Twistity Sports Exclusive: RIVALRY WEEKEND

 
Each week we give a little guide to the games and tell you what we’re watching. Well, we’re watching them all. This is Rivalry Weekend (I’m calling it that, I don’t know about ESPN), where even the losers get a chance to feel good about themselves by beating the team they hate most.

Look at Florida. The Gators have won six games and qualified for a bowl but they’ve already fired their coach, effective after they play Florida State. That’s unbeaten, defending national champion Florida State. Woo-hoo! Florida would love to give coach Will Muschamp a going-away present.

Georgia hosts Georgia Tech in a game known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Both are 9-2, Georgia still is alive in the SEC East chase and Tech will be playing in the ACC championship game. They’ve not both been 9-2 when they met since 1942. Got Georgia on your mind?

You’ve got your Civil War in Oregon, between the No. 2 Ducks and Oregon State. You’ve got Michigan at No. 6 Ohio State, with Michigan coach Brady Hoke desperately needing a win and the Buckeyes hoping for some upsets in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings.

You’ve got your Iron Bowl, with Auburn at No. 1 Alabama. You’ve got your Egg Bowl, with No. 4 Mississippi State at Mississippi.

And that’s just the rivalries. Other games will impact conference and division races and help set the stage not only for the first-ever playoff (involving four teams) but the rest of the bowl schedule. Feel free to watch any you like – No. 13 Arizona State at No. 11 Arizona (it must have a nickname, no?) on Friday, No. 18 Minnesota at No. 14 Wisconsin (winner goes to the Big Ten championship game and Minnesota has lost 10 straight in this series).

Viewers, start your televisions.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .