TCU rolls into town as the Broncos’ next regular season opponent. But no "regular" opponent they are. The Horned Frogs finished the previous season undefeated and are two points and one overtime away from continuing their unbeaten ways and holding the nation’s longest winning streak.  Despite some minor stumbles, the Frogs are every bit the strong team they were expected to be; Mr. Badger is right to respect them. But fear them he does not. 

Respect, Yes.    Fear, No. 

Join me and Mr. Badger after the jump for a rundown of this week’s games to watch. 

As usual, there are a few categories of games to watch:

1. Opponents

The better our opponents fare, the better we look.

2. Unbeatens

While it is a long shot… playing in the National Championship Game is a definite possibility.

3. Other Guys 

For one reason or another, Boise State has a rooting interest in these games.

ORDER:

The games are put in order of Time, with the best games first within each time slot.

SATURDAY – 10am

***** 5 Stars *****

(2) Oklahoma State (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) at Texas Tech (5-4, 2-4 Big 12)                ABC Regional

At 9-0 for just the second time in its history, Okie State seeks a spot in the national championship game. Texas Tech is looking for a 6th victory, which would move it one step closer to being bowl-eligible.

Tech looks to rebound from its second 2-game losing streak of the season by playing Giant-Killer, just as it did 3 weeks ago when it rebounded from its first 2-game losing streak to beat then-Giant Oklahoma.

Attitude is everything

We know one thing about Texas Tech and Okie State: they both can score a lot of points. Turnovers could mean the difference for these pass-happy offenses. Despite having the 110th-best defense in the country, Okie State’s defense leads the nation with 31 takeaways. If Tech can turn the tables on this important stat, an upset is possible. Go Red Raiders!

*** 3 Stars ***

Tulsa (6-3, 5-0 C-USA) vs Marshall (4-5, 3-2 C-USA)                                           Fox Sports Network

At 5-0 in conference play, Tulsa controls its own C-USA destiny. That’s what our Broncos like to hear! With 11th-ranked Houston last on Tulsa’s schedule, the Golden Hurricane must be careful not to overlook the Thundering Herd (or next week’s UTEP Miners).  This should be a great tailgating game to catch. Go Hurricanes!

Broncos, Beverages, and Sunshine... must be Tailgate Season

SATURDAY – Noon

** 2 Stars **

Wyoming (5-3, 2-1 MWC) at Air Force (5-4, 1-3 MWC)       The MTN

Mr. Badger usually doesn’t care about in-conference bouts, but with a tussle against Wyoming in two weeks, he figures it will look better to voters if Wyoming rolls into town at 7-3 record than 6-4 (we’re assuming Wyoming rolls New Mexico next week). Go Cowboys!

Wyoming with a good chance to be 7-3? Who knew? 

SATURDAY – 1:30pm

***** 5 Stars ***** 

(5) Boise State (8-0, 3-0 MWC) vs (24) TCU (7-2, 4-0 MWC)                                       Versus

If you’re not inside the stadium, Mr. Badger says you'd better be outside the stadium cheering from the parking lot. This is Boise’s biggest home game of the season. Expect the house to rock. It will be chilly Saturday, and Mr. Badger’s got his scarf & hat (knit by Ian Johnson) packed and ready.

Mr. Badger is all about the swag

Practice your "Ahhhh" cheers because third down will be crucial. Go Broncos!

***** 5  Stars *****

(15) Georgia (7-2, 5-1 SEC) vs (20) Auburn (6-3, 4-2 SEC)                                        CBS

Don’t you love it when regular season rivalries are so intense their games get names like "The World’s Largest Cocktail Party"(Georgia vs Florida)? This week, it’s Georgia v Auburn in what’s affectionately dubbed "The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry" (not to be confused with "The South’s Oldest Rivalry"… UVA vs UNC). Played almost every year since 1892, with an average score of 15.8 (Georgia) to 15.5 (Auburn), it’s a shame either team has lose. But lose one must. And come Saturday, let’s hope that losing team is Auburn.

Speaking of shameful things, what a shame this game is played at the same time our Boys in Blue strap it up. Not being able to watch the game is bad enough; relying on our announcer to remember other games' scores should be announced – or get the scores right – is almost more than one can bear. If the announcer doesn’t start regularly announcing scores during our home games – particularly of this contest – Mr. Badger is gonna blow a gasket.

He says he made a sign asking all of you to call Boise State prior to game day... asking them to "Please announce scores more often - no make that MUCH more often - for games that impact our Broncos". And while you're at it, "Maybe post some of those scores on your JumboTron".

Mr. Badger's current political statement

There’s nothing worse than enjoying your home team, but dying of uncertainty wondering what the scores of other critical games are. Go Dawgs! And Go Announcer!

SATURDAY – 4pm

*** 3 Stars ***

(8) Arkansas (8-1, 4-1 SEC) vs Tennessee (4-5, 0-5 SEC)                                      ESPN2  

While it’s possible Arkansas could cause complete BCS havoc by running the rest of the table (which would include a victory over #1 LSU), Mr. Badger says he’s gonna wish for something simpler: a loss now, and a win against LSU later. Because you never know: the Tigers might – just might – overlook a 2-loss Razorback team. But they will not overlook a 1-loss team.

Plus, you gotta figure the Vols gotta get an SEC win at some point. if they don’t, some of the fans might resort to getting’ on the Gridiron themselves.

Kidnapping poor players is an accepted practice when it comes to Tennessee Football

Go Vols!

** 2 Stars **

San Diego State (5-3, 2-2 MWC) at Colorado State (3-5, 1-2 MWC)             The MTN 

Again, the Badger normally looks the other way when it comes to in-conference contests, but playing against a 6-3 Aztec team looks better than a 5-4 team. Go Aztecs!

 We'd hoped for better, but you are San Diego after all... 

SATURDAY – 6pm

***** 5 Stars *****

(4) Stanford (9-0, 7-0 PAC 12) vs (7) Oregon (8-1, 6-0 PAC 12)                             ABC

Pick your poison. If Oregon wins, they likely jump us in the polls. If Stanford wins, they solidify their spot… and deal a serious blow to Kellen’s Heisman hopes. No matter who wins though, all is not lost. Stanford still has Notre Dame on its schedule, while Oregon’s got Southern Cal. In a best-case scenario, Oregon falls to SC and Stanford gets blown out at home against the Irish. As for this contest, Mr. Badger is hoping Oregon intercepts Luck 10 times but only ends up winning 2-0, with the safety coming after Luck has retreated 90 yards into his own end zone.

Mr. Badger's dreams

**** 4 Stars ****

(3) Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4 SEC)                            ESPN

If ever there were a chance for a team to "steal one" against ‘Bama, this would be the week. Coming off a deflating OT loss to #1 ranked LSU, Nick Saban’s squad will have to work extra-hard to stay focused. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and everything to get up for. After, the opportunity to knock off a top-five team doesn’t come along every day. (Just a couple times a year). Still, athletes at all levels love to play spoiler. With a game against #3 Bama this week, and against #7 Arkansas at the end of the year, the Bulldogs could become our best friends. Mr. Badger likes the sound of that.

Mr. Badger has made more friends this year... 

* 1 Star *

Fresno State (3-6, 2-2) at New Mexico State (3-6, 1-3)                                    WAC Sports Network

Fresno State’s Pat Hill may already be doomed, but a loss to New Mexico State will surely end any chance he has at returning next year. Mr. Badger likes Coach Hill, but can’t stand his propensity to lose any game his team has a chance at winning. This is the third Bulldog team Mr. Badger is rooting for this week. Go Dawgs!

Like I said, the friends are piling up

SATURDAY – 8pm

*** 3 Stars ***

Nevada (5-3, 3-0 WAC) vs Hawaii (5-4, 3-2 WAC)                                                ESPNU

The Pack looks to extend its 15-game home winning streak (grrrr… memories) against the Rainbow Warriors. The last time Hawaii travelled to the state of Nevada, they had so much fun at the casinos they forgot they had a game to play (40-20 loss to UNLV). Can we be so lucky again? I would expect Coach McMackin to have his squad slightly better prepared this time, but travelling across three time zones still can’t be easy.

Did our Boys in Blue face a similar struggle? Just saying...

Nevada is the only team in the WAC that controls its own Conference Championship destiny. Go Pack!

Tues 6PM

** 2 Stars **

Northern Illinois (7-3, 5-1 MAC) vs Ball State (6-4, 4-2 MAC)                          ESPNU

In one of those "other games", Mr. Badger is hoping the Northern Illinois Huskies fall because of the impact to Toledo (and Boise). In a best case scenario, all but one of our non-conference opponents will be conference champions (Nevada and Fresno State are from the same conference). Should Toledo wish to play in the MAC Championship Game, it must not only run the rest of the table, but Toledo must lose at least one more game. Since NIU only has two more games left, time is running out. Go Cardinals!

Mr. Cardinal rallies the troops 

Happy Watching!