A Cornucopia Of Games Worth Watching

By Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com

With so many rivalries and meaningful games to choose from, it can get a bit overwhelming. Here's a rundown of the top games to watch this weekend:

Saturday's feast

No. 8 Virginia Tech at No. 16 Virginia (ESPN2, Noon ET)
This rivalry long has sported the basics of great college rivalries: two public universities, one urban and snooty, the other rural and plebeian. This week the No. 8 Hokies and the No. 16 Cavaliers also are playing for the ACC Coastal championship. It may be UVa fans' worst nightmare. They didn't want Virginia Tech in the ACC. Now the newcomer is favored to win the Coastal by beating them.

No. 18 Tennessee at Kentucky (1:30 p.m. ET)
The No. 18 Volunteers need this game to clinch the SEC East, which would be the conclusion of an incredible stretch drive. Tennessee has lost conference games by 39 and 24 points, and lost at Cal by 14, a defeat that looks worse with every Bears defeat. The Wildcats have lost their early-season magic, but in senior quarterback Andre' Woodson's last home game, they could make a statement heard clear to Athens.

Utah at No. 25 BYU (2 p.m. ET)
The Beehive Boot is at stake in a rivalry that makes up for in intensity what it lacks in attention. The No. 25 Cougars have won seven consecutive games. So have the Utes. Five of those seven BYU wins have been by 10 points or more. Hey, the Utes can match that, too. Here's one thing the Cougars can't match: Utah has won five of the past six games the teams have played at BYU.

No. 20 UConn at No. 3 West Virginia (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)
The No. 3 Mountaineers are a victory away from winning their second BCS bowl berth in three seasons. More important, they are two victories, and a little help from Oklahoma or Texas, away from playing for the national championship. The No. 20 Huskies are a tribute to good health (11 defensive starters have started 11 games) and good football (plus-15 turnover margin). A win will secure them their first Big East championship and first BCS bid.

No. 7 Georgia at Georgia Tech (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey could use a win to quell fan disgruntlement, especially because Georgia seems to win this game in cruel fashion year after year. The Bulldogs' SEC East fate will be decided in Lexington, but if they win this game, they will be, at 10-2, a very attractive candidate for a BCS at-large berth.

No. 9 Oregon at UCLA
(ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)
The Bruins need one more win to qualify for a bowl, and their coach, Karl Dorrell, surely could use one more win in search of secure employment. But UCLA's last two opponents are No. 9 Oregon and No. 11 USC. Insert awkward silence here. The Ducks aren't playing for all the marbles anymore -- just the Rose-colored ones.

Florida State at No. 12 Florida
(5 p.m. ET)
Two teams that have been minor disappointments can make their seasons successful by winning this in-state, public-university rivalry. The No. 12 Gators are a one-man offense, but what a man. Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow will see a tough defense. The question is whether the Seminoles, who have improved over the course of the season, will produce enough offense.

No. 22 Clemson at South Carolina (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET)
One of the great unsung rivalries comes just in time for the two teams. The Gamecocks are reeling. They have lost four straight games and are clinging to bowl hopes. The Tigers are reeling, having lost the ACC Atlantic in heartbreaking fashion to Boston College. Here comes the perfect antidote, but there's only enough for one team.

Washington State at Washington (7 p.m. ET)
The Apple Cup is a benign name for a fierce rivalry. Gone are the days when the Cougars can knock the Huskies out of the Rose Bowl, or when UW can dominate Wazzu. The winner between these two teams with identical records (4-7, 2-6) likely will finish no better than eighth place in the Pac-10. So all that matters is bragging rights. That's usually quite sufficient.

No. 4 Missouri at No. 2 Kansas (ABC, 8 p.m. ET)
Historians are peering at cave-wall carvings and studying the Dead Sea Scrolls to determine the last time these archrivals had more at stake than their 150-year-old enmity for one another. Winner clinches the Big 12 North and stays in the running for the national championship. Loser has a good shot at a top-tier bowl. Who woulda thunk?

Alabama at Auburn (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
It's a 7-4 team coming off a 25-point loss against a 6-5 team with three straight losses, the last to Louisiana-Monroe. In other words: what's the big deal? As if. Not even the possibility of a (Music City? Liberty?) bowl bid for winning is as important to the Crimson Tide as preventing the Tigers from extending their winning streak in this rivalry to a school-best six games.

Holiday Memories

By Bill Curry, ESPN.com
Being with the team at the holidays is a unique experience. Coach Vince Lombardi used to have these big Thanksgiving dinners, and everyone would bring their families. I know it helped the Packers, and it was something I enjoyed with my teams. Of course, it's not always easy to focus around the holidays. I have a vivid memory of Christmas with the Colts in 1965, my rookie year. We were getting ready to play my good friend Don Shinnick and the Baltimore Colts in a playoff game on Dec. 26. It was the strangest feeling, getting ready to play football the next day. I felt like we should have been at church or celebrating with our families. That might have affected the teams' performances: the game was a historic clash -- the Packers' first-ever overtime game, and their only such playoff contest until 2003. It took Baltimore less than a minute to score; Shinnick returned a fumble for a touchdown. The game ended on a hotly disputed 25-yard field goal by Don Chandler, en route to the Packers' World Championship. If you are wondering why I remember this so vividly, I was the rookie long snapper who hiked the ball to Bart Starr for Chandler's kicks.

Each team celebrates the holidays differently. Rich Wingo, who played for coach Bear Bryant at Alabama, once told me about a controversial decision Bryant made. In those days, teams would wait until after Christmas to fly to a bowl game. Bryant decided the team would fly out early and miss the holiday with their families. This didn't sit well with many parents, of course, but Bryant made it special for the team -- complete with a family dinner and the gifts you're allowed to give for bowls. Rich said it was one of the most memorable Christmas celebrations, because he spent it with his teammates.

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom also played for Bryant. He told me a funny story about his experience at a bowl game with Alabama. He was joking around with his roommate and threw an orange at him, missing and hitting the wall. Bryant poked his head in, saw the orange dripping from the wall, and took away Croom's bowl money. Needless to say, he didn't share Rich's fond memories of bowling with Bryant.

Playing around the holidays can be tough for some players, but if the coaches make it into something festive and fun, it can be an enduring memory for all, and the men might even play well!

By Jim Donnan, ESPN.com
One of the most heartfelt Thanksgivings I shared with a team was my first playoff at Marshall. We had a limited budget, so a group of female supporters in town called the Herd Sideliners decided to help out with the dinner. The women -- mostly retirees -- cooked a Thanksgiving feast for the entire team. The players felt like they were at home. It was a great feeling of unity and a very good day for us.

By Bob Davie, ESPN.com
When I coached at Texas A&M, we always played Texas on Thanksgiving or the day after. At Notre Dame, we would play USC or UCLA that weekend, so we would often spend Thanksgiving on the road. Because I spent so long playing or preparing on the holiday, I now associate Thanksgiving with football completely -- it's the coaching way of life. It's the best time of the year. At this point in the season, the games are usually meaningful and you prepare differently for them. Games around the holidays have a bowl-type atmosphere around them. Freshmen are no longer freshmen at this point of the season, and the players, coaches and support staff have become your family. I'm not sure people outside of the football world realize how much time you are together as a team. It's the lifestyle you live, and there couldn't be a better one. Just because it's not traditional doesn't mean it's not a great way to do it. Some of the best times I've had have been in those situations.

When the holidays roll around, you want to be with your team, because the alternative is that if you're at home, it's not a good thing. Good teams are very seldom home for Christmas and New Year's.