In the ultimate irony of college football, wouldn't we all like the sport better if we outsourced the college football playoff to Las Vegas? Yes, yes we would.

TCU (-2) at Utah- In case you haven't been paying attention Utah is undefeated at 9-0. They boast road wins over Michigan (back when that actually looked somewhat impressive) and a home win over Oregon State. Meanwhile TCU's only loss is at Oklahoma back in September. Since that loss they've played five games and given up a grand total of 42 points. Included in that run was a 32-7 beat down of then undefeated BYU. As a result the TCU defense is giving up only 10.7 points a game. Even more impressive? Their run defense is only allowing 37.8 yards a game. All of this means TCU's Gary Patterson is about to become the hottest coaching candidate you'd never heard of prior to this season.

As if that weren't enough a shot at the BCS is at stake for both teams. TCU, at 9-1, doesn't play again until November 22 when they host Air Force. Win and they've clinched a share of the Mountain West Title. Not to mention it will bolster Oklahoma's one-loss team standing a bit more in the process since they'd probably slide into the top ten of the BCS. Utah is 9-0 but still has games left against San Diego State and BYU. With the strength of the Mountain West this year, isn't there a pretty strong argument that if the Big East can get an automatic BCS bid with only 8 teams that the Mountain West, with 9 teams deserves one as well?

Maryland at Virginia Tech (-3)- Maryland is great as long as they play ranked teams, Virginia Tech is fine so long as no one pays attention to them. This game should be tubular! After losing their home opener to East Carolina people forgot about Virginia Tech. The Hokies reeled off five straight wins to claim first place in the ACC Coastal Division, rose back into the top 20 of the polls, and subsequently lost two straight games at Boston College and at Florida State. At 2-2 in the Coastal Division, Virginia Tech has to win to stay in the division race. Although, to be fair, someone is going to win this division with a 5-3 record and Tech already has the tiebreak over Georgia Tech and North Carolina. So maybe they don't need to win.

Maryland remains the biggest enigma in college football this season—leading the ACC Atlantic despite a loss to Middle Tennessee State and a 31-0 loss to Virginia. In addition to going on the road at Virginia Tech, Maryland closes out with home games against North Carolina and Florida State and a road game at Boston College.

Pittsburgh at South Florida (-13.5) - Friday night’s game on September 12 between South Florida and Kansas has already been forgotten. But if Kansas wins that game they’re inside the top 10 with four other Big 12 teams. Instead South Florida is #10 in the AP and will be favored in every game remaining on their schedule with the possible exception of an away game in Morgantown/Deadwood on December 6. But how good is South Florida? They’re 5-0 with one overtime win over a mediocre team (Central Florida), one last second field goal win over a good team (Kansas) and a near disaster against Florida Atlantic (17-8)? Last season things were also going smoothly for South Florida, they rolled to #2 in the country before losing three straight in conference games and plummeting out of the polls. This season their rise hasn’t been meteoric but their position is similar. Win their final 7 games and it’s hard to believe they won’t be in the BCS Title Game at 12-0. Even still, you’re reading this and thinking, there’s no way South Florida runs the table. They’re not a top 5 caliber team. And I’m writing this and thinking the same thing. Even though I have nothing to base this on.

Meanwhile Pittsburgh has won three in a row since a home-opening loss to mighty Bowling Green. Dave Wannstedt, who has been on the verge of perpetually turning the corner with Pittsburgh football for the past three seasons, needs to prove his team has actually improved. So far Wanndstedt has gone 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7. Is there any coach in America that’s lived on a perpetual hot seat longer than Wannstedt? Since 2002 he’s been on the verge of being fired for some offense or another.

Oregon State at Utah (-14)- Demonstrating the respect that Oregon State garnered by upsetting USC as 25 point underdogs last week, Utah opened as 12 point favorites. The line immediately moved to 14. Last week everyone expected for USC’s turn on Thursday night football to be an audition for the nation’s accolades. This week, the same holds true for Utah. Especially since the Mountain West is 5-1 against the Pac-10 this year.

Utah is averaging 38 points a game and is 5-0 including their opening game win at Michigan. If they can get past Oregon State, Utah looks to be in solid shape for a match-up of undefeated teams in their November 22nd game at BYU. Such a game could be a play-in between top ten teams (you’ve got to figure that the #15 Utah team would be in the top 25 by then) and could provide the necessary juice to propel whichever Utah team wins that game into the BCS Title Game. Against, you guessed it, South Florida.

If that happened, we could end up with a split national champion. Something the BCS was devised to keep from ever happening. So if you’re a college football fan who believes that a playoff would be a gift from God (and who doesn’t believe this?) then you might want to root for the winner of BYU/Utah to go undefeated and play South Florida for all the marbles. Because the indignation would be at an all-time high and just maybe, maybe, the low ratings and anger would finally mean something would have to change.

Meanwhile, Oregon State has already been passed over as the flavor of the week. Just seven days ago they shocked the college football universe by beating the best team in college football history. Now they’re going on the road for another Thursday night game and no one is giving them a shot in hell. Which seems odd. Unless you consider how much sex Jacquizz Rodgers has had since he went for 186 yards against USC. The oddsmakers clearly have to be factoring in his leg fatigue.

So I guess what I'm saying by way of these previews is, watch both teams if you can because it might be your only chance to develop an opinion about two national title contenders. Seriously. Or don't and watch Sarah Palin, all the while thinking that you're really watching Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin in a skit.

What's been going on with the Jazz and Lakers, respectively? It took Utah six games to knock off Houston, a streaky, rag-tag, injury-ridden team that everyone kind of wanted to play in round one. They even dropped one at home, where they're supposed to not lose, ever. The Lakers, they blew through Denver — the eighth seed no one wanted to play — like it wasn't worth noticing. Were the Nuggets remotely normal, they'd be melting down like the Mavs right about now.

While I want to be nice, and knowledgeable, and prove that I've watched Utah play a bunch, I chuckle. However, I do see two ways the Jazz could make a move in this series. Granted, these are unlikely, but they might be Utah's best shot.

Deron Williams and his unquenchable envy: Something the networks never touch, since it's creepy and vaguely psychotic, is Deron's CP3 complex. Recap: Williams was taken earlier in the '05 draft, even though he wasn't a real point guard at Illinois; Paul is shorter; Paul is far and away the point guard position's reigning genius. No disrespect to Williams, who should be an All-Star for the next five years, but sturdy, willful, and bullish aren't the same thing as skywriting with vodka and hand grenades.

Williams, however, has a major chip on his shoulder over all the love Paul gets. How do I know this? He's the only man in the league who can guard Paul; something darker than death and eternal suffering drives him in their games against New Orleans. And even if Paul is demonstrably better, there's still a way in which Williams, on the verge of becoming the consensus second-best point guard in the league, gets lost in the shuffle.

Right now, Paul's going up against the Spurs, the team who, while not favored, are staunch opponents. If the Hornets fare well, and Paul puts on a show, his myth will flare up like never before. And you know who'll be reading all the columns, up late with candles burning and a flask of firewater? Williams, that's who. He can't let the gulf between them get any wider. So that means that, as Paul excels, Williams will be doubly determined to assert himself. Oh, and don't forget, he's playing for a chance to meet the Hornets in the Conference Finals. Imagine what a point he could make there. You can't underestimate how much motivation this could provide D-Will.

Derek Fisher, traitor Fisher has been great for the Lakers. He's a poster child for calming veteran presence, on all sorts of levels. Fisher also is tight with Kobe, keeping him level and making him open up more around the rest of the team. In short, he's often the much-needed link between the MVP and reality. Oh, and he's a saint who likes taking care of his ailing young daughter.

That's not how the Jazz fans see it. They never really bought the whole "the hospitals are better in L.A., let me out of my contract" spiel. There are, after all, medical facilities in Salt Lake, even if they don't give you intravenous Pepsi when you're feeling blue. But it's not the Dark Ages out there, and really, we all know that Fisher just wanted to get back to Los Angeles . . . where he knew Kobe would come to terms with management, Andrew Bynum would come alive, and Pau Gasol would come to town for peanuts. It's all so clear to me, which is why I totally sympathize with the Energy Solutions crowds booing Fisher.

Who knows, maybe the team will get behind this grudge, too? Maybe some private dick can dredge up this (hypothetical) email:

TO: KB24@nike.com
FROM: D_Fish@jazz.com
DATE: 2006-07 Playoffs
SUBJECT: City of Angels

Hey man, we're getting absolutely shelled by the Spurs. This is bullshit and really boring. And like we talked about, my little girl is sick, and losing doesn't help my mood. I need to get back to you and Phil, where we can get back to business and do what's right by us all. Coach can pass that Jew leprechaun, like he always talks about. You can get that post-Shaq ring you need. Me, I can have some fun again.

I've been playing it just right, acting like every time I step on the court, it's like an act of charity for the city of Utah. I mean, it is, because Sloan is a dick, and all anyone wants to talk about is Deron and the Boozer as Stockton/Malone redux. Just like Prince was the Second Coming of Buck Owens, ya heard? Anyway, I've got this whole solemn, tormented thing going, and I'm pretty sure I'll be back there soon.

Then, we can just wait for the rings to pile up. I'm the missing piece. That and I can see the future—trust me, this team is about to have some good things come its way.

Peace,

Fish.

I know, right? Total bulletin board material. Find that, or fabricate that, and this already physical team will get as mean as Sloan's rotten innards.

Otherwise, the Lakers could get another sweep.

In a high school game in Utah — explaining the distinct lack of melanin on the court — a ridiculous downcourt heave brings the house down, as much as anything can bring the house down in Utah. Our favorite part about this is the announcer, probably a bored high school kid, just trying to wrap up the game so he can get home by curfew ... and then something amazing happens, and he has absolutely no idea how to handle it. We probably wouldn't either.