Red River Shootout; SEC Battles Highlight Weekend

Oklahoma and Texas highlight this weekends college football matchups and this year it's a little different for the No. 7 Longhorns and No. 14 Sooners.

Both come into the game with a loss, the first time that has happened since 1999, and the loser will say bye, bye to any national championship aspirations. However, the winner will most likely capture the Big 12 title and reach a BCS bowl, maybe even the BCS Title game.

Also on tap for this weekend is a little Separation Saturday in the SEC. Four ranked teams from the conference will do battle and after the dust settles, the landscape of the SEC could be changed dramatically.

No. 9 LSU travels to No. 5 Florida, while No. 13 Tennessee heads up to the hedges to face the tenth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

California (No. 16) hosts Oregon (No. 11) in the only other head-to-head battle of Top 25 teams this week.

There's already been some shakeup in the polls after North Carolina State stunned No. 17 Florida State, 24-20 last night.

Here's the Corners predictions for this weeks Top 25 battles:

Louisville (8) at Middle Tennessee
Even with the injuries to Brian Brohm and Michael Bush the Cardinals should have no problems in this game. Winner: Louisville.

Bowling Green at Ohio State (1)
The Buckeyes are 21-1 all-time versus the MAC. Troy Smith and company will roll to the easy victory. Winner: Ohio State.

Arkansas at Auburn (2)
Do you want to know how good the Tigers have been against the SEC recently? Auburn is 20-1 against the conference since the 2004 season. They will be 21-1 after Saturday. Winner: Auburn.

Washington at USC (3)
The Huskies have been the surprise of the Pac-10 jumping out to a 3-1 record. Despite the good start, the Trojans have too much talent for Washington to overcome. Winner: USC.

West Virginia (4) at Mississippi State
The Mountaineers travel to hostile territory in SEC country. It won't matter one bit as West Virginia behind Pat White and Steve Slaton roll. Winner: West Virginia.

LSU (9) at Florida (5)
Chris Leak is running Urban Meyer's spread option attack to perfection for the unbeaten Gators. This week Florida faces its toughest test when the Tigers come to town. Get ready for a hard-hitting game with both offenses capable of putting up points, but in the end, LSU has the better defense and that will be the difference. Winner: LSU.

Michigan State at Michigan (6)
The Spartans are faltering, having lost to Notre Dame and Illinois back-to-back. Now they have to travel to face the unbeaten Wolverines, who have take eight of the last 10 from their in-state rival. Winner: Michigan.

Texas (7) at Oklahoma (14)
Sooners looking for payback after last seasons 45-12 loss to the Longhorns. Paul Thompson is improving as a QB and Adrian Peterson is healthy. Texas and Oklahoma both have strong defenses so the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. With a freshman QB in a huge rivalry game like this, look for the Longhorns to make the most mistakes. Winner: Oklahoma.

Tennessee (13) at Georgia (10)
The Bulldogs are trying to start 6-0 for the first time under Mark Richt. Georgia welcomes the return of QB Joe Tereshinski from injury and it couldn't come at a better time. The Bulldogs have been struggling with their passing attack and need to pick it up against a fast-improving Volunteer club led by QB Erick Ainge. It should be a very close contest but give it to Georgia at home. Winner: Georgia.

Oregon (11) at California (16)
The Ducks have speed, size and tons of talent on both sides of the ball. The Oregon defense must control Cal tailback Marshawn Lynch and make QB Nate Longshore carry the load. Ducks coach Mike Belotti is 7-1 lifetime against the Golden Bears. Winner: Oregon.

Stanford at Notre Dame (12)
Charlie Weis has been hyping the Cardinal up all week because he knows the fans are going to witness a massacre. Winner: Notre Dame.

Clemson (15) at Wake Forest
The Tigers take on an unbeaten and rejuvenated Demon Deacons squad in a key ACC matchup. Wake Forest has won two in a row from Clemson, but RB James Davis and a strong defensive front led by DE Gaines Adams, should be enough to end the slide. Winner: Clemson.

Maryland at Georgia Tech (18)
The Yellowjackets have WR Calvin Johnson and are coming off a huge win over Virginia Tech. Their confidence is at an all-time high and that spells trouble for the Terps. Winner: Georgia Tech.

Purdue at Iowa (19)
The Hawkeyes get to come home to lick their wounds after being crushed by the Buckeyes last week. Look for a nice bounce back as Drew Tate and company host a Boilermaker defense that gives away more gifts than Santa Claus. Winner: Iowa.

Louisiana Tech at Boise State (22)
The Broncos steamrolled Utah last week so Tech shouldn't give them any problems at all on the blue turf. Winner: Boise State.

Nebraska (22) at Iowa State
The Cornhuskers have struggled mightily lately at Ames, losing two straight and three of the last four. The Cyclones have been a disappointment this season, but have loads of talent on offense. Look for the upset. Winner: Iowa State.

Missouri (23) at Texas Tech
The Tigers are the only Division-IA team to be ranked in the top ten in offense (10th) and defense (2nd) nationally. QB Chase Daniel has led the way to a 5-0 start and national ranking for Missouri. The Red Raiders feature a potent offensive attack that averages over 40 points a contest. With the game down in Lubbock, look for the Tigers to fall from the unbeaten ranks. Winner: Texas Tech.

The Corner Lowdown:
Last week: 15-2
Overall: 49-7


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