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Who to root for this week in the top 25

Should have posted yesterday because Utah and TCU would love for Boise State to lose just so that they have more cushion in the BCS Standings, but the Broncos defeated San Jose State 33-16. The Utes have a perfect week to be off, because they are almost guaranteed to move up with #1 Texas playing #6 Oklahoma State and then #3 Penn State playing at #9 Ohio State.

No. 8 Texas Tech (7-0) at No. 23 Kansas (5-2)
Lawrence, KS
12:00 PM ET ESPN360.com
And so it begins for Texas Tech. After not facing a ranked opponent all season, the Red Raiders begin a stretch of four games in a row against ranked foes, starting with Kansas. Tech leads the nation in passing while the Jayhawks are 99th in pass defense. KU has lost nine of its 10 all-time meetings with the Red Raiders.

This game may not matter once Texas Tech will play after this three current teams ranked in the top 10 in #1 Texas, #6 Oklahoma State, and then a road game with #4 Oklahoma. A loss here by Tech would be good for TCU and Utah because Kansas would not jump Utah and a jump over #14 TCU would be very unlikely. If Tech gets a win their strength of schedule would finally move up and create a larger gap ahead of Utah and TCU.

No. 18 Georgia Tech (6-1) vs Virginia (4-3)
Atlanta, GA
3:30 PM ET
After stumbling out of the gate, Virginia has turned its season around by winning three straight. Georgia Tech has been on a roll of its own, capturing four straight. Virginia leads the all-time series 15-14-1.

This may seem an odd choice, but this game is could have benefits if Utah were to lose a game and a one loss TCU. Virginia has been playing much better since getting crushed by USC back on opening weekend. This game is huge because if a non automatic BCS qualifier is in the top 16 and ahead of a league champion from a BCS league then then the non automatic qualifier gets in, and this would not require a team to be in the top 12. A Virginia win would just muddle the ACC picture even more by teams beating each other up.

No. 16 South Florida (6-1) at Louisville (4-2)
Louisville, KY
3:30 PM ET ESPN360.com
The Big East's top two offenses meet in Louisville as the Cardinals host South Florida. The Bulls lead the all-time series with the Cardinals 3-2, winning the most recent matchup 55-17 at home Nov. 17. Both of South Florida's losses to Louisville, however, have come on the road.

See above. This has the same scenario as the Georgia Tech and Virginia game, plus if South Florida loses they most likely would be out of the Big East race because of two conference loses.

No. 7 Georgia (6-1) at No. 13 LSU (5-1)
Baton Rouge, LA
3:30 PM ET CBS
LSU begins a five-game homestand when Georgia comes to town for the first time since 2003. A loss could knock either team out of national-title contention. LSU has won six consecutive games against top-10 opponents.

A few things can happen in this game, because right now LSU is two spots behind Utah and one ahead of TCU. A Georgia win would help TCU more then Utah, because a Georgia win would push LSU too low to even get an at large victory and push TCU closer to a potential automatic bid if they beat Utah which would push them in the top 12 and ahead of Boise State.

Now if LSU wins they obviously would jump Utah but the key scenario would be if Georgia would fall beyond Utah or even TCU. I would say yes for Utah, because Georgia would have two loses on the year and maybe for TCU depending how they do against Wyoming.

No. 1 Texas (7-0) vs No. 6 Oklahoma State (7-0)
Austin, TX
3:30 PM ET ESPN360.com
Another week, another top-ranked team taking on Texas. This time it's undefeated Oklahoma State visiting the Longhorns. It'll likely be another Big 12 shootout as both teams rank in the top 5 in scoring. Texas has won 10 straight meetings to improve to 20-2 in the all-time series.

Another top ten matchup that could at least benefit the Utes. A Texas win depending on the margin of victory actually might not push Oklahoma State behind Utah, but it most likely would. A Oklahoma State win would do nothing for either school in their efforts to move up in the BCS. One thing an Oklahoma State win could do is bunch the Big XII in the top 10 and possibly open up another at large berth for the BCS, whic would benefit a Non-BCS team who does not qualify automatically. The reasoning because only two schools per conference could go to a BCS bowl.

No. 3 Penn State (8-0) at No. 9 Ohio State (7-1)
Columbus, OH
8:00 PM ET
The clash that will likely decide the Big Ten title takes place in Columbus as Ohio State hosts Penn State. The Nittany Lions look to snap a 10-game road losing streak against ranked opponents and beat OSU in Columbus for the first time since 1978. The Buckeyes have won 12 of their last 13 conference home games against ranked opponents.

This Big 10 matchup is similar to the Oklahoma State game in that if Ohio State wins then Penn State may or may not fall below Utah or TCU. To help the Mountain West a Penn State win would be most helpful to push Ohio State outside of the BCS picture, well unless Penn State makes the National title game and then the stubborn Rose Bowl will want to secure tradition by having a Big 10 team in the Rose Bowl and pick Ohio State. We all saw that last year when the Rose Bowl choose Illinois to preserve that matchup. The best thing for a team like TCU to try to get an at large spot is for the second Big 10 team to be outside of consideration for a BCS bowl game.