Joe Juliano's College Football Report

Top 10 Topics

1. When parity isn't

Despite being ranked No. 1 by four of the six computers used in the BCS formula, the Pacific Ten Conference may not get a second team in a BCS bowl. The Pac-10 plays a true round-robin schedule of nine league games while conferences with more teams such as the SEC (12) and the Big Ten (11) play eight, giving them an opportunity to schedule an extra cupcake. The Pac-10 has no school with fewer than two losses, and its highest ranked team is No. 11 Southern Cal. The conference is 20-9 outside the league with four of the defeats coming against schools ranked in the BCS top 10 - Cincinnati, Boise State, Iowa and LSU.

2. SEC whine of the week

So now SEC commissioner Mike Slive is saying that there are more important issues facing the league than officiating and penalizing coaches who criticize referees. Maybe so, but all anyone hears from the conference is the seemingly endless questions about calls, publicly suspending a crew and fining Florida coach Urban Meyer $30,000 for critical remarks. And what is it that's more important? "It's what we can do [in the conference] to make sure this legacy lives on," Slive said. That's a legacy of football, not griping.

3. Buckeyes want roses

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor said 10th-ranked Ohio State learned in its shocking defeat at Purdue that you can't let down after a big win. A roaring sellout crowd at Ohio Stadium will try to make sure that doesn't happen when the Buckeyes go after their fifth straight Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl bid with a game against No. 15 Iowa. Of course, with freshman James Vandenberg replacing the injured Ricky Stanzi (ankle) at quarterback for the Hawkeyes, Ohio State could be overconfident, so we'll see if the team heeds Pryor's words.

4. Did you catch the rant . . .

. . . from Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who lashed out at his critics last week for their "animosity . . . and hatred" after the third-ranked Crimson Tide knocked off LSU? McElroy apologized for the remarks two days later saying, "It wasn't supposed to be a 'take-that' moment by any means, but sometimes your emotions just get the best of you." McElroy threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns against LSU and will try to keep that momentum going at Mississippi State.

5. Not in Gainesville any more

Steve Spurrier owns legend status at Florida from his years as a player (including the 1966 Heisman Trophy) and 12 seasons as its head coach (including the 1996 national championship). But as the current South Carolina coach prepares to host top-ranked Florida (9-0), he said it won't make any difference the Gators are on the other sideline. Really? "No, I don't think so," he said. He can't worry about old feelings, though, because Tim Tebow has helped the Gators put up 107 points on the Gamecocks (6-4) the last two years.

6. Hot (and not) seats

At one time, Pittsburgh wondered if former NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt was the right guy to coach its team, and Notre Dame felt as if it had its man in Charlie Weis. Now the roles are reversed as the No. 8 Panthers get ready to meet the Fighting Irish. The Panthers (8-1) are finally into the meat of their schedule, with their last three opponents (Notre Dame, West Virginia, Cincinnati) sporting a combined 22-5 record. The Fighting Irish (6-3) need to stop their season from slipping away after last week's loss to Navy.

7. Non-BCS game of the week I

Texas Christian has reached scary heights in the BCS standings, starting this week at No. 4, the highest ever reached by a team from a conference without an automatic bowl bid. And (gulp!) the Horned Frogs (9-0) could wind up being the first non-BCS conference school to play for the national championship. TCU coach Gary Patterson, whose team hosts No. 16 Utah (8-1), is striving to keep matters on an even keel. "Everybody likes a Cinderella story," he said. "But we're just trying to get to the ball."

8. Non-BCS game of the week II

Boise State (9-0) had been the fashionable BCS buster all season, but the Broncos now are overshadowed by TCU and currently rank two rungs below. What's worse, they face a treacherous hurdle toward an at-large BCS bid in their annual meeting against archrival Idaho. The Vandals (7-3) have clinched their first winning season since 1999 and would love nothing more than to spoil Boise State's party by beating the Broncos for the first time since 1998.

9. Tough times at Tech

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is a fan of pirates, maybe college football's answer to Pat Croce. But Leach hasn't been feeling great this season. The Red Raiders (6-3), who were as high as No. 2 last year, are unranked heading into their game at No. 17 Oklahoma State (7-2). Leach has had to shuffle quarterbacks because of injuries and ineffectiveness. But he continues to talk to his players about "none of that droopy stuff," referring to pirate swords. "In one meeting, that's all we did was talk about waving the sword one way or another," cornerback Jamar Wall said.

10. Getting it backward

How's this for odd? Both Miami (football) and North Carolina (basketball) have five national championships in the sports for which they are best known. But the Hurricanes have won in basketball at Chapel Hill - beating the Tar Heels on Jan. 14, 2006 - and their football team never has. The 12th-ranked 'Canes (7-2) get another chance todaysat, but they need a victory - and a Duke win over No. 7 Georgia Tech - to stay alive in the Coastal Division race in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Games to Watch

Indiana at Penn State, noon, Big Ten Network, WNTP-AM (990), WNPV-AM (1440): The wounds still fresh from last week's Ohio State drubbing as the Nittany Lions begin one last push designed to assure themselves a nice, sunny Florida bowl.

Penn at Harvard, noon, WFIL-AM (560): A win assures the Quakers of at least a tie for their first Ivy League title since 2003 and payback for all those years the Crimson got in their way.

Villanova at Towson, 1 p.m., ESPN-AM (950): The most dangerous game of the season for the Wildcats, who knocked off No. 1 Richmond last week and have archrival Delaware next week.

Florida at South Carolina, 3:30 p.m., CBS3: One year after losing to his former team by 50, Steve Spurrier, the ol' ball coach, gets a chance at the Gators at his place.

Iowa at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC: The Buckeyes should have fun harassing backup Hawkeyes quarterback James Vandenberg and clinching a share of their fifth straight Big Ten title.

Texas at Baylor, 3:30 p.m., CSN: The Longhorns have the easiest remaining schedule of the BCS title contenders and can't afford any slipups, not even a close game.

Alabama at Mississippi State, 7 p.m., ESPN: As with Texas, the Crimson Tide need to focus facing a Bulldogs team that has beaten them two of their last three meetings.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., 6ABC: Unranked in the preseason, the No. 8 Panthers are thinking BCS bowl, but the Fighting Irish are angry after seeing their BCS hopes go up in smoke last week.

Stanford at Southern California, 3:30 p.m., CSN (tape delay at 10:30 p.m.): The Trojans are 47-1 in their last 48 home games - the one loss came belongs to the Cardinal - and Toby Gerhart could help deliver No. 2 today.

The Real Top 10

Here is staff writer Joe Juliano's rankings for Week 11:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Cincinnati
5. TCU
6. Boise State
7. Georgia Tech
8. LSU
9. USC
10. Ohio State

Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com.