Mike Kern: Bowl picture will be clearer after this weekend

FINALLY, the last full weekend of the college football season (Army-Navy is next Saturday) is here. And while most folks really only care about two games, there are always a few others that still have bowl, even BCS, ramifications. So here goes:

Oregon already won the Pac-10. So even if the Ducks (11-0) lose at Oregon State (5-6) Saturday, they're headed to the Rose Bowl for the second straight New Year's Day. But the Ducks would much rather be in the Arizona desert on Jan. 10, going for their first national title.

This is the 114th edition of the Civil War. Last year, the winner was Rose Bowl-bound. Oregon won at home, 37-33. In 2008, Oregon State would have gone to Pasadena with a victory. But the Ducks won in Corvallis, 65-38.

The only Pac-10 team that has made it to a BCS final was Southern Cal, in 2004 and '05.

Meanwhile, in the Southeastern Conference title game, Auburn (12-0) and South Carolina (9-3) meet for the second time. On Sept. 25, Auburn won at home, 35-27. If Auburn wins again it'll have a chance to get its second national title, and first since 1957.

South Carolina, which led that first game, 20-7, has never won the SEC. But head coach Steve Spurrier did it six times from 1991-2000, when he was at Florida. Auburn is 1-2 in SEC finals. The victory was in 2004, when it went unbeaten, yet didn't get to play for the national title.

In case you forgot, a team from the SEC has won the BCS final each of the last 4 years.

There's always a chance that if Auburn loses a close one at the end, it could still finish ahead of Texas Christian (12-0) and get to the last game anyway.

But who wants to sweat another day to find out?

And if Auburn and Oregon both lose, who knows what happens? It's hard to see Stanford (11-1) getting to the final game ahead of Oregon, since it lost to the Ducks on the road by three touchdowns on Oct. 2. But it's the BCS, so please hold all bets. Did anyone say Wisconsin (11-1)? But didn't the Badgers lose by 10 at Michigan State (11-1), which isn't even going to a BCS bowl? See what we mean?

Anyway, in the first dozen years of the BCS the teams that were 1-2 in the standings entering the final week have remained there five times. But it hasn't happened since 2005. Only once have both teams dropped out. That was 3 years ago, when unbeatens Missouri and West Virginia lost, Ohio State moved from third to first and two-loss Louisiana State somehow went from seventh to second.

As for the rest of the slate:

In what will be the last Big 12 title game for at least the immediate future, Oklahoma and Nebraska (both 10-2) will meet for perhaps the last time. It used to be one of the sport's great rivalries, in the Big 8 days. Then they started playing 2 out of every 4 years. Starting next season, Nebraska will be playing in the Big Ten.

"In the end, what could be more fitting?" said OU coach Bob Stoops. "The tradition and history, to have one more go at it is really exciting and special."

This one is at Cowboys Stadium. Last season, Nebraska won at home, 10-3, the only time OU has been held to single digits since a 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the 2003 Big 12 final.

Speaking of which, that's the only time OU has gone down in this spot in seven appearances. Nebraska is 2-3, having lost last December to Texas by one on a last-play field goal after it looked as if the clock actually might have expired.

These two have met only once before in this game. That was 4 years ago. OU won, 21-7.

The winner goes to the Fiesta Bowl.

In the Atlantic Coast, it's come down to Virginia Tech (10-2) and Florida State (9-3). In 1995, Tech started 0-2 and then won its last 10. The Hokies lost their first two this year, including one to a James Madison team that didn't make the FCS playoffs. Doesn't matter any longer. They can go to their third Orange Bowl in 4 years by making it 11 in a row. FSU hasn't been to a BCS bowl in 5 years. But Bobby Bowden doesn't coach there anymore. The teams haven't met since 2008, when FSU won at home by 10.

The Big East doesn't have a title game. But Connecticut (7-4), which lost two of its first four, will get the BCS bowl bid (most likely to the Fiesta), if it wins at South Florida (7-4), which has won four of its last five. The schools are 1,300 miles apart. So how much worse is a trip to TCU? Should UConn lose, West Virginia (8-3) wins by beating Rutgers (4-7) at home. Rutgers has lost five in a row. And two of its wins were against Norfolk State and Florida International. Should UConn and WVU both stumble, Pittsburgh (6-5) can win with a victory at Cincinnati (4-7). You can't make this up. And if all three fall, UConn gets the bid. As if anyone outside the state would be paying attention at that point.

In the Mid-American Conference, tomorrow night in Detroit, Northern Illinois (10-2) gets Miami of Ohio (8-4), which won once a year ago. The winner might get another trip to Motown, for the Little Caesar's Bowl the day after Christmas. And you thought winning your league was supposed to be a good thing.

In Conference USA, Southern Methodist (7-5) travels to Central Florida (9-3). SMU, in its third season under former Hawaii coach June Jones, hasn't won a title since sharing the Southwest in 1984. The UCF coach is George O'Leary, who once had the Notre Dame job for about 24 hours. The teams haven't played since 2008. In 2007, the Knights beat Tulsa at home in the final.

We're pretty sure the winner is headed to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, in case you want to get a jump on those cheap flights. *

Send e-mail to kernm@phillynews.com.