Herald blogs: Extra Points: Football

Gridiron nation: Week Ten

Games of the week:

#9 LSU @ #3 Alabama

Another week and other mouth-watering matchup in the SEC. As odd as it seems, LSU has a direct line to the national championship game. The Tigers control their own destiny and if they win out, you’ll see Les Miles vying for another crystal football. The two teams standing in their way are Alabama and Florida, two squads that have their minds’ set on a championship appearance. Let’s see if LSU can work some magic, or if we’re just destined to watch a UF - Bama showdown for the SEC championship. 

#16 Ohio State @ #11 Penn State

The most exciting game in the Big Ten this year takes place in Happy Valley. Last season, the Nittany Lions came into the Horseshoe and upended the Buckeyes. This time around, OSU has to travel to Beaver Stadium to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive. The white out failed to rattle the Hawkeyes earlier in the season, it will be interesting to see if it has an effect on Terrelle Pryor and the Bucks. 

#8 Oregon @ Stanford 

Oregon is in the driver’s seat for a Pac-10 title after running over USC, but this conference always seems to create some unexpected upsets. Stanford has played spoiler before, and there is some talent on that Cardinal squad. Look for Stanford to put up a good fight in front the home crowd. 

Player to Watch:

Mike Kafka, Northwestern

The Wildcats were worried Kafka was going to miss the showdown with Iowa, but it looks like the talented quarterback will be just fine. Kafka is going to need a big performance against a rigid defense if Northwestern wants to upset the Hawkeyes. We have seen surprises take place at Ryan Field before, and this Iowa team has looked very vulnerable as of late.