non automatic qualifier conferences.  If the Mountain West expands to add Boise, the higher their ranking, the better the conference would be in BCS evaluations.  (we will have more to come on that next week)

No. 18 Clemson at South Carolina (ESPN HD, 12:00 PM Saturday)

Clemson clinched their spot in the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech last week with their win over Virginia.  They are the highest ranked team in the BCS standings that TCU has beaten.

MWC rooting interest:  Clemson.  The higher Clemson climbs in the polls, the stronger TCU's claim is to play in the National Title.  They face a tough challenge playing in the SEC, but South Carolina is not playing well as of lately.

No. 9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia (ESPN2 HD, 7:00 PM Friday)