The Wiz of Odds

Week 14

No, this isn't the last week of the regular season. It ends with the annual Army-Navy game, to be played Dec. 10 at FedExField in Landover, Md. But this is the last weekend your remote is going to get a full workout.

Thursday's game is a Big East matchup between West Virginia and South Florida at Tampa. The Mountaineers, who are favored by 1 point, need a victory to keep their title hopes alive. The Bulls, who have lost six of seven, need a victory to become eligible for a bowl.

On Friday, there are two conference title games. Northern Illinois is favored by 3.5 over Ohio in the Mid-American Conference finale at Detroit. UCLA and outgoing coach Rick Neuheisel play at Oregon in the first Pacific 12 title game at Eugene. The Ducks are favored by 31.5.

Saturday's conference title games start with the Conference USA matchup between Houston and Southern Mississippi in Houston. The undefeated Cougars are favored by 13.

In the Southeastern Conference title game at Atlanta, undefeated Louisiana State is favored by 13.5 over Georgia.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference title game at Charlotte, Virginia Tech is favored by 7 over Clemson.

In the first Big Ten Conference title game at Indianapolis, Wisconsin is favored by 9.5 over Michigan State.

Other games of note: Connecticut at Cincinnati (-9.5); Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-11); Iowa State at Kansas State (-11); Nevada Las Vegas at Texas Christian (-39); Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (-3); Texas at Baylor (-2.5) and Brigham Young (-7.5) at Hawaii.

For the latest numbers on all games, click here.

For the Week 14 broadcast schedule, visit Matt Sarzyniak's site.

For statistical breakdowns, visit cfbstats.com.

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Snapshots of Week 13

A look at the week that was, thanks to 30fps. Click an image to enlarge.

Cincinnati Overpowers Syracuse, 30-13

Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin spent Saturday in Syracuse, where the hometown Orange took on Big East rival Cincinnati. The Bearcats won, 30-13, marking the fourth consecutive loss for Syracuse, which will need a victory Saturday at Pittsburgh to become eligible for a bowl.

Cincinnati can clinch a share of its third Big East title in four years with a win Saturday against Connecticut. That, combined with a West Virginia loss to South Florida on Thursday night, would give the Bearcats the league's automatic BCS bowl berth.

There are more photos after the jump, and you can view Greg's full gallery by clicking here.

BCS Guru: LSU-Alabama Rematch All but a Done Deal

Louisiana State and Alabama likely are headed to the Jan. 9 Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans, a rematch of that Nov. 5 overtime snoozer in Tuscaloosa, won by the Tigers, 9-6.

The Southeastern Conference West Division teams will be 1-2 in the official BCS standings that will be released Sunday night, according to the BCS Guru.

Oklahoma State will be No. 3, followed by Virginia Tech, Stanford, Boise State, Houston, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oregon.

The Guru also has Michigan at No. 16 and Texas Christian at No. 18. An at-large BCS team must finish in the top 14 of the BCS standings, meaning neither team currently meets the criteria for a BCS game.

In addition, TCU also would need a loss by Houston in the Conference USA title game. Why? The BCS grants an automatic berth to a non-BCS conference champion if it finishes in the top 16 and ahead of the champion of an automatic qualifying conference, which likely will happen because the Big East has no team close to either the Cougars or Horned Frogs. TCU has a game remaining against Nevada Las Vegas, and a victory will give the Mountain West title outright to the Horned Frogs.

However, one week is left in the season.

The remaining games for the projected top 10 teams:

Louisiana State — vs. Georgia in SEC title game (Saturday in Atlanta).

Alabama — regular season over.

Oklahoma State — Oklahoma (Saturday).

Virginia Tech — vs. Clemson in Atlantic Coast title game (Saturday in Charlotte).

Stanford — regular season over.

Boise State — New Mexico (Saturday).

Houston — Southern Mississippi in Conference USA title game (Saturday in Houston).

Arkansas — regular season over.

Oklahoma — at Oklahoma State (Saturday).

Oregon — vs. UCLA in Pacific 12 title game (Friday in Eugene).

Meet Kristi Malzahn, Wife of Gus Malzahn

Editor's note: The video can be viewed at this link.

Kristi Malzahn, wife of Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, likes to talk football. Perhaps it can be argued that she talks a bit too much about Auburn football, along with a few other things. Thanks to Eric.

Bellotti's Monthly Pension Tops $41,000

Mike Bellotti has a gift that keeps on giving.

Bellotti, the former Oregon coach and short-term athletic director, gets a monthly pension of $41,341.67 from the Oregon Public Employee Retirement System, the Oregonian reported.

Bellotti, 60, is one of 837 people who get more than $100,000 a year from the system, but he's at the top of the heap by a sizable margin. Next on the list is Frederick Keller, an interventional radiologist with the Oregon Health & Science University who probably doesn't have the slightest idea what "Cover 2" means. Keller cashes a monthly pension check of $31,459.45.

Bellotti, now an analyst for ESPN, had a final compensation package between $1.9 and $2 million from Oregon. He made no apology for his fat pension.

"Put in all the taxes I've paid to the state of Oregon," he told the newspaper.

Bellotti was Oregon's offensive coordinator from 1989-94. He then became head coach, a position he held until March 30, 2009, when moved into the athletic director's seat. Nine months later, he quit to join ESPN.

Then, in a move that took large brass ones, Bellotti demanded a severance of $7 million from Oregon president Richard Lariviere, who learned from university general counsel that Bellotti had no contract with the school. He was merely working under a handshake deal.

Lariviere took stock of his legal position and wisely settled for $3 million.