Big 10

Conference Leader: Ohio State (10-2, 7-1) have clinched the Big 10 regular season title and will head to the Rose Bowl.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin Badgers, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (North Division; 9-3, 6-2)  and Texas (South Division; 12-0, 8-0) have clinched their respective divisions and will face each other in the Big 12 Title Game for a chance at a BCS bowl bid.

Game of Last Week: Oklahoma 27 vs. Oklahoma State 0. Oklahoama State was looking to make it to a possible BCS bowl this season, but a down Sooner team looking at the possibility of a .500 season instead took it to the Cowboys and ended their hopes of a BCS bowl.

Game of Next Week: Nebraska vs. Texas. For the Big 12′s automatic bowl bid.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa State Cyclones, Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies.

Big East

Conference Leader: Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0)

Lurking: Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1)

Game of Last Week: West Virginia 19 vs. Pittsburgh 16. The Mountaineers shocked the Panthers in the Backyard Brawl, payback for a couple years ago when the Panthers did just the same to a top-ranked WVU team. A field goal as time expired from Tyler Bitancurt sent the Mountaineers to victory.

Game of Next Week: Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati. Although the Panthers lost last week, a victory over the Bearcats would still get them the Big East crown in this de facto Big East Championship Game.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Pittsburgh Panthers, South Florida Bulls, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Connecticut Huskies.

Big 10

Conference Leader: Ohio State (10-2, 7-1) have clinched the Big 10 regular season title and will head to the Rose Bowl.

Game of Last Week: Northwestern 33 vs. Wisconsin 31. An upset of the Badgers likely allows the Wildcats a chance at a New Year’s Day or Eve bowl.

Game of Next Week: The Big 10 regular season is completed.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin Badgers, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (North Division; 8-3, 5-2) and Texas (South Division; 11-0, 7-0) have both clinched their respective division titles and will meet for the Big 12 Championship Game on December 5th.

Game of Last Week: Nebraska 17 vs. Kansas State 3. Jockeying for the Big 12 North title all season, these two teams met to finally decide the victor. In convincing fashion, the stingy Cornhusker defense kept the Wildcats at bay and clinched a trip to the Big 12 Title Game.

Game of Next Week: Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma. Oklahoma would love to end its season with a big upset after a disappointing ’09 campaign. The Cowboys are looking to get a BCS at-large bid.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa State Cyclones, Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies.

Big East

Conference Leader: Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0)

Lurking: Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0)

Game of Last Week: Connecticut 33 vs. Notre Dame. With limited conference action, this overtime thriller was by far the best of the weekend for the Big East, and put the Huskies closer to being bowl eligible.

Game of Next Week: Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia. The Backyard Brawl is always a good one, and a victory here for Pitt would give the Big East, which has no conference championship game, a virtual conference championship game the following week as Cincinnati and Pittsburgh would go at it for the Big East crown.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Pittsburgh Panthers, South Florida Bulls, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Big 10

Conference Leader: Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) has clinched at least a share of the Big 10 title and has the tiebreaker, clinching the conference’s BCS bowl bid.

Game of Last Week: Ohio State 27 vs. Iowa 24. Ohio State’s backup kicker, Devon Barclay kicked a game winning field goal in overtime to give the Buckeyes a Rose Bowl bid.

Game of Next Week: Ohio State vs. Michigan. Bowl eligibility rides on this one for the Wolverines, although no reason is necessary for this game to be the game of the week in the conference.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin Badgers, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (North Division; 7-3, 4-2); Texas (South Division; 10-0, 6-0)

Lurking: Kansas State (North Division; 6-5, 4-3)

Game of Last Week: Oklahoma State 24 vs. Texas Tech 17. Needing to win in order to keep hope alive of a Big 12 title, the Cowboys delivered, doing just enough to beat the Red Raiders.

Game of Next Week: Kansas State vs. Nebraska. For the lead in the Big 12 North.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa State Cyclones, Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners.

Big East

Conference Leader: Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0)

Lurking: Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0)

Game of Last Week: Cincinnati 24 vs. West Virginia 21. Tony Pike was the designated TD thrower, and the Bearcats kept hopes for a perfect season alive, barely escaping with the victory over the Mountaineers.

Game of Next Week: Louisville vs. South Florida. The Big East schedule is rather sparse next week, but Louisville can still become bowl eligible with victories in the next two weeks. They’ll need to beat South Florida to keep that hope alive.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Pittsburgh Panthers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Big 10

Conference Leader: Iowa (9-1, 5-1)

Lurking: Ohio State (8-2, 5-1)

Game of Last Week: Northwestern 17 vs. Iowa 10. Week after week, Iowa looked on the edge of a loss, and this week they finally were unable to make a late comeback, losing to the Wildcats.

Game of Next Week: Iowa vs. Ohio State. This one will likely be for the Big 10 title, and for the chance to play in the Rose Bowl

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin Badgers, Northwestern Wildcats.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Kansas State (North Division; 6-4, 4-2), Texas (South Division; 9-0, 5-0)

Lurking: Nebraska (North Division; 6-3, 3-2)

Game of Last Week: Colorado 35 vs. Texas A&M 34. With just 2:04 left, the Buffaloes scored the winning touchdown in a back and forth game between the Big 12 foes.

Game of Next Week: Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech. Two teams with bowl aspirations and winning records face off in an important Big 12 matchup.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Nebraska Corn Huskers.

Big East

Conference Leader: Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0)

Lurking: Pittsburgh (8-1, 5-0)

Game of Last Week: Cincinnati 47 vs. Connecticut 45. With the help of their replacement QB Zach Collaros, the Bearcats scored nine points in 21 seconds, and the Bearcats stayed undefeated.

Game of Next Week: Cincinnati vs. West Virginia. With a win, West Virginia would reinsert itself into Big East title contention, with Pittsburgh up next in the Backyard Brawl.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Pittsburgh Panthers.

Big 10

Conference Leader: Iowa (8-0, 4-0)

Lurking: Ohio State (6-2, 4-1)

Game of Last Week: Iowa 15 vs. Michigan State 13. Ricky Stanzi’s pass with no time remaining on the clock went for a touchdown after three incompletions left the Hawkeyes with a 4th and goal to go for the last second victory.

Game of Next Week: Penn State vs. Northwestern. Two teams lurking under the Big 10 radar can make big statements with victories here.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Kansas State (North Division; 5-3, 3-1), Texas (South Division; 7-0, 4-0)

Lurking: Oklahoma State (South Division; 6-1, 3-0)

Game of Last Week: Iowa State 9 vs. Nebraska 7. Nebraska committed an incredible eight turnovers, including four inside their own five-yard line, gift wrapping the victory for the Cyclones.

Game of Next Week: Texas vs. Oklahoma State. For the South Division lead, and likely a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0)

Lurking: Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0)

Game of Last Week: West Virginia 28 vs. Connecticut 24. West Virginia prevailed over the heavy-hearted Huskies with a last minute touchdown run from Noel Devine to give the Mountaineers the much needed victory.

Game of Next Week: South Florida vs. West Virginia. Two teams with Big East aspirations early this year will need to win out to have a chance, this game will be integral in both team’s BCS hopes.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Pittsburgh Panthers, Cincinnati Bearcats.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Boston College (Atlantic Division; 5-3, 3-2), Georgia Tech (Coastal Division; 7-1,5-1)

Lurking: Clemson (Atlantic Division; 4-3, 3-2)

Game of Last Week: Clemson 40 vs. Miami (FL) 37 F/OT. Clemson’s offense fired on all cylinders, and a perfectly fired touchdown pass from QB Kyle Parker to Jacoby Ford in overtime sent the Tigers to the shocking upset victory over the former BCS No. 10 Hurricanes. The Tigers also claimed a tie in the Atlantic Division with the victory.

Game of Next Week: Miami (FL) vs. Wake Forest. Two teams that are 2-2 in the ACC will be looking to make a little more noise, and rebound from recent loses that have taken both teams out of the top spots in their divisions.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (6-1, 4-0)

Lurking: USC (6-1, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: USC 42 vs. Oregon State 36. This one was even closer than the score suggests, as USC was never truly able to separate themselves from the Beavers at home. The Trojans were looking to avenge their only loss of last season, and limited the Beaver offense just enough to pull out the victory.

Game of Next Week: USC vs. Oregon. A huge ranked matchup in the Pac-10 at Autzen Stadium will have a big say in who wins the conference this year.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

SEC

Conference Leaders: Florida (East Division; 7-0, 5-0), Alabama (West Division; 8-0, 5-0)

Lurking: LSU (West Division; 6-1, 4-1)

Game of Last Week: Alabama 12 vs. Tennessee 10. Two blocked field goals and a third that missed the cross bar by just a few feet saved the Crimson Tide from being upset at home by the Volunteers.

Game of Next Week: Georgia vs. Florida. It’s a cocktail party. It’s very large. It’s always a good game. Enjoy.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Wake Forrest (Atlantic Division; 4-2, 2-1), Virginia Tech (Coastal Division; 5-1, 2-0)

Lurking: Boston College (4-2, 2-2)

Game of Last Week: Virginia Tech 48 vs. Boston College 14. The game was supposed to be a test for the Hokies, instead it showed the nation, that maybe, the Hokies deserved more attention than they were getting, and that they were the best one-loss team in the nation.

Game of Next Week: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech. A Coastal Division match up between two big offensive clubs is sure to hold some excitement for the weekend.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (5-1, 3-0)

Lurking: Stanford (4-2, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon 24 vs. UCLA 10. Not expected to make any noise after getting embarrassed by Boise State to open the season, the Ducks have instead only played better, and now are among the nation’s elite after this convincing win over the Bruins.

Game of Next Week: Washington vs. Arizona State. Both teams are looking to move up in the Pac-10 standings, and this game is ripe to be down to the wire, and as close as a Pac-10 match up will get.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

SEC

Conference Leaders: Florida (East Division; 5-0, 3-0), Alabama (West Division; 6-0, 3-0)

Lurking: LSU (5-1, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Florida 13 vs. LSU 3. Tim Tebow’s triumphant return after his severe concussion, the Gator’s didn’t put up the offensive power house performance many expected, but they did just enough to stay unbeaten and continue to be considered the best team in the nation.

Game of Next Week: Alabama vs. South Carolina. The Tide will play another top-25 SEC opponent this week after defeating the previously ranked Ole Miss last weekend.

Big 10

Conference Leader: Ohio State (5-1, 3-0)

Lurking: Iowa (6-0, 2-0)

Game of Last Week: Ohio State 31 vs. Wisconsin 13, a match up of two Big 10 unbeaten teams turned instead into a rout and likely reaffirmed some voter’s confidence in Ohio State, who may still have a shot at the BCS National Title game if enough pieces fall into place.

Game of Next Week: Wisconsin vs. Iowa, Wisconsin will again get a shot at a Big 10 unbeaten, hoping this time to knock off the team with the second longest winning streak in the nation.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Kansas (North Division; 5-0, 1-0) Texas (South Division; 5-0, 2-0)

Lurking: Nebraska (North Division; 4-1, 1-0)

Game of Last Week: Nebraska 27 vs. Missouri 12, a Thursday night game that featured one of the three match ups between ranked teams turned into a national coming out party for the Cornhuskers, now a legitimate contender for the Big 12 crown.

Game of Next Week: Texas vs. Oklahoma. Red River Shootout, need we say more?

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0)

Lurking: Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0)

Game of Last Week: Pittsburgh 24 vs. Connecticut 21. A match up of two one-loss Big East teams at the time, this close match up was among the best of the weekend, ending on a late 18-yard field goal to give the Panthers the win, and the conference lead.

Game of Next Week: Cincinnati vs. South Florida. A ranked match up in the Big East is unusual these days, so this Thursday night match up between two 5-0 teams will likely be these teams only chance to impress until bowl season.