ESPN's Coverage of the Division I-A Football Playoffs Regional Finals

ESPNEWS will have live SportsCenter from the start of the 1st game to the conclusion of the last game of the day
ESPNU will have run ESPN Goal Line, which will provide around-the-clock live analysis, look-ins, highlights, previews, and postgame press conferences from all the games beginning with the 1st game and ending with the last one

Here's the Regional Final Schedule with announcer assignments (all times ET)

Sunday, January 1
 
ESPN College GameDay built by the Home Depot [from Pasadena, CA] (8-9am, ESPNU and 9-11am, ESPN; simulcast on ESPN Radio): Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard

SportsNation (9am, ESPNU): Michelle Beadle, Jon Ritchie
1st and 10, College Football Bowl Edition (10am, ESPNU): Jay Crawford, Skip Bayless, TBD
ESPNU College Football WhipAround (10:30am, ESPNU): Eamon McAnaney
ESPNU Goal Line (11am-conclusion):  Bram Weinstein, Rod Gilmore

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (from Arlington, TX): #6 Ohio State vs. #3 TCU (11am, ESPN, ESPN Radio)
TV: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Heather Cox
Radio: Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Discover Orange Bowl (from Miami, FL): #5 Wisconsin vs. #4 Stanford (2:15pm, ABC, ESPN Radio)
TV: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Michele Tafoya
Radio: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich

Rose Bowl presented by Vizio (from Pasadena, CA): #10 Boise State vs. #2 Oregon (5:30pm, ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D)
TV: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews
Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad

Allstate Sugar Bowl (from New Orleans, LA): #7 Oklahoma vs. #1 Auburn (8:45pm, ABC, ESPN Radio)
TV: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
Radio: Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Rob Stone

SportsCenterU (Midnight, ESPNU): Lowell Galindo, Tom Luginbill, Charles Arbuckle
ESPN College Football Final (1am, ESPN): Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May

ESPN's 1st Round Coverage of the Division I-A Football Playoffs

ESPNEWS will have live SportsCenter from the start of the 1st game to the conclusion of the last game of the day
ESPNU will have run ESPN Goal Line, which will provide around-the-clock live analysis, look-ins, highlights, previews, and postgame press conferences from all the games beginning with the 1st game and ending with the last one

Here's the 1st Round Schedule with announcer assignments (all times ET)

Saturday, December 18
 
ESPN College GameDay built by the Home Depot [from Fayetteville, AR] (9-10am, ESPNU and 10am-Noon, ESPN; simulcast on ESPN Radio): Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard

SportsNation (10am, ESPNU): Michelle Beadle, Jon Ritchie
ESPNU College Football WhipAround (11am, ESPNU): Dari Nowhkah
ESPN Goal Line (12pm-conclusion, ESPNU): Anish Shroff, Rod Gilmore

East Regional, 1st Round: #13 Virginia Tech at #5 Wisconsin (Noon, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio)
TV: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich
Radio: Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese, Rob Stone

South Regional, 1st Round: Florida International at #1 Auburn (12:10pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Radio)
TV: Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Jenn Brown
Radio: Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano

Southwest Regional, 1st Round: Connecticut at #3 TCU (3:15pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio)
TV: Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards
Radio: Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Eamon McAnaney

Southwest Regional, 1st Round: #11 LSU at #6 Ohio State (3:25pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Radio)
TV: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Heather Cox
Radio: Dave Lamont, JC Pearson, Shannon Spake

West Regional, 1st Round: Miami (OH) at #2 Oregon (6:30pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio)
TV: Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard, Mike Bellotti, Shelley Smith
Radio: Pam Ward, Danny Kanell, Jon Berger

West Regional, 1st Round: #10 Boise State at #8 Arkansas (6:40pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D)
TV: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews
Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad
3D: Joe Tessitore, Tim Brown, Ray Bentley

East Regional, 1st Round: #25 UCF at #4 Stanford (9:45pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio)
TV: Mike Patrick, Craig James, Todd Harris
Radio: Mark Neely, David Diaz-Infante, Elizabeth Moreau

South Regional, 1st Round: #9 Michigan State at #7 Oklahoma (9:55pm, ABC, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Radio)
TV: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
Radio: Clay Matvick, Rod Gilmore, Bonnie Bernstein

SportsCenterU (1am, ESPNU): Lowell Galindo, Tom Luginbill, Charles Arbuckle

ESPN College Football Final (2am, ESPN): Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May

1st Round Results

Here are the results of the 1st round matchups on 12/18/10 (using 11 simulations on Whatifsports.com)
I took the average scores of the winning team's wins and losing team's losses to determine the final score rounded to the nearest whole number

#13 Virginia Tech at #5 Wisconsin: Wisconsin, 34-22
Florida International at #1 Auburn: Auburn, 38-17
Connecticut at #3 TCU: TCU, 34-21
#11 LSU at #6 Ohio State: Ohio State, 29-14
Miami (OH) at #2 Oregon: Oregon, 48-7
#10 Boise State at #8 Arkansas: Boise State, 52-33
#25 UCF at #4 Stanford: Stanford, 39-11
#9 Michigan State at #7 Oklahoma: Oklahoma, 42-26

So here are the New Year's Day matchups:
Allstate Sugar Bowl: #7 Oklahoma vs. #1 Auburn
Rose Bowl presented by Vizio: #10 Boise State vs. #2 Oregon
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: #6 Ohio State vs. #3 TCU
Discover Orange Bowl: #5 Wisconsin vs. #4 Stanford

press release coming soon

Possible Sites for National Semifinal Games

Never actually wrote this so gotta do it now

Rose Bowl- San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Seattle
Fiesta Bowl- Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque
Cotton Bowl- San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso
Sugar Bowl- Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Little Rock
Orange Bowl- Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville

ESPN's Coverage of the NCAA Division I-A Football Playoffs

1st Round: primary game on ABC with reverse mirror on ESPN; all games available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Radio and ESPNRadio.com; spotlight game on ESPN 3D
Regional Finals: 1st game on ESPN, all others on ABC; all games on ESPN Radio; Rose Bowl on ESPN 3D
National Semifinals, National Championship: all games on ABC and ESPN Radio; primetime National Semifinal, and National Championship on ESPN 3D

College GameDay will be at the site of the spotlight game in the 1st Round, Rose Bowl in the Regional Finals, both sites of National Semifinals, and site of National Championship

Studio Assignments

ABC (and ESPN during the 1st Round and 1st Regional Final): John Saunders, Jesse Palmer (with Robert Flores doing studio updates)
ESPN Radio: Ryen Russillo, Trevor Matich, Brad Edwards
ESPN3.com: Wendi Nix, Todd McShay, Robert Smith

2010 NCAA Division I-A Playoffs

so disregard the last four weeks where I put the Division I-AA playoff winner in. didnt realize they dont finish until january. i added an at-large team (lucky LSU).

anyways here are the matchups

South (New Orleans, LA)
4 Florida International (UR, 6-6, Sun Belt) at 1 Auburn (#1, 13-0, SEC)
3 Michigan State (#9, 11-1, at-large) at 2 Oklahoma (#7, 11-2, Big 12)

West (Pasadena, CA)
4 Miami (OH) (UR, 9-4, MAC) at 1 Oregon (#2, 12-0, Pac-10)
3 Boise State (#10, 11-1, WAC) at 2 Arkansas (#8, 10-2, at-large)

Southwest (Arlington, TX)
4 Connecticut (UR, 8-4, Big East) at 1 TCU (#3, 12-0, MWC)
3 LSU (#11, 10-2, at-large) at 2 Ohio State (#6, 11-1, at-large)

East (Miami, FL)
4 UCF (#25, 10-3, C-USA) at 1 Stanford (#4, 11-1, at-large)
3 Virginia Tech (#13, 11-2, ACC) at 2 Wisconsin (#5, 11-1, Big Ten)

East vs. South, Southwest vs. West

changes: Miami (OH) replaces Northern Illinois as MAC champion; Wisconsin takes Big Ten automatic bid over Ohio State and Michigan State because of the highest BCS ranking amongst the three; Boise State takes the WAC automatic bid over Nevada and Hawaii because of the highest BCS ranking amongst the three; Connecticut takes the Big East automatic bid over West Virginia and Pittsburgh because of its head-to-head wins against the two teams; Arkansas and Oklahoma are out of place to avoid rematches in regional final

Week 14: Week of 11/28

Championship Weekend! final week before official bracket comes out!

projected first round matchups

South (New Orleans, LA)
4 DI-AA Champion at 1 Auburn (#1, 12-0, SEC)
3 Oklahoma (#9, 10-2, Big 12) at 2 Michigan State (#8, 11-1, at-large)

West (Pasadena, CA)
4 Florida International (UR, 6-5, Sun Belt) at 1 Oregon (#2, 11-0, Pac-10)
3 Boise State (#11, 10-1, WAC) at 2 Arkansas (#7, 10-2, at-large)

Southwest (Arlington, TX)
4 Connecticut (UR, 7-4, Big East) at 1 TCU (#3, 12-0, MWC)
3 Virginia Tech (#15, 10-2, ACC) at 2 Ohio State (#6, 11-1, at-large)

East (Miami, FL)
4 UCF (UR, 9-3, C-USA) at 1 Stanford (#4, 11-1, at-large)
3 Northern Illinois (#25, 10-2, MAC) at 2 Wisconsin (#5, 11-1, Big Ten)

East vs. South, Southwest vs. West

*changes: Boise State is knocked off the 1 seed line but is still projected to win the WAC bid because of its higher BCS ranking over Nevada and Hawaii; Stanford takes Boise State's place as a #1 seed; Auburn moves to the overall #1 seed over Oregon; Oklahoma new projected winner of the Big 12; Arkansas replaces LSU as an at-large team from the SEC; Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State all move up, with Wisconsin projected to take the Big Ten automatic berth because of its superior BCS ranking over Ohio State and Michigan State; Connecticut is new projected winner of Big East because of its victories over co-leaders West Virginia and Pittsburgh

NEW FEATURE THIS WEEK: TEAMS UNDERLINED HAVE ALREADY CLINCHED THEIR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS


Impact Games This Week

Friday, December 3
MAC Championship: Northern Illinois vs. Miami (OH) (in Detroit, MI) (7pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore
Significance: Winner gets MAC auto bid; neither team has a chance as an at-large bid

Saturday, December 4
Rutgers at #24 West Virginia (12pm, ABC)
Commentators: Mike Patrick, Craig James
Significance: See Big East tiebreaker scenarios below

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (12pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman
Significance: See Big East tiebreaker scenarios below

C-USA Championship: SMU at UCF (12pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese
Significance: Winner gets C-USA auto bid; neither team has a chance as an at-large bid

#17 Nevada at Louisiana Tech (3pm, WAC Network)
Commentators: Guy Haberman, Ralph Gaston
Significance: See WAC tiebreaker scenarios below

Utah State at #11 Boise State (3pm, WAC Network)
Commentators: Dave Harbison, Joe Glenn, Jenny Cavnar
Significance: See WAC tiebreaker scenarios below

#2 Oregon at Oregon State (3:30pm, ABC)
Commentators: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Erin Andrews
Significance: Oregon has already clinched the Pac-10's automatic berth, but it wants to stay on track for a #1 seed

SEC Championship: #1 Auburn vs. #19 South Carolina (in Atlanta, GA) (4pm, CBS)
Commentators: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Significance: Auburn would like to secure the #1 seed and the SEC automatic bid; even if it loses, it will likely earn an at-large bid; South Carolina needs to win in order to make the playoffs

ACC Championship: #15 Virginia Tech vs. #21 Florida State (in Charlotte, NC) (7:45pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN 3D)
Commentators: ESPN- Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Heather Cox; ESPN 3D- Joe Tessitore, Tim Brown, Ray Bentley
Significance: Winner gets ACC auto bid; neither team has a chance as an at-large bid

Big 12 Championship: #13 Nebraska vs. #9 Oklahoma (in Arlington, TX) (8pm, ABC)
Commentators: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe
Significance: Winner gets Big 12 auto bid; neither team has a chance as an at-large bid

Connecticut at USF (8pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Quint Kessenich
Significance: See Big East tiebreaker scenarios below

Tiebreak scenarios

Big East (Connecticut, West Virginia, Pittsburgh)
1. If Connecticut wins, then Connecticut wins the Big East because of its 2-0 head-to-head record against co-leaders West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
2. If Connecticut loses and West Virginia wins, then West Virginia wins the Big East because of its head-to-head win against co-leader Pittsburgh.
3. If Connecticut and West Virginia lose and Pittsburgh wins, then Pittsburgh wins the Big East outright.
4. If all three teams lose, Connecticut wins the Big East because of its 3-1 head-to-head record against co-leaders West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and South Florida.

WAC (Boise State, Nevada, Hawaii)
1. If Boise State loses, then Hawaii wins the WAC because of its head-to-head win against co-leader Nevada.
2. If Nevada loses, then Boise State wins the WAC because of its head-to-head win against co-leader Hawaii.
3. If Boise State and Nevada lose, then Hawaii wins the WAC outright.
4. If Boise State and Nevada win, then then the team with the highest BCS ranking wins the WAC automatic berth.

phew. done.

Week 13: Week of 11/21

*sorry for the late post but this was for last week*

projected first round matchups

West (Pasadena, CA)
4 DI-AA Champ at 1 Oregon (#1, 10-0, Pac-10)
3 Oklahoma State (#9, 10-1, Big 12) at 2 Ohio State (#8, 10-1, at-large)

South (New Orleans, LA)
4 Florida International (UR, 5-5, Sun Belt) at 1 Auburn (#2, 11-0, SEC)
3 Michigan State (#10, 10-1, at-large) at 2 Stanford (#6, 9-1, at-large)

Southwest (Arlington, TX)
4 Pittsburgh (UR, 6-4, Big East) at 1 TCU (#3, 11-0, MWC)
3 Virginia Tech (#16, 9-2, ACC) at 2 Wisconsin (#7, 10-1, Big Ten)

East (Miami, FL)
4 UCF (UR, 8-3, C-USA) at 1 Boise State (#4, 10-0, WAC)
3 Northern Illinois (UR, 9-2, MAC) at 2 LSU (#5, 10-1, at-large)

East vs. West, Southwest vs. South

*changes: Nebraska moves out, Michigan State moves in; Stanford/Wisconsin flip to avoid a rematch between Michigan State/Wisconsin in the first round

Impact Games This Week

Tuesday, November 23
Miami (OH) at Temple (7pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Beth Mowins, Robert Smith
Significance: Winner stays alive in MAC East race

Thursday, November 25
#17 Texas A&M at Texas (8pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Jenn Brown
Significance: Texas A&M looks to stay alive in Big 12 South race, and Texas needs to win in order to bowl-eligible (thought you'd never hear that a year after going to the National Championship game)

Friday, November 26
Ohio at Kent State (11am, ESPNU)
Commentators: Justin Kutcher, Tom Luginbill
Significance: Win, and Ohio plays Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game

West Virginia at Pittsburgh (12pm, ABC)
Commentators: Beth Mowins, Ray Bentley, Quint Kessenich
Significance: Both teams in the mix for a Big East crown; Pittsburgh controls its own destiny, while West Virginia would need more help

SMU at East Carolina (2pm, CBS College Sports)
Commentators: Dave Ryan, Aaron Taylor
Significance: If SMU wins, it plays UCF for the Conference USA title

#2 Auburn at #11 Alabama (2:30pm, CBS)
Commentators: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Significance: Auburn attempts to stay as a #1 seed, while Alabama seeks an at-large bid

Colorado at #15 Nebraska (3:30pm, ABC)
Commentators: Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards
Significance: Nebraska clinches the Big 12 North with a win

Southern Miss at Tulsa (6:30pm, CBS College Sports)
Commentators: Jason Knapp, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
Significance: If SMU loses, then Tulsa takes the C-USA West by defeating Southern Miss

#21 Arizona at #1 Oregon (7pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
Significance: Oregon clinches Pac-10 automatic berth with a win

#4 Boise State at #19 Nevada (10:15pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore
Significance: Boise State clinches WAC automatic berth with a win, while a Nevada win would put a 3-way tie atop the WAC standings

Saturday, November 27
Michigan at #8 Ohio State (12pm, ABC)
Commentators: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich
Significance: Ohio State looks to stay in the hunt for the Big Ten automatic bid or an at-large bid

#10 Michigan State at Penn State (12pm, ESPN2)
Commentators: Mike Patrick, Craig James, Heather Cox
Significance: Michigan State looks to stay in the hunt for the Big Ten automatic bid or an at-large bid

Cincinnati at Connecticut (12pm, Big East Network)
Commentators: Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Eamon McAnaney
Significance: If Pittsburgh loses, Connecticut is in the driver's seat for the Big East championship

Kansas at #14 Missouri (12:30pm, FSN)
Commentators: Steve Physioc, Dave Lapham, Jim Knox
Significance: Needing a major upset of Nebraska, Missouri would win Big 12 North with a win

#5 LSU at #12 Arkansas (3:30pm, CBS)
Commentators: Craig Bolerjack, Steve Beuerlein
Significance: Winner most likely receives an at-large bid

Northwestern at #7 Wisconsin (3:30pm, ABC)
Commentators: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman, Jeannine Edwards
Significance: Wisconsin looks to stay in the hunt for the Big Ten automatic bid or an at-large bid

#23 North Carolina State at Maryland (3:30pm, ESPN2)
Commentators: Dave Lamont, JC Pearson
Significance: NC State wins, and it plays Virginia Tech for the automatic bid from the ACC; lose, and Florida State represents the ACC Atlantic in the conference championship game

#3 TCU at New Mexico (4pm, VS)
Commentators: Ted Robinson, Kelly Stouffer, Lindsay Soto
Significance: Already winning the Mountain West title, TCU seeks to be a #1 seed for the playoffs

Arkansas State at Florida International (3:30pm, Sun Belt Network)
Commentators: Joe Block, Cole Cubelic, Sandra Golden
Significance: FIU wins the Sun Belt automatic bid with a win

Oregon State at #6 Stanford (7pm, VS)
Commentators: Ron Thulin, Glenn Parker, Lindy Thackston
Significance: Stanford essentially locks up an at-large bid by defeating Oregon State, who thomped USC last week

#13 Oklahoma at #9 Oklahoma State (8pm, ABC, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews
Significance: Oklahoma State advances to Big 12 Championship Game with a win, but if Oklahoma wins, the Big 12 South has a 3-way tie at the top

Tiebreak scenarios

Big 12 South (between Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M)
1. If Oklahoma State wins, then Oklahoma State wins the Big 12 South.
2. If Oklahoma wins and Texas A&M loses, then Oklahoma wins the Big 12 South.
3. If Oklahoma wins and Texas A&M wins, then the team with the highest BCS ranking wins the Big 12 South. If the two highest ranked teams are separated by one spot, the winner of the matchup between those teams wins the Big 12 South.

Big Ten (between Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin)
1. If two teams lose and the other wins, then the winning team wins the Big Ten.
2. If Ohio State loses and Michigan State wins, then Michigan State wins the Big Ten.
3. If Michigan State loses and Wisconsin wins, then Wisconsin wins the Big Ten.
4. If both Ohio State/Michigan State win and Wisconsin loses, then the team with the higher BCS ranking wins the Big Ten automatic berth.
5. If all three teams win (or lose), then the team with the highest BCS ranking wins the Big Ten automatic berth.

Week 12: Week of 11/14

projected first round matchups

West (Pasadena, CA)
4 DI-AA Champ at 1 Oregon (#1, 10-0, Pac-10)
3 Ohio State (#9, 9-1, at-large) at 2 Nebraska (#8, 9-1, Big 12)

South (New Orleans, LA)
4 Florida International (UR, 4-5, Sun Belt) at 1 Auburn (#2, 11-0, SEC)
3 Oklahoma State (#10, 9-1, at-large) at 2 Wisconsin (#7, 9-1, Big Ten)

Southwest (Arlington, TX)
4 Pittsburgh (UR, 5-4, Big East) at 1 TCU (#3, 11-0, MWC)
3 Virginia Tech (#16, 8-2, ACC) at 2 Stanford (#6, 9-1, at-large)

East (Miami, FL)
4 UCF (UR, 7-3, C-USA) at 1 Boise State (#4, 9-0, WAC)
3 Northern Illinois (UR, 8-2, MAC) at 2 LSU (#5, 9-1, at-large)

East vs. West, Southwest vs. South

*changes: Northern Illinois moves to 3 seed in the East, UCF to 4 in the East, Pittsburgh to 4 in the Southwest, Florida International replaces Troy as Sun Belt representative

Impact Games This Week

Tuesday, November 16
Ohio at Temple (8pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Beth Mowins, David Norrie
Significance: Winner controls their own destiny in MAC East

Friday, November 19
Fresno State at #4 Boise State (9:30pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore
Significance: Boise State faces a tough out in a well-coached Fresno State team

Saturday, November 20
#7 Wisconsin at Michigan (12pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman, Jeannine Edwards
Significance: Wisconsin goes to the Big House, where they haven't win since 1994, to stay on track for a Big Ten championship

Pittsburgh at South Florida (12pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese
Significance: Pittsburgh looks to stay in first place in the Big East

Northern Illinois at Ball State (12pm, no TV)
Commentators: none
Significance: Win, and Northern Illinois advances to MAC Championship Game representing the West division

#6 Stanford at California (3:30pm, FSN)
Commentators: Barry Tompkins, Petros Papadakis, Rebecca Haarlow
Significance: The Big Game, with Stanford coming off a close win at ASU, and Cal looking to bounce back after a heartbreaker against Oregon

#9 Ohio State at #20 Iowa (3:30pm, ABC)
Commentators: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich
Significance: Winner keeps its Big Ten championship hopes alive

#16 Virginia Tech at #24 Miami (FL) (3:30pm, ESPN)
Commentators: Pam Ward, Danny Kanell, Jessica Mendoza
Significance: Virginia Tech clinches ACC Coastal with a win

Georgia at #2 Auburn (3:30pm, CBS)
Commentators: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Significance: Win, and Auburn takes the SEC West crown

UCF at Tulane (3:30pm, no TV)
Commentators: none
Significance: Win, and UCF advances to the C-USA Championship Game with homefield advantage

Connecticut at Syracuse (7pm, ESPNU)
Commentators: Clay Matvick, Herm Edwards
Significance: Elimination game for the automatic berth from the Big East

#25 Florida State at Maryland (8pm, ABC, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Mike Patrick, Craig James
Significance: Maryland controls its own destiny in the ACC Atlantic race, while Florida State still has a chance if they win

#8 Nebraska at #19 Texas A&M (8pm, ABC, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox
Significance: Nebraska looks to clinch Big 12 North, while Texas A&M looks to hold on to their slim hopes of winning the Big 12 South

Week 11: Week of 11/7

projected first round matchups


West (Pasadena, CA)
4 DI-AA Champ at 1 Oregon (#1, 9-0, Pac-10)
3 Ohio State (#9, 8-1, at-large) at 2 Nebraska (#8, 8-1, Big 12)

South (New Orleans, LA)
4 Troy (UR, 5-3, Sun Belt) at 1 Auburn (#2, 10-0, SEC)
3 Oklahoma State (#10, 8-1, at-large) at 2 Wisconsin (#7, 8-1, Big Ten)

Southwest (Arlington, TX)
4 Northern Illinois (UR, 7-2, MAC) at 1 TCU (#3, 10-0, MWC)
3 Virginia Tech (#20, 7-2, ACC) at 2 Stanford (#6, 8-1, at-large)

East (Miami, FL)
4 Pittsburgh (UR, 5-3, Big East) at 1 Boise State (#4, 8-0, WAC)
3 UCF (UR, 7-2, C-USA) at 2 LSU (#5, 8-1, at-large)

East  vs. West, Southwest vs. South

Impact Games This Week

Tuesday, November 9
Toledo @ Northern Illinois (7pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Clay Matvick, Robert Smith, David Norrie
Significance: Winner of this game probably wins MAC West

Thursday, November 11
Pittsburgh @ Connecticut (7:30pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Jenn Brown
Significance: Big East leader faces a tough road test

Friday, November 12
#4 Boise State @ Idaho (9pm, ESPN2, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN 3D)
Commentators: ESPN2- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore; ESPN 3D- Dave Lamont, Tim Brown, Ray Bentley
Significance: Boise State enters rivalry game on track for a #1 seed and automatic berth

Saturday, November 13
Southern Miss at #25 UCF (12pm, CBS College Sports)
Commentators: Dave Ryan, Aaron Taylor
Significance: Top of the C-USA East square off

Florida International at Troy (3:30pm, Sun Belt Network)
Commentators: Joe Block, Cole Cubelic, Sandra Golden
Significance: Winner is in the driver's seat for the Sun Belt crown

San Diego State at #3 TCU (4pm, VS)
Commentators: Ted Robinson, Kelly Stouffer, Lindsay Soto
Significance: TCU wins the Mountain West by beating an improved SDSU team

#23 South Carolina at #22 Florida (7:15pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV)
Commentators: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
Significance: Winner takes the SEC East title and a berth into the SEC Championship Game



#1 Oregon at California (7:30pm, VS, VS 3D)
Commentators: VS- Ron Thulin, Glenn Parker, Lewis Johnson; VS 3D- Wayne Larrivee, Erik Kramer, Heidi Androl
Significance: #1 faces a Cal team undefeated at home

#21 Nevada at Fresno State (10:30pm, ESPN, ESPN3.com)
Commentators: Todd Harris, David Diaz-Infante
Signficance: Battle for second place in the WAC with each facing Boise State in the coming weeks

NCAA Division I-A Football Playoff Rules

16 team format (single elimination bracket, no regular season rematches in first round)
11 automatic qualifiers (all I-A conferences)
5 at-large bids (use BCS standings)
1st round: at home site (2 weeks after end of regular season)
Regional Final: 4 BCS sites not used for championship game (January 1, January 2 if January 1 falls on Sunday 11am ET, 2:15pm ET, 5:30pm ET, 8:45pm ET)
National Semifinals: neutral sites determined by the higher seed (~2 weeks after Regional Finals during NFL Divisional Weekend- 1 semifinal Saturday 1pm ET, 1 semifinal Sunday 8pm ET)
Championship Game: BCS site (Saturday two weeks after semifinals between NFL Conference Championships and Super Bowl) [2011: Glendale, AZ; 2012: New Orleans, LA; 2013: Miami, FL; 2014: Pasadena, CA; 2015: Arlington, TX]

*rule changes*
1. no stopping clock after first down until last 2 minutes of each half
2. 2 minute warning at 2:00 mark of 2nd/4th quarters
[this is to make it so games will finish faster]