It is approaching a week since Georgia’s loss to Alabama, as the No. 10-ranked Bulldogs will not play again until Oct. 11 when they host Tennessee. The loss to the Crimson Tide did little to affect Georgia’s goal of winning the SEC, as the team still controls its own destiny and can capture a conference crown by winning out. The loss, however, did affect the Bulldogs’ hopes for a BCS Title. Still, three weekend’s worth of games are to be played before the release of the first BCS Poll on Oct. 19, and Georgia could possibly be in the top five by then.
The Bulldogs already have gotten help this week with Pittsburgh beating South Florida, which was tied at No. 10 with Georgia in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Thursday’s loss by the Bulls not only means they will not be tied with the Bulldogs any longer, but most importantly, it means that there is just one undefeated Big East team left: Connecticut. More than likely, the Big East’s only hope for a participant in the BCS Title Game was to have a team go undefeated. That now will be left up to the Huskies, who may have an uphill fight for a bid even if they do run the table. The No. 23 Huskies play at 3-1 North Carolina on Saturday.
A total of four Big 12 teams are ranked in USA Today’s Top 10 and all four of them will be on the road this week). No. 1 Oklahoma should not have much trouble at Baylor (though a matchup with No. 5 Texas is a week away. The Longhorns, on the other hand, face a stiffer challenge playing at Colorado. The Buffaloes are coming off their first loss of the season, as they fell to Florida State last week, but have played a tougher schedule than Texas to date and may jump out to an early lead because of that. No matter what happens this week, either Oklahoma or Texas is bound to have a loss by the time the initial BCS Poll is released.
No. 3 Missouri travels to Nebraska on Saturday night. The Tigers are a better team than the Cornhuskers, who lost to Virginia Tech a week ago. Traditionally, however, Missouri has more than struggled playing in Lincoln, having not won there since 1978. This road test will be either further vindication that the last two years of Missouri football are not a fluke, or show that the Tigers need some more time to adjust to their new role as favorites. Also, No. 8 Texas Tech plays at Kansas State on Saturday. Kansas State’s 3-1 record is the product of their scheduling, but the Red Raiders have also feasted on their share of cupcakes early on. Still, the Wildcats’ defense will be hard pressed to stop Texas Tech.
Penn State will also be on the road this week, as the No. 6 Nittany Lions travel to Purdue. The Nittany Lions have been dominant and Purdue is coming off a loss to Notre Dame. An upset here is not likely, but this will be the toughest road test for Penn State thus far. Later, on Saturday night, an intriguing encounter takes place when No. 9 USC hosts No. 23 Oregon. The Ducks have been besieged by injuries at their quarterback position, but have a better running attack than that other team from Oregon that ran over the Trojans. Still, USC will be playing at home and could not possibly lose two games in a row … could they?
When it comes to moving on from the Alabama game, the most important thing for Georgia to focus on is taking care of their own business if they are going to reposition themselves for a run at a BCS Title. That will begin with a desperate Tennessee team coming to Athens next week. But for one week, the Bulldog Nation can sit back and keep track of how some of the nation’s other top teams are doing.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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