Oregon, Auburn control their BCS destinies

It all comes down to a two-game season for Oregon and Auburn.

Oregon and Auburn, sitting 1-2 in the BCS standings, play crucial games on Friday. If the Ducks and Tigers hope to meet in Glendale, Ariz., for the BCS national title on Jan. 10, they must keep winning. It's that simple.

So get ready for a big day of college football after the Thanksgiving holiday. Oregon hosts No. 21 Arizona (ESPN, 7 p.m.) and Auburn travels to No. 11 Alabama (CBS, 2:30 p.m.).

What should you look for?

Auburn quarterback and Heisman Trophy front-runner Cam Newton vs. the Alabama defense.

Oregon's high-powered offense against Arizona's tough defense.

The Iron Bowl has similar ramifications as last season. Alabama needed a late rally to beat Auburn and keep its national title hopes alive. This time it will be Alabama trying to derail Auburn's national title dreams.

"The focus this week is on the Alabama-Auburn game," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said during his news conference on Sunday. "It's not about anything that's going on outside. It's not about what happened last year. None of that really matters. It's about this week, this time, this game."

The recent allegations of wrongdoing during Newton's recruitment to Mississippi State have subsided. So it appears that will not be an issue this week.

The key issue will be what Saban comes up with defensively to stop Newton. But can Saban's schemes slow down Newton? Auburn is third in the nation in rushing yards a game (307.91) - Newton accounts for 118 of those yards.

It's not so much the amount of yards, but rather the types of runs Newton has during games this season, turning short gains into spectacular long touchdown runs. How many times this season has an electric Newton run impacted a game? More than a few times.

"He's a great athlete," Saban said. "There's no doubt about that. I think that you have to do a great job of tackling. He's a big guy, he's got long arms, he's got a good stiff arm. He's really good with change of direction and has deceptive speed.

"And I think when they spread you out on the field and he's scrambles or even when he's running one of his running plays that you've got to a good job of tackling . . . That's what makes great players great. They're hard to tackle. He's certainly one of those guys."

For Alabama, establishing the run with Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson will definitely be in the game plan. But Auburn's rush defense is 11th in the nation, allowing just over 111 yards a game. The Crimson Tide may have better success with Greg McElroy and the passing game going against the nation's 100th-rated pass defense.

Oregon's offense, averaging 51 points a game, hasn't been slowed down much this season. The Ducks escaped in their last game, a 15-13 win at California.

So expect Oregon to be very focused against the Wildcats.

Arizona, which has lost two straight and has had two weeks to prepare for this game, has a defense ranked 20th nationally. And quarterback Nick Foles has had some solid games this season, including a strong performance against a very good Iowa defense.

Oregon has the big advantage of playing at home and also having two weeks to prepare. There's always the possibility the Ducks may be looking ahead to the Civil War matchup against Oregon State next week. But don't expect it. Oregon will be looking to impress the nation after the close call in Berkeley.

TOP GAMES

It's rivalry week. Plus, the Big Ten has moved its final week of games to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So there's plenty to watch this week.

Here are some of the key games:

THURSDAY

No. 17 Texas A&M at Texas (ESPN, 8 p.m.): Texas (5-6) needs to win this game to become bowl eligible. The Aggies have won five straight behind quarterback Ryan Tannehill and are coming off a big win over Nebraska. Texas A&M is still alive to win the Big 12 South. But the Aggies would need Oklahoma to beat Oklahoma State and somehow climb to within a spot of the Sooners in the BCS standings, which doesn't seem likely. Based on new Big 12 rules, if two teams are within a spot of each other in the BCS rankings the tie-breaker would be head-to-head matchup. Texas A&M beat Oklahoma a few weeks back. In other words, big game for both teams outside of the usual rivalry bragging rights.

FRIDAY

West Virginia at Pittsburgh (ABC, noon): The Backyard Brawl has more than just bragging rights at stake this season. Both teams are in contention for the Big East title and automatic BCS bowl bid.

Colorado at No. 15 Nebraska (ABC, 3:30 p.m.): It's the final time these longtime rivals will play as members of the Big 12. It's definitely the end of an era.

No. 4 Boise State at No. 19 Nevada (ESPN, 10:15 p.m.): Boise State is still alive for the BCS title game. A win here should jump the Broncos past TCU in the next BCS standings. And if Auburn or Oregon were to slip up, Boise State would be in prime position for a trip to Glendale.

SATURDAY

Michigan at No. 8 Ohio State (ABC, noon): Perhaps the best rivalry in all of college football. The Buckeyes are still battling for the Big Ten title. Even if Ohio State doesn't win the Big Ten outright, it should still get a BCS at-large bid with a win. The key matchup will be Ohio State's stout defense going against Michigan's Denard Robinson.

No. 10 Michigan State at Penn State (ESPN2, noon): There had been speculation that this would be Joe Paterno's final home game. But Paterno put the rumors to rest during his news conference on Tuesday when he said he plans to return for the 2011 season. Michigan State can share or win the Big Ten title by beating the Nittany Lions.

No. 5 LSU at No. 12 Arkansas (CBS, 3:30 p.m.): LSU still has an outside chance of ending up in the BCS title game, if enough teams lose. Still, the Tigers are looking at a likely BCS bid if they beat the Razorbacks. This could end up being the most entertaining game of the weekend with Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett leading a high-powered offense.

Florida at No. 22 Florida State (ABC or ESPN, 3:30 p.m.): At 7-4, Florida is definitely not having a Florida-type season. But a win here would end the regular season in a positive way. Florida State could claim the state title after already beating Miami (Fla.) earlier in the season. That would be a nice accomplishment in Jimbo Fisher's first season. Plus, the Seminoles could be celebrating a trip to the ACC title game depending on what North Carolina State does.

No. 18 South Carolina at Clemson (ESPN2, 7 p.m.): South Carolina has already clinched the SEC East title and a spot in the conference championship against Auburn. But winning a rivalry game is special. It should be a nice matchup of freshman running back Marcus Lattimore and the South Carolina offense against a pretty good Clemson defense.

No. 25 Mississippi State at Mississippi (ESPNU, 7 p.m.): Mississippi won't be going to a postseason bowl game. But the Rebels can salvage their season by winning the Egg Bowl. Mississippi State has had an impressive season under Dan Mullen and can get to eight wins with a victory in Oxford.

Georgia Tech at Georgia (ESPN, 7:45 p.m.): Georgia needs to win this game to become bowl eligible. The Bulldogs have owned this series over the past decade.

No. 13 Oklahoma at No. 9 Oklahoma State (ABC regional, 8 p.m.): In addition to ABC televising the game, ESPN's "College GameDay" will also be in Stillwater (10 a.m.-12 p.m. on ESPN). Oklahoma State can win the Big 12 South title outright and advance to the conference title game by beating the Sooners. If Oklahoma wins, the Sooners would probably win the Big 12 South based the tie-breaker (higher BCS ranking, see Texas A&M above).

Notre Dame at USC (ABC regional, 8 p.m.): USC limps into this game with a 7-4 record after getting blown out at Oregon State on Saturday. Still, this is the an important two-game stretch for the Trojans. USC won't be going to a bowl game, but can end with wins over its two biggest rivals -- Notre Dame and UCLA on Dec. 4. That would get USC to nine wins, a pretty successful ending to Lane Kiffin's first season. Notre Dame is now bowl eligible after beating Army. The Irish have given up just six points the past two games in wins over Utah and Army. USC starting quarterback Matt Barkley is nursing an ankle injury so his status for this game will be a huge key.