The seventh Saturday of the 2011 college football season is shaping up to be a particularly important one, as it will be the lost opportunity for teams in the lower rungs of the Top 25 to assert themselves before the first edition of official BCS rankings is released.
This weekend is of particular import to these three teams, each of whom has a date with a highly-ranked conference opponent and, along with it, an opportunity to impact the big bowl picture.
Texas
Texas had a chance to puts stamp on the landscape last weekend against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game but came up woefully short in an embarrassing 55-17 stomping at the Texas State Fair.
The Longhorns' youth and inexperience shone through rather harshly in every phase of the game, as their offense, stewarded by the quarterbacking duo of David Ash and Case McCoy, was outscored by the Sooners' swarming defense, 21-17.
Not all is lost for Mack Brown's boys, though, as they'll get another chance to throw a wrench into the BCS machinery when they welcome Oklahoma State to Austin. The 'Horns will be hard-pressed to stop the Cowboys' high-flying offense, but a raucous home crowd should help the youngsters get back on their feet.
Whether that's enough to push UT over the Pokes and up the polls remains to be seen.
Arizona State
At long last, Arizona State is finally on track to compete for a conference crown. The Sun Devils stand at 5-1, with their lone loss coming on the road to a strong Illinois squad, and are on track to win the Pac-12 South and play in the inaugural league title game.
Their next big test comes this weekend, when a top-10 Oregon team comes to Tempe. Dennis Erickson's squad has dropped its last six meetings with the Ducks by an average of 21.5 points per game.
A win over Oregon, which may be without Heisman Trophy contender LaMichael James, would go a long way toward helping the Devils exorcise their recent demons on the way to a sensational season.
Michigan State
A three-point road win over Ohio State put Michigan State back in the Top 25 in the polls, though still in a rather precarious position overall.
That all figures to change if/when the Spartans score a victory over the hated Wolverines. Sparty sports solid quarterbacking in senior Kirk Cousins along with one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the nation.
Mark Dantonio's team will need all the help it can get to slow down Denard Robinson and the dynamic Michigan offense, though doing so would mean more than just keeping the Paul Bunyan Trophy in East Lansing.
It would put the Spartans in position to compete for the top spot in the Legends division and a berth in the Big Ten championship game.
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