TCU-Utah showdown will weed out BCS pretender

The eyes of the college football world will be on Salt Lake City this weekend.

Yes, the Mountain West takes center stage as No. 3 TCU travels to No. 5 Utah in a huge matchup with BCS national title implications on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS College Sports). ESPN's "College GameDay" (9 a.m. start on ESPNU, then switches to ESPN at 10 a.m.) will be in town and broadcasting live on Saturday morning.

There's just five unbeaten teams remaining. After this game, there likely will be four and the BCS title-game picture clears up a little bit more.

"We're excited about it," TCU coach Gary Patterson said on Tuesday. "This is the position you want to be in. You get the chance to have No. 3 versus No. 5 in the country. We get to go to their place with College GameDay. There are implications whether you win or lose, but we've got a chance to be there. There are a lot of people that would like to be in this position. That's the way we're looking at it."

TCU has certainly been one of the best teams in the country this season. Consider these numbers:

TCU is No. 1 in the country in total defense (217.33 yards per game), passing defense (119 yards) and scoring defense (8.67 points allowed per game). TCU also only allows 98 yards rushing per game (ninth nationally).

TCU has two shutouts and has allowed a total of 16 points in five Mountain West games.

TCU is one of just two teams (Boise State is the other) to be ranked in the top 11 nationally in total offense and total defense

Utah is formidable as well. The Utes are sixth nationally in total defense and has won 21 straight games at home. Going into Salt Lake City and coming out with a win is a tough task.

TCU's last regular-season loss came in Salt Lake City in 2008.

The game should be close. It may come down to which quarterback performs at a higher level.

TCU senior Andy Dalton, who has been in many big games throughout his career, has thrown for 1,887 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Utah sophomore Jordan Wynn doesn't have as much big-game experience. He has thrown for 1,431 yards and 13 touchdowns. Wynn missed two games earlier this season.

Wynn didn't play in a college game until Oct. 31, 2009. He completed 16 of 32 passes for 219 yards with a touchdown and interception in a 55-28 loss to TCU last season.

"When we played them last year, it was only his second game and the first time he had started on the road," Patterson said. "He was the most valuable player of the Poinsettia Bowl as a freshman quarterback, and he just keeps doing what they want him to do. When he manages the game, gets them in the right play, they run the football and play-action, they're good at what they do. We have to prepare for that."

Another key matchup: TCU's ninth-ranked rushing offense against a Utah defense that only allows 103 rushing yards per game.

Also, it's the last time these two teams will meet as members of the Mountain West. Utah moves to the Pac-10 in 2011.

No. 21 Baylor at No. 17 Oklahoma State (12:30 p.m., FSN): Baylor has been one of the biggest surprises in college football this season. Coach Art Briles has done a wonderful job in Waco and deserves some Coach of the Year votes, at least in the Big 12. The Bears are 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12, including last Saturday's big win in Austin against Texas. In fact, Baylor leads the Big 12 South, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma. Quarterback Robert Griffin has been solid (2,592 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, 401 rushing yards and seven touchdowns). But now comes a tough stretch, starting with Saturday's game against the Cowboys. If Baylor intends to win the Big 12 South, it will need to win this game and then a home game against Oklahoma on Nov. 20. Oklahoma State gets star wide receiver Justin Blackmon back after a one-game suspension for a DUI arrest.

No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU (3:30 p.m., Ch. 2): Lost in all of the talk about a national title game matching two of the remaining five unbeatens is a one-loss Alabama team. Alabama is lurking at No. 5 in the BCS standings. Alabama still has to play Auburn later this season in the Iron Bowl and a win in that game would certainly give the Crimson Tide a huge boost in the final BCS standings. It's reasonable to think that a one-loss Alabama team could jump, let's say, an unbeaten Boise State team. But Alabama needs to keep winning. So does LSU, which isn't totally out of the BCS title-game picture. A one-loss LSU team coming out of the SEC could certainly jump an unbeaten team. LSU is a tough opponent and plays well at home. Let's not forget that LSU played Auburn close before losing, 24-17. LSU has one of the country's top defenses.

Northwestern at Penn State (3:30 p.m., ESPN2): Neither team is ranked, but there's definitely a reason to tune into this one. Penn State's Joe Paterno goes for career win No. 400, which would make him just the third coach to reach the mark. John Gagliardi, who coaches at Division III St. John's University in Minnesota, has 476 and the late Eddie Robinson had 408 at Grambling. College football will likely never see another coach get to 400 career wins. Saturday could be yet another historic moment in JoePa's storied career.

No. 18 Arkansas at No. 19 South Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN): South Carolina needs to keep winning to secure a spot in the SEC title game. The Gamecocks are 4-2 in the SEC East and lead Florida by a game. South Carolina plays at Florida a week from Saturday. Arkansas will not win the SEC West. Both South Carolina and Arkansas are 6-2 overall, so this game is big in the SEC pecking order for bowl games.

No. 15 Arizona at No. 13 Stanford (8 p.m., ABC or ESPN Game Plan): The loser is likely eliminated from the Pac-10 title race because it's unlikely unbeaten Oregon will lose two games. Arizona and Stanford are both 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-10. The game is especially big for Arizona. Stanford has already lost to Oregon, but Arizona still has to play the Ducks. Stanford needs to keep winning to stay in the hunt for a BCS at-large bid. If Oregon goes to the national title game, a spot in the Rose Bowl will be open. The SEC will get two teams into the BCS. Barring some weird collapse, the Big Ten will likely get two teams in as well. That leaves the Big 12 and Pac-10. An unbeaten Oregon team in the national title game and a one-loss Stanford team, for example, in the Rose Bowl would work.