14A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 16, 2000 Rivalry games factor in BCS b (first place voein5 (1parentheses)} RECORD PTS Strong Brees may blow into Pasadena By Seth Klempner Daly Spors Writer Hamlet and Claudius, Hamilton and Burr, Itchy and Scratchy. All are rivalries that ended in bloodshed. The final week of the Across the regular sea- son is upon TOP 25 us and that means that old hatreds and bitterness over past losses will be renewed in rivalry week. No: 4 FLoRIDA (9-1) No. 3 FLORIDA SIATm (10-1): No one loves a cordial Southern bloodbath more than these two teams, and this week- end will be no different. There are two scenarios for this game. Scenario one: Sports imitates poli- tics and after playing to a double- overtime tie, Steve Spurrier and Bobby Bowden will decide to let the voters of Palm Beach County decide the outcome of the game. Some voters are too feeble to punch out the entire hole on their bal- lot while others confuse Central Florida for Florida and Florida State wins. Scenario two: A winner is deter- mined on the field. Using the always dangerous two (if not three) quarter- back system, Florida will have trou- ble handling the Seminoles' blitzing schemes. Florida will be able to answer Florida State's offense with the help of freshman receiver Jabar Gaffnev, who had 168 yards against South Carolina. On offense, the Seminoles will be thin in the backfield, having lost two of their running backs to injury, which will allow the Florida defense to focus on Chris Weinke. While statistics may not mean any- thing in this game, the one statistic that haunts coach Spurrier is his record in Tallahassee (0-4-1). If the Gators are to win this game, they must find a way to score against the nation's best defense. This game is also Weinke's last chance to impress Heisman voters. The winner of this game will likely vault over Miami and get a spot in the Orange Bowl, unless the standings are not to the liking of Al Gore, in which case he may challenge the final BCS ranking. Florida State 36, Florida 33 No. 5 ORM:oN (9-1) vs No. 8 OREGON SrxTf (9-1): Normally this game is between two teams with los- ing records and is played in obscuri- ty, overshadowed by the bigger games of rivalry week. But this year is far from normal. Both teams are in the top 10 in the nation and have a chance of going to the Rose Bowl. Oregon has only one loss this sea- son but has given up 79 points in it's last two road games. Unless they fix their problems on defense this game is going to be a long one for the Ducks as they head to Corvallis. Compounding Oregon's defensive problems is its poor performance against the run - Oregon's rush defense ranks 40th in the nation. This Saturdav the team has the task of stopping junior running back Ken Simonton, who averages 136.1 yards per game. Oregon controls its own fate and can go to Pasadena with a win, while Oregon State needs a win coupled Question: Where can you get the most affordable class rings and graduation accessories? Answer: Visit WWW.GRADWEAR.COM Graduate for Less! 1. Oklahoma (70) 2. Miami (Fla.) 3. Florida State 4. Florida 5. Oregon 6. Washington 7. Virginia Tech 8. Oregon State 9. Kansas State 10. Nebraska 11. Notre Dame 12. Ohio State 13. Mississippi State 14. Texas 15. Texas Christian 16. Clemson 17. Purdue 18. Auburn 19. Michigan 20. Georgia Tech 21. Texas A&M 22. Georgia 23. Northwestern 24. Southern Miss. 25. South Carolina 9-0 8.1 10-1 9-1 10-1 9-1 9.1 9-1 9-2 8-2 7-2 8-2 7-2 8-2 8-1 8-2 7-3 8-2 7-3 7-2 7-3 6-3 7-3 7-2 7-3 1.774 1,690 1.629 1,551 1,490 1,429 1.328 1.263 1,124 1.101 1,006 957 896 725 679 662 603 599 543 469 328 322 284 238 121 FSmO ,p" 04 r Dropped out: none with a Washington defeat before the Beavers can return to Pasadena. Oregon State 38, Oregon 29 No. 16 Souti CARoLINA (7-3) AT No. 25 CumisoN (8-2): The last time anyone outside South Carolina paid attention to this game, Jesse Helms was still fighting against the Civil Rights movement. Both teams are coming off two consecutive losses, but Clemson's fall from the top 10 and 47-point loss to Florida State leaves the team more demoraIized. Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler will be slowed by tendinitis of the ankle, which will slow the Tigers' fast-paced spread offense. Clenson's offense has enough weapons that -it will not be disabled by Dantzler's injury, but the injur y will allow the already fast Gamecocks to cheat up on the line and play receivers tight. The South Carolina defense is 16th in the nation in total yards and has given up under 16 points per game. In the end, Dantzler's sore ankle will be the difference and no recounts will be needed. South Carolina 30, Clemson 25 By Nick Kacher Daily Sports Writcr Saturday marks the end of the Big Ten football season, which makes this rivalrv week. Besides having various weapons and tools turned trophies on. the line, many t e a m s' Across the chances of' a bowl game BIEN hang in the balance. The way the Big Ten season has gone thus far, no one really knows what's going to happen. INDIANA (3-7 BiG TEN, 2-5 OVER- ALL) r No. 17 PURDt E (5-2, 7-3): Purdue has a chance to clinch the Rose Bowl for only the second time in school history -- the first time being in 1967. The Boilermakers hope to turn around a bio loss at the hands of Michigan State last week. In a big game you want to put the ball in the hands of vour team's leaders, so expect Drew Brees to connect with wide receiver Vinnv Sutherland as much as possible to put this game awav. For Indiana to win, it will need a big game from its one-man team, Antwaan Randle El. Indiana has an explosive offense that averages 450.6 yards per. game. Indiana is extremely effective in the redzone - scoring 87 percent of the time, but can they get there ? Purdue wants to keep the Old Oaken Bucket and take it to Pasadena. Purdue 44, Indiana 32 ILLINOiS (2-5, 5-5) xr NORTiwEsTERN (5-2, 7-3): Northwestern is hoping to gain a piece of the conference title, as well as the traditional Tomahawk Trophy with a victory over in-state rival Illinois. After last week's less-than stellar perfor- mance at lowa the Wildcats definitely want to end the season on a positive note. Quarterback Zak Kustock and running back Damien Anderson hope to spark the Wildcats' offense and return it to the form that averaged 36.3 points per game. Illinois lost another heartbreaker last week when the ball split the goalpost on the last play to lift Ohio State to- a 24-21 victory, putting the Fighting Illini in a must win situation if they want to become bowl eligible. Unfortunately for them, quarterback Kurt Kittner will have to watch it from the sidelines after suffering a concus- sion in last week's game. Don't expect the Tomahawk to be making its way back to Champaign when it's all said and done. Northwestern 38, Illinois 24 MICIGAN STrAVE (2-5, 5-5):vi, PENN STXTE: (3-4,4-7): Michigan State hopes to keep its momentum as it roles into State College after a huge upset oveE Purdue. The Spartans hope again to prove that a good defense is the best offense and grab the cherished Land Grant Trophy. Penn State just wants the season over with. The seven losses it has acquired is the most ever by a Joe Paterno team. What does. he have to say about it ? "We're just not that good, really." With their lack of confidence start- ing from their coach to their field-goal kicker - whose glory days ended with kickball at recess - don't expect'the Nittany Lions to end the season on a good note. Michigan State 24, Penn State 15 IoNA (3-4, 3-8) mMINNEsMrA (3-4, 3-8): Rumor has it that Iowa and Minnesota are also going to play foot: ball this Saturday -- not that anyone really cares. Minnesota has a chance to become bowl-eligible. But it has to win, which it hasn't done in three games. To win, the Golden Gophers will have to pound the ball down the middle with their running back Tellis Rednion, who is second in the conference in all-purpose vardage. lowa has won two straight games for the first time since 1997. Iowa strug- gles with one of the worst defenses in the country, but Minnesota's offense is nothing to write home about either. Look for Iowa to complete the nira- cle and win three in a row. Iowa 20, Minnesota 13 ® . . . ."'yd et.e 4 lo .. ....... ........... An d . , MINOR All ?.,.y.......... ...... ... ....... ... .......... ......... .............. ................ ........... ............ ...... ...... ............ .............. .............. ............ ................ ..... . ..... . Olson, expectations return for Blue By Nathan Linsley When lie returned, Olson had a hew Daly Sports Writer knee, the number one preseason ranking for his weight class and the same goals When the IMichigan wrestling team he left on the mat his junior year. November 15th and 16th invades last Lansing for its second and final unattached meet of the season, all eves will be on senior 174- pounder Otto Olson. Expectations for Olson were high last season after finishing second at nation- als as a sophomore. But a knee injury ended his junior season in early January. THIS WEEKEND JENISON FIELD HOUSE Who: Michigan at Michigan State Open When: 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday Latest: Otto Olson carries No. 1 national ranking to final preseason meet "I'm happy that I have another chance to get what I rightly deserve," Olson said. After a tune-up two. weeks ago at the Eastern Michigan Open - where he won his 100th career match en route to a tour- nament championship - Olson and his teammates I wmum SA SUNG 01If ITal ever one's i jtedmi ? ii -i~' are anxious to wrestle. "All summer, it's been all of' us wrestling, so it will be real good to get out there and wrestle someone else," senior Joe Degain said. Degain, the 197-pounder, also won two weeks ago in Ypsilanti. As a team, the Wolverines were dominant, winning eight-of-10 weight classes. But this weekend should provide some more challenges with more Big Ten teams including two top rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State. "The Eastern Michigan tournament was a good starter for us, and got us some good competition," Michigan coach Joe McFarland said. "This will be another step up. The last tournament showed promi especially at the low weights, where red- shirt fireshman Foley Dowd captured the title at 133 and sophomore A.J. Grant was victorious at 125. The Wolverines have been working on their conditioning and their individual technique and are anxious to see if their time in the weight room has paid off.. While some wrestlers, such. as Degain and Olson, have already solidified th. spots in the lineup, most of the wei classes are still up for grabs. Though the team is in the midst of wrestle-offs, McFarland insists that the results at this meet will not substitute for those intrasquad matches, unless two wrestlers meet head-to-head.sT Regardless of whether or not two Wolverines meet, the competition can count on the intensity that has become a benchmark of McFarland's crew. "We're all going to get geared up foAL it," Degain said. "We pay the price in the weight room, and we pay the price in the practice room" Olson said. "When we're on the mat, they're going to have to go through seven minutes of pain." 0 L _GEST _ ISELECTI I " 0 4 n tf , Fi C